Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on June 22nd, 2003
Set in the Pakistani community in London, this coming-of-age story follows Omar (Saeed Jaffrey), a young man who gets his start in business through his not-entirely-scrupulous uncle.Omar has ambitions of transforming a grotty laundrette into a first-class establishment. To this end, he enlists the aid of an old friend (and soon-to-be-lover) (Daniel Day-Lewis), much to the displeasure of the latter’s skinhead friends. Family, racism, Thatcherism, sexism, homosexuality,organized crime and laundromats might sound like a lot to pack into 98 minutes, but this wry, sly comedy does so with grace and agility.
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Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on June 13th, 2003
After a disastrous voyage in which he loses his ship and all his crew, Richard Widmark journeys back from the Mediterranean to Norway (apparently swimming all the way). He say she has discovered the location of a giant bell made of solid gold (don’t ask how well something like that would ring), and along with his brother (Russ Tamblyn) steals the king’s funeral boat(along with his daughter). Off they go for many wild adventures. As you can probably guess, this is an exceedingly silly film, from its eccentric casting on down. But it is very entertaining, and doesn’t take itself seriously.
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Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on June 11th, 2003
Synopsis
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on June 11th, 2003
Melina Mercouri plays Illia, a character who makes prostitution seem like a carefree Utopia.She lives in a version of Greece where there only appear to be 5 women, and they are all ladies of the night. Into this extraordinarily male fantasy comes Jules Dassin, a deluded American idealist who wants to save Illia from herself. Naturally, he doesn’t have a hope, and Greek enthusiasm (think My Big Fat Greek Wedding on steroids) will inevitably overcome his anti-fun attitudes. Obviously, the picture has dated quite noticeably, and makes Pretty Woman look like a gritty expose. But the point of the film is cheerful good humour, and it is for this reason that it is beloved. I found the good cheer a little relentless, but that’s me being churlish.
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Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on June 6th, 2003
The topic for this documentary are the Shakers, more properly the “United Society of Believers in Christ’s Second Appearing.” The Shakers weren’t around that long: they were celibate, which meant no offspring. However, as the film explores, that didn’t stop them from having a profound impact on American life (they were, for instance, feminist and anti-slavery well ahead of the game).
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Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on June 6th, 2003
A history and a meditation on the American Congress, both at the institutional and at the architectural level -- there are many beautiful shots of the Capitol, and the building becomes as much a character as any of the politicians who strode the stage within its walls. A fascinating documentary, enlivened not only with Burns’ usual fine use of period paintings and photographs,but also with film clips from Mr. Smith Goes to Washington and Advise and Consent.
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Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on May 30th, 2003
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Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on May 30th, 2003
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Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on May 28th, 2003
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Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on May 25th, 2003
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