Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on February 27th, 2002
Intro
It is nice to see one of Jackie Chan’s first films, New Fist of Fury, get re-released with an anamorphic widescreen transfer. Unfortunately, that is the only bonus to this disc.
Synopsis
“Jackie Chan (Rush Hour), the master of kung-fu and Chinese acrobatics, stars in this action- packed sequel to Bruce Lee's Fist of Fury. In one of his first leading roles, he displays the style that would make him an international superstar. During WWII in Japanese-occupied Taiwan, Jacki...
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on February 26th, 2002
Intro
It is about damn time that The Empire Strikes Back made it to DVD… oh wait; this is Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back, not The Empire Strikes Back (Damn it). Oh well, at least we now have one “Strikes Back” on DVD, and it is a dandy DVD release.
Synopsis
“First seen in Kevin Smith’s breakthrough film “Clerks,” Jay and Silent Bob have continued their adventures in both live-action movies and animated television shows. In JAY AND SILENT BOB STRIKE BACK, when they learn that t...
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on February 18th, 2002
“You will believe a man can fly” was the promise on a movie poster that tempted this teenager into the brand new multiplex to see Superman - The Movie. Did the film deliver? Let’s just say there were no lawsuits for breech of contract. What teenage kid could help but be swept into the air with Christopher Reeve as the Man of Steel. Brando had also been a hero of mine and who better to play Superman’s dad than the Godfather himself. No film had to that point ever accomplished the feat of putting a human in flight that rivals the abilities of today’s digital effects. Hell yes, I believe a man can fly.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on February 13th, 2002
“Can you summon your talent at will?” This is a question from Satan himself in the The Devil’s Advocate. For Al Pacino I would say the answer is a resounding yes. Pacino has been making us offers we just couldn’t refuse for 30 years. Just a list of his exceptional films would require more space than I have here. You’ll find this film to be one of his more underrated gems.
Synopsis
Kevin Lomax (Reeves) is a hot young lawyer with an uncanny ability to pick a winning jury; in fact he’s never lost.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on February 9th, 2002
Intro
I have been hearing about this film for quite some time now… and now that I have had the pleasure of viewing it, I can honestly say it is a great film. If you like British style films (Lock Stock, Snatch, Gangster No. 1)… you will thoroughly enjoy Sexy Beast.
Synopsis
“Jonathan Glazer, the award-winning director of advertisements and music videos, presents his feature film debut with this lushly photographed, expertly written, and brilliantly performed convention-defying ...
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on February 7th, 2002
What is the Matrix? That’s the question everyone’s looking to answer in this sci-fi spectacular from Wachowski brothers. One thing it was -- groundbreaking both in the spectacular special effects that we’ve since taken for granted even in tv commercials and in actual ground (the tons of concrete) broken in the film itself.
Synopsis
Computer hacker extraordinaire Neo (Reeves) has this gut feeling that life isn’t all that it seems to be. Turns out he’s right in a big way. A group of revolutionaries l...
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on February 2nd, 2002
"Imagine where you will be and it will be so". That was how Maximus comforted his troops before battle. If you imagine yourself in Rome during the days of the Gladiator then Ridley Scott makes it very easy to do. Russell Crowe plays the role of a lifetime as Maximus. I have often heard film lovers state that they don?t make classics anymore. Whether Gladiator is the exception that proves the rule or proof against the rule is uncertain. What is sure is that Gladiator will become a true classic.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on January 29th, 2002
Intro
This is the new film from writer/director Scott Reynolds, who brought us The Ugly, a stylishly weird psycho-thriller from a few years back.
Synopsis
Radha Mitchell runs a diner and a motel by herself in a middle-of-nowhere little town. One morning, she opens her diner and strange young man comes in. He’s been stabbed in the gut, and he needs her help. He’s terrified of a group of surfers who arrive shortly after him. He says they’re after him. Should Mitchell believe him?
I...
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on January 26th, 2002
Say the name Bruce Willis and what is the first thing that comes to mind? Lately Willis has excelled in roles that have redefined him as an actor. Of course, I’m talking about films like “The Sixth Sense”. But when I hear Bruce Willis I think of John McClane. Die Hard was the film where Willis “made his bones” in Hollywood and revolutionized the action film forever.
Synopsis
John McClane just can’t catch a break. It seems his wife has moved from their home in New York City, where John’s a cop, to L.A.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on January 23rd, 2002
Intro
Think of this John Hughes script as the logical conclusion to the Home Alone phenomenon.
Synopsis
Baby Bink lives in pampered luxury, cared for by his nanny while his two twitty parents carry on with their twitty upper class lives. Three bumbling crooks kidnap Baby Bink and take him downtown. It’s not long, however, before he escapes, and blithely crawls around the city. Our crooks chase after him and into one catastrophe after another.
Audio
The music is good,...
