Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on January 18th, 2007
Alexandra Holden is a big-time TV reporter who is traumatized when an intruder breaks into her home and kills her fiancé. (Does this set-up remind anyone of The Howling?) She retreats to her old home-town, moves back with her parents (Sid Haig and Leslie Easterbrook!) and starts work at a local TV station. Her first assignment takes her to a house where murders took place years ago, and she promptly has visions of ghosts and the murders, and she feels she is being called on to provide justice for the ghosts. Their still-living killer has other ideas, however.
The counter-casting of Haig and Easterbrook (most recently together in The Devil’s Rejects) as overly protective parents is enjoyable perverse, but the movie itself has the rather plodding, pedestrian feel of a late-70's made-for-TV flick. The dialogue is frequently awkward and excessively expository, and the characters aren’t always consistent. There are a couple of decently assembled jolts, but there isn’t really much here to lift things out of the run-of-the-mill.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on January 17th, 2007
Invincible (2006) marks the latest in a string of sports-underdog films from Disney, following such hits as 2002's The Rookie and 2004's Miracle. This time, we have a film inspired by the real-life Cinderella story of Philadelphia Eagles' alumnus Vince Papale.
Papale's story is so similar to that of fictional Philadelphia son, Rocky Balboa, that calling Invincible a remake of Sylvester Stallone's Rocky isn't much of a stretch. But then, the sports long-shot genre is tried and true, so as far as my enjoyment goes, I have few issues with this film's formulaic plot.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on January 16th, 2007
Def Comedy Jam Classics: Martin Lawrence contains a few hearty laughs in between heaps of "f-this, f-that, f-to the point where it is no longer a curse word and becomes simply an overused adjective" and sexually explicit material. Many of the comedians featured on this disc seem to be delivering material purely for shock value before an audience that does their best to encourage. As a result, most of the comedy lacks a genuine feel, and that includes the offerings we get from Mr. Lawrence himself. That's n...t to say I found the release a total waste. Dave Chappelle and Chris Tucker show up in early turns proving that funny doesn't have to be a learned trait. These men were just as strong on the mic then as they are now. While their material sticks to the tried-and-true, sex-and-cursing formula, their delivery stands out from the rest of the pack, causing them to come off more as innovators than copycats.
The same cannot be said for every other comic on the disc, including D.L. Hughley, Garfield, Maestro, and comedienne Chocolate. Most are doing their worst impressions of an early Eddie Murphy routine, and the stacked audience hoots and howls as if they are being treated to the real deal. Ultimately, I can see two realities in watching this release: one, why so many comics didn't make it; two, why Chappelle and Tucker did.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on January 16th, 2007
Halfway through The Celestine Prophecy, I was exasperated and ready to turn it off. If I hadn't been watching it for this review, I would have, and would have been better for it.
When this DVD came across my plate, my interest was piqued. I'd never heard of the film, or the worldwide bestselling book it's based on, and the cover quote said, "...a huge leap forward in spiritual adventure films." My first thoughts were, "if it's based on a bestseller, maybe it has a great script" and "hey, I didn't even know there was a spiritual adventure genre".
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on January 15th, 2007
Jaleel White continues to flounder about aimlessly looking for a post-Family Matters career in Who Made the Potatoe Salad?, a mindless 90-minute excursion into the offensively cliched family comedy. Looking for laughs in all the wrong places, this effort from writer-director Damon "Coke" Daniels tries to cash in on every dirty race-driven joke it can think of without once pausing for a breath of originality. White plays, of all things, a police officer, who decides the time is right to move his relati...nship forward with the gorgeously awful Jennia Fredrique. That's where the film takes a turn from the familiar to the overdone. Of course, her family disapproves right away, led by her former Black Panther daddy, who believes all cops are pigs. Lucky for White, he picked the right profession to set Daddy Dearest up with every "been there, done that" joke in the book.
As for White's performance, I suppose he is a capable actor, but there are portions of this film where he disappears for what feels like an eternity, so the less than stellar cast can result to every outrageous gangland quip and situation to push the film along to its well-deserved R-rating they can think of. Of course, the real fault lies with Daniels' humorless script and direction. Family comedies, both dirty and clean, should connect with viewers on the grounds we can see our own lives reflected in the situations and character play that arise. All of this film seems as staged as a suspicious crime scene, where the characters react based on the needs of the script - and that, ladies and gentleman, is an ass-backwards way to write any work of fiction.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on January 15th, 2007
Warner Bros. had the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies, Disney had the Silly Symphonies. This is the second volume collecting those shorts, covering the years 1929 to 1938. The shorts are selected on a menu that can be presented in alphabetical or chronological order, and it is the latter approach that is the most enlightening, as we can see the cartoons evolve. There is no dialogue in these shorts – the point was to fuse animation and music. And while that is an end in itself in the earlier cartoons (and quite the technological feat at that), more and more narrative content develops over the years. The culmination of this form of animation would, of course, be Fantasia, and in such early pieces as “Hell’s Bells,” one can see in embryonic form the ideas that would become, for instance, the “Night on Bald Mountain” segment.
Audio
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on January 15th, 2007
The zaniness continues in Bikini Bottom, and the series shows no sign of losing its appeal or its lunatic creativity. Wonderful little example: “Whale of a Birthday” is about Mr. Krabbs’ daughter’s sixteenth birthday. The highlight: a performance by “Boys Who Cry” singing “It’s All About You.” Perfect. There are twenty episodes here to keep your funny and whimsy bones tickled. (What, you don’t think you have a whimsy bone? Of course you do.)
Audio
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on January 15th, 2007
Adapted from the hit stage musical, Norman Jewison's film version of Fiddler on the Roof has established itself as a classic over and over again since its release in 1971.
"He loves her. Love, it's a new style... On the other hand, our old ways were once new, weren't they?" I'll hardly be the first to write it, but the reason Fiddler on the Roof, a story about Jewish people and their culture, is so popular, is that its themes have universal appeal. In fact, in a way it hardly matters th...t the characters are Jewish. As we learn from a famous anecdote, when the first Japanese production of the stage musical opened, the show's creators traveled to Japan to meet the producer. He said to them, "I don't understand, I don't know how this piece can work so well in New York. It's so Japanese!"
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on January 13th, 2007
Bernardo Bertolucci is no stranger to controversy. His Last Tango In Paris caused quite a bit of noise when it was released. Novecento, as 1900 is known in its original Italian, has been a subject of controversy for decades. Since its 1976 original Italian release, American studios have been cautious about releasing the film in the states, at least as it was originally intended. First there is the running time. The film clocks in at over 5 hours. Theaters in the US face fierce competition for movie goers’ dollars. The economics of the industry make such a long film simply impracticable even in 1976. There were other problems. A short version was eventually brought to the United States, but the unprecedented violence and sexual images required the then dreaded X rating. Even with today’s more forgiving mores, 1900 would certainly have received an NC-17 rating. The political subjects are also problematic. Americans need good guys and bad guys. This film blurs those lines. The competing forces here are Fascist and Socialist. Neither group is embraced here by anyone other than the far left wing of the Democratic Party. Finally, foreign language films serve a very small niche even with today’s public. Mel Gibson broke down some of those barriers recently, but the hardship remains. I must confess, I am not drawn to films requiring subtitles. I find relying on reading the dialogue a distraction. I watch films with a careful eye toward detail. Reading subtitles simply doesn’t allow me the luxury to observe the subtle nuances of a film. It is these minute details that more often than not create a great film. Enter 2006, and the DVD has removed each of these problems. Sitting in the comfort of my own theater, I can pause when I wish and take multiple breaks. The DVD offers me an English dubbed version which allows me to see those magical details that a film like this requires. The dubbed version also has the added bonus of allowing me to hear Robert DeNiro’s and Donald Sutherland’s voices. Like many film connoisseurs, I had only heard of this film. Now I had the chance to enjoy it in comfort and style.
1900 benefits from an extraordinary cast. American staples Robert DeNiro, Donald Sutherland, and Burt Lancaster lead a mostly Italian supporting cast. Sutherland is absolutely evil as the Fascist enforcer, Attila. His mutilation of a cat is quite an infamous scene. Although it wasn’t quite as graphic as legend had proclaimed, it is disturbing just the same, made more so by the gleeful way Sutherland revels in the act. Robert DeNiro shows flashes of the brilliance that would become his trademark. The character is often moody and perhaps not written with as much passion as DeNiro provides. Burt Lancaster has a small but potent role as Alfred’s grandfather. It helps to establish some historic place mark for the film. Finally, French actor Gerard Depardieu provides an uneven portrayal of Olmo. At times he provides incredible passion and depth in the role. Still, there are moments he seems almost uninterested. The chemistry with DeNiro is a little awkward and never really clicks. This is a huge shame, as this relationship is vital to the story.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on January 13th, 2007
Let me tell you something about myself. I am surrounded by hundreds, sometimes thousands, of snakes every day. As I write this review, there are about 500 snakes just a couple hundred feet away. I'm not on a plane, of course, but snakes are a big part of my life. I'm a snake breeder. I'm also a musician who has just released an entire CD of reptile tracks (see footnote). So it was with more than the little bit of curiosity that I just had to see this film. I knew everybody would be asking me what I thought. So what did I think? This film is a hell of a lot of fun. I've long since learned to forgive the use of common non-venomous species to play these nasties on screen. These are actors, for crying out loud. And at least Samuel L. Jackson's worth a ton of jack, so it really wouldn't be a great idea to place him in a confined space with a pack of cobras or mambas. At least they made some effort to mimic the deadly kinds. I had a little bit of fun trying to see how many species I could identify. Then the game becomes how many of them do I own. Quite a few, as it turns out.
Snakes On A Plane rocks. If you didn't catch this when it was out, you must at least rent it now. What I love most about this film has almost nothing to do with the snakes. This film pretty much puts it out there. As Jackson is fond of saying, you just know exactly what you're going to get with the title. There were efforts to tone down the gore and silliness, but Jackson wanted nothing to do with any of that. And so the film is a romp, but it never told you it would be anything more. The same can be said of Jackson himself. When you go to one of his movies, unless George Lucas has anything to do with it, you pretty much know what a screen full of Sam Jackson's gonna be. The supporting cast is your obvious planeload of stereotypes, but again, this is all what you paid your admission to see. There will be F Bombs littered across the dialogue. His in your face persona will make or break the film, not anything in the script. Lots of guys curse, but Jackson makes the language his own. I often complain in these pages about the use of vulgarity for vulgarity's sake ruining an otherwise nice film. Here I don't think there was enough. I first saw the film in a theater and when Jackson delivered his battle cry, the room exploded. Honestly, isn't that what we all came to see? Snakes? What snakes? Oh, those MF snakes. Got it.
