1.85:1 Widescreen

The Pebble and the Penguin (Family Fun Edition)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on April 4th, 2007

Perhaps in an all too unsubtle move, the MGM/Fox contingent has released The Pebble and the Penguin on the same day as the recently released Happy Feet. The film chronicles the quest of Hubie (Martin Short, Innerspace), a penguin who is trying to win the love of Marina (Annie Golden, Twelve Monkeys) as a mate. But Marina is also eyed by Drake (Tim Curry, Clue), and knows that Hubie must not have her, so he throws Hubie into the ocean. Hubie meets Rocko (Jim Belushi, Return to Me), who helps him stand up to Drake while winning the love of Marina.
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Lovewrecked

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on March 29th, 2007

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Lovewrecked appears to be a standard teen movie chick flick, starring the likes of Amanda Bynes and Chris Carmack. Off the get-go the only things appealing to me about this movie are I get too see Chris Carmack on my TV for the first time since he played Luke on The OC and it takes place on a colorful island.

Jenny (Amanda Bynes) is a bookworm who just graduated high school and plans on attending medical school after the summer, during which she will be working at a resort with her best frien…
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Children of Men (HD DVD)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on March 27th, 2007

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Ask anyone on the street about children and odds are they will respond that children are our hope and are the obvious future of the world. We strive to improve our lives and fight for every available right so our children can live the best possible life. Imagine a world where children have become such an absent feature of daily life that everyone gathers around the TV when one dies. Visionary master Alfonso Cuaron invites us to sit back and imagine a future that is drab, dull and lacking the brightness of a world we expect for our children.
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Midnight Cowboy

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on March 27th, 2007

Midnight Cowboy (Awards Series) is a previous DVD version re-released with a cardboard slipcover.

“I’m walking here! I’m walking here!” Smart money says you’re familiar with that quote whether you’ve seen this film or not. Midnight Cowboy was a hit back in 1969, and it’s been referenced plenty of times in pop culture since.

John Schlesinger’s film, which took home Oscars for best picture, director and adapted screenplay, was also controversial back in ’69, as it received an X-rating.
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Misery

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on March 26th, 2007

Misery (Awards Series) is the 2000 DVD version re-released with a cardboard slipcover. (Cover art pictured is the 2000 edition)

Of the many films based on books by prolific writer Stephen King, Misery ranks near the top. Falling somewhere between the horror and thriller genres, this film about a twisted obsession is frightening because the premise seems very real.
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Are We There Yet? (Re-Release)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Michael Durr on March 25th, 2007

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Synopsis

Family pictures usually miss when viewed by a lonely dvd reviewer who has nothing better to do on a saturday morning. There are no kids to laugh at the bad jokes and slapstick mayhem, there are no wives to go awwwww and marvel at the cute kids. All that one man can hope for is a decent lead who provides thought provoking characterisms and smart laughs. Wait, I’m watching Are We There Yet?, so I have pretty much no chance of that. Are We There Yet? is the stor…
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In the Heat of the Night

Posted in Disc Reviews by Michael Durr on March 25th, 2007

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Synopsis

As I get older, I notice my tastes for movies change. Sure, I still like over the top action and if there is an attractive girl on the screen it gets my attention. I’m human, however as I get older I start liking films that are older. Now, I’m not talking about keeping true to films of my generation but I find myself engrossed in films that were made before I was born. There are some true classics out there such as In the Heat of the Night. This movie starred Sidney Poitier …
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The Hannibal Lecter Collection

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on March 24th, 2007

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He’s one of the most compelling villains of modern fiction. Disturbing, disgusting and absolutely captivating at the same time, Hannibal Lecter can really get inside your head.

You may not have read the novels by Thomas Harris, or even seen all of the films, but I’m willing to bet you’re familiar with The Silence of the Lambs. One of the greatest thrillers in film history, the film in which Sir Anthony Hopkins became Dr. Lecter is the cornerstone of this three-movie set.
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Children of Men

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on March 24th, 2007

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Children are the future. They’re why we strive to make the world a better place, or at least to maintain the world we’ve got. But what happens when there are no more children, when there is no future?

That’s the context for Children of Men, the latest film from director phenom Alfonso CuarÃ©n (Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban). Based on the novel by P.D. James, Children of Men is set in 2027, our near future. There are no flying cars, or space-suit clothes. In fact, the world appears pretty rundown, and the reason for its shabby state is the most striking difference between our present and the film’s – humankind is infertile.
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C.R.A.Z.Y.

Posted in Disc Reviews by David Annandale on March 22nd, 2007

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Zac is the fourth of five sons in a Montreal family, growing up in the 60s and 70s. He’s sensitive, and rather more in touch with his feminine qualities than his father (very macho, though a huge fan of Patsy Cline) would like. The film then tracks Zac’s struggle to accept the direction his sexuality takes, to accept himself, and to once again find his father’s acceptance.

Lord knows that rock music is more than the soundtrack of our teenage years; it’s the narration.
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The Last Unicorn

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on March 16th, 2007

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I can’t say I’m too familiar with The Last Unicorn, I mean overall, animated children’s films were in the midst of a decline in the ’80s. However my wife was more than familiar with it and enjoyed it a lot growing up. And Lion’s Gate has presumably cleaned up the film and thrown some extras on it just in time for the film’s 25th anniversary.

Based on a novel by Peter Beagle and directed by the animation team of Jules Bass and Arthur Rankin (who helped produced such shows as the stop motion of Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer and The Hobbit animated version back in the ’60s and ’70s), the unicorn in question is named, well, Unicorn (voiced by Mia Farrow, The Omen), who walks around rather peacefully in the countryside.
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Ghost

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on March 15th, 2007

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At one point or another youï¿½ve either seen Ghost, or have seen some of its memorable scenes parodied. Paramount is now releasing a new special collectorï¿½s edition of the 1990 Academy Award winning picture. Since then, star Patrick Swayze hasnï¿½t really been up to much besides a Ja Rule video and a small role in Donnie Darko. Whether Demi Moore has seen success since this film is debatable, but for a while there in 1990 these two were the talk of the town. At the time I was too young to have any interest in the film, so prior to this review all I knew were the memorable clips Iï¿½d seen. I looked forward to finally viewing the entire film.
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Harsh Times

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on March 15th, 2007

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Iï¿½ve been anticipating the release of Harsh Times for quite a while now, never being able to catch it in the theatre, I finally got the chance to check it out. Christian Bale is by now known for his versatility and wide range of playable characters; Harsh Times offers another committed and deep portrayal to his resume. Bale plays ex-ranger Jim Davis who is back in Los Angeles after a 6-year tour. He is trying to land a job with the LAPD so he can marry his Mexican sweetheart and have her live in America.
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Revenge of the Nerds (Panty Raid Edition)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on March 11th, 2007

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Dubbed as the frat boy comedy that started it all, Revenge of the Nerds is a 80ï¿½s cult classic making its way to DVD as a special Panty Raid Edition – Basically you get a standard slipcover and a handful of features thrown at you. I remember seeing this movie about ten years back I found it amusing then, so I look forward to being able to watch it again, maybe this time Iï¿½ll get more of the jokes.

The movie takes place where two nerds played by Robert Carradine and Anthony Edwards are off to attend the fictional Adams College.
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Borat – Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on March 11th, 2007

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If youï¿½ve been anywhere on the planet over the past year then thereï¿½s no doubt that youï¿½ve at least heard the name Borat in passing, well Borat – Cultural Learning of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan has finally made its way to DVD. Although Iï¿½ve wanted to see this movie since I saw its preview before Jackass 2, this is the first time Iï¿½ll actually be watching it and I eagerly anticipate it; Iï¿½ve heard lots of things about this controversial mockumentary comedy. Adding to my anticipation of the film is the fact that Seinfeld writer Larry Charles is the director.
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The Other Side of Midnight

Posted in Disc Reviews by David Annandale on March 10th, 2007

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Terminally naive and beautiful Noelle Page (Marie-France Pisier) is abused and conned by every man she meets. In 1939 Paris, penniless and at the end of her tether, she meets American pilot Larry Douglas (John Beck, looking more like a 70s porn star than a 40s air force pilot). A great romance begins, but then duty calls him away. He promises to find her again in three weeks, but he never shows up. Noelle discovers that she is pregnant, and then finds out Larry is a terminal womanizer.
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Heart of the Game, The

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on March 8th, 2007

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Synopsis

This documentary follows six seasons of the Roosevelt Roughriders girls’ basketball team. Initially, the focus was going to be the work of their unorthodox coach, economics teacher Bill Resler. What he did is interesting in and of itself, turning the team into a real force to be reckoned with. But then into this middle-class, largely white setting comes Darnellia Russell, inner city girl with inner city problems, and colossal talent. The film follows her integration into the team, and when p…
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Lady in the Water (HD DVD)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on March 6th, 2007

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Posted in Disc Reviews by Joshua Noyes

Lady in the Water is the latest film offered from M. Night Shyamalan. In its opening weekend (21-23 July 2006), the film grossed a total of $18.2 million, placing third in the United States box office results for that weekend. It was M. Night’s lowest opening for any of his five major films. Due to negative reviews and poor word-of-mouth, its second week fell sharply to $7.1 million, pushing its total to only $32.2 million. Its third weekend was no better, falling another 62.1% to $2.7 million. As of September…
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Coastlines

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on March 4th, 2007

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On its surface, Coastlines is a modestly produced film that was written and directed by Victor Nunez (Ulee’s Gold), telling the story about a guy who was just released from prison for dealing drugs, but bites the prison bullet for the favor of a friend. He comes out and is looking for the financial windfall promised him, but also tries to get back in touch with his roots. On a deeper level, Coastlines, well, doesn’t go that much deeper I guess.
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Live and Let Die (Region 2)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on March 2nd, 2007

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As a relatively topical fan of the James Bond franchise (though not so topical that I’d buy all of the films on DVD), I had a cursory knowledge of the actors who played Bond and the times that they had been cast. Little did I know however that by the time Roger Moore had signed onto the role in Live and Let Die that this was the third attempt to bring him aboard, and that maybe producers Harry Saltzman and Albert Broccoli were hoping that the third attempt brought the proverbial charm. Moore had been approached for the role as early as the Dr. No days, but was in the midst of doing The Saint television show, and Connery was chosen.
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Tideland

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on February 27th, 2007

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If you’ve seen any of Terry Gilliam’s other films, you can probably guess that this one is pretty bizarre. Based on the novel of the same name by Mitch Cullen, Tideland is an eccentric, grotesque and imaginative tale of a child’s resilience.

I’m going to say right off the top, I wanted to like Tideland, and for two reasons. One, Gilliam has made some incredible films in his career, from Monty Python and the Holy Grail to Twelve Monkeys and Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.
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Babel (HD DVD)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on February 24th, 2007

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As I right this review, the date is February 24th, 2007 one day before the Annual Academy Award Ceremony, which is a show that this film is nominated in the Best Picture category for. Numerous other reviewers, whether they’re critical or simply just internet journalists like myself, have labeled this one as this year’s Crash. A statement like that made me worry going into this one because simply put Crash isn’t Best Picture material nor is it even close to Best Picture material. While I haven’t seen every other Best Picture nominee, I wouldn’t completely mind if the Academy did award Babel with the Oscar.
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Crossover

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on February 23rd, 2007

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For the sake of full disclosure, I wrote this review while I was sitting in a meeting. For the sake of having a challenge, I wanted to start every sentence in this review with the name of the movie, for no discernible reason whatsoever. Feel free to call shenanigans on me at any time, as it helped me get through my meeting and to a larger extent, the film.

Crossover is a film that at least as of this writing, has no positive reviews on Rotten Tomatoes for some sort of reason, and I think that’s because of the razor sharp casting that was employed.
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My Cousin Vinny

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on February 22nd, 2007

Marisa Tomei caused quite a stir in 1993 when she walked away with the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for her role in My Cousin Vinny. Even after watching the film again, I guess I’m still a bit amazed. Now that’s not to say she doesn’t do a wonderful job here. The fact is the entire cast did a splendid job. I can’t say I found her performance any better than Joe Pesci as Vinny “Sack Of Potatoes” Gambini or the wonderful portrayal of the judge by Fred Gwynne.
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Heading South (Vers le sud)

Posted in Disc Reviews by David Annandale on February 19th, 2007

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We are in Haiti during the late 1970’s, under the brutal dictatorship of Pap Doc Duvalier. At a beach resort, we meet three middle-aged women engaged in what amounts to sex tourism. Charlotte Rampling is Ellen, an imperious ex-pat British professor; Karen Young is Brenda, a psychologically fragile American divorcee; and Louise Portal is Sue, an earthy warehouse manager from Montreal. Disillusioned by their romantic prospects back home, they revel in the (paid) sexual attentions of handsome young Haitians, most notably Legba (Ménothy César), with whom both Rampling and Young are in love.

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