Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on March 15th, 2005
Hype! is a documentary of the "Seattle scene" of the early 90's. Grunge was king. I remember wearing flannel shirts and listening to the big three: Nirvana, Pearl Jam, and Soundgarden. But what about the other bands? Hype! also talks about the lesser-known bands, like the Supersuckers and The Gits. Hype! is an examination of what went on underneath the "hype" of the Seattle music scene. This isn't some VH1 doc. And it's not all about Kurt Cobain either. Hype! covers it all, and cre...tes a gritty portait of the music landscape at a time when grunge ruled the world.
Audio
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on March 8th, 2005
Synopsis
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on February 23rd, 2005
Synopsis
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on February 12th, 2005
Uma Thurman (Gattaca) plays the Bride, whose bloody and battered face we see at the beginning of the movie. She is pregnant, but is shot in the head and left for dead. She actually is comatose, and stays that way for four years, before waking up one night from a mosquito buzzing in her ear. The Bride’s name is inconsequential, as any mention of her name draws a loud beeping sound during the movie, and her rehabilitation is also fairly hard to believe also, as she “focuses” in order to use her legs again. Then ...gain, the main attribute driving the story is revenge.
The Bride was an assassin before her coma, part of the Deadly Viper Assassination Squad (DiVAS for short) headed by Bill, who we find out later is David Carradine (from Kung-Fu, a more appropriate (and maybe better?) choice than the initial one of Warren Beatty, considering Tarantino’s penchant for casting 70s acting icons. The Bride wants to kill Bill, along with everyone in with the Squad, Vernita Green (Vivica A. Fox, Juwanna Man), Elle Driver (Daryl Hannah, Splash), O-Ren Ishii (Lucy Liu, Charlie’s Angels) and Budd (Michael Madsen, Reservoir Dogs). She will do anything to accomplish her goals, even wiping out a group of fighters named the Crazy 88.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on February 12th, 2005
After the Quentin Tarantino ode to kung fu chophouse films in Kill Bill Volume 1, Volume 2 shows us the substance behind the style. You see why a Hattori Hanzo sword is as prestigious as it is, you see how and why Elle Driver (Daryl Hannah) lost her right eye, you even find out what the Bride’s (Uma Thurman) name is. But at the end of the day, this movie is about killing Bill, so you see Bill (David Carradine), in all his splendor and glory, and you see the relationship that the Bride and Bill share, both befo...e and after the massacre in the remote church.
OK, so for those geeks like me who have done the unadulterated Kill Bill film festival (using the uncut, gorier version of Volume 1 thank you very much), here’s my take on things:
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on February 10th, 2005
After hearing that Russell Crowe had decided to embark on a movie about an early 19th century sea captain whose character was written about in several books by an author I never heard about, there was a part of me that was intrigued. This feeling was elevated by the film receiving 10 Oscar nominations, second only to Return of the King. And perhaps in another year, Master and Commander would have won more awards than it did (just one), and perhaps may go down as one of the more underappreciated films i... recent memory.
Based on the novels by Patrick O’Brian, the film chronicles the travels of Jack Aubrey (Crowe), commander of the British ship H.M.S. Surprise, and his close friend and ship’s doctor Stephen Maturin (Crowe’s A Beautiful Mind co-star Paul Bettany). The ship’s orders are to locate and do battle with the French ship Acheron, in the hopes of preventing further British/French conflicts. The Surprise is the victim of an early attack by the Acheron, and is rendered almost dead at sea. However instead of going to port, Aubrey decides to keep the ship at sea in the hopes of keeping a close watch on the Acheron without losing her, and at the same time repairing his own vessel. The ships navigate rough seas, the waters of the Galapogos, and even wintery conditions in the hopes of capturing the Acheron. Complicating matters is Maturin’s accidental shooting by a member of the crew, and Aubrey is forced to deal with the possible loss of his friend, the only one he feels can speak freely to him and as honestly as possible.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on February 8th, 2005
Admittedly when I first saw The Fifth Element, I wasn't too impressed by it, though Chris Tucker (Friday) did provide some good comedic moments, and it was nice to see Ian Holm (Lord of the Rings) return to major films also. I mainly thought that Bruce Willis had gone a bit silly with this one with dyed blonde head hair, in yet another action movie.
Upon further inspection however, the movie contains a lot of the breathtaking action that has made Frenchman Luc Besson's films (Leon>) as unique as they are. Written by Besson, the movie focuses on the title character (object?), when connected with the other elements (fire, water, earth and air), will prevent ultimate evil from ruling Earth. And when evil rules earth, light becomes dark, life becomes death, you get the idea. Every so often evil tries to come and destroy earth, and the elements must unite together to stop it. Willis is Korben Dallas, a former elite government soldier who became a taxi driver, has a modest apartment with a cat (his wife left with his lawyer, leaving him with nothing). His mission? Well, let's be frank, it's to save the world. The Fifth Element, a.k.a. Leeloo, played by Milla Jovovich (The Messenger) is played with equal parts comedy and action, combined with a brief (and somewhat unnecessary) glimpse at the end of her emotions, when she views a montage of war footage. The elements are represented as stones in the movie, and the “art dealer” Jean-Baptiste Emanuel Zorg (Gary Oldman, Sid and Nancy) attempts to do what he can to obtain the stones. He works for a buyer who sounds a lot like Bob Guccione or Barry White, but maybe is symbolized as Evil itself?
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on February 7th, 2005
Synopsis
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on February 1st, 2005
Synopsis
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on January 30th, 2005
Predator vs. Alien was not as successful at the box office as was hoped. It seems that this 2-disc edition of Predator 2 might be intended to build interest for the troubled fusion of the two popular space creatures.
This film has had its share of detractors since its release in 1990. I, for one, find it to be as good as, if not better than, the original film. Watching the two governors Arnold and Jesse take on the Predator in the Columbian jungles was certainly a hoot. Let’s be honest... however. Who didn’t cheer, if only inside, when the big bad ugly started to take on LA’s drug lords in Predator 2?
