collectorz.com.jpg

Dolby Digital Mono (French)

Looney Tunes Golden Collection

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on November 11th, 2003

Buy at Amazon.com

Everybody has their favorite Looney Tunes character and particular cartoon shorts. That’s the largest obstacle facing Warner Brothers in this ambitious project to restore and release these shorts on DVD. The first collection features 56 all time great shorts plus a ton of extras. If your favorites were not included, take heart. This is only the first of many promised releases. All in all it would take a Dickens’ Scrooge not to find something to love about this collection. It doesn’t matter if you’re 5 or 105, these cartoons have been a vital part of growing up for all of us.

Diabolique

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on October 26th, 2003

Buy at Amazon.com

Revenge is the theme of what many people consider H.G. Clouzot’s finest film, the 1955 thriller “Diabolique”. This is the story of two women who want to kill the same man. One is his kind and gentle wife, and the other is his attractive but hard-hearted mistress. The two work together to end his life, devising a plan that comes to fruition surprisingly early in the film. What initially appears to be a film about the plotting of a murder turns into a film about something else… something more sinister and unexpected. A…
Read More

Warner Legends Collection

Posted in Disc Reviews by David Annandale on October 21st, 2003

Buy at Amazon.com

Synopsis

The titles and the stars speak for themselves: Errol Flynn, Basil Rathbone and Olivia deHavilland in The Adventures of Robin Hood; James Cagney in Yankee DoodleDandy; Humphrey Bogart in The Treasure of the Sierra Madre. Of the three,Yankee Doodle Dandy, a musical biopic of singer/dancer/songwriter George M. Cohan,is the one that has been treated the least kindly by the years. Its front and centre flag-waving canbe a bit much, though Cagney’s trem…
Read More

Almost Perfect Affair, An

Posted in Disc Reviews by David Annandale on September 20th, 2003

Buy at Amazon.com

Synopsis

Keith Carradine plays an independent director who has come to Cannes, hoping to sell hismovie (to which he has devoted two years of his life). French Customs seizes the film and won’tlet him bring it into the country. He is helped out by Monica Vitti, wife of a powerful Italianproducer. Before long Carradine and Vitti are in each other’s arms. While we are constantlyaware of Vitti’s guilt and worry about cheating on her husband, all references to Carradine’sgirlfriend back …
Read More

Omega Man, The

Posted in Disc Reviews by David Annandale on August 28th, 2003

Buy at Amazon.com

Synopsis

Charlton Heston drives around deserted Los Angeles. In the wake of a biological war, he isthe only human survivor of the plague. But he is not alone. At night, psychotic albino zombiescome out to kill him. After two years of war with the zombies (led by TV anchor turned madpreacher Anthony Zerbe), Heston discovers other human survivors. The race is on to see if hisblood can supply an antidote before these last people also perish of the plague. The first half ofthe fi…
Read More

Casablanca

Posted in Disc Reviews by David Annandale on August 26th, 2003

Buy at Amazon.com

ï»¿

Synopsis

Surely you know the story. It’s WWII. France has fallen. Refugees from Europe are flowing into Casablanca. Humphrey Bogart is the cynical owner of Rick’s Cafe. His life is disrupted byt he reappearance of former lover Ingrid Bergman, who is married to Resistance leader PaulÂ Henreid. They need to escape to the US. Which way will Bogart go? Will he obey the demands of his heart? His greed? His honour? The film hasn’t aged a day since its release, its grip is as powerful as …
Read More

National Lampoon’s Vacation

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on August 26th, 2003

Buy at Amazon.com

It’s hard to imagine that it’s been 20 years since the Griswald family packed up the Family Truckster and stumbled their way halfway across the country to Wally World.Truth be told, I am not much of a Chevy Chase fan. I often find his buffoon act trying and old, but the Vacation films are a notable exception. With today’s political correctness it’s doubtful that the family dog would meet such a horribly funny end (Before you write to tell me how cruel I am, I own a Siberian husky who is loved no matter how much trouble she gets into).
Read More

Nuts

Posted in Disc Reviews by David Annandale on August 12th, 2003

Buy at Amazon.com

Synopsis

Claudia Draper (Barbra Streisand) has been charged with first-degree manslaughter. Hermother and stepfather try to have her declared incompetent to stand trial, so she will go to apsychiatric hospital rather than jail. Claudia refuses to be railroaded, punching out her lawyer incourt. Public defender Richard Dreyfuss winds up saddled with her case, and decides to fight forStreisand’s right to have her day in court. The role of Claudia is big, scenery-chewing exercisefor Str…
Read More

Main Event, The

Posted in Disc Reviews by David Annandale on August 12th, 2003

Buy at Amazon.com

Synopsis

Barbra Streisand is a perfume tycoon who, due to the dishonesty of an employee, suddenlyfinds herself broke. Her only remaining asset is a contract with a washed-up boxer (RyanO’Neal). Streisand decides to turn her fortunes around by managing O’Neal. The pair take aninstant dislike to each other, and squabble all their way into romance. The Main Eventmimics the rapid-fire delivery of the classic screwball comedies, but the effect is not so muchfunny as shrill and tir…
Read More

Paper Moon

Posted in Disc Reviews by David Annandale on August 6th, 2003

Buy at Amazon.com

Synopsis

The Great Depression. Ryan O’Neal is an itinerant con man, selling bibles to newly widowedwomen. Unexpectedly, he winds up saddled with Tatum O’Neal, a sharp, cynical child who mayor may not be his daughter — she certainly shares his gift for the fast move. The two engaged ina picaresque journey, which pulls of the neat trick of being funny but not wacky, moving but notsentimental. The last film of Bogdanovich’s golden period (following Targets, TheLast Picture S…
Read More

Wait Until Dark

Posted in Disc Reviews by David Annandale on August 5th, 2003

Buy at Amazon.com

Synopsis

Audrey Hepburn is recently blind, and still adjusting to her new condition. Unfortunatelyfor her, three criminals are convinced that a load of heroin has been stashed in her apartment,and they want it. Most sinister of the trio is Alan Arkin, playing a complete psychopath. Thetension builds until Hepburn must defend herself against a madman in her darkened apartment.Perfect sweaty-palms material, with a very famous jolt (and believe me, you’ll know it when yousee it).

House of Wax / Mystery of the Wax Museum

Posted in Disc Reviews by David Annandale on August 5th, 2003

Buy at Amazon.com

Synopsis

The plot of both films is identical: a meticulous sculptor of wax figures has his life and workdestroyed in a fire set by an unscrupulous business partner. Years later, now confined to awheelchair and deprived the use of his hands, the sculptor is back in business. This time, thewaxworks are made by murdering people and dipping their bodies in wax. Lionel Atwill playsthe sculptor in 1933’s Mystery of the Wax Museum, while Vincent Price takes over in1953. Both films w…
Read More

Sure Thing, The

Posted in Disc Reviews by David Annandale on August 2nd, 2003

Buy at Amazon.com

Synopsis

An early Rob Reiner film, The Sure Thing features a young John Cusack as a collegefreshman. Tired of having no luck with the ladies at his East Coast college, Cusack is lured onwest by the promise of hooking up with the titular sure thing (Nicolette Sheridan). Hiscomplicated road trip is further complicated by his having to share the journey with DaphneZuniga, a classmate who wants nothing to do with him. You can probably guess where this isgoing to go, but it gets t…
Read More

Haunting, The

Posted in Disc Reviews by David Annandale on August 2nd, 2003

Buy at Amazon.com

Synopsis

Dr. Markway (Richard Johnson) is searching for evidence of the supernatural. Heinvestigates Hill House, and his team consists of the urbane Theo (Claire Bloom), smart-aleckLuke (Russ Tamblyn) and neurotic Eleanor (Julie Harris). Little by little, the sinister house wearsthe characters down, but particularly targets the vulnerable Eleanor, pushing her closer and closerto the edge. Unlike the dreadful (though entertaining) 1999 remake, Robert Wise’s 1963 versionhews faithfull…
Read More

Valley Girl

Posted in Disc Reviews by David Annandale on July 31st, 2003

Buy at Amazon.com

Synopsis

Welcome to the world of Julie (Deborah Foreman) and Randy (Nicolas Cage). Randy is apunk, and Julie is the eponymous Valley Girl, she of the instantly recognizable slang (“totally,”“grody,” “gag me,” etc.). Theirs is a light-hearted Romeo and Juliet story, as they fall in lovedespite the disapproval of peers. Don’t be expecting the outrageousness and excess of somethinglike American Pie. Rather, this is a sharply observed comedy, driven more by characterthan by slaps…
Read More

Chaplin Collection Volume 1, The

Posted in Disc Reviews by David Annandale on July 30th, 2003

Buy at Amazon.com

Synopsis

Chaplin’s career was a long one, and the four films here cover a good span. Chaplin is bestknown for his silent work, and that is represented by Modern Times and The GoldRush. Though the former is also technically his first talkie, it is still primarily silent. Thelatter comes in two versions: the original 1925 release, and the 1942 re-issue, which featured afew new scenes, and the intertitles replaced by Chaplin’s narration (though the film remainsbasically a…
Read More

NYPD Blue – Season 2

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on July 23rd, 2003

Buy at Amazon.com

The second season of the gritty cop show turned out to be an important test: could the seriessurvive the departure of important cast members? In particular, could it survive the departureof David Caruso? As it turned out, it survived without him much better than he without it. This season includes such turning points as the trial of Amy Brennerman and attendant consequences(i.e. bye-bye Caruso), the wedding of Dennis Franz, and the arrival (and his gradual acceptance of) his new partner (hello Jimmy Smits).

Inn of the Sixth Happiness, The

Posted in Disc Reviews by David Annandale on July 12th, 2003

Buy at Amazon.com

Synopsis

Based on the life of Gladys Aylward, The Inn of the Sixth Happiness features IngridBergman as Aylward (granted, Bergman’s accent makes her an unlikely Englishwoman, but shealso played a cockney wench in Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde, so what the hell). Desperate to be amissionary, but turned down by the society she approaches, Bergman makes her own way toChina, where her extreme goodness soon wins over everyone in sight. At the climax, during theJapanese invasion of China, she must…
Read More

All That Jazz

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on July 9th, 2003

Buy at Amazon.com

It’s showtime!

Dead for nearly two decades now, choreographer/director Bob Fosse (Cabaret, Lenny, All That Jazz) created this sardonic semi-autobiographical tale that takes a long, hard look at his compulsive and neurotic life that was rife with women, sex and smokes, as well as some rather serious alcohol and drug abuse.

In All That Jazz, Fosse is embodied in Joe Gideon (Roy Scheider), a Broadway choreographer who can’t face the day without his usual regiment …
Read More

Down By Law

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on July 2nd, 2003

Buy at Amazon.com

Film

Jack, a pimp, ends up in prison when a competing pimp frames him for child prostitution. Zack, a down-on-his luck deejay, is there because an associate paid him a thousand dollars to drive a car across town, unaware of the contents of the trunk. In the same cell, they bemoan their situation: each man innocent of their crimes, but vaguely guilty of something, we’re never sure what. When a third man shows up, an Italian tourist named “Bob,” he seems to brighten the dour men as much as can …
Read More

Houseboat

Posted in Disc Reviews by David Annandale on June 30th, 2003

Buy at Amazon.com

After the death of his estranged wife, Cary Grant swoops back into his children’s lives,determined to be a proper father. He’s a bit rusty, and his kids aren’t exactly ecstatic about living with him. In over his head, he searches for a maid, and into their lives comes Sophia Loren, who is actually the daughter of a famous Italian conductor. They wind up living on a rickety houseboat, and romantic heat is gradually generated between Grant and Loren while Loren brings father and kids closer together.
Read More

Desperate Hours, The

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on June 26th, 2003

Buy at Amazon.com

Synopsis

Humphrey Bogart leads a trio of cons who have violently broken out of prison. On the run,they randomly select a suburban house in which to hole up and take hostages. This happens to bethe home of Fredric March, and a tense battle of wits and wills ensue. March’s dilemma issimple: if the police show up, Bogart will make sure his family dies. But if he doesn’t get help,what guarantee does he have that Bogart won’t kill them all anyway? Though film adaptations ofplays are ofte…
Read More

Giant

Posted in Disc Reviews by David Annandale on June 3rd, 2003

Buy at Amazon.com

Spanning a good thirty years, Giant tells the tale of the Benedicts, a Texas family on an immense cattle range. The patriarch is Rock Hudson, whom we first meet as a young man visiting Maryland to buy a horse. There he meets Elizabeth Taylor and falls in love. His new bride initially finds Texas difficult to adjust to, and Texas has difficulty adjusting to her, as she does not hold with the local attitudes towards women and, most especially, Mexicans. The third major player is James Dean, a rather sullen ranch hand who winds up changing everybody’s lives when he strikes oil on his small parcel of land.

Father of the Bride

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on May 30th, 2003

Buy at Amazon.com

Synopsis

Spencer Tracy’s home life with wife Joan Bennet and daughter Elizabeth Taylor is disruptedwhen the latter falls in love and plans to get married. After Tracy gets over his initial suspicionsabout his prospective son-in-law, his hopes for a small, intimate, inexpensive wedding collapsethe as the event, gathering a life of its own, grows more and more monstrous in size. Enough tomake the fathers of any bride break into a cold sweat, this is good fun (though Taylor’s simpering…
Read More

Paper Chase, The

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on May 25th, 2003

Buy at Amazon.com

Synopsis

Timothy Bottoms plays Hart, a first-year law student at Harvard. His existence centresaround a class taught by Kingsfield (John Houseman), a brilliant but utterly ruthless professorwho consistently humiliates his students, yet somehow acquires their unswerving loyalty. Hartalso begins an affair with a Susan (Lindsay Wagner), who turns out to be Kingsfield’s daughter.Though the film is never less than compelling, it does lack a centre. The characters are almostall cyphers or…
Read More

«< 5 6 7 8 9 >