Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on October 20th, 2011
"In May 1980, Fidel Castro opened the harbor at Mariel, Cuba with the apparent intention of letting some of his people join their relatives in the United States. Within seventy-two hours, 3,000 U.S. boats were headed for Cuba. It soon became evident that Castro was forcing the boat owners to carry back with them not only their relatives, but the dregs of his jails. Of the 125,000 refugees that landed in Florida an estimated 25,000 had criminal records."
One of those refugees was Tony Montana.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on October 19th, 2011
Just look at the title, A Horrible Way To Die, and I'll bet you pretty much know what you're in for. You could very well be expecting a gore-fest that borders on the torture-porn genre, and you might be preparing yourself for some imaginative and bloody kills. Looking at the title you'd have every reason to believe that's what you were going to get. You might expect it, but that's not really what you're going to get. The title is quite misleading, in fact. Yes, it's a horror tale about a brutal serial killer. No, it's not the kind of film that lingers on mutilated victims or covers the surroundings in blood and guts. Instead, this is a surprisingly good tension boiler with tons of atmosphere and a few clever twists and turns. Your disappointment could turn into a rather pleasant surprise if you give this one a chance.
There are two stories going on here that are heading toward a climactic collision. The first involves incarcerated serial killer Garrick Turrell (Bowen). He's about to be released for bad behavior. Okay, so "released" isn't quite the word I was looking for. He kills a few guards and manages to escape. He attempts to change his appearance, but he can't quite shake the habit of killing people. Habit is exactly the word I'm looking for here. Garrick doesn't appear to kill in some passionate rage. He's actually quite polite and even-tempered, for the most part, except for the ....you know... killing part. He's working his way back home and leaving bodies along the way.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on October 19th, 2011
In case you were not already aware, the makers of Cinema Paradiso wanted you to know just how acclaimed their film happens to be. So, before the film itself starts there's something akin to a credit roll with a long list of awards and acclaims the film has received since its release in 1988. To say that it is a film held in high regard would be a terribly unfair understatement. The movie is an undisputed classic and for good reason.
The film tells the story of one Salvatore "Toto" Di Vita, played by three different actors representing three stages of his life. Salvatore Cascio plays the young boy. Marco Leonardi plays the teenage years. And Jacques Perrin plays the elder version of Toto.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on October 18th, 2011
"This is a simple story, but not an easy one to tell. Like a fable, there is sorrow. And, like a fable, it is full of wonder and happiness."
Roberto Benigni has been somewhat of a staple in Italian cinema for nearly 40 years. He has a solid reputation not only as a talented actor but as a writer and director, as well. He has been known mostly for his comedy, and that's exactly how many people see Life Is Beautiful. On first glance you might read the description and be somewhat skeptical about watching a comedy about the Jewish Concentration Camps during World War II. But Benigni manages to mix just the right amount of whimsical comedy into a very serious backdrop. It isn't very easy, and I know of only a handful of cases where serious material has successfully translated into comedy. Hogan's Heroes and M*A*S*H stand out as notable examples.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by M. W. Phillips on October 15th, 2011
“I find that the only way to get through life is to picture myself in an entirely disconnected reality.”
15 year old Welsh schoolboy Oliver Tate (Craig Roberts) has an amazing amount of self esteem for a kid his age. He fantasizes about his own funeral and the tragic impact it would have on his community and Wales in general. In reality, Oliver is severely socially retarded and unpopular. His mother, Jill (Sally Hawkins) is a neurotic, frustrated housewife, and his father, Lloyd (Noah Taylor) a bipolar marine biologist. His two goals for the summer are to lose his virginity (while it is still illegal) and save his parents’ marriage from reintroduction of one of his mum’s former flames, Graham (Paddy Considine), a lecherous, self-help scam artist. Somehow, against his best efforts to sabotage the courtship, he meets and falls for fellow quirky class mate, Jordana (Yasmin Paige). She quickly takes control and leads him on his coming of age summer tour.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by M. W. Phillips on October 14th, 2011
“You have the right to remain silent... forever!”
Maniac Cop is a movie that has all the elements of being a cult classic.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on October 12th, 2011
"From the day we arrive on the planet and blinking, step into the sun, there's more to see than can ever be seen. More to do than can ever be done. There's far too much to take in here. More to find than can ever be found..."
There's a period in the 1990's that has often been referred to as the second golden age of Disney animation. The studio had fallen from its once mighty perch, and most film historians tend to agree there was a creative dark ages through the 1980's. But the renaissance of the studio began with Aladdin in 1992 would go on to include such tremendous classics as Beauty And The Beast and The Little Mermaid. None of these films speak to the resurgence of the animated feature like The Lion King. The film set every animated record there was and holds some of those box office records today. It can be safely stated that the great flood of animated projects that followed can be traced to the impact of The Lion King. In 1996 Simba was the most popular name chosen for new housecats. Elton John saw his appeal extend to children, and there could be no mistake that the animated feature was back.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on October 12th, 2011
Stop me if you've heard any of this before. Peter Jackson directs a horror film that has an expedition going to Skull Island to retrieve a horrific primate. Of course, you might now be expecting a review of Jackson's remake of King Kong. But the primate here is something called a rat monkey, and it only figures into the film's early moments. Long before Jackson achieved household name status by taking us on a journey to Middle Earth, he was a small filmmaker with no less grand designs.
Dead Alive has become one of those cult films that has managed to keep strong legs for many years, long after the director has gone on to far more successful projects. One of the things that has made Peter Jackson as good as he's been even on big-budget films is the fact that he's like a kid in a candy store. He appears to absolutely love making films, and that's certainly evident on the Rings films. But it's also very evident here as well. Jackson demonstrates his love for such greats as Ray Harryhausen with some rather nice stop-motion work here and a few direct nods to the master. The stop-motion effects are quite obvious, but they are also quite fun and entertaining. Dead Alive is a bloody good time...literally.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Michael Durr on October 11th, 2011
The more I get into this review writing gig (I say this like I just started writing movie reviews last week when it’s been half a dozen years), the more I appreciate foreign films. I am no longer afraid of subtitles, culturally sensitive sub-plots, or the use of specific foreign mythological creatures as supporting characters. I am not even sure what I just said. Anyway, we have an interesting foreign film to review today entitled “Sin Yan” or more commonly known by the American title as Stool Pigeon.
We are in Hong Kong, manufacturing side of town. A couple of vans pull up along with a Jeep. Inside the Jeep is Inspector Don Lee (played by Nick Cheung) awaiting to make an arrest. Meanwhile, in a nearby warehouse we lay witness to a drug deal masterminded by mob boss Marco (played by Vincent Wan Yeung-Ming). Lee’s informant, Jabber (played by Liu Kai-chi) is on the inside and waits patiently for the police to make their move.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on October 6th, 2011
Written by John Delia
I don’t know if you recently had the opportunity to see The Lion King in 3D at your local theater or the original version in 1994 when it came out, but I had the opportunity to see the film in the 3D Blu-ray disc version and it’s amazing. The film will probably never be replaced as the all time animated entertainment event for me because it has all the action, drama, comedy and values that make it the best for family viewing, and now in 3D Blu-ray.
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