Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on August 13th, 2002
Synopsis
Minerva Mirabal (Salma Hayek) is an independent spirit in a society where that can get you killed. Her spiritedness, present from childhood, gradually evolves into outright rebellion against the brutal regime of General Trujillo (Edward James Olmos). The personal cost is heavy.
Audio
This telefilm has a very solid soundtrack. It is free of distortion, the music sounds wonderful, and enough care has been paid to the sound effects that there is always something going...
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on August 12th, 2002
After a dismal resurrection on film with Star Trek: The Motion Picture, it appeared that the crew of the good ship Enterprise was finally stilled forever. Enter two heroes to rival Kirk and Spock in Harve Bennett and Nicholas Myers. Star Trek II is everything that shines about Star Trek. Finally the triumvirate of Kirk, Spock, and McCoy dazzle longtime fans with the chemistry that made the original series so enduring. In The Motion Picture, the characters come off stiff and cold. They hardly seem to know each other.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on August 11th, 2002
The final (so far) Lethal Weapon is not a bad film at all, but it does suffer from the escalation syndrome. After three explosive films number 4 finds itself in the trap of having to try too hard to top its predecessors. While Chris Rock is a funny guy and he adds some great moments in the film, he’s just simply not necessary and distracts from the Glover, Gibson, Pesci trilogy of hysterics. I could also do without the domestication of Riggs through Russo’s character. All that said, you won’t be disappointed because it’s back to Disney World and another film literally exploding with rides.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on August 7th, 2002
Synopsis
“A white school teacher takes over a talented, but undisciplined black high school basketball team and turns them into a winning team.” – Columbia-Tristar
Audio
This film contains a very good Hip-Hop soundtrack. The base is substantial during the music sequences, and the surrounds are used effectively during these scenes as well. As just stated, the 5.1 Dolby Digital soundtrack was effective for the music, but did not do much in terms of the film. The surrounds were n...
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on August 7th, 2002
The Show
I cannot say enough about how great this series is. Not only is it extremely entertaining, but the DVD is of remarkable quality. If you have not had the pleasure to see an episode of The Sopranos, here is a synopsis of season three for you:
“Some suburban households have two cars. Some have two houses. But Tony Sopranos has two families.
This could be why the FBI is going to such lengths to wiretap his home. Why is the son of his dear late friend Jackie Ap...
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on August 5th, 2002
The Lethal Weapon series peaked with the third installment. The addition of Rene Russo, while giving Riggs more of a personal life, adds little to the chemistry of Glover, Gibson, and Pesci. Make no mistake. By the third film it’s all about these three characters. This series does not mix well with romance thrown into the pot.
Synopsis
Riggs (Gibson) and Murtaugh (Glover) team up with an internal affairs cop (Russo) to track down a street gang of gun runners. Leo Gets (Pesci) attaches himself to the investigation and, once again, it’s off we go.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on August 5th, 2002
Just when it seemed that the Glover and Gibson chemistry was as good as it could be, Richard Donner finds a way to improve it. Joe Pesci was the best thing that could have happened to the franchise. This second installment keeps everything that was good about the original and makes it bigger and better. Lethal Weapon 2 is a lot more fun than the first film. The guys are much more comfortable in the roles and it’s obvious they’re having a blast. Watch for a few scenes where you can see Glover working very hard not to crack up around Pesci.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on July 29th, 2002
Synopsis
Colin Farrell plays the Hart of the title, a callow youth kept from the front lines of WWII by his senator father. Fate puts him in a prison camp, however, where he meets McNamara (Bruce Willis), who is determined to continue to fight (echoes here of William Holden in The Bridge On the River Kwai).
Audio
The sound is spectacular. You Are There, be it in the war or in the prison camp. Footsteps, wind, horses hooves -- everything resounds on all sides. The music, bea...
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on July 26th, 2002
H. G. Wells is often considered the father of science fiction. Tales like The Invisible Man, War of the Worlds, and, of course, The Time Machine, have become classics both in literature and cinematography. The latest version of The Time Machine attempts to satisfy both fans of the George Pal film and readers of the original novel. Having Simon Wells, grandson of the writer, direct the film was no accident. What you end up with is a pretty nice film, but one that might not satisfy fans of the earlier works.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on July 26th, 2002
There have been so many “buddy cop” films that it has become its own genre of sorts. Still, no pairing has yet matched the chemistry of Danny Glover and Mel Gibson in the Lethal Weapon franchise. Even with four films now under their belts, the duo is capable of delivering a relationship that is worn and comfortable while still remaining fresh and exciting. Some of the franchise’s running gags begin in this first film, like Riggs and his dislocated shoulder and Murtaugh’s familiar “I’m getting to old for this shit.”
