Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on June 1st, 2003
As Al Pacino constantly reminds us in The Recruit, nothing is ever as it seems. This film, while not a great effort, is vintage Pacino. Strong performances are also to be found from Colin Farrell and Bridget Moynahan, but as usual it is Pacino who steals the show. The Recruit is actually two different films in one. The first half is an intruding look at CIA training at the fabled “farm”. Once the training ends, an effective spy/counterspy plot takes over that won’t lose momentum. You’ll find enough surprises to keep even the most irritating “I knew it” viewers quiet for much of the film.
Posted in: Game Reviews by Archive Authors on June 1st, 2003
The year is 2008 and the Soviets are up to their old tricks again. It seems they liked the idea of having an Eastern Europe border nation, and they want to pull all of the entire break away provinces back under the sickle and hammer. Of course, America and her allies cannot let that happen, and just like we stood up for freedom at Kosovo, Serbia, and Kuwait, we will send troops and supplies to the region as a ‘peace keeping’ mission.
This is where players enter the game Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon for t...
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on June 1st, 2003
Synopsis
For reasons never properly explained, a prehistoric tiger is cloned and, for reasons that areexplained but are dumb, escapes into the mountains. It is tracked by those responsible for itscreation (John Rhys-Davies and Vanessa Angel) and a big-game hunter (David Keith).Meanwhile, a group of hikers is about to run into trouble. The dialogue is hackneyed when itisn’t dumb, Angel’s accent fluctuates mysteriously, the characters are largely idiots, and themonster is created by b...
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on June 1st, 2003
Synopsis
Waylon Jennings, in a brief cameo, is gunned down by a former acquaintance who hasreturned from prison consumed with thoughts of vengeance. Jennings’ son gets together withKris Kristofferson, Willie Nelson and Travis Tritt to track down the killer. Not unentertaining,but, flawed by both sentimentality and flip moments such as a saloon slaughter that, sinceUnforgiven, is difficult to take a face value any longer.
Audio
The audio is a 2.0 mix, but wit...
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on May 31st, 2003
If ever there was a film that was badly misunderstood it is Star Trek: Nemesis. The most common complaint I’ve heard is it was too much like an episode. Excuse me, but isn’t it supposed to be? Nemesis has everything a good Star Trek film should have. The character chemistry, space battles, a morality tale, and terrific f/x. If the film suffers at all it is from poor editing, as the collection of deleted scenes clearly shows (more on that in the special features section). As many politicians are fond of saying, “mistakes were made,” but this is a far better film than the critics or fans have given it credit for being.
Posted in: Game Reviews by Archive Authors on May 30th, 2003
Thank you, Rockstar Games.
Thank you for creating the masterpiece of video gaming known as Grand Theft Auto: Vice City. In doing so, you guys gave the finger to every special interest group and soccer mom clan in this country that likes to blame shoddy parenting on mature video games. Thanking Rockstar is a good thing in the aspect that we are lucky that there are still studios--like Rockstar--out there that will create mature games like Grand Theft Auto: Vice City for us to play. With...
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on May 30th, 2003
Synopsis
Josh (David Wenham) is going to leave Australia in three days. He meets Cin (Susie Porter)at a party. The two share a cab, and Cin thinks that three days might be just right for a fun fling.This is what happens, and most of the film takes place in Cin’s apartment. There is some prettywitty, breezy stuff here, but there is also much familiar material about how men and women aredifferent, and did we really need yet another romantic comedy with asides where the characters,inte...
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on May 30th, 2003
Synopsis
Not unlike the New Mutants comic book, these are episodes which feature the heroes in thethroes of adolescence. Unlike the New Mutants, however, these are the X-Men themselves intheir youth: Jean Grey, Cyclops and so on. So in between fighting the Brotherhood of EvilMutants, they also have to worry about dating and homework and the whole bit. At least this discdoesn’t try to pretend it’s a feature film.
Audio
The sound is about par for TV cartoon tr...
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on May 30th, 2003
Synopsis
Spencer Tracy’s home life with wife Joan Bennet and daughter Elizabeth Taylor is disruptedwhen the latter falls in love and plans to get married. After Tracy gets over his initial suspicionsabout his prospective son-in-law, his hopes for a small, intimate, inexpensive wedding collapsethe as the event, gathering a life of its own, grows more and more monstrous in size. Enough tomake the fathers of any bride break into a cold sweat, this is good fun (though Taylor’s simpering...
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on May 30th, 2003
Synopsis
Until the end of World War II, US immigration laws prevented Chinese women from movingto the States. The result was an almost exclusively male, and aging, population. The lawschanged after the war, and young Ben, much to his father’s delight, returns from China with anew bride. The entire community is interested in the couple, however, and the strain this createsthreatens the marriage.
Audio
The sound is mono, surprising for a film from 1989. A dece...
