Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on December 21st, 2002
Al Pacino started his career with The Godfather, but Serpico went a long way to introducing filmgoers to the raw talent he still possesses. Based on the true story of an officer’s lone fight against corruption in the New York City PD, Serpico is gritty and almost documentary-like in style. Sydney Lumet’s stylized direction would create a template that countless future cop films continue to emulate. A credit to Lumet’s ability to spot talent rests in the fact that this was considered largely a cast of unknowns.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on October 23rd, 2002
Synopsis
John Wayne plays an American returning to his Irish roots in the town of Innisfree. He fallsin love with the fiery Maureen O’Hara, but the path to true love does not run smoothly. This isbecause O’Hara’s brother is the bully Victor McLaglen. Wayne refuses to fight back, though,because of accidentally killing a boxing opponent in the past. Sooner or later, though... A changeof pace, this, for Wayne: essentially a romantic comedy (loaded with Irish stereotypes) ratherthan a w...
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on October 22nd, 2002
Synopsis
Wayne is veteran Lt. Col. Yorke, bedevilled by the fact that the Apaches attack and thenretreat across the Rio Grande, while the cavalry can’t pursue into Mexico. Further complicatinghis life are the arrival in camp of his young son as a fresh recruit, and his estranged wife(O’Hara) wanting to bring sonny home. This isn’t the greatest of Ford’s westerns, largely becauseof its meandering plot. But it does have those great Monument Valley vistas, and it is goodfun.
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Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on October 21st, 2002
Synopsis
The story unfolds in something close to real time. Gary Cooper is on the point of retiring asMarshal of a small town. He is also about to leave, accompanied by new wife (and pacifist)Grace Kelly. But then a villain from his past returns with vengeance in mind. Cooper turns to thetownspeople for help, but nobody wants to know. Released during the McCarthy witch hunts, thefilm invites (and rewards) political analysis. But it is also a damn fine suspense film.
Audio...
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on June 8th, 2002
One … two… Freddy’s coming for you, three… four… better lock the door, five… six… grab your crucifix, seven… eight discs is what you’ll get in this colossal horror collection. Freddy is one of the more memorable monsters from the slasher era that also brought us the Halloween and Jason films. Freddy might have been born in the mind of Wes Craven, but he grew and developed in the knife-wielding hands of Robert Englund. Granted, not all of these films are equal in quality... The first and third are the best story-wise, while the last might be the most unpredictable and original.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on June 1st, 2002
It’s hard to imagine, but in the 1930’s sequels were almost unheard of. If a work was considered to be a franchise, it was released in serial form before the main features. By today’s standards, Bride of Frankenstein would be no surprise. James Whale was reluctant to continue the Frankenstein saga as was the Monster himself, Boris Karloff. Universal was relentless and the world is the benefactor of its greed. Bride of Frankenstein not only lives up to its original but in many ways surpasses it. The sets are far more grand and the story was Universal’s most compelling.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on June 1st, 2002
Haven’t we all fantasized about what it would be like to be invisible? Most of the common perks come to mind: spying, getting into movies and amusement parks free, even the baser peeping tom inclinations come to mind. James Whale would pair his Frankenstein masterpieces with this equally trend-setting film. The film is only loosely based on the popular H.G. Wells novel and is played more for chills. Claude Rains does such a wonderful role when you consider that for most of the film he is denied physical presence on the screen.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on May 23rd, 2002
“He’s gone for a little walk.” I’ve never forgotten the first time I saw the mad assistant describe the escape of the Mummy from his tomb and the maniacal laughter that accompanied it. Again it’s the combination of Boris Karloff and makeup genius Jack Pearce that defines a creature for generations to come. When most of us think of a mummy we recall the bandaged creeping terror of Karloff’s portrayal rather than the more mundane rotted corpses found in museums all over the world. With a powerful cast and grand set designs, The Mummy would wrap all of us up in horror for 60 years.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on May 21st, 2002
By 1954 it seemed that Universal had run out its string of classic horror icons. Frankenstein’s Monster, The Mummy, and the Wolfman were forever gone from the backlots of Universal Studios. Enter Bud Westmore with a brand new monster design and The Creature soon joined the unholy 3 as the new face of horror. The Creature or Gillman would be the first Universal monster to be a full body suit and played by 2 actors in the same film (Browning for water and Chapman for land). Jack Arnold would bring a newly charged atmosphere and revitalize a genre.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on May 20th, 2002
“Even a man who is pure at heart and says his prayers at night can become a wolf when the wolfbane blooms and the moon is full and bright.” Curt Siodmak penned that poem over 60 years ago as the centerpiece for a film that was to feature Boris Karloff. The film was to be called “Destiny” and provide Karloff with a less lumbering creature than his Frankenstein’s monster. The project was put on hold and would eventually re-emerge as “The Wolf Man”, this time starring the son of the man of a thousand faces, Lon Chaney, Jr. Chaney would later in life claim this as his favorite role because unlike the Monster or the Mummy it was “completely my own”.
