Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on May 25th, 2007
Synopsis
I really wasn’t entirely sure how to digest watching a film about a natural disaster where a quarter million people have died or are presumed missing/lost. Nevertheless, Tsunami: The Aftermath is a compelling portrait of the events surrounding the 2004 event that resulted in the deaths of thousands of people.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on May 25th, 2007
Synopsis
Gary Cooper and seven colleagues are introverted academics working on a new encyclopedia. When Cooper realizes this his slang entry is hopelessly out of date, he bravely ventures outside the ivory tower to learn what the new lingo actually is. The most fluent slang speaker he encounters is nightclub performer Barbara Stanwyck. When her gangster boyfriend (Dana Andrews) is wanted for murder, she hides from the police by moving in on the professors, ostensibly to help them with their project. ...hey all fall for her, of course, especially Cooper, and she beings, despite herself, to see them as something more than useful pawns.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on May 24th, 2007
Synopsis
Emilio is a Grade 11 student smitten with Jacklynne, the most popular girl in the school. She, of course, doesn’t even know he exists. He decides to get her attention by running for president of the Student Council, but no sooner does he declare himself as candidate then he discovers that his opponent is Jacklynne herself. Oops. He is now forced to run, but plans, with the help of his friends, to sabotage the results of the election to make sure he loses, but the is fraught with risks, most ...otably running afoul of the tyrannical principal and her hall monitor toady.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on May 23rd, 2007
Kyle XY is a quirky series that began about a year ago on the ABC Family Channel. Owned by Walt Disney, you can imagine the kinds of programs one can find there. It’s pretty much a safe haven for kids and their parents to be able to watch things together. That’s why I was a little bit surprised when I watched Kyle XY for the first time on these DVD’s. Certainly the show is pretty much family friendly, but not to the squeaky clean Disney image I’ve come to expect. There are a couple teenage make-out scenes in the pi...ot that seemed awkwardly out of place, at least to my expectations. Certainly these scenes were quite tame, particularly in the post NYPD Blue television universe, but I was still a bit surprised. The overall science fiction theme is also a bit edgy. There is a Smallville/X-Files flavor here. The violence level is toned down from those other shows considerably. That’s not to say there isn’t a bit of danger element pervading the entire series. With the exception of Matt Dallas, who plays the titular Kyle, the cast is considerably weak in its acting chops. Dallas is, however, a bit of a standout here. The young actor seems to have a considerable insight into the nature of his character. He does an absolutely stupendous job of demonstrating the naiveté and innocence of Kyle. Perhaps this performance stands out because of the really bad acting by the rest of Kyle’s adopted family. Bruce Thomas, playing Dad, is horrid. Maybe that’s to be expected when your movie resume includes the two Legally Blonde films. Another rare performance is to be found in Nicholas Lea as the enigmatic Foss. Lea, of course, is best known as the sometimes ally, sometimes bad guy Krycek from the aforementioned X-Files.
The premise for Kyle XY starts very much like the John Doe series and continues to parallel that failed series. Kyle shows up naked in the woods with no memory of who he is. Taken in by a social caseworker and her family, Kyle begins to exhibit strange abilities. He doesn’t require sleep, although in an attempt to be more normal he does give it a try using a bathtub for a bed. He has extremely acute hearing and unusual physical strength. While his memory might be fuzzy, his mental capabilities are off the charts. Oh, and he’s missing a belly button. Most of the shows find Kyle trying to find out who or what he is. A mysterious stranger, Foss, is watching him closely and eventually reveals himself as a possible friend. The show tries to get a lot of mileage out of the Trager family’s learning to deal with Kyle and his emerging oddities. The season ends with Kyle leaving the Tragers to meet his possible creator.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on May 23rd, 2007
Thieves Like Us was never one of Robert Altman’s better known films. It did rather poorly at the box office in 1974, and I suspect it will fare little better on DVD. Certainly there is a bit more interest in Altman’s films with his recent passing, but Thieves Like Us is not a great representation of his work. It is a wonderful period piece, but there isn’t anything worthwhile happening inside that marvelously created world. Altman admits there were extreme cuts, over 45 minutes, made to the film. Perhaps that foota...e might have made a huge difference. An extended cut might have been the better way to go here. I suspect with Altman’s death, no one wanted to be the one to change any of his films right now.
The film is based on the Edward Anderson novel of the same title. The book had been filmed with superior results in the 1940’s as They Live By Night. Altman’s film more closely follows the book, and this could be its undoing. There is a reason why even the greatest written works are modified somewhat for the screen. This almost exact telling ends up being quite the bore. It just seems to go nowhere, and very slowly at that. The story follows three bank robbers who manage to escape prison only to return to their criminal ways. Most of the film centers on Bowie (Carradine), one of the robbers who falls in love with Keechie (Duvall). The other two are in and out of the story sparingly. The film is often compared with Bonnie and Clyde, but I don’t see it. First off, Bowie is never joined by Keechie on his criminal adventures. The most significant similarity is the brutality with which Bowie is gunned down in the film’s climax. Unfortunately Altman has developed superb characters and excellent actors to portray them, but he never ends up doing anything with them. Altman addresses the pacing and lack of action in his audio commentary, but he never tells us why. He only mentions at least 50 times that you couldn’t make a film with this pacing today. I think he’d have been better off not to have made one even 30 years ago. His reasoning is audiences today have less patience. That may be true, but the film didn’t exactly set any records even in 1974.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on May 22nd, 2007
Synopsis
Cord (Jeff Cooper) is a martial arts expert in a mythical land who competes for the right to go on a quest to confront a legendary master (Christopher Lee) who protects a mystical book. Cord cheats and is disqualified, but heads out on the quest all the same. Along the way he encounters various threats (all played by David Carradine) and a supernaturally talented blind man (also Carradine), not to mention oddities such as Eli Wallach sitting in a barrel of oil as part of long-term project to...dissolve his penis.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on May 22nd, 2007
Since Steve Carell broke into the comedic world with the film Anchorman, audiences have seemingly labeled him the new comedic genius with some comparing him to Jim Carrey. While I don’t completely agree with such a comment, Carell can definitely carry a film by himself, which is evident here with 40-Year Old Virgin.
The plot of The 40 Year Old Virgin can be summed up by a cursory glance at the title of the movie. In slightly more detail; Steve Carrell plays Andy Stitzer, a socially awkward fo...ty year old whose definition of a busy weekend is preparing an egg salad sandwich and changing the color of his figure’s pants. When Carell reveals (by accident one might add) to his colleagues that his virginity is still firmly attached during a poker game, they set about helping him lose it as quickly as possible. Naturally, this entails humiliation, comical misunderstandings and a fair amount of low-brow humor.
Posted in: Game Reviews by Michael Durr on May 21st, 2007
Opening
I guess I'm a sucker for old school shooters. When I was a little chap, it was about the vertical shooters like Galaga and Centipede. As I grew older, I found myself starting to lean towards the horizontal shooters as well including R-Type. However, I did not find myself playing a shooter from start to finish until I came upon a game for the Turbo Duo (Turbo Graphix 16 w/super cd attachment). Actually it was the pack-in for the system. That game was Gates of Thund...r. A game that really had it all. Great graphics, hard bumping sound, a hard yet rewarding difficulty system & easy controls all made for a fantastic game. Fast forward fifteen years to the XBOX 360 console and we get a little shooter for XBOX Live called Aegis Wing. Offered for free to North American XBOX Live members, this game hoped to put some kick back in a genre that has been long forgotten.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on May 21st, 2007
Synopsis
To Catch a Thief has a lot going for it. For starters, two of the most marketable faces of their time playing opposite one another, in a film directed by one of the greats of cinematic history. What’s so wrong about that? John Michael Hayes (Peyton Place) adapted David Dodge’s novel, which Alfred Hitchcock (Psycho) directed.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on May 21st, 2007
Mel Gibson has become somewhat of a character these days. Gibson has become a bit weary of the "Hollywood" way of doing things and so has struck out on a course of originality that can be both inspiring and controversial as the man is himself. His "The Passion" film was viewed by many as the ultimate depiction of Christ's suffering. At the same time just as many believed they were seeing a slant on Jews that was unfair. Just when a balance seemed to have been struck and his film was being accepted for what he claim...d it to be, Gibson the character mucks it all up. Unless you've been living in an isolated island somewhere with a mysterious bunker filled with corn flakes, you've by now heard quite enough of Gibson's arrest and related comments about Jews. Undeterred by such setbacks, Gibson again chose a controversial subject and proceeded to create another of his "masterpieces". This time the ancient Mayan civilization is the subject. Another film shot in an obscure language. These movies are overwhelmingly self-indulgent. That isn't to say they aren't any good. It just means that Gibson frankly doesn't give a damn what anyone else thinks.
Apocalypto is as complicated as the man who created it. The first observation I had was that the film was often best when it was at its simplest. Unfortunately Gibson doesn't allow these moments to dominate with the impact they actually possess. There are inexplicable moments of slapstick that can only be explained by Gibson's love for Three Stooges comedy. While that kind of buffoonery was welcome in the Lethal Weapon franchise, it is painfully out of place here. There is also a trend toward modern translations and phrases that are equally out of place. I'm obviously not learned in the Mayan language, so I can't be sure if these phrases are actually what is spoken or simply misrepresentation in the subtitles. There is no question that the cinematography here is outstanding. The lush Mexican locations were well scouted and serve a great purpose in the overall realism of the film. Still, these beautiful locations provide a stark contrast to the brutality and violence often on display. The musical cues are also outstanding. The exotic rhythms and tones invite the viewer to become emotionally involved in the story. Finally, the cast is an excellent group of relative unknowns. Most of the actors are true native American descendents from as far north as Canada and into Mexico. Everything about this production gives you a startling visceral experience that I admit I haven't felt in very many films I've seen. I missed this one on the big screen. I was admittedly put off by the Mayan language of the production. So my first experience was this DVD, which still gave me a relatively large screen experience.
![The 40-Year-Old Virgin (Unrated Special Edition) [HD DVD] dvd cover art](https://upcomingdiscs.com/ecs_covers/the-40-year-old-virgin-unrated-special-edition-hd-dvd-large.jpg)
