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How the Earth Changed History (Blu-ray)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on June 29th, 2010

“The Earth has immense power, and yet that’s rarely mentioned in our history books. I’m here to change all that.”

The BBC has a reputation of putting out some very high quality documentaries, particularly recently in the high-definition age. Planet Earth became an award winning series lauded all over the globe for its stunning photography and epic tales. Most recently I watched and reviewed their Life series. Once again the series was dominated by startling images, many never before captured on film, all in wonderful high definition. Now I have a chance to visit yet another recent BBC project:
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Last Station, The (Blu-Ray)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Michael Durr on June 28th, 2010

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Most people associate the book, War and Peace in the same respects as they do torture. A one thousand, two hundred and twenty five page book that is regarded as one of the most brilliant pieces of historical fiction is a nightmare to most advanced high school and college kids. However, perhaps more fascinating than any single piece of work by Leo Tolstoy is the life in which he lead. Last Station attempts to give us the last few years of the Count’s life in film form.
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Showgirls (15th Anniversary Sinsational Edition) (Blu-ray)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on June 23rd, 2010

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Whenever there is a disaster, there are always the inevitable questions that follow. Where did it all begin? Could it have been avoided? What can we learn from this? No, I’m not talking about the oil leak in the Gulf. Hollywood is no exception. You have your disaster movies like Earthquake, and you have your movies that are disasters like Waterworld. Of course there are even disaster movies that are also disasters like the recent 2012. Some disasters you never see coming. But, many such events could have been predicted and possibly avoided if only the right folks had been paying attention. This is the story of one such event: Showgirls.
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Power Kids (Blu-ray)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on June 14th, 2010

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I’d like to think that the concepts of what makes a good children’s movie is somewhat international. While cultures may vary, kids all over the world are pretty much the same. They look for the same kinds of characteristics in their heroes. While the martial arts film is somewhat cultural, there have been more than enough child-friendly martial arts films for me to conclude that these kinds of acrobatics and old fashioned good kicking-evil’s-butt themes work for kids of any nationality. The recent Jackie Chan The Spy Next Door outing is one good example of the genre-crossing martial arts children’s movie.
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When in Rome (Blu-Ray)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Michael Durr on June 11th, 2010

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My relationship with romantic comedies has not been one of wedded bliss. More often than not, it is something I get forced into. Once you are forced into something, then you automatically have a pre-disposed attitude against the movie. Hence, I haven’t liked too many of these things. Thankfully in the last few years, if I see a romantic comedy it’s been mostly because it ends up in my review queue. This in turn has given me a softer approach to these movies but don’t think I’m going all sentimental just yet.

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Ice Road Truckers: The Complete Season 3 (Blu-ray)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on June 11th, 2010

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“At the top of the world, there’s a job only a few would dare. Last season the dash for the cash was fought on the smooth playing field of Canada’s Arctic ice. This season, two old pros join four of America’s bravest truckers to tackle the continent’s deadliest ice passage. Just when you thought extreme trucking couldn’t get more dangerous, Ice Road Truckers takes on Alaska.”

It was the peak of the 1970’s and CW McCall was teaching ordinary people like us about Cabover Petes with reefers on and getting by those smokeys.
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Alice in Wonderland (Blu-ray)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on June 7th, 2010

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“I try to believe in as many as six impossible things before breakfast. Count them, Alice. One, there are drinks that make you shrink. Two, there are foods that make you grow. Three, animals can talk. Four, cats can disappear. Five, there is a place called Underland. Six, I can slay the Jabberwocky.”

To be perfectly honest with you, I have never read either of the two Lewis Carroll books on which this film has been based. Under ordinary circumstances, that would put me at a decided disadvantage
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High Anxiety (Blu-ray)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on May 24th, 2010

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Mel Brooks has often been called the Master of Comedy. The moniker might be a bit too grandiose, but he was certainly the master of the parody. In recent years that has become more evident than ever. Too often I’ve been forced to sit through something called a comedy. Not only can I do so without ever actually laughing, but there are far too many titles of late that don’t even give me the chance to crack a smile. It’s not that I’ve seen so much that it’s hard to find anything original. I can still laugh like crazy when I watch a Sanford and Son episode I’ve seen at least 50 times or an Abbott & Costello routine
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The Spy Next Door (Blu-ray)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on May 19th, 2010

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“It doesn’t look like they have chicken tenders here.”

How can you not like Jackie Chan? If there has been a more versatile action or martial arts star, I haven’t heard from him. The man made a name for himself in China’s film industry as a remarkable martial arts performer. For decades he’s been the closest thing the film industry has seen to Bruce Lee. But, unlike Lee, Chan wasn’t content with being the best in a single genre. When he finally came to Hollywood, he decided it was a good idea to work a bit more lightheartedness into his films,
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History of the World Part 1 (Blu-ray)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on May 19th, 2010

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“Even in the most primitive man, the need to create was part of his nature. This need, this talent, clearly separated early man from animals who would never know this gift. And here, in a cave somewhere in the North American Continent, about two million years ago, the first artist was born. And, of course, with the birth of the artist came the inevitable afterbirth … the critic.”

That’s me. Afterbirth here. Brooks always did love to poke fun at the critics. And why not? Unfortunately, this was not one of his better films and likely received a lot of poking from the brethren.
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Tooth Fairy (Blu-ray)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on May 18th, 2010

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“You, sir, are guilty of disseminating disbelief. Killing dreams. Committing first-degree murder of fantasy, which by Fairy Law, in order to pay your debt to humanity, you are hereby ordered to serve time as a Tooth Fairy. The normal sentence is one week, but because you have the nerve, the unmitigated gall, to actually call yourself a Tooth Fairy, thus making a mockery of everything we stand for, I’m sentencing you to two weeks Tooth Fairy duty.”

Dwayne (once The Rock) Johnson has made a bit of a new career move over the last few years.
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Robin Hood: Men in Tights (Blu-ray)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on May 18th, 2010

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“The Legend Had It Coming.”

It seems that pretty much every decade has had its screen version of Robin Hood; sometimes it’s on television. Robin Hood is one of the most popular characters in film, and there have been plenty of versions, each with their own particular take on the multiple legends that have made up the character over the centuries. Currently Ridley Scott has just released his own epic version of the tale with perfectly-cast Russell Crowe in the title role.
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Marked For Death (Blu-ray)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on May 17th, 2010

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I’ve seen quite a bit from Steven Seagal of late. There was his reality series from his deputy job, and many of his numerous catalog titles are finding their way to Blu-ray. All in all, it’s a pretty good time to be a Steven Seagal fan. The latest of these earlier films to reach high definition is the 1990 entry Marked For Death. It pretty much follows the established Seagal formula here, combing martial arts with the vendetta theme, that he has come to personify for so long. It has a little of what the fans are looking for,
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The Basketball Diaries (Blu-ray)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on May 11th, 2010

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“When I was young, about eight or so, I tried making friends with God by inviting Him to my house to watch the World Series. He never showed.”

Jim Carroll was a promising young high school athlete. He was seduced into the dark nature of New York City’s underbelly of drugs and violence. During his youth he was also an aspiring poet, who kept a poetic journal of his thoughts before, during, and after his slide into addiction. When he finally did manage to climb out of the hole and gain his sobriety, the entries became a popular piece of literature.
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Crazy Heart (Blu-ray)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on May 4th, 2010

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These last couple of years have seen a resurgence of a particular kind of character study. For me I think it started with The Wrestler. For Mickey Rourke, it was a powerful comeback and led to an example of grand theft at that year’s Oscar celebration. Now, I wouldn’t exactly say that Jeff Bridges was in any particular need of a comeback. He’s had some pretty steady work over the years. Still, you just can’t watch Crazy Heart and not be reminded of The Wrestler. These characters could not be more different in a lot of ways. But they are also cut from the same cloth.
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Tombstone (Blu-ray)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on April 28th, 2010

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“Every town has a story… Tombstone has a legend.”

When will Kevin Costner ever learn? He just doesn’t strike that hero pose. He isn’t even that good an actor unless he’s playing a G-Man type as he did in The Untouchables and JFK. In just a little while Russell Crowe is fixing to school him on the proper stature of Robin Hood. In 1993 and 1994 another Russell, this time Kurt Russell, schooled him on the iconic lawman Wyatt Earp. Tombstone was released Christmas day in 1993. Exactly 6 months later on June 24th, 1994, Kevin Costner released his epic film called Wyatt Earp.
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Cocoon (Blu-ray)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on April 28th, 2010

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Cocoon was based on a somewhat obscure novel by David Saperstein. It was also an unlikely film for beginning director Ron Howard. He had made it known since his career began that he had little respect for the science fiction genre. In an interview provided on this very release, he condemns the genre as not being about character or story. I’d say that Ron Howard just hasn’t watched the right science fiction. I beg to differ with his assessment.
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Armageddon (Blu-ray)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on April 27th, 2010

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“This is the Earth at a time when dinosaurs roamed a lush and fertile planet. A piece of rock just six miles wide changed all of that. It hit with the force of 10,000 nuclear weapons. A trillion tons of dirt and rock hurtled into the atmosphere, creating a suffocating blanket of dust that the sun was powerless to penetrate for a thousand years. It happened before. It will happen again. It’s just a question of when.”

When was 1998 with the summertime blockbuster movie Armageddon. This film was the poster child for summer tent pole movies.
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District 13: Ultimatum (Blu-Ray)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Michael Durr on April 26th, 2010

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The first District 13 movie was considered a modern day cult classic. It featured a number of meticulous and daring stunt scenes that were worked without the use of wires or computer generated effects. It was written and produced by Luc Besson famous for Fifth Element & Leon. But would the sequel set in the future 3 years later be able to hold the same interest?
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Avatar (Blu-ray)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on April 26th, 2010

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“You’re not in Kansas any more. You’re on Pandora, ladies and gentlemen. Respect that fact every second of every day. If there is a Hell, you might want to go there for some R&R after a tour on Pandora. Out there beyond that fence, every living thing that crawls, flies, or squats in the mud wants to kill you and eat your eyes for Jujubes…”

I don’t really have to tell you what Avatar is. If you haven’t heard of it by now, I have only one question to ask of you: How was that coma?
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Slammin’ Salmon, The (Blu-Ray)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Michael Durr on April 19th, 2010

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One of the first books I read about the restaurant business was a title called Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain. He describes the people who work at restaurants to be a band of misfits, those who are probably only there because of an irrational dedication to cooking. That would certainly describe the people who work at the Slammin Salmon, the latest comedy from Broken Lizard group.
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The Thomas Crown Affair (Blu-ray

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on April 16th, 2010

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Remakes are a fact of life. It might seem now more than ever that we are plagued with this reality, but it’s been true for a very long time. It’s not so new, as you might expect. Even the lauded Cecil B. Demille The Ten Commandments was a remake of his own silent 1923 film. They’ve existed almost as long as the movies themselves and will continue to exist for the foreseeable future. So, the question should be: Why should a particular film be remade? Often technology catches up with the content in a film. The ability to create on the screen something that was simply impossible originally is a legitimate reason to tackle an older film. Sometimes the movie is so powerful that it bears retelling for a new generation.
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The Relic (Blu-ray)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on April 15th, 2010

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Nearly 10 years before Ben Stiller spent his first Night At The Museum with that eclectic cast of characters, The Relic brought us a much different kind of night at a museum. What comes to life here is anything but playful. There’s nothing amusing about this nightmare in a museum. Peter Hyams might be more famous for several other action science fiction films, but none of his works before or since The Relic could claim to be quite so atmospheric. Together with the truly genius invention of creature creator extraordinaire Stan Winston
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A Nightmare on Elm Street (Blu-ray)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on April 14th, 2010

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“One … two… Freddy’s coming for you, three… four… better lock the door, five… six… grab your crucifix…”

Freddy might have been born in the mind of Wes Craven, but he grew and developed in the knife-wielding hands of Robert Englund. Granted, not all of these films are equal in quality, but the first was everything you could ask for in a horror/slasher film of the era. Freddy himself is by far the most colorful and animated of the slashers. His burned face, fedora, striped sweater, and knife-blade glove were all integral parts of the wise-cracking maniac.
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Ice Age (Blu-ray)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on April 14th, 2010

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I’ve often spent a lot of time talking about how Pixar has dominated computer animation, at least as far as full-length features go. With few exceptions, there isn’t anything out there that even comes close. Most films rely on toilet humor and crude innuendo to get a few laughs. A lot of the kids and adults might suck that stuff up, but they can’t hold a candle to Pixar. There are, as I’ve mentioned, some quite notable exceptions. The Fox Blue Sky Studios has had enormous success with their Ice Age films, and when you take a look at the third and latest entry in that franchise, you’ll understand why.
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