Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on September 18th, 2007
Notting Hill is a bit of a spin on a Cinderella type story, only Cinderella is William Thacker (Hugh Grant, About A Boy) the owner of a break even book store. Nothing seems to be going his way until fate would have it that Anna Scott (Julia Roberts, Oceans Eleven) the worlds most respected and loved actress enters his store. William having a hard time coping with his recent divorce can’t believe the glimmer of hope placed before him. The two seem to get along quite nicely, and days later run into each other again. This time William accidentally spills his orange juice all over her, later inviting her to clean up in his house. The two share an intimate moment and the seeds for the relationship have been planted. Days later William comes home to find out his eccentric Welsh roommate Spike (Rhys Ifans, Formula 51) has taken down a broken message, some American girl called a few days ago. Of course William tracks her down and it’s obvious he’s falling for her, but things get really complicated when her American boyfriend shows up. Of course from here the two go through a rough patch, but it doesn’t take a genius to guess how this one ends.I wasn’t exactly knocked off my feet with Notting Hill but it was better than I originally anticipated. There were quite a few comedic moments mainly at the expense of Rhys Ifans, but Hugh Grant had his moments as well. Julia Roberts as usual does her thing and gives the movie a little extra something. Take this movie for what it is, a sappy romantic comedy with a bit of a twist to make it more enjoyable.
Video
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on September 17th, 2007
Like it or not, Everybody Loves Raymond has earned its spot alongside TV's most successful sitcoms, including The Cosby Show, Roseanne and Seinfeld. These shows not only ran a long time, but they also shared a common origin — all were based on the persona of the popular stand-up comics who starred in the series. This method may have produced hits in these cases, but it's no guarantee. To really beat the odds, there has to be something more.
In the case of Everybody Loves Raymond, the largely American audience saw themselves in the on-screen families. Fans have been sitting down each week, for more than 200 episodes, to a funnier, wackier version of their own families. As this ninth and final season hits DVD, it's time to ask, did the show end too soon, too late or right on time?
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on September 13th, 2007
"Remember when I promised I'd kill you last? I lied."
Time to relieve the glory days. Arguably the finest of Schwarzenegger's over-the-top, muscle-bound 80s action flicks, Commando is finally getting the respect it deserves. This is the perfect example of a movie so bad it's good. Really bad, and really good. Commando has it all: copious one-liners, a ridiculously huge Ah-nold physique, and a body count so high you'll run out of fingers and toes in no time flat.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on September 7th, 2007
I am a huge John Woo fan, especially his earlier classics like Hard Boiled. I’ll admit it’s been several years since I last seen Face/Off, but I don’t have a reason why, as I remember really liking this movie then. At either rate now I have a copy of the movie to call my own, and a special two disc release at that. Let’s just hope that it is what I remember, but as a big fan of Nick Cage I don’t think I’ll be let down.
In order to catch him, he must become him. I couldn’t put it any better myself, Face/Off tells quite the eccentric story of revenge, devotion, and of course crime. Sean Archer (John Travolta, Wild Hogs) is an extremely devoted FBI agent, obsessed with catching terrorist Castor Troy (Nicholas Cage, Ghost Rider). Several years earlier Troy killed Archer’s son, since then it’s been his goal in life to put Troy to justice. He gets the opportunity one day when Troy ends up in a coma after boasting about a massive terrorist attack he has planned on Los Angeles.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on August 28th, 2007
Lets face it, at one point or another we’ve all watched The Simpsons, and I’m sure at points we’ve all loved it. But I don’t think it’s a matter of debate that as the years went on the show seemed to have lost its touch, its uniqueness. With shows like Family Guy and American Dad pushing the envelope it’s hard to enjoy The Simpsons as much as we get older. But nonetheless there are millions of you who still love this show. For me its hard to pinpoint when The Simpsons took it’s turn for the worse, does Season 10 get classic status, or is it on the downside of the slope?
Simply put Season 10 gets thumbs up from me; these episodes still had the ability to make me laugh. Included are some classics like When You Dish upon a Star, Tree house of Horror IX, Lisa gets an “A”, Homer Simpson in: “Kidney Trouble”, and much more. These journeys take The Simpson family everywhere from Las Vegas, the Super Bowl, the open road, Tokyo, and all the way back to biblical times. The laughs don’t seem as cheap or predictable as the newly aired episodes do; these 23 episodes are uniquely enjoyable. So whether you’re buying every odd season of the show, or your buying them all in order, Season 10 isn’t one to pass up on. It sure is hard to believe that since this season aired nearly 200 more episodes have been drawn up. But this is back when the show had the ability to keep me captivated and surely not many more seasons beyond this will be able to get me to laugh.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on August 15th, 2007
The heroes in a half shell are back, and looking better than ever. TMNT doesn't represent a revolutionary rebirth of the franchise, but it does breathe new life into once-loved characters who've been fading in our memory. Whatever your take on this film, kids, one thing's for certain: these ain't your daddy's turtles.
It has been more than 10 years since the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles stunk up the big screen in their third film, which had them time-traveling back to ancient Japan for some schlocky, death-of-a-franchise action. With that disaster in mind, I say thank goodness for TMNT coming along to obliviate their ancient Japan adventure from our memory.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Michael Durr on August 12th, 2007
There are often stories about burn patients who lose part of their face or leave their other body parts horribly disfigured. It is sad and unfortunate. But what if you had horrible chemical and fire burns and had to take refuge in warehouses and underground? You had the strength of ten men, but could create a mask that you could use to duplicate your enemies or be the man you used to be? However, that face only lasted 99 minutes. This is the story of Darkman. A trilogy of movies that developed a cult following for its subject matter and campy presentation. Part action, part sci-fi, part thriller. But a great time as long as you left your brain at the door.
The first film directed by Sam Raimi (Spiderman, Evil Dead) features Liam Neeson as Dr. Peyton Westlake, a brilliant scientist on the verge of finding the solution to liquid skin cells or synthetic skin. This in time would help burn patients or disfigurements replace unwanted and dead skin tissue. The problem is he can only make it last for 99 minutes. One day his lab gets ransacked by a group of thugs led by Robert G. Durant (played by Larry Drake) who are in search of a memorandum. Peyton is horribly burned in the fire and presumed dead when his body can't be found in the explosion. He later resurfaces as a John Doe burn victim who is given a radical new treatment that cuts off his nerve impulses. He breaks out of the hospital and retreats to a condemned warehouse. He then goes back to the wreckage of his lab and tries to salvage his work. Using what is left of his work and vigilante money that is collected from thieves and bad guys that he fights he attempts to recreate faces of his enemies so that he may take revenge on the Durant crime syndicate. He also attempts to get back in touch with his girlfriend (played by Frances McDormand) by putting on his face and spending time with her. However, he realizes he can only put on the charade for so long and continually he descends back to the darkness as Darkman. He prevails over Durant, but the pain and suffering he endures from day to day stays with him.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on August 7th, 2007
Superheroes come in all shapes and sizes these days, so it doesn’t really surprise me to find out that one is a big blue tick. I don’t think The Tick has any special Lyme Disease Ray, and I have yet to see him bite anyone, but he sure has a knack for stopping the bad guys. This Ben Edlund creation is one of those American Dream success stories. The independent comic was created to promote a local comic book store in Boston. Edlund, only 17 years old at the time, tapped into a wonderful spoof of the comic superhero molds. He populated his book with very colorful characters easily recognizable as the original ones he was spoofing. Within 10 years The Tick would become a children’s cartoon staple. There is an appealing degree of wit and intelligence in this cartoon that honestly looks kind of stupid on the surface. The Tick isn’t the sharpest tool in the toolbox and is rather naïve for a super crime fighting master. He’s surrounded by an equally kooky group of characters, assisted mostly by his sidekick, Arthur. The villains are just as outlandish and out there as The Tick and his comrades are.
   The DVD set’s clever title is The Tick vs. Season Two. The collection could not honestly be called The Complete Second Season because one of the episodes is mysteriously missing. I’ve been informed that the episode, Alone Together, was removed for rights issues. The same thing happened in the first year. Sometimes spoofs can be a little too close to another property, and perhaps that explains the missing toons. Fans will also be a little bummed that favorite Micky Dolenze, yes he’s that wacky The Monkees drummer, no longer voices Arthur. Rob Paulson takes over the job, and the difference does take some getting used to. The episodes are also not quite as strong as the first season. The single standout has to be the Christmas extravaganza, The Tick Loves Santa. The Tick’s love for Santa almost keeps him from nabbing the bad guy when an electrical accident converts him into “Multi-Santaâ€, a clone-like group of larceny-minded Kringles.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on July 20th, 2007
Jim Carrey is an animal control officer whose wife (Virginia Madsen) gives him an odd crime novel for his birthday. The book is narrated by a police detective who becomes violently obsessed with the recurrence of the number 23 in all aspects of life. The book has plenty of strange similarities with Carrey's life, and he becomes consumed with finding the author and knowing what it's all about, not to mention descending into the 23 obsession himself.As with so many Joel Schumacher films, there is less here than meets the eye. The film is pretty, slick, and superficially interesting, but ultimately rather empty. The whole 23 thing has been kicking around in popular culture for a while, and there is something neat that could be done with it, but most of the notions of mystery or conspiracy evaporate as the film reaches its climax, and everything disintegrates into a muddle of endless expository voice-over and platitudinous moralizing. The unrated version of the film runs three minutes longer than the theatrical version (also present).
Audio
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Michael Durr on July 16th, 2007
Synopsis
Ever know that feeling when you've seen a movie about twenty times and vow never to see it again until it comes out in a new collector's edition dvd? Coming to America is exactly like that. Coming to America is the tale of Prince Akeem (played by Eddie Murphy) who isn't quite happy with his country's arranged marriage practice. (but apparently pretty happy with the country's bathing procedure) He decides that with his friend Semmi (played by Arsenio Hall) he should travel to New Yo...k to find his bride. So with the King's blessing (played by James Earl Jones), the boys set off to New York to live the dream. (to live in an awful apartment, eat knockoff McDonalds food and go to a New York club full of really scary women) There he finds his true love Lisa (played by Shari Headley). Hence, the fairy tale story of a prince finding and marrying his princess commences.
![Notting Hill [HD DVD] dvd cover art](https://upcomingdiscs.com/ecs_covers/notting-hill-hd-dvd-large.jpg)
