Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on September 24th, 2010
Jon Favreau's Iron Man was one of the happy events of 2008. It was a superb piece of super-hero entertainment, one that handled lightning-quick shifts in tone (grimness in Afghanistan, hilarity in Malibu) with a deftness that made the very hard work look very easy. It also reassured comic fans and mainstream audiences alike that there were still terrific movies to be made based on Marvel characters, reassurance that was sorely needed in the wake of the dire Spider-Man 3. So, the question with Iron Man 2 is, given the returning director and cast, was that same magic recaptured? The answer is a delighted yes.
The story picks up with Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr) basking in his fame as Iron Man. He puts on a showy entrance at the opening of the Stark Expo, thumbs his nose at a Congressional committee that wants to appropriate his suit's technology, and races fast cars. But beneath the levity is a dying man: he is being poisoned by the very element that is keeping his heart ticking. Other problems arise in the form of Ivan Vanko (Mickey Rourke), the embittered son of a former research partner of Howard Stark (Tony's father), and Justin Hammer (a hysterically funny Sam Rockwell), Tony's self-regarding business competitor, who is a devious and corrupt as he is incompetent. Unlike Hammer, Vanko is dangerous, harnessing the same energy source as Stark to power his own super-suit. They join forces to destroy Iron Man. He, meanwhile, seems bent on destroying himself before they can get around to it. His behaviour becomes erratic, forcing best friend James Rhodes (Don Cheadle) to abscond with the War Machine suit, and he turns over his company to Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow). Into this mix comes SHIELD, embodied by leader Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) and agent Natasha Romanoff, AKA the Black Widow (Scarlett Johnansson). Fury sees Stark as a potential asset, but only if he can both sort his life out, and save it. The question is whether he will do so before Hammer and Vanko's plans come to fruition.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on September 23rd, 2010
Ever wonder what the kids of South Park might be like if they ever made it to adulthood? While I’ve not seen that many episodes of the FX series It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia, that was the first observation that came to mind. These are the South Park kids all grown up. They’re crude, raunchy, mean, and most importantly, they are as politically incorrect as ever. If you need an example, I can offer one right from this episode. The guys have a Christmas tradition that dates back to their childhood of throwing rocks at moving trains. An episode I caught a while back had two of the guys going to an abortion rally because they suspected that pro-choice chicks gotta be easy. Sound like anyone we know? If you love irreverent humor that’s not afraid to cross over the line, this F/X series has everything you’re looking for, and without those silly construction paper animation limitations. These are real dudes.
The best way to introduce you to the world here is through the characters. The Philadelphia setting and all of the other trappings really don’t matter. You could put these characters any place, doing almost any jobs, and the series would pretty much be the same. The actors and some cleverly written dialog really make the show.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on September 22nd, 2010
“Some people say that fairies are the stuff of fantasy. They think the world is just what you can touch and hear and see, while others say the tales and legends cannot be dismissed. They believe with all their hearts that fairies truly do exist. Through all of time, human beings and fairies never met, till one special summer that we shall not soon forget.”
Tinker Bell has been a Walt Disney icon almost since its inception. The character has gone way beyond her appearance in Peter Pan. In the decades since, she has come to represent the magic of Walt Disney and its many incarnations. Seen at the beginning of every Disney title, Tinkerbell is likely as recognizable as Mickey Mouse and his many friends. John Lassiter and the animators of Disney’s new CG animation studios take on this monumental character in the third of at least five announced films to feature the little fairy. Lassiter brings his best magic, learned developing Pixar over the years, to create a feature that rivals the Pixar brand in quality and technological presentation. The animation is incredible. The CG environments are absolutely beautiful. With the help of Pixar, Disney has made the same strides in computer animation that it once made in traditional hand drawn animation. This picture is light years ahead of almost anything else I’ve seen outside of Pixar itself. Understand that this is a direct-to-video production with far less of a budget than a theatrical release, and the look of this world is even more incredible. Characters interpret with effortless smoothness, and the result is a nearly 3D presentation. The result is a quite amazing to look at.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on September 21st, 2010
Alan Ball was pretty much an unknown to anyone but a few Hollywood insiders and fans of such television shows as Grace Under Fire and Cybill, where he wrote a mere total 10 episodes combined. When he began to shop the idea for American Beauty, he had originally conceived it as a stage production. Truth be told, he wasn't sure that there was a studio out there that would touch the awkward dark idea. But Dreamworks was still a young company with big ideas. If there was a studio out there that was going to take a flyer on a young talent with an oddball script, it was Dreamworks. Of course, they weren't going to take a very large flyer. The budget for the film was set at about $15 million. Not much even for 1999. The guys were willing to gamble. The gamble paid off.
The film didn't attract any of the established directors in the industry. I'm sure the budget had as much to do with that than anything else. Sam Mendes hadn't directed a feature film to this point. Actually, he hasn't directed all that many films in the decade since. With the small money and young, inexperienced director, this was looking more and more like an independent or festival film. But then something began to happen.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on September 17th, 2010
We begin in Vietnam, where the unit of which Jacob Singer (Tim Robbins) is a member comes under attack. Jacob is bayonetted, and as he struggles with his wounds, the film flashes forward to his post-Vietnam life in New York City. He works for the post office, is divorced, is still grieving over the death of his youngest son (Macauley Culkin), and is living with his new girlfriend (Elizabeth Pena). He is also being tormented by visions of demonic figures. And then suddenly this life turns out to be a dream, and he's at home with his wife and all of his kids are alive. Or is that a dream? And what really happened in Vietnam?
I'm going to assume that most people who are interested in this film have, in fact, already seen it. But in case you haven't, spoilers follow, and should you wish to avoid them, skip to the Video evaluation. Now I'm going to waste another sentence just in case your eyes drift. You're all gone? Good. The last time I saw this film was twenty years ago, during its initial theatrical run, and I was left feeling bitterly disappointed: after all the build-up of conspiracy and mystery, we're left with the he-was-dying-all-along gambit? In other words, my sense was of a horror film that was compellingly original and frightening for most of its running time, and then squandered that good will by a hackneyed conclusion.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Michael Durr on September 16th, 2010
Most people are aware that I don’t care for romantic comedies but nothing gets under my skin more than a horrible prison movie. My attempts to forget the movie are usually successful until the next time a similar movie appears in my review pile. Maybe it is the cliché plot, the contrived and stereo-typed characters, or the male on male forced action. How would a movie fare where it simulates the jail experience in a behavioral experiment? I dare to find out.
Travis (played by Adrien Brody is just another drifter trying to get through life. He works part-time at the retirement home until the state cuts back and lays him off. As he considers his options, he attends a peace protest where he meets a rather attractive girl named Bay (played by Maggie Grace) who is also demonstrating. Bay wants to go to India for spiritual enlightenment and wants Travis to join her. Travis however needs some money to make the journey.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on September 15th, 2010
"It is said some lives are linked across time. Connected by an ancient calling that echoes through the ages. Destiny."
The Prince Of Persia is not some new phenomenon sweeping the country. The original video game goes back quite some time to the pre-high-definition consoles of the late 1980's. Over the years the title has had some major staying power and has continued to flourish across several platforms and generations of graphics and game play. Today video games are more and more like movies themselves. Many of these games carry budgets as high as blockbuster effects-laden tent-pole films. It's big business. The technology has nearly merged between film and video game. And while Prince Of Persia is not the first game to be turned into one of these mega-movies, it just might be the closest thing to bridging that gap yet.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on September 15th, 2010
I did not see Tyler Perry's moderately successful 2007 film, Why Did I Get Married. I never thought that would present much of a problem with his recent Why Did I Get Married, Too. I've seen plenty of Perry's films and think that I have a pretty good grasp of where he's coming from. Early this year I watched and reviewed I Can Do Bad All By Myself. It was a new direction for Perry and, while he did include his famous Madea character, the film wasn't really about her usual antics. I guess I expected this film to follow in the footsteps of that rather impressive effort. Unfortunately, I may have misjudged my ability to follow this film without having seen the first. Either that, or Perry has gone terribly wrong somewhere along the way.
This is the story of four couples who have obviously been friends for a long time. As the film opens they are about to attend a marriage retreat, at least that's what the dialog leads us to believe. What they are really doing is gathering at a time-share condo in the Bahamas for a week of hanging out together. The only resemblance to a retreat is a tradition they share on their final night together. They gather on the beach around a campfire and take turns telling the story of why they got married. I suspect they should all know these stories by now, but this year the trip certainly threw in a few surprises. The most stalwart marriage is apparently ending.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on September 7th, 2010
“Ride into this world all alone. God takes your soul. You're on your own.
The crow flies straight, a perfect line on the devil's back until you die.
Gotta look this life in the eye”.
When these guys send a message, they don’t use Western Union. Not only will they blow up your warehouse, but they’ll catch one of your guys and plant a stick of dynamite in his butt cheeks to set off the explosion. That’s the world of the motorcycle club, the Sons Of Anarchy. In the wake of The Shield, FX stays true to form with the latest from that show’s alumni Kurt Sutter. Sons Of Anarchy has a familiar tone and quality to it for fans of that now gone cop drama. There’s a lot of handheld camera stuff, and you have very similar themes.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on September 7th, 2010
”A philosopher once asked, ‘Are we human because we gaze at the stars, or do we gaze at them because we are human?’ Pointless, really…’Do the stars gaze back?’ Now that’s a question.”
They do more than gaze in Stardust, a quirky, enjoyable film that’s not the epic tale it’s made out to be. The film adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s graphic novel of the same name, Stardust is a tale about a young man from a small English village who gets caught up in a magical adventure in another realm. With evil witches, fratricidal princes, and a cross-dressing sky-pirate, there’s a lot of fantasy in Stardust, but director Matthew Vaughn’s penchant for Lord of the Rings-style sweeping cinematography creates a canvas much too grand for this simple fairy tale.
![It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia: Season 5 [Blu-ray] dvd cover art](https://upcomingdiscs.com/ecs_covers/its-always-sunny-in-philadelphia-large.jpg)
![American Beauty (Sapphire Series) [Blu-ray] dvd cover art](https://upcomingdiscs.com/ecs_covers/american-beauty-sapphire-series--large.jpg)
![Jacob's Ladder [Blu-ray] dvd cover art](https://upcomingdiscs.com/ecs_covers/jacobs-ladder-blu-ray-large.jpg)
![The Experiment [Blu-ray] dvd cover art](https://upcomingdiscs.com/ecs_covers/the-experiment-blu-ray-large.jpg)
![Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time [Blu-ray] dvd cover art](https://upcomingdiscs.com/ecs_covers/prince-of-persia-the-sands-of-time-large.jpg)
![Why Did I Get Married Too? [Blu-ray] dvd cover art](https://upcomingdiscs.com/ecs_covers/why-did-i-get-married-too-blu-ray-large.jpg)
![Sons of Anarchy: Season Two [Blu-ray] dvd cover art](https://upcomingdiscs.com/ecs_covers/sons-of-anarchy-season-two-blu-r-large.jpg)
![Stardust [Blu-ray] dvd cover art](https://upcomingdiscs.com/ecs_covers/stardust-blu-ray-large.jpg)
