Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on December 20th, 2007
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This is a Bruckheimer film from beginning to end. You get all of the standard conventions in National Treasure. Plenty of action, intriguing characters, and a fast and furious ride.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on December 19th, 2007
In 1959 Rod Serling changed the face of television. This unimposing thin man stepped in front of a camera and told us we were entering a world of shadow… the Twilight Zone. The anthology series ran for 5 years and included some of the best genre tales ever told. We all have our favorites, and my list is too long to go into here. Even years after when Serling himself had passed it never truly died. Syndication found a huge new following for the series, and it inspired not only revivals of itself but a long list of other anthology shows over the years like Tales From The Crypt and Tales From The Darkside, but none of these imitators ever came close. Serling was a genius in not only picking out great material, but he was a master presenter as well. So in 1983 when 4 of the world’s leading genre filmmakers banded to do a Twilight Zone Movie, the expectations went through the proverbial ceiling.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on December 18th, 2007
TV reporter Jason Behr is the reincarnation of warrior from 500 years ago, charged with protecting a woman (Amanda Brooks, also a reincarnation) whose destiny is to sacrifice herself so that a mystical giant serpent (an Imoogi) can become a dragon. Unfortunately, an evil Imoogi named Buraki wants the power for itself, and summons a giant reptilian army that lays waste to LA in the search for Brooks.
The most elaborate South Korean project ever isn’t a patch on the far superior The Host, but is still a very entertaining monster mash. Though shot in English with an American cast (including Robert Foster as a kind of Obi Wan Kenobi), the hilariously nonsensical dialogue sounds very translated indeed. The plot has very little flow to it, what with our star-crossed lovers fleeing Buraki in one scene, but taking time out for a meeting in a coffee shop in the next. Then there’s the fact that the gigantic Buraki seems to be able to arrive in large urban areas without anyone noticing his 200-metre presence. One can also chuckle at the flashbacks within flashbacks that set up the back story. But a great deal can be forgiven thanks to the copious monster footage. This is a film that delivers on its promises, and once the rampage starts, the action is non-stop. The CGI nature of the beasts may be pretty obvious, but the creatures are also very detailed. As a strange cross-cultural mix of period fantasy and urban monster rampage, this is pretty infectious fun.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on December 17th, 2007
I like Robin Williams (Good Will Hunting). A lot. Generally, his presence alone is enough to make me watch a particular movie — an unfortunate fact, given his spotty record. The man can be hilarious, and he has starred in some highly entertaining films over his long career. But he's also done bad movies, flops and failures. License to Wed is one of those.
10 minutes in, I wanted to turn it off. At 18 minutes, I was actively mocking everything and anything onscreen. By the half-way point, I was cursing my obligation as reviewer to sit through the entire film. This movie is an all-around bust. Stop reading now, and check out some other Upcomingdiscs reviews for better films to watch. You can pretty much close your eyes and click to find something that'll top License to Wed.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on December 17th, 2007
U.S. soldiers return home from war and find it difficult to re-assimilate into everyday American life. We've seen this idea played out dozens of times, mostly with Vietnam as the conflict of choice. In Home of the Brave, writer-director Irwin Winkler (De-Lovely) transplants the story into more modern times with the war in Iraq, without much success. Panned by critics and moviegoers alike, Home of the Brave feels a lot more like a made-for-TV movie than a major theatrical release, despite the presence of perennial Hollywood badass Sam Jackson (Snakes on a Plane).
It's not that there isn't power in the message that war profoundly affects those involved long after they've left the battlefield, it's just that this film does a poor job living up to that message's raw potential. The disc itself isn't bad at all, but solid DVD production values can't save a movie.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on December 12th, 2007
There is a certain audience that really gets into what I call "mythic combat". Zena and Hercules on TV, and movies like Reign of Fire, Conan and Dragonslayer all fit into this category for me. While I typically don't enjoy this type of faire, I am a sucker for the more popular versions, such as the Lord of the Rings trilogy and 300. After seeing a very promising trailer in the theater, I had high hopes for Pathfinder. Unfortunately, the final film did not live up to the potential of its marketing.
Pathfinder tells a story set in North America, 300 years before Columbus "discovered" the new world. When a band of ruthless Vikings attacks a small native village, a Viking boy shows his true colors, and refuses to kill a defenseless family. Disgraced, the boy is left to die. The natives, however, take him in and raise them as one of their own. When the boy is grown, the Vikings return, and the boy must fight his original kinsmen to defend the only family he has ever known.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on December 12th, 2007
When Lost began its third season last fall I was beginning to feel a lot like the castaways must have felt; namely I was getting pretty lost watching Lost. There’s been a lot of mostly fair criticism about how ABC has handled the show last year. The first mistake was to air a small portion of episodes in the first couple of months and finish the season after the New Year. While this broken season plan works well for some cable shows like Monk, it does a serious disservice to Lost. I was so confused and burned out with the show after these first episodes, I never did return in February to see how it all played out. After reviewing the ratings numbers for the show, it seems I was not alone in leaving the island. Now with the release of the complete third season on DVD, there was renewed hope that I might be able to piece something coherent together by watching episodes in large chunks of marathon sittings. The result was the show was a little easier to follow but not much. Now don’t get me wrong. I appreciate the complicated plots and long detailed stories the show has been able to tell. Like the rest of the show’s fans, I enjoyed following the sparse trail of breadcrumbs and reveled in each new discovery in spite of the fact that each new answer also brought along five new questions as companions. Still, the third season of Lost was arguably its worst.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on December 10th, 2007
So in a summer where a film directed by Judd Apatow and starring Seth Rogen made a truckload of money, another film released a couple months later where Apatow produced and Rogen co-wrote made almost the same truckload of money, yet both films were funny for different reasons.
In Superbad, Rogen and Evan Goldberg (Da Ali G Show) wrote the script that Greg Mottola (Undeclared) directed, and the film’s premise is simple enough. Seth (Jonah Hill, Knocked Up) and Evan (Michael Cera, Arrested Development) are high school seniors who are attending one last party, with the help of their friend Fogell (Christopher Mintz-Plasse) and his fake ID and subsequent new name ‘McLovin’. The trio’s night takes a dramatic turn, as Fogell is assaulted at the liquor store and Seth and Evan presume that he’s been taken to jail for the fake ID. So Seth and Evan try to get liquor for a party that Seth’s friend Jules (Emma Stone, Drive) is throwing, and Evan wants to get some vodka for Becca (Martha MacIssac, Ice Princess), and the boys desperately want to get with the girls before the boys go to their respective colleges. In the meantime, Fogell isn’t taken to jail, but is taken on a wild ride and a wild night by Officers Slater (Bill Hader, You, Me and Dupree) and Michaels (Rogen), who take him through various twists and turns in the city.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on December 5th, 2007
The fat lady has sung, taken her bows and waddled off to the after-party. Gilmore Girls, a show loved by many — and abhorred by some — was canceled in May, leaving fans without a true series finale. Here, in this DVD set, lie the final episodes, created without input from series creator Amy Sherman-Palladino, who left the show after season six.
This is not a fitting end for our Gilmore Girls, but unless a rumored movie becomes reality, it's all we're going to get. So if you're looking for closure, this ain't the place.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on December 5th, 2007
Avast ye mates, Jack’s back, and did ye ever doubt the return of Cap’n Jack Sparrow? Johnny Depp once again transforms himself like no other actor in
