Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on November 19th, 2003
Brush With Fate is not a film in any traditional scenes. Based on Susan Vreeland’s novel, “Girl In Hyacinth Blue” this is in reality an anthology of vignettes. The common thread in these stories is that a certain painting is passed down through 300 years. The stories are overly simple. Some of the locations in the Netherlands shot for this film offer the only redeeming quality to be found. Some of the vistas are breathtaking.
Audio
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on November 18th, 2003
Synopsis
Any synopsis is probably beside the point. If you haven’t been watching Buffy by this season,your chances of understanding what the hell is going on will be severely curtailed. Highlights ofthis season include Buffy’s encounter with Dracula, and the moving episode (“The Body”) aboutthe death of her mother.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on November 18th, 2003
Synopsis
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on November 18th, 2003
Synopsis
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on November 17th, 2003
Being a white, middle-class American male, my knowledge of the black struggle with apartheid in South Africa during the latter half of the 20th Century is virtually nil. My exposure to the music that was so instrumental to the success of that movement is even less. With these facts in mind, I was dreading having to review this title, as it is a documentary film covering a subject that I really had very little interest in.
My dread turned to fascination upon sitting down to watch the film, however. This is a... excellent documentary that hits a delicate balance between being informative, entertaining and beautiful. The struggle of the blacks in South Africa is told in a way that helped me to understand the intricacies of the situation in that country far better than anything that I have seen before. The powerful music of the movement is the star of the show here, with text and interview footage used sparingly to fill in the blanks. This fantastic film should be viewed by all Americans, as a reminder of the tragic realities that many people of the world face each day, due to the ignorance and fear of those who are frequently in power.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on November 17th, 2003
Synopsis
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on November 16th, 2003
Synopsis
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on November 15th, 2003
Synopsis
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on November 15th, 2003
Synopsis
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on November 15th, 2003
James Gandolfini is a brilliant actor. He is one of those rare talents that sneak in the back door to show business, hiding in the shadows until the public realizes just what a powerful artist he has always been. I, like many Americans, first began to notice Gandolfini through his work in the immensely successful HBO television series The Soprano’s. In the French/American hybrid film New World, Gandolfini is at top form yet again, playing an American soldier stationed in France in the 1950’s with more ...ime than responsibility.
As with most films you have never heard of, there is a reason why this one may have passed you by. Gandolfini only has a supporting role in this film, which is unfortunate, since he is by far the greatest actor herein. Excepting his performance, this is a film that starts off slow, coasts through the second act, and then finishes with a rousing series of events that made me use the word, “whaaaat?” on several occasions. While the plot seems to be going somewhere at first glance, be forewarned… it isn’t. The film’s bad editing is a perfect compliment to its equally bad script, making for a confusing and pointless film that considers making some daring statements throughout, but in the end makes no statements at all.
