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Disc Reviews

Urban Cowboy

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on October 21st, 2002

Synopsis

Country boy John Travolta arrives in the big city of Houston. He finds a home away fromhome in Gilley’s, a huge country & western bar. There he meets and falls in love with DebraWinger. But when villain Scott Glenn tries to steal her from him, will Travolta rise to thechallenge of the mechanical bull?

Audio

A pretty nice job done of giving an older soundtrack a solid surround mix. The music and thesound effects both come through very well. You won’t…
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Staying Alive

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on October 21st, 2002

Synopsis

Tony Manero (John Travolta) is still dancing up a storm (snort). He’s a dance instructor now,but he’s hoping to land the big gig on Broadway. Duly that break comes, and he must choosebetween the two women in his life, one of whom (Finola Hughes) is British, so you know she’sa bitch. Finally we reach the big finale, and it’s everything that was wrong with the 80s.

Audio

The soundtrack is showing its age, and up to the crystalline clarity and richness w…
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Insomnia (2002)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on October 19th, 2002

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Written by Dan Bradley

I’ve experienced sleepless nights, as I’m sure most everyone has at some point in their life. But for some, this conscious prison can linger for many days, sometimes weeks at a time. Christopher Nolan’s remake of Insomnia manages to capture this feeling through terrific writing and strong sensory cues littered throughout.

On the verge of a departmental decision that could jeopardize his career, detective Dormer (Al Pacino) travels to Alaska with his partner, Detective Ekhart (Martin Donovan) to investigate…
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Casino Royale

Posted in Disc Reviews by David Annandale on October 19th, 2002

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Synopsis

Sir James Bond (David Niven), a superhuman prude with a stutter, is forced out of retirementto discover who is killing off all the world’s spies. He recruits a whole load of other 007s, fromPeter Sellers to Ursula Andress (don’t ask), and the villain turns out to be Woody Allen.Comedies should rarely run more than 90 minutes. This clocks in at 137. Interminably,mortifyingly dull. I defy anybody to sit through this.

Audio

The sound comes in both 5.1 …
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Singin’ in the Rain

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on October 19th, 2002

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Synopsis

The plot is very simple, as the spectacular song-and-dance numbers are the real star of theshow. Gene Kelly and Jean Hagen are big stars of the silent screen. But sound is arriving, andHagen’s voice sounds like fingernails on a chalkboard (and she has a personality to match). Kellyfalls in love with Debbie Reynolds, a struggling dancer with a terrific voice. This is enough of aframework on which to hang the production numbers, but the comedy in between is oftenhowlingly fun…
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Frailty

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on October 18th, 2002

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“I think they pulled it together in a way only Texans working together could.”
David Blocker – Producer, Frailty

Well, those Texans certainly did bring it together in a unique fashion, and Lions Gate has packaged it in an excellent DVD release. Bill Paxton’s directorial debut captures a family’s descent in dementia in 1979 in a performance that is surreal and believeable. The everyday and the unexpected are blended into a nightmare world where the mundane and supernatural are superimposed…
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Band of Brothers

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on October 17th, 2002

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Band of Brothers, as should be expected from multiple emmy award winner, is an amazing miniseries. Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks have collaborated on creating a memorable and poignant story that can be appreciate by all.

”Based on Stephen E. Ambrose’s nonfiction bestseller, BAND OF BROTHERS tells the story of Easy Company, 506th Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division, U.S. Army. Starting with their rigorous training in Georgia in 1942, it recounts the achievements of the elite rifle company fr…
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Vampires: Los Muertos

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on October 16th, 2002

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Tommy Lee Wallace. Not John Carpenter. Do not be fooled. Just because “Vampires: Los Muertos” (V:LM) says “Presented by John Carpenter” on the front, doesn’t mean it has anything to do with John Carpenter. It was directed, in fact, by Tommy Lee Wallace, who is a Grade B king, responsible for such other gems as “Stell Chariots” and “Danger Islands”. Whether Carpenter was involved or not (no big prize after Ghosts of Mars, anyway), V:LM was a fairly large disappointment anyway. The sound and video are fine, but the mov…
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Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan

Posted in Disc Reviews by David Annandale on October 15th, 2002

Jason is resurrected by an unfortunate accident involving a boat anchor and a power cable.He climbs aboard a ship carrying a graduating class to New York City, and proceeds to do his stuff. While those of us who caught this on its original theatrical run were disappointed that we had to wait a full hour before Jason reached NYC (or, more accurately, Vancouver), a return trip reveals this as one of the better made entries in the franchise. The characters, though thin, make are a bit more coherent than in Part VII, the action is competently staged, and once Jason hits Manhattan, much is made of the fact that he can chase and slaughter in full public view, and no one wants to get involved.

Nine Queens

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on October 14th, 2002

Synopsis

Juan is a small-time grifter. Marcos is several steps up the ladder in terms of ambition andexperience. He takes Juan under his wing, and involves him in a possible Big Score, sellingcounterfeit stamps. Can Juan trust Marcos? Can we in the audience trust anything? This superbcrime film takes great delight in making you question absolutely everything you see, and youwind up in a state of grinning paranoia. Sophisticated, fiendishly intelligent, superblyentertaining filmmaki…
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Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood

Posted in Disc Reviews by David Annandale on October 14th, 2002

Plot? What plot? Oh right: traumatized telekinetic teen accidentally raises Jason from the bottom of the lake. Jason kills folks. That’s about it. But you don’t watch these for the plot –you watch them for the killings. These are, sad to say, relatively restrained, and some of Jason’s tool acquisitions are silly (where did he get that electric hedge trimmer from?). The characters (I use the word loosely) are even more interchangeable than ever, and the continuity goes all to #%&@ in the latter part of the film.
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No Way to Treat a Lady

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on October 14th, 2002

Synopsis

Rod Steiger, obsessed with his dead mother, adopts one disguise and accent after another(Irish priest, German plumber, gay hairdresser, you name it) as he kills women and marks theirforeheads with lipstick. Frustrated cop on the case is George Segal, perpetually harassed by hiscartoonish Jewish mother, but also falling in love with Lee Remick. Good fun to be had here,especially from Steiger — an actor who always had a propensity to ham it up, and here he is givenfree reign…
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April Fool’s Day

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on October 14th, 2002

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Synopsis

A group of college friends gathers at the isolated island home of Muffy St. John for an AprilFool’s weekend. One by one… Well, you know how the rest of it goes, don’t you?

SPOILER WARNING: …or do you? The film’s main distinction (other than having somevery funny pranks and actors playing something approaching real characters) is that all of themurders turn out to be a practical joke – no one gets killed. Does this make or ruin the film? Hardto say – my own feeli…
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Ice Age

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on October 13th, 2002

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As my odds-on favorite to win Best Animated Film at this years Academy Awards, Ice Age combines a wonderful mix of breathtaking digital animation, and a wonderful story full of entertaining characters. Fox, with this film, has jumped into the upper echelon of digital animation studios, along with Disney and Dreamworks.

”Twenty thousand years ago, the Earth was being overrun by glaciers, and creatures everywhere were fleeing the onslaught of the new ICE AGE. In this time of peril, we meet the…
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V: The Final Battle

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on October 12th, 2002

A truly atrocious television mini-series (the second in the “V” series) has been resurrected for “V: The Final Battle.” This is (apparently) the second in the V series (“V” stands for Visitors, or maybe Vituperative snake aliens), and shockingly, not the last. In fact, the “Final Battle” was apparently followed by a weekly TV series which – irony alert – ended up being cancelled in favour of “Dallas.” Wow! What times the eighties were!

At any rate, this DVD wraps a mediocre TV series in a mini…
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Joyride

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on October 12th, 2002

Synopsis

Nothing much happens in the nothing town where Tobey Maguire and Wilson Cruz live.Nothing that is, until the arrival of sexy Amy Hathaway and her sleazy dad Adam West (yes, thatAdam West). He uses her as jailbait with which to blackmail local bigshots. Then there’sChristina Naify, in town to kill a sleazy doctor. She has a very nice car too, which Maguire, Cruzand Hathaway steal for a joy ride… A little slow in getting it into gear, and a little uncertain intone, but an i…
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Behind the Red Curtain

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on October 12th, 2002

Synopsis

This is all special features. So see below.

Audio

It’s a Baz Luhrmann production, so the sound is as spectacular as those on the discs, withspecial emphasis on the music. The narration of the various documentaries is clear though, andnot overwhelmed by the music.

Video

A million different formats (video, film, etc.), and a million different looks, but the transferserves them all well, at least as far as spectacular colour is…
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Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on October 11th, 2002

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Well. Where to begin? At this point, no-one expected less than a truly amazing DVD release of Episode II from Fox, and true to form, they have certainly delivered. The Attack of the Clones release sets the new standard for audio and video, as did Episode I before it.

It is interesting, though, to examine this DVD relative to the release of Episode I. The Phantom Menace DVD had a lot riding on it – the first Star Wars film to be released on DVD would set the precedent for future releases, and it had the furt…
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Jason X

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on October 10th, 2002

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Written by Dan Bradley

Jason Voorhees (Kane Hodder) has been about everywhere on earth, including to hell and back. It only seems fitting that his tenth feature takes him not only into space, but into the future as well. With the highest production value of a Jason movie to-date and one of the niftiest extra features I’ve ever seen, Jason X’s futuristic settings, slayings and familiar action feel right at home on DVD.

The plot for Jason X is simple, albeit a huge departure from previous slasher films. After repeated execution at…
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What Killed the Mega-Beasts?

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on October 9th, 2002

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What Killed the Mega-Beasts?

Wow! This Discovery Channel documentary uses high-end (not quite Monsters Inc., but getting close…) animation to bring to life the out-sized creatures that populated the world between two- and fifty-thousand years ago. Live action and animation are blended smoothly to create truly excellent scenes of monster-sized beavers, and of Native American mammoth hunts – truly a spectacle to be seen and very well executed. These animated sequences are seamlessly blended with the Disc…
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Rats, The

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on October 8th, 2002

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Synopsis

A colony of genetically mutated rats is making more and more violent forays into the livesof New Yorkers. Department store security head Madchen Amick and exterminator VincentSpano are on the front lines, determined to stop the assault. The plot and characters are standard-issue TV fare. This is the R-rated version of the film, so you see stuff that won’t be showing upon the TV broadcast, and it’s pretty obvious what that stuff is: an ear-removal moment, and somelaughably g…
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Life or Something Like It

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on October 7th, 2002

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Synopsis

Jolie is a Seattle-area news reporter whose apparently perfect life is derailed when streetprophet Tony Shaloub predicts she is going die in a week. Becoming convinced that Shaloub isright, Jolie re-examines her priorities. She is helped out by cameraman Ed Burns, with whom she(naturally) has an extremely prickly relationship when the story begins. Jolie and Burns are bothsuperb, and the film has a slick look to it. On the minus side, the film seems to have some prettyharsh…
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Brotherhood of the Wolf (3-Disc)

Posted in Disc Reviews by David Annandale on October 5th, 2002

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Synopsis

In eighteenth-century France, a mysterious beast is terrorizing the countryside. Sent toinvestigate is naturalist Gregoire de Fronsac, who arrives with Mani, his Native Americansidekick (who is a dab hand at martial arts, among other useful skills). The film is completelynuts and completely silly, and its racial politics are a postcolonial theorist’s wet dream, but it isalso hugely entertaining.

Audio

Absolutely flabbergasting. At the level of volum…
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X-Files – The Complete Sixth Season

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on October 5th, 2002

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Synopsis

The conspiracies are in full swing in this season. There are some very ambitious episodeshere too, notably “Triangle” — a time travel tale shot primarily with very long takes.

Audio

Very, very nice sound. As with most TV shows, the music dominates the surround, but thereare some good contributions from the sound effects as well. The result is an expansive feel to thesound unusual for television productions.

Video

Though there is a …
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Malcolm in the Middle – The Complete First Season

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on October 5th, 2002

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Synopsis

Malcolm (Frankie Muniz) is, you guessed it, the middle child of a family that gives theSimpsons a run for their money in the demented dysfunctionality department. The fourth wall isbroken, reality goes rubber, and almost anything is possible in each episode.

Audio

The sound is clear and free of distortion, but is otherwise uninspiring. There is very little byway of surround effects. Even the music barely registers. So the experience is not really any…
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