Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on October 16th, 2005
This release is identical in every respect but one (the colourization) to the previous Studio Classics edition, and so what follow below is the same review, with an additional note about colour.
Synopsis
Returning to California after some years in Spain, Don Diego (Tyrone Power) finds that his father has been deposed and that the region is ruled by a venal, corrupt governer under the thumb of tyrannical lieutenant Basil Rathbone. Pretending to be a useless fop by day, Diego dons mask and sw...
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on October 15th, 2005
Synopsis
Two friends – Marie and Alexia– head out to the country home of the latter’s parents. In the middle of the night, a killer breaks in, slaughters the family, and makes Alexia his prisoner. Marie is locked in a battle to save her friend and not become a victim herself.
Of such simple storylines are horror classics made. Leave it to the French, who, after all, invented the horror movie, to pump such gloriously bloody life back into the cinema of atrocity. After an early bit of extrem...
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on October 14th, 2005
Synopsis
At a gathering of all the gangs of New York City, the messianic leader proposing a unification of all the organizations is gunned down, and the Warriors are unjustly accused. They must make their way from the Bronx to Coney Island with every gang in the city out for their blood.
Set in a vaguely defined near future, this is a cracker of an action flick, one that has lost none of its pace and excitement over the years. The different gangs are all wonderfully realized and bizarre, an...
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on October 12th, 2005
Synopsis
Donald Pleasence (doing a bad Peter Lorre impression) is a university professor convinced that he can create plant/human hybrids that have the benefits of both species. He acquires unwilling human subjects thanks to erstwhile Doctor Who Tom Baker, here the deformed leader of a freak circus, who kidnaps young men and women, having been promised a cure for his condition.
The case boasts that his is a 70s version of Freaks, and the comparison is not inapt, since we are presente...
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on October 11th, 2005
Kenny’s gone and most of the season the boys are auditioning a new friend. While it looks like Butter has the inside track, you’ll have to watch the season to find out. Personally I miss the “They killed Kenny” jokes and was relieved that it eventually returned. South Park appeared to regain a bit of its lost creative energy in season 6. It can also be said that the show pushed its boundaries a little bit farther. There are times even I think the show goes too far. One of my favorite episodes can be found in this collection.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on October 11th, 2005
First let me begin by admitting a bias. I have always loved this show dearly. Carl Kolchak is partly responsible for you reading these very words. When I was young and The Night Stalker first appeared I was enthralled with it. My father had already introduced me to the Universal Monsters so this was great fodder for my young and developing brain. I immediately knew I wanted to BE Kolchak. I decided I wanted to be a journalist and so began to write. Not only has that passion lasted through the decades since, but thanks to this job I often get to write about monsters and things that go bump in the night.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on October 8th, 2005
Let's face it; Harrison Ford is not a particularly great actor. He is not capable of playing diversity in his roles, and he has never faded into a character. When you go to see a Harrison Ford movie, the result is always something like “Harrison Ford as the President of the United States”, or “Harrison Ford is wrongly accused of a crime he didn't commit.” Never once have I seen one of his films and came away saying “it is about this professor that goes on a quest to find the holy grail. Harrison Ford played the profe...
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on October 7th, 2005
Law and Order SVU really began to create an identity for itself in its second year. The addition of Ice T as Finn is one of the best casting decisions Wolf’s made since Jerry Orbach. I would have liked to see the combination of Munch and Finn used more often. Maybe I’m in the minority, but they are so much more interesting than Benson and Stabler. I think the show was bold and more edgy in year two. Part of the problem in year one was the inevitable comparisons to the original. Unlike the CSI franchise, Law and Order has created a unique vision for each of its shows.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on October 6th, 2005
Synopsis
A trio of low-lifes led by Tiffany Bolling kidnap innocent young Candy (Susan Sennet). They bury in the hillside, and the only witness is mute, autistic little boy. They inform Candy’s father that he must deliver a load of diamonds from the shop he runs, or Candy dies. Their plan appears foolproof. But then the father doesn’t show up. Confusion and dissension in the ranks breaks out, and the plot moves inexorably towards a terrible ending.
I will say no more of the plot, and leave ...
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on October 3rd, 2005
Winter Solstice is one of those quiet, somber independent films. While not as flashy as The Upside of Anger (and that’s not a flashy film), Josh Sternfeld’s feature is a meditative look at a broken family trying to rebuild its life. Don’t expect any major plot twists or a flashy directing style. Solstice takes its time and builds towards something called hope.
A family tragedy as taken its toll on a Jersey family. Anthony LaPaglia plays Jim Winters, a landscape gardener. H...
