Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on April 26th, 2005
Synopsis
Miner’s daughter Barbara Stanwyck sets her cap for John Boles, a New England aristocrat who has fled financial disgrace and sought honest work far from home. She lands him, and they marry, but almost immediately their very different backgrounds create tension. When he finds work in New York, she refuses to move with him, and they grow further apart. Meanwhile, their daughter spends most of her time with Stanwyck, but her visits to New York become more and more wonderful, as far as she is con...erned, even moreso when Boles renews his friendship with his former fiancée. Stanwyck is so determined to give her daughter the good life, that she is willing to sacrifice everything to that end.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on April 25th, 2005
Blade: Trinity caught a lot of flack from most critics, and even the movie going public as per the box office returns (only grossing $52 million domestically). When I went to see this film in the theatre, half of my party was extremely disappointed with the flick. The other half, including myself, thought the film was quite entertaining. I must admit, this film does not come close to the original Blade, but I did find it a little bit more entertaining the Blade 2.
The biggest change...to this sequel is the addition of Ryan Reynolds and Jessica Biel to the cast of Vampire Hunters. Reynolds is a breath of fresh air to this series with his wit and humor, and Biel, well, she looks great. Reynolds one-liners were a little much at times (which turned many viewers off), which made this picture more of an action-comedy then an action-horror. You could tell they were stretching for a premise this time around, but the cast pulled through for the most part. I don't think you will get a consensus on this films quality, but if you are looking for some over the top action and some cool special effects, this film is worth a watch.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on April 25th, 2005
Synopsis
Mexican immigrant Paz Vega comes to work as a maid for the household of Adam Sandler (a chef who is very reluctantly accepting his growing renown) and Téa Leoni (insanely overwrought neurotic interior designer). Vega and her daughter wind up living with this family during a summer, and Vega’s presence is the catalyst for many changes, particularly in the relationship between Sandler and Leoni, which is veering into very treacherous shoals.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on April 24th, 2005
Elektra was pretty much a failure at the box office, bringing in just over half of its production cost. Add to this the raised expectations of comic characters in the movies and it’s a safe bet Elektra won’t return anytime soon. Although this was not a great film by any standards, it’s a shame it tanked so badly. I missed the film in its theatrical run, and I was actually expecting a far worse film.
Garner is quite good in the role; I thought she brought a ton of emotion to a difficult character. The biggest problem here is the script. Perhaps it was too ambitious, but it was just riddled with holes. The few provided flashbacks don’t serve to bring us from the Daredevil character to where she is now. At times it seems this story would have served better rewritten as an origin story, possibly a prequel to the Daredevil outing. The supporting cast, with the exception of Terrance Stamp, was very bland. The only other notable surprise here was Kristen Prout as the young Abby. The cinematography was wonderful and the locations were breathtaking. This could have been a much better film. Still, it’s worth a view.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on April 24th, 2005
Enduring Love claims to be a psychological thriller, but comes across as more of a drama then a thriller. The story moves along quite slowly and the overall tone of the film is somewhat dry. The story does take a few interesting turns, and does keep you guessing at times, the story was not suspenseful enough to keep my eyes peeled to the screen for the span of the film.
One thing I can say about this film is that the story is different than anything that I have seen before. It touches upon some od... yet creative human elements, and the acting is quite good. Here is the stories synopsis provided by Paramount… “Joe (Daniel Craig, Road to Perdition) is an accomplished writer and professor whose rational life is thrust into a downward spiral of guilt after witnessing a freak, fatal ballooning accident while picnicking with girlfriend Claire (Samantha Morton, Minority Report). Jed (Rhys Ifans, Notting Hill), another man involved in that fateful day, seeks out Joe looking for consolidation and a way to make sense of this tragedy they’ve both witnessed. Jed soon becomes as inescapable to Joe as his guilt, and both men find themselves hurtling towards a final, terrifying choice driven by the destructive nature of obsession or the true endurance of love.”
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on April 22nd, 2005
Synopsis
Set in a girls’ high school, this tells the tale of Min-Ah, who finds a diary written by two of her schoolmates. This is a revealing book, exposing as it does their love affair. Concurrently with Min-Ah reading the diary, that relationship comes to an end, and one of the girls leaps to her death from the school roof. Supernatural events begin almost immediately thereafter.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on April 22nd, 2005
There are just some trilogy’s that should not be made – and the Wild Things trilogy is one of them. This is not really a trilogy per se, since each of the films carries with it the same story, with the same twists. If you have seen the first, you have basically seen each of the sequels… except the sequels are both much worse. Take out the big name actors and make a direct-to-DVD release… and you have Wild Things: Diamonds In The Rough.
I am sure you all know the story by now, but here is a brief syn...psis… “Things get steamy in Blue Bay, Florida, when Marie, a 17-year-old beauty, gets caught in a tangle of deceit and double-crossing after meeting the promiscuous Elena, the new girl at school. Will they get away with the perfect crime or is someone else behind this scheme?” – Sony Pictures
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on April 21st, 2005
The Film
Suspect Zero follows the contradictory teacher/student relationship between serial killer Benjamin O’Ryan (Ben Kingsley) and FBI Agent-in-Pursuit Tom Mackelway (Aaron Eckhart, sporting as much chin as Bruce Campbell). O’Ryan is a tormented refugee of a government program to tap psychic powers for military intelligence, and Mackelway is a borderline-rogue agent, tormented by visions and headaches. Without letting slip any spoilers, the movie sees O’Ryan draw their paths together in pur...uit of justice for him self, his victims, and Mackelway.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on April 21st, 2005
Primer is notable not only for its critical success, having won awards at Sundance and been lauded by independent and mainstream media alike, but also for its production methods: independent, low-budget, and home-brewed. Using rented equipment, his parent’s garage, his brother’s apartment, a slew of public facilities, and a desktop PC, Shane Carruth (writer, director, producer, and one of two main characters) has created a $7,000 Sci-Fi Drama that’s able to compete with the efforts of the big studios.
< ...>Ultimately, Primer defies classification – it can stand as an intelligent Sci-Fi film, riddled with realistic engineering and cutting edge ideas, or as a Drama, Suspense, Thriller, or Mystery. The film blends elements of all to create a film that is involving in its human dimension, terse and edgy in its suspense, and ultimately pleasing to all audiences that appreciate a thought-provoking film.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on April 21st, 2005
I don’t expect this film will appeal to any but the biggest Van Damme fans; even many of them will be disappointed. If you’re a Van Damme fan, you might not be looking for the most original of story ideas. What you want is good solid action and some sweet action f/x. This film simply doesn’t deliver the goods on any level. The action is too sparse for anyone looking for an adrenaline rush. The dialogue is entirely lame; I mean, does anyone talk like that? To be fair, it is possible the script is an English translation of a French work. The most unforgivable problem here, however, is the over- the-top-stylish cinematography. The angles and slow pans are a complete distraction from what little substance there is. Philippe Martinez is trying so hard to achieve a 70’s film noir feel that he ignores all of the basic rules of pacing. Even for a direct-to-DVD release, this one is a complete waste of your time.
Synopsis
