Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on August 26th, 2008
Man, has television come a long way in just over 50 years. There was once a pretty strict code that applied to television programs. Men and women, even when married, couldn’t be seen to have shared the same bed. Anything stronger than a “golly gee” was strictly forbidden. You couldn’t even show a woman’s belly button. And the good guys always had to win, while the bad guys got their comeuppance in the end. Alfred Hitchcock was one of the first to push those boundaries by telling mystery stories where the bad guys often appeared to get away with their evil deeds. Even Hitchcock wasn’t brazen enough to completely skirt these rules, and at the end of such immoral plays he would always add, in his spoken postscript, some terrible twist of fate that got the bad guys in the end. Those days seem long behind us now. We have mob bosses, crooked cops, and now a serial killer, not only getting away with their crimes but acting the hero, of sorts, for the show. Vic Mackey and Tony Soprano only helped pave the way. In Showtime’s groundbreaking series, Dexter, Morgan Dexter is a serial killer who happens to kill other killers. The series is based on two novels by Jeff Lindsay. Darkly Dreaming Dexter and Dearly Devoted Dexter gave birth to the character and world of Dexter Morgan.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on October 31st, 2006
Synopsis
A student radical, wanted for the murder of a police officer, is also being held for rape. In the interrogation room, the woman he attacked refuses to press charges. Neither speaks. The rest of the film is a flashback. Fleeing custody, the man encounters the suicidal woman on a deserted island. He assaults her repeatedly, but also falls in love with her, and she with him. It’s all very tormenting for the two of them. The end.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on May 31st, 2006
Synopsis
This is an odd fish. It’s a documentary about Bob Berdella, who raped, tortured, killed and dismembered six men in the late 80's. Director Benjamin Meade combines interviews with the investigators, the prosecutor, a survivor and Berdella himself with gruesome recreations of the crimes, an expectedly hard-boiled narration from James Ellroy, and incongruous performances of songs by the rock band “Demon Dogs.” The result is certainly interesting, but it jumps around so much that it can become h...rd to follow (structurally, it resembles Glen or Glenda? done by someone with talent). There’s a lot of raw power here, somewhat diluted by the songs that, though catchy enough, are more puzzling than anything else by their presence.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on April 28th, 2006
This is another one of those films that is best suited for the international film festival crowd. I’m not sure, however, if even that group will get this one. Jennifer Van Dyck gives one of the silliest and most wooden performances I’ve ever seen as a woman suddenly constrained by normal life. Under the influence of a messed up play director, she is encouraged to experience life through other eyes. Her use of profanity, sleep deprivation, and depravity are just not interesting to observe. I’ve had bouts of sleep de...rivation, and trust me, it’s not the sense-stimulating experience she writes about. It plays out like a poor art film student’s work. Not to be taken seriously at all. It won’t likely even show up at the local video chains . “You ain’t missing nothing.”
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Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on March 16th, 2006
Director Pete Red Sky conducts a small, but capable cast in the psychodrama The White Horse Is Dead. Some bits of dialogue hit sour notes, but the cast, which consists of Resmine Atis, Andrew Welsh, and Irina Stemer, hold their own through the rough parts and truly elevate this flawed rendering of an otherwise intriguing – and sordid – tale. Atis plays Naya, daughter to Giselle (a domineering and beautiful hypochondriac), and at the film’s opening, we see she’s the kind of girl, who would do most anything to p...ease her mother. Inheritors of a rather large estate left to them following Naya’s father’s suicide, Giselle and Naya get along in quiet seclusion, so long as Naya does everything her mother says. Stemer injects a realistic sinister quality into the role of Giselle, but just how sinister she is, we never imagine until the film’s conclusion – a conclusion helped along by the arrival of sympathetic ex-con Vincent (Welsh), whom Giselle hires to upkeep the estate grounds. He does a lot more than that, striking up a relationship with Naya, and causing her to question everything about her past, which has been largely influenced by Giselle’s version of things. As Naya becomes more aware of her mother’s flaws, she starts to rebel and brings out the worst in Mommy Dearest. Atis is a revelation in the role of Naya, and it would be hard for me to imagine this young lady not having a long, fruitful career. Welsh shows some incredible range as well, and Stemer is a formidable antagonist for these two young lovers. As previously stated, there are some pieces of amateurish dialogue here and there, but even that is hard to detect under the guidance of these stars. And Red Sky’s direction rises above that of a typical first-time director. Out of the ordinary and sometimes over-the-top, indie fans will love what he’s done with his debut.
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Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on March 2nd, 2006
Originally released in 1997, The Next Step is one of those coming of age dance films that became so popular in the late 90's. Usually, that alone would be enough to put me off the film, but as I am a reviewer, I was forced to dig deeper. Unfortunately for me, there really isn't anywhere deeper to go. The genre pretty much dictates the plot.
For those who dare to actually be concerned with said plot, I really can't say it any better than it is already stated on the back of the box. Specifically, this ...ilm “tells of how a womanizing, arrogant dancer gets his just desserts and learns the hard way to treat his partners with more respect.” Seriously, how many hundreds of films have been made with this premise? Better films. Films helmed by talented directors. Honestly, I think I would rather sit through an entire season of Fame than to have to watch this horrible thing again. At least Fame has some of those “so bad it's good” moments. This thing is just uncomfortably embarrassing.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on January 30th, 2006
Synopsis
Summarizing this puppy is a bit of a challenge. But here goes: a nameless young woman (Samara Golden) moves into a dingy apartment located in the middle of an urban hellscape. The place is a mess, with the previous owner’s possessions scattered everywhere. There are plenty of messages on this guy’s answering machine, too, some plenty aggressive (and these messages are the only dialogue in the film). Is the man still alive, and watching her from the ventilation duct? Has she killed him? How m...ny of the nightmarish things that happen are real, and how many are her hallucinations.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on December 17th, 2005
In the light of today's world - all the changes that are going on in Iraq, and with hostilities toward America for our involvement being the naturally derivative baggage - I fully expected a piece of anti-American propaganda with Zaman: The Man from the Reeds. However, I was pleasantly surprised upon the discovery that director Amer Alwan, regardless of his political feelings, has instead told a simple, sweet story of love and sacrifice.
Spirituality does play a part of Zaman's character, but keep in mind before any rushes to judgment that Zaman's family is very poor. He and his wife and their adopted son live in a floating village of huts deep in the marshlands of Iraq. All they have is each other, whatever the land supplies them to live on, and their beliefs. The film implies in its presentation of Zaman's family how important one's faith is, especially when it's the only source of hope. But the film does remain blissfully ambiguous in endorsing any one belief system, and opts instead for telling a general tale of faith and love that can appeal to all audiences, who consider themselves spiritual people. While it lacks depth and complexity, its simple nature is refreshing and recommends at least one viewing.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on December 16th, 2005
Synopsis
Pooja (Kirti Reddy) dreams of being a film director, but the old boys at the ad agency she works for are constantly brushing her off. When she meets singer Kabir (Abhishek Bachchan), she thinks she could use his talent, but he is hoping for a more romantic relationship. She, meanwhile, is attracted to her boss’s son, but then things become further complicated when she has to pretend to be engaged to Kabir in order to save her job.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on December 4th, 2005
Synopsis
Dag Yngvesson sets out to the San Fenando Valley to investigate the way the porn filmmaking world works. His first contact is with veteran actor Bill Marigold, who now sees himself as a sort of den father (to coin a phrase) to other performers. With help from Marigold, our documentarist lands one contact after another, some plenty disturbing, and before he knows it, he is being asked to be cameraman on a porn feature himself. The emotional climax follows returning star Jenna Fine’s struggle ...o stay off drugs when her ex-boyfriend is released from prison.
