Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on May 23rd, 2005
As is the trend for today, this is the Special Edition re-release of The Day After Tomorrow tagged as the All-Access Collector's Edition. As much of this set is the same as the original release, pieces of this review will be taken from our prior review of The Day After Tomorrow.
Storms both freakish and intense devastate the planet. Climatologist Dennis Quaid realizes that the world is on the brink of a sudden new ice age. As a freezing hurricane descends upon the US, Quaid must struggle through the snow and killing cold to reach a crippled New York City, where his son (Jake Gyllenhaal) is huddled with other survivors in the Public Library.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on May 22nd, 2005
Assault on Precinct 13 is a remake of the 1976 John Carpenter classic (which is remake of the Howards Hawks western Rio Bravo). The plot scenario is something we've all seen before. Our heroes are holed up in an indoor arena (in this case, a precinct), trying to keep the outside forces at bay. In this case, the hero is Jake Roenick (played by Ethan Hawke). On New Year's Eve, and with the closing of the precinct looming, crimelord Bishop (played by Laurence Fishburne)is dumped off at the office. A s...owstorm has forced the criminals here. Meanwhile, Bishop's men try to bust him out, hence the assault. As we all know, hell will break loose.
Assault sports an excellent cast. The always engaging Mario Bello plays a psychiatrist caught up in the seige. Soprano's star Drea De Matteo is along for the ride as a sexy secretary, crusty Brian Dennehy is crusty Brian Dennehy, and Ja Rule and John Leguizamo round out the other baddie detainees. The success of the film, however, can mostly be attributed to the slick and taut direction of Frenchman Jean-Francoise Rinet. The film moves along at a stylish pace. Despite lacking in the Carpenter moral ambiguity, and the synth score, this Assault on Precinct 13 is a solid, modern action movie for the 21st century.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on May 21st, 2005
Kinsey, starring Liam Neeson, is a film that seems more relevant today. Albert Kinsey, known to his students as Prok, had to fight societal conservatism to get his work published and recognized. The movie is part biography/part sociological study. The director/writer Bill Condon traces Kinsey’s life from early childhood to older age. The flaws of the film are a matter of narrative clarity: in two hours, Condon tries to pack too much in. However, Kinsey sports a strong cast, which makes the two hou...s fly by. This is one of best films of 2004.
Liam Neeson is perfectly cast as the complex “Prok”. Neeson seems so natural in these “important roles” (think Oscar Schindler). He has the detachment of a scientist, but we know the heart is raging underneath. He is seduced by a male colleague (played by the stellar Peter Sarrsgard), and the scene is electric. There is also a scene later in the film where Kinsey feels the guilt for opening up this “Pandora’s Box”. Neeson has a breakdown that is perfectly believable. Laura Linney (in her Oscar Nominated role) is equally as watchable as Kinsey’s wife “Mac”. Linney captures the complexities of this character as well; she’s torn between unconventional morality and her love for “Prok”. In the film’s final touching scene, Prok and Mac emerge as a couple that really does need each other. There is a depth and subtlety to their relationship that words cannot express. Kudos to Condon for bringing such a modern, mature relationship to the screen. Rounding out the cast is Peter Sarrsgard, Timothy Hutton, and an excellent John Lithgow (as Kinsey’s father). In a nice bit of type casting, Lithgow plays a conservative preacher (Footlose anyone?), but his final scene with Kinsey is a heartbreaker; one is reminded that Mr. Lithgow needs to leave the 3rd Rock more often.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on May 10th, 2005
Synopsis
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on April 24th, 2005
Elektra was pretty much a failure at the box office, bringing in just over half of its production cost. Add to this the raised expectations of comic characters in the movies and it’s a safe bet Elektra won’t return anytime soon. Although this was not a great film by any standards, it’s a shame it tanked so badly. I missed the film in its theatrical run, and I was actually expecting a far worse film.
Garner is quite good in the role; I thought she brought a ton of emotion to a difficult character. The biggest problem here is the script. Perhaps it was too ambitious, but it was just riddled with holes. The few provided flashbacks don’t serve to bring us from the Daredevil character to where she is now. At times it seems this story would have served better rewritten as an origin story, possibly a prequel to the Daredevil outing. The supporting cast, with the exception of Terrance Stamp, was very bland. The only other notable surprise here was Kristen Prout as the young Abby. The cinematography was wonderful and the locations were breathtaking. This could have been a much better film. Still, it’s worth a view.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on April 14th, 2005
Star Trek: First Contact is light-years ahead of any other Next Generation film. There is virtually every characteristic that makes good Star Trek present here. James Cromwell as Cochrane provides the best comedy relief on Star Trek since the tribbles. The Borg infiltration reminds us of the first Alien film with its shadows and cramped airshaft scenes. The action is ramped up several notches from previous films. The basic crew seems to have found its feature legs and is more comfortable as a unit.
Purists will find some fault with the continuity errors the film brings to the Trek Universe, but after four years of Enterprise, these errors are quite minor. Jonathan Frakes is not, in my opinion, one of the brightest actors in Trek’s world, but here he does show he has the chops to be a first class director. Like Nimoy before him, it took one of the show’s main actors to breathe emotion into the franchise. The atmosphere in the cinematography is the best of any Trek before or since. This is probably technically the finest Trek film.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on April 13th, 2005
Synopsis
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on April 6th, 2005
What kid growing up in the 60’s and 70’s wasn’t totally and completely captivated by the moon landings? We were equally on the edge of our seats when, for a brief moment in time, it appeared we were going to lose our first men in space. Seldom can a film be successful when the audience has most of the story’s details burned into the core of their memory. After all, we know how this one comes out. Still, the film manages to create the intense tension and anticipation as if we were experiencing it all for the first time. The cast is quite crucial for such a monstrous task. Tom Hanks has arguably never been better. The understated style of Gary Sinise is exactly what the film requires when the suspense mounts. It’s particularly gratifying to have Ed Harris along for the ride, quite possibly an homage to his unforgettable John Glenn in The Right Stuff. Ron Howard should be congratulated on producing a piece of cinematic magic that will likely stand the test of time.
Synopsis
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on April 4th, 2005
The Woodsman is not a story for the faint of heart. The content is disturbing to say the least… it is a story of a convicted pedophile that has a “thing” for young girls. The story is actually much more then that… it has a strong focus on the inner demons that the pedophile faces in attempt to clean up his life.
After being released from a 12-year prison sentence, Walter Rossworth (Kevin Bacon) tries to re-enter society by getting a job at a lumberyard, and moving into his own apartment (coincident...lly across the street from an elementary school). He meets a woman (played by Bacon’s real-life wife Kyra Sedgwick), and his life starts to show some promise – a new relationship, a decent job, and a new chance at life.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on March 28th, 2005
The Monterey Pop Festival has been mostly ignored by a lot of people, compared to the two other two large concerts that occurred after it, Woodstock, and Altamont. Those who do remember Monterey always mention the one incident it is most known for, Jimi Hendrix’ appearance on the U.S. stage. Jimi had been tearing it up in England, and he ended by setting his guitar on fire, which turned out to be a defining moment in music history. Criterion brings this event and others back to life in a comprehensive 3 disc set which is designed not only to showcase Jimi’s set during the show, but also breathes new life into the festival in general. Artists who appeared were The Who, Simon and Garfunkel, Otis Redding and Janis Joplin, to name a few.
The festival was shot over 3 days, and the DVD set is broken up into 3 parts: the film of the festival on disc 1, the performances of Jimi Hendrix and Otis Redding take up disc 2, and almost 2 hours of outtake performances comprise disc 3. Disc 1 is the film of the festival. The usual components of a music concert documentary are here, including footage of crowds and artists flocking to the show, and some behind the scenes logistics, but that footage is quick, and it runs for about 10 minutes before the performances start. The performances are edited together fairly abruptly with almost no fanfare in between songs. The film is only 79 minutes, so I can‘t understand the need to get everything crammed in here as much as possible, but that helps to make the second and third discs a relief to see.
