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Dolby Digital 5.1 (English)

Easy Rider

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on January 9th, 2005

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I started watching this movie expecting something akin to a National Lampoon episode – a goofy motorcycle road trip populated by harmless and amusing stoners. Those of you who are Easy Rider fans, or who have seen and appreciated the film should be chuckling now at my ignorance. This film, as well as Rambo: First Blood and Vanishing Point have now made it adequately clear to me that I’ve completely missed an entire genre of filmmaking. For those who share my ignorance, what I’m referring to is th…
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Speakeasy

Posted in Disc Reviews by David Annandale on January 8th, 2005

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Synopsis

David Strathairn is a melancholy children’s magician. He is stuck looking after his irritablewife’s deaf father, because she wants nothing to do with him. His day is complete after a fender-bender with pawn shop owner Nicky Katt. And, as it happens all the time in real life, the twodrivers soon become fast friends. One of their bonds is that Katt’s daughter is also deaf. Whata coincidence! The performances are all agreeably low key, and the dialogue and editing havesome occ…
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Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

Posted in Disc Reviews by David Annandale on January 6th, 2005

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Synopsis

Jim Carrey wakes up on Valentine’s Day in a funk. On the spur of the moment, he takes offto Montauk, where he meets Kate Winslet. Sparks fly, and a relationship seems about to be born.We suddenly flash back in time, and realize that, though they no longer remember it, these twohave previously had a relationship. When it collapsed, Winslet availed herself of the services ofLacuna, a company that erases unpleasant memories. Carrey has been removed from hermemory. Distraught, …
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Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on January 4th, 2005

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The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement is the sequel to the popular Disney feature The Princess Diaries. How is our princess (Anne Hathaway) now? Well, life isn’t so easy in Gevonia. While trying to dodge Machiavellian plots and ill-suited suitors, the princess Mia tries to find love and (more importantly) herself.

The Princess Diaries 2 feels like one of those “phoned-in” sequels. All the notes are there, but none of the music. Veteran director Garry Marshall does a poor job o…
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Riding Giants

Posted in Disc Reviews by David Annandale on December 31st, 2004

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Synopsis

Riding Giants is both a history of big-wave surfing (and, to a degree, of surfinggenerally) and a profile of the big names in the sport over the generations, specifically Greg Noll,Jeff Clark and Laird Hamilton (who, as executive producer, also gets the lion’s share of thecoverage). Spectacular footage is mixed with vintage home movies, and the result is quitecompelling. The film does devolve into hero-worship, however, and when a drowned surfer isreferred to as a fa…
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Door in the Floor, The

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on December 31st, 2004

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On the DVD cover of The Door in the Floor, the writing promises “surprises”, “shocks”, and “cuts like a knife”. One would think this movie would be a thriller. False advertising can get you nowhere. The Door in the Floor is far from a thriller, but more in the meditation on love, loss, and loneliness genre. Jeff Bridges and Kim Basinger star as a dysfunctional married couple. Things are far from blissful. Bridges is a writer of children’s fiction; Basinger is, well, I’m not sure what she does. Bu…
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Shaun of the Dead

Posted in Disc Reviews by David Annandale on December 29th, 2004

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Synopsis

Shaun (co-writer Simon Pegg) is on the cusp of his thirties, and still has growing up to do.He and girlfriend Liz wind up in the Winchester pub every night, and she’s sick of it, much to thedelight of her roommates Liz and David (the latter being an insufferable twit who pines for Liz).His best friend Ed is a pig, and has crashed permanently in Shaun’s house, much to thedispleasure of his housemate, Pete. Liz dumps Shaun, who thinks his life is over. Then, hegradually becom…
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3 – The Dale Earnhardt Story

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on December 29th, 2004

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Barry Pepper is an actor who seems to have an affinity for playing sports heroes, Roger Maris and now Dale Earnhardt. Pepper also seems to have an affinity to star in movies with numbers in the title, 51, 25th Hour, and now 3 – The Dale Earnhardt Story. ESPN presents an original sports movie about the iconic racing driver who lived and died (literally) on the track.

Being a sports fan, I have a soft place in my heart for sports bio pics. They have a tendency to be clichéd, by nature….
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That’s So Raven

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on December 29th, 2004

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That’s So Raven features Raven (or the artist formerly known as Raven Symone) as a sassy teen who gets into hilarious teen situations. Sound familiar? Raven seems a little Lizzie McGuire-esque, but the difference is in the main character. Raven has psychic powers. That’s right. She has the supernatural ability to see events that may (or may not) have happened. Freaky.

That’s So Raven: Supernaturally Stylish is a DVD that features four episodes from the Disney TV series. An…
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National Lampoon Presents Dorm Daze

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on December 25th, 2004

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My feelings about this movie can best be summed up by something that I noticed while watching the Gag Reel that is included on this DVD. The clapboard used in these shots lists the name of this film as College Sex Comedy. Now, that’s not the genre, mind you… that’s the title. Of course, the title was changed before release, but the fact that the film was basically titled Insert Generic Teen Sex Comedy Title Here during filming should give potential viewers some idea of what to expect from this film. It’…
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Resident Evil: Apocalypse

Posted in Disc Reviews by David Annandale on December 23rd, 2004

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Synopsis

Apocalypse picks up where the first Resident Evil left off. The sinisterUmbrella Corporation re-opens its underground lab, and in so doing unleashes the T-Virus onRacoon City. The metropolis is cordoned off to contain the infection, and there are only a handfulof survivors left who, led by the now superhuman Alice (Mila Jovovich), must escape the citybefore it is sanitized (i.e.nuked).

The scale is far more grandiose than the first film, and there is m…
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Blinx 2: Masters of Time & Space (Xbox)

Posted in Game Reviews by Archive Authors on December 23rd, 2004

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As someone who thought the original Blinx fell far short of its potential, I came into Blinx 2 with relatively low expectations. I was mainly hoping that the problems plaguing the first would be fixed here, leaving us with a top-flight game. Sadly, that has not fully happened. While quite a bit of progress has been made (like the addition of multi-player modes, multiple gameplay styles, and the ability to make your own character), a few things don’t live up to their full potential. My prevailing thought…
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Fable (Xbox)

Posted in Game Reviews by Archive Authors on December 23rd, 2004

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It’s the first console game from game design legend Peter Molyneux, the force behind such revolutionary PC works as Populous, Dungeon Keeper and Black & White. You probably already know all about his talent for coming up with novel gameplay concepts and his unerring desire to break down traditional game design walls. And you probably already know about his grandiose plans for Fable, about the open-ended, realistic game world and the ability to be as good or evil as you see fit.

So lik…
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AVP: Alien vs. Predator

Posted in Disc Reviews by David Annandale on December 21st, 2004

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Synopsis

Set in the near future, well before the Alien films but after the Predatorfranchise, AVP has a group of scientists and security experts in the pay of the LanceHenriksen (Weyland, of the Weyland-Utani Corporation that plays such an important role in theAlien films) arrive in Antarctica. Here they find a pyramid buried deep in the ice, whichturns out to be a Predator training site. A trio of these creatures arrives for training, but thehumans have …
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King Arthur

Posted in Disc Reviews by David Annandale on December 21st, 2004

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Synopsis

After fifteen years in the service of the Roman army in Britain, Lancelot (Ioan Gruffudd) andother knights of the round table look forward to being released and returning to their homelandof Samartia. Their leader, Arthur (Clive Owen), pines for Rome. But one last rescue missionturns into a nightmare, and then the Saxons invade. Gradually, our heroes discover that they lovetheir adopted country, and Arthur has his illusions about Rome destroyed one by one.

The look …
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Two Brothers

Posted in Disc Reviews by David Annandale on December 20th, 2004

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Synopsis

We are in the 1920s. Two young tiger cubs live in what seems to be the tiger version of theGarden of Eden. Then Guy Pearce comes along to ruin everything (though he will subsequentlyrepent). He kills the cubs’ parents, and sells one cub to the circus. The other is also captured andwinds up as the beloved pet of Raoul, the colonial governor’s son. The tension resides in whetherthe brothers will eventually reunite, and will they be allowed to live their lives in peace?

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Where the Red Fern Grows

Posted in Disc Reviews by David Annandale on December 20th, 2004

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Synopsis

Kris Kristofferson narrates the story in flashback, telling the story of his younger self (JosephAshton) during the Depression. The young boy dreams of owning a hunting dog, and afterslaving away on odd jobs for two years, he finally acquires two: “Old Dan” and “Little Ann.”Together they become an unbeatable team, and have various adventures in a setting that is bothbucolic and poverty-stricken. The film is handsomely mounted and genuinely performed (with,interestingly, Dav…
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Napoleon Dynamite

Posted in Disc Reviews by David Annandale on December 17th, 2004

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Synopsis

We’ve all known (or been — be honest, now) Napoleon Dynamite at some point in highschool. He’s too tall for his own good, lives in a fantasy world of his own, and is a socialcatastrophe. At home, his thirty-something brother Kip is just as odd, and when their hard-partying grandmother winds up in the hospital, Uncle Rico (permanently reliving his supposedglory days of 1982) comes to look after things, and generally makes everything worse. ButNapoleon is also coming out of …
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Meet the Parents

Posted in Disc Reviews by David Annandale on December 17th, 2004

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Synopsis

Ben Stiller wants to propose to sweetheart Teri Polo, but first he has to impress her dad –Robert De Niro. The weekend with the parents proceeds as one would expect a movie with BenStiller in the lead: disastrously. De Niro is an over-protective ex-CIA control freak, and Stillerinevitably finds the way to wreak the most humiliating havoc possible.

As the embarrassments mount, and yet more loom ominously over the horizon, you findyourself wishing you could look away…
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Thunderbirds

Posted in Disc Reviews by David Annandale on December 15th, 2004

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Synopsis

Alan is the youngest member of the Tracy family, and would dearly love to be a full memberof International Rescue, but is stuck in school and is treated as a kid by his bothers and father.But then it is up to him and his two young friends to save the day when The Hood (BenKingsley) takes over IR’s base, traps the Tracys up in space, and plans to turn the Thunderbirdvehicles to evil uses (starting with robbing the Bank of England).

What I want to know is why oil rig …
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Warriors of Heaven and Earth

Posted in Disc Reviews by David Annandale on December 13th, 2004

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Synopsis

Lai Xi (Nakai Kiichi) must complete one last mission for the Emperor before he can returnto Japan: track down and execute mutinous Butcher Li (Jiang Wen), who refused to kill femaleand children prisoners, and is now an outlaw. Li and Lai Xi’s first encounter ends in a draw, andLai Xi agrees to wait for a rematch until Li has completed his current mission: escorting acaravan through bandit country. Lai Xi is soon caught up in the effort to protect the caravan, andthe battles…
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Mary Poppins

Posted in Disc Reviews by David Annandale on December 12th, 2004

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Synopsis

If you don’t know what this movie is about, you grew up in a cave. If you’ve never seen it,ditto. This is the tale, it need hardly be said, of Mary Poppins (Julie Andrews), the nanny whoarrives to take charge of two children whose imaginations have been repressed by theirexcessively proper father. In the care of Mary, and accompanied by chimney sweep Bert (DickVan Dyke), the children bounce from one magical mix of dance, live action and animation toanother.

A more…
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Garden State

Posted in Disc Reviews by David Annandale on December 11th, 2004

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Synopsis

Zach Braff (who also wrote and directed) stars as Andrew Largeman, a young man so heavilymedicated since his childhood that he finds it completely impossible to experience any kind ofemotion. This is true even at his mother’s funeral, for which he returns from LA to New Jersey.There he reconnects with his old friends (chief among them being Peter Sarsgaard), all of whomare living odd, if aimless lives, and encounters Sam (Natalie Portman), whose emotions-on-the-sleeve appro…
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Spider-Man 2

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on December 10th, 2004

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Spider-Man 2 is a superior film to the first. While it is rare for sequels to live up to expectations, there are rare moments in film history when the sequel may even surpass the first film’s quality. The Godfather Part II and Bride of Frankenstein are two well known examples. But for Every T2 there are usually 20 Jaws 3-D’s. Doc Ock was the perfect choice as the story’s villain; Alfred Molina was a wonderful selection to bring this fan favorite to life on the big screen. Peter Parker’s life is more multi-dimensional…
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Depeche Mode / Devotional

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on December 10th, 2004

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I’ve got to be honest. I was never a Depeche Mode fan. My lack of interest in them didn’t really come from their music, which I always thought was different – in a good way. It was just that in the 80’s and 90’s, MTV played their videos 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The video for “Enjoy the Silence” was burned into my eyelids. I couldn’t get away from the band no matter how hard I tried.

My, how things have changed. MTV doesn’t play Depeche Mode videos anymore, or any videos for that matter, and after wat…
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