Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on December 15th, 2001
Intro
Ouch… this movie carried such high expectations that its failure on so many levels came as a major disappointment. After such remarkably entertaining schlock-horror epics (and legitimate cinematic masterpieces) as “Hallowe’en,” “ In the Mouth of Madness,” and “Escape from New York,” “Ghosts of Mars (GoM)” came of as a...hurried and uncreative effort. Perhaps some of the blame falls on the co-authorship of the screenplay by the inexperienced Larry Sulkis (in contrast to “Mouth of Madness” use of Michael De Luca).
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on December 9th, 2001
Intro
Mean-spirited. Nasty. Spiteful. Evil. All words that apply to this comedy. And they’re compliments.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on November 26th, 2001
Intro
The timing on this release is just about perfect: close enough to the theatrical release of The Lord of the Rings for people to be eager for some high fantasy, but far in advance enough that comparisons will be less likely.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on November 16th, 2001
Intro
It is so rare for a small film, such as MADE, to be given a blockbuster DVD release. This is one of the best low budget films I have seen in a long time (excluding Memento… which was the best). But unfortunately, Memento was not given a DVD release that did it justice, Made, on the other hand, did.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on November 15th, 2001
I have heard a lot of mixed reviews about this film. I will sum it up like this… If you are expecting amazing acting and storyline, you will be disappointed. But, on the other hand, if you are expecting to see a bunch of Apes jumping around and some very fun visual effects, you are in for a treat….
Synopsis
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on November 4th, 2001
Intro
CTHE has managed to squeeze yet another release out of the Monty Python franchise, this time in the form of a Holy Grail two-disc Special Edition. A single disc version with 2.0 sound streeted in September of 1999. While the discs are loaded with a mountain of extras and the video and sound are definitely better than the 1999 version, I would recommend this set for first time Holy Grail purchasers and suggest that current owners needn’t upgrade. This disc has regrettably bumped into the limitations...of digital enhancement and re-mastering; while it may be “better” (i.e.: it offers 5.1 versus the previous releases’ 2.0), the 1975 source material can only be pushed so far and the sound a video are just not great enough to justify repurchase.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on September 17th, 2001
Intro
“If you have a taste for terror, you have a date with CARRIE.” So intones the original theatrical trailer for 1976’s “Carrie,” Brian de Palma’s cinematic adaptation of Stephen King’s identically named novel. This is a revenge story: Carrie is a high school student (at “Bates High” – yes this did come out after Psycho) who is tormented by her peers for her lack of physical prowess, weird family, homeliness, et cetera. Her contemporaries mysteriously overlook that fact that she is telekinetic and can...randomly set things on fire with a mere thought; thinking back to high school, I think that these two characteristics would have made her quite popular regardless of her volleyball ability. At any rate, the climax of the movie sees Carrie go ballistic and get her revenge on an uncaring high school populace and staff.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on September 15th, 2001
Intro
Forget the “blue-lightning = naked guy” time transport system; you can do real time travel in your living room with MGM’s “The Terminator SE.” Step back to a time before Linda Hamilton started taking steroids, and before Arnold Schwarzenegger stopped. A time when guys (Michael Biehn = “Kyle Reese”) wanted to look like Sting, and CGI animation didn’t even exist. Yes, step back into the terrifying stop-motion world of James Cameron’s “The Terminator” in this superb re-release.
