Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on October 22nd, 2004
Synopsis
Brian Benben is a book editor. He is still madly in love with his ex-wife, but his dreams of getting back together with her are smashed by her upcoming marriage. And “dreams” is very much the operative term here, since Benben’s emotional reactions to the world around him are daydreams in the form of B&W clips from old films and TV shows. Exec-produced by John Landis, the series follows Benben’s misadventures (primarily with the opposite sex), and features plenty of Big Name guest appearances...
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on October 21st, 2004
Synopsis
Gabriel (?!) Van Helsing (Hugh Jackman), 19th-Century James Bond/Batman action guy forthe Vatican, is dispatched to Transylvania, where Dracula is up to no good. Dracula wants to usethe Frankenstein Monster’s life force to bring to life his thousands of vampire offspring, littlebat-gremlin thingies that so far only live for a few moments before expiring. Should Draculasucceed, the world will be overwhelmed with vampires. Jackman is aided by Kate Beckinsale (ina wildly anach...
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on October 19th, 2004
Synopsis
This is the story of Edward D. Wood, Jr., who gave the world such classics as Glen orGlenda? and Plan 9 From Outer Space. Tim Burton’s film follows Wood (JohnnyDepp) from his dismal theatre days through to the premiere of Plan 9, along the wayexploring his friendship with various misfits, including Bela Lugosi (an Oscar-winning turn byMartin Landau), not to mention Wood’s own cross-dressing proclivities.
Purists can complain about the factual in...
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on October 18th, 2004
Synopsis
Erstwhile Little House on the Prairie fixture Melissa Sue Anderson is recoveringfrom the death of her mother and her own brain injury. She seems to be doing okay, despite aloss of memory, for which she seeks the help of psychiatrist Glenn Ford. She is one of thepopular kids at her college. All is not well, however, as the friends start being killed one by one.Who has it in for the Top Ten?
Happy Birthday to Me has no more plot than the usual slasher, b...
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on October 17th, 2004
Synopsis
A medical examiner and a biologist travel deep into the Bayou, investigating the death ofa local fisherman. They and the inhabitants of a group of houseboats are soon all-too-aware ofthe what killed the man: giant, genetically modified snakehead fish. The fish lays siege toour unfortunate characters.
Not much more plot to this tight little creature feature than that. It gets right to the point, andwastes precious little time on subplots. Most of the film consists of...
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on October 17th, 2004
Synopsis
This is a redemption movie – in this case, redemption for CIA assassin (“counter insurgent expert”) John Creasy – a burnt out alcoholic in search of forgiveness for the heinous acts perpetrated under the banner of his job (“Do you think God will ever forgive us for what we’ve done?”). Creasy’s path to redemption is laid out by his friend and compatriot Rayburn, who lands him a job as a bodyguard for a wealthy family in Mexico City. Apparently kidnapping the children or spouses of wealthy cor...
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on October 16th, 2004
What Science Fiction fan has not read Ray Bradbury’s groundbreaking book, The Martian Chronicles. The book is not really a novel, but a series of shorter works that follows the settlement of Mars. Even though the Martian canals of medieval times were already disproved by the 1940’s when Bradbury began the project, he insisted on conforming his Martian landscape to such fancy. The series of works translate well to the mini-series format; however, the necessary f/x to pull it off just weren’t available in a 1980 TV bud...
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on October 16th, 2004
Season 4 of Voyager is most notable for the addition of Jeri Ryan’s Seven Of Nine character. The stories grew a bit more complex. The season appears to have regarded style above substance in year 4. There is a modest attempt to develop a mother/daughter kind of relationship between Seven Of Nine and Janeway. The problem is that, like the potential for conflict inherent with the addition of the Maquis members of the crew, this conflict is all to often resolved in a Brady Bunch “What have you learned from this, Seven ...
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on October 15th, 2004
Synopsis
Shawn and Marlon Wayans are two FBI agents. After screwing up royally (busting an ice-cream salesman instead of a drug dealer), they are anxious to redeem themselves. Charged withescorting the heiress Wilson sisters (read: Hilton) to the Hamptons where they will be bait fora socialite kidnapper, they mar the sisters’ faces, and so go themselves, made-up as the WhiteChicks of the title. Misunderstandings, racial and sexual, ensue.
I’ll grant the brothers this: there ...
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on October 15th, 2004
Synopsis
Apparently in answer to a mystic's prophecy, Godzilla returns to wreak havoc. But he doesn'tsound like himself, and battles long-time friend Anguirus. When the real Godzilla turns up, madas hell, the imposter is revealed as the cyborg Mechagodzilla, controlled by aliens from "the thirdblack hole in space." The first fight ends in a draw, and while the robot is being repaired, ourhuman characters race to summon another monster, King Caesar, who, it is hoped, will help fightt...
