Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on March 29th, 2008
In The Mist, Frank Darabont returns to familiar territory, directing another movie based on a short story by Stephen King. Darabont struck gold in 1994 with The Shawshank Redemption and then came close to, but did not equal, that magic with 1999's The Green Mile.
Is the third time a charm for Darabont working with King material? The answer is a resounding "yes".
The Mist is near-perfect on every level.
Horror movie? Check.
Morality tale? Check.
Metaphor for today's world? Check.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on December 2nd, 2007
What we have here is an average film based on what I'm told is a great little bestseller, The Nanny Diaries. There's a lot of talent at work in this romantic dramedy, with stars like Scarlett Johansson (Lost in Translation), Laura Linney (Kinsey) and Paul Giamatti (Sideways), and the directing talents of husband-and-wife team Shari Springer Berman and Robert Pulcini (American Splendor), so I expected more.
But are there any disappointments lurking on this widescreen DVD? Read on to find out.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on November 15th, 2007
I only know Tea Leoni for a couple of things, the big thing being that she married David Duchovny (The X-Files) and grew a couple of demon seeds with him. But I guess she was bored and inexplicably took on the role of producer and actress in a film starring an Oscar winner, Sir Ben Kingsley (Gandhi), in a low budget independent film named You Kill Me, which was a script that had been kicked around Hollywood for a few years.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on November 12th, 2007
The premise of Day Night Day Night is relatively simple; a young woman decides to be a suicide bomber in Times Square. The motivations for her doing this, as in the outside forces who convince her to do it, aren’t really explained at all, so what makes it unique is that it focuses on the preparation the girl makes. She is portrayed by Luisa Williams, who appears in the film in her first role.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on November 5th, 2007
Many people – myself included, looked at Timothy Spall as Wormtail from the Harry Potter films and didn’t think much about it. But the guy has found other work and done well for himself over the years. Recently, he made The Last Hangman, a film based on the life of Albert Pierrepoint, one of England’s chief executioners during the pre and post-war eras.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on October 14th, 2007
Quentin Tarantino's Deathproof need no longer be sad and alone on your DVD shelf. Robert Rodriguez's Planet Terror - Extended and Unrated (Two-Disc Special Edition) streets October 18, completing the one-two-punch release of the directors' Grindhouse double feature.
Separating these two schlock-fests begs the question, which one's better? Don't ask me. I didn't catch Grindhouse in theatres, and haven't gotten around to Deathproof on DVD. All I can tell you is Planet Terror throws down 105 minutes of mindless, campy and gory fun. So pop your lid, take out your brain and enjoy. But don't leave that brain unattended, 'cause there be zombies about.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on October 14th, 2007
Usually a top young name combined with a recognizable name (or more accurately a recognizable body), brings a film that is somewhat underwhelming or even forgettable for all involved. In the case of Harsh Times, you’ve got Christian Bale, the latest Batman, and Eva Longoria, who stars in Desperate Housewives, appearing in a film about, well I’m not exactly sure.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on October 13th, 2007
What is it with horror films today? They just seemingly lack all original wit and style. And let’s not even mention the remakes that Hollywood forces on us. Having just finally watched John Carpenter’s Halloween (yes I know!!), forcing myself to watch the drab Black Christmas almost made me cringe.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on September 29th, 2007
Dirty Sanchez, the Welsh Jackass, or at least it’s something like it. Like Jackass, this little British show started on TV and has since made its way to the big screen, that of course is not where the similarities end. Dirty Sanchez, ‘They make Jackass look like the Royal Shakespeare Company.’ Well that’s what the say anyways, I disagree but they are definitely just as careless and insane as the Jackass crew.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on August 29th, 2007
Maybe you're wondering why there's a movie starring Zach Braff (Scrubs) and Jason Bateman (Arrested Development) that you never heard about. That's what I was doing when I first received this disc. I'm a big fan of Braff, and a moderate fan of Bateman, so why was I not in the know on The Ex?
I'll tell you why. The Ex had only a limited North American release in late 2006, and under a different title: Fast Track. It bombed. Then it disappeared for all but a handful of foreign markets, before washing ashore in DVD-land.