Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on February 10th, 2004
Synopsis
If George Orwell and Franz Kafka had collaborated on a murder mystery, what you’d getis The Rook. A theocratic dictatorship is coming apart at the seams as an uprising gathersevery more force. In this trouble time, a detective working for the religious authorities comesto a small town to investigate a murder. Nothing is what it seems, and he is confronted with onemysterious character after another, one mysterious event after another. Like the regime, hegradually begi...
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on February 10th, 2004
Synopsis
When the kind but dull Rhys Ifans proposes to girlfriend Shirley Henderson on a Sally Jesse-style TV show, she turns him down. He is hurt, but still hopeful. Unfortunately, this show wasseen by Henderson’s first boyfriend: small-time crook Robert Carlyle. A flame reignites inCarlyle’s heart, and he comes to town with all the outlaw swagger and mystique that Ifans can’thope to beat. But he will certainly try...
A very likeable, if slight, film. The cast appear to be ...
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on February 10th, 2004
Synopsis
Laura San Giacomo’s husband is a serial adulterer, and has just taken off for three weekswith his blonde assistant. Gradually, San Giacomo falls for a handsome stranger (Paul Rhys) shehas started to see regularly in a park. The story of their affair is recounted to a journalist workingon a piece about marriage in the 90s, and so we see it all unfold in a series of flashbacks. Theperformances are good, especially San Giacomo’s, who is appealingly naturalistic. Even thesmalle...
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on February 9th, 2004
Synopsis
In 1787, the HMS Bounty sets sail for Tahiti. The journey is long and dangerous, but thecommander, Captain Bligh (Charles Laughton) is an extremely skilled seaman. He is also abrutal, corrupt sadist. Resentment builds amongst the crew, until finally mutiny erupts, led byfirst officer Fletcher Christian (Clark Gable).
Never mind that most of the leads are Americans playing Brits. This is one of the great seaadventures. Its release on DVD is most welcome, what with th...
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on February 8th, 2004
SynopsisFive films here, making a very coherent package.Persona is probably the most famous of the bunch, and is arguably Bergman’s mosticonic film. The images are among the most famous in cinema, though they are slightly moredifficult to take seriously thanks to SCTV’s parody. The plot concerns Liv Ullmann as an actresswho has suddenly fallen silent, and Bibi Andersson as the nurse hired to look after her. In theface of Ullmann’s silence, Andersson talks and talks ...
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on February 8th, 2004
I’m not always sure what to make of Star Trek VI. It is most notable as the final film to feature the entire original cast. Star Trek has always been about message and morality, so it seems natural for the franchise to tackle the end of the cold war and the fall of the Soviet Union. I just wish some of this film didn’t feel so forced. This film is also bittersweet in that it was DeForest Kelley’s final appearance before his death. Kelley’s “country doctor in space” routine never got tired. He was perhaps the most human face in all of Star Trek.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on February 8th, 2004
Fresh off of her Oscar nominated performance in Unfaithful, Diane Lane now takes on a somewhat lighter role in Under the Tuscan Sun. This film, which contains aspects of romance, comedy, and drama, is perfectly suited for Lane. Her beauty shines, and is framed perfectly with the amazing Tuscan countryside. The film is pretty good for what it is… it has a number of captivating moments, but also has a few lull’s in its pace. Take away a few of the over-the-top cheesy scenes, and you are left with a good dramatic ro...
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on February 8th, 2004
I must admit that going into my screening of this DVD, I was anticipating a horrible film. With Jerry McGuire as the exception, I have hated Cuba Gooding Jr. as an actor; and let’s face it, Beyonce is a much better singer then she is an actress. That all being said, I was surprised that I actually enjoyed The Fighting Temptations. It was not the story or acting that led to my enjoyment… it was the music. This film is a fun film that is full of some great gospel music. Not only does Beyonce lend her voice ...
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on February 5th, 2004
Synopsis
Jane Fonda is recently widowed, and works at a baked good factory. Robert De Niro is thecafeteria cook. He is illiterate, and loses his job when this is discovered. He turns to Fonda,asking her to teach him to read. Slowly, tentatively, romance blossoms.
Plenty of gritty realism in the first half of the film, and the portrayal of the hard lives thesepeople face is pretty unsparing. In this bleak landscape, their relationship becomes a real beaconof hope. One can onl...
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on February 3rd, 2004
The times, they were a-changin’ during the mid-sixties in America. The Vietnam War was heating up, the civil rights movement was making major strides, and it seemed that the whole country would soon be vastly different than it was just a few short years earlier. It was in the midst of these turbulent times that the first episode of Green Acres hit the airwaves.
The idea of metaphorically moving the average American family from the madness of the modern urban landscape and returning them to the simpli...
