Posted in: Disc Reviews by Michael Durr on December 26th, 2007
Remakes of movies seem to be common these days. Originality is found almost nowhere and more often than not you get retreads of old ideas. Now it even seems that tv movies are getting remakes like The Initiation of Sarah. The original was made in 1978 and starred Shelly Winters and Morgan Fairchild. The remake produced in late 2006 would also feature Morgan Fairchild in a role. But would it be as good as the 1978 classic or would it simply be a silly excuse for teenage college mayhem with sororities and witchcraft?
Sarah and Lindsey Goodwin (played by Mika Boorem and Summer Glau) are two new freshmen at Temple Hill University. Their mother Trina (played by Morgan Fairchild) shows them the sorority that they will be rushing at, Alpha Nu Gamma. She also makes mention of the fact that they need to stay away from PED, which is a rival sorority. We find shortly after that Sarah has interesting witch like powers and is being labeled as the one. From that point forward she is pursued by both Alpha Nu and PED. For you see, both sororities are groups of witches. Alpha Nu, headed by Corinne (played by JoAnna Garcia) and PED, headed by Dr. Eugenia Hunter (played by Jennifer Tilly)want Sarah to join their side. But the questions about who is good and who is evil in this fight for campus superiority continue to mount as Sarah recognizes her true power.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on December 24th, 2007
Robert Morgan (Vincent Price) is the lone human survivor in an LA devastated by a worldwide plague that killed most of the global population and turned the rest into vampires. For three years he has survived on his own, mourning his lost family and systematically staking every vampire he can find, working his way block by block through the city. Then, one day, he sees what appears to be another survivor...
Richard Matheson wrote a screenplay adapting his novel I Am Legend, but by the time the film was actually made, his script had been sufficiently changed that he replaced his name in the credits with a pseudonym. There is no denying that the film has its share of flaws. The dubbing of the Italian cast members is hit-and-miss, the action scenes are indifferently staged, and one feels a bit too acutely the monotony of Price’s lonely existence. On the other hand, there is a completely convincing vision of a deserted city achieved on a small budget, and a couple of genuinely creepy moments (most notably when Price’s wife returns from her grave). Furthermore, this remains the adaptation closest to the original novel, and the only version to retain the idea of the hero actually being a villain from the perspective of those he is exterminating. That alone gives this somewhat clunky effort a bit of an edge of its slicker successors (The Omega Man and I Am Legend).
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on December 24th, 2007
In Belle Époque Paris, the can-can is all the rage but also illegal, and Shirley MacLaine’s nightclub is cracked down on by uptight judge Louis Jourdan. MacLaine is defended by libertine lawyer Frank Sinatra. Jourdan falls for MacLaine, who is waiting perhaps in vain for Sinatra to marry her. Maurice Chevalier shows up to chuckle indulgently.
The vision of Paris may be no more convincing than MacLaine and Sinatra playing characters named “Simone” and “François,” but this is a musical, so who cares? The sets are bright, the songs are catchy, and the dance numbers energetic. But the storyline itself is stultifying. Maybe Krushchev was right about this thing after all.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on December 21st, 2007
Something strange happened to me this week. I had two particular films arrive that I was to review. Stardust and Underdog. I expected to love one of them and basically tolerate the other. If you’ve read my recent Stardust review, you already know which was which. I expected to love Stardust and ended up hating it. I expected just a lot of silly nonsense from Underdog, and that’s what I got, except I had a great time watching it. The film is far more entertaining even to adults than I ever could have imagined.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on December 21st, 2007
The defendant is charged with impersonating a classic movie, Felony murder of 81 minutes of human life, grand larceny (after review of the film’s sales figures this charge has been reduced to petty larceny), and aggravated assault to my intelligence. The court will show that director Victor Garcia did willfully and with malice and forethought create a sequel to an inferior remake of a classic motion picture. The evidence will clearly show that the film lacks any tangible resemblance to the original film and therefore has fraudulently engaged in a plot to lure the original film’s fans to the video store with false promises of quality and entertainment. The evidence will also show that writer William Massa did in fact commit these horrid lines to script, and in collaboration with others masquerading as actors, did inflict harm on this reviewer and several innocent bystanders. These defendants conspired to take money from unsuspecting DVD renters under the guise of entertainment. I present the following:
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on December 20th, 2007
The
This is a Bruckheimer film from beginning to end. You get all of the standard conventions in National Treasure. Plenty of action, intriguing characters, and a fast and furious ride.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on December 19th, 2007
In 1959 Rod Serling changed the face of television. This unimposing thin man stepped in front of a camera and told us we were entering a world of shadow… the Twilight Zone. The anthology series ran for 5 years and included some of the best genre tales ever told. We all have our favorites, and my list is too long to go into here. Even years after when Serling himself had passed it never truly died. Syndication found a huge new following for the series, and it inspired not only revivals of itself but a long list of other anthology shows over the years like Tales From The Crypt and Tales From The Darkside, but none of these imitators ever came close. Serling was a genius in not only picking out great material, but he was a master presenter as well. So in 1983 when 4 of the world’s leading genre filmmakers banded to do a Twilight Zone Movie, the expectations went through the proverbial ceiling.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on December 18th, 2007
TV reporter Jason Behr is the reincarnation of warrior from 500 years ago, charged with protecting a woman (Amanda Brooks, also a reincarnation) whose destiny is to sacrifice herself so that a mystical giant serpent (an Imoogi) can become a dragon. Unfortunately, an evil Imoogi named Buraki wants the power for itself, and summons a giant reptilian army that lays waste to LA in the search for Brooks.
The most elaborate South Korean project ever isn’t a patch on the far superior The Host, but is still a very entertaining monster mash. Though shot in English with an American cast (including Robert Foster as a kind of Obi Wan Kenobi), the hilariously nonsensical dialogue sounds very translated indeed. The plot has very little flow to it, what with our star-crossed lovers fleeing Buraki in one scene, but taking time out for a meeting in a coffee shop in the next. Then there’s the fact that the gigantic Buraki seems to be able to arrive in large urban areas without anyone noticing his 200-metre presence. One can also chuckle at the flashbacks within flashbacks that set up the back story. But a great deal can be forgiven thanks to the copious monster footage. This is a film that delivers on its promises, and once the rampage starts, the action is non-stop. The CGI nature of the beasts may be pretty obvious, but the creatures are also very detailed. As a strange cross-cultural mix of period fantasy and urban monster rampage, this is pretty infectious fun.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on December 18th, 2007
Long before Clint Eastwood was making our day as Dirty Harry or even roaming the badlands without a name for Sergio Leone, he was working the cattle drive on Rawhide. Rawhide was created to take advantage of the huge Western film and television wave that
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on December 17th, 2007
I like Robin Williams (Good Will Hunting). A lot. Generally, his presence alone is enough to make me watch a particular movie — an unfortunate fact, given his spotty record. The man can be hilarious, and he has starred in some highly entertaining films over his long career. But he's also done bad movies, flops and failures. License to Wed is one of those.
10 minutes in, I wanted to turn it off. At 18 minutes, I was actively mocking everything and anything onscreen. By the half-way point, I was cursing my obligation as reviewer to sit through the entire film. This movie is an all-around bust. Stop reading now, and check out some other Upcomingdiscs reviews for better films to watch. You can pretty much close your eyes and click to find something that'll top License to Wed.
