Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on April 22nd, 2006
A critically acclaimed Adam Sandler film? I’d never would I have thought I’d see the day. I guess if The Truman Show is one of Jim Carrey’s dramatic stabs, then the star of Big Daddy can give a romantic comedy a try. Written and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson (Magnolia), using a story from the “Strange But True” category, combined with adding a touching tenderness to his characters, wrapped up with Sandler, playing a quiet, soft spoken man prone to fits of blind rage.
Sander is Barry ...gan, a novelty toilet plunger salesman with 7 sisters, who don’t hesitate in bullying him at every opportunity. Barry has times where he has periods of anger that cause him to destroy things, such as a sliding glass door at one of his sister’s houses. One morning, while at work, Barry discovers a harmonium that is left abandoned outside of the warehouse where he works. The harmonium becomes a metaphor for Barry’s pursuit to reclaim his life, as he periodically tries to play it through the film. Barry soon meets Lena (Emily Watson, Breaking the Waves) who drops her car off at the mechanic next to Barry’s office, but her intent is to meet him. Barry is attracted to Lena, and his awkwardness around her is cute to see, as if he’s a 13 year old trying to figure out what to do and say. Barry’s conflict in the movie is when he calls a phone sex company. He’s very awkward, and even confused, when talking with the girl on the other line. She decides to extort money from him, and enlists the help of Dean (Philip Seymour Hoffman, Capote), the owner of the company, and 3 crazed brothers.Through this, Barry is inspired by Lena, and when he finds out about a business trip she has to take to Hawaii, he takes advantage of a loophole in a Healthy Choice Promotional Campaign, which allows him to collect over 1 million frequent flyer miles from pudding purchases. He’s unable to redeem the miles in time, but he goes to meet her anyway.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on February 10th, 2005
Films like Crimson Tide, Hunt for Red October and U-571 have tried on their own ways to take their place as the definitive modern submarine movie, but Das Boot still stands as King, over 20 years after its release. I remember hearing about this film growing up, and as a lad of 10, wasn’t into foreign films, or war films, as I am now, which may not be saying much. In seeing it when the Director’s Cut first came out in 1997, many people snapped up the 5.1 soundtrack, and Director’s Commentar... which was on the flipper disc. In my first viewing, I became enamored by the experiences of German war correspondent Werner (Herbert Gronemeyer), as he watches the transformation of the baby faced crew of the U-Boat transform into unshaved, withdrawn men and the end of their journey in the 10 foot wide by 150 foot long submarine.
Jurgen Prochnow (Air Force One) is the Captain of the sub, who has become jaded from hearing the numerous failures of the sub, and while he does follow orders, and attempts to attack an Allied shipping convoy, the mission is almost one of survival. Doing what you can to stay sane, almost civil, during the time in cramped quarters. When his (and other) boats encounter the Allied ships, the chase is sonically powerful, with loud depth charges booming in the water, rattling the metal chassis of the sub, along with the contrasting quiet of the crew, hoping to avoid the ships above them. Wolfgang Petersen (The Perfect Storm) does an outstanding job of portraying the cramped quarters, the decaying morale of the crew, and all of the suspenseful elements up to, and including, their trip home.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on June 15th, 2004
With the release of Spider-Man 2 in late June, it was no surprise that Sony decided to give us an upgrade of the first film. Spider-Man was probably the best superhero film to come along since the original Superman in the late 70’s. Perhaps not as recognizable as Batman or Superman, Spidey is still quite an American icon to the millions of us who grew up during the golden age of comics.
This film is a faithful adaptation. The only real complaint I’ve heard is the tweaking of the origin story. In the comics...it was a radioactive spider, not a genetically altered one, that sank its teeth into Peter Parker. The casting is exceptional with the possible exception of Kirsten Dunst. I can’t put my finger on it, but she is the weak link of the entire picture. Law and Order’s Simmonds is a dead ringer for J.J. Jamison.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on July 16th, 2003
As a film, John Carpenter’s Vampires leaves a lot to be desired. The story is average and has been done before, and the acting is questionable at best. I just cannot appreciate James Woods as a bad ass Vampire Killer. Vampires does contain a number of scenes that build tension and effectively instill some horror, but you will not be traumatized by the scariness of this film. Yes, there are a few sequences that look very good in terms of the cinematography, and there is some nice gore and violence, but you w...uld be much better off viewing a film such as Dog Soldiers if you are looking for a quality horror flick.
“Hired by the Vatican, supernatural bounty hunter Jack Crow (James Woods) meets his match in Valek, the 600 year-old leader of a band of vampires terrorizing the American Southwest. When Valke kills most of Crow's team of mercenary vampire slayers in a surprise attack, the bounty hunter turns to help from Katrina (Sheryl Lee), a beautiful prostitute with a psychic link to the deadly vampire, who leads him to Valek's lair for the final showdown.” – Columbia-Tristar
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on June 23rd, 2003
Charlie Kaufman is a neurotic, narcissistic, self loathing writer who is hired to adapt Susan Orlean’s novel The Orchid Thief into a film. The only problem is that he is suffering from writers block, add in a twin brother who is also writing a screenplay and his inability to interact with people and hang-on for a wild ride. Charlie tries a number of different approaches to writing the script and suddenly finds himself being written into the story. What starts out as an adaptation of a book into a film turns into a completely different story all together. It turns into a tongue and cheek story about movie making in Hollywood and a person’s ability to adapt and change to fit their surroundings.
Video
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on May 7th, 2003
Set to coincide with the theatrical release of Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle, Columbia-Tristar releases the highly successful Charlie’s Angels as the latest Superbit Deluxe DVD. This film is wildly enjoyable… with a wonderful mix of action and comedy. I cannot imagine another trio pulling this film off as well as Cameron Diaz, Drew Barrymore, and Lucy Liu. Their acting chemistry, along with the direction of McG, has made this a film that can be enjoyed over and over again.
”They're beautiful, th...y're brilliant, and they work for Charlie. In the sexy, high-octane comedy update of the '70s television phenomenon, bookworm Natalie (Diaz), tough girl Dylan (Barrymore) and tech-savvy Alex (Liu), alongside faithful lieutenant Bosley (Bill Murray - Rushmore), must foil an elaborate murder-revenge plot that could not only destroy individual privacy and corporate security worldwide, but spell the end of Charlie and his Angels.” – Columbia-Tristar
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on May 17th, 2002
Film
Braveheart this film is not, but The Patriot is still a decent Mel Gibson offering. This film, along with Hollow Man, has had the pleasure of being one of the first Superbit Deluxe DVD release. For me, this film will be remembered by one, and only one great sequence. That sequence (if you have seen this film you will know this scene) is when Mel Gibson goes loco with his hatchet. This scene is worth the price of admission (or cost of the DVD) alone.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on November 30th, 2001
Intro
Bram Stoker’s Dracula is the first Horror/Suspense film to hit the SuperBit Circuit. This film is quite good, and the disc is another great release.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on October 16th, 2001
I must say that upon learning about the SuperBit Series from Columbia-Tristar, I was very intrigued. I did not know what to really expect… no special features? I must say, that at least for Fifth Element: SuperBit, I am very impressed. Fifth Element was originally released on DVD a few years ago with no special features and very good video and audio quality… similar to the SuperBit ideology. Before I get into this disc, here is a bit about the plot…
Synopsis
