Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on February 18th, 2006
I think all true DVD fans have a list in their mind of movies or television programs that they find to be utterly captivating, and simply cannot fathom why the rest of the world doesn't feel the same. I have some products on that list in my mind, and MI-5 may very well be on the top.
I first discovered MI-5 when I was sent Volume 2 to review. Upon watching the first episode of that season , I was so completely blown away that I promptly sent away for Volume 1 before proceeding any farther. I was...not disappointed. For my money, this is a program that rests comfortably between the best seasons of Alias and The West Wing.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on February 18th, 2006
In the era we live in, the eventuality of a movie about a soldier’s experience in war was going to come, whether or not we wanted to see the film. Since the war in Iraq is such a hot button topic with a majority of people, regardless if you were for the war or against the war, Universal thought this would be the perfect moment to capture our interest in war. Enter director Sam Mendes (American Beauty) and stars Jake Gyllenhaal (Brokeback Mountain) and Academy-Award winning Actor Jamie Foxx (Ray) ...nd you know you have a movie that will pique the average person’s curiousity. But was Jarhead made too soon? Would people really want to see what our soliders are going through? Read on to find out.
Jarhead is based on the 2003 memoirs of Anthony Swofford who is portrayed by Gyllenhaal. Swofford served in the first Gulf War. The film is obviously about a war, but what makes the film amazing is that it is a war film that rises way, way above the concept of a war to tell an intriguing story of exhaustion, boredom, lonliness, obession and drama.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on February 16th, 2006
Synopsis
Audrey Hepburn is Holly Golightly, a young woman to her name born. Flighty, hopping from party to party, she waits for her life to match her ideal. Into her apartment moves writer George Peppard, who is certainly not the millionaire our heroine imagines will sweep her off her feet. Peppard himself is a kept man, and his keeper is Patricia Neal. Peppard does have a more realistic view of how life works, in the long run, and that is a lesson that Hepburn must learn before romance can follow it... natural course.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on February 14th, 2006
Disney's Valiant is a film by the producers of Shrek, but it is certainly not up to the same caliber of filmmaking. Still, it has a certain charm despite its rather obvious humor. Also, the animation is excellent. Children are sure to love this story of a young pigeon named Valiant, who wants to join the Allied Forces in the fight during World War II. He's a cute little guy, but he's too small to reach his lofty aspirations... or so all those close to him say. But when every squad of carrier pigeons is ...iped out by the evil Falcons, Valiant and his friends - a team of incompetent, but lovable birds - set out on a quest for adventure that will change the course of the war.
The film is rather lightweight. But then, it's meant to be. There isn't anything remarkable enough to bestow classic status on Valiant, but it's an enjoyable time-waster for the kids. Some of the bodily function humor goes close to overboard, but the film manages to never overstep its G-rated bounds. While it's all pretty formulaic, the concept and voice work (including Ewan McGregor, John Cleese, Hugh Laurie, and Tim Curry - as the evil Von Talon) raises the bar, though much of the material falls short. Unlike its pint-sized star, Valiant will not be achieving any great heights in the near future, but it will keep your little ones occupied and even inspire a chuckle or two.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on February 8th, 2006
One of the unfortunate responses to the emergence of a successful movie is the appearance of copycat films. When Gladiator won the Academy Award for Best Picture, all these sword and sandal flicks went into production. Now we have epics such as Troy, Kingdom of Heaven and Alexander to show for it. Sometimes, the backlash is even worse when the hit film is a bit of a surprise hit. Such was the case with The Fast and the Furious. Now, I really enjoyed Furious, but I knew on the...front end of my viewing experience that I was not in for a serious filmgoing experience. The point of the movie was hot cars, over-the-top action and plenty cool shots of Vin Diesel and Paul Walker doing stuff in slow motion. My expectations were met, it was a fun popcorn flick, and I went home happy. When The Fast and the Furious 2 came along, it was a much worse film, but just as the trailer suggested, the film was both faster and furious-er.
Then even more copycat flicks began popping up. I was hoping that this trend had hit rock bottom with the release of Torque, but Steve Boyum (whose only notable films up until this point were Meet the Deedles and Slap Shot 2: Breaking the Ice) has somehow managed to find a level somewhere below the lowest common denominator with Supercross. Anyone with half a brain could churn out this plot in moments. A reckless kid and his “play it safe” brother work hard, but only one of them makes it to the big time in supercross racing. Once he gets there, he looses sight of what is really important, and he has to find his way back to his brother, and what they loved about the sport in the first place, thus making their deceased father happy... wherever he is.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on February 7th, 2006
The most amazing thing about this one-joke movie is that it was based on a John Grisham novel: Skipping Christmas. Chris Columbus certainly does not display his biting wit and the skills he debuted with Gremlins 20 years ago. It’s hard to imagine this is the same guy who kicked off the Harry Potter series.
When their daughter joins the Peace Corps and leaves for South America during the Holidays, the Kranks decide to skip Christmas altogether and go on a cruise with the money they save. Why these altern...tive plans require a complete boycott of the season is never fully explained. No cards. No party. Not even a Seasons Greetings, it seems, is allowed to intrude on the Kranks’ plans. The neighborhood is up in arms over this “un-American” act. Their hostile activities leave one glad there weren’t any Jewish or Buddhist families in the neighborhood. Now, of course, you can’t really just skip Christmas, particularly if you’re in a family Christmas film. The daughter decides to come home with her fiancée and so suddenly Christmas is back… and in overdrive.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on February 6th, 2006
Synopsis
At first glance Once Upon a Mattress would appear to be a bit of a Disney cash grab, an often performed musical featuring a couple of aging comediennes, one of which had performed a role in the musical for decades.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on February 6th, 2006
Synopsis
For awhile, Jim Carrey looked to be taking the career path that Michael Keaton had previously established. Start off with strong, hilarious comedic performances, attempt to get into dramatic roles with some critical success, and fade into the sunset, with the occasional bad script choice. While Carrey hasn’t dipped into the Jack Frost period yet, with The Truman Show and Man on the Moon, Carrey had established the fact that he could pull off carrying a dramatic movie, and do it...fairly well, with consecutive Golden Globe awards to boot. Then, after playing a cop with multiple personalities (Me, Myself and Irene) and the Grinch and The Majestic came along, and it was hammered; no one went to see it. Enter Tom Shadyac, Carrey’s old reliable, and collaborator on Liar Liar and Ace Ventura: Pet Detective. With Bruce Almighty, Carrey goes back to the goofball comedy well that helped to propel him to the $20 million paychecks you hear about now.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on February 5th, 2006
Judd Apatow and Paul Feig may have been stung by the criticism and cancellation of their show Freaks and Geeks back in 2000, but that did not deter them from pressing forward with another project. Freaks and Geeks was about a group of kids growing up in high school in the 1980s, while Undeclared is about the first year of college for a group of kids.
Now there are a lot of similiarities between Freaks and Geeks and Undeclared, but I’ll focus on some of the bigger things, b...cause, not really watching Freaks and Geeks back in the day, and doing a IMDB search, some of the cast seems to have carried over to it. Jason Segel played Nick in Freaks and Geeks, and frequently appears as the crazed boyfriend Eric in Undeclared. Seth Rogen played Ken in Freaks and Geeks, and appears as a roommate named Ron here. The series focuses on Steven Karp (Jay Baruchel, Million Dollar Baby), a freshman new to the University of North Eastern California, who meets Ron, Marshall (Timm Sharp, Fun with Dick and Jane), the eccentric Lizzie (Carla Gallo, The 40 Year Old Virgin) and her roommate Rachel (Monica Keena, Entourage), and the handsome Lloyd (Charlie Hunnam, Green Street Hooligans).
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on February 4th, 2006
Synopsis
Nine people are kidnapped and imprisoned inside a huge mansion. A voice informs them that only one of them will leave this place alive. That person will win five million dollars. But meanwhile, the owner of the voice will enjoy watching them kill each other. Present are a young dancer, a priest (Dennis Hopper, of all people), a cynical French music composer and his wife, a gay fashion designer, a runaway, a glamorous former tennis star, a cop, and a resentful rapper. The mix gets volatile ri...ht away, and their captor is in for plenty of entertainment via his innumerable cameras.
