Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on January 25th, 2006
Broken Lizard’s Puddle Cruiser follows Felix Bean, a smitten young college student, whose entire life changes when he sees pretty Suzanne at a party. He immediately tries to impress her, but only ends up incurring the wrath of Traci Shannon, her rather large rugby-playing boyfriend from a rival school. He does manage to wiggle some of her affections away, enough so that she halts her go-nowhere relationship. Together, the two embark on a passionate love affair, but Suzanne still has difficulties letting go of ...er old connection. Felix knows the attraction is purely physical, and that Suzanne finds himself a more suitable companion, but he still has his pride, as he so defiantly states, “No guy wants to hear another guy can kick his ass.” Especially from the woman he loves. So begins Felix’s completely out-of-character attempts at machismo. He even goes so far as to join the rugby team and refuse Suzanne’s pleading for him to pull out as the big match against her ex-boyfriend’s school draws near.
As romantic comedies go, Puddle Cruiser sounds just as formulaic as anything else in the same vain. But looks are certainly deceptive with this one. The laughs are more intense and come with greater frequency than Wedding Crashers and The 40-Year Old Virgin. (However, the latter does have the one exception with its tear-inducing chest-wax scene.) No hilarity to that extent here, but what Broken Lizard gives its viewers is still very funny. What sets Puddle Cruiser apart is how authentic each character is, and how down-to-earth the situations are. I could have sworn I knew each and every one of these people personally in my own college experiences, and any time a film can capture that quality and connect with its viewers, it’s a winner. Another particularly noticeable difference is how Puddle Cruiser manages all of its accomplishments without resorting to set-pieces (as in the chest-wax scene from 40-YOV). While I like a good set-piece as much as anyone, I feel Puddle Cruiser prolongs its “funny” lifespan by not giving in to the temptation. Since all humor falls within the confines of story, there are probably some overlooked laughs, and I welcome the opportunity for a repeat viewing to confirm. In the realm of comedy, I can’t think of a better compliment a film can be paid than that.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on January 25th, 2006
Synopsis
The second season begins with the aftermath of the apparent demise of Lex Luthor (John Shea). His ex-wife picks up the slack in trying to eliminate Superman (Dean Cain) and Lois Lane (Teri Hatcher). Luthor himself comes back in Episode 13. Meanwhile, such classic comic book characters as Metallo make their appearance, and the odd triangle romance between Lois, Clark and Superman continues its tantalizing way.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on January 25th, 2006
No single television show defined the 1980’s as did Miami Vice. Did Vice influence the 80’s culture, or did the 80’s culture create Miami Vice? The line appears blurred. This much is unmistakable. Miami Vice dominated the pop culture of the time. The biggest names in music, from Joe Walsh to Phil Collins, have lent their music and (sometimes pitiful) acting skills. It was suddenly cool to walk around in pastel longboats. Don’t even get me started on the car. Were Ferraris ever not cool? Don Johnson was an overnight heartthrob to millions of teen girls across the nation. The show depicted a highly stylized Miami that is not quite recognizable to those of us who really live in Florida. At least the locations were often more real than in the current CSI: Miami, which uses only establishing shots of the Beach Metropolis.
Of course, buried somewhere in all of this style and sex appeal there was a fair share of crime fighting. Crocket and Tubbs were an 80’s retread of Starsky and Hutch. While the show sported far more action than the 70’s counterpart, the partner interaction was often amazingly familiar.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on January 23rd, 2006
Synopsis
Dean Stiffle (Jamie Bell) is a teenager in an affluent suburb who appears to be completely disconnected (due in no small part to the happy pills prescribed by his celebrity psychiatrist father). When he finds his best friend Troy dead (a suicide), he doesn’t even tell anyone about it. He is forced to become involved when three other teens kidnap a boy they think is Dean’s brother in order to force him to find Troy’s drug stash. Turns out they’ve kidnapped the wrong boy, and so begins a chain...reaction of events that might lift the lid off the smug, self-satisfied, oblivious community.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on January 21st, 2006
If the Lifetime channel was around in the 70's, I would swear that this was an original production. This is a women's liberation film at the height of the movement. Unfortunately, while its heart is probably in the right place, the film is just a big mess. When Martin Scorsese made Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore, he nailed the feeling and the theme of this movement on the head. This thing, however, is a train wreck. It just tries way too hard. An Unmarried Woman is one of those films that tells the vi...wer what is happening, instead of showing them. One minute, a man and woman hate each other. Moments later, they are madly in love. For a film that deals with relationships, there sure is an awfully lot of talking for so little nuance and emotion.
Audio
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on January 21st, 2006
When I sat down with this title, I was all ready to breeze right through it, making comments about how this is a disc that will only appeal to kids, and that the quality was just enough to keep kids happy. Imagine my surprise when I really got into this little 70-minute film. This is actually a pretty entertaining cartoon, and I was surprised by its superior quality. Stanley is a little boy that gets easily lost in his imagination, and gets most of his ideas from his “Great Big Book of Everything”, which is something...of a living encyclopedia. In this film, Staley's family goes to visit his Uncle's dude ranch, only to find that the ranch isn't doing so well. Leave it to Stanley and his friends to save the day by raising enough money to pay off the bank and keep the ranch out of the hands of the evil corporate real estate mogul. Obviously, this is a story that has been told time and time again, but for a children's title, this is a quality program that is well told and entertaining for children and parents alike.
Audio
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on January 21st, 2006
Hustle & Flow works because of one reason and one reason only. That reason is Terrence Howard.
Howard injects himself into the role of DJay, a Memphis pimp who stumbles across a church choir and then strives to put his daily experiences into rap music, hoping to break out of the lifestyle he has grown to hate.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on January 21st, 2006
Having originally seen Underworld on HBO one summer night, I recall myself finding the film fairly dull and vapid. When I heard of a director’s cut coming out, I thought back to my original viewing of the film Daredevil, which was made that much better via more explanation of plot and the characters. Maybe this could occur for this film. Unfortunately, Underworld is not that much better this time around.
Underworld stars Kate Beckinsale as Death Dealer Selene. We learn, at the be...inning of the film, that there is a ancient blood feud that is occurring between vampies and Lycans (creatures we call werewolves). Unlike the typical werewolves we are use to seeing on screen, these Lycans can change form at will. Cue in the Death Dealers who try to kill off all of these Lycans. Why so much animosity toward the Lycans you may ask? Well, according to Selene, the Lycans are planning something big and this may be in correspondence to the ‘Awakening’. A vampire named Kraven (Shane Brolly) is in charge until the ‘Awakening’. Naturally Kraven doesn’t get along with Selene.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on January 21st, 2006
Hustle & Flow works because of one reason and one reason only. That reason is Terrence Howard.
Howard injects himself into the role of DJay, a Memphis pimp who stumbles across a church choir and then strives to put his daily experiences into rap music, hoping to break out of the lifestyle he has grown to hate.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on January 20th, 2006
Synopsis
One of the memorable events of history that has gone unnoticed was the 1893 World’s Fair, held in Chicago. It was an elaborate event that transformed Chicago into several different metropolises (or is it metropoli?) like Venice, for instance. The result was a lavish, expensive journey that inspired many, among them, architect Frank Lloyd Wright.
