Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on January 18th, 2006
After the MTV show Jackass closed production, MTV scrambled to try to find a show that would secure the ratings that Jackass had been doing for so many years. What resulted from that scrambling? The moderately entertaining Viva La Bam which features a majority of the Jackass outcasts and ‘losers’. Since this is the review for the fourth and fifth seasons, one can imagine that Viva La Bam did succeed in finding that audience that would make MTV more money.
While the show original...y began by finding the stars adjusting to their new found success and stardom, the show slowly has become less and less funny as the years drew by. The main reason lies in the editing room. The editing of the show almost makes the characters look cartoonish causing the viewer to lose focus on what the show was originally about. The show was very funny because it was a type of insanity that was sporadic giving the show a unique feel from Jackass. Episodes in this season seem to almost have that sitcom feel to them, which is NEVER a good thing.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on January 18th, 2006
After the MTV show Jackass closed production, MTV scrambled to try to find a show that would secure the ratings that Jackass had been doing for so many years. What resulted from that scrambling? The moderately entertaining Viva La Bam which features a majority of the Jackass outcasts and ‘losers’. Since this is the review for the fourth and fifth seasons, one can imagine that Viva La Bam did succeed in finding that audience that would make MTV more money.
While the show original...y began by finding the stars adjusting to their new found success and stardom, the show slowly has become less and less funny as the years drew by. The main reason lies in the editing room. The editing of the show almost makes the characters look cartoonish causing the viewer to lose focus on what the show was originally about. The show was very funny because it was a type of insanity that was sporadic giving the show a unique feel from Jackass. Episodes in this season seem to almost have that sitcom feel to them, which is NEVER a good thing.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on January 11th, 2006
Synopsis
I’ve long held the somewhat chauvinistic belief that female stand up comedians are simply not funny. I’ve given people like Ellen DeGeneres, Paula Poundstone and Margaret Cho as much unbiased time as I can give, and I just don’t laugh at them. Their sense of humor is softer than any comparable male comedians, and is far more subtle. Does that make me a cro-magnon male with a large forehead? Probably.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on January 1st, 2006
Synopsis.
Working in the comedy salt mines, looking to break out into the superstardom they so richly deserved, Bob Odenkirk (The Larry Sanders Show) and David Cross (Men In Black) were hard at work doing writing for other shows, including Saturday Night Live, before finding one another. The two worked together, writing for the short-lived Ben Stiller show on Fox in the early 90’s, and a friendship bloomed, along with a working relationship. After doing some nightclub appearances, an ex...cutive offered them the chance to shoot a small group of shows for HBO. For lack of a better title, they called it Mr. Show, a sketch comedy series unlike any other. Maybe the words of Odenkirk may help, from bobanddavid.com:
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on December 28th, 2005
Synopsis
It would appear that the 1961 Disney film The Parent Trap helped to spur popularity within Disney’s non-animated film section. Films like the Herbie films, and films featuring other stars like Kurt Russell would soon follow several years later. Based on a book by Erich Kastner, and written and directed by David Swift (Eight is Enough, Barney Miller), the film is centered around Sharon and Susie (both played by Hayley Mills, Saved by the Bell, Pollyanna), who are i...entical twins who do not realize that they are sisters. After some initial bristling between the two, they manage to get along and learn more about each other.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on December 18th, 2005
Synopsis
Thankfully, as part of Criterion’s desire to be completists of the Akira Kurosawa collection, they have finally decided to release Ran on DVD. For the sake of time, I’ll include my thoughts of the film based on my review of the Kurosawa boxed set, which included a previous version of Ran:
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on December 18th, 2005
Synopsis
In Akira Kurosawa’s later years, it was almost criminal that a director with his resume was forced to practically beg for financing. Kurosawa was in the midst of a career drought, having made only two movies in almost 15 years with Dersu Uzala and Dodesukaden. This coming after a run of films that has proved influential to even today’s filmmakers. While Kurosawa did have to obtain foreign financing for his movies in later years, Francis Ford Coppola and George Lucas, both of whom cite...Kurosawa as heavy career influences, agreed to finance his next film, 1980’s Kagemusha (or The Shadow Warrior).
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on December 15th, 2005
Written by Clayton Self
The Polar Express is a milestone in digital film making. Making use of “performance capture” (little attachments connected to the body to mimic human movement) and green screens, Robert Zemeckis (Back to the Future) has created a stunning visual world that is sure to find its way into homes of millions to be enjoyed during the Holiday season. Labeled by some as creepy because of the not quite real, yet not quite fake digital characters, The Polar Express is nothing more than an epic Christmas a...venture to be enjoyed by kids and adults alike.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on December 9th, 2005
Synopsis
We all know the story, even if we haven’t seen the film. Risk-taking (and potentially criminally irresponsible) documentary maker Carl Denham (Robert Armstrong) charters a ship and sets off for an uncharted island. On board are first mate Jack Driscoll (Bruce Cabot) and Ann Darrow (Fay Wray), the woman Denham has tapped for the lead in his film. They arrive at Skull Island, and before long, Ann is kidnapped and offered as a sacrifice to Kong. The giant ape falls for Ann, and a romantic trian...le of truly mythic proportions ensues as Jack and Kong struggle with each other (and other monsters) for possession of the woman.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on December 7th, 2005
Written by Clayton Self
Batman Begins is a brand new and WAY cooler take on the Dark Knight franchise than anything we’ve seen before. Most importantly, this is NOT a prequel to any of the previous four Batman films. This is a fresh start for the franchise, and it gets done the way it should have been done in the first place. Don’t get me wrong, Burton made two very dark and original films, but let’s face it; Batman Returns sent children bawling out of the theatre, and left parents with a sour taste in their mouth. That mo...ie is the reason Batman Forever and Batman & Robin were so, how do I say this without being mean? Campy. Tragically campy. Needless to say, those films drove the nail through the coffin for that particular story line. But thanks to Christopher Nolan (Memento/Insomnia) we have a new Batman film that puts the dark knight on the silver screen in a very dominating way.
