Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on September 26th, 2007
I have no idea what critics thought of this film. I don't know how it did at the box office. I can't even recall knowing anything about it, except for seeing its title on the showtimes board at the theatre. It doesn't matter. I'm telling you now, Reign Over Me is a wonderful film.
I'm in one of those situations when I've discovered a really special movie, and want to recommend it to everyone I know without telling them anything about it. I'm not sure whether I can get away with that here, but I'll try. Let's talk about the DVD. Does it give Reign Over Me a fair shake? Read on to find out.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on August 17th, 2007
Are We Done Yet? That's not just the title of this film, it's a form of the question you'll be asking repeatedly during the film's runtime, until you eventually reach a climax of desperation and cry out for all to hear, "For the love all that is good and pure in this world, when will it end?" Not soon enough, my friend. Not soon enough.
Should you find yourself watching this torturously stupid sequel to 2005's Are We There Yet?, all I can say is, you should have known better. While opinions about movies are subjective, this one's a special case that allows me to say with 100% confidence: if you liked Are We Done Yet? you deserve a big ol' smack upside the head.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on August 5th, 2007
Dan Chupong plays a young warrior, armed with rockets and martial arts skills, who roams the Thai countryside in the 19th Century, searching for the man who killed his parents. His only clues are that he trades in buffalo and is a unique tattoo on his chest. He finds the man he believes is his target, but this trader, who possesses magical powers, is also in the sights of an evil local aristocrat who is trying to get rid of the local buffalo population in order to drive up sales for his tractor franchise. Said ne’er-do-well sets up our hero to do his dirty work.
The first fifteen minutes or so are a bit confusing as the plot gets all its ducks lined up, but once everything is in motion, the storyline clears up. The action, a mix of traditional stunt work and wire work, is not on the same level as Ong-Bak, but it is still exciting, and there’s plenty of it. If the lead-in to act 3 drags a bit, with an excessive use of flashbacks filling in events the audience has already figure out, the payoff makes it all worthwhile.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on May 9th, 2007
Synopsis
After the apprehension of a rogue general results in the death of his mentor, officer Dan Chupong accompanies his sister and her team of athletes on a charity visit to a rural village. As luck would have it, the general’s forces attack this very village, threatening to slaughter all the villagers is the general is not released. What these villains fail to mention is that they have a nuclear missile which they plan to fire at Bangkok no matter what happens. Chupong leads the villagers and ath...etes in a desperate resistance.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on February 27th, 2007
A small town is being terrorized by a gang of thugs who use extortion and violence to buy up all the businesses. The only person who tries to stand up to the gang is the sheriff, but then he meets a violent end. His son (Kevin Sorbo), who, one gathers from vague references, has military training, shucks his apathy, dons his father’s badge, and sets out to clean up the town.
The cover art is hilariously misleading, in that it shows what appears to be Sorbo leading his posse for the titular payback. But those folks behind him are actually the villains. Whatever. At any rate, this follow-up to the remake starring The Rock is mildly entertaining, but no more. Sorbo has little of Dwayne Johnson’s screen presence or sense of humour, and the storyline is utterly by-the-numbers. So routine is it, that the lack of action set-pieces really makes itself felt. On the upside, AJ Buckley is so completely unpleasant as the primary villain that he kicks the film to a semblance of life.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on April 17th, 2006
Can good acting make a film? Quite often it can. Dirty is a prime example of a film ending up better than it deserves to be by the powerful performance of a few good actors. Amando Sancho (Collins, Jr.) is an ex-gang kid from the mean streets of L.A. He thinks his street smarts and credibility can be an asset on the police force. Unfortunately we will never know, because he is partnered with corrupt cop Salim Adel (Gooding, Jr.). Both appear to require abject lessons in morality and loyalty, lessons that come too...late to be of any true value.
To say this is a disturbing film is putting it quite mildly. If you are at all sensitive to racial epithets being thrown about in casual fashion, this is not a film you want to view. If the depiction of cops as basically all corrupt with a few good eggs is offensive, this film will offend. It is a tragedy that the entire force is portrayed in these negative terms. We get no indication that there’s a clean cop in the film. This film is not so much about doing what’s right or not. The real question here is what is right or wrong. This is a gritty, stark world that reminds us in many ways of Vic Mackey and the Shield’s hopeless universe. The stark difference is that Adel has no respect for anyone. There is no distinction between the good guys and the bad guys. Mackey, at least, appears to believe he’s doing good. Adel simply doesn’t care. On the other hand, Sancho is more swept up with events. He aware of the ghosts that this kind of a life creates. This “day in the life” tale is all about the lack of redemption. I found it to be a pessimistic, dim view of society. While some might claim that perhaps this is reality at its core, what value is a film that has no hope at all? What good is a morality tale if there is no moral? The film is entirely too self-indulgent and a waste of some fine actors.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on February 1st, 2006
The opening titles of this film are a bit misleading. The font is a colorful, comical display played against animation more suitable for the opening of a Pink Panther film. Instead of a comedy, we are presented with a film likely to appeal to a very limited audience. To the film’s credit, it doesn’t abandon the themes and style it intends to portray in an effort to gain more mass appeal.
Antonio is a young man living in Mexico. His dreams are filled with playing music. Like most young ambitious music...ans he longs for the “big time”. When his mother dies, Antonio travels to America where his uncle has painted a picture of a golden field of dreams which turn out to be a rundown taco stand. We’re not really told if the move to America was under legal circumstances or not. Still, Antonio uses every spare moment to capture his musical career. The chance comes in a Latino band competition. The prize is $10,000 and a chance to perform with a big “mystery musician”. Suddenly we have a film with an abundance of clichés. Throw into the mix a mistaken romantic triangle and the stage is complete. It’s no real surprise how any of this turns out.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on January 28th, 2005
Synopsis
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on November 14th, 2003
Synopsis
