Dolby Digital 5.1 (French)

Big Fat Liar

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on September 10th, 2002

Synopsis

Frankie Muniz is the liar of the title, and so is already in plenty of trouble. Then he meets someone even worse than the truth than he is: Paul Giamatti, playing a completely sleazy Hollywood producer, who steals Muniz’ creative writing paper and makes a movie from it. Muniz and best friend Amanda Bynes head off for Hollywood to exact revenge — some of which, I must confess, is pretty damn funny.

Audio

The music sounds terrific, as does the dialogue (no distortio…
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Return to Never Land

Posted in Disc Reviews by David Annandale on September 3rd, 2002

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Synopsis

It is World War II, and Wendy’s daughter Jane, living in a constantly bombed London, has given up on childhood dreams. Her disillusion ends when she is kidnapped by Captain Hook and brought to Never Land. The animation is in no way up to Disney’s current theatrical standard, but is leaps and bounds beyond other direct-to-video fare. The problem is, this WAS released theatrically. Anyway, the London sequences are nicely atmospheric, but things go rather flat and ordinary once we reach Never L…
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In The Bedroom

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on September 2nd, 2002

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In the Bedroom carries with it some very powerful acting performances. The story is good, but not as great as it was hyped up to be around the Academy Awards. If you like a very powerful drama, you will enjoy this film.

â€œFrank Folwer is a young man home from college. He develops a special relationship with an older woman and their love blossoms in their small New England town. Natalie is the older woman (Tomei) and has two children from her marriage to an abusive husband. When this abusive ex…
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Lethal Weapon 4

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on August 11th, 2002

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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.

Lethal Weapon

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on July 26th, 2002

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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.”
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Walk to Remember, A

Posted in Disc Reviews by David Annandale on July 18th, 2002

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Synopsis

After a prank goes horribly wrong, almost resulting in the death of another student, high school bad boy Landon (Shane West, doing his best impression of Christian Slater channelling Charlie Sheen), is condemned not to jail, or to community service, but to act in the school play. In this new environment, he becomes more and more acutely aware of self-assured preacher’s daughter Jamie (Mandy Moore). Opposites attract, hard lessons are learned, and redemption is handed out all round. Call it t…
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Pearl Harbor

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on June 19th, 2002

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Film

If one thing can be said about Michael Bay films, it would be that they are beautifully shot. I cannot think of many directors’ that have such a unique cinematographic feel to their films… and Pearl Harbor is no exception. This film contains some of the best fighting sequences ever put onto film. Unfortunately, this fabulous action is tainted by a sub-par love story that is interwoven into the story. With the elimination of this love story, Pearl Harbor would have been an amazing action film…
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Beautiful Mind, A

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on June 19th, 2002

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Synopsis

Crowe plays John Nash, schizophrenic genius. The film follows him from his grad student days at Princeton, to his revolutionary formulation of game theory, to his later breakdown, and climaxes in his reception of the Nobel Prize in 1994. Though overlong, often burdened by an excessively emphatic score by James Horner, and following all the usual conventions of Hollywood melodrama, the film also offers stunning cinematography by Roger Deakins, uncharacteristically good dialogue by Akiva Golds…
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Intimacy

Posted in Disc Reviews by David Annandale on May 11th, 2002

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The film may take place in London, and feature English actors, and be shot in English, but this is definitely French cinema. How do we know? Because the sex scenes hit hardcore explicitness, and none of the characters are particularly happy about any of the proceedings.

Synopsis

Jay is a former musician, now bartender, and left his family some years ago, in a fit of what appears to have been existential ennui/sexual angst. Now he lives in a run-down house, and is visited every Wednesday by woman with whom he has sex.
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The Mummy Returns

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on March 20th, 2002

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Sequels can be tricky business. Expectations are usually high because it was the success of the original that warrants a follow-up. More often than not the audience leaves unsatisfied. The Mummy’s Return suffers this curse more intensely than any invoked by Imhotep or the Scorpion King. Yes, the story is contrived with holes big enough to drive a starship through. Still I rather enjoyed this film. If you’re looking for logic then what are you doing watching a Mummy film anyway? If you are looking for a thrill ride then this film delivers a rollercoaster wild ride through Egypt. When you’re finished you’ll be calling for your Mummy.

Original Sin – Unrated

Posted in Disc Reviews by David Annandale on March 20th, 2002

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The second version of Cornell Woolrich’s novel “Waltz Into Darkness” (previously filmed by François Truffaut’s Mississippi Mermaid), this is a decidedly steamier version, especially here, in its unrated form.

Synopsis

Cuban plantation owner Antonio Banderas advertises for a wife, and the woman who answers his ad is, he believes, plain but pure. What shows up, however, is the beautiful but duplicitous Angelina Jolie, who has larceny rather than matrimony on her mind. Her scam runs smoothly at first,…
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Heist

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on March 9th, 2002

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Intro

This was a very interesting crime thriller. The acting was quite good, and the triple-crossing plot was very unique. It is too bad that a film such as this would get a bare-bones DVD release.

Synopsis

“Question: What makes the world go round?

Joe Moore (Gene Hackman) has a beautiful young wife, money owed to him, and a job he loves. He’s a thief. His job goes sour when he gets caught on security camera tape. His fence, Bergman (Danny DeVito) reneges on the …
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Devil’s Advocate

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on February 13th, 2002

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“Can you summon your talent at will?” This is a question from Satan himself in the The Devil’s Advocate. For Al Pacino I would say the answer is a resounding yes. Pacino has been making us offers we just couldn’t refuse for 30 years. Just a list of his exceptional films would require more space than I have here. You’ll find this film to be one of his more underrated gems.

Synopsis

Kevin Lomax (Reeves) is a hot young lawyer with an uncanny ability to pick a winning jury; in fact he’s never lost.
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Jurassic Park III

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on December 3rd, 2001

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Intro

I Loved Jurassic Park. I was extremely disappointed with Jurassic Park II. Jurassic Park III fell right in the middle. This film is good, but really cannot compare to the greatness of the original. The story is a bit better then the second installment and it is still fun to see Dinosaurs come to life.

Synopsis

Desperate to fund research for his new theory of Velociraptor intelligence, Grant is particularly vulnerable when wealthy adventurer Paul Kirby (William H. Macy) and hi…
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Ginger Snaps

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on November 7th, 2001

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Intro

From the haunting soundtrack to the career-making performances from the Robin Cook’s superb cast, Ginger Snaps defines what a modern horror film should be: its artfully crafted reality skirts the edge of the mundane while maintaining an edge of surrealism through progressive applications of noire, violence, and the supernatural. The movie thoroughly involves the audience in a gruesome mockery of teenage evolution. Ginger (Katharine…
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