Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on March 8th, 2004
Jimmy Coy is some kind of freelance operative, specializing in explosives and enforcement,for organized crime. He is ashamed of his line of work, however, and wants out. He and his twobuddies are hired but a sneering, Snidely Whiplash villain to torch an arena full of spectators.Jimmy refuses to cause any casualities, but our villain won't take no for an answer. Meanwhile,Jimmy falls in love with Cassandra, the stepdaughter of one of the head thugs. Cassandra is hersister's skating coach, which means that w... get to see a lot more figure skating than is usual for amob film.
I wouldn't have minded the clumsy, beyond-rudimentary characterizations and cliche-riddendialogue quite so much if the pace weren't so plodding. After a decent opening shoot-out andmedley of kabooms, the story settles down to sadly amateurish gangland shenanigans.Yawn.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on March 6th, 2004
Synopsis
Michael Ironside, in his patented bastard role, is pulling the strings on a secret militaryexperiment in weather control. The test goes wrong, killing the wife of Dale Midkiff and ruiningthe career of pilot Gregor Toerzs. Four years later, an asteroid grazes Earth’s atmosphere, andtriggers a superstorm. If this hurricane isn’t shut down in a matter of hours, it will go critical andrage for centuries. Hauled back in to save the day are Midkiff and Toerzs, now flying a souped-up 747 ...nto the eye of the storm with a big flashy gadget that just might save the day.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on February 27th, 2004
Synopsis
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on February 23rd, 2004
Synopsis
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on February 22nd, 2004
Season three sees Futurama cooking on gas. This is THE SIMPSONS on some mind-altering substance. For the uninitiated (and if you have never watched the series before - watch seasons 1 and 2 first…duhhh!) pizza delivery boy Fry has awoken from cryogenic suspension and finds himself in the year 3000. Here he teams up with the girl of his dreams, one-eyed space captain Leela, the hard-drinking, wallet-lifting robot Bender (he bends things for a living), the frankly barmy Professor Farnsworth and an assorted bunch of ge...ks and aliens who tag along for the ride.
The reason Futurama is an acquired taste is because, as its creators intended, it uses every opportunity to parody and poke fun at the conventions of practically every science-fiction show and film ever made. By season three the writers are in full flow and watching these episodes is an exhausting experience because they are so packed with visual gags and brilliant one-liners. By the time you've realized the significance of the hypno frog you've missed a dozen other quips and in-jokes.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on February 22nd, 2004
The third season of South Park was a bittersweet one. It seemed that season 2 had floundered just a little. Most of us wondered if the talents of Stone and Parker had already run out of gas. Season 3 turned out to be one of the funniest yet. This was also the year that Mary Kay Bergman committed suicide. Mary Kay had provided ALL of the female voices for the show. This left the crew in a scramble to deliver episodes before they could find a replacement. This unfortunate turn did produce some memorable episodes, howev...r.
Audio
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on February 22nd, 2004
The third and hopefully final entry in the American Pie series, American Wedding keeps with the sweet charms and gross out comedy of the first two movies, but can’t live up to the humor of the original or its sequel. Average Joe Jim, (Jason Biggs) and former band geek Michelle, (Alyson Hannigan) are now engaged to be wed and must decide whether raucous Stifler (Seann William Scott) should be invited to the wedding. Shenanigans ensue involving a night out at a gay club, a bachelor party, pleasing the in-laws, and pubi... hair on a wedding cake.
Sure, Stifler eats dog poop and does for curse words what bullet time did for special effects, but missing characters and lack of novelty cannot lift this one into the rare category of sequels being as good or better than the previous installments. While it offers plenty of funny moments, most courtesy of Stifler, the movie just seems tired and worn out. The filmmakers should excuse themselves from the table after this. No more pie for them.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on February 17th, 2004
Ah….Armand Assante…what happened to your career. You were so brilliant in Sidney Lumet’s Q & A (rent it, people). I guess things happen. You have bills to pay. A family to raise.
Consequence is a made for cable HBO film. The opening voice-over, in classic film noir tradition, sets the table for a lurid crime melodrama. Unfortunately, Assante’s awkward southern accent makes the voice over, like the film itself, a bit off putting. The story involves a dentist (Armand Assante) who decides...to start a new life by impersonating his long dead brother. Facial surgery and dental records all come into play here. There are other plot twists involving money, double crossings, mistaken identities, and murder. Oh and there’s a “dangerous woman”, played with forced sensuality by Lola Glaudini. Rick Schroder also comes along for the ride, as the corrupt “best friend” (when is Silver Spoons – Season One coming out on DVD by the way).
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on February 15th, 2004
A number of great films have come out of Ireland over the past decade (or so). A few titles that come to mind are In the name of the Father (1993), My Left Foot (1989), In America (2002), The Boxer (1997), and definitely The Commitments (1991). The one factor that differentiates The Commitments from the rest of these great films is that it centers around music rather then turmoil (whether it be personal, family, or country turmoil). The Commitments is a great tale t...at uses a perfect blend of comedy, drama, and music to tell its oddly uplifting story. The casting/acting is perfect, the music is wonderful, and the storyline is very entertaining. For those of you who are a fan of international cinema, this film is a real treat.
The Commitments follows the story of Jimmy Rabbitte, an unemployed music junkie who decides to start a band with a mission… to bring soul to Dublin. Jimmy assembles a rag-tag group of musicians, and the journey to create a “soulful” band in the streets of Dublin begins. Amongst the numerous personality conflict and musical differences, The Commitments bring hope to the down and out community, and start to make beautiful music. Unfortunately, there roller-coaster ride of success implodes before it really gets started.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on February 5th, 2004
Synopsis
