Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on April 2nd, 2003
Synopsis
When Pierce Brosnan’s wife up and leaves him, decamping with another man for Australia,his attempts to be a single parent are quickly derailed by the government. Since he is currentlywithout work, his children (including the title daughter Evelyn) are placed in group homes runby nuns (where Evelyn goes) and monks (where the two boys go). Once he is back on his feetfinancially, he still isn’t granted custody, as the children will not be released without the consentof both pa...
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on March 27th, 2003
Synopsis
Greg Kinnear, in the role he was born to play, is Bob Crane. Rising to fame as ColonelHogan, Crane falls in with the slimy John Carpenter (Willem Dafoe). The two are obsessed withsex and photography, and the invention of home video is their ticket to ride. The obsessionultimately ruins both lives. Very funny in the early goings, the film gets, as you can well imagine,very dark by the end. The message, one could argue, is as puritanical as the sex=death lesson ofthe 80s slas...
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on March 22nd, 2003
Synopsis
Gene Tierney is Mrs. Muir, a young widow at the turn of the 20th Century, who has hadenough of her overbearing in-laws. She moves to the coast, falling in love with a cottage thatturns out to be haunted by Rex Harrison, a crusty sea captain. The two strong wills clash initially,but soon develop a real affection for each other. Directed by All About Eve’s JosephMankiewicz, this low-key romance is affecting and witty, and the black-and-whitecinematography is gorgeous. The per...
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on March 13th, 2003
Synopsis
Matthew Modine, somewhat down on his luck as a writer, takes a job as a creative writinginstructor in a prison. He suspects a particularly bright student has been kept in prison unjustly.This man also wants to make amends with the sister of the man for whose murder he has beenheld responsible. Wouldn’t you know it, redemption is a two-way street as Modine finds newpurpose in life too. Ordinary, but competent TV drama.
Audio
The music is good, there ...
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on March 8th, 2003
When this movie first came out in 1974 I think it probably caused a stir and was maybe even labeled “controversial”. We have the story of Claudine (played by Diahann Carroll) a struggling Harlem mother with 6 children to support; she collects welfare and works under the table on the side as a maid for a wealthy family. She meets a charming garbage man named Roop (James Earl Jones, much younger and thinner then I have ever seen him) who is struggling with his own life trials which makes him slow to respond to her invi...
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on March 8th, 2003
Let me admit from the start I have an almost pathological fear of needles. This means I watched several minutes of this film with my eyes closed. If you share the phobia this is not a DVD for you. Sugar Hill has a lot of unfulfilled potential. The acting is mostly first rate and the story is often compelling. The producers mucked it up with too many Godfather clichés from the “I’m your older brother and I was stepped over” to Snipes coming of age at a baptism. Even AbeVigoda shows us what Tessio would have turned into if he hadn’t taken that “ride”.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on March 8th, 2003
Synopsis
Ben Cross is a British officer during WWII. After the invasion of Sicily, he becomes themilitary governor of a small town. Naturally, all sorts of characters are present, and he falls inlove with a forbidden woman.
Audio
Mono sound on this disc. It’s acceptable, but certainly unspectacular, and there is somedistortion on the dialogue.
Video
A good news/bad news disc. The picture is widescreen at 1.78:1, but still appears to ...
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on March 8th, 2003
Synopsis
Imprisoned for the revenge killing of the man who murdered his parents, Calvin Jung isreleased after 25 years. He returns home to discover that his younger brother (Eddie Mui) is nowworking for a Chinese crime lord. This is a film that doesn’t reach the lofty heights it aims for,but does work an interesting social angle to the usual crime film.
Audio
The sound (2.0, as far as I can tell) is pretty good. The music comes through very nicely. Thesound ...
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on March 2nd, 2003
Synopsis
Young Matt Howard’s father goes off to help the British fight the French and Indian Warsin Ohio, apparently in the cause of liberty, and is killed. Years later, Matt has grown up into CaryGrant (hellishly miscast and looking utterly ridiculous in his Daniel Boone getup). He becomesa surveyor, still imbued with his father’s political ideals and marries into an aristocratic andconservative family. Tensions rise and decisions must be made once the War of Independencebegins. Th...
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on March 1st, 2003
Synopsis
We’re a long way from the escapist song-and-dance numbers that characterize so manyIndian films. Salaam Bombay! is set on the mean streets of Bombay, with special focuson the street children living there. The main character is Krishna, who tries to make a life forhimself, but circumstances push him towards crime. Many of the roles are actually played byhomeless children.
Audio
The soundtrack (in Hindi) comes in both the original mono and in a...
