Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on May 3rd, 2003
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Chihiro is a ten-year-old girl moving to a new home. On the way there, her father takes awrong turn, and they find themselves in an abandoned amusement park. I really don’t want tosay too much, as this is a film whose wonders should be discovered without too muchforeknowledge. Suffice to say that Chihiro soon finds herself in a magical world of spirits,striving to free herself, her parents, and a new friend. Spirited Away is a stunning film, worthyof comparison to Alice in Wonderla...d and other children’s classics, and I don’t mean just otherfilms, either. The witch queen looks like something out of a John Tenniel illustration. The filmmight be too frightening for very young children (especially in the first half-hour), but everyoneelse is in for an unforgettable treat. This is a masterpiece.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on April 10th, 2003
Red Dragon is not only the prequel to The Silence of the Lambs and Hannibal, but it is also a remake of a film called Manhunter. The story fits nicely into the Hannibal Lector trilogy, and the story holds true to Manhunter.
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Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on April 4th, 2003
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Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on March 10th, 2003
Star Trek: The Motion Picture is considered a failure not because it was a bad film, but because it just didn’t feel at all like Star Trek. Star Trek IV is perhaps the most Star Trek of all the films. A mixture of saving planet Earth with a social message, humor, and a strong character chemistry has always been Roddenberry’s dream at its very best. There’s no question that of all the Trek films this is the most enjoyable even if you’re not really a fan.
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Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on February 7th, 2003
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Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on January 18th, 2003
Why X-Men 1.5? This 2-Disc special edition re-release is set to coincide with the theatrical release of X2, the X-Men sequel. The 1.5 release is set up to be sort of a Director’s Cut of the original X-Men film. This new version has allowed for the film to be viewed with a number of deleted scenes to be branched into the film (not seamlessly... you have to hit enter on your remote to view the scenes). I am sure you know the premise, but here is a recap:
"Marvel's classic comic book comes to li...e in this exciting big-screen adaptation. The story focuses on the efforts of a well-intentioned professor, Charles Xavier (Patrick Stewart). By pulling together a group of superhuman mutants, Professor X hopes to prove to the world that these genetically enhanced beings are not the dangerous, evil villains humanity claims them to be. When Magneto (Ian McKellen), an angry mutant, vows to eradicate human existence, it's up to the X-Men to save the day and keep the world united." – Fox
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on December 23rd, 2002
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Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on December 22nd, 2002
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Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on December 1st, 2002
Men in Black was a landmark film that almost came out of nowhere. Tom Baker’s standard setting makeup effects combined with the Lethal Weapon-like chemistry between Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones made it one of the best simple entertainment films in recent memory. The problem with a sequel is you aren’t going to sneak up on an innocent audience. Expectations are high and this film does not meet those high expectations. With that said, however, it really is an entertaining film. All the great elements from the original film are here: Frank the Pug is much more involved, Tony Shalhoub’s Jeebs is still loosing his head over the MIB, and The Practice’s Lara Flynn Boyle is a far more attractive bad guy … eh girl ... eh something. It’s a ride and one hell of a ride still.
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Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on October 30th, 2002
In an interview with producer Harve Bennett he tells us that Star Trek II was so successful that he was given the green light for Star Trek III three days after its predecessor’s release. The Search For Spock is not the best of the franchise, but it is certainly the most underrated. Trek lore states that even numbered films are great and odd numbered films bite. This is certainly an exception. Christopher Lloyd is surprising as the main villain, the Klingon Kruge. Shatner actually provides one of his best scenes with Mark Lenard as Spock’s father. Deforest Kelly steals the film with the charm and wit that makes McCoy such an endearing figure and the actor’s death such a loss to Star Trek. There are many moving scenes to be found here: The death of Kirk’s son, Spock’s reunion with his friends, but perhaps the most startling is the destruction of the good ship Enterprise.
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