Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on February 15th, 2007
Maria Bello gives a wasted performance in the Tim McGraw vehicle Flicka, a by-the-numbers family film that is such a retread of other more competent efforts, one wonders, What is the point? Alison Lohman plays McGraw's teenage daughter and friend-to-Flicka, a role type that was much better utilized in classics, such as Old Yeller, Where the Red Fern Grows, and Summer of the Monkeys. Lohman is the precocious adolescent, who struggles through boarding school, and her relationship with gruf...-farmer daddy McGraw. McGraw is mis-cast in most everything he's in, being too hip, new-wave country sissified to qualify as a) a tough guy (in this film), and b) an ex-high school football star (see Friday Night Lights). In other words, his time would be better spent returning to Nashville for more of those inane little suck-tracks like "Don't Take the Girl." He's a poor actor with limited range, and his performance in Flicka confirms it.
An even more noteworthy problem the film suffers from is the same plot formula we've seen for over fifty years in novel and film. Teenager clashes with parent because they're just alike. Parent and teenager neither one realize, or admit to, the similarity. When they finally do, fences are mended, and the real healing begins, all so we can get that warm fuzzy the studio wants from us. End of story. Somewhere along the way, the dog or deer or buffalo or goat incurs some kind of tragedy, which may or may not result in death, depending on the sadism of the filmmakers. I won't tell you which way this ends up, but I will say Flicka follows the formula, and doesn't depart one inch from it.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on February 14th, 2007
In the great tradition of Hollywood rehashes, The Guardian applies a new coat of paint to a tried-and-true formula. In this case, we're talking about the story of Top Gun with Coast Guard rescue swimmers in place of Air Force fighter pilots. Oh, and maybe throw in a little Officer and a Gentleman for good measure.
Stop me if you've heard this one. They're the elite, the best of the best. Their training program is the most difficult in the world, and it will weed out anyone who can't cut it in their dangerous profession. One man is a legend in the profession, now the lead instructor at the school. The other is a cocky young recruit, with tons of raw talent but always "this close" to throwing it all away. The instructor recognizes the recruit's ability, but questions whether he can be trusted in a real life or death situation. Their relationship starts out antagonistic, but before the tale is finished, they'll find a common ground and shared respect, and the teacher will pass his torch on to the student.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on February 2nd, 2007
The World Cup is unquestionably the greatest sporting event in the world. No other event, sporting or otherwise, pulls nations together like the World Cup does. Once every four years, the whole of the world (save for the majority of the United States) takes a month off to focus their eyes on the efforts of a group of young men to put a white ball into a white net. This film is the story of the 1996 edition of the famed tournament.
This film does a great job of capturing the story of the tournament, while not ...etting bogged down in the details that could drag a film like this one to a standstill. The entire tournament is discussed, but not every game is shown. In fact, the group of 16 is skipped all together. While this does not make for a complete document of the tournament, it certainly helps to keep the film on task. The first half of the film showcases the road to the final, and the second half focuses on the semi-finals and the final match itself. Impressively, the film does not shy away from touchy subjects, as it discusses referee controversies and “the head-butt” openly. Much of the film showcases field-level images of the gameplay supported only by crowd noise, which brings the beautiful game to life in a very real way. This is a compelling and entertaining film even for those that are casual fans of international sport.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on January 30th, 2007
Penelope Cruz and Salma Hayek are buddies in real life, so it makes sense for the two of them to show up in a film together. I was a little surprised to find this disc on my doorstep, however, having totally missed its existence during its theatrical release. It is a good reminder of how much a movie's success is driven by marketing. Clearly, this is one of those films that the studio wasn't happy with, so they cut their losses and quietly put the film into select theaters underneath the radar.
It's a shame, ...oo, because this is really not a bad little film. Certainly better than Wild Wild West, Salma's last western pic, which the studio threw a ton of money at. This is a western buddy picture in the vein of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, except for the obvious difference of two beautiful women in the leading roles.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on January 30th, 2007
I�m sure I�m not the only person wondering why on Earth a studio like Universal, with so many classics in their vault, would release Half Baked so quickly onto HD DVD. One can presumably assume that the only reason they chose to release it at this particular time is to bank on the recent popularity of David Chappelle. The only unfortunate part here is that Chappelle�s performance, while sometimes funny, shows that his talent was best used elsewhere.
Thurgood Jenkins (Chappelle), Scarface (Guillermo Diaz), Kenny (Harlan Ellison), and Brian (Jim Breuer) are life-long friends who live together, talk together and obviously smoke together. Each holds a pretty decent life (Thurgood�s a janitor, Kenny is a school teacher, Scarface works at a fast-food joint and Brian works at a record store), but after a particularly good set of hits with their favorite choice of narcotic, Kenny is chosen to run out to grab some munchies. On the way out of the store, Kenny runs into a police officer�s horse. Kenny proceeds to feed the officer�s horse (not knowing it�s a diabetic) until it keels over and dies. Kenny is soon arrested with bail set at $100,000. Luckily for our buddies, Thurgood finds out that his company tests marijuana. Their ingenious plan is to steal some and sell it. Unfortunately, a local drug lord isn�t too happy when he hears of this. Add in the standard female attraction and you have a film that ultimately has a few laughs, but fails overall.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on January 29th, 2007
John Cena is The Marine. Though, as matters develop, The Maroon might be a better handle. At any rate, after being discharged for having Disobeyed a Direct Order in Iraq (where, in a scene distinctly reminiscent of the opening of The Naked Gun, our boy shoots up one of those elusive Al-Qaeda training camps that nobody else seems to be able to find). Readjustment to civilian life is difficult, but then, while heading out for a little holiday with his wife (Kelly Carlson), an unfortunate stop at a gas station results in Carlson being abducted by a violent gang of jewel thieves headed up by Robert Patrick (who comes across, as was pointed out to me, like the love child of Martin Sheen and Chandler Bing). Cue the pursuit through the swamps.
So as we’re watching this, my girlfriend turns to me and says that there’s a problem with a movie when the hero could be removed from the picture to little discernible effect. And she’s right. In fact, Cena disappears completely once the action gets going (!!?!), leaving the field for Patrick to camp it up. What role he does play could have, for the most part, easily been filled by one of the alligators we are shown (but who are never seen again). Perhaps Gustave could have been imported from Primeval to take care of business. And while I love a good explosion as much as the next guy, the ones on display here are so over the top (my favourite is the coop car raised into the air on a pillow of fire) that they are hilarious. And trust me, we’re laughing AT the movie and the steroid freaks in it, not with it (or them).
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on January 18th, 2007
Let me begin here by saying that I�ve never found any film based on the Vietnam War good. I assume this stems from that everything I�ve ever known or been taught about the War shows that (I apologize in advance for those who get offended) the War was not necessary (this said by my Uncle who fought in the War). Every Vietnam film I�ve tried to enjoy from Born on the Fourth of July to Platoon I just couldn�t as this little reminder always poked in the back of my mind. I should honestly scratch that last sentence as I�ve found the first Vietnam film that I absolutely found excellent.
I suppose the best way to describe a film like Deer Hunter, even though its predominately towered by the power of the events of the Vietnam War, is a film that takes place over three sections. The first section involves a wedding ceremony attended by honest hard-working fellows who want nothing but their great life to continue. Then we are met with the middle section, which is definitely the most powerful section as it takes anything I�ve known about the Vietnam War (intense horror) and basically showcases it on the screen in front of me.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on January 7th, 2007
Some of you might know the book Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas: A Savage Journey to the Heart of the American Dream, then others of you might known the movie simply called Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, but one way or another you know about the crazy days Hunter S. Thompson had in Vegas. Hunter Thompson along with his buddy Oscar Zeta Acosta are the credited creators of Gonzo Journalism (Journalism with indistinct lines between fact and fiction), so the book and movie are partially based on their accounts, except replace Thompson with Raoul Duke (Johnny Depp) and Acosta with Dr. Gonzo (Benicio del Toro). The movie is very similar to the book, and Thompson had a large role in the production of the film, even lending Depp clothes and accessories for authenticity.
Raoul Duke and lawyer buddy Dr. Gonzo are sent to Las Vegas to cover a motorcycle race for a magazine, to prepare for the trip the two have come armed with two bags of grass, seventy-five pellets of mescaline, five sheets of high-powered blotter acid, a saltshaker half-full of cocaine, and a whole multi colored collection of uppers, downers, laughers, screamers... Also, a quart of tequila, a quart of rum, a case of beer, a pint of raw ether, and two dozen amyls. It goes without saying that the rest of the movie consists of these two and there adventures around Las Vegas while taking copious amounts of narcotics, and I can assure there is very minimal journalism done.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on January 7th, 2007
Truth be told ladies and gentlemen, before receiving The Breakfast Club in for review, I couldn�t even begin to fathom the fan base this film has had since its 1985 release. After all how interesting does a film where 5 students are put in detention sound? After seeing the film, I believe the interest lies not necessarily in the basic premise of the film, but the overall impact the five students have on themselves and, more importantly, the viewer.
Crammed inside their school library, 5 different students all of different social status, intelligence and build must spend their Saturday serving detention. We have the Jock (Emilio Estevez), the Brian (Anthony Michael Hall), the Criminal (Judd Nelson), the Princess (Molly Ringwald) and the Kook (Ally Sheedy), most of who have never spoken a word or even glanced at one another. Even though these 5 different students never got along with each other before this day, by the end of the film they all develop a bond none of them figured they ever would. Each open themselves up revealing sides about themselves never heard before. As the tagline tells us, to the outside world these 5 students were the Jock, the Brian, the Criminal, the Princess and the Kook, but to each other they will always be The Breakfast Club.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on December 29th, 2006
Hilary Duff vehicle Material Girls hit theatres in August 2006, and failed miserably. That fact was my only comfort while I wasted 98-minutes of my life watching this movie.
I fully expected to dislike this teeny-bop flick, but I was actually surprised by just how bad it actually was. Hilary Duff and sister Haylie probably wish they'd never made this movie, though I imagine the paycheck would make up for this blotch on their filmography. I'm hoping the same is true for Angelica Huston (The Royal Tenenbaums) and Brent Spiner (Star Trek's Data), who play cringe-worthy supporting roles.
![The Deer Hunter [HD DVD] dvd cover art](https://upcomingdiscs.com/ecs_covers/the-deer-hunter-hd-dvd-large.jpg)
![The Breakfast Club [HD DVD] dvd cover art](https://upcomingdiscs.com/ecs_covers/the-breakfast-club-hd-dvd-large.jpg)
