Posted in: Brain Blasters, News and Opinions by David Annandale on August 25th, 2006
You’re a fan of Eurohorror, especially the Italian variety. You’ve seen everything you can find from the masters: Mario Bava, Dario Argento, Riccardo Freda, Michele Soavi. You’ve exhausted the catalogue of less reliable but nonetheless important figures such as Lucio Fulci. You plunge deeper, sleazier, in the company of cannibal-meisters Ruggero Deodato and Umberto Lenzi. Ere long, you’re scraping the bottom of the barrel, tracking down the incompetent, boring, but at least gory work of the likes of Bruno Mattei ( and Night of the Zombies). And still you’re looking for more.
Might as well accept it. Sooner or later, the path will lead to Aristide Massaccesi, better known as Joe D’Amato. This is a man who considered himself a cinematographer first and foremost, and a director second, as a means to pay the bills between more artistically rewarding DP gigs. It’s just as well he didn’t look on his directorial efforts as high art. Consider the titles: Emanuelle and the Last Cannibals (AKA Trap Them and Kill Them), Porno Holocaust, Erotic Nights of the Living Dead. You get the idea. D’Amato’s propensity to mix sex and horror in his sleaze might one in mind of Spanish director Jess Franco, previously discussed in this space. D’Amato’s visual work tends to be less sloppy than Franco’s, and is noticeably less reliant on the zoom lens. But with Franco, one always feels that one is watching the work of a man caught in a genuine obsession. D’Amato, on the other hand, doesn’t really seem to care.
Posted in: News and Opinions by Archive Authors on August 24th, 2006
Discussing the old school DVD’s that still sound and look great in the era of Blu-Ray and HD-DVD technology.
Mr. And Mrs. Smith will likely be remembered more for being the film that put Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie on the road to saving the world, one Cambodian child at a time, than being an enjoyable action-comedy film. Though despite all the media buzz over the film prior to its release, it actually turned out to be a financial and critical success, unlike Gigli, a film tha... was also much-hyped due to off-screen romance of the film’s two stars.
Posted in: Dare to Play the Game, News and Opinions by Michael Durr on August 23rd, 2006
Power, Madden and a little Butterfly - Welcome to the series rehash with no new features and year old rosters known as Dare to Play the Game.
Posted in: New Release Tuesday, News and Opinions by Michael Durr on August 22nd, 2006
Hello, I'm your fill-in host for the week, mister Kedrix (your game columnist). Yes I'm back again, after I swore I wouldn't be. Call it an obligaton, call it a true pain in the... Anyhow, in this edition of the New Release Tuesday blog, we get a good look into this weeks top releases. Some good Criterion choices and some good HD/Blu-Ray for a change. Well,on to the lists…
Top Film Releases
Posted in: News and Opinions by Archive Authors on August 21st, 2006
Ars Technica asks today "Is Plasma Doomed?" Citing the fact that LCD's now overlap with plasma in terms of size and (arguably) picture quality, along with the fact that certain manufacturers are stopping plasma development and production to shift to LCD's, the author suggests that "Plasma vs. LCD" is comparable to the apocryphal "Beta vs. VHS" battle.
Anyway, interesting observation that plasma is getting clobbered, but personally, I can't see i... being much of a "format" battle; ultimately, does it matter what type of screen anyone has? Your TV is a capstone component, not a foundation (like a Blu-Ray vs. HD-DVD); generally speaking it doesn't technically matter what technology the TV sitting on top of your component is - the choice of TV technology doesn't neccessitate the replacement of other components or your media library.
Posted in: News and Opinions by Archive Authors on August 21st, 2006
Watch your back if you own an "Avdeco" branded component and TV shelf with glass shelves:
Posted in: Highly Defined, News and Opinions by Archive Authors on August 21st, 2006
Highly Defined
How long until Madden comes out?
Posted in: Brain Blasters, News and Opinions by Archive Authors on August 18th, 2006
And so, after a long summer, it has finally come to this: Snakes on a Plane ceases to be a hot-weather fantasy and becomes a reality. Now we can all see whether this creature that became a cult before it was even finished can in any way live up (or down) to our expectations, hopes, and fears. Let us pause, then, and reflect on killer snake movies from the past.
The question as to whether Snakes on a Plane will be any good is completely irrelevant. A look back demonstrates that there has never ...eally been a snake movie that is... um... well... good. Plenty that have been entertaining. But good? Anaconda is probably as good as things get. As obvious as the CGI effects are, they aren’t as bad as those in many other recent releases, and the death scenes are so ludicrous as to be highly enjoyable (such as the moment where one victim is nabbed in mid-air). Watch the home video release carefully: in one scene, the waterfall is flowing upwards. Anacondas, meanwhile, falls down on the most important front: not enough snake action.
Posted in: News and Opinions by Archive Authors on August 17th, 2006
Discussing the old school DVD’s that still sound and look great in the era of Blu-Ray and HD-DVD technology.
No matter what happens to Mel Gibson after his infamous arrest and anti-Semitic tirade, one can’t deny that he’s made and starred in some powerful films throughout his career. Braveheart, We Were Soldiers, Signs, Passion of the Christ... the list goes on. However, one of my favorite Gibson movies has always been The Patriot.
Posted in: Dare to Play the Game, News and Opinions by Michael Durr on August 16th, 2006
Condom Jokes, Gaining that Ground, and Spewing forth a collection for the masses - Welcome to the gym sock that you used to catch your deposits known as Dare to Play the Game.
