Sony Pictures

Newsradio: The Complete Third Season

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on March 10th, 2006

Newsradio ran for five seasons. Four seasons gave us some of the best work of excellent comedic legend Phil Hartman, but the beginning of the fifth season marked a sadness period from which the show was never able to recover, as Hartman was shot to death by his wife, who committed suicide immediately following. It was the kind of tragedy you still can’t believe – even today – if you knew Hartman or his work. Luckily, season three offers some of his best moments, as well as the comic genius of the undera…
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Where the Truth Lies

Posted in Disc Reviews by David Annandale on March 3rd, 2006

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Synopsis

In the late fifties, Lanny Morris (Kevin Bacon) and Vince Collins (Colin Firth) are a top-rated comedy duo, hosts of a polio telethon. At the height of their career, everything comes crashing down when the body of a young woman is discovered in the bathtub of their hotel suite. They have cast-iron alibis, but the team is dissolved. Fifteen years later, up-and-coming journalist Karen O’Connor (Alison Lohman) lands a sweetheart deal to write a book about Vince, and he is being paid a million d…
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Mirrormask

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on March 3rd, 2006

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Neil Gaiman’s Mirrormask is just the sort of mixed bag I expected. While parts are mesmerizing and the performance of Stephanie Leonidas is a joy in itself, the plot fails to make room for credibility when it’s desperately needed. The holes left behind from this weak story cause the film to masquerade as art while carefully avoiding admission to what it really is – a product of sloppy writing. Gaiman is a talented scribe, but with Mirrormask, he’s dangerously close to believing his own hype. Judging fro…
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Ring Around the Rosie

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on February 26th, 2006

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If there is one genre that can get away with releasing films direct-to-DVD, it is horror. By nature, most of the best horror films are low budget affairs anyway. Classics like Halloween and Friday the 13th, as well as more modern affairs such as The Blair Witch Project, are perfect models of the power of a smart, low-budget horror film.

Of course, for every Cabin Fever, there are fifteen versions of The Brotherhood III – Young Demons out there, just waiting to suck. Ring …
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13 Going on 30 (Fun and Flirty Edition)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on February 25th, 2006

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Synopsis

Quite frankly, I didn’t remember much about 13 Going on 30 when I first saw it (yes, I’m copping to watching it), but in revisiting it for the purposes of the review, I found that it was a cute film whose story is quite clearly lifted from the ‘80s Tom Hanks film Big (right down to the scene where the main character rides in a limo), but the performances by the cast is actually quite commendable.

Jenna Fink is growing up in the mid ‘80s and is disenchanted with her teenage l…
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Cary Grant Box Set, The

Posted in Disc Reviews by David Annandale on February 8th, 2006

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Synopsis

Though they span a mere five years of his career, these are some of Cary Grant’s best films. They are also among the directors’ best films. Viewers wanting to see comedy from Hollywood’s Gold Age at its best and most sophisticated will be amply rewarded by spending a few evenings with this collection.

Holiday (1938) sees Grant engaged to the snobbish Doris Nolan. The real prize in her family is Katharine Hepburn (natch), who will ultimately break from her families more stult…
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Saraband

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on February 7th, 2006

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A sequel to Ingmar Bergman’s 1973 classic Scenes from a Marriage, Saraband reintroduces us to Marianne (Liv Ullman) and Johan (Erland Josephson) after 32 years apart, when Marianne decides it’s time to pay her ex-husband a visit. Upon arrival, she becomes involved in strained family relations between Johan, his son Henrik (Borje Ahlstedt), and Henrik’s daughter Karin (Julia Dufvenius). There are implications that Henrik and daughter share an incestuous relationship, highlighted by a scene where they lie…
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Christmas with the Kranks

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on February 7th, 2006

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The most amazing thing about this one-joke movie is that it was based on a John Grisham novel: Skipping Christmas. Chris Columbus certainly does not display his biting wit and the skills he debuted with Gremlins 20 years ago. It’s hard to imagine this is the same guy who kicked off the Harry Potter series.

When their daughter joins the Peace Corps and leaves for South America during the Holidays, the Kranks decide to skip Christmas altogether and go on a cruise with the money they save. Why these altern…
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Sueno

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on February 1st, 2006

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The opening titles of this film are a bit misleading. The font is a colorful, comical display played against animation more suitable for the opening of a Pink Panther film. Instead of a comedy, we are presented with a film likely to appeal to a very limited audience. To the film’s credit, it doesn’t abandon the themes and style it intends to portray in an effort to gain more mass appeal.

Antonio is a young man living in Mexico. His dreams are filled with playing music. Like most young ambitious music…
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Legend of Zorro, The

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on January 27th, 2006

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When news of a sequel to 1998’s The Mask of Zorro was first announced, I was very excited as I really enjoyed The Mask of Zorro. The film had an interesting story and great acting from Banderas and Hopkins. But as I learned more and more about the sequel, I became extremely worried as neither of the two screenwriters (Ted Elliot or Terry Rossio) were returning. Also, we would be introduced to their cute little child (and EVERYONE knows how much adding little children to sequels can do for a film’s likea…
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Underworld

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on January 21st, 2006

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Having originally seen Underworld on HBO one summer night, I recall myself finding the film fairly dull and vapid. When I heard of a director’s cut coming out, I thought back to my original viewing of the film Daredevil, which was made that much better via more explanation of plot and the characters. Maybe this could occur for this film. Unfortunately, Underworld is not that much better this time around.

Underworld stars Kate Beckinsale as Death Dealer Selene. We learn, at the be…
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Gospel, The

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on January 17th, 2006

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The Gospel is the first mainstream film to come out in quite sometime that deals with the role of the African-American church. Reading the title of the film, one must think The Gospel is an overly heavy religious filled film right? Well, I am very happy to say that the film is not particularly a religious film, but what a film that has the type of characters that can make a viewer become a believer. Not necessarily the type of believer of the church, but the type of believer in the music that is sung in…
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Downfall

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on January 11th, 2006

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The Academy Awards ceremony continues to devalue itself by giving honors to films, which are mediocre at best, or films that try desperately to force a political agenda down the American people’s throats, while gems such as 2004’s Downfall linger in relative obscurity, and certainly do not receive the recognition they deserve. Director Oliver Hirschbiegel’s study of Hitler’s final days transcends the triviality of being considered a film and instead functions as a window into the past. And for a little more th…
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3-Iron

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on January 9th, 2006

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Synopsis

Tae-suk is a young man who breaks into people’s home while they are away. He lives there in their absence, but doesn’t steal anything, and fixes odds and ends while he’s there. During one such break-in, it turns out that owner’s wife is there, and a love affair begins between the two. When the abusive husband returns, Tae-suk winds up killing him with the title instrument, and the lovers flee.

Director Kim Ki-duk (Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter… And Spring) is a storyteller …
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Exorcism of Emily Rose, The

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on January 1st, 2006

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Synopsis

After an unsuccessful exorcism ends with the death of its subject (Jennifer Carpenter in the title role), priest Tom Wilkinson is charged with negligent homicide. The prosecutor is a devout Christian (Campbell Scott). Wilkinson’s lawyer is the agnostic Laura Linney. As the court battle progresses, we witness Carpenter’s story in flashback, with her possession beginning while she’s away from home in college. Linney, at first dismissive of Wilkinson’s claims, gradually finds her peace of mind …
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Deuce Bigelow – European Gigolo

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on December 31st, 2005

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The first Deuce Bigelow film was something of a surprise hit. Rob Schneider’s first outing as a leading man was never expected to be as, well… genuinely entertaining as it was. Sure, the movie was a little hokey, but that was to be expected. After all, we’re talking about a film that tells the story of a pool boy that becomes a gigolo. What was not expected was that the film would actually have a heart. As would be expected, the film had its fair share of comedy, but the tender love story was unexpected and …
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8MM 2 (Eight Millimeter 2)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on December 30th, 2005

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8MM 2 is a sequel to Schumacher’s 8MM in name only. It tells the story of an aspiring politician and his loving fiancée on a mission of sexual experimentation in Budapest, which quickly turns into a trust-no one game of seduction, blackmail, and murder. The crux of the story is a steamy threesome between the two lovers and a strange dark-haired beauty. The only eight millimeter tie-in is from the film which is shot during the escapade – unbeknownst to the lovers – which is then used to string the politi…
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Prozac Nation

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on December 28th, 2005

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I must admit feelings of suspicion before popping in the DVD copy of Prozac Nation:. I remember seeing the theatrical trailer years ago. It was not, by any means, poor advertisement. I had taken a liking to the acting of Christina Ricci, and the film looked like a decent outing with a talented supporting cast. So I waited for the film to come out. Then I waited some more. Years passed and the film never popped up at my local multiplex. It is generally not a good sign that a film is shelved for so long, but I s…
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Cave, The

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on December 15th, 2005

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Synopsis

During the Cold War, a vaguely defined group breaks into a Romanian church and the cavern beneath it for vaguely defined reasons. They accidentally trigger a landslide, trapping themselves beneath the earth. Jump forward thirty years, and the cavern has been rediscovered. A team of cave divers headed up by Cole Hauser descends into the depths, and soon find themselves up against vicious bat-winged monsters. A parasite enters into Hauser’s blood, and he slowly starts to transform into one the…
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November

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on December 13th, 2005

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Synopsis

Courtney Cox is a photography instructor struggling to put her life back together. A month earlier, on November 7, her boyfriend (James Le Gros) was gunned down during a convenience store robbery. Cox is unable to move on, and is suffering from crippling headaches. One day, a mysterious slide shows up in her carousel: it is a photograph of the exterior of the store during the actual robbery. Cox brings the picture to the attention of the police, hoping they might track down the photographer….
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Godzilla: Final Wars

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on December 11th, 2005

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Synopsis

In Antarctica, Godzilla battles the Gohten-go (an earth-drilling/submarine/flying ship familiar from Ataragon), and winds up buried after an earthquake. Flash-forward to the near future after a superb credit sequence by Kyle (Se7en) Cooper, and monsters are suddenly attacking cities all over the world. Humanity is apparently saved by the extraterrestrial Xilians, who zap the monsters away. Of course, it turns out the Xilians are up to no good, and were controlling the monsters …
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Shackles

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on December 10th, 2005

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Ben Cross (D.L. Hughley) is a former teacher with a dark past and some anger issues. He still sleeps with his ex-wife, but she’d rather be elsewhere. When Ben gets a call from an old colleague who asks him to teach at a juvenile prison facility, Ben figures it’s a good stepping stone to get back into teaching.

After meeting his unruly class, Ben realizes that a good way to get the kids focused is for them to express themselves through rap and poetry. One student named Gabriel (Jose Pablo Cantillo), with who…
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Stealth

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on December 8th, 2005

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Sometime during the 1990’s, big-budget blockbusters stopped getting by on special effects alone. Even though Independence Day, Godzilla, and Armageddon showed us that ground-breaking special effects don’t translate into quality films, Hollywood kept making them — and people kept spending their hard-earned money to see them.

Stealth is the newest movie in that mold. Heavy on great visuals and special effects, it fails to deliver any character development, emotion or common sense, result…
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Legends of the Fall

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on December 7th, 2005

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Written by Clayton Self

Legends of the Fall is one of those movies that sets its own standards for greatness and actually achieves them. That is very rare in cinema. Legends has a great Director, Edward Zwick, who brought the recent hit The Last Samurai. The performances are amazing, and the cinematography superb. This is a movie that has aged very well since its release in December of 1994. So, here we are eleven years later, with a movie that still captures the heart.

Legends of the Fall follows …
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Veggie Tales – Lord of the Beans

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on December 5th, 2005

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While VeggieTales: Lord of the Beans is not my thing, I can certainly see how it would connect with very small children. Parents may also throw Phil Vischer and company some appreciation for the positive messages his bunch tries to present in each VeggieTales special, but something about Vischer and crew’s latest doesn’t feel right. For one, it’s a parody — and a rather faithful one — to LOTR: Fellowship of the Ring. While it’s fine to parody, I think VeggieTales misses the point with their chosen subject matter.
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