Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on March 17th, 2005
Synopsis
Few figures in our era have managed to polarize opinion so consistently and for so long ashas Fidel Castro. This portrait of the man is a (thankfully) non-hysterical approach to the subject,and presents thoughtful views from a wide range of participants, representing all kinds ofopinions. There are plenty of fascinating clips, including some footage of Castro when he visitedthe states BEFORE that 40-plus-year squabble began.
Audio
The sound quality ...
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on March 17th, 2005
Synopsis
Henry Louis Gates, Jr., chair of Harvard’s Afro-American Studies, takes the pulse of BlackAmerica as he travels the country, interviewing the famous (Colini Powell, Morgan Freeman,Maya Angelou, and so on and so forth) and the everyday. The results are interesting indeed,though the interviews might perhaps have been a little more rigorous and a little less chummy.Still, an engaging, personal work.
Audio
The 2.0 track is perfectly serviceable for the ...
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on March 17th, 2005
Synopsis
Taking as its starting point a course offered by Harvard professor Dr. Armand M. Nicholi(and his book of the same name), this is a debate between belief and skepticism. A round tableled by Nicholi bounces of a series of recreations of events from the lives of C.S. Lewis andSigmund Freud, and the two historical figures make their cases for their respective sides of theargument. At 225 minutes, this is a pretty involved undertaking. It attacks its subject withadmirable ambiti...
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on March 15th, 2005
Bright Young Things is a sumptuous adapation of Evelyn Waugh's novel "Vile Bodies". The book is a cutting satire of British cafe society of the 1930's. The director and adapter, Stephen Fry, retains much of the novels comic edge. I would expect nothing less from Fry, the noted British humorist and living embodiment of Oscar Wilde.
The movie is mostly about the posh lifestyle of novelist Adam Fenwick-Symes (played by Stephen Campbell Moore)and his lover Nina (played by Emily Mortimer). The circle ...
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on March 15th, 2005
Hype! is a documentary of the "Seattle scene" of the early 90's. Grunge was king. I remember wearing flannel shirts and listening to the big three: Nirvana, Pearl Jam, and Soundgarden. But what about the other bands? Hype! also talks about the lesser-known bands, like the Supersuckers and The Gits. Hype! is an examination of what went on underneath the "hype" of the Seattle music scene. This isn't some VH1 doc. And it's not all about Kurt Cobain either. Hype! covers it all, and cre...
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on March 15th, 2005
Phase IV isn’t a sequel, and it isn’t a remake of the 1974 movie about aliens brainwashing desert ants to wage war over its human desert inhabitants. Those of you looking for that film might be disappointed. Instead, you get this modern action film staring Dean Cain and the Boz, Brian Bosworth. And it ain’t half bad.
Simon Tate (Dean Cain) plays a reporter trying to clear the name of his best friend. The friend is involved in a mysterious death of a scientist. This death is just one in a s...
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on March 13th, 2005
At first glance when watching the MTV show Wildboyz with Steve O and the party boy Chris Pontius, one can easily say that some of the Jackass brethren found a nice little niche for themselves, with a nature appreciation show that could be described as National Geographic under the influence of Nyquil.
There is a quality to this show however that makes it worth revisiting several times, more than even Jackass would warrant. At the most basic element, MTV has given these guys a bunch of m...
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on March 13th, 2005
Dave Chappelle and I are the same. Well, he’s a year younger than me. And he’s black. But we’re both from Washington DC, but I live in the suburbs, and usually never go into the downtown area unless someone dared me. But he’s a lot funnier than me, and Comedy Central decided to give him a 12 episode commitment on their network after seeing him in such films as Half Baked, Screwed and Undercover Brother.
And quietly, Dave has put together a smart, funny show that everyone instantly dismi...
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...
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...
