Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on February 3rd, 2006
Harry Belafonte stars as an ambitious young politician, who refuses to fear the white majority that holds a foothold over his island home, in Island in the Sun. Along the way, he strikes up a romance with Joan Fontaine. Incidentally, we are supposed to believe Ms. Fontaine’s character is younger than Belafonte’s, despite the fact that she looks ten years older. Dorothy Dandridge also stars as a pharmacy clerk, who falls in love with the white aide to the island’s governor. If this seems like it’s all over the ...lace, that’s because it is. While the film was ahead of its time in factors such as race relations (with the two interracial romances above to speak of), it took a huge leap back when it came to the old standbys of narrative logic and a well-developed plot. But while I clearly did not enjoy this film, I will admit it has its values when viewed in the proper context.
The role of Island in the Sun as a classic is largely dependent on its subject matter and the time period in which it was released. A drama tackling interracial love in 1957 was hardly something that would go unnoticed, or be easily forgotten. However, when dissected by today’s audiences, the film proves to be pretty lightweight. For one, affection between interracial couples was limited to only the occasional embrace. In no way could the couples share an on-screen kiss, even if it were simply a peck on the cheek. Secondly, the story wanders about with no real plot to speak of. It’s as if the filmmakers had some ideas of what they wanted and forged ahead without the security of a well-constructed script – truly disappointing for a motion picture considered so groundbreaking. You can tell this film had Oscar aspirations. It simply didn’t realize how important a story was to achieve such lofty goals. Of course, today such omissions would not disqualify it, so long as it had an Academy-friendly agenda to support. However, there were higher standards in those days, and producer Darryl Zanuck relied on his message – and an admittedly incredible cast – to do all the work for him. The results are mediocre at best.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on January 18th, 2006
Disney continues to pull its disappearing acts on DVD with their limited time offers, this time using the new Toy Story 2 2-disc release as the proverbial carrot in front of the mule. While such marketing tactics may be a little annoying to those of us that don’t like to be told when we can or can’t see a movie, there should be no greater incentive to pick this up if you haven’t yet claimed a copy of the film. Toy Story 2 cemented Pixar’s name in quality animation and continued to prove the little studi... that could, could continue to knock one after the other out of the park.
In this outing, Woody’s the one in trouble. A yard-sale robbery has placed him in the hands of the villainous Al from Al’s Toy Barn. Al (voiced by Seinfeld’s Wayne Knight) needs Woody to complete his Woody’s Round-Up collection, and now that he has him, he plans on selling the entire display to a Japanese toy museum. That’s when all the lovable toys from Andy’s toy box come together for one of the greatest rescue missions in Disney animation history. Highlighted by moments of spot-on satire, kid-friendly humor, heart-felt poignancy (as in the teary-eyed memories of Jessie, the Yodeling Cowgirl), and an unforgettable airport finale (with its own share of twists, turns, and thrills), Toy Story 2 equals its predecessor and takes Pixar to the next level of superior entertainment.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on December 30th, 2005
Synopsis
David Carradine headlines yet another Roger Corman-produced action comedy. Here he’s the good seller of moonshine, up against the bad seller of same, who also happens to be the fater of Carradine’s girlfriend (Kate Jackson). Daddy is in bed with the mob, and is cheerfully selling rotgut on the streets (some of which as been fermenting in a tank with a car battery – blechhh). A battle for supremacy ensues, complete with many boat and car chases and plenty of fisticuffs.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on December 29th, 2005
Director Brian Henson continues a family tradition with father Jim’s creations, The Muppets. He also carries on another tradition, this time in the form of the long-told tale “A Christmas Carol” by legendary author Charles Dickens. The combination goes so well together I can hardly understand why it wasn’t done sooner, as in by Jim himself before his untimely death. Michael Caine does an extraordinary job, as usual, in the role of Ebenezer Scrooge, a hopeless miser, who receives visits from three very different ghost... in a last ditch chance at redemption. It doesn’t matter how many times the story is told, or in how many ways – it never seems to lose its power, and The Muppets’ retelling in their own unique way only serves to enhance the tale.
There is something missing without Jim Henson as the voice of Kermit the Frog, but his replacement does a comparable job, and we still get Frank Oz in his usual roles of Miss Piggy and Animal. The result is something any Muppets’ fan will be proud to place on the shelf alongside the other children’s classics for which this troupe is responsible.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on December 26th, 2005
Synopsis
There was a period in Francis Ford Coppola’s (The Godfather, Apocalypse Now) life where he went through a bit of a phase, where he was making films based on relatively obscure material. And he went through another smaller phase in the early ‘80s where he was making films from source material of author S.E. Hinton (The Outsiders). And Rumble Fish was one of those.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on December 17th, 2005
Pickpocket is precisely the kind of film that could never have been made in Hollywood in the 50's. The Hays Code was a set of morality guidelines that dictated what was and was not acceptable to be shown in motion pictures. Amongst many other things, the code would not allow a criminal to be depicted on screen in such a way as to induce sympathy from the audience. It also said that criminals must always be punished for their actions. (For a complete copy of the code, visit http://www.artsreformation.com/a...01/hays-code.html.)
Luckily, the Hays Code only applied to films made in the US, giving foreign filmmakers certain freedoms that were not awarded to those in here the states. Robert Bresson made the most of his freedoms with Pickpocket, a film that, as one might deduce, tells the story of one such nimble-fingered miscreant, and his evolution into the business. His first attempts are quite clumsy, but with time, practice, and the help of a tutor, he soon becomes quite handy. Of course, nobody can break the rules of law forever, and consequences almost inevitably follow a crime.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on December 14th, 2005
The spoof film means something different to audiences today than it did in the early 80's. Anything, if done enough times over, starts to become stale. For instance, the first Scary Movie, while having a couple of really lame scenes, was actually pretty funny overall. With each sequel, however, came diminished returns. At this point, I wouldn't be surprised to see a film that spoofs spoof films (though I'm not sure how one would do that).
Airplane!, however, was the first of the genre. Not onl... that, but the argument could also be made that it is the best. This film, from the people responsible for the hilarious Kentucky Fried Movie, was a send-up of the popular airplane disaster films of the 60's and 70's. At the time, nobody really knew how to do a film like this, or even how to describe it. In fact, it was pitched to the studio as "Animal House on an airplane", which of course it was not. However, the studio bought in to the idea, and a comedy classic was born.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on December 4th, 2005
Old Yeller is a hard film to take if you're a child. I thought the same would be true as an adult, so needless to say, revisiting this family classic for the first time through an adult's eyes promised to be a harrowing experience. In fact, for the longest time, I hated Old Yeller and berrated its merits as a film. I realize now after years of maturity and a second visit to the Coates family ranch my belittling of this film masterpiece was a defense mechanism to build up my own sense of machismo. The re...lity is Old Yeller is a darling film with a message, and a powerful one at that. But not one of those same old tired political messages too many films try to infuse in their narratives these days. No, rather than trying to push a specific viewpoint, Old Yeller brings something valuable to the table and teaches us all how to love and cope instead of how to think.
I'm sure there aren't many who haven't themselves been out to the ranch a time or two to visit Katie, Jim, Travis, Arliss, and the Old Yeller dog, but for safety's sake, I will avoid giving away the powerful ending, or any other significant spoilers. The plot centers around the hate-to-love relationship between teenage Travis Coates (played well by Tommy Kirk) and an enormous, lovable stray dog christened Old Yeller. It's against Travis's will the dog comes into his life, but in the end, the dog will find no greater friend than this young man quickly budding into maturity. For about three months, Travis is left as man of the house, while his father heads away on business, and in this critical three-month period, Travis learns what it means to sacrifice of himself for others. Perhaps most critical of all, he discovers one of the most difficult lessons there is with love. No matter what happens, we know by the end of Old Yeller Travis Coates will be just fine... and that the world will be a better place because of him. Travis is truly an inspiring character, but we also learn what Travis becomes could never be possible without the Old Yeller dog.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on December 1st, 2005
Synopsis
Peter Sellers turns in a performance that opens at high do and never looks back as a lunatic psychiatrist. He is treating Peter O’Toole, a man who wants to be faithful to his girlfriend (Romy Schneider) but cannot say no to the innumerable women who throw themselves at him. Into the mix comes Woody Allen, who, unsurprisingly, plays a sexual loser.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on November 30th, 2005
Synopsis
After the death of a popular commander, the stern and inflexible Richard Widmark steps in to take charge of a group of a Navy underwater demolition team. His command gets off to a rocky start, as he is seen as heartless and unwilling to take risks himself. But he eventually proves himself to his men (and old hand Dana Andrews), just in time for a particularly dangerous mission.
