Posted in: Disc Reviews by Michael Durr on April 29th, 2007
Synopsis
Drug addiction is scary. It can take an otherwise decent person and turn them in a messy pool of hate, disgust and worthlessness. When the drug you are addicted to is heroin; amplify that by ten. Enter Paul (played by Harry Eden(Oliver Twist)), a ten year old trying to take care of his younger brother Lee (played by Vinnie Hunter) and his heroin addicted mother Mel (played by Molly Parker(Wicker Man, Deadwood)). The father of th...s family is unfortunately dead from a heart attack so Paul has grown up quickly and takes care of the cleaning, cooking and anything else that needs to be attended to. Mel tries to kick the habit on several occasions but is constantly hampered by the local dealer Lenny (played by David Wenham(300, Van Helsing) and the drug itself. Paul tries to find a way to cope and often escapes to spend time with his crush, a teenage waitress named Louise (played by Keira Knightley (Pirates of the Caribbean, Domino))who is unfortunately just as tragically flawed as Mel and has her own addictions to deal with.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Michael Durr on April 28th, 2007
Synopsis
Video game movies tend to fall into two groups; those that are based on video games (The Tomb Raiders, the Resident Evils) and those that follow video games and usually speaks on how it affects a person, driving their addiction. Often the latter pick it as a device of social commentary. Some do it in humor (Grandma's Boy) but more often than not they manipulate it as something that will take over your brain and kill you. Enter in Gamebox 1.0. Gamebox 1.0 is the story of a video ...ame tester Charlie Nash (played by Nate Richert (Sabrina, the Teenage Witch))who is not coping in life very well since his girlfriend Kate (played by Danielle Fishel (the gorgeous Topanga from Boy Meets World))got accidentally shot by a bad cop. (played by Patrick Kilpatrick) This leads him to completely cover himself in the world of video games. So much that he forgets his friends and any mention of the world's events around him. One day he receives a mysterious package in the mail. It is a new game system. This game system invites Charlie into the highly realistic gaming world contained inside. In that world he can do anything and interact with anybody but once he starts playing he'll never stop. (wow, I sound just like a tagline).
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Michael Durr on April 28th, 2007
Synopsis
When I heard about Loonatics Unleashed the cartoon show, I like many heard it from the web critics. "We can't stand it", "It's ruining the image of the Looney Tunes", or just simply "It sucks" were their cries. However, what I also found interesting in my research is that these comments mostly came before the show even aired. So, the web critics sport superhero abilities I see. They should be villains on this show. Anyhow, needless to say I was a little worried when I saw it at t...e end of my review queue. But what I did find was a little gem of a cartoon show.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on April 26th, 2007
Synopsis
Well, time may not have been too kind to George Lazenby since he assumed the tailored suits of James Bond for On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, but considering how well Daniel Craig did in Casino Royale, and the basic storyline is the same for both films, why do people still want to bash Lazenby now? Is it because he wasn’t a carbon copy of his predecessor, Sean Connery? Who knows?
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on April 26th, 2007
If any of you watch America’s Most Wanted or have followed the news over the past few years, chances are you know about Jesse James Hollywood, the notorious twenty-year-old drug dealer. Alpha Dog is based upon Hollywood, his crew, and their unlawful activities. Of course the names are changed due to the fact that there are trials pending, but the story is a chilling tale of how young men can push each other too far trying to adhere to a “tough guy” image.
Johnny Truelove (Emile Hirsch, The Gir... Next Door) isn’t your typical twenty-year-old; the owner of a nice home, numerous exotic vehicles, and the head of an expanding drug empire. He runs a tight crew with a few close friends shadowing his every movement - Frankie Ballenbacher (Justin Timberlake, Black Snake Moan), Elvis Schmidt (Shawn Hatosy, The Faculty), and Tiko Martinez (professional middleweight boxer Fernando Vargas). When the group isn’t peddling drugs they spend their time partying, which is exactly what they are doing when Jake Mazursky (Ben Foster, Hostage) comes over to settle a debt with Johnny. After a disagreement, Johnny attacks Jake, but ends up submersed in his own pool after being thrown threw the patio window. Jake returns home to his girlfriend and is shortly thereafter visited by his brother Zach (Anton Yelchin, House of D). After a few beers and joints Jake drives his fifteen year old brother home to distressed parents.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on April 24th, 2007
In The Nutty Professor comedian Eddie Murphy (yes, he USE to be funny) stars as professor Sherman Klump. Klump is a 400-pound man who quickly becomes infatuated with a new professor named Carly Purty (Jada Pinkett Smith). When he asks her out on a date, she accepts and they go to a local club named ‘The Scream’. Once there, the evening is progressing fine until comic Reggie jumps up on stage and quickly dissects poor old Sherman. Sherman, having recently performed a genetic experience on his hamster that saw i...s body weight drop 20%, decides to do the same to himself. Enter Buddy Love, Klump’s alter ego. The rest of the film follows Klump and Love as they fight to control one another and decide which will win the heart of Miss Purty.
Eddie Murphy is absolutely hilarious in this film. When you consider the type of crap that Murphy involves himself in, it has become such a sad note that Murphy has basically collapsed into this family actor instead of making hilarious films like this. Murphy obviously realized that dressing up as big, fat people works as he succeeded again (monetarily not physically) in this year’s Norbit. When you think that Murphy dressed up as his entire family is downright hilarious and makes the two dinner sequences particularly enjoyable. I remember reading a review quite sometime ago where the critic mentioned that he could barely understand what was being said during these sequences simply because the entire audience was laughing so much. While this most recent viewing wasn’t as loud-out-loud funny, I still couldn’t help but smile at the insane conversations the family has with each other.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on April 24th, 2007
Ahead of the pack with eight nominations, Dreamgirls had a lot of buzz leading up to this year’s Academy Awards. In the midst of it all, there was talk of a surprise standout performance by American Idol alumnus Jennifer Hudson in her first film role, and even more surprisingly, Pluto Nash – I mean, Eddie Murphy was up for best supporting actor.
With that many nominations, Dreamgirls, in yet another surprise, was not up for the coveted best picture Oscar. And after the dust settled, the film had been honored with just two of the golden statues, for Jennifer Hudson as best supporting actress and best achievement in sound mixing. No best picture nod and so few wins seemed to say, ‘yeah, your movie had a lot of good parts, some even great, but they didn’t add up to something more.’
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on April 24th, 2007
Every so often you find yourself blown away by the sheer power of a film. A film’s power can do a lot to one’s mind. Remember what Schindler’s List did to you? I certainly do. Charlie Kaufman’s latest effort is a fantastic masterpiece that will certainly leave an impact on your mind, soul, and body that few films can leave.
Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet star was Joel Barish and Clementine. The two seem like they’re happy until the two suddenly break it off. Joel has turned from a happy man full of lif... into a depress slug. Trying to get his life back together, Joel travels to his local library where he runs into Clementine. Something strange has occurred, as Clementine has no recollection of who Joel is. After researching into what’s she has been doing since they broke it off, Joel finds out that Clementine has involved herself in a new scientific research method that resulted in her mind, particularly the painful portion of her mind, getting wiped. This is when Joel realizes he must go see this doctor immediately in hopes of getting the same procedure done.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on April 24th, 2007
Synopsis
Robert Francis is a wet-behind-the-ears naval officer whose first posting is aboard the Caine, a ramshackle minesweeper. He is dismayed by the rough-looking crew and captain, and when that captain is replaced by Bogart, a by-the-book commander, Francis is initially relieved. But Bogart’s fixations on minutiae are tyrannical and obsessive, his refusal to admit error dangerous, and his behaviour increasingly erratic and paranoid. Francis and fellow officers Fred MacMurray and Van Johnson reali...e that Bogart is unfit for command, and one stormy night, Johnson (the first mate) is forced to take action. The consequences are serious.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on April 23rd, 2007
The History Boys is a film version of the award-winning play of the same name. The link between film and play is especially strong here, as not only was it adapted and directed by the original writer and stage director, but each member of the stage cast also reprised his or her role for the film.
Set in the early 80’s, The History Boys is about a group of bright young men preparing for their futures and the teachers helping them along. The boys have just received top marks at their grammar sch...ol, and the next step is studying for university entrance exams, on the subject of history. With Oxford or Cambridge in their sights, the students enter the new term ready to study under three remarkable teachers, one of whom wants to fondle their genitals, and another who’s new and barely more than a boy himself.
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