Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on April 29th, 2007
Synopsis
Coming of Age is a film about a girl who goes to private school in New York City, and with the help of her friends, tries to find a way to achieve an orgasm. It sounds eerily family to The OH in Ohio, a more recent Parker Posey film I watched and enjoyed.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Michael Durr on April 29th, 2007
Synopsis
*Booming Voice*, "When we last left the Venture Bros season 1, the incredible arch-villain Monarch had been imprisoned for a crime he didn't commit and the Venture Bros were suffering from the loss of their boys Hank and Dean, Meanwhile..." *Monarch voice*, "Where the heck are my cue cards, can't an arch-villain get some normal cue cards for once and how come there is nothing about the sweet Dr. Girlfriend anywhere in here, I mean who really cares about the f****ng V...nture Bros and their miserable excuses for children; Buddy Holly and Fred from Scooby Doo?" *Twenty-one and Twenty-four* "Sorry Monarch." So welcome to another exciting season of the Venture Bros, arguably one of the best animation series on television. Hopefully you know the main characters by now as this is season two. (and thankfully the series has been resigned for a seasons 3 & 4, however we might not see them until 2008). Venture Bros can be described as 4 parts Johnny Quest, 1 part Hardy Boys, 1 part Tick, and even a little Scooby Doo and then throwing that into a big sarcastic machine with lots of sexual innuendo and tons of other classic references before spitting out an animation show.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Michael Durr on April 29th, 2007
Synopsis
Drug addiction is scary. It can take an otherwise decent person and turn them in a messy pool of hate, disgust and worthlessness. When the drug you are addicted to is heroin; amplify that by ten. Enter Paul (played by Harry Eden(Oliver Twist)), a ten year old trying to take care of his younger brother Lee (played by Vinnie Hunter) and his heroin addicted mother Mel (played by Molly Parker(Wicker Man, Deadwood)). The father of th...s family is unfortunately dead from a heart attack so Paul has grown up quickly and takes care of the cleaning, cooking and anything else that needs to be attended to. Mel tries to kick the habit on several occasions but is constantly hampered by the local dealer Lenny (played by David Wenham(300, Van Helsing) and the drug itself. Paul tries to find a way to cope and often escapes to spend time with his crush, a teenage waitress named Louise (played by Keira Knightley (Pirates of the Caribbean, Domino))who is unfortunately just as tragically flawed as Mel and has her own addictions to deal with.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Michael Durr on April 28th, 2007
Synopsis
Video game movies tend to fall into two groups; those that are based on video games (The Tomb Raiders, the Resident Evils) and those that follow video games and usually speaks on how it affects a person, driving their addiction. Often the latter pick it as a device of social commentary. Some do it in humor (Grandma's Boy) but more often than not they manipulate it as something that will take over your brain and kill you. Enter in Gamebox 1.0. Gamebox 1.0 is the story of a video ...ame tester Charlie Nash (played by Nate Richert (Sabrina, the Teenage Witch))who is not coping in life very well since his girlfriend Kate (played by Danielle Fishel (the gorgeous Topanga from Boy Meets World))got accidentally shot by a bad cop. (played by Patrick Kilpatrick) This leads him to completely cover himself in the world of video games. So much that he forgets his friends and any mention of the world's events around him. One day he receives a mysterious package in the mail. It is a new game system. This game system invites Charlie into the highly realistic gaming world contained inside. In that world he can do anything and interact with anybody but once he starts playing he'll never stop. (wow, I sound just like a tagline).
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Michael Durr on April 28th, 2007
Synopsis
When I heard about Loonatics Unleashed the cartoon show, I like many heard it from the web critics. "We can't stand it", "It's ruining the image of the Looney Tunes", or just simply "It sucks" were their cries. However, what I also found interesting in my research is that these comments mostly came before the show even aired. So, the web critics sport superhero abilities I see. They should be villains on this show. Anyhow, needless to say I was a little worried when I saw it at t...e end of my review queue. But what I did find was a little gem of a cartoon show.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on April 26th, 2007
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?
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on April 26th, 2007
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... Next Door) isn’t your typical twenty-year-old; the owner of a nice home, numerous exotic vehicles, and the head of an expanding drug empire. He runs a tight crew with a few close friends shadowing his every movement - Frankie Ballenbacher (Justin Timberlake, Black Snake Moan), Elvis Schmidt (Shawn Hatosy, The Faculty), and Tiko Martinez (professional middleweight boxer Fernando Vargas). When the group isn’t peddling drugs they spend their time partying, which is exactly what they are doing when Jake Mazursky (Ben Foster, Hostage) comes over to settle a debt with Johnny. After a disagreement, Johnny attacks Jake, but ends up submersed in his own pool after being thrown threw the patio window. Jake returns home to his girlfriend and is shortly thereafter visited by his brother Zach (Anton Yelchin, House of D). After a few beers and joints Jake drives his fifteen year old brother home to distressed parents.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on April 24th, 2007
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.’
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on April 24th, 2007
Synopsis
Robert Francis is a wet-behind-the-ears naval officer whose first posting is aboard the Caine, a ramshackle minesweeper. He is dismayed by the rough-looking crew and captain, and when that captain is replaced by Bogart, a by-the-book commander, Francis is initially relieved. But Bogart’s fixations on minutiae are tyrannical and obsessive, his refusal to admit error dangerous, and his behaviour increasingly erratic and paranoid. Francis and fellow officers Fred MacMurray and Van Johnson reali...e that Bogart is unfit for command, and one stormy night, Johnson (the first mate) is forced to take action. The consequences are serious.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on April 23rd, 2007
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.
