Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on May 24th, 2003
If Clear And Present Danger suffers from anything it is that it is overlong. As much as I like the film and its plot, there are times when I find myself checking the running time again to see how much longer the film is. There are also an incredible number of characters on both sides of the fence to keep track of: Ryan (Ford), Greer (Jones), Clark (Defoe), Ritter (Czemy) , Escobedo (Sandoval) , NSA Director Cutter (Yulin), Felix Cortez (Almeida), Ryan’s wife (Archer), Moira (Mangnuson), FBI Director Jacobs (Tammi) and the list goes on.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on May 18th, 2003
Synopsis
In 24 hours Monty Brogan is going to prison for seven years, with his last day of freedom he tries to set his life straight. Once a king of New York with easy access to the best clubs Monty has alienated his friends and family with his lifestyle that he must now say goodbye to. He has dinner with his father and goes out clubbing with his two best friends and his girlfriend Naturelle (who he thinks may have been the one who pinched him). With time running out Monty must do everything he can t...
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on May 18th, 2003
I am quite conflicted about this the second Jack Ryan film. There is no doubt I enjoy Harrison Ford’s Ryan more than I did Alec Baldwin’s. Of course, they really are not the same character at all. With Ford, Ryan has become more of an action hero. Sadly, I didn’t find this script as compelling as the other Ryan films. It is by far the worst adaptation of a Clancy novel to date. The complicated plot ends up being reduced to a simple game of revenge for the villain. Plot contrivances abound just to place Ryan into the heat of fire.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on May 15th, 2003
In the 1980’s Tom Clancy was “the man”. One of the interviews on this disc accurately points out that if you were on an airplane in the 1980’s, for every ten people reading a book seven would be reading Tom Clancy. Hunt for Red October was by far his best work. The technical information was so accurate that Clancy was once questioned for several hours by the CIA to determine his source. The film, unlike many blockbuster efforts, does not disappoint. The script is relatively faithful to the book. There are major divergences, particularly the climax, but most serve to tighten the lengthy novel into a fast-paced film.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on May 7th, 2003
Set to coincide with the theatrical release of Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle, Columbia-Tristar releases the highly successful Charlie’s Angels as the latest Superbit Deluxe DVD. This film is wildly enjoyable… with a wonderful mix of action and comedy. I cannot imagine another trio pulling this film off as well as Cameron Diaz, Drew Barrymore, and Lucy Liu. Their acting chemistry, along with the direction of McG, has made this a film that can be enjoyed over and over again.
”They're beautiful, th...
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on May 6th, 2003
Synopsis
Stuart Whitman is a gentleman gambler, on the run after having killed a man in a duel. JohnWayne is the Texas Ranger who tracks him down. But when it turns out that there is a muchworse gang of criminals on the loose (the Comancheros of the title), Wayne enlists the help of hisprisoners in defeating the real bad guys.
Audio
The sound has been remixed into 4.0 surround, and this is the only version of the Englishlangauge track provided (it is nice if...
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on May 6th, 2003
Synopsis
The Civil War has just ended. In fact, John Wayne leads a Union assault on the Confederacythree days after the surrender -- it takes that long for the news to reach him. Disgusted by brokenpromises, Wayne heads for greener pastures in Mexico, as does former Confederate colonel RockHudson. Their paths inevitably cross, and they become allies against forces that threatenboth.
Audio
Here’s a puzzler. The other recent John Wayne films from Fox (The Big ...
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on May 6th, 2003
Synopsis
John Wayne and Stewart Granger strike it rich in Alaska during the gold rush. Wayne travelsdown to Seattle to fetch Granger’s fiancee, but discovers she has already married another man.Wayne, who has no use for romance himself (you can see where this is heading), convincesnightclub performer Capucine to return to Alaska with him as a potential wife for Granger. Thetone is light and rollicking, with the mood set by a barnstormer of a bar fight in the openingscene. Great fun....
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on May 3rd, 2003
Synopsis
Larry Flynt (Woody Harrelson) beefs up his strip club business by publishing an explicitnewsletter. This newsletter becomes the glossy porn mag Hustler, and Flynt becomesstaggeringly rich. He also becomes the target of a serious of obscenity trials. Harrelson is terrific,and this was the film that confirmed that Edward Norton’s film-stealing performance in PrimalFear was no fluke. Courtney Love, as Flynt’s wife Althea, acquits herself well among theseheavyweights. Though ma...
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on April 24th, 2003
In this story, very loosely based on his own life, Eminem makes his acting debut. This is the story of Jimmy Smith Jr. a white boy born on the wrong side of Detroit’s 8 Mile divide. With an alcoholic white trash mother played by Kim Basinger, a dead end job and a trailer park for a home he does not have much going for him. His dreams fed by Detroit’s vibrant underground rap battle scene Jimmy tries to find himself and his voice in the world. This is a well written story about courage and not allowing one’s self to become a product of your environment.
