Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on September 8th, 2005
Synopsis
As the US enters the conflict of WWII, a ring of Nazi spies works to uncover American research into the atomic bomb. The are based out of a dress shop at the house of the title, and they are infiltrated by double agent William Eythe. Will he uncover the traitor in the nuclear program before the Nazis uncover the traitor in their own midst?
This isn’t, properly speaking, a noir, something that the commentary itself points out, adding that this is, rather, the first of the pseudo-doc...
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on September 7th, 2005
ALF stands for Alien Life Form, but anyone who has seen this hit 1980’s comedy knows ALF stands for “laughing your ass off funny”. That’s what I had to say about season 1. Season 2 is just as funny, if not tons more. Of course, it helps that the show got its first full run of episodes in this year. Each episode shares its name with a song title. To the show’s credit, many are obscure. The big problem here continues to be the use of cut syndicated episodes. At least on this set the box clearly alerts you to this fact.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on September 7th, 2005
Synopsis
When Glynis Johns’ car breaks down, she seeks help at the mansion run by Dr. Caligari (Dan O’Herlihy), who promptly makes her prisoner. He won’t let her leave, he says, until she tells him everything about her most intimate life. All of the other guests at the house won’t help her, and everyone has a tendency to speak in riddles. Our heroine descends deeper and deeper into a nightmarish psychological trap.
Not a remakes, as such, of The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, this does owe...
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on September 7th, 2005
What's the dealio with The Deal? Well... Christian Slater's in it. Selma Blair's in it. What's it about? The Deal is a thriller set in the world of insider trading and the oil market. Sounds like a bore? Well, the film is fairly knowledgable about its information. The screenplay has a lot of "insider" gobbledegook. The characters talk the talk, but can they walk the walk?
The Deal, on a thriller level, gets lost in its own plot. Tom Hanson (Christian Slater) slogs through a maz...
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on September 6th, 2005
This is not your father’s Sinbad. The emphasis is on the Bad, very bad. Seek and ye shall find no Ray Harryhausen magic to carry you away to distant lands and grand adventure. Lou Ferrigno was much better as The Hulk than as Sinbad. His much too modern use of slang coupled with a wise-guy barrage of one-liners makes this a difficult film to watch. Trust me. This film is really bad. Most disturbing is the total lack of respect the producers of this mess show for the grand traditions of previous Sinbad films. There is no majesty and mystery.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on September 5th, 2005
Synopsis
Art Carney is a spirited senior (the Harry of the title) who is evicted from his home (the building is going to be torn down to make way for a parking lot). He sets out with his cat Tonto on a cross-country journey that sees him bouncing off family members and strangers on their own journeys.
Some of these encounters are less believable than others (the Hooker With The Heart of Gold, for example), but the tone of the film is a gentle, wry, observational humour. Carney is excellent,...
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on September 5th, 2005
Synopsis
In 19th-Century Edinburgh, medical doctor Timothy Dalton needs bodies in order to further medical science. He avails himself of the services of two scoundrels (Johnathan Pryce and Stephen Rea), who provide him with extremely fresh specimens. Disturbingly fresh, as assistant Julian Sands is quick to realize. Dalton contends that the ends justify the means, even if those means are murder.
The story of murderous grave robbers Burke and Hare has been committed to screen in one form or ...
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on September 4th, 2005
Synopsis
Kingdome Hospital is built on the site of a former Civil War textile mill, where many children lost their lives in a tragic fire. The ground is therefore haunted, and strange things are happening in the hospital. We follow the lives of many characters here, including one particular patient, an artist who was hit by a truck (the incident is very faithful reproduction of what happened to Stephen King himself) and is haunted, in his comatose state, by visions of a supernatural anteater (I’m not...
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on September 4th, 2005
Synopsis
Based on Henry James’ novella The Turn of the Screw, this is the tale of a repressed governess (Deborah Kerr), who arrives at a country estate to care for two young children. She soon becomes convinced that the ghosts of the valet and the previous governess are haunting the place, and have evil designs on the children.
The Turn of the Screw is not only one of the masterpieces of the ghost story in English literature, it is also the very model of ambiguity. Are the gho...
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on September 3rd, 2005
Synopsis
Professor Gangreen (John Astin) and his evil killer tomatoes are back with yet another attempt to take over the world. This time, the mad scientist and his hapless assistant Igor are spreading their message by running a trashy TV daytime talk show out of their base on Crystal Mountain (kinda like Crystal Lake, geddit? Cue Friday the 13th parody). Investigating are a clueless hardboiled cop and the oh-so-hot tomatologist.
It is astonishing that a one-joke title spawned an ent...
