Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on September 2nd, 2004
Synopsis
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on August 27th, 2004
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Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on August 23rd, 2004
Synopsis
Cate Blanchett is rearing her two daughters in 19th-Century New Mexico. The youngest isa pleasant tomboy, the eldest is a whiny young woman who wants fine things (they seem to havebeen lifted straight from Mildred Pierce). Appearing at their home one day is TommyLee Jones, Blanchett’s father who walked out when she was a little girl. The stiff, unforgivingBlanchett wants nothing to do with him, until her eldest daughter is kidnapped by a roving bandwho sell women into prosti...ution in Mexico. Jones and Blanchett set off on a rescue mission.Their adversary is a powerful Native American Brujo, and our heroes will be up againstmagic as well as bullets on their quest.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on August 18th, 2004
Synopsis
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on August 14th, 2004
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Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on August 12th, 2004
Synopsis
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on August 9th, 2004
When I was a kid in the 80’s, Predator was one of those films that you weren’t supposed to watch, but everybody did anyway. Over-the-top action, invincible heroes, cheesy one-liners and big, big explosions made this a film that was a favorite of pre-pubescent boys everywhere. Going into this disc, I found myself wondering if the film would stand up to the harsh tests of time and maturity.
The answer to that question is both “yes”, and “no”. In the “no” column, it is very apparent early on in the film...that there is very little here in the way of plot. Some soldiers are hired to go behind enemy lines to rescue an American politician that has been kidnapped by generic terrorists. Once the team arrives at their location, they discover that they have actually been sent on the mission for different reasons altogether, though those reasons are never really made clear. On their way back to the rendezvous point, they have multiple encounters with an evil and mysterious creature who tries to kill them (and occasionally succeeds). That’s about it. Beyond these basic plot outlines, dialog is basically reserved to screaming profanities and the aforementioned goofy one-liners.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on July 16th, 2004
The mid-nineties Fox Spider-Man was hands down the best animated series of the time. It was one of the first series to use a Japanese animation company to produce a regular Saturday morning series and the Japanese influence was immediately striking. The brightness and depth of colors as well as the consistency of the animation blew away everything else that was available on TV at the time. The stories were outstanding in that they borrowed heavily from classic comic stories and adapted them for viewers that may not b... as familiar with the Spider-Man mythos as us comic book geeks (I’ve been buying Spider-Man comics for about 25 years now…I guess I qualify as a comic book geek…oh well…). With the theme music done by none other than Aerosmith’s guitar god Joe Perry, this series rocked right from the intro.
So with that intro…how could Marvel and Buena Vista mess up this DVD so much?
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on July 11th, 2004
Synopsis
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on July 9th, 2004
Synopsis
Casper Van Dien and Robert Englund stage a daring casino robbery on the resort island ofSandbridge. (Where does Van Dien get his helicopter from? Don’t ask.) As we move fromfull night to mid-afternoon in a matter of minutes, our affable criminals are pursued at high speedand finally caught by security chief Gregg Henry (doing his clench-jawed villainy familiar fromPayback, and lifted from Gary Busey). Casino owner Ray Wise (Leland Palmer fromTwin Peaks) gives Van Dien...and Englund another chance and hires them as security. Helater tells Van Dien that he suspects Henry is, in fact, untrustworthy. His suspicions prove well-founded. Meanwhile, a powerful hurricane is heading for the island.
