Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on March 8th, 2003
When this movie first came out in 1974 I think it probably caused a stir and was maybe even labeled “controversial”. We have the story of Claudine (played by Diahann Carroll) a struggling Harlem mother with 6 children to support; she collects welfare and works under the table on the side as a maid for a wealthy family. She meets a charming garbage man named Roop (James Earl Jones, much younger and thinner then I have ever seen him) who is struggling with his own life trials which makes him slow to respond to her invi...
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on February 23rd, 2003
Road House is one long bar brawl interrupted occasionally by a thread of a plot line. Patrick Swayze is the offered marquee name, but better performances can be found from Ben Gazzara, best known for his portrayal of Al Capone, Sam Elliott, and even Kevin Tigue. The music is the only thing that keeps this one interesting. Jeff Healey stars as the bar’s regular musician and treats us to some of his best music.
Synopsis
Daulton (Swayze) is hired to clean up a rowdy redneck bar.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on February 2nd, 2003
Synopsis
Goldie Hawn plays Suzette, aging groupie. Fired from her bartending job, she decamps fromLA for Phoenix, there to track down old pal Vinnie (Susan Sarandon), who has, of course,morphed from party girl to Mrs. Establishment. Along the way, Hawn picks up neurotic writerGeoffrey Rush. (A screwed up writer who is sexually devoured by a hot babe? Could this be thecreation of a male writer?) Hawn proceeds to cure everybody of uptightness. Gosh, aren’t theBoomers fascinating? They...
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on February 2nd, 2003
Synopsis
Danny Glover takes over from Arnold Schwarzenegger as the chosen opponent of theextraterrestrial big game hunter. In a Los Angeles driven mad by heat and violence, Glover is thehard-bitten cop fighting for some for of order. The Predator arrives and starts offing drug gangsand cops, all of which leads to the eventual final battle. We’ve been here before, obviously, butthe sense of heat is almost palpable, the action is non-stop, and the ending is very cool. Look fora famili...
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on January 29th, 2003
Synopsis
Thelma (Susan Sarandon) and Louise (Geena Davis) head out on the highway for a well-deserved two-day trip. But then Louise is attacked, and Thelma shoots the would-be rapist, andeverything goes spectacularly to hell. One the one hand, this is a revisionist buddy road movie,with women instead of men in the leads. On the other hand, this is also the definitive buddy roadmovie, smarter and more exciting than any before or since.
Audio
The audio is terr...
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on January 29th, 2003
Synopsis
Thelma (Susan Sarandon) and Louise (Geena Davis) head out on the highway for a well-deserved two-day trip. But then Louise is attacked, and Thelma shoots the would-be rapist, andeverything goes spectacularly to hell. One the one hand, this is a revisionist buddy road movie,with women instead of men in the leads. On the other hand, this is also the definitive buddy roadmovie, smarter and more exciting than any before or since.
Audio
The audio is terr...
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on January 28th, 2003
Well, the era of mass market “indie” films is upon us. In spite of its manufactured artfulness, "One Hour Photo" does have appeal: Robin Williams portrays a stereotypical damaged post-modernist psychopath with a flourish of reality that does him credit as an actor, and writer/director Mark Romanek is a fresh face on the Hollywood scene. Supporting cast Paul Kim and David Moreland step out of Wal-Mart and onto the screen – spectacular characterizations. Connie Neilsen and Michael Vartan, however, give at best stilted ...
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on January 18th, 2003
Why X-Men 1.5? This 2-Disc special edition re-release is set to coincide with the theatrical release of X2, the X-Men sequel. The 1.5 release is set up to be sort of a Director’s Cut of the original X-Men film. This new version has allowed for the film to be viewed with a number of deleted scenes to be branched into the film (not seamlessly... you have to hit enter on your remote to view the scenes). I am sure you know the premise, but here is a recap:
"Marvel's classic comic book comes to li...
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on January 18th, 2003
You almost expect to see Robert DeNiro and Joe Pesci at any time during State Of Grace. The influence of Martin Scorsese is everywhere, from the tight shots on character interactions to the slight angles during the more violent scenes. Even the clever use of source music more often than Ennio Morricone’s subtle score is reminiscent of Goodfellas. The prize of this feature is the cast. Ed Harris, Sean Penn, and Gary Oldman add much needed tension and realism to a mediocre and predictable script. Stereotypes and clichés abound.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on December 8th, 2002
Synopsis
Surely you know the story: cute little alien is left behind by his fellows, and befriends youngElliott (Henry Thomas). Elliott and his siblings do their best to help E.T. phone home and getrescued, but meanwhile the government is also on the hunt for the hapless fellow. The re-releasefeatures improved special effects, a couple of restored scenes, and miscellaneous other fixingup. Granted, the film does look slicker (though not all the new CGI elements are entirelynecessary,...
