Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on June 3rd, 2009
“So he Lord God banished him from the Garden Of Eden to serve the ground from which he had been taken.”
I love playing video games. I have since I was in my early 20’s and the first home console systems were being launched. Today I play platform games on my PS3. One of the unfortunate trends to come to modern video games is the ability to provide longer and more elaborate cut scenes. If you’re not familiar with the term, a cut scene is that little cartoon bit inside of your game experience. They often introduce the game and also serve as break points between levels or significant achievements. The first cut scene I was ever aware of was the little interludes in the arcade game, Ms. Pac Man. They were short and gave your fingers a quick respite to work out the cramps and prepare for more action. But larger data storage has led to longer and more elaborate examples of the scenes. Now, most gamers are hitting buttons hoping to bypass the event and get back to kicking some butt. There’s nothing more frustrating than watching one go on and on and on while you wait for some action. It’s become about as entertaining as waiting for a disc to load up. Why am I telling you this? Because, that’s exactly what Eden Log feels like through its entire run. It’s nothing more than one long cut scene. And there’s no action for your fingers when it’s over except the satisfying sound of the disc ejecting after you’ve worked some magic on your remote control.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on December 12th, 2006
The Griswolds, a household name for a series of National Lampoon comedy�s beginning with Vacation and most recently Vegas Vacation. Few of us could say these iconic characters haven�t left an impression in our minds. I was happy when I heard that Christmas Vacation was going to be released on HD DVD, a true Christmas classic in high definition. With many memorable scenes associated with Christmas, is this classic worth the purchase in HD?
Clark Griswald (Chevy Chase) is a family man who always has a positive outlook on matters, as you may remember his optimism throughout the other collection of Vacation movies. He is joyous at the thought of putting up a large group of his family and in-laws for the holidays, and it all starts with the perfect tree. The opening of the movie tracks Clark, Ellen (Beverly D�Angelo), and kids (Juliette Lewis & Johhny Galecki) as they scour the countryside looking for a tree to take home. They end up uprooting the biggest tree in sight and driving home with it on the roof of their station wagon, and yes getting stuck under a semi-truck in the process. I�m sure you remember this scene, along with the numerous classic sequences spread throughout the movie.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on December 3rd, 2006
Excalibur tells the story of King Arthur, from his simple beginnings to his noble ends. War plagues Great Britain, and many countrymen relish at the thought of peace as everyone is making claim to the Kingship. It is told that who ever removes Excalibur from the stone will be declared King. This legend might sound familiar to you as The Sword in the Stone (Excalibur being the sword). It is a mythical sword, which has been said to have magical, and only a noble and worthy man can bear it. Every noble i... the land claims they are worthy enough to remove the sword from the stone but each who tries, fails. Arthur, who has yet to realize who he really is, accidentally removes the sword one day. Being so young, the nobles are divided on whether to follow him as King. Civil war wages on and Arthur quickly defeats and unites the remaining noble leader, forming the fellowship of the Round Table. From here we are taken on the adventures that span most of Arthur’s life, including the search for the Holy Grail.
Excalibur has hit a chord with many people and has its own cult following, unfortunately I could not be completely drawn in to this film. Excalibur has all the elements to make it an enjoyable movie but misses the mark from making it truly memorable. Some scenes seemed really out of place, and overall it failed to captivate my attention with drawn on dialogue and mediocre action scenes.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on November 15th, 2006
Yes I will admit that I probably was the only person who had never seen Casablanca. A movie so highly regarded by critics and fans alike, I don’t think it needs an introduction. With A List stars of its time, and seemingly endless amounts of quotable phrases it is quite a surprise I haven’t seen it yet.
Set during World War II in Casablanca (current day a city Morocco) the story’s main focus is the love affair of Rick (Humphrey Bogart) and Ilsa (Ingrid Bergman). They had met in France just before Nazi...occupation with a promise of running away together. Rick is let down upon receiving a note from Ilsa at the train station stating that she will not be joining him. Heartbroken life goes on for a now cynical and bitter Rick the owner of an upscale club in Casablanca. Until one-day fait would have it Ilsa enters the club with her husband Laszlo (Paul Henreid) a famous Czech resistance leader. Rick is furious with her and wants nothing to do with her, until later on when she tells him the story behind it all. Ilsa was under the assumption that her husband had been killed in action when she met and fell in love with Rick, when she soon found out he was alive she abandoned Rick. Whether Rick likes it on not, he believes what she has to say and wants to help her and Laszlo to get to America.