Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on February 17th, 2006
Synopsis
Untroubled by charisma, Jimmy Kimmel hosts this concertedly nasty roast of Pamela Anderson. The roasters include Tommy Lee, Adam Carolla, Sarah Silverman, Andy Dick, Bea Arthur, and Courtney Love. They all mangle each other as well as the guest of honour. So many jokes involve Anderson’s breasts and Lee’s penis that the they get rather boring (scratch that: EXTREMELY boring), but there are a few very funny bits. The highlight is Bea Arthur’s reading of Anderson’s novel Star. Arthur’s ...elivery, her constant disbelieving looks directed at the “author,” and the riotously awful prose itself make sitting through the more predictable moments worthwhile. Notable too is the spectacularly off-kilter Love. That woman needs help.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on February 16th, 2006
Synopsis
Audrey Hepburn is Holly Golightly, a young woman to her name born. Flighty, hopping from party to party, she waits for her life to match her ideal. Into her apartment moves writer George Peppard, who is certainly not the millionaire our heroine imagines will sweep her off her feet. Peppard himself is a kept man, and his keeper is Patricia Neal. Peppard does have a more realistic view of how life works, in the long run, and that is a lesson that Hepburn must learn before romance can follow it... natural course.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on February 15th, 2006
Synopsis
Inspired, rather than based, on the life of bounty hunter Domino Harvey, this exercise in monumentally brain-dead excess sees Keira Knightley in the title role. The daughter of Manchurian Candidate star Laurence Harvey, she rebels against the posh Beverly Hills life of her mother (Jacqueline Bisset) to become the bounty hunting partner of Mickey Rourke and Edgar Ramirez, working for Delroy Lindo. Christopher Walken is the TV producer who designs a reality show around the trio and two ...ormer Beverly Hills 90210 stars, and then everything gets insanely complicated when our heroes are sent to nab the wrong guys, who happen to be mob-connected.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on February 14th, 2006
Disney's Valiant is a film by the producers of Shrek, but it is certainly not up to the same caliber of filmmaking. Still, it has a certain charm despite its rather obvious humor. Also, the animation is excellent. Children are sure to love this story of a young pigeon named Valiant, who wants to join the Allied Forces in the fight during World War II. He's a cute little guy, but he's too small to reach his lofty aspirations... or so all those close to him say. But when every squad of carrier pigeons is ...iped out by the evil Falcons, Valiant and his friends - a team of incompetent, but lovable birds - set out on a quest for adventure that will change the course of the war.
The film is rather lightweight. But then, it's meant to be. There isn't anything remarkable enough to bestow classic status on Valiant, but it's an enjoyable time-waster for the kids. Some of the bodily function humor goes close to overboard, but the film manages to never overstep its G-rated bounds. While it's all pretty formulaic, the concept and voice work (including Ewan McGregor, John Cleese, Hugh Laurie, and Tim Curry - as the evil Von Talon) raises the bar, though much of the material falls short. Unlike its pint-sized star, Valiant will not be achieving any great heights in the near future, but it will keep your little ones occupied and even inspire a chuckle or two.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on February 14th, 2006
Synopsis
Fred Astaire plays wealthy businessman and inveterate bachelor. On trip to France, his car goes into a ditch. Seeking help in a nearby orphanage, he catches sight of the vivacious Leslie Caron. Captivated by her joie de vivre, he arranges for her to receive a full scholarship and education in the states, and watches from the safety of anonymity as she flourishes. But then, whoops, he begins to fall in love with her.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on February 13th, 2006
Synopsis
Jane Fonda plays Lilliam Hellman. She is living in a beach house with Dashiel Hammett (Jason Robards), struggling with a play (The Children’s Hour, though the film is ridiculously coy about mentioning its title). She is also worried about her childhood friend Julia (Vanessa Redgrave), who is caught up in the struggle with the rising tide of fascism in 1930s Europe. Hellman loses contact with Julia, but on a trip to Europe in the wake of her play’s success, she is contacted by friends ...f Julia’s, asking her to take on the risky job of transporting bribes to Hitler’s Berlin.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on February 10th, 2006
Synopsis
These are the adventures of the Legacy (whose front is the Luna Foundation), a secret society dedicated to protecting humanity from the forces of darkness. And wouldn’t you know it, those pesky forces are present around every corner in the form of somewhat ramshackle special effects. The leader of the group lost his father to demons as a child, and now carries on the good fight. Every episode sees the group up against another nasty ghost or other supernatural force. Points must be given for ...heer creativity, even if the explanations as to what the nasty creatures are all about stretch credulity, even by the often flexible terms of the genre. If you can insert your tongue firmly into your cheek (necessary to put up with much of the dour and portentous dialogue), you might find some cornball entertainment here. And no, the series has nothing to do with the movies, other than the title.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on February 9th, 2006
Long before Marlon Brando was making us an offer we couldn’t refuse, he was making his bones in James Dean-like portrayals of the young troubled spirit. It isn’t hard to see why Sidney Lumet chose him for the role of Val Xavier in The Fugitive Kind. Ultimately Brando is miscast in the part. He is obviously struggling to get a feel for the character. Instead of a classic Brando performance we are tortured, having instead to watch him try to make the job more than it is.The film is based on the Tennessee Williams pl...y Orpheus Descending. Williams himself co-wrote the screenplay, which likely explains the terribly contrived dialogue and moody atmosphere. The southern town is nothing more than a 1950’s stereotype. The awkward pacing makes this film quite difficult to watch.
The film, like the play, is basically a character study. Brando plays a troubled 30 year old man trying to grow out of his rebellious youth. His arrival in a sleepy southern town stirs up a nest of discontentment. His presence seems to bring out the worst in those around him. Pain both past and present, real or imagined, is rocketed to the surface. It doesn’t take long for us to figure out that this one can’t end pretty. Brando carries around an apparently valuable guitar. More a symbol of his sordid past, it doesn’t seem to be damaged by pouring rain and a little slapping around. One of the women affected by Val’s influence is Carol Cutrere, played quite abrasively by a young Joanne Woodward, very annoying to watch. She plays like an overdriven 1920’s flapper. It’s no wonder no one in town seems to care much for her.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on February 9th, 2006
Synopsis
FBI trainee and psychic Caterina Scorsone is suddenly graduated because her abilities are needed on a missing person case, and so begins her partnership with borderline rogue FBI agent Vivica A. Fox. And there’s the premise set up: each episode, someone else is missing, and CSI meets the X-Files, but with none of the panache of either show. The dialogue is pseudo-hard boiled, and Fox is no more an federal agent than I am the Pope (I highly doubt those stiletto-heeled, snakeskin boots are eit...er regulation or practical). The show is competently put together, but flat and uninspiring, the investigation feeling like tired motions being gone through. If the premise grabs you, you might find a modicum of entertainment here, but that’s about it.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on February 8th, 2006
One of the unfortunate responses to the emergence of a successful movie is the appearance of copycat films. When Gladiator won the Academy Award for Best Picture, all these sword and sandal flicks went into production. Now we have epics such as Troy, Kingdom of Heaven and Alexander to show for it. Sometimes, the backlash is even worse when the hit film is a bit of a surprise hit. Such was the case with The Fast and the Furious. Now, I really enjoyed Furious, but I knew on the...front end of my viewing experience that I was not in for a serious filmgoing experience. The point of the movie was hot cars, over-the-top action and plenty cool shots of Vin Diesel and Paul Walker doing stuff in slow motion. My expectations were met, it was a fun popcorn flick, and I went home happy. When The Fast and the Furious 2 came along, it was a much worse film, but just as the trailer suggested, the film was both faster and furious-er.
Then even more copycat flicks began popping up. I was hoping that this trend had hit rock bottom with the release of Torque, but Steve Boyum (whose only notable films up until this point were Meet the Deedles and Slap Shot 2: Breaking the Ice) has somehow managed to find a level somewhere below the lowest common denominator with Supercross. Anyone with half a brain could churn out this plot in moments. A reckless kid and his “play it safe” brother work hard, but only one of them makes it to the big time in supercross racing. Once he gets there, he looses sight of what is really important, and he has to find his way back to his brother, and what they loved about the sport in the first place, thus making their deceased father happy... wherever he is.
