DVD

MTV – Real World You Never Saw: Las Vegas

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on March 8th, 2003

I’ve got a confession. I just don’t get it. The Real World lays claim to being one of the first “reality” shows, dating back almost ten years. If you get off on watching a group of 7 twenty-somethings pretending to be spontaneous while basically either making out or grossing out, then this DVD is for you. This particular version is a season that was deemed too “hot” for broadcast TV so never appeared on MTV.

Sugar Hill

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on March 8th, 2003

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Let me admit from the start I have an almost pathological fear of needles. This means I watched several minutes of this film with my eyes closed. If you share the phobia this is not a DVD for you. Sugar Hill has a lot of unfulfilled potential. The acting is mostly first rate and the story is often compelling. The producers mucked it up with too many Godfather clichés from the “I’m your older brother and I was stepped over” to Snipes coming of age at a baptism. Even AbeVigoda shows us what Tessio would have turned into if he hadn’t taken that “ride”.

Unfaithful Wife, The

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on March 8th, 2003

Synopsis

Michel Bouquet and Stephane Audran are a well-off couple with a young son. They live in anice house in the countryside near Versailles. Everything looks swell. But Audran has beendistant lately. Bouquest suspects she is having an affair. He hires a PI to discover the truth, andthis truth leads to murder. The film is deliberately paced, with a musical score that convincesyou that something awful is going to happen, even when all is, on the surface, benign. Thismakes the viol…
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Master of the Flying Guillotine

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on March 8th, 2003

Synopsis

China is under the rule of the Ching dynasty, who send out assassins to kill anyone whochallenges the regime. Greatest of these assassins is the blind master of the flying guillotine. Hesets out to kill the One-Armed Boxer (don’t ask me why all these guys have disabilities). Thecharacters come together at a huge martial arts tournament (this is where Mortal Kombat comesfrom, kiddies). The plot is no more developed than that of a typical porno. The film’s reason forbeing is …
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Run for Cover

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on March 8th, 2003

Synopsis

When terrorists strike New York City (blowing up a ferry, for instance), a courageous TVreporter winds up being the only one who can stop the terror. Extremely low-budget stuff, andthe subject just isn’t as much fun as it once was (though the campiness remains). Interesting,though, to see Adam West as a senator (not to mention all the other cameos).

Audio

The soundtrack is mono. It gets the job done, but there isn’t too much to say about it. Themusi…
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Honey Sweet Love

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on March 8th, 2003

Synopsis

Ben Cross is a British officer during WWII. After the invasion of Sicily, he becomes themilitary governor of a small town. Naturally, all sorts of characters are present, and he falls inlove with a forbidden woman.

Audio

Mono sound on this disc. It’s acceptable, but certainly unspectacular, and there is somedistortion on the dialogue.

Video

A good news/bad news disc. The picture is widescreen at 1.78:1, but still appears to …
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Savage Boys

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on March 8th, 2003

Synopsis

Imprisoned for the revenge killing of the man who murdered his parents, Calvin Jung isreleased after 25 years. He returns home to discover that his younger brother (Eddie Mui) is nowworking for a Chinese crime lord. This is a film that doesn’t reach the lofty heights it aims for,but does work an interesting social angle to the usual crime film.

Audio

The sound (2.0, as far as I can tell) is pretty good. The music comes through very nicely. Thesound …
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From Russia to Hollywood

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on March 8th, 2003

Synopsis

I can’t say I’d ever heard of Michael Chekhov and George Shdanoff, but I have now. GregoryPeck narrates the lives of these two men, which play out with the 20th Century as a backdrop.There are many clips here of actors whom they taught (such as James Dean).

Audio

The sound is mono, but you don’t really need anything else for this sort of documentary,depending as it does largely on the spoken word. The sound is certainly clear enough.

Vide…
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On the Run

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on March 4th, 2003

Synopsis

Albert is not a people person. He doesn’t enjoy his job as a travel agent, doesn’t travelhimself, and doesn’t want to go out. All he wants to do is stay at home and be left alone.Unfortunately, his childhood friend Louis, who was always good at getting him into trouble,breaks out of prison two weeks before his sentence is up, and calls up Albert, dragging himwilly-nilly into After Hours-style misadventures.

Audio

The sound (in a 2.0 mix, from all av…
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101 Dalmatians 2 – Patch’s London Adventure

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on March 3rd, 2003

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The lovable animated puppies from 1961 are back in their all new direct to video release just for the kids. The TV obsessed Patch heads of to London to find the star of his favorite TV show Thunderbolt. The star of Thunderbolt is about to be fired and he decides that the only way to save his job is to become a real life hero, so with Patches in tow he sets of for the streets on London. Creulla De Vil returns on probation for her previous bad deeds, still determined to steal the puppies and brings new henchman Lars with her after springing Horace and Jasper from jail.
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Unsavory Characters

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

Synopsis

For the first twenty-five minutes, we are in 1950 Havana, where a typical noir tale of crimeand betrayal unfolds. Then we shift into colour, and discover that the hero of the first film, EricA. Leffler, is actually a writer of pulp fiction, and what we saw was the first part of his currentnovel, one that he doesn’t know how to finish. Before long, he gets caught up in a “real-life” noiradventure. This is a very, very low-budget exercise, but its ambitions are admirable, and i…
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Inspector Gadget 2

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on March 3rd, 2003

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Inspector Gadget returns to take on the nefarious Dr. Claw who has just escaped from prison in small town Riverton. Throw into the mix an all new and improved G2…all-robot, all-tech and all-female gadget and we have the potential for a ton of fun. Inspector Gadget (this time around played by French Stewart and G2 (Elaine Hendrix) are set to save the world with help from Penny, her dog Brain and the tricked-out Gadgetmobile.

Video

Full bright and colorful scenes and characters the quality o…
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Auteur Theory, The

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

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Synopsis

George Sand is a documentary filmmaker, and quite conceited about the fact. He comes tothe US from the UK to shoot a documentary about the 2nd Mike Wong Film Festival. Curiously,all of the competitors at the festival, each of which worked on Wong’s last movie before he died,start being murdered one by one. Sand decides to uncover the murderer. This is a cheerfully sillylow-budget film, loaded with hilarious send-ups of student films. The sense of the absurd isnicely underst…
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Gentleman Bandit, The

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

Synopsis

Brooklyn-to-the-core thief Nick (Charlie Mattera) is betrayed by his friend Manny (PeterGreene), who is jealous of his love with Maria (Justine Miceli). Released from prison years later,Nick moves to LA, where he re-connects with Maria. Maria had married Manny (who is nowa brutal cop), but the two have since split. Nick is also taken under the wing of Harry (EdLauter), an aging gentleman bandit, who trains Nick to be a more elegant criminal than he hasbeen until now. The fi…
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Eighteenth Angel, The

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

Synopsis

An ancient clock is has almost finished its countdown to the return of Lucifer to Earth.Helping out is a cult led by an over-the-top Maximilian Schell. Schell and company have theireyes set on Rachael Leigh Cook as the vessel who will facilitate the devil’s return. What youhave here is recycled Omen crossed with Rosemary’s Baby, and a bit of cloning thrown in forgood measure. We’ve been here before, in much more elaborate films. Still, the film is ratherengaging in its very…
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Howards of Virginia, The

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

Synopsis

Young Matt Howard’s father goes off to help the British fight the French and Indian Warsin Ohio, apparently in the cause of liberty, and is killed. Years later, Matt has grown up into CaryGrant (hellishly miscast and looking utterly ridiculous in his Daniel Boone getup). He becomesa surveyor, still imbued with his father’s political ideals and marries into an aristocratic andconservative family. Tensions rise and decisions must be made once the War of Independencebegins. Th…
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Salaam Bombay!

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on March 1st, 2003

Synopsis

We’re a long way from the escapist song-and-dance numbers that characterize so manyIndian films. Salaam Bombay! is set on the mean streets of Bombay, with special focuson the street children living there. The main character is Krishna, who tries to make a life forhimself, but circumstances push him towards crime. Many of the roles are actually played byhomeless children.

Audio

The soundtrack (in Hindi) comes in both the original mono and in a…
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Equus

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on March 1st, 2003

Synopsis

Peter Firth is a young man who has just blinded six horses. Institutionalized, he comes underthe care of psychiatrist Richard Burton. As he digs away, slowly uncovering what led Firth tothis breakdown, Burton comes perilously close to a breakdown himself. Though much-lauded,this is really a rather silly film, with the performances pitched way over the top, and thepsychodrama truly hysterical (when it isn’t hilarious). The stage origins are painfully obvious,and what worked …
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Mostly Martha

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on March 1st, 2003

Synopsis

Martha is the highly strung, control-freak chef at a top restaurant. Her organized life isthrown into chaos when her sister is killed in a car accident, leaving Martha to look after her littleniece Lina. Lina, understandably traumatized, refuses to eat. Meanwhile, Martha feels that herposition at the restaurant is threatened by newcomer Mario. Soon, though, she realizes that Mariohas other, more romantic goals in mind. Though witty, the film does not shy away from the realp…
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Cactus Flower

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on February 28th, 2003

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posted by Marc Atonna

Film

Goldie won the best supporting actress Academy Award as a ditsy, blonde mistress. Not bad for a debut. Goldie starts the film with her suicide attempt foiled by a neighbor (who unknowingly gives a great James Stewart impression). Matthau thinks he has the perfect love scenario. He has a stuffy secretary (Bergman) who keeps his life in order and a fling (Goldie) he keeps in check by telling her about a non-existent wife and kids.

As with all successful romantic comedies, a wrench has…
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El Dorado

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on February 28th, 2003

posted by Marc Atonna

Film

Mitchum and Wayne are joined by a very young James Caan in this western tale of a few very talented fighters fighting a group of evil businessmen and cattle barons. Mitchum is the drunken sheriff who trades one crutch for another. Wayne plays an old friend with a fast gun and a bum right arm. Caan is a young expert with the knife, but needs a shotgun to hit the side of a barn.

The first hour introduces the bad guys and establishes the relationships and weaknesses of the good guys. …
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Quitting

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on February 27th, 2003

Synopsis

Jia Hongsheng was a rising actor in the Chinese film scene, until drugs derailed his life. Thefilm chronicles his struggle to break his addiction to heroin, and the role his family plays in thisstruggle. What makes this film unique is that not only is the story factual, but all of the charactersare played by the actual people in question: that’s the real Jia Hongshen, those are his realparents, those are his real friends. Fascinating.

Audio

Very nic…
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1984

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on February 27th, 2003

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Synopsis

Welcome to Oceania in 1984, the last word in totalitarian regimes. Winston Smith, a lowlevel functionary, engages in two kinds of thought crime: he falls in love, and he questions BigBrother. The film is as compellingly and utterly bleak as the novel. The vision of future isactually a vision of the past: Oceania is a worst-case version of late-40s Britain. This approach isbrilliant, because, as a result, the film does not date, and its chilling warning, in these days ofTota…
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Sunrise

Posted in Disc Reviews by David Annandale on February 26th, 2003

Synopsis

A city vamp seduces a country man and convinces him to kill his wife. At the moment heis about to commit the crime, he finds he cannot go through with it. We then follow the husbandand wife through the course of their reconciliation. Put this way, the film sounds flat and boring,but the poetry of its simplicity, imagery and performances is overwhelming. (There’s a stormsequence that must be one of the greatest storms in the movies.) This is emphatically one of thegreat clas…
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Glory Daze

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on February 26th, 2003

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I doubt the makers of the current Daredevil film took one look at Glory Daze and said, “We’ve got to have that guy.” Glory Daze is a mindless romp through the last weeks of a group of frat-like college students. If you’re interested in plots, solid acting, and quality cinematography, this really isn’t your film. If, however, a cheap imitation of Animal House sounds like a good way to spend an hour and a half, look no further.
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