Comedy

Life or Something Like It

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on October 7th, 2002

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Synopsis

Jolie is a Seattle-area news reporter whose apparently perfect life is derailed when streetprophet Tony Shaloub predicts she is going die in a week. Becoming convinced that Shaloub isright, Jolie re-examines her priorities. She is helped out by cameraman Ed Burns, with whom she(naturally) has an extremely prickly relationship when the story begins. Jolie and Burns are bothsuperb, and the film has a slick look to it. On the minus side, the film seems to have some prettyharsh…
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Swingers

Posted in Disc Reviews by David Annandale on September 29th, 2002

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Swingers originally debuted on DVD when the format was still in its infancy. As with most titles released during that time, it suffered from a lackluster 2.0 audio track, non-anamorphic transfer, no trailers and hideous packaging. Now roughly five years later, Swingers has returned to DVD, this time in a spiffy new Collector’s Series edition from Miramax. With every issue the first release was plagued by addressed, this release is everything a fan of Swingers could ever hope for.

Swingers’ story focuses on…
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Crossroads

Posted in Disc Reviews by David Annandale on September 25th, 2002

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It was bound to happen sooner or later; Britney Spears would make the jump to the big screen. While most guys would rather she made the jump to Playboy first, others will take what they can get from Ms. Spears. Unfortunately, Crossroads was written as a vehicle for Britney to touch the souls of other young women who can make a difference in the world. When translated to the screen, it just isn’t entertaining. In fact, it’s downright boring.

Britney plays Lucy, a recent high school graduate living under the…
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Showtime

Posted in Disc Reviews by David Annandale on September 24th, 2002

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What do you get when you splice together Meet the Parents with Beverly Hills Cop? You get a rarely comedic, intense or interesting action movie that suffers from never finding its own identity. And flat screenwriting. And long lulls.

Detective Preston (Robert DeNiro) and Trey Sellers (Eddie Murphy) are brought together as unlikely partners to star in a new reality TV cop drama, produced by Chase Ransey (Rene Russo) of Maxis TV. As expected, they are at each others throats the entire movie until the end, wh…
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National Lampoon’s Van Wilder

Posted in Disc Reviews by David Annandale on September 24th, 2002

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During my years at college in Philadelphia, there was a guy who lived at the end of the freshman hall whom had been around far longer than any other freshman. He gathered a following and essentially coached his young ones, myself included, on how to have fun on and off campus. As National Lampoon’s Van Wilder began to spin, I couldn’t help but remember those glorious days and revere Van as he celebrated his life at Coolidge College.

Van Wilder, played perfectly by Ryan Reynolds, returns to Coolidge for y…
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Down & Out with the Dolls

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on September 15th, 2002

Synopsis

The story opens with the total disintegration of the Dolls, an all-girl rock band. Not only arethey fighting each other hammer and tongs (some nicely edited moments here), or coma-drunk,but someone in the basement is dead. We then flash back to chart their rise and fall. This isenthusiastic, if raw, work.

Audio

Don’t expect miracles here, not at this kind of a budget. There is a fair bit of buzz on thedialogue, though the music sounds fine. There ar…
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Big Fat Liar

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on September 10th, 2002

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Synopsis

Frankie Muniz is the liar of the title, and so is already in plenty of trouble. Then he meets someone even worse than the truth than he is: Paul Giamatti, playing a completely sleazy Hollywood producer, who steals Muniz’ creative writing paper and makes a movie from it. Muniz and best friend Amanda Bynes head off for Hollywood to exact revenge — some of which, I must confess, is pretty damn funny.

Audio

The music sounds terrific, as does the dialogue (no distortio…
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Monsoon Wedding

Posted in Disc Reviews by David Annandale on September 4th, 2002

Synopsis

The film is basically about the four manic days of a Punjabi wedding. We have a plethora of characters, all involved in different kinds of relationships. At the centre we have the reluctant bride (still carrying on an affair with a married man). Sharp, clever, warm, this one’s a keeper.

Audio

What happened to the sound? For a good chunk of the film, the audio experience is deeply uninspiring: the sound effects have barely any rear speaker presence (lots of missed o…
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Chat Room

Posted in Disc Reviews by David Annandale on July 24th, 2002

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Synopsis

A group of friends made a bet at the end of high school to see who would bring the most attractive date to the ten-year reunion. That time has come, and the bet is worth $50,000.00. Time to surf the Internet for that perfect woman. This is, apparently, a comedy. Really. Utterly inept in every department (acting, writing, direction, editing, cinematography), this achieves the not-inconsiderable feat of making Corky Romano looking screamingly funny by comparison.

Audio

Corky Romano

Posted in Disc Reviews by David Annandale on July 16th, 2002

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Synopsis

Peter Falk, patriarch of the Romano crime family, is about to be taken down by the FBI. He needs someone to go undercover in the FBI, and find and destroy the evidence against him. The only available man for the mission is black sheep of the family Corky (Chris Kattan). Corky is an assistant vet, and as incompetent and childish as he is sickeningly sweet. Pretty high concept stuff, in the negative sense of the term, and the result is slapstick so old and worn that Jerry Lewis would take a pa…
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Royal Tenenbaums, The

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on June 28th, 2002

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Film

Criterion has done it again! Along with Buena Vista, Criterion has transformed this flawlessly executed film into a masterpiece on DVD. For you Rushmore fans out there, you will absolutely love this film… I actually liked this film more then Rushmore. If you have not seen any works by Wes Anderson (director), you should really check this film out.

“The Tenenbaum kids were all once child prodigies, despite growing up with an ineffective father. Determined to make things …
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Analyze This

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on June 13th, 2002

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Film

Robert DeNiro has built a tremendous career out of portraying men who are to be feared. Starting with Vito Corleone in The Godfather Part II through Good Fellas, DeNiro has established himself as the Hollywood Don. Analyze This is a brilliant comedy that cashes in on that long body of work. There’s no setup required for us to accept DeNiro as the head of a crime family. What makes the film work on an even higher level is the addition of Billy Crystal and the fact that both powerful actors play against what you would expect.
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Shallow Hal

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on May 25th, 2002

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Film

Jack Black, in my opinion, is one of the funniest actors in Hollywood today. Black, along with Gwyneth Paltrow, stars in Shallow Hal… the latest in the line of crude Farrelly Brother’s comedies. This film fell short of its potential, but was still mildly amusing.

“Jack Black is Shallow Hal, a superficial skirt chaser who, after a mind-altering experience with a self-help guru, doesn’t realize that his gorgeous girlfriend (Gwyneth Paltrow) is actually a 300-pound not-do-hottie. Meanw…
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Slackers

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on May 10th, 2002

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Film

Here comes another teen movie from Columbia-Tristar… no, not “Not Another Teen Movie”, rather just another teen movie. This time it is Slackers that is getting the DVD treatment. This film was not as bad as I expected. Actually it was somewhat entertaining, especially the role played by Jason Schwartzman (from Rushmore fame) who plays an absolutely insane collage student infatuated with a girl beyond his means. Enough for my rambling, here is the synopsis…

“Crafty room…
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Marilyn Monroe – Diamond Collection Vol. II

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on May 4th, 2002

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Films

Fox offers five more Marilyn Monroe classics in Marilyn Monroe – The Diamond Collection Vol. II

Don’t Bother to Knock – “Jed, an airline pilot, (Widmark) is resting in a hotel when he notices Nell (Monroe), a young woman babysitting for a wealthy couple. As Jed gets to know Nell better he realizes that the woman is not as stable as perhaps she should be. A unique thriller featuring a rare dramatic performance from Monroe, illustrating a broader range than most people might …
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Galaxy Quest

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on April 9th, 2002

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Anyone who has been to a Star Trek convention will have heightened appreciation for Galaxy Quest. George Takei, who played Sulu on the original Trek, was asked about the film at a convention and he responded, “That was real. I know that guy played by Tim Allen”. There are many classic parodies of science fiction films but I think this is one of the most entertaining.

Synopsis

The cast of the cult classic sci-fi series Galaxy Quest are now relegated to convention hell. They aren’t really fond of each other but stay together because they need the money.
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Bandits

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on March 20th, 2002

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Intro

This film has an all-star cast, and a very funny story. This Special Edition release of Bandits is very good… and the film should entertain.

Synopsis

Loosely based on a true story, Bandits tells the tale of Joe (Bruce Willis) and Terry (Billy Bob Thornton), two convicts who break out of prison and stage a daring series of bank robberies by taking the bank manager hostage the night BEFORE the robbery, then getting him to open up the bank. Joe is the ladies man and prone to…
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Bull Durham

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on March 17th, 2002

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Intro

Writer/director Ron Shelton says, in his commentary, that one of the things that pushed him to make Bull Durham was the sense that nobody did sports movies right. Mission accomplished: here is a film about baseball that can be enthusiastically embraced by those of us who have no interest in, or knowledge of, baseball.

Synopsis

Devout member of the Church of Baseball, Susan Sarandon selects a player each year to coach in the arts of love and of the game. This year, her two candida…
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Bar Girls

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on March 11th, 2002

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Intro

It is interesting to see a film with such a tiny budget ($500,000) on the MGM label.

Synopsis

The film is centred around a Girl Bar, and follows the trials and tribulations in love of a group of lesbians. Loretta, a TV cartoon writer, is the central figure (though this is pretty close to being an ensemble piece), and is something like a cross between Bette Midler and Bridget Jones. Bar Girls was originally a play, and a good job was done of opening the story up – the film does no…
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National Lampoon’s European Vacation

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on March 7th, 2002

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Chevy Chase is at his funniest in National Lampoon’s European Vacation. This film now seems somewhat dated, but it still makes me laugh.

Synopsis

“The first time the Griswalds took a trip – in National Lampoon’s Vacation – moviegoers everywhere went along for the ride… and went bonkers! Now they’re into even zanier sightseeing in National Lampoon’s European Vacation, directed by Amy Heckerling (Clueless, Fast Times at Ridgemont High).

Chevy Chase and Beverly D’Angelo return as Clark …
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Barcelona

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on March 2nd, 2002

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Film

Genuinely witty comedies with an idea or two in their heads are rare enough that each one that shows up is cause for celebration. So go ahead. Celebrate.

The set-up is familiar: the romantic misadventures of two mismatched friends. The odd couple are Ted (Taylor Nichols), basically a yuppie Woody Allen, and Fred (Chris Eigeman), who cheerfully admits to being every European’s worst assumptions about Americans. The objects of their affections are Tushka Bergen and Mira Sorvino. What’s d…
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Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on February 26th, 2002

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Intro

It is about damn time that The Empire Strikes Back made it to DVD… oh wait; this is Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back, not The Empire Strikes Back (Damn it). Oh well, at least we now have one “Strikes Back” on DVD, and it is a dandy DVD release.

Synopsis

“First seen in Kevin Smith’s breakthrough film “Clerks,” Jay and Silent Bob have continued their adventures in both live-action movies and animated television shows. In JAY AND SILENT BOB STRIKE BACK, when they learn that t…
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Blind Date

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on January 30th, 2002

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Written By Kelly Stifora

Intro

Kim Basinger and Dan Larroquette upstage Bruce Willis in his tepid debut as a leading man. Don’t let the fact that Blake Edwards directed blind you: this is a dud.

Synopsis

Walter (Willis) gets set up on a blind date with Nadia (Basinger) for an incredibly important business dinner at which his boss is expecting him to make a good impression on a prospective client. After being explicitly told not to let Nadia imbibe, Walter heads straight out to get a bottle of champagne and sta…
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Ghost World

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on January 27th, 2002

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Written By Kelly Stifora

Intro

Director Terry Zwigoff follows up his acclaimed documentary on R. Crumb with an adaptation of the cult underground comic by Crumb-inspired artist/writer Daniel Clowes, who collaborated closely with Zwigoff on the film.

Synopsis

Enid (Thora Birch) and Rebecca (Scarlett Johansson) are two caustic high school graduates too intent on annoying the hapless souls in their neighborhood to realize their dream of having their own place. As Rebecca drifts toward a responsible life and Enid …
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How to Get Ahead in Advertising

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on January 27th, 2002

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posted by Marc Atonna

Everything must either be high in something or low in something else. You have to love a film where a priest defends, “the tit was spread with peanut butter!”

Synopsis

Dennis Bagley is a hard, calculating advertising executive who was happy in every way he could conceive. Upon worrying about an overdue campaign for a boil ointment, he sprouts a boil himself. Not a problem, you’d think; that is, until the boil starts speaking. Dennis seems batty to all who hear the random boil comments or feel h…
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