Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on June 20th, 2007
Since its release first as a Dan Brown novel and then as a less successful film, The DaVinci Code has stirred up more than its fair share of hornet’s nests. What most folks seem to be forgetting is that the stuff was fiction. Brown NEVER claims to be offering a secret look inside the workings of the Catholic Church. So why do we need this investigation? The self-professed documentary isn’t really a look at the story at all. It’s merely a lot of real wackos trying to fill our heads with their claptrap conspiracy the...ries and new definitions for Christianity. This will not appeal to fans of the film, unless you are one of those who think Brown was really on to something. I have no problem with these beliefs. If that’s what you want to believe, go ahead. I do have a problem getting sucked into this craziness in the guise of having something to do with a film I might have enjoyed. Susan Sarandon attempts to hold the whole thing together but can’t seem to save this sinking ship.
The problem, as I see it, is how thin the line is for some folks between fact and fiction. It shouldn’t really come as such a surprise when one looks at how much news time today is dedicated to the likes of Paris Hilton or Anna Nicole Smith. In recent years we’ve lost men who have been President of the United States and got far less attention than has Smith. Are we that far gone as a society? Watching this makes me wonder. With that much attention on celebrity, is it any wonder we start to believe almost anything we’re told, even in a work of fiction? Oliver Stone has made a living trotting out conspiracy theories knowing he can beat the conspiracy nuts into a frenzy. This gets good PR for his films, but does it serve us as a society? I’ve already said more than this thing deserves. Just say no.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Michael Durr on June 1st, 2007
Synopsis
Most people don’t know where to place Puerto Ricans. Some would like to think they are Hispanic, some would like to think that they are African. To treat them as anything beside their own culture would be a mistake. They are Puerto Rican, proud and have been in the United States for almost a century. Puerto Ricans have been for the most part unfairly discriminated against and put into groups that they simply do not belong in. From Pedro Albizu Campos to Jennifer Lopez, there has ...een famous Puerto Ricans we have come to know and appreciate. Rosie Perez (White Men Can’t Jump, Do the Right Thing) decided to direct a documentary in 2006 that would talk how it was to grow up Puerto Rican but also explore the culture and the history of Puerto Ricans in relation to the United States. This is a side of Puerto Rico that few get to see.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Michael Durr on May 18th, 2007
Synopsis
My life has been a strange journey. Recently I found myself divorced after a three year marriage. Needless to say I'm probably need a bit of soul searching. Perhaps I need to cleanse my spirit before setting back out into the world from which I came. Now I've never been a religiously deep person but I do take myself on as a spiritual one. So to see a surprise title in my queue with the words The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success would bring at least a little ...bit of curiosity to my senses. In 1994, Deepak Chopra wrote a book with the above title and it granted him critical acclaim from people worldwide. Thirteen years later, this is brought to us in dvd form to enjoy. While some of the theories can be debated, a lot of its fundamental ideas make sense.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on April 18th, 2007
Planet Earth – The Complete Series presents the original U.K. broadcast version with narration by David Attenborough, not the version airing on Discovery narrated by Sigourney Weaver.
Have you ever sat back and wondered about the sheer size and shape of our world, its diversity of habitats or the incredible variety of life we share it with? It’s hard to get your head around it all, especially when most of us are living out our existences in one tiny slice of the place, with the only the odd vacation ...roadening our horizons.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on April 9th, 2007
In many ways, slasher films are like porno movies. Chief among them is that many times you just want to skip to the good parts. There may be a plot, but it’s so poorly constructed, the dialog is downright embarrassing and the direction leaves a lot to be desired. But the one thing they get right is all that matters. After all, there’s only one reasons we watch.
Going to Pieces: The Rise and Fall of the Slasher Film is a documentary which does just this. It features some of the most gruesome and fam...us scenes from slasher films, all while exploring the slasher film’s history, from inception in the late 70's, right up until what seems like a few months ago, with in-depth and fascinating interviews from the slasher film masters themselves, as well as others in the slasher film industry.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on April 1st, 2007
I’ve always been fascinated by ocean life much more than space. Sure, planets and stars are cool, but growing up I was reading books about sharks, not supernovas. That interest in the wonders of the sea has never really faded, so you can imagine that I was pretty stoked to watch IMAX: Deep Sea.
Unfortunately, I missed this one in theatres when it was IMAX: Deep Sea 3D. The only thing three-dimensional about this DVD release is the sweet lenticular slipcover. If you stare at the cover while you turn it slowly, a shark appears to swim up to have you for lunch. Nice.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on March 13th, 2007
Back in 2003, The Dixie Chicks raised controversy when lead singer Natalie Maines announced - to a concert audience in London and in opposition to the Iraq war - that the Chicks were ashamed the President of the United States is from Texas. Her comment changed their career.
I'm not a country music fan, so I hadn't heard of the Dixie Chicks until they enraged a significant number of red-blooded Americans, who began boycotting the group and staging demonstrations involving various forms of destroying Dixie Chicks CDs. You'd think these hardcore Americans would be happy to see fellow citizens exercising their right to free speech, but the common sentiment from Bush-lovers was "free speech is fine, but don't do it in public, and don't embarrass the President."
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on March 13th, 2007
Back in 2003, The Dixie Chicks raised controversy when lead singer Natalie Maines announced - to a concert audience in London and in opposition to the Iraq war - that the Chicks were ashamed the President of the United States is from Texas. Her comment changed their career.
I'm not a country music fan, so I hadn't heard of the Dixie Chicks until they enraged a significant number of red-blooded Americans, who began boycotting the group and staging demonstrations involving various forms of destroying Dixie Chicks CDs. You'd think these hardcore Americans would be happy to see fellow citizens exercising their right to free speech, but the common sentiment from Bush-lovers was "free speech is fine, but don't do it in public, and don't embarrass the President."
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on March 8th, 2007
Synopsis
This documentary follows six seasons of the Roosevelt Roughriders girls’ basketball team. Initially, the focus was going to be the work of their unorthodox coach, economics teacher Bill Resler. What he did is interesting in and of itself, turning the team into a real force to be reckoned with. But then into this middle-class, largely white setting comes Darnellia Russell, inner city girl with inner city problems, and colossal talent. The film follows her integration into the team, and when p...egnancy forces her to leave the team for a season, the story becomes her legal battle against the basketball association to be allowed to rejoin. There may be a few too many subjects here for any of them to be fully dealt with, but the result is undeniably compelling viewing.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on February 15th, 2007
Don't let the goofy title fool you; The Doctor, the Tornado, and the Kentucky Kid is a serious documentary. This film takes an inside look at the fast-paced world of MotoGP motorcycle racing. Specifically, the subject is the lives of three top riders as they enter the week of the race at Laguna Seca, one of the most difficult tracks in the world. While this film may be a little too in-depth for those that don't at least casually follow the sport, fans of motorcycle racing will likely be thrilled with this, the...sequel to the popular film Faster.
Often times, sports films get tedious as the story drags on. Since this one focuses on just one race, however, viewers don't get bogged down in the grind of a full season. Plus, as with the sport itself, the riders are living on the edge of their mortality throughout, and the viewer really gets the sense that instantaneous death could occur at any time. This sense of tension perfectly mimics the film's subject matter, and it goes a long way to helping the at-home viewer stay engaged with the material. Director Mark Neale has done an excellent job of crafting a documentary that is exciting, yet still dramatic and informative.
