Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on November 22nd, 2003
Who wants to see the middle of a movie, anyway? The beginning of the movie introduces the characters and presents the conflict. The ending holds the resolution and the conclusion. But the middle? Who wants to just see the middle? Nobody comes late and leaves early at the Cineplex. Nobody sane, anyway. This is not just any film, though. This is an Epic. Literally everything about this production is huge. The original text of the story was actually so long that it had to be divided into three volumes. The companion fil...
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on November 22nd, 2003
Synopsis
In contemporary New York City, a young man named Edge breaks into an old woman’sapartment. Far from helpless, she wallops him and, at gunpoint, forces him to listen to her tale.She wants him to bury her where she was born. Her story is of two brothers at the start of the 20thCentury: the violent Luke (David Wenham) and the religious Elijah (Joseph Fiennes). A fightover a woman leads Luke to leave the States, and he winds up in Macedonia, a member of aviolent gang of ...
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on November 21st, 2003
Roy Orbison’s career spanned 5 decades of music. Predominantly a 50’s artist, his catchy ballads became standards in the 60’s and 70’s. By the 90’s ELO master Jeff Lynne used his skills to give Orbison a tremendous comeback and a new modern sound. Orbison sadly passed away during the peak of this newfound fame and never saw the release of his last hit album.
Audio
There is a great deal of inconsistency in the audio of this DVD. Many of the clips are taken from 40 years or older source tape...
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on November 21st, 2003
Synopsis
Ben Affleck plays the title character, a none-too-bright mob goon ordered to kidnap theautistic son of a federal prosecutor. Jennifer Lopez is the considerably brighter and lesbian mobenforcer ordered to team up with Gigli to make sure nothing goes wrong. Sound like a promisingset up for a romantic comedy? Apparently, the movie doesn’t think so either, as it doesn’t playlike a romantic comedy. In fact, the film doesn’t seem to have to the faintest idea as to what the...
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on November 21st, 2003
Synopsis
A British agent is killed trying to get information back to England, information that mightconfirm or refute the presence of a Russian nuclear missile at a particular location in EastGermany. The British Secret Service, operating on a budget, decides to recruit a Polish civilian,offering him asylum if he will travel to East Germany to find out in person if the missile is thereor not. Much of the film is taken up by his training. Our hero is extremely cynical, and the o...
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on November 21st, 2003
Synopsis
Pauly Shore is a lazy, terminal loser who needs to find a home while his parents are offgetting married. Summoned for jury duty, he seeks out the trial that will last the longest andinvolve sequestering. He lands the trial of “the Drive-Thru Killer.” Also on the jury are hisformer principal and lust-interest Tia Carrere. Let me put it this way: Schindler’s List isfunnier.
Audio
The soundtrack is clear enough, but limited to 2.0 (get th...
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on November 19th, 2003
Escape from New York not only made the career of Kurt Russell, and helped to grow the John Carpenter legacy, but has also gain cult status amongst many film fanatics. This film, with its unique plot, and raw style, was the first of its kind… and continues to be a fan favorite 22 years after its theatrical release.
”In a world ravaged by crime, the entire island of Manhattan has been converted to a walled prison where brutal prisoners roam. But when the U.S. president (Donald Pleasence) crash-lands ...
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on November 19th, 2003
If you like a high-energy action/comedy, you have met your match with Bad Boys II. Michael Bay has once again created a wonderful cinematic experience with this film. Will Smith and Martin Lawrence have never been funnier; they have the best on-screen chemistry I have seen in a while. This sequel has more action then its predecessor, and is much more graphic… in a good way. Bad Boys was a great film that started Bay’s career, and Bad Boys II continues his legacy of high-energy action flicks.
”The...
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on November 19th, 2003
Brush With Fate is not a film in any traditional scenes. Based on Susan Vreeland’s novel, “Girl In Hyacinth Blue” this is in reality an anthology of vignettes. The common thread in these stories is that a certain painting is passed down through 300 years. The stories are overly simple. Some of the locations in the Netherlands shot for this film offer the only redeeming quality to be found. Some of the vistas are breathtaking.
Audio
The Dolby Digital 2.0 track is simple. Some enchanting music offers the best use of the digital sound.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on November 18th, 2003
Synopsis
Any synopsis is probably beside the point. If you haven’t been watching Buffy by this season,your chances of understanding what the hell is going on will be severely curtailed. Highlights ofthis season include Buffy’s encounter with Dracula, and the moving episode (“The Body”) aboutthe death of her mother.
Audio
The sound is 2.0, but is a pretty energetic mix all the same. As with most television shows,the music dominates the mix, especially at the s...
