Dolby Digital 5.1 (English)

Léon, The Professional

Posted in Disc Reviews by David Annandale on February 7th, 2005

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Synopsis

Jean Reno plays Léon, a preternaturally gifted hit man. Shortly after taking down a smallarmy of goons in a high rise, he finds himself having to look after 11-year-old Mathilda (NataliePortman), whose family has been wiped out by Gary Oldman (whose performance goesshamelessly over the top). In between mega-massacres at the beginning and end of the film, wesee the development of the relationship between precocious Mathilda and child-like Léon.

And that is where many…
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Malcolm X

Posted in Disc Reviews by David Annandale on February 7th, 2005

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Synopsis

Denzel Washington plays Malcolm X, the black leader white folks DIDN’T feel comfortableabout. Beginning in the 1940s, when Malcolm is a zoot-suited cool cat with best friend Shorty(Spike Lee), the film then flashes back to just before his birth, and proceeds in properly epicfashion to trace the life of the charismatic, and extremely controversial, leader.

Questions can, and have, been asked about some aspects of the film. Time Out, for instance,raises the issue of t…
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October Sky

Posted in Disc Reviews by David Annandale on February 1st, 2005

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Synopsis

Coalwood, West Virgina, is a typical mining company town in 1957. For most of the malepopulation, the only future is a descent into the mines, with all the hardships and early death thatentails. Jake Gyllenhaal hopes for better, and he is inspired by the launch of Sputnik to build hisown rocket, a project which involves three of his friends, and is encouraged by teacher LauraDern. Against Gyllenhaal are the skepticism of the town, the difficulties of the project, and thetro…
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Predator 2

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on January 30th, 2005

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Predator vs. Alien was not as successful at the box office as was hoped. It seems that this 2-disc edition of Predator 2 might be intended to build interest for the troubled fusion of the two popular space creatures.

This film has had its share of detractors since its release in 1990. I, for one, find it to be as good as, if not better than, the original film. Watching the two governors Arnold and Jesse take on the Predator in the Columbian jungles was certainly a hoot. Let’s be honest…
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Without a Paddle

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on January 30th, 2005

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Written by Jason Franz

Synopsis

Without a Paddle is the story of three childhood playmates (Seth Green, Matthew Lillard and Dax Shepard), re-united by the death of a close friend. The four young boys dreamed of one day finding the lost fortune of legendary hijacker, D.B. Cooper. After the funeral of their friend, the trio discovers that their departed friend had kept the dream alive and was hot on the trail of Cooper’s treasure before he died.

In memory of their friend, the three continue whe…
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Star Trek Voyager – The Complete Seventh Season

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on January 30th, 2005

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In Season Seven, Voyager returns home and like Deep Space Nine and The Next Generation, the third Star Trek spin-off wraps up. The final episode “Endgame” is not as dramatic as the finales for the other shows. I guess it becomes anticlimactic when you have known for 7 years how this was going to end. The f/x are some of the best in Trek TV history, however. This is truly a visually stunning episode. The season is about on par with Season 6. Stories continue to grow stale. Even the Seven of Nine s…
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Forgotten, The

Posted in Disc Reviews by David Annandale on January 28th, 2005

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Synopsis

Julianne Moore plays Telly, who, fourteen months after the death of her son in a plane crash,is still in deep mourning, obsessively looking at pictures and videotapes of the boy. Then thepictures disappear, and no one believes that she ever had a son. She tracks down Dominic West,who lost a daughter in the accident, but doesn’t remember her existence. Moore makes himremember, and then the two are suddenly being pursued by the NSA.

SPOILER ALERT. Well, not really, th…
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First Daughter

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on January 25th, 2005

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Written by Jason Franz

Synopsis

First Daughter is a coming of age drama/comedy about Samantha Mackenzie (Katie Holmes), the Presidents daughter, who is eager to start her college/adult life. Directed by Forest Whitaker and based on a story co-written by Jerry O’Connell, I had no idea what I was in for.

The flim starts with a quick montage of Samantha’s childhood growing up with political parents. We’re looped into the story as she heads towards her first year in college, and her first…
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Backbeat

Posted in Disc Reviews by David Annandale on January 25th, 2005

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Synopsis

Stephen Dorff (adopting a most convincing accent) plays Iain Softley, bass guitarist in a banddriven by best pal John Lennon (you may have heard of the group). The lads leave Liverpool forHamburg, where they become house band for a strip club, and gradually build a following.Softley is more of a painter than a guitarist, and his commitment to the band is furtherundermined when he falls for photographer Astrid Kirchherr (Sheryl Lee).

Dorff is excellent, and Ian Hart …
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Taxi

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on January 24th, 2005

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Written by Jason Franz

Synopsis

In Taxi, Jimmy Fallon plays a bumbling big city cop (Washburn) that has an extremely bad driving record, trying to catch a big case. Queen Latifah plays a bicycle messenger (Belle) trying to make it as a New York cabbie in her home-made “super cab”. The two meet up when Fallon comes accross a robery while walking the beat. Hilarity does not ensue.

Taxi tries to do it all. Deliver laughs, action and a bit of drama and manages to fail on every attempt. From the unbelievable “…
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Carnivale – The Complete First Season

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on January 22nd, 2005

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To put it succinctly, HBO has done it again. The network simply has no fear. It prides itself on bringing groundbreaking programming to the masses, laughing in the face of such cookie-cutter faire as American Idol and Two And A Half Men. First there was Sex and the City, then the behemoth that is The Soprano’s, and now we have Carnivale.

I love TV shows that feel they don’t have to explain themselves, and this series is certainly that. Think “David Lynch vs. the Jim Rose C…
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Monster

Posted in Disc Reviews by David Annandale on January 22nd, 2005

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Synopsis

Charlize Theron doesn’t play Aileen Wuornos, she incarnates her. At the end of hertether, highway prostitute Aileen meets 18-year-old Selby (Christina Ricci) when she accidentlywalks into a lesbian bar. They click, and suddenly, Aileen has a reason to live. She tries to turnher life around, but with the implacability of Greek tragedy, her attempts end in failure and shereturns to turning tricks. One date goes turns ghastly, and she kills the brutal john in self-defense…
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Danny Deckchair

Posted in Disc Reviews by David Annandale on January 21st, 2005

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Synopsis

Danny Morgan (Rhys Ifans), a concrete layer in Australia, is very excited about his upcomingholiday, but then his girlfriend (Justine Clarke), who thinks she’s better than he is, scraps theirgetaway so she can close a real estate deal and flirt with a local newscaster. Danny is despondent,and during his week off has too much time on his hands, which means trouble. At a barbecue, heattaches helium balloons to his deck chair, and then sails off into the big blue yonder. He come…
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Metallica – Some Kind of Monster

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on January 20th, 2005

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Exit light…enter night. Metallica: Some Kind of Monster is a documentary about the inner workings of the band. But it’s not a “behind the music” type piece or a concert movie. The filmmakers attempt to gnaw away at the troubling trials of fame, addiction, and friendship. It’s fascinating stuff. Now, I’m not a big fan of Metallica, but I’ve been in creative collective situations. The personal relationships are constantly shifting. You bicker one minute, you love one another the next. In Metallica’s cas…
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Festival Express

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on January 20th, 2005

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What a find! Film footage from a landmark 1970 concert sat in a producer’s garage for almost 3 decades. So finally, after all the music rights and remastering were taken care of, we have a landmark rockumentary. Thank the maker. Festival Express is a rock concert movie about a 3 city train tour, with stops in Toronto, Winnipeg, and Calgary (not to mention a stop in Saskatoon for booze). The performers included The Grateful Dead, The Band, Buddy Guy, and Janis Joplin (among many, many others).

Star Trek Voyager – The Complete Sixth Season

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on January 20th, 2005

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Season Six signaled the inevitable decline of Star Trek Voyager. While there were certainly strong episodes, such as Pathfinder, there were far too many episodes like The Spirit Folk. The addition of the Borg children was, perhaps, the final push into the abyss. They are constantly irritating. It’s like a pack of Wesley Crushers without the passion. Voyager may have been struggling to get back to the Alpha Quadrant, but it was clear the writers were struggling even harder to keep the show fresh without resorting to o…
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Crusade – The Complete Series

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on January 18th, 2005

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The rise in popularity of TV on DVD has brought about an interesting side effect. Namely, shows that would have previously faded into oblivion after a few airings are now finding a new audience. Often, such as in the cases of Firefly and Boomtown, audiences (and networks) are discovering that they may have pulled the plug too soon on some shows. While Crusade doesn’t exactly fit into this category, it does prove itself to be a show with promise, that may have developed into something special if i…
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Gargoyle: Wings of Darkness

Posted in Disc Reviews by David Annandale on January 17th, 2005

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Synopsis

Centuries ago, a gargoyle is shot down by a priest and sealed in the ground. In present-dayRomania, an earthquake breaks the seal and unleashes a host of monsters on Bucharest. CIAoperative Michael Paré is investigating what at first appears to be a series of kidnappings, buteventually finds himself up against the mythical beasts.

The dialogue consists of cobbled-together clichés (and bargain-basement ones at that), andthe plot makes no sense. The Romanian setting i…
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Wimbledon

Posted in Disc Reviews by David Annandale on January 16th, 2005

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Synopsis

Paul Bettany once had an almost-promising career in tennis, but he’s on his way out now,and his last hurrah is a wild-card placement he’s landed at Wimbledon. A chance encounter withrising super-alpha player Kirsten Dunst revives his passion for both life and the game, and hesuddenly starts beating all comers. Her game, however, begins to suffer as she becomesdistracted by her new relationship.

As a romantic comedy, this leaves much to be desired. Top-billed Dunst i…
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Showgirls

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on January 14th, 2005

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First off, let me say that if you have only seen Showgirls on VH-1, then you haven’t had the full experience. It’s bad on network television, but the sheer scope of how truly awful it is can only be experienced in the full, uncut version. Laughing at an idiot is one thing. Laughing at a naked idiot is something else entirely. It’s amazing how un-sexy this film really is. Showgirls is funny in the same way that it was funny to make fun of the fat kid riding in the front of the bus in Junior High. …
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Pauly Shore Is Dead

Posted in Disc Reviews by David Annandale on January 13th, 2005

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Synopsis

Pauly Shore’s career spirals down into the toilet in the wake of a disastrous Fox sitcom.Desperate, he fakes his own death, thus boosting his popularity. His plan seems to be working,until the terrible backfire when he is caught and sent to jail.

There’s a halfway clever conceit here, given that Shore co-wrote, co-produced and directedwhat plays partly as an exercise in self-loathing, a perspective that viewers can only heartilysupport. There are some amusing cameos…
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Unforgivable Blackness: The Rise and Fall of Jack Johnson

Posted in Disc Reviews by David Annandale on January 13th, 2005

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Synopsis

In his patented style (plenty of vintage stills and, in this case, vintage film footage combinedwith compelling narration and actors voicing the actual words of the subjects), documentaristKen Burns unveils the story of Jack Johnson, the first black heavyweight boxing champion. Histriumph was intolerable for white society, and that included the American government. Narratedby Keith David, with Samuel L. Jackson providing the voice of Johnson, this is a powerful lookat the r…
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Cinderella Story, A

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on January 11th, 2005

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A vehicle for Hilary Duff, “A Cinderella Story” is a modern updating of the classic fairy tale. Set at a high school in the San Fernando Valley, a “dorky” girl, Hilary Duff, comes to terms with her “wicked” stepmother, Jennifer Coolidge, and evil stepsisters, played by Madeline Zima and Andrea Avery. Duff meets her “prince” and well….there’s a Halloween Dance….well…I think you get it.

This movie does exactly what you expect it to do. No surprises or inventiveness. Fans will enjoy, but to the “layperson” t…
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De-Lovely

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on January 11th, 2005

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De-Lovely is a musical bio-pic based on the life of Cole Porter. Now, Porter was an American genius, responsible for writing such song classics as “Love for Sale” and “Anything Goes”. Porter’s personal life was also legendary. He had a wife, but also had affairs with men. Porter also suffered a horse riding accident in the late 1930’s that debilitated him for the rest of his life (to his death in 1964). Sounds like the great makings of a movie, right? Well….

Kevin Kline plays Cole Porter, and h…
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Troy

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on January 11th, 2005

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The story of Troy and the warrior Achilles is the stuff of legends now brought to life by Wolfgang Peterson. With an ensemble cast including Brad Pitt, Eric Bana, Peter O’Toole, Brian Cox, Brendan Gleeson and Sean Bean there are only two things that can happen, magic or mediocrity. In this case I think we end up somewhere in between. Some scenes like the battle between Achilles and Hector is incredible while the storming of the beach at Troy is almost downright laughable. Overall though the film works I just wish it …
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