Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on December 20th, 2003
Synopsis
The Earp brothers, Wyatt (Henry Fonda), Morgan, Virgil and James, are herding their cattlepast the town of Tombstone, Arizona. The cattle are stolen and James is murdered. Ex-MarshallWyatt suspects the Clanton family, but lacks proof. He becomes Tombstone’s lawman, biding histime, waiting for the Clantons to make a mistake. While he waits, he strikes up a pricklyfriendship with the cynical Doc Holliday (Victor Mature). The tension between the two men isintensified by...
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on December 20th, 2003
I often wonder what would make a good actor star in a bad film. Of course, the true answer almost always involves money, but I still hold out the hope that there is a greater purpose behind these little thespian mysteries. Did the actor know ahead of time that it was going to be a bad film? Was it a risk that just didn’t pay off? Did he owe someone a favor? Just what exactly would cause an actor to put his career at risk for a paycheck?
Shadow Fury boasts Karate Kid’s Pat Morita on it’s front-...
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on December 15th, 2003
Synopsis
Shu Qi and Zhao Wei are sisters who, after the murder of their parents, have become a top-of-the-line assassination-for-hire team, combining martial arts and weapons expertise with acomputer program that allows them to tap into any closed-circuit camera anywhere on Earth.Karen Wok is the tough-as-nails detective who is on their trail. All three women run afoul of acorrupt businessman who wants them dead.
The Charlie’s Angels can only wish they were thi...
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on December 11th, 2003
Synopsis
The DVD in this set is concert featuring Yes performing both new songs and greatest hits,accompanied by an orchestra. Obviously, if you’re not already a Yes fan, this will not be ofparticular interest. I will say that I’m not hugely aware of the difference the presence of anorchestra makes for many of these songs, given the wall of sound that they already consist of.
Audio
The audio is the most important aspect of this disc, and it comes in t...
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on December 11th, 2003
Synopsis
The story is very simple, which is one of the elements that gives the film its raw power. Agroup of young adults in a VW minivan make the mistake of picking up a demented hitchhiker.They manage to dump him, but he marks their van with his own blood. Shortly, the make themistake of stumbling upon what turns out to be the home of the hitchhiker, Leatherface, and therest of the psychotic brood. Most of the cast is killed off by the halfway mark, at which point thefilms ...
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on December 11th, 2003
I don’t know what it is that makes men enjoy stupid comedies so much. Maybe it is our inner bully, lashing out at the weaknesses of those around us, and thus proving our superiority. Maybe it's because it's such a relaxing break from the stress of our busy working lives. Maybe it is because laughing at idiots makes us feel better about our own questionable level of intelligence. Whatever it is, it is clear that laughing at the ignorance of others is a basic male trait. There is a point, however, when the subject of o...
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on December 10th, 2003
NASA's Gemini project is filled with some of the most overlooked missions of the early days of space flight. The previous Mercury missions had yielded the first American in space, and the following Apollo missions included the famous Apollo 11 moon landing, and the subsequent Apollo 13 near-disaster. The Gemini missions, however, were a crucial stepping stone in the process, which perfected the challenges of orbital mechanics as well as overcoming the limitations of working outside of the spacecraft.
This ...
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on December 9th, 2003
Synopsis
This is a portrait of a family in terminal disfunction. The breadwinner is Janet (played by“Laila Morse,” Gary Oldman’s sister under a pseudonym). Her daughter Valerie (Cannes-winnerKathy Burke) is apathetic, pregnant, and married to the brutal, bullying and self-pitying Ray (RayWinstone). Her son Billy is a heroin addict, and he is thrown out of the house by Ray (who alsoalmost bites his nose off) after smoking some of Ray’s stash.
The worst-case scenarios o...
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on December 9th, 2003
It seems that most people have strong opinions when it comes to Ellen DeGeneres. Of course, when you make yourself the first openly gay character on television, those opinions can be expected. Some feel that she is courageous, bravely stepping into the forefront of the gay rights movement. Others feel that her lifestyle is immoral, and that she should be shamed of her actions. Personally, I feel that it is unfortunate that her status as a gay woman is an issue at all. The desire of any true performer should be for th...
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on December 9th, 2003
Synopsis
This 2-disc set is rather confusingly labelled, but let’s see if we can make some sense of it.Disc 1 is labelled “One Night Only” and is a 2-hour A&E documentary about the band. The casesays the documentary is called “The Official Story of the Bee Gees,” yet the on-screen title is“This Is Where I Came In.” The confusion doesn’t end there. Disc 2 is labelled “The OfficialStory of the Bee Gees,” but actually features the concert film “One Night Only.” Are we clear?Good...
