1.33:1 Fullscreen

Hour of the Gun

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on November 28th, 2005

Synopsis

The film begins with the gunfight at the OK corral, making this something of a sequel to director John Sturges’ earlier film that ended with that famous battle. Here we see the aftermath, as the vengeful Ike Clanton (Robert Ryan, doing the Robert Ryan Villain thing) arranges for the shooting of the brothers of Wyatt Earp (James Garner). When legal means of redress prove fruitless, Earp progressively becomes more and more of a vigilante in his quest for vengeance, just as his best friend and …
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Satisfaction

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on November 26th, 2005

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Synopsis

Satisfaction is a transitional project in so many ways. This was one of the first American films of Liam Neeson, who would go on to mildly excite the world as Henry Ducard in Batman Begins. Before Mystic Pizza came out, the world was exposed to Julia Roberts as Daryle.

And what of the main attraction of the film? Well, the film was apparently intended to be a starring vehicle for Justine Bateman, whose previous claim to fame was from Family Ties, playing the do…
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Where the Sidewalk Ends

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on November 25th, 2005

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Synopsis

Dana Andrews is the tough cop who takes too much pleasure in roughing up the bad guys. When he hits a suspect too hard, he accidentally kills him. He covers up his crime and carries on the investigation into the murder the man was suspected of. But as if his life weren’t complicated enough, he starts to fall for his victim’s ex-wife, and then her father looks like he’s going to hang for Andrews’ crime.

This is what film noir is all about. Daylight never seems to intrude in this cit…
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Honeymooners, The

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on November 24th, 2005

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Synopsis

Cedric the Entertainer is Ralph Kramden. Mike Epps is Ed Norton. They have the get-rich-quick schemes that never work. Gabrelle Union and Regina Hall are Alice and Trixie, the long-suffering and very sensible wives who are increasingly exasperated by their numbnuts husbands. The latest scheme involves things like turning a pet greyhound into a competitive racer, all in the hopes of purchasing a duplex.

Cards on the table: I was never a fan of the TV show. Born too late, I suppose, …
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War of the Worlds (1953)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on November 23rd, 2005

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Aliens have sent super machines to Earth. The intent is obvious. They want to remove the human infestation and relocate from their own dying world. Independence Day, right? Wrong. Almost 50 years before Rolland and Emerich pitted mankind against killer aliens, George Pal brought us a wonderful interpretation of the famous H.G. Wells novel, War of the Worlds. Although not as faithful to the source material as a Wells fan might have hoped for, Pal created a classic film with groundbreaking f/x for the 1950’s.
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Dark Corner, The

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on November 23rd, 2005

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Synopsis

Mark Stevens is a PI recently out of jail after having been framed for manslaughter by his former partner. He is trying to make a new start in a new city, and the good news is that something might be developing with his new secretary, Lucille Ball. The bad news is that he’s being followed, and it turns out his treacherous ex-partner, Kurt Kreuger, is in town and making life hell for him. Or is he? In fact, obsessive gallery owner Clifton Webb is setting Stevens up for another frame.

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Womb Raider

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on November 22nd, 2005

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Cara Loft (geddit?) is enticed by Dr. Scrotus (har!) to complete her dead father’s quest, and travels through desert and jungle in the quest to reunite “the legendary womb idols of creation.” she is shadowed by Natasha, an equally hot-bodied spy who (surprise, surprise) has the hots for her.

I can’t believe a summary was necessary. Anyway, this looks like what would happen if writers of fan fiction were given a camcorder and a travel budget. Lauren Hays can pass visually for Lara Croft, and kudos for a real attempt at creating a sense of exotic locations and sets.
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Kiss of Death

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on November 22nd, 2005

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Synopsis

Victor Mature is an ex-con driven by financial desperation to take part in a jewel heist. The job goes wrong, and he is nabbed. He’s sent to prison, and agonizes over his family. When he’s double-crossed by his lawyer, he agrees to DA Brian Donlevy’s deal and testifies against psychotic hoodlum Richard Widmark. He gets out, and starts his life over, but then Widmark beats the wrap, and is on the prowl for revenge.

Mature is the star, and Coleen Gray is the eternally patient love in…
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Saturday Night Live – The Best of Chris Farley (UMD)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on November 19th, 2005

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Dear Chris Farley, we har’ley knew ye.

What is it with SNL and untimely death? I am pretty surprised that I have never seen a “conspiracy theory” written out about this, like the Wheaties curse or the curse of the Sports Illustrated cover. Jim Belushi, Phil Hartman, Gilda Radner and even the lovable Chris Farley died way before their time.

Farley had an uncommon gift of successfully being portly, sweaty, clumsy and lovable all at the same time. The assortment of Saturday Night Live skits collected here drives this point home with ease.
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Broadway’s Lost Treasures III

Posted in Disc Reviews by David Annandale on November 17th, 2005

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Synopsis

Subtitled “The Best of the Tony Awards,” this is a collection of 23 performances from the Awards show broadcasts. The net is cast pretty wide here as far as the years are concerned, so you get to see a young Jerry Orbach (for instance) performing “Promise, Promises” from 42nd Street. Carol Channing, Robert Goulet, Tommy Tune and Harvey Fierstein are the hosts. Fans of musical theatre should expect miracles here, but this is of considerable archival interest.

Audio

Wizard of Oz, The

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on November 10th, 2005

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Synopsis

Frustrated by vicissitudes of Depression-era life, Dorothy wishes she were somewhere else. She gets her wish in ways she couldn’t have imagined, as a tornado drops her into the magical world of Oz. Accompanied by the brain-free Scarecrows, heartless Tin Man and cowardly Lion, she sets out on a quest to return home. In order to be granted that wish by the all-powerful Wizard, she must first defeat the Wicked Witch of the West.

And so I conclude what must surely be the most superfluo…
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Saturday Night Live – The Best of Will Ferrell (UMD)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on November 7th, 2005

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I actually picked this title up several months ago on DVD, so I was already aware of how funny this disc is. For some reason, Saturday Night Live is one of those shows that nobody finds funny until several years later, at which time its charm is rediscovered. I’m sure this has to do with the fact that the reruns and compilations cut out the majority of the filler and leave only the best bits, but I am, still surprised that the shows gets such little notariety during their initial run.
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State Fair

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on November 7th, 2005

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Synopsis

Things don’t get much more anodyne than this storyline, showcasing an impossibly idealized family and their trials of love and prize pigs as they travel to the eponymous event. This is strictly for the nostalgic and pure fans of Rodgers and Hammerstein (the songs generally are not as culturally engrained as those of Oklahoma!). There are two versions of the film here, and the 1945 take is easily the better of the two. The 1962 remake (and the third film by this name, a non-musical ver…
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Sharks Flipper & Lopaka

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on October 30th, 2005

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I love it when a DVD as advertised as a “hit series” on the back of the box, yet I have never even heard of it. Granted, I am not this product’s target market, but you would still think that I would have at least come across the title of this show somewhere. I am familiar with all of the products advertised on this disc, so I know I am not completely out of the loop.

This show tells the adventures of Lopaka, a boy who has made friends with a dolphin with the original (?) name of “Flipper”. It seems that Flipp…
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Alfred Hitchcock Presents – Season One

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on October 30th, 2005

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1955 was a very significant year in the life of filmmaker Alfred Hitchcock. He received his American citizenship and he changed the face of the young television industry forever. Alfred Hitchcock Presents came before all of the other classic anthology shows. The show combined Hitch’s trademark gallows humor with his unerring instinct for suspenseful storytelling. The show was the first overnight success, drawing millions of viewers with its first episode, no small feat for 1955.

Hitchcock was ahead of his time.
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Orchestra Wives

Posted in Disc Reviews by David Annandale on October 27th, 2005

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George Montgomery plays the lead trumpet for the “Gene Morrison Band” (the Glen Miller Band). As they set out on tour, he falls in love with, and marries, audience member and big fan Ann Rutherford, much to the displeasure of Lynn Bari. The film then uses the tensions between the various significant others during the tour to cobble together a plot that connects the various musical numbers.From the point of view of plot and character, this is nothing to write home about. But as a record of one of the greats of the Big Band era in action, it is a valuable document, and certainly manages to entertain, if not much else.
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Rains Came, The

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on October 26th, 2005

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Synopsis

India, 1938. Dissolute ex-pat Brit George Brent is amused when old flame Myrna Loy, now married to an aging aristocrat, arrives, but is less amused when he sees her set her sights on Indian doctor Tyrone Power (all done up in dark make-up). Power is so decent that Brent doesn’t want him corrupted. But it soon turns out that Loy really loves Power, as she demonstrates by helping selflessly after the city is savaged by torrential rains, flooding and an earthquake.

The politics are ve…
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Gus Van Sant’s Last Days

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on October 25th, 2005

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Synopsis

In his mansion and forested estate, a rock star (played by Michael Pitt and named Blake, but obviously supposed to be Kurt Cobain) wanders about in a terminal drug stupor. Hangers on, business associates, Mormons and salesmen besiege him, but his flees human contact, withdrawing completely into himself.

The movie plays out as if directed by its subject: quiet, mumbling, meandering. As with Gus Van Sant’s last two films – Gerry and Elephant – the tone is minimalist and…
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Tony Orlando & Dawn – The Ultimate Collection

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on October 25th, 2005

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Wooden monologues, bad jokes, revolting fashions and way, way too much hair. I wish I could say that this means one thing… but it means a lot of things. In this case, however, I am talking about Tony Orlando and Dawn. Now, the quality of Orlando’s rich voice is undeniable. My bone to pick is with virtually every other aspect of this cheese fest. At the time in the 70’s, it seemed like everybody had their own variety show. Such a thing could be a big boon to a performer’s career, so you certainly can’t fault …
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The Val Lewton Collection

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on October 23rd, 2005

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Val Lewton produced 9 horror films for RKO back in the 1940’s. His films did not rely on terrible monsters or horrific images. Lewton was a master at atmosphere. Unfortunately these films have mostly been forgotten over the years, The Cat People being perhaps the most recognizable title in the collection. Sadly, this might be more for the lackluster remake in the 1980’s. Truth be told, these films are not really horror films in the usual sense of the genre. In most cases the evil is the product of an all too human hand rather than anything supernatural or fantastic.
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Melinda and Melinda

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on October 20th, 2005

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Synopsis

Two playwrights argue over whether life is inherently tragic or comic. To illustrate their point, they each tell the tale of Melinda (Radha Mitchell) who unexpectedly bursts in on a dinner party, creating all kinds of romantic complications. The film then alternates between the two stories. The set-up could hardly be more utterly Woody Allen, simultaneously pretentious and shallow. One story is comic (with Will Ferrell taking Allen’s usual role), the other is tragic, but you’d be hard-presse…
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Lifeboat

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on October 17th, 2005

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Synopsis

A merchant ship is sunk by a U-boat, but the submarine is itself destroyed by the ship’s shells. All of this happens prior to the credits. The survivors of the ship wind up in a damaged lifeboat, and they pick up a survivor of the U-boat. Is he a mere crewman, or the captain himself? What ensues is a tense drama of conflicting personalities, ranging from the plotting German to the hard-headed newswoman unforgettably incarnated by Tallulah Bankhead. Despite the claustrophobic setting, the fil…
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Mark of Zorro, The

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on October 16th, 2005

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This release is identical in every respect but one (the colourization) to the previous Studio Classics edition, and so what follow below is the same review, with an additional note about colour.

Synopsis

Returning to California after some years in Spain, Don Diego (Tyrone Power) finds that his father has been deposed and that the region is ruled by a venal, corrupt governer under the thumb of tyrannical lieutenant Basil Rathbone. Pretending to be a useless fop by day, Diego dons mask and sw…
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South Park – The Complete Sixth Season

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on October 11th, 2005

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Kenny’s gone and most of the season the boys are auditioning a new friend. While it looks like Butter has the inside track, you’ll have to watch the season to find out. Personally I miss the “They killed Kenny” jokes and was relieved that it eventually returned. South Park appeared to regain a bit of its lost creative energy in season 6. It can also be said that the show pushed its boundaries a little bit farther. There are times even I think the show goes too far. One of my favorite episodes can be found in this collection.
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Kolchak: The Night Stalker – The Complete Series

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on October 11th, 2005

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First let me begin by admitting a bias. I have always loved this show dearly. Carl Kolchak is partly responsible for you reading these very words. When I was young and The Night Stalker first appeared I was enthralled with it. My father had already introduced me to the Universal Monsters so this was great fodder for my young and developing brain. I immediately knew I wanted to BE Kolchak. I decided I wanted to be a journalist and so began to write. Not only has that passion lasted through the decades since, but thanks to this job I often get to write about monsters and things that go bump in the night.
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