Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on January 25th, 2005
Written by Jason Franz
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Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on January 22nd, 2005
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Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on January 21st, 2005
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Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on January 21st, 2005
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Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on January 20th, 2005
What a find! Film footage from a landmark 1970 concert sat in a producer’s garage for almost 3 decades. So finally, after all the music rights and remastering were taken care of, we have a landmark rockumentary. Thank the maker. Festival Express is a rock concert movie about a 3 city train tour, with stops in Toronto, Winnipeg, and Calgary (not to mention a stop in Saskatoon for booze). The performers included The Grateful Dead, The Band, Buddy Guy, and Janis Joplin (among many, many others).
<p ...The film doesn’t have the sociological impact of Woodstock and Gimme Shelter, or the melancholic “meaning” of The Last Waltz. Festival Express has more of a backstage pass quality. We get to see the performers (mostly in the bar car) sitting around talking or jamming. The retrospective interviews have some amusing anecdotes (I like the one where the concert promoter slugs the mayor of Calgary). The concert footage is not especially amazing, and some of the songs are merely OK. But Janet Joplin, man, she steals the show. Her two songs in the movie will blow your mind. It’s sad that she died just two months after the festival.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on January 18th, 2005
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Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on January 17th, 2005
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Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on January 16th, 2005
M. Night Shyamalan has a knack for channeling the spirit of Rod Serling each time he sits down to write and ultimately direct and produce a new film. When Serling’s spirit is unavailable, then it seems that Hitchcock will do. The Village, like each of his previous films, is carried off in rather subtle tones both in visual textures and storytelling.
The Village again begins with little or no action but somehow compels us to begin to ask questions about the deceptively simple story unfolding b...fore us. Just as he brought out the incredible talent of the young Haley Joel Osment in The Sixth Sense, the surprising talent in this film is obviously Bryce Dallas Howard as the blind Ivy Walker. At times she is capable of carrying the film entirely on her shoulders. Fortunately that is not often the case as a well rounded supporting cast includes William Hurt, Sigourney Weaver, and Joaquin Phoenix playing a Gladiator named Lucius.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on January 12th, 2005
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Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on January 11th, 2005
A vehicle for Hilary Duff, “A Cinderella Story” is a modern updating of the classic fairy tale. Set at a high school in the San Fernando Valley, a "dorky" girl, Hilary Duff, comes to terms with her “wicked” stepmother, Jennifer Coolidge, and evil stepsisters, played by Madeline Zima and Andrea Avery. Duff meets her “prince” and well….there’s a Halloween Dance….well…I think you get it.
This movie does exactly what you expect it to do. No surprises or inventiveness. Fans will enjoy, but to the “layperson” t...e lack of cinematic flair might be off-putting. There’s a sweetness and cuteness to the proceedings, but if you’re looking for an original take on an old classic, you won’t find it here.
