Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on March 31st, 2004
Synopsis
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on March 30th, 2004
Synopsis
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on March 29th, 2004
Following closely on the heels of Doug Liman’s swift and engaging Go, of which director Mazzei must be a huge fan, Devious Beings follows Jackson (Andre B. Blake), Arrow (Patrick Van Horn), and Casey (Kevin Connolly), three childhood friends who push X for their supplier, Leo (Joseph Sicari). When their buyer, Tiny (Andre Rosey Brown) unexpectedly dies, they make off with the money and the product. However, dealer Damone (Robert Gossett), who was expecting to get the drugs in the deal, decides to get ev...n with the three friends when he learns that he has been cheated. Throw in a rogue cop (Jerry Doyle) who is blackmailing Jackson by threatening to send his junkie mother to jail if he’s not included in the action, and you have one convoluted plot where tension is always at a high.
Devious Beings has some things working for it. Mazzei seems to have modeled his cast around that of Go, and several actors here will remind you of those from Liman’s film. Andre Blake is strong in the lead, resembling Taye Diggs, while Patrick Van Horn from Swingers (another Liman film) acts and looks like Timothy Olyphant. While the actors may not play characters that mirror those from Go, you will definitely find the cast oddly similar. The same can be said about the writing, which has the action take place at Christmastime, just like Go! Scenes with violence and tragedy are played for humor, and most of the time they work, especially in one particular scene that had me doubling over in laughter. Of all the scenes in this film, this one works to the point of black humor perfection. It is worth the price of rental alone.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on March 28th, 2004
Synopsis
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on March 28th, 2004
Synopsis
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on March 28th, 2004
Often, the success of one film in theaters will bring on a wave of classics on DVD with a similar theme. In this case, the new films are Pirates of the Caribbean and Master and Commander. These modern box office successes have prompted 20th Century Fox to release some classic films about the high seas onto DVD. One such film is A High Wind in Jamaica.
There are quite a few problems with this film, but most of them lie within the narrative. The technical aspects are all handled well, wit... good lighting, and some pretty inventive camera work from time to time. Unfortunately, no matter how well a film is made, if the script is dull, so shall the film be. That seems to be the case here, as it appears that the director felt that the exotic peoples, places and locations would be interesting enough to cover for the fact that there really isn’t that much to do at sea. Well, they aren’t, and I was bored.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on March 26th, 2004
It’s funny how little film subgenres evolve over time. For instance, slasher flicks have become a specific part of the realm of horror films. Likewise, teen gross-out movies have evolved within the comedy genre. In the case of Lady Jayne - Killer, the subgenre is the fraternity favorite, girls with guns.
There have been quite a few films that fit into this subgenre (the wonderful La Femme Nikita and the horrid To The Limit, just to name a few), and this film follows in that same shamele...s tradition. The point of these films is to show guys everything they like; scantily-clad women, firepower, hot cars and action. They are mindless on purpose. The storylines are not as important as filling the film with as much violence and as many half-naked women as possible.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on March 23rd, 2004
Synopsis
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on March 22nd, 2004
What do a string of prostitute murders, lesbian vigilantes, a sexually confused cop, a senate race, a prominent prosecutor turned law professor, and a law school dropout have in common? After watching Pendulum you will be asking the same questions. Seldom have I seen a more disjointed collection of clichés and bad acting in one film outside of an Ed Wood film festival. Rachel Hunter might have been a gorgeous supermodel but like so many before her she’s just not believable here. Many of the aforementioned sins might ...e forgivable if the ending in some way satisfied. I’m sorry to announce this film ends badly (for the viewers, not the characters).
Audio
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on March 22nd, 2004
The 1970’s and 80’s brought a ton of teenage angst films where coming of age simply meant having sex. Just One Of The Guys attempts to be a bit more original, but while the premise was, the film is certainly not. I know there was a bit of a cult following for the film, but it was mostly lost in the barrage of superior films of the year. It’s no wonder that Columbia saw fit to release this disc with so little care. Fellow herpers will take delight in one character who brings in a different reptile to school each day. ...Look for a Snow Cornsnake, Sinaloan Milksnake, Chameleon, Leopard Gecko, and Tree Frog.) To demonstrate how weak this film, was look for Terry to say “Read my lips,” followed by some of the worst ADR I’ve ever seen.
Synopsis
