Posted in: Disc Reviews by William O'Donnell on April 26th, 2010
A first-year film student named Yannick crosses paths with a black cat (literally) and crashes his bicycle, then knocks on the door of a family home in a nice neighborhood looking for assistance. A few minutes later he is held captive by a psychotic family, led by a patriarch who is convinced it is his life's duty to rid the world of those who are “not righteous.” As our hero Yannick slips between clawing desperation and clever tact in his attempts to escape he is offered a chance at freedom. Jacques, the head of the household, is an undefeated, nation-wide renowned Chess champion, and if Yannick can beat him once, he will be released.
This French-Canadian thriller grips you immediately and holds your attention captive throughout its duration. This film relies heavily on the performances of its leads and they deliver splendidly. Jacques does not appear strange in his psychosis, but calm for his character is convinced of his self-righteousness and his mission. His daughter, whom he is grooming to take over his work, acts out violently when her family is threatened but cannot bring herself to kill in the name of God. The mother has a soft-spot for their prisoner for he displayed great kindness to the youngest child, a small mute girl who quietly loathes her father.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by William O'Donnell on April 25th, 2010
C.O.P.S aired in 1988, one year after the debut of Robocop, and the future-cop theme and design is clearly influenced by Verhoven's violent satire. As a child I caught onto this influence immediately and a part of me always saw it as derivative (along with some Judge Dredd influence). Watching it now I get an eery knot in my stomach as I realize just how silly and loaded with slapstick this cartoon really is, and yet cannot help but still recognize the design influence of Robocop. Throughout there is this strange paradox of immensely threatening looking characters doing terribly silly things. One should expect these various behemoths to be murderers, rapists or just violent thugs (just look at the caricature grins most of them have and tell me I'm wrong) and yet they're stealing fur coats and cavemen and all have goofy voices....my brain takes a while to process all of this.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on April 25th, 2010
John Skillpa (Cillian Murphy) has been hopelessly damaged by the monstrous abuse his mother inflicted on him. As a result, he now has two separate personalities: John and Emma. John is a terminally shy bank clerk who exists as of 8:15 in the morning and for the duration of the work day. Emma takes care of the domestic chores and leave notes and meals for John. But one day, while Emma is doing the laundry, a derailed caboose blasts through the fence, revealing her existence to the town of Peacock. Everyone assumes she is John's wife. Coaxed out of her shell by Susan Sarandon, Emma gradually blossoms, much to the distress of John. When Ellen Page shows up with a young child and a dark revelation from John's past, the two personalities find themselves moving closer and closer towards a violent confrontation.
It is a testament to the work of director/co-writer Michael Lander and of Cillian Murphy (not for the first time making effective use of his androgynous looks) that one finds oneself increasingly viewing Skillpa as two entirely separate people as, bit by by, drop by drop, the suspense builds. Sympathy shifts back and forth between Emma and John, and by the end one can no more imagine Skillpa as a unified whole than one can decide which of the two halves is the “real” person. Touching and tense, this is a bizarre cross between Psycho and Our Town, and it somehow works very well indeed.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by William O'Donnell on April 25th, 2010
The title monster of Irish myth terrorizes people in the middle of the US for no good reason and with no explanation as to why its there, how it came to be or anything else aside from visually demonstrating that it uses sound to make its victims hallucinate. A group of teens on spring break encounter it and every single one of them survives after befriending the misunderstood beast. Of course that's a lie...they die...but doesn't the nice plot sound so much more interesting? It does to me when you've seen countless films about teenagers being ripped apart in the woods.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on April 25th, 2010
We are in the mid-60s, when, during the glory days of the Stones, the Who, and other colossi of British rock, the BBC allows almost no airplay of said music. To the rescue comes a group of commercial pirate radio stations, broadcasting from ships off the coast. Priggish minister Kenneth Branagh is determined to shut them down, and our focus is on one particular ship, run by Bill Nighy, and boasting such luminaries as Philip Seymour Hoffman and Nick Frost as DJs. Onto this ship of counter-culture rebels comes a young Tom Sturridge, and this wet-behind-the-ears youth becomes the eyes through which we watch the various eccentric goings-on.
Director Richard Curtis is a dab hand at ensemble romantic comedies, as the sterling likes of Four Weddings and a Funeral and Love Actually more than demonstrate. But though he has a terrific cast here, including such regulars as the always watchable Nighy, this is a misfire. It is surprising, given some of the indelible characters in Curtis' previous films (notably Emma Thompson's role in Love Actually) that the female parts here are so woefully underwritten (the women in this film are little more than disposable sex objects). As well, would-be funny scenes of the farcical, slamming-door variety (such as the scene where Frost tries to get the virginal Sturridge to replace him in bed) are older than the hills and eroded completely flat. So the comedy, the odd line here and there notwithstanding, barely raises more than a mild grin. And the tone is so light and unconcerned that it robs the context of any real rebellion or vitality. This radio station might as well be a standard classic-rock denizen of the FM band for all the edge we feel. Then there's some laziness to the writing. If we are to believe this is circa 1966, why have someone anachronistically talk about “thinking outside the box”?
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on April 24th, 2010
"Two years ago my son was taken from me. Since then I've lost everything: my job, my marriage, even my life. But I came back, and the dead came with me."
Posted in: Disc Reviews by William O'Donnell on April 24th, 2010
This film is part biography of the immensely popular, African singer Youssou N'Dour, and part documentary of his tour to support his controversial religious album “Egypt.” The film opens with a stirring song that arrives with no context. 2 minutes into the film and Youssou's amazing voice gives me goosebumps...we are off to a great start.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Michael Durr on April 22nd, 2010
Despite its rather crass and offensive material, Drawn Together lasted three seasons and thirty six episodes before Comedy Central pulled the plug in March 2008. The show featured parodies of popular cartoon characters or archetypes and brought that together in a very funny style that delighted fans who were partial to shows such as Family Guy or Robot Chicken. So it was only natural that when the episodes ended, they would look to other production avenues, like direct to dvd.
*Warning. This review does have a little bit of salty language or describes risque situations. If you are a child, please do the right thing. Clear your browser history and cookies after you read this review. You have been warned, thank you.*
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on April 21st, 2010
"Nothing worse than an old hippie, man."
When I think of Cheech & Chong, I am brought back to the 1970’s. It was then that the pair had their first success with an iconic brand of “stoner” comedy. Their LPs sold millions across the country. You didn’t have to be a stoner to appreciate the jokes. I was about as straight as they come, but I really loved listening to Cheech & Chong. The material was about more than just getting high. It was timely, at least it was then. It mirrored the culture that we could see from our own windows, and like all inspired comedy, it was relevant.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on April 21st, 2010
“Man lives in the sunlit world of what he believes to be reality. But there is, unseen by most, an underworld, a place that is just as real, but not so brightly lit, a darkside.”
Not since the likes of Rod Serling’s Twilight Zone or The Outer Limits has there been a really good sci-fi/horror anthology until 1984’s Tales. Not to say that each episode was a winner. In fact, most were pretty weak and relatively lame, but when this show was good, it was very good. These tales weren’t any ordinary specter spectaculars, but were told by spectacular story writers, directors, and producers. Look at just this first season, and you’ll find some of the top names in the field involved in one way or another. You’ll see the likes of Stephen King, Tom Savini, George Romero, Robert Bloch, Frank De Palma, and Harlan Ellison. The tales often came with a twist, or at least a big finale in the end. Much like a train’s headlight in a long tunnel, you might have seen it coming from a mile away, but it’s hard to avoid the impact.
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