Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on April 14th, 2005
Star Trek: First Contact is light-years ahead of any other Next Generation film. There is virtually every characteristic that makes good Star Trek present here. James Cromwell as Cochrane provides the best comedy relief on Star Trek since the tribbles. The Borg infiltration reminds us of the first Alien film with its shadows and cramped airshaft scenes. The action is ramped up several notches from previous films. The basic crew seems to have found its feature legs and is more comfortable as a unit.
Purists will find some fault with the continuity errors the film brings to the Trek Universe, but after four years of Enterprise, these errors are quite minor. Jonathan Frakes is not, in my opinion, one of the brightest actors in Trek’s world, but here he does show he has the chops to be a first class director. Like Nimoy before him, it took one of the show’s main actors to breathe emotion into the franchise. The atmosphere in the cinematography is the best of any Trek before or since. This is probably technically the finest Trek film.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on April 13th, 2005
While House of Flying Daggers may be easy to pigeonhole as a movie similar to Zhang Yimou's own Hero or even Ang Lee's Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, the only thing you could say about all three is that they have an impressive level of stuntwork that also, features the acting skills of Zhang Ziyi. But where Lee's work is more story based around three characters' feelings for one another, and Hero had some great stuntwork set against some breathtaking cinematography, House of Flying Dag...ers seems to trump them all.
Set in 9th century China, Mei (Ziyi) is a blind dancer in a brothel, who a policeman named Leo suspects can help find a rebel group called the House of Flying Daggers, who possess exceptional skills with small knives. Leo enlists the help of Jin to help free Mei from prison (after she attempted to kill Leo at the brothel) to help lure the government to the rebels. Along the way, he falls in love with Mei, and he does not want her to fulfill his mission, and will protect her at any cost. If you think any of these details divulge spoilers in any way, then you may not have seen the movie yet, as there are many twists and turns that keep you off-balance in the film, while enjoying the excellent fight sequences.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on April 6th, 2005
What kid growing up in the 60’s and 70’s wasn’t totally and completely captivated by the moon landings? We were equally on the edge of our seats when, for a brief moment in time, it appeared we were going to lose our first men in space. Seldom can a film be successful when the audience has most of the story’s details burned into the core of their memory. After all, we know how this one comes out. Still, the film manages to create the intense tension and anticipation as if we were experiencing it all for the first time. The cast is quite crucial for such a monstrous task. Tom Hanks has arguably never been better. The understated style of Gary Sinise is exactly what the film requires when the suspense mounts. It’s particularly gratifying to have Ed Harris along for the ride, quite possibly an homage to his unforgettable John Glenn in The Right Stuff. Ron Howard should be congratulated on producing a piece of cinematic magic that will likely stand the test of time.
Synopsis
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on April 3rd, 2005
This is a difficult review to write. The problem is approaching this miniseries and the subsequent new Sci-Fi Channel series without personal prejudice. I am a huge fan of the original Battlestar Galactica. While this incarnation has many redeeming qualities, I find it hard to consider it the same animal. The f/x are unquestionably some of the best yet seen on television. The action is ramped up many degrees from the original. The stories are, for the most part, more complex. So why do I hesitate in declaring this “reimagined” edition as superior? I don’t believe it was necessary to take steps that appear to me intended only to aggravate followers of the original. Making Starbuck a woman is probably the most egregious of these moves. I have a lot of respect for producer Ron Moore. His work on many of the Star Trek reinventions is top notch. Here he is unwilling to pay proper respect to what came before. Edward James Olmos, the new Adama, has made it clear that this show will anger fans of the original. I have continually preached in these reviews the importance of characters and the chemistry between them. The original Galactica had something special in the original Starbuck/Apollo relationship. While I’m willing to admit that my opinion could be colored, I find it hard to care about these characters. There is too much political correctness and romance.
The miniseries does pretty much follow the original pilot story. In this version the Galactica is about to be decommissioned. The focus becomes not only the last surviving military vessel, but one so old that it was slated to become a museum piece. There is great tension in the Apollo/Adama relationship that centers on the death of Zak, Apollo’s brother. The Colonial Vipers are true to the original design with far more detail, not possible 30 years ago on a television budget. The Cylons are human looking, and in the tradition of The Thing, could be anyone anywhere. The politics of the Colonies is explored much further here with the creation of a President, succeeded from the Education Secretary as the sole survivor of the Cylon attack. Finally the Baltar character is not so cut and dried evil. Seduced by an attractive Cylon into his betrayal, he seems to struggle at times with his part in the destruction of the 12 Colonies.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on March 28th, 2005
The sophomore effort of Wes Anderson, Rushmore brings together a 15 year old who flunked out of private school, and a steel tycoon in his 40s, and shows the lengths that people go to sometimes to try and win the heart of the one they love.
That would be too easy an effort, wouldn’t it? Well, Max Fischer (Jason Schwartzman, I Heart Huckabees) is attending Rushmore Academy on scholarship, and he loves Rushmore. So much so, that he creates a club for just about everything that hasn’t had an esta...lished club at Rushmore. Beekeepers’ Society? Check. Model U.N.? Check. He also writes and produces plays at the school. Not your average plays, more along the lines of adaptations. Adaptations which may not be appropriate for younger kids. I mean, why subject an 8 year old to a play that’s adapted from Serpico? The problem with all his extracurriculars is that he neglects his studies, and is threatened with expulsion by the school’s headmaster (Brian Cox, The Rookie). As Max’s father (Seymour Cassel, Stealing Harvard) is only a barber, expulsion would be expulsion, he couldn’t buy his way out of it. Max does find an inspiration, someone that he falls in love with, a 1st grade English teacher named Ms. Cross (Olivia Williams, The Sixth Sense). The problem is that Ms. Cross rejects his flirtations, so he enlists the aid of Herman Blume (Bill Murray, Caddyshack), a self-made tycoon who gains Max’s admiration and respect at a guest speaker engagement at the school, simply telling the poor kids to take the rich kids down. The problem with getting Blume involved is that he eventually falls in love with her also, though he is already unhappily married.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on March 28th, 2005
This PBS documentary on the White House was made in 2001 to coincide with the Bicentennial of the mansion’s construction. I’m a student of the presidency, so I can’t say that I learned anything new here. I do believe most folks will walk away with some renewed interest in one of the icons of American government. Many celebrities, including Sam Waterson, Avery Brooks, and Robert Prosky, read actual letters from presidents and first ladies dealing with the White House. The film makes generous use of period photographs and paintings to depict the various stages of the building’s development into the modern version we are so familiar with today.
Audio
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on March 28th, 2005
Good Times is one of several shows from the 1970’s to trace its origins back to All In The Family. Florida was the maid to Maude, Edith’s cousin, who also got her own show. It wasn’t very long before Good Times became the Jimmie Walker show. His ghetto witisms and trademark “Dyn-o-Mite” exclamation took any attention from the other cast members. In the Fourth season John Amos left the show and his character, James, was killed in an accident. Esther Rolle would also depart for a time after this season. It’s no surprise that JJ’s role was beginning to increase and perhaps peaked here in Season Four.
Audio
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on March 28th, 2005
What better a place to bring a city’s resurgence than Miami? The area would arguably look different if there was a different TV show that sparked a commerical revival. With Michael Mann in the producer’s chair, along with producing partner Anthony Yerkovich (whose only other cop drama he produced was Hill Street Blues), the flashy cop drama was the reason why a lot of people decided to stay home on Friday nights.
In terms of episode content, there was a lot of formulaic cop drama things, and the usua... clichéd dialogue is prevalent. I found myself shuddering at some of the things I heard when I was watching this first season of episodes again. But there are very good episodes within this run. Aside from the introduction of Tubbs (Philip Michael Thomas) to Crockett (Don Johnson) in the first episode, along with Tubbs’ pursuit of the drug dealer who killed his cop brother, No Exit features a young Bruce Willis as an arms dealer with a dark side. Milk Run has Crockett helping a couple of naïve college kids nab a cocaine dealer and get home safely, and Dennis Farina (who later starred in Mann’s TV project Crime Story appears periodically throughout the season as a drug dealer who evades arrest, and later, witness relocation. And what may be the best episode, Evan features an old partner of Crockett’s and the friction that still exists between them and a deceased partner. Set against a couple of really cool Peter Gabriel songs, this episode is probably the best of the season in my opinion.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on March 13th, 2005
I must admit that season 5 of South Park was not one of my favorites. I didn’t mind the more permanent death of Kenny. OK, I did mind losing Kenny, but that wasn’t what really brought the series down. It appears that the crudeness found in season 5 has no other purpose than for shock value which in itself is lost on South Park fans. You just can’t shock us anymore.
An episode with a running counter for how often SHIT appears is a perfect indication of how run down things had gotten. Don’t get me wrong. The...e’s still some real funny... well... Shit in this season. Butters annoys me. I think he’s intended to, but he really annoys me. I think the only reason I laughed at all this season is because I can’t help laughing every time Cartman says or does anything. I think one of the reasons for South Park’s drop comes from the domination of Trey Parker.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on March 11th, 2005
It’s hard to imagine that just 10 years ago Steven Bochco stirred up a hornet’s nest with the introduction of NYPD Blue. I say hard to imagine because after just three seasons The Shield has taken commercial TV to heights unimagined by anyone 10 years ago. Vic Mackey doesn’t just rough up suspects. He controls the streets he patrols. He’s not even above killing another cop to keep his thumb on crime in the Barrio district of L.A. Michael Chiklis, once known as the fatherly kind cop on The Commish, has t...tally sold us on this almost irredeemable renegade.
While F/X is a cable network, it still relies on the same advertising spots that the other networks depend on as their lifeblood. Unlike HBO or Showtime, F/X must also comply with stricter guidelines for decency. The Shield pushes that envelope to the very edge. Cinematography is gritty and often documentary in style. The music is harsh. The stories are extremely tight. Not a minute is wasted on superfluous trivia. This show grabs you in the first minute and reluctantly lets you go in the closing credits, only to lie in wait with another compelling episode to begin the cycle again.
