Drama

Last Tango in Paris (Blu-ray)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on March 9th, 2011

There have been very few films of this stature that I have not had the chance to see over the years. Even if I don’t think I might enjoy a particular movie, there are those titles that have become so well known or a part of the culture that one feels a sense of obligation to take in. For years The Last Tango In Paris was one of those films for me. Thanks to a new Blu-ray release by MGM, I was finally afforded the opportunity.
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Scandalous Gilda

Posted in Disc Reviews by David Annandale on March 9th, 2011

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Monica Guerritore is an unnamed wealthy socialite (all of the characters in the film are unnamed) who catches her husband in flagrante with another woman. To add insult to injury this woman is a TV personality of a sort unknown in North America, but common in France and Italy – an attractive woman whose only job is to let you know what’s coming up next – and, rightly or wrongly, can represent, as is the case here, a certain form of empty glamour.
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The Storm Warriors

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on March 9th, 2011

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I must admit, I came at The Storm Warriors with very little knowledge of its creators, the Pang brothers, but as someone who appreciates Asian cinema, I felt that I had the sensibilities to enjoy the film.
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Paula-Paula

Posted in Disc Reviews by David Annandale on March 3rd, 2011

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Paula (Carmen Montes), a dancer at a strip club, is arrested for the murder of Paula (Paula Davis), a fellow dancer. The arresting officer (Lina Romay) questions the near-catatonic Paula, and the rest of the film is a slow-motion, flashback of the dead Paula dancing, the two women making love, and the murder. Once the slow-mo begins, there is no further dialogue, except for a cryptic fable that Paula tells to the camera.
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WUSA

Posted in Disc Reviews by David Annandale on March 3rd, 2011

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Cynical, alcoholic ex-musician Paul Newman arrives in New Orleans with barely a cent to his name. Following a tip from scam-artist preacher Laurence Harvey, Newman lands a job as a DJ for WUSA, an extreme right wing/white power propaganda radio station. Newman has no patience for his employers’ message, but he’s happy to take the money and drink himself into an apathetic stupor.
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The Trial (2010)

Posted in Disc Reviews by William O'Donnell on March 3rd, 2011

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A criminal defense attorney, played by Matthew Modine, has lost all hope after his family dies in an accident. On the brink of suicide, he is called upon for one more case, defending a young man who may face the death penalty on a murder charge.
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Chaplin (15th Anniversary Edition) (Blu-ray)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on March 1st, 2011

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Everyone knows Charlie Chaplin. For many, he is the symbol of the silent age of film. The stiff figure in trademark hat and twirling cane comes easily to mind. But that wasn’t really Charlie Chaplin. That was a character he created called The Tramp, or often The Little Tramp. So, it would seem that Chaplin spent most of his career playing The Tramp, who in turn played many different characters on the silent screen. He was known for his subversive antics and charming stare.
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Unstoppable (Blu-ray)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on February 23rd, 2011

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“In training they give you an F. Out here you get killed.”

When was the last time you saw a good train movie? There have been a few classics. Most of the best merely happened on a train with the drama having to do with what was happening on the train. I can’t really remember when I saw a good train film where a train itself was the source of the tension. Yes, there have been several films where terrorists hijack a train and threaten something bad if their demands weren’t met. But in Unstoppable, the threat really is just the train.
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The Time Traveler’s Wife

Posted in Disc Reviews by William O'Donnell on February 16th, 2011

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A Chicago man has a strange genetic disorder that makes him involuntarily travel through time. This film follows the unimaginably complicated romance he has with a woman who he has known since she was a little girl and they never get to age chronologically together, and sometimes share different memories of the past (which might be the future for the other…I know…I told you its complicated).
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Thelma & Louise (20th Anniversary) (Blu-ray)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on February 16th, 2011

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“I’ve always believed that, done properly, armed robbery doesn’t have to be a totally unpleasant experience.”

You would think that Thelma And Louise would have been a blockbuster film. It’s certainly become entrenched in our pop culture. The famous ending has been spoofed to death in other films and television shows, including the latest Star Trek, if you can believe that. You would think, but you’d be completely wrong. This was one of the movies that got a ton of critical attention and even some Academy Award attention.
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Stone (Blu-ray)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on February 12th, 2011

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Character studies. They might be the most misunderstood movies in the business. Those who do understand them love them when they’re done right. When the perfect balance of performance and direction create dynamic moments through character and to a lesser extent the story, we get pretty excited. I watched Stone recently, and I got pretty excited. But that’s not the experience a lot of folks had. Perhaps because the film had a limited release in just over 100 theaters nationwide, the idea that it was an art-house or festival film might have put the mainstream folks off a bit.
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Greenberg

Posted in Disc Reviews by David Annandale on February 11th, 2011

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Roger Greenberg (Ben Stiller) once was a musician, but now he is a carpenter and an inveterate writer of letters of complaint (to pet taxis, for instance, for not having a soft carpet for the paws of their passengers). After a stay at a mental institution, he arrives in LA to look after his brother’s house and dog while the family is away in Vietnam. He reconnects with an old friend from his band days (Rhys Ifans, a long way from his manic energy in Notting Hill), and circles around a stop-start romance with personal aid and professional doormat Florence (Greta Gerwig).
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Rain Man (Blu-ray)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on February 10th, 2011

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Charlie Babbitt (Tom Cruise) is a self-centered dealer in exotic cars. He imports high-end sports cars into the states and sells them to the highest bidder. Within the first 10 minutes, we learn that he is not above bribing the EP for the cars to pass emissions, that he treats his girlfriend poorly, and that his father has just passed away. As he goes to the reading of the will, hoping for a big payday, his father leaves him only a car.
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The Girl

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on February 8th, 2011

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Written by Diane Tillis

It is rare for a film to create a complex portrait of a child with the same thoughtfulness as a serious portrait of an adult. The Girl is unusual compared to the countless other coming-of-age films is in its depiction of the title character and the events she experiences in one summer.
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See You In September

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on February 7th, 2011

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Written by Diane Tillis

See You in September is Tamara Tunie’s (Law & Order: Special Victims Unit) first attempt behind the camera as director and producer. It is a romantic comedy with a cast of recognizable faces, such as Estella Warren from Planet of the Apes (2001) and Justin Kirk from Showtime’s Weeds. See You in September is a lighthearted film for the optimistic romantic in all of us.
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Red Hill (Blu-ray)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Michael Durr on February 7th, 2011

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Westerns are typically fun movies to review because they usually don’t deviate much from a basic formula. There is usually a criminal, and there is usually a good guy out there to shoot that varmint. Technically, that is all there is to it. Furthermore, the budget (unless big stars are involved) is small, making for some creative storytelling. Today, we get to review an Australian western: Red Hill. Let’s see if it differs from the typical American one.
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The Guardian: Final Season

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on February 7th, 2011

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Simon Baker is riding high these days. Last year his new series, The Mentalist, was the highest ranked new drama of the year. That accomplishment got the show paired with CSI in that enviable Thursday night time slot. I’m amazed when I hear folks tell me how the actor appeared to come out of nowhere. A few film roles and he’s Mr. Television. Well, count me in with the small group that isn’t so surprised and saw him coming as far away as 2001 with a sleeper CBS series called The Guardian.
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The Fugitive: The Fourth and Final Season, Volume Two

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on February 7th, 2011

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“The man is Richard Kimble, and, not surprisingly, the man is tired. Tired of looking over his shoulder, the ready lie of the buses and freight trains. Richard Kimble is tired of running…”

The elusive “one-armed man” is one of the best-known television icons of all time. The plight of Dr. Richard Kimball has been the subject of numerous imitations and even a feature film staring Harrison Ford as Kimball and Tommy Lee Jones as his pursuer. Tim Daly left the ranks of comedy to fill the shoes of Kimball in a very short-lived revival series.
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Secretariat (Blu-ray)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on January 31st, 2011

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“He paws fiercely, rejoicing in his strength and charges into the fray. He laughs at fear, afraid of nothing. He does not shy away from the sword. The quiver rattles against his side, along with the flashing spear and lance. In frenzied excitement, he eats up the ground. He cannot stand still when the trumpet sounds.”

Disney has a grand tradition of putting out a certain kind of sports film. You know the type well.
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This Movie Is Broken

Posted in Disc Reviews by William O'Donnell on January 25th, 2011

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Not quite a concert film, not quite a drama. This film follows a young man named Bruno, who sleeps with his life long crush, the night before she moves from Toronto to Paris. On this final night, Broken Social Scene are playing a free show and Bruno uses a connection to get backstage passes as a last ditch effort to win over his crush. All the while, we are treated to a multi camera view of that very same concert, running the duration of the entire film.
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Howl (Blu-Ray)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Michael Durr on January 22nd, 2011

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Allen Ginsberg is often regarded as one of the most important poets of the 20th century. He is seen as a symbol of the Beat Generation and contributed to the San Francisco Renaissance. His most important work, Howl has created both worldwide controversy and praise. It escalated into a 1957 obscenity trial of the poet and Lawrence Ferlinghetti who had published Howl along with other selections from Ginsberg. The film is a celebration of Ginsberg’s life as well as the results of this trial.
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The Freebie

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on January 20th, 2011

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The Freebie is a festival friendly drama-comedy about Darren (Dax Shepard) and Annie (Katie Aselton) ailing sexual relationship. The film is interested with relationships after they pass the lust stage. How do couples maintain a healthy romantic relationship? Darren and Annie strive for ways to spice up their situation and the idea eventually becomes one night of freedom from each other to explore other options.
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Raging Bull (Two-Disc 30th Anniversary) (Blu-ray)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on January 20th, 2011

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“Give me a stage where this here bull can rage.”

Under normal circumstances and certainly under less skillful hands the story of Jake La Motta would not be one worth telling. His life is a story without heroes. It’s a life of abusive behavior and an almost unredeemable personality. The only way he was ever capable of expressing himself was in the boxing ring. Even there he was doomed to feel inadequate most of his life.
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Buried (Blu-ray)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on January 20th, 2011

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“Dear Screenwriter,

“Here’s your writing prompt: You are to write a feature-length screenplay with only one on-screen character. This character is to remain in only one location for the entire duration of the film, and that one location must be a 2′ x 7′ wooden box. You cannot use flashbacks, cut-aways, or any other narrative device that would take the action outside that box. Sound impossible? It’s not. In fact, all this exactly describes the film BURIED.”

Or how about this one.
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Dances with Wolves (20th Anniversary Extended Cut) (Blu-ray)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on January 19th, 2011

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There’s no doubt that Kevin Costner’s name has been attached to some pretty crappy projects during his career – Waterworld, The Postman, and 3000 Miles to Graceland to name a few – and it’s unfortunate, because the aforementioned dirt loafs have tarnished the fine film that we’re here to discuss, Dances With Wolves. Heck, even I had horrid recollections of the film from viewing it years ago in theaters. However, this review forced me to check the film out again and I actually found myself…enjoying it – and enjoying it immensely.
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