Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on October 26th, 2005
Synopsis
India, 1938. Dissolute ex-pat Brit George Brent is amused when old flame Myrna Loy, now married to an aging aristocrat, arrives, but is less amused when he sees her set her sights on Indian doctor Tyrone Power (all done up in dark make-up). Power is so decent that Brent doesn’t want him corrupted. But it soon turns out that Loy really loves Power, as she demonstrates by helping selflessly after the city is savaged by torrential rains, flooding and an earthquake.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on October 24th, 2005
The Battle of Britain was a famous turning point in the World War Two theatre. The movie, Battle of Britain, was brought to your home theatre a few years ago. This single disc edition, with very few features, seemingly cried out for more. Now we have it in Battle of Britain: Collectors Edition, 2 discs of military goodness.
The film itself has spectacle. The planes used for this film helped create an air force equal to a medium sized country. No CGI here. The director is Guy Hamilton (b...st known for early James Bond films). Battle of Britain is one of those large all star cast war movies (think of A Bridge Too Far) that was made popular in the late 60's/early 70's. This movie is all Brits however (with a sprinLing of Germans). Michael Caine, Ralph Richardson, Robert Shaw, Laurence Olivier, and many others take part in the action. The film has a few flaws. There are some phony photography shots and the dramatic construction is a bit sloppy. There’s an attempt at a romantic sub-plot (featuring Christopher Plummer and Susannah York), and thankfully it’s not as damn annoying as the love plots in Pearl Harbor. But I quibble.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on October 23rd, 2005
Val Lewton produced 9 horror films for RKO back in the 1940’s. His films did not rely on terrible monsters or horrific images. Lewton was a master at atmosphere. Unfortunately these films have mostly been forgotten over the years, The Cat People being perhaps the most recognizable title in the collection. Sadly, this might be more for the lackluster remake in the 1980’s. Truth be told, these films are not really horror films in the usual sense of the genre. In most cases the evil is the product of an all too human hand rather than anything supernatural or fantastic. Not surprisingly Boris Karloff stars in the three best of the films including The Body Snatcher, one of the best horror films ever made. Please don’t confuse the title with the Invasion of the Body Snatchers.
Lewton’s films were all about mood and ambience. Violence more often than not occurs off-screen and portrayed as shadows, allowing the audience to imagine frights far more fantastic than could be placed before our eyes. Lewton’s productions were budget affairs but had comparable quality to the higher cost features that the big studios, most notably Universal, were creating at the time. This collection brings together all 9 films on 5 DVD’s…
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on October 20th, 2005
Synopsis
Two playwrights argue over whether life is inherently tragic or comic. To illustrate their point, they each tell the tale of Melinda (Radha Mitchell) who unexpectedly bursts in on a dinner party, creating all kinds of romantic complications. The film then alternates between the two stories. The set-up could hardly be more utterly Woody Allen, simultaneously pretentious and shallow. One story is comic (with Will Ferrell taking Allen’s usual role), the other is tragic, but you’d be hard-presse... to tell the difference. All the characters spout the same kind of incredibly stilted and self-conscious dialogue, which is neither funny nor revealing. The result is a halfway interesting idea with a talented cast outgunned by their God-playing director. Based on the evidence at hand, it turns out that life is, in fact, inherently boring.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on October 17th, 2005
Synopsis
A merchant ship is sunk by a U-boat, but the submarine is itself destroyed by the ship’s shells. All of this happens prior to the credits. The survivors of the ship wind up in a damaged lifeboat, and they pick up a survivor of the U-boat. Is he a mere crewman, or the captain himself? What ensues is a tense drama of conflicting personalities, ranging from the plotting German to the hard-headed newswoman unforgettably incarnated by Tallulah Bankhead. Despite the claustrophobic setting, the fil... never feels constricted. The script may be overly didactic at times, but the results are never less than compelling and suspenseful.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on October 16th, 2005
This release is identical in every respect but one (the colourization) to the previous Studio Classics edition, and so what follow below is the same review, with an additional note about colour.
Synopsis
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on October 12th, 2005
Synopsis
Donald Pleasence (doing a bad Peter Lorre impression) is a university professor convinced that he can create plant/human hybrids that have the benefits of both species. He acquires unwilling human subjects thanks to erstwhile Doctor Who Tom Baker, here the deformed leader of a freak circus, who kidnaps young men and women, having been promised a cure for his condition.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on October 6th, 2005
Synopsis
A trio of low-lifes led by Tiffany Bolling kidnap innocent young Candy (Susan Sennet). They bury in the hillside, and the only witness is mute, autistic little boy. They inform Candy’s father that he must deliver a load of diamonds from the shop he runs, or Candy dies. Their plan appears foolproof. But then the father doesn’t show up. Confusion and dissension in the ranks breaks out, and the plot moves inexorably towards a terrible ending.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on October 5th, 2005
Not to be confused with the current film of the same name, Taxi was one of the funniest shows in television history. There simply hasn’t been a sitcom to feature so many cast members who would go on to bigger but perhaps not better things. Christopher Lloyd’s Reverend Jim has to be one of the best characters television has known. In its third year Jim would finally be around for an entire season. The show simply swept the Emmys in its third year with statues going to Judd Hirsch, Danny DeVito, and Christopher Lloyd (oddly enough, for a script he penned for the series). This is the year Andy Kaufman delivered Vic Ferrari to the show’s mythology. Taxi was hitting its stride on all fronts in season three. This is the show at its peak.
Synopsis
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on September 28th, 2005
Synopsis
It’s the Brady Bunch. What, exactly, by way of synopsis are you hoping for? At any rate, among the notable episodes is one with guest star Davy Jones of the Monkees. Plus, there’s the epic start to the season: a three-parter that has the family hitting the road with a tent trailer and running into misadventures on the way to the Grand Canyon (such as encountering a hostile prospector or Cindy and Bobby getting lost). The other ongoing thread is Jan’s inferiority complex with regards to Marci..., and her attempts to crawl out from her sister’s shadow. The show is what it is. Nostalgia for Gen X viewers, I suppose, though it does have value as something of a pop culture icon. In purely objective terms, this is television at its most innocuous and disposable.
