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Genre

Masque of the Red Death, The / The Premature Burial

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

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Synopsis

The Masque of the Red Death is one of Corman’s most sumptuous Poe pictures. Vincent Price plays the decadent Prince Pospero, presiding over sadistic revels while the plague rages outside his castle walls. The plague, however, is personified here, and has plans for Prospero. In The Premature Burial, Ray Milland is obsessed with the fear that he will be buried alive. Guess what happens? Though not as good as Masque, this film has long been absent from home video, and its appearance here is ver…
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976-EVIL

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

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Synopsis

Bad boy Spike discovers the benefits of calling the title phone number for his “horrorscope.” Bad things happen to the people who tick Spike off. But Spike doesn’t need help as much as his put-upon cousin Hoax does. And Hoax’s addiction to the number is going to spell bad news for everyone.

Audio

The music is good, the effects okay. Most of the time there’s not too much to create an environment for the viewer, and there is some minor distortion on some voices. But …
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Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on August 12th, 2002

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After a dismal resurrection on film with Star Trek: The Motion Picture, it appeared that the crew of the good ship Enterprise was finally stilled forever. Enter two heroes to rival Kirk and Spock in Harve Bennett and Nicholas Myers. Star Trek II is everything that shines about Star Trek. Finally the triumvirate of Kirk, Spock, and McCoy dazzle longtime fans with the chemistry that made the original series so enduring. In The Motion Picture, the characters come off stiff and cold. They hardly seem to know each other.
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Dinotopia

Posted in Disc Reviews by David Annandale on August 11th, 2002

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Synopsis

Two brothers survive a plane crash (a crash in which their father dies, but they don’t seem too broken up about the sad event), and find themselves washed up on the island of Dinotopia. As the name implies, this is a land where humans and dinosaurs co-exist. We explore this island with the brothers, and get caught up in their quest to help save this world in its hour of peril. The characters here are a long way from believable, and so the main draw is the special effects, which are, by telev…
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Lethal Weapon 4

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

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The final (so far) Lethal Weapon is not a bad film at all, but it does suffer from the escalation syndrome. After three explosive films number 4 finds itself in the trap of having to try too hard to top its predecessors. While Chris Rock is a funny guy and he adds some great moments in the film, he’s just simply not necessary and distracts from the Glover, Gibson, Pesci trilogy of hysterics. I could also do without the domestication of Riggs through Russo’s character. All that said, you won’t be disappointed because it’s back to Disney World and another film literally exploding with rides.

SpongeBob Squarepants Halloween

Posted in Disc Reviews by David Annandale on August 11th, 2002

Synopsis

SpongeBob and his friends are up to their usual misadventures. SpongeBob encounters the Flying Dutchman, is turned into a snail, mistakes Squidward for a ghost, and so on.

Audio

The sound is brisk, clean and chipper. There’s not a whole heck of a lot happening surround-wise — mainly music, with the sound effects rather sparse. There is the occasional moment of left-right effect too, but you have to stay alert for those.

Video

The transfe…
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Brotherhood of Satan, The

Posted in Disc Reviews by David Annandale on August 9th, 2002

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Synopsis

Driving through the middle of nowhere, Ben, his daughter KT, and his girlfriend Nicky arrive in a strange little town. It turns out that arriving here is much easier than leaving. And that’s all I’m going to tell you, other than to say that, as the title says, Satanism is at work here. Do not read the summary on the DVD’s case, which gives absolutely everything away. Hit the film cold, and you’ll be impressed by a knockout opening, some truly eerie moments, and a compelling sense of darkness…
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Sopranos – Complete Third Season

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

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The Show

I cannot say enough about how great this series is. Not only is it extremely entertaining, but the DVD is of remarkable quality. If you have not had the pleasure to see an episode of The Sopranos, here is a synopsis of season three for you:

“Some suburban households have two cars. Some have two houses. But Tony Sopranos has two families.

This could be why the FBI is going to such lengths to wiretap his home. Why is the son of his dear late friend Jackie Ap…
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Sunset Park

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

Synopsis

“A white school teacher takes over a talented, but undisciplined black high school basketball team and turns them into a winning team.” – Columbia-Tristar

Audio

This film contains a very good Hip-Hop soundtrack. The base is substantial during the music sequences, and the surrounds are used effectively during these scenes as well. As just stated, the 5.1 Dolby Digital soundtrack was effective for the music, but did not do much in terms of the film. The surrounds were n…
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Lethal Weapon 2

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on August 5th, 2002

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Just when it seemed that the Glover and Gibson chemistry was as good as it could be, Richard Donner finds a way to improve it. Joe Pesci was the best thing that could have happened to the franchise. This second installment keeps everything that was good about the original and makes it bigger and better. Lethal Weapon 2 is a lot more fun than the first film. The guys are much more comfortable in the roles and it’s obvious they’re having a blast. Watch for a few scenes where you can see Glover working very hard not to crack up around Pesci.

Lethal Weapon 3

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on August 5th, 2002

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The Lethal Weapon series peaked with the third installment. The addition of Rene Russo, while giving Riggs more of a personal life, adds little to the chemistry of Glover, Gibson, and Pesci. Make no mistake. By the third film it’s all about these three characters. This series does not mix well with romance thrown into the pot.

Synopsis

Riggs (Gibson) and Murtaugh (Glover) team up with an internal affairs cop (Russo) to track down a street gang of gun runners. Leo Gets (Pesci) attaches himself to the investigation and, once again, it’s off we go.

Hart’s War

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on July 29th, 2002

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Synopsis

Colin Farrell plays the Hart of the title, a callow youth kept from the front lines of WWII by his senator father. Fate puts him in a prison camp, however, where he meets McNamara (Bruce Willis), who is determined to continue to fight (echoes here of William Holden in The Bridge On the River Kwai).

Audio

The sound is spectacular. You Are There, be it in the war or in the prison camp. Footsteps, wind, horses hooves — everything resounds on all sides. The music, bea…
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The Time Machine

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

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H. G. Wells is often considered the father of science fiction. Tales like The Invisible Man, War of the Worlds, and, of course, The Time Machine, have become classics both in literature and cinematography. The latest version of The Time Machine attempts to satisfy both fans of the George Pal film and readers of the original novel. Having Simon Wells, grandson of the writer, direct the film was no accident. What you end up with is a pretty nice film, but one that might not satisfy fans of the earlier works.
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Lethal Weapon

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

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There have been so many “buddy cop” films that it has become its own genre of sorts. Still, no pairing has yet matched the chemistry of Danny Glover and Mel Gibson in the Lethal Weapon franchise. Even with four films now under their belts, the duo is capable of delivering a relationship that is worn and comfortable while still remaining fresh and exciting. Some of the franchise’s running gags begin in this first film, like Riggs and his dislocated shoulder and Murtaugh’s familiar “I’m getting to old for this shit.”
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Stuart Little

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

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Synopsis

The Littles (Hugh Laurie and Geena Davis) head off to the local orphanage to adopt a child. Their son George (Jonathan Lipnicki) is hoping for a little brother, but what he gets is considerably smaller than he had in mind: talking mouse Stuart (voice of Michael J. Fox). We follow Stuart’s misadventures as he adapts to his new family, and they adapt to him. Nathan Lane does the voice of Snowball, the very put-out cat.

Audio

The sound is very clear, and Alan Sil…
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Elvis: His Best Friend Remembers

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

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Synopsis

“Diamond Joe” Esposito recalls Elvis Presley’s career, from when Esposito first became aware of him, to their shared military service, to the moment he became part of Presley’s entourage. The memories go all the way to Presley’s death and beyond. The disc’s intro is irritatingly self-promotional, and the reverential tone of the piece smacks of an Entertainment Tonight segment stretched to 130 minutes.

Audio

The sound is 2.0 surround, but they really needn’t ha…
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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

I Love Lucy Season One, Volume One

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

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Synopsis

Three episodes from the first season, plus the pilot with its opening seconds restored as much as possible. The series is a landmark in television comedy, no doubt there, though, for my tastes, the schtick hasn’t aged particularly well.

Audio

The sound is, of course, mono. No too much to say, therefore, except that the mono is crisp and clear, especially on the actual season episodes.

Video

The picture is as good as one could expect,…
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Jeffersons – The Complete First Season

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on July 22nd, 2002

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”Movin’ on up”. The Jeffersons did just that… all the way up to become one of the highest rated and longest running sitcoms in television history. There have been many memorable African-American television characters… but who could forget George and Weezy Jefferson? These characters will live on forever, and this set helps to continue there legacy.

Audio

In 1975, when this series began it illustrious run, surround sound was not even an after-thought. That being said, it is very u…
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Accused, The

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on July 19th, 2002

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Synopsis

Jodie Foster, victim of a gang rape, stumbles out of a bar called The Mill. Immediately before she appears, a young man also comes running out, and phones the police. Kelly McGillis is the prosecuting attorney on the case. She arranges a plea bargain with the assailants, which enrages Foster. McGillis then agrees to prosecute the men who stood by, watched, and did nothing. That young man at the beginning of the film will obviously have a crucial role to play.

The film is anchored b…
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Walk to Remember, A

Posted in Disc Reviews by David Annandale on July 18th, 2002

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Synopsis

After a prank goes horribly wrong, almost resulting in the death of another student, high school bad boy Landon (Shane West, doing his best impression of Christian Slater channelling Charlie Sheen), is condemned not to jail, or to community service, but to act in the school play. In this new environment, he becomes more and more acutely aware of self-assured preacher’s daughter Jamie (Mandy Moore). Opposites attract, hard lessons are learned, and redemption is handed out all round. Call it t…
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Contract Killer

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on July 17th, 2002

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Jet Li is the “Contract Killer” (“Sat sau ji wong”) in this direct from Hong Kong 1998 martial arts thriller. Budget? Nope. Plot? Not really. Jet Li? Definitely. This movie is dubbed, and the comedic voices are almost worth the price of admission, especially when they keep switching at various points through the movie. Its really amusing to see Jet Li change from normal to baritone from one scene to another, and its great listening to the “Kwan” character, who’s voice seems to have been done by a young Jason Alexande…
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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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Dune

Posted in Disc Reviews by David Annandale on July 15th, 2002

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Synopsis

Herbert’s novel is very complex, and one attempts a synopsis at one’s own risk (this is part of the problem with Lynch’s film). At its most basic, it is about power struggles in a galactic empire, power struggles centred on the planet Arrakis, or Dune, home of the spice, the most vital element in the empire. Paul Atreides, newly arrived on Arrakis, turns out to be the long-prophesied messiah. This is an incredibly ambitious project for a telefilm, and though some of the budgetary limitations…
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Sins of the Father

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

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Sins of the Father is an emotional film. It is overflowing with disturbing images of both racial and domestic violence. The cast is quite convincing. This film is not for everyone. The portrayal of the racial tensions of 1960’s Alabama closely resembles the historic footage interwoven in the film for realism. The film often switches from 1998 to 1963 and the transitions are often confusing.

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