Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on September 17th, 2010
Written by Diane Tillis
Only once in a blue moon will a filmmaker come along to change the way films are created…for an entire country! Kazakhstan – born director Timur Bekmambetov is best known in America as the director for Wanted (2008) and for producing 9 (2009) alongside Tim Burton, but in Russia he is known as the man who changed the film industry after the collapse of the Soviet Union.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on September 17th, 2010
We begin in Vietnam, where the unit of which Jacob Singer (Tim Robbins) is a member comes under attack. Jacob is bayonetted, and as he struggles with his wounds, the film flashes forward to his post-Vietnam life in New York City. He works for the post office, is divorced, is still grieving over the death of his youngest son (Macauley Culkin), and is living with his new girlfriend (Elizabeth Pena). He is also being tormented by visions of demonic figures. And then suddenly this life turns out to be a dream, and he's at home with his wife and all of his kids are alive. Or is that a dream? And what really happened in Vietnam?
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on September 16th, 2010
Manchuria, the 1930s. The Japanese army has just acquired a treasure map, and are transporting it across the desert wastes by train. But the man who sold the map wants it back, and engages a snappily dressed killer (Byung-hun Lee) to steal it back. He is, of course, the Bad. He stages a spectacular (and spectacularly violent) train robbery. As fate would have it, at precisely the same moment, the Weird (Kang-ho Song) is also robbing the train, and the Good, in the form of a bounty hunter (Woo-sung Jung) is on board, too. The Weird makes off with the map, and what follows is a series of chases as the various factions scramble to get that map.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Michael Durr on September 16th, 2010
Most people are aware that I don’t care for romantic comedies but nothing gets under my skin more than a horrible prison movie. My attempts to forget the movie are usually successful until the next time a similar movie appears in my review pile. Maybe it is the cliché plot, the contrived and stereo-typed characters, or the male on male forced action. How would a movie fare where it simulates the jail experience in a behavioral experiment? I dare to find out.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on September 16th, 2010
When I met my husband, and found out he wrote reviews, I never pictured myself writing as well. I had never really played with the concept, other than some short stories. But here I sit, once again, in front of my computer screen with another disc in front of me. And what do we have this time? A romantic comedy. Yes folks, I love the torture. I was asked to do Letters to Juliet as a favor for my busy husband who is adjusting to his busy new job. This has to land me home made waffles in bed sometime in the near future. But was this one really that bad? Could there be a decent romantic comedy out there? Meh, we shall see. And away we go!
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on September 16th, 2010
Tennessee Williams was both a prolific writer and celebrated personality in his day. His plays are still making the rounds of community theaters and even more than a few higher- end performance halls around the country. Songs have been written about the guy, and he's quite honestly become a bit of a mythic legend over the years. A lot of that owes, in no small part, to his huge hit A Streetcar Named Desire. The 1947 play was a huge hit on its own. The thing even snagged a Pulitzer. There hadn't been a bigger play before it, and few have reached the popularity and classic status since. Then director Elia Kazan got his hands on the material.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on September 15th, 2010
"There is a fifth dimension beyond that which is known to man. It is a dimension as vast as space and as timeless as infinity. It is the middle ground between light and shadow, between science and superstition, and it lies between the pit of man's fears and the summit of his knowledge. This is the dimension of imagination. It is an area which we call the Twilight Zone."
It would be very hard, indeed, to argue against the impact that The Twilight Zone has had on television. To say that the series was a milestone in that medium would be an understatement of the worst kind.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on September 15th, 2010
"It is said some lives are linked across time. Connected by an ancient calling that echoes through the ages. Destiny."
The Prince Of Persia is not some new phenomenon sweeping the country. The original video game goes back quite some time to the pre-high-definition consoles of the late 1980's. Over the years the title has had some major staying power and has continued to flourish across several platforms and generations of graphics and game play. Today video games are more and more like movies themselves. Many of these games carry budgets as high as blockbuster effects-laden tent-pole films. It's big business.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on September 15th, 2010
I did not see Tyler Perry's moderately successful 2007 film, Why Did I Get Married. I never thought that would present much of a problem with his recent Why Did I Get Married, Too. I've seen plenty of Perry's films and think that I have a pretty good grasp of where he's coming from. Early this year I watched and reviewed I Can Do Bad All By Myself. It was a new direction for Perry and, while he did include his famous Madea character, the film wasn't really about her usual antics. I guess I expected this film to follow in the footsteps of that rather impressive effort. Unfortunately, I may have misjudged my ability to follow this film without having seen the first.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on September 15th, 2010
Shonda Rhimes had a big hit on her hands with Grey’s Anatomy, so after five years she did what comes naturally in her situation. You spin the success off in the hope that the fans can’t get enough in just one night. At first it appeared to me she had chosen the wrong character to put out on her own. I mean, I never considered Kate Walsh as Addison to be one of the show’s more compelling characters. The show was presented as what the business calls an imbedded episode on Grey’s. What that means is that the situation is set up during one of the original show’s episodes.
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