2.35:1 Widescreen

Fantastic 4

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

With the release of Fantastic 4: Rise of the Silver Surfer just around the corner, it’s no surprise to see the studio rolling out a double-dip of the first film. Fantastic 4 – Extended Edition revisits the film with an extra 20 minutes of footage, and a second disc full of special features. But is it a worthy acquisition for your collection?

First, a bit about the film for the uninitiated. This is the Fantastic Four’s origin story, including how they came to have their super powers, and who Dr…
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Dragonheart (HD DVD)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on May 31st, 2007

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Films about fantasy have always caught my eye. Even though most end up bordering on the top realm of pure stupidity, a majority of them succeed in what they intend to succeed in, that being pure entertainment. Fantasy films typically please audiences simply because they bring the audience into a world they know they’ll never travel to. Dragons, in particular, have always interested me possibly because they’re majestic creatures that seem so complex. I suppose that’s what makes Dragonheart as entertaining as it…
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Payback: Straight Up (HD DVD)

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

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Since I have recently reviewed the Blu-ray version of Payback, some non-format specific aspects of this review will be ported over from that review.

I remember eight years back when Payback was first released. I eagerly anticipated the opportunity to watch it, and when I got the chance to check it out, I instantly enjoyed it. Upon finding out about the release of the new director’s cut, I found myself eagerly anticipating it once again, as it promised to be a completely different film.

Hannibal Rising

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

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Hannibal “the cannibal” Lecter is widely recognized as one of the most compelling villains in modern fiction. This film, Hannibal Rising, based on the Thomas Harris book of the same name, presents the origin of the cannibalistic psychopath.

Quick context for this review: I’ve seen all of the Lecter films, and read none of the books. I liked Silence of the Lambs best, followed closely by Manhunter and more distantly by Hannibal and Red Dragon, the 2002 Manhunter remake.
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Officer and a Gentleman, An

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on May 28th, 2007

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Prior to Top Gun with Tom Cruise and long before The Guardian with Ashton Kutcher, An Officer and a Gentleman was the film about a hot-headed hotshot military trainee headed for glory or self-destruction.

Starring a youthful Richard Gere (Chicago), An Officer and a Gentleman follows the journey of Zack Mayo, a young man looking to find his place in the world, and to prove he can defy his chaotic, depraved upbringing. His avenue of choice is to become a navy jet pilo…
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Constellation

Posted in Disc Reviews by Michael Durr on May 20th, 2007

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Synopsis

Interracial relationships in movies tend to be hit or miss. If treated fairly, it can make the movie an uplifting picture, one that will make people stand up and cheer for a satisfying ending. Misused, and it just becomes an ugly context for the movie to hide around. Constellation starts out with the love story between Carmel Boxer (played by Gabrielle Union), an african-american lady and her white boyfriend & solider Bear (young version played by …
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3 Needles

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on May 19th, 2007

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Synopsis

Way back in the ‘80s, I can recall doing a fifth grade science project on a fledgling disease called Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome. I got a bunch of material from my Dad (who worked at the National Institute of Health) and went ahead and did it. To be honest, I really don’t remember if I did this report before or after the first recognizable name died from it (that being Rock Hudson), but in the quarter century since AIDS cases were first identified, over 25 million people have died and almos…
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Blood & Chocolate

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on May 18th, 2007

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Blood & Chocolate is based upon the novel of the same name by Annette Curtis Klause, which was written in 1997 and has since been in the talks of screenplay adaptation. Written by Ehren Kruger (Arlington Road, Scream 3, The Ring) and directed by little known German director Katja von Garnier, Blood & Chocolate looks too impress.

It was refreshing to see a werewolf movie with a much different formula then were used to. Instead of the typical blood soaked horror we are presented with a dark an…
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Failure to Launch (HD DVD)

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

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I will admit that on occasion I have enjoyed a romantic comedy or two, and when I initially saw the trailer for Failure to Launch, I anticipated it to make the list. Aside from the film’s stars Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew McConaughey, Failure to Launch has a rather well assembled list of co-stars, including Kathy Bates (Misery), Terry Bradshaw (Former NFL Quarterback), Justin Bartha (National Treasure), and Bradley Cooper (Wedding Crashers). Sounds good enough, how does it turn out?

Matthe…
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Dreamgirls (HD DVD)

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

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Dreamgirls created a substantial amount of buzz when it was first released at the end of 2006, and has since won two Academy Awards. Although this movie never really struck me as being something I just had to watch, I’ve been curious to check out what all the praise was about. For those of you that don’t know, Dreamgirls is a musical, a whole whack load of singing intertwined with the ongoing plot; much like Grease or Chicago. Like most musical films, Dreamgirls is adapted from a pl…
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Off the Black

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

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Synopsis

Hey lookee here, in this movie called Off the Black, there are two Oscar nominees and one Oscar winner! So with this pedigree of talent, you’d expect to be a gangbusters piece of dramatic storytelling, right? Well, not exactly.

Written and directed by James Ponsoldt (Junebug and Hurricane), Ray (Nick Nolte, Blue Chips is a high school umpire in his spare time, when he normally works at an auto yard. He makes a controversial call in a game and later that night, some pl…
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Tomorrow Never Dies (Region 2)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on May 5th, 2007

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Synopsis

Well in the ever ongoing series of reviews of the James Bond series, this particular installment is the last of the Pierce Brosnan collection (the others are on the site, so go find them). And in Tomorrow Never Dies, I saved it for last because well, I needed some form of drama to keep me going.

This one takes Ian Fleming’s characters and adapts them into a screenplay that was written by Bruce Feirstein (GoldenEye) and directed by Roger Spottiswoode (Under Fire). And …
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Thr3e

Posted in Disc Reviews by David Annandale on May 4th, 2007

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Synopsis

A serial killer who sounds just like Jigsaw (only rather less interesting) and kills exclusively using explosives (!) blows up the brother of a criminal psychologist, then turns his unwanted attentions to seminary student Marc Blucas, taking his life apart one explosion at a time. Blucas is convinced that the killer is a dark figure from his past, and turns amateur sleuth even as he is consumed by guilt. Most of his time, however, he puts his energy into being one of the whiniest protagonist…
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On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (Region 2)

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

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Synopsis

Well, time may not have been too kind to George Lazenby since he assumed the tailored suits of James Bond for On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, but considering how well Daniel Craig did in Casino Royale, and the basic storyline is the same for both films, why do people still want to bash Lazenby now? Is it because he wasn’t a carbon copy of his predecessor, Sean Connery? Who knows?

As for the film itself, Lazenby was as unknown as one could get for the job, as this was only h…
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Alpha Dog

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

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If any of you watch America’s Most Wanted or have followed the news over the past few years, chances are you know about Jesse James Hollywood, the notorious twenty-year-old drug dealer. Alpha Dog is based upon Hollywood, his crew, and their unlawful activities. Of course the names are changed due to the fact that there are trials pending, but the story is a chilling tale of how young men can push each other too far trying to adhere to a “tough guy” image.

Johnny Truelove (Emile Hirsch, The Gir…
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Dreamgirls – Showstopper Edition

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

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Ahead of the pack with eight nominations, Dreamgirls had a lot of buzz leading up to this year’s Academy Awards. In the midst of it all, there was talk of a surprise standout performance by American Idol alumnus Jennifer Hudson in her first film role, and even more surprisingly, Pluto Nash – I mean, Eddie Murphy was up for best supporting actor.

With that many nominations, Dreamgirls, in yet another surprise, was not up for the coveted best picture Oscar. And after the dust settled, the film had been honored with just two of the golden statues, for Jennifer Hudson as best supporting actress and best achievement in sound mixing. No best picture nod and so few wins seemed to say, ‘yeah, your movie had a lot of good parts, some even great, but they didn’t add up to something more.’

Smokin’ Aces

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

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I’ve just watched Smokin’ Aces for the first time. What. A. Mess.

Having read and heard comparisons with Tarantino films like Pulp Fiction and Kill Bill, I had anticipated a violent, highly entertaining romp. The violence part I get, no problem. Smokin’ Aces is certainly a bloody film, but come on, ”Tarantino”? You’ve got to be kidding me.

I barely got through this film. At the half-way mark, I wanted it to end so badly I paused it to grab the DVD case and check …
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Deja Vu

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on April 20th, 2007

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As I watched the DVD for Deja Vu I had this uncanny feeling that I’d seen it all somewhere before. Suddenly it hit me. I had seen it all before. It was a darkened multi-plex last Thanksgiving weekend. That’s when I saw the film for the first time and was somewhat intrigued by the originality of the story. I have to say that watching it again on DVD, I think I liked it more the second time around. The basic concept is perhaps not original at all. It is the framework of the idea that I found refreshing. The film also…
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Game, The (HD DVD)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on April 18th, 2007

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Take a second and think about your life. You have a pretty set schedule right? Get up, go to work, come home, eat dinner, watch TV and go to sleep and repeat. Pretty dull no? Imagine getting a card when day at your birthday inviting you to open your life into a completely different world of change. Would you necessarily change? And what would come from the change? That is what David Fincher looks at in his 1997 film The Game.

Nicholas Van Orton (Michael Douglas) is your typical investment banker. Hi…
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Smokin’ Aces (HD DVD)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on April 17th, 2007

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January is typically the month when most studios dump those films they think won’t succeed on our laps. Unfortunately this was the case with Smokin’ Aces, a film that has such an odd sense of humor that we can’t help but smile at what’s in front of us. As we know Joe Carnahan’s previous effort Narc is a dark, gritty film with little to no humor. How could a man with such a dark, violent mind direct a film with as much violence but such a level of humor?

Our film opens with two federal agents …
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Going to Pieces: The Rise and Fall of the Slasher Film

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on April 9th, 2007

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In many ways, slasher films are like porno movies. Chief among them is that many times you just want to skip to the good parts. There may be a plot, but it’s so poorly constructed, the dialog is downright embarrassing and the direction leaves a lot to be desired. But the one thing they get right is all that matters. After all, there’s only one reasons we watch.

Going to Pieces: The Rise and Fall of the Slasher Film is a documentary which does just this. It features some of the most gruesome and fam…
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Bobby

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

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On June 4, 1968, U.S. presidential hopeful Robert F. Kennedy was shot in the kitchen of the Ambassador Hotel, and later died in hospital. Bobby is the story of that day, and the people who were there.

It’s not so important that I summarize the characters and their stories for you. What you should know is that Bobby is one of those films that cuts between many plot lines that seem unrelated until the end, when an event brings them all together. In this case, we’re talking about 22 people at the…
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The World Is Not Enough (Region 2)

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

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To the credit of James Bond film producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli, they realized that recycling a storyline with Russian antagonists or other satellites of communism, was stale even several years after the Berlin Wall fell. But in its place, the big Bond villain was a Serbian national of sorts named Renard, who was shot in the head, and the bullet, still lodged in his brain, made him magically impervious to pain.
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Mothra vs Godzilla

Posted in Disc Reviews by David Annandale on April 2nd, 2007

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A ferocious typhoon washes up a giant egg on Japan’s coast. Unscrupulous entrepreneurs lay claim to it, planning to exploit it as a tourist attraction. The egg in fact belongs to Mothra, now nearing the end of her life cycle, and the twin fairies from Infant Island come to Japan in the hopes of having the egg returned. No such luck, but when Godzilla returns and begins another rampage, this time it is the inhabitants of Infant Island who are turned to for help in the hopes that Mothra will come to Japan’s aid.
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Turistas

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

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Turistas is a horror film about six hard-bodied 20-somethings whose vacation in paradise turns bad when they’re drugged, robbed and kidnapped on behalf of a crazed doctor who wants to harvest their organs while they’re still alive.

I think that about sums it up. Now let’s talk about why this film isn’t any good. First, while I realize characters in horror movies are supposed to fall into traps, never before have I seen characters this stupid. They don’t just make one or two dumb choices. No, these kids take every single chance they get to put themselves in danger.
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