Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on September 27th, 2005
Synopsis
And here we go again with some 37 stories of inspired stupidity. Among the crazed storylines we find the classic sitcom scenario of Plankton swapping lives with Mr. Krabs and discovering he can’t take the heat, Squidward being drawn willy-nilly into a plastic conch shell-worshipping club of SpongeBob and Patrick, the non-swimmer SpongeBob becoming a lifeguard with disastrous consequences, and so on. It’s all bright, cheerful, unobtrusively self-aware, and refreshingly silly in a way that har...ens back to classic cartoons of yore. A vital part of this generation’s cultural heritage.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on September 27th, 2005
Synopsis
Having survived one onslaught by rebel angels, Kari Wuhrer becomes a target yet again. She is the guardian of the Lexicon, and self-writing book of prophecies, and big-shot angel Tony Todd wants that book so he can learn the identity of the Antichrist and kill the child before he can bring about Armageddon. He sends killer Jason Scott Lee after Wuhere, but Lee is stricken with a conscience attack, and helps her instead. When the straits become very dire, however, there is only one person Wuh...er can turn to for help with her divinely appointed task: Satan.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on September 26th, 2005
It was inevitable that the tragic events of 9/11 would spawn television and film dramatizations. The catastrophe quickly influenced almost everything produced immediately afterwards. Homeland Security is a failed NBC pilot. Unlike most discarded pilots Paramount decided to release this one as a direct-to-video feature. I’m not sure what the thinking behind this move was, but it was well thought out. The very things that made this a poor subject for a series make it an even worse feature release. There have been, and here will continue to be, dramas based on the attacks. Exciting episodes, particularly those in New York, have had to wrestle with presenting these events. All have been forced to deal with the reality of the impact on our society. Our entertainment simply must reflect our lives. With that said, this is simply a tasteless and obvious exploitation of those events. The film begins with a cursory look at the attack planning and soon moves into exposing the inter-agency problems which were partly responsible for the tragedy. Before you know it the attacks have occurred and a group of folks are being assembled to work in the newly formed Homeland Security department. The major flaw is how quickly the events themselves are given in the scheme of things. There would have been more promise if they had established the characters inside the organization and dealt with the aftermath of 9/11. Instead the show is exploitation and has little to offer.
Audio
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on September 26th, 2005
Synopsis
A pair of human smugglers accidentally take off with the baby of one of the immigrants they dropped off inside the Czech republic. They bring the baby to a pawn shop, where it is subsequently sold to a woman who is so desperate to have a child that she tries to abduct someone else’s. Her husband is soccer hooligan trying to go straight. He might not be the sharpest knife in the drawer, but he recognizes trouble when he sees it. Meanwhile, the mother of the baby has sought help with a refugee...agency, which is run by a woman whose long-time lover has a brain tumour, and would finally like a divorce from his long-separated wife.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on September 25th, 2005
Synopsis
In better days, the Disney company helped shape a lot of young minds back in the day. They released a lot of short films based on established fairy tales and fables. The animation was groundbreaking in its day, long before computers ruled the land, and some of the work really is great. As part of the movement to bring some of the tales to DVD, Disney has released two titles of Timeless Tales to reacquaint fans of the old work, and to bring new fans into the fold.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on September 24th, 2005
Synopsis
Rebel Without a Cause (1955) is the landmark, because of its star, and because of its subject matter. This intense, rich portrayal of juvenile delinquency triggered a flood of largely exploitive imitators, but it remains a powerful film, not least for the sympathy with which it treats its characters, and for its understanding. It shows why the Dean, Natalie Wood and company behave the way they do, and does not demonize. This was Dean’s second film, but the first to be released, and hi... performance here remains his most iconic role.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on September 24th, 2005
All good things must come to an end, and so it is with Kung Fu. It is always better for a show to go out at the top of its game than to overstay its welcome, fizzle, and fade away. Season One of this show was excellent in its storytelling, as the characters and themes were firmly established. Season Two was mostly about maintaining the themes that were set forth in the first year. Season Three, however, is where the whole thing comes together. Without giving too much away, it is safe to say that this season en...s with Caine completing his quest in the west, and finally locating his ever-elusive brother; a brother who's intentions for his brother are a surprise to everyone.
I have said it about previous seasons, and I will say it again here; this is an excellent show that may have come along ahead of its time. Why this series is not more widely regarded as one of the better hour long dramas to ever air on network television, I will never understand. Carradine's supurb acting, compelling storylines and an intriguing mix of western and eastern cultures make this a must-watch show.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on September 23rd, 2005
I Love Lucy changed the fledgling television industry in the 1950’s. This was a time when network television was less than a decade old. Most folks had never heard of television just 15 years earlier. I Love Lucy defined the concept of a sitcom. The show was driven by the very strong personalities of the cast. Desi Arnaz was considered a charismatic Latin lover by American women. Lucy played the perfect foil and found a mountain of gold to mine in strong physical comedy. So many modern shows owe their roots to this classic that it would be impossible to mention them all here. With that said, the fifth season was a letdown. The simple truth is they were running out of ideas in the simplistic environment of this once very funny comedy. All of this season is spent taking the cast on a whirlwind tour of Europe with its forced situations. The lack of perceived spontaneity was gone. Lucy was no longer the fly in Ricky’s ointment. Oddly enough, the season does begin with one of the funniest stories of the series: Lucy stealing John Wayne’s footprints, and of course, his feet. If only that quality could have been maintained instead of a hokey tour of the Old Country.
Audio
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on September 22nd, 2005
This is the kind of film that usually comes from the English or the French... not the Germans. Let's face it, Germany is not known for a stable of modern intellectual comedies. If you need a beer, or a fine automobile, you go to the Germans. If you need an entertaining art film, you go to France. Still, this is a film that bucks the trend... and will hopefully start a new one.
The Schultze of the title is a retired German miner that finds himself lost in his newfound abundance of free time. Eventually,...he turns to his accordion playing as a release from the banality of everyday life. This pursuit eventually leads him to discover Louisiana Zydeco music, and his world is turned upside-down. If you have seen About Schmitt, then you are on the right track with the tone of this film. Personally, however, I preferred this picture much more than the Jack Nicholson vehicle.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on September 21st, 2005
This is the story of the most successful porn film ever made. While the documentary's claim that Deep Throat has made over 600 million dollars has been challenged, there is no denying that it WAS a huge success, and was a cause c�l�bre. We meet all the major players in the making of the film (minus, of course, the late Linda Lovelace), its distribution, and its prosecution. There are also plenty of interviews with cultural commentators of one sort or another, ranging from Annie Sprinke to Camille Paglia to Erica Jong to Wes Craven and Hugh Hefner.Though the directors make their feelings pretty clear in the commentary, to their credit, they leave some room for argument in the film (in other words, there is a level of ambiguity and unanswered questions of the non-rhetorical variety that Michael Moore would find intolerable). There are times when I felt a bit frustrated, where I wanted some issues explore a bit more fully, but any film that leaves me thinking as hard as this one does deserves serious plaudits. There are also some truly hilarious moments - the interviewees are a right lot of characters, all right. All in all, a vital document of the ongoing culture wars in the US.
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