Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on May 18th, 2003
I am quite conflicted about this the second Jack Ryan film. There is no doubt I enjoy Harrison Ford’s Ryan more than I did Alec Baldwin’s. Of course, they really are not the same character at all. With Ford, Ryan has become more of an action hero. Sadly, I didn’t find this script as compelling as the other Ryan films. It is by far the worst adaptation of a Clancy novel to date. The complicated plot ends up being reduced to a simple game of revenge for the villain. Plot contrivances abound just to place Ryan into the heat of fire. Still, even this lesser adaptation contains exceptional contributions by a fine cast. It is worth watching at least once to see the likes of Samuel L. Jackson, Richard Harris, and James Earl Jones.
Synopsis
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on May 15th, 2003
In the 1980’s Tom Clancy was “the man”. One of the interviews on this disc accurately points out that if you were on an airplane in the 1980’s, for every ten people reading a book seven would be reading Tom Clancy. Hunt for Red October was by far his best work. The technical information was so accurate that Clancy was once questioned for several hours by the CIA to determine his source. The film, unlike many blockbuster efforts, does not disappoint. The script is relatively faithful to the book. There are major divergences, particularly the climax, but most serve to tighten the lengthy novel into a fast-paced film. Alec Baldwin, a newcomer at the time, handles the part of Jack Ryan well even in the hindsight of two Harrison Ford portrayals. Sean Connery delivers a masterful performance that goes so far as to allow us to accept a Russian with a Welsh accent.
Synopsis
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on May 13th, 2003
Synopsis
An ancient artifact causes the body of the most popular girl in high school to be switched with that of a low life 30 year old male. She finds that life in a man’s body is not so easy and she needs to convince her friends that it is really her and figure out how to switch her body back. This is probably the best Rob Schneider film to date, full of cameos form the likes of Adam Sandler.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on May 12th, 2003
Synopsis
A group of extreme athletes and a professional skier set out on a remote Austrian mountaintop to shoot a stunt for a commercial. Unbeknownst to them a group of terrorists is in hiding at the mountain top resort. The film makers have a habit of filming everything that goes on and they accidentally capture one of the terrorists on film, now they must fight for their lives to survive the mountain and the terrorists.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on May 9th, 2003
Traffic sports an A cast and a pretty compelling story. The only real thing holding it back is that there are times the plot is too ambitious. It gets weary following the three distinct storylines. You might also find the ending a bit of a letdown. I was expecting something far more dramatic given the intense buildup over two and a half hours. Michael Douglas is the main star and gives us a fine performance, but I was more captivated by the character of Mexican cop Javier Rodriguez, played with excellent flair by Benicio Del Toro.
There are three very intense storylines being told in this film:
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on May 7th, 2003
Set to coincide with the theatrical release of Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle, Columbia-Tristar releases the highly successful Charlie’s Angels as the latest Superbit Deluxe DVD. This film is wildly enjoyable… with a wonderful mix of action and comedy. I cannot imagine another trio pulling this film off as well as Cameron Diaz, Drew Barrymore, and Lucy Liu. Their acting chemistry, along with the direction of McG, has made this a film that can be enjoyed over and over again.
”They're beautiful, th...y're brilliant, and they work for Charlie. In the sexy, high-octane comedy update of the '70s television phenomenon, bookworm Natalie (Diaz), tough girl Dylan (Barrymore) and tech-savvy Alex (Liu), alongside faithful lieutenant Bosley (Bill Murray - Rushmore), must foil an elaborate murder-revenge plot that could not only destroy individual privacy and corporate security worldwide, but spell the end of Charlie and his Angels.” – Columbia-Tristar
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on May 7th, 2003
Sam (Chad Donella) is a down on his luck artist who has just been told by his professor that he sucks as an artist and dumped by his girlfriend. The same wind that blows his life a way also brings him Hope (Erin Bartlett) who shows him how to get his smile back. As they part ways he writes down her phone number on his hand, this disappears though as it is raining heavily. After taking up a job as a delivery man for his friend’s coffee shop he finally finds her but, she is now in need of someone to show her her smile. On the way to restore Hope’s zest for life he finds his..
Video
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on May 7th, 2003
Surrounded by hundreds of extras in China’s Forbidden City director Don Tyler (played by Donald Sutherland) is hit with a creative draught and doesn’t know where to go with his latest masterpiece. YoYo (played by Ge You who some of you may remember from Farewell my Concubine) is hired to be the documentary making of camera man befriends the troubled Tyler. Tyler and YoYo discuss film maker and philosophy and happen upon the idea that in Chain if someone over the age of 70 dies the funeral is not sad but happy, Tyler ...efers to it a as a comedy funeral as there is a language barrier between him and YoYo who mainly speaks Mandarin. Knowing he is not well and having just been kicked off the film by his studio boss Tyler asks YoYo to give him a comedy funeral as he collapses into a coma.
When the costs for the funeral start to soar YoYo enlists the help of a friend who is one of the biggest concert promoters in China, things get completely out of hand as every square inch of real estate at the funeral is up for bids by advertisers as this unique event will be broadcast worldwide. We also has a romantic subplot between Tyler’s assistant (played by Rosamund Kwan) and YoYo as he tries to convince her that selling advertising space at a funeral is not selling out but, fulfilling the wishes of their boss. Through a couple of interesting plot twists in there and you have a very dynamic movie with an original story line.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on May 7th, 2003
Down Time, a direct to video release, set mostly in prison. The worst crime these guys commit is felony bad acting. I’d love to sentence the producers to 25 to life of watching their own movie, but the Constitution prohibits cruel and unusual punishment. If you like prison films, you’re better off watching Oz reruns. Everything about this film plays out like a high school A.V. project. Actually that’s unkind, because I’ve seen much better high school video projects.
Synopsis
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on May 6th, 2003
Synopsis
