Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on April 13th, 2004
Synopsis
Due to the clumsy snake-repelling tactics of novelist William Katt, the passengers of anAfrican river boat find themselves stuck on Snake Island. They don't realize they're in trouble, atfirst, taking time out to party and dance, but soon their numbers stuck being cut down. It seemsthat the snakes on this island have become very smart and are single-minded in their goal ofcleansing the island of humans
The extended party sequence, complete with mandatory (if nonsensical) nu...
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on April 12th, 2004
Synopsis
Summer Phoenix narrates this tale of teen perdition. She and Aaron Paul are hooked onheroin. Phoenix overdoses. Drug-free pal Nick Stahl steps in to try to save her from herself, butbefore you know it, he becomes curious about heroin, and down the drain he goes. It’s a tragedy,folks.
And it’s stupid. Produced for MTV, it looks exactly like what you’d expect from that source.So you have perpetual flash and dazzle: slow-mo, blurring, smears, hand-held, the whole nine...
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on April 12th, 2004
Synopsis
Sofia Milos has been widowed for years, but still refuses to start dating again. Her daughter(Emmy Rossum) tries to set her up, but with disastrous results. Jason Isaacs is a slightly seedybut charming-in-his-own way gambler who falls for Milos when he sees her sing. His clumsypursuit appears doomed to failure, until Rossum makes him a deal: if he teaches her how to countcards, she’ll help him win Milos.
Nothing in this film can really be said to be surprising. Once...
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on April 12th, 2004
Synopsis
Carlo (Stefano Accorsi) and his live-in girlfriend (Giovanna Mezzogiorno) aren’t married,and he has no inclination yet to change this. She is pregnant, however, and the spectre of totalcommitment sends him into a blind panic. Also freaking out over adulthood and responsibilitiesare his buddies. Meanwhile, Mezzogiorno’s mother (Stefania Sandrelli) is dismayed by the ideaof becoming a grandmother, and, feeling rejected by her distant husband, seeks to revive an oldromance of ...
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on April 11th, 2004
Synopsis
Vincent D’Onofrio plays Valentino, AIDS-stricken former porn star who is the centre ofa subcultural social whirl in NYC. He splits his affections between male prostitute Thomas Janeand in-your-face-and-then-some waitress Salma Hayek. As the disease takes its toll, Jane andHayek must overcome their differences to support D’Onofrio. Then there’s the fact that Hayekis pregnant...
The film is very affectionate toward its collection of flamboyantly non-mainstreamcharac...
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on April 11th, 2004
Synopsis
Paul (Paul Gegauff) and Esther (Danielle Gegauff) have, on the surface, a fine marriage. Thesurface cracks open for us almost immediately, however, as we see that the reason why thismarriage is “fine” is that Esther submits completely to Paul, and becomes whatever he desires.When he suggests that they sleep with other people, she complies, and begins to forge an identityof her own, one that Paul disapproves of. He reacts first with sarcasm, then with every-increasingmental ...
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on April 11th, 2004
Synopsis
Based on stories by Damon Runyon, Bloodhounds of Broadway traces the would-bezany antics of a large group of characters in New York, on New Year’s Eve, 1928. Some of thethreads we follow are: Randy Quaid as the terminal loser who sells his body to a maddoctor, payment due by dawn, only to have his luck change radically and flapper Madonna fallfor him; Rutger Hauer as The Brain, a soft-spoken ganglord who is stabbed, and spends the restof the night being hauled fruitl...
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on April 10th, 2004
Synopsis
Once again, we return to the dark world of Jane Tennison (Helen Mirren). Though she is nowa Detective Superintendent, don’t think that promotion means life is any easier. Her personal lifeis just as much of a mess as before, and she is still contending with the old boys’ network on theforce. The cases themselves are pretty nasty stuff too. “The Lost Child” is a strong case in point.Here a young mother is found on her kitchen floor, bleeding from a head wound. Her baby girli...
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on April 10th, 2004
I hate Carly Simon. However, I feel that as I am supposed to be an impartial reviewer, so I should get that out of the way right here at the start. I have never liked her, though I am not really sure why. Maybe it is her freakishly large mouth. Maybe it’s that fact that “You’re So Vain” really is about the person who thinks it’s about them. Whatever the reason, I just can’t help it. She makes me cringe.
The good news is, now that I have viewed this disc, I have plenty of valid reasons to hate her. Ob...
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on April 10th, 2004
Synopsis
More grim and smart crime tales from England. Robbie Coltrane’s “Fitz” -- criminalpsychologist Dr. Fitzgerald -- is up against not just criminals, but also himself (gambling,drinking, rocky marriage and family) and the world in general. “Brotherly Love” sees himspecifically fighting with his brother Danny and the Catholic Church (all to do with the death ofhis mother). In “Best Boys,” Fitz has become a father again, and things aren’t exactly rosy.Danny becomes perhaps a bit...
