Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on May 21st, 2005
There’s nothing like a big Hollywood epic. And Martin Scorsese is the man to deliver. The Aviator is a tantalizing blend of Old Hollywood and modern filmmaking panache. The movie tells the story of Howard Hughes. He rose to fame as a Hollywood producer and aviator extraordinaire. Eventually, Hughes descended into a crippling OCD affliction. The movie gives us a taste of the tragedy to come, but doesn’t dwell on it. The Aviator is a thrilling ride into the world of a complicated man.
The...movie is backed by an extremely solid cast. Leonardo DiCaprio plays Hughes. I had my doubts, but Leo delivers the goods. He’s got movie star looks, but Leo’s descent in psychological hell is quite convincing. I was reminded that, yeah, he can be one of our finest actors (Gilbert Grape comes instantly to mind). Cate Blanchett (in her Oscar winning role) is a dead ringer for Kate Hepburn. And it’s a performance that’s not just mimicry either. Memorable performances also include Alan Alda (in a nice turn), Alec Baldwin (always fun to watch), and John C. Reilly (class act all the way). Kate Beckinsale is an okay Ava Gardner, and Gwen Stefani’s much talked about role (as Jean Harlow) is really just a glorified cameo. The real deal is DiCaprio as Hughes. Leo is pitch perfect.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on May 16th, 2005
The Bodyguard is silly. Whitney Houston and Kevin Costner star this decade old thriller/romance. Houston plays Rachel Marron, a pop singer. Not much of stretch back then, these days...not so much. Costner plays Frank Farmer, bodyguard to the stars. It seems as though Marron is receiving death threats. Enter Frank Farmer. A romance eventually develops. This is this the stuff of high camp. Instead, we get low camp. The Bodyguard is not quite bad enough to be Showgirls, and not quite good ...nough to be Basic Instinct. The Brit director, Mick Jackson, tries to add some intelligence to the precedings. But why bother. It's The Bodyguard.
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Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on May 15th, 2005
It is 1994, and both ER and Chicago Hope premier in hopes to win the battle for Hospital drama supremacy on primetime TV. Fast forward to today, and the winner of this battle has been clearly decided; Chicago Hope had six successful seasons before getting cancelled after the 2000 season, while ER has become the most successful Hospital drama in TV history. While ER is currently in its 11th season, we now rewind to 1997, to the shows third season.
So what is this show about? Here is a...brief series synopsis from Warner Brothers… “Combining the extraordinary talents of multiple award-winning producer John Wells, best-selling author Michael Crichton and Steven Spielberg, "ER" follows the lives of the emergency room staff and doctors at Chicago's County General Hospital, where the difference between life and death rests on split-second decisions--and the pressure, joy and guilt are often overwhelming.”
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on May 7th, 2005
Bill Maher - Be More Cynical is a recording of a 2000 performance in San Fransico. Now, the jokes are a bit dated. Monica Lewinsky and George W. Bush, back then, were still prime fodder (in fact Bush still is, but that's beside the point.) This performance lasts just over and hour and is an excellent introduction to Maher's work. He's one of those "edgy" comedians. He rants a lot about religion, drugs, and sex. But Maher's rants are well phrased and his comic timing is well polished. The guy knows how t... tell a joke. If you're a fan of his work, this DVD is a must pick-up. If you're not...well...I guess you won't watch it.
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Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on May 7th, 2005
Racing Stripes is a “family film” about a zebra (with the original name “Stripes”) who’s only dream is to race with the other horses. Stripes, you see, was abandoned and then rescued by horse farmer Nolan Walsh (played by Bruce Greenwood). Nolan’s younger daughter, Channing (played by Hayden Panettiere), takes the young zebra under her wing, and she helps Stripes realize his dream: to race with the horses. Stripes’ litany of zany friends include a pelican, a lazy bloodhound, flies, roosters, a wise goat, an... some Shetland ponies. That’s the story in a nutshell.
But is the movie any good? Well…the human actors are solid. And the list of voice actors is like a roll call of the star studded. There’s Dustin Hoffman, Whoopi Goldberg, Jeff Foxworthy, David Spade, Snoop Dogg, Joe Pantoliano, Michael Clarke Duncan, Mandy Moore, and Frankie Muniz (Malcolm in the Middle himself) as Stripes. What a cast! But what’s the problem? Other than having a live animal’s mouth move in a computer generated manner? That looks a little weird. But, as they say, it all starts with the script.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on May 1st, 2005
Very few sitcoms have the endurance to last nine seasons. Everybody Loves Raymond shares their long-running tenure with comedy heavyweight shows such as Friends, Frasier, & Cheers. Not even Seinfeld lasted nine seasons… it fell short, ending after eight. That says a lot for this show; I guess everyone does love Raymond.
All 26-episodes of the complete third season of Everybody Loves Raymond are included in this set. The episodes are all very entertaining; from “The Invitation” all the way to “How They Met”. If you haven’t had that chance to check out this show, now is your chance. So, what is this show about? I will let Warner Bros. give you a little synopsis… “Standup comedian Ray Romano stars as Ray Barone, a successful sportswriter who deals with his brother and parents, who happen to live across the street. Patricia Heaton ("The Goodbye Girl"), Peter Boyle ("While You Were Sleeping"), Doris Roberts ("Remington Steele"), and Brad Garrett ("Gleason") round out the stellar cast.”.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on April 10th, 2005
The who’s who of Hollywood have assembled once again in this sequel to the highly successful film Ocean’s Eleven. This time around the cast are equally great and extremely entertaining to watch, but the film seems to lack the same strong storyline that it predecessor carried with it.
This time around, the story takes place a few years after the Bellagio heist. A leading European thief known as The Nightfox, consumed with being the best thief in the world, derives a plan to take out Ocean and his te...m. He informs Terry Benedict, the owner of the Bellagio, that Ocean and his men are the people who robbed him year back. Benedict gives all 11 2-weeks to come up with the cash they stole from him… or they are all dead. As can be expected, after numerous misses and comedic capers, the team one’s up The Nightfox, and clears their dept to Benedict.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on April 9th, 2005
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Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on March 23rd, 2005
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Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on March 15th, 2005
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