Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on June 26th, 2005
Synopsis
After making such internationally renowned samurai period films such as Rashomon and The Seven Samurai, Akira Kurosawa did make another film Yojimbo, with a decidedly different tone, bordering on dark comedy. The opening shot is of Sanjuro (Toshiro Mifune, Throne of Blood), a samurai without a master, who looks at a mountain, and suddenly scratches his head, as if his hair is on too tight. It’s almost the breaking down of a facade, helping to show you that the film will ...e bit different from other Kurosawa samurai films. The introductory cards say that the film is set in the 1860s, and the samurai comes into a town ruled by rival gangs. He doesn’t know this when he comes in, but the first thing he sees in town is a dog carrying a human hand. People have said that the way that this film was told reminds them a lot of the Clint Eastwood/spaghetti westerns that came out several years later, and it’s easy to understand why, with the quiet main character whom you can never really tell he’s a hero or villain. He deals with some situations with a toothpick in his mouth, reminding me of Chou-Yun Fat in Hard Boiled. Kurosawa does action flicks? That’s probably the best way to characterize it, but he does it well, without a lot of one-liners or lack of common sense seen within a lot of today’s action films.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on June 25th, 2005
The First Amendment Project is a collection of 3 short documentary films which deal with the theme of “freedom of speech”. The first film, and the best one, is “Fox vs. Franken”. Comedy writer, left wing activist, and Stuart Smalley himself (you know…“You’re good enough, you’re smart enough, and doggone it, people like you”), Al Franken, is the target of a lawsuit filed by Fox News. The documentary follows the lawsuit, and it reveals two important things: Franken is still a funny guy and Fox is an idiotic ...rganization. “Poetic License”, directed by Mario Van Peebles, is a short documentary about the Poet Laureate Amiri Baraka. Interviews include the pros and cons on the work of this controversial artist. “Some Assembly Required” follows the story of a group of protesters at the 2004 Republican National Convention. An interesting premise, but the documentary doesn’t really deliver on the dramatic potential.
Audio
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on June 24th, 2005
Las Vegas has a credo of sorts: What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas. Well... not anymore. Las Vegas tells all in a new smart and often sexy NBC series. Most of the cast was chosen for their more physical attributes; however, the performances are not bad either. James Caan takes a surprising journey to TV land. The part of an ex-CIA boss fits Caan like one of Sonny Corleone’s tailored suits.
The series always features special guest stars, often playing themselves. The lineup of guests includee Vegas names like Penn&Teller as well as box office champions that include Dennis Hopper and Sean Astin. The show’s Montecito Hotel and Casino is as much a character of the show as anyone in the cast. The sets have been an added bonanza for Universal, as the hotel has shown up in other studio run shows like Monk (sans the cast). Perhaps the most endearing aspect of the series is how easily the plots develop without ever really taking themselves too seriously. Even the dire straits Caan’s Big Ed often finds himself in never seem to venture too far from the shtick. While the stories are easily forgotten just minutes after watching, it is nonetheless a fun ride while it lasts.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on June 24th, 2005
Who doesn’t have a soft spot in their heart, if not their DVD collection, for The Andy Griffith Show? The denizens of Mayberry have been with many of us our entire lives. For most of America, The Andy Griffith Show has become the template for any small rural town. The characters stand as prerequisite citizens in any said town. The town drunk, the local barber, the motherly little old lady, and the corner mechanic all look like Otis, Floyd, Aunt Bee, and Goober to most of us now. Griffith himself brought fine qualities to his role of Sheriff Andy Taylor, but it was Don Knotts as the incompetent but lovable deputy Barney Fife who stole the show. And who was that sweet little boy? He grew up to be a first class filmmaker with plenty of Oscars on the shelf. No question that The Andy Griffith Show started something back in 1960.
Synopsis
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on June 24th, 2005
Synopsis
After the suicide of his wife, psychologist De Niro takes his traumatized daughter Dakota Fanning off to a house in the woods to recover. Fanning begins to exhibit strange, hostile behaviour associated with her imaginary friend, Charlie. Then, as the violence escalates, De Niro realizes that Charlie might well be real after all.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on June 24th, 2005
What happens after a physics student works on the Manhattan Project? Well, at least for this person, he becomes the most influential recording engineer in music history. This man is Tom Dowd. In Mark Moorman's fascinating documentary, Tom Dowd and the Language of Music, we are taken through the development of modern music through one of its most famous guides. The film is a mixture of interviews with Tom Dowd, as he also takes us to various biographical and musical locales in New York cities, and testament... from the musical acts he worked with. The people Dowd worked with is a who's who of musical icons: Ray Charles, John Coltrane, Otis Redding, Eric Clapton, the Allman Brothers, Aretha Franklin, and the list goes on. Quite a list, quite a film.
Audio
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on June 23rd, 2005
Synopsis
The setting is a prestigious black college, and the set-up is along the lines of what you would expect in a college-set musical: conflicts between the black-uniformed frat brothers and the political activists (of which the leader is a young Laurence Fishburne), gender wars and misunderstandings right, left and centre, and plenty of music. It’s all very lively, but not nearly as funny as Lee clearly thinks it is (see notes on commentary below). The bigger question is whether the satire and po...nted politics are able to survive the knockabout gags, and whether the movie actual works as a cohesive whole.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on June 22nd, 2005
Synopsis
Two girls meet on the beech, and a lifelong friendship is formed. Hilary is the shy rich girl (horse riding and the whole thing, don’t you know) and she grows up to be Barbara Hershey. CC is the working class extrovert, and becomes Bette Midler. As adults, they become roommates, and we follow the entire arc of their friendship through their lives, with conflicting romances, plenty of ups and downs, and then, in the last act, the inevitable Hollywood Fatal Illness.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on June 21st, 2005
Only could Matt Stone and Trey Parker, the (gulp) geniuses behind South Park, could come up such a wildly crazy (and funny) film such as Team America: World Police. What is so wild about this film you ask? Well, the actors are marionette puppets, every other word is an f-sharp, and almost every big Hollywood actor is portrayed negatively. And what is wrong with this? Absolutely nothing. This film will not be for everyone, but for the loyal fans of South Park, this film is pure bliss. Not o...ly do you get the vulgarity that Parker & Stone are known for, you get it stepped up 10 notches. Who would have thought that puppets could be so entertaining?
There are so many funny, off-the-wall elements/scenes that are brought to light in this film, but here my favorites…
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on June 21st, 2005
Synopsis
Diabolik (John Phillip Law) is a master criminal, pulling off one spectacular robbery after another to the endless frustration of the police. Ruthless and amoral, he nonetheless deeply loves Eva (Marisa Mell), and will risk everything to protect her. As his crimes become ever more spectacular, and the government teeters on the brink of chaos, even organized crime is pressed into service in order to capture the man.
