Video

How Green Was My Valley

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on January 3rd, 2003

Synopsis

The setting is turn-of-the-century Wales, and a way of life is coming to an end as economiccrises hit. The film chronicles the saga of the Morgan family, headed by stern but lovingpatriarch Donald Crisp, and we get all this through the eyes of young Roddy McDowall. Analternative title might be “Cavalcade of Misery” and the answer to the film’s question might be“not very,” given the endless tragedies that afflict our loving family. The film hasn’t weatheredthe passing years …
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Throw Momma from the Train

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on January 3rd, 2003

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Hitchcock’s “Strangers On A Train” has always been one of my favorite films from that era. It was perfect Hitch. Danny DeVito and Billy Crystal are two of Hollywood’s best comic actors… so it is no surprise that I would fall hard for a “Strangers” parody by these comedic wonders. There is nothing spectacular about this film, but it is one of those simple little pleasures that come along from time to time that is just effortless to view.

Blood Work

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on January 2nd, 2003

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Synopsis

While pursuing the elusive Code Killer, Terry McCaleb (Clint Eastwood) suffers a heartattack. Two-and-a-half years later, recovering well from a heart transplant, McCaleb is visitedby the sister of the woman whose heart he now has. She would like him to investigate the sister’smurder. Some of the plot twists you can see coming, and the story takes a major credibilityhit three quarters of the way through, when Eastwood gets involved with a woman young enoughto be his grandda…
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Gentleman’s Agreement

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on December 31st, 2002

Synopsis

Gregory Peck is a freelance writer recently arrived in New York. Hired to write a series onanti-Semitism, he hits on the idea of passing himself off as Jewish. The angle works only toowell, and he experiences prejudice first-hand, in ways that threaten to completely derail his life.The performances are universally excellent, and the actors are really put to the test when theyhave to mouth the painfully moralizing speeches at the end of the film. Until the disappointingconcl…
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Back to the Future Trilogy

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on December 31st, 2002

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Film

The original Back To The Future film is already a classic. There has never been a more original sci-fi/comedy film. The sequels are less stellar but do retain the charm and uniqueness of the original. The talent of Christopher Lloyd and Michael J. Fox shine in these films. Both actors were trying to shed strong TV characters and prove they were more than Reverend Jim and Alex Keaton. The chemistry generated between them goes a long way in enhancing both performances. The supporting cast is also quite good here.
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I Spit On Your Grave

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on December 30th, 2002

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Synopsis

Jennifer (Camille Keaton) leaves New York for a summer in the country. Four low-lifes rapeher, beat her, and leave her for dead. She strikes back most violently. This is the nec plus ultraof rape-revenge films, the yardstick against which all others are measured. The gang rape isharrowingly brutal, and goes on for almost half an hour. The film is cheap and raw, and has itsflaws, but is also searingly powerful in the unflinching realism of its violence. For this, and forits …
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Mad Love

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on December 30th, 2002

Synopsis

Joan, who will inherit the throne of Castille, is sent to Flanders to marry the Archduke Philip.She falls madly and passionately in love with her husband. He is not faithful, however, and hersanity teeters because of this. Ambitious politicians jockey for power in the background, and seethe Queen’s possible madness as their ticket to ride. The film looks great, and the performancesare excellent. We aren’t shown much of the relationship before it begins to fall apart, however,…
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Ballistic: Ecks Vs. Sever

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on December 30th, 2002

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Synopsis

The son of DIA hotshot Ray Park is kidnapped by Lucy Liu. Antonio Banderas is forced backinto action with the promise of finding information about the wife he thought was dead. Hisassignment: track down Liu in order to get to bad guy Park, who is fooling around with ananotech assassin machine (which looks like a frog with a hypodermic). Now, none of this makesa whole lot of sense. The film’s real purpose is to stage huge gunfights and Really BigExplosions. Sometimes, that’s…
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Pig

Posted in Disc Reviews by David Annandale on December 28th, 2002

There isn’t really a plot, as such. In collaboration with director/photographer/scripter/editor Nico B, co-director/composer/writer Rozz Williams works out his serial killer fantasies through the images of a pig-faced man torturing another. The big influences here are equal parts Eraserhead-era David Lynch, the surrealist films of the late-20s-early-30s (especially Un ChienAndalou) and the contemporary piercing/SM scene. In fact, there are moments where this plays like an artsy infomercial for the latter.
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One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on December 23rd, 2002

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Synopsis

Petty crook Nicholson is transferred from prison to a mental institution. Is he crazy? Hecertainly seems to be to go up against head nurse Louise Fletcher, the well-meaning tyrant of theplace. In the course of his war, he ignites the spirits of the other inmates.

Audio

The sound has been remastered into 5.1. Though the sound quality is nice (barring somedistortion due to original recording), I’m not sure the surround mix was necessary. The musicand …
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Beauty & the Beast

Posted in Disc Reviews by David Annandale on December 22nd, 2002

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Synopsis

Likely the best version of the tale of a beautiful young woman and the beast who loves hersince Jean Cocteau’s 1945 film, this one has all the strengths of Disney’s best features: top-notchanimation, lively songs, humorous characters but some solidly gothic scares as well.

Audio

Fabulous on all counts. The reproduction is flawless and distortion free. The effects arestrong in both rear speaker presence and left-right separation. The music dominates, h…
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Serpico

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on December 21st, 2002

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Al Pacino started his career with The Godfather, but Serpico went a long way to introducing filmgoers to the raw talent he still possesses. Based on the true story of an officer’s lone fight against corruption in the New York City PD, Serpico is gritty and almost documentary-like in style. Sydney Lumet’s stylized direction would create a template that countless future cop films continue to emulate. A credit to Lumet’s ability to spot talent rests in the fact that this was considered largely a cast of unknowns.
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Quicksilver

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on December 20th, 2002

Synopsis

Kevin Bacon is a high-rolling stock trader. When he screws up and loses it all, he becomes(naturally) a gifted bicycle messenger, and so rebuilds his confidence. Many bike tricks and GiorgioMoroder songs ensue. Dire.

Audio

The 2.0 mix gets off to a strong start, with a truly impressive street environment simulatedduring the opening credits. Thereafter, however, the FX are pretty minimal, and take a back seatto the endless, horrible 80’s soundtrack. …
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Doppelganger

Posted in Disc Reviews by David Annandale on December 18th, 2002

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Synopsis

Drew Barrymore returns to Los Angeles after stabbing her conniving mother to death in ahilariously operatic sequence. But is Barrymore really guilty? Was the crime committed by herdoppelganger? Is she crazy? Possessed? Or is something else afoot? George Newbern plays hernew roommate, a shy, aspiring screenwriter, and he gets tangled up in her mystery. A tangledmystery it is too, and the film gets so carried away that it doesn’t really tie up all the loose ends.The ending, t…
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Final Encounter

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on December 18th, 2002

Synopsis

On an unnamed planet hundreds of years in the future, two cities — Brecca and Obsidian –have been at war for almost a century. They are but shattered remnants of their former selves,and the war carries on pointlessly. The governing general of Brecca leads a small expedition toObsidian on a quest that might finally bring the war to an end. The film has some of the post-apocalypse-on-a-budget feel of Albert Pyun epics (the Nemesis series) or stuff like CircuitryMan. This b…
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Enigma

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on December 17th, 2002

Synopsis

Dougray Scott plays Tom Jericho, brilliant but psychologically fragile code-breaker. He wasinstrumental in cracking the German Enigma code, and is needed again, since the code haschanged. He is still trying to put himself back together after a wrenching relationship with theglamorous Saffron Burrows, who has disappeared. As he works on Enigma, Scott also getsinvolved with Kate Winslet. The two of them try to solve the mystery of Burrows’ disappearance.The intelligent script…
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Wendigo

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on December 17th, 2002

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Synopsis

A couple and their young son are driving to their vacation home in the Catskills. They hita deer on the highway, accidentally ticking off one of the hunters, whose elevator doesn’t go allthe way to the penthouse, if you know what I mean. The boy, already on edge from the death ofthe deer and the lurking menace of the hunter, also begins to have visions of the hungry spiritWendigo. Whether the supernatural events are real or imagined is left ambiguous, as in The Turnof the S…
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Country Bears, The

Posted in Disc Reviews by David Annandale on December 17th, 2002

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Synopsis

Beary Barrington (voice of Haley Joel Osment) runs away from his (human) adoptive familyto seek out Country Bear Hall. When it turns out that the evil Christopher Walken hasdevelopment plans that include the Hall’s demolition, Beary is determined to re-unite theCountry Bears for a benefit concert that will save the Hall.

Audio

The big star of the soundtrack is the music — arena-style country rock that will either haveyou stomping your feet or slitt…
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Buying the Cow

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on December 12th, 2002

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Synopsis

This movie presents the question of “Why buy the cow, when you can get the milk for free”? David (Jerry O’Connell) is forced to face this question when his girlfriend of 5 years Sarah (Bridgette Wilson) leaves for New York for two months and leaves him with the ultimatum of marry me or move on. He is helped along with his decision by the usually colorful cast of comic side kicks played Ryan Reynolds and Bill Bellamy. This movie just never really seems to get going, with one notable exception…
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First $20 Million, The

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on December 12th, 2002

Synopsis

Adam Garcia plays an ad exec with a conscious, he wants he create something that will change the world. He recruits a rag tag group of geniuses and misfits to build the world’s first portable $99 computer. After losing their jobs and funding from the research facility where they work they set out on their own to finish what they started. Their creativity is rekindled by Andy Caspar’s (Garcia) neighbor (Rosario Dawson) and side tracked by the back stabbing genius at the research facility where …
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E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on December 8th, 2002

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Synopsis

Surely you know the story: cute little alien is left behind by his fellows, and befriends youngElliott (Henry Thomas). Elliott and his siblings do their best to help E.T. phone home and getrescued, but meanwhile the government is also on the hunt for the hapless fellow. The re-releasefeatures improved special effects, a couple of restored scenes, and miscellaneous other fixingup. Granted, the film does look slicker (though not all the new CGI elements are entirelynecessary,…
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My Wife is an Actress

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on December 8th, 2002

Synopsis

Charlotte Gainsbourg plays film star Charlotte. Her husband Yvan Attal (who also wrote anddirected the film) plays Charlotte’s husband Yvan. So far so postmodern. Yvan becomes jealousin this slight but engaging comedy when Charlotte’s next role has her co-starring with anotoriously sexy British actor (Terence Stamp).

Audio

Very solid soundtrack, though limited to 2.0. The music sounds fine, and the sound effects,though low key, are enough to create …
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Sunshine State

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on December 6th, 2002

Synopsis

The setting is the imaginary Florida town of Delrona Beach. It isn’t the most attractive placein the world, and there are rival developers moving in, each with their own ideas on how theplace should be bought and remade. Some of the characters, such as Marly (Edie Falco) needto escape. Others, like Desiree (Angela Bassett) are, on the contrary, returning to their roots. Thescript is low-key and finely tuned, building toward small epiphanies. The characters are nicelyfleshed…
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King of Comedy, The

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on December 6th, 2002

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Synopsis

Robert De Niro is Rupert Pupkin, supreme loser. He has delusions of greatness, andconstantly fantasizes he has a wonderful friendship with talk show host Jerry Langford (JerryLewis, superb). Pupkin is determined to get his moment in the limelight, and he will stop atnothing, not even kidnapping, to make sure he gets what’s coming to him. Along for the ride issimilarly obsessed (and grotesque) fan Sandra Bernhard. Look out. Incredibly smart, incrediblyfunny, incredibly uncom…
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Good Girl, The

Posted in Disc Reviews by David Annandale on December 6th, 2002

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Synopsis

Welcome to the stagnant end of the gene pool. In this world, mortally stupid people live in asuburban hellscape, and shop at Retail Rodeo, the bastard love child of WalMart and ValueVillage. Desperate to escape from this world and her slob of a husband (John C. Reilly) is Justine(Aniston). She falls in love with Tom (Jake Gyllenhaal), a younger co-worker, and now Justine isabout to find out what hell really is. Incidentally, all of this is very funny.

Audio>

A carefully wrought 5.1 sound mix is on offer here. The quiet music is given a warm,atmospheric sound. “Atmospheric” is also the word for the sound effects. They swirl about theroom, and most noticeable is the wind, which not only creates a full environmental effect, butpunches up one of the central metaphors of the film. Very nice left-right separation.

Video

The film is presented in both 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen and fullscreen formats, one oneach side of the disc. The colours are good, as are the blacks. The contrasts could be a little bitstronger. The image is sharp for the most part, though there is once grainy shot near the end ofthe film.

Special Features

Irritatingly, the extras are split over the two sides of the disc, though the bulk are on thewidescreen side (the only extra the fullscreen has to itself is the gag reel, which consists largelyin shots of actors laughing). There are two commentaries. The first is a feature-length one bywriter Mike White and director Miguel Arteta. These are a couple of very low-key guys, and theirdiscussions is sometimes more odd than informative. The other commentary is limited to selectedscenes, and is provided by Aniston, who is full of praise for everybody. There are also 9 deletedscenes (with optional commentary by Arteta). Finally, there’s an alternate ending montage. Themenu has a scored and animated main page and transitions.

Closing Thoughts

There’s a real trend of dark, melancholy comedies these days. If you liked Ghost World, thiswill be right up your alley.

Special Features List

Audio Commentary
Scene Specific Commentary by Jennifer Aniston
Gag Reel
Deleted Scenes with Optional Commentary
Alternate Ending Montage

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