Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on December 4th, 2005
Synopsis
Anchor Bay, holding all (or most) of the keys in George Romero’s zombie film trilogy, released a four disc Ultimate Edition to capitalize on the theatrical release of the remake, done in grainy, handheld, 28 Days Later style by director Zack Snyder. There isn’t too much here plotwise that you need to be aware of. 4 people decide to seek shelter at an abandoned mall, a continuation of Romero’s first film Night of the Living Dead. I don’t really know of an underlying moral tale in this...film, aside from trying to make a life for yourself again, it really is about trying to get past the zombies and find some sort of freedom, wherever that may be. Special effects whiz Tom Savini gets to show off more of his work here, though not as much as in Day, as he spends some time in front of the camera as the leader of a biker gang.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on December 4th, 2005
Written by Clayton Self
Long Way Round is a reality show/documentary in which two actors, Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman, trekked 20,000 miles around the world on their motorcycles. They started in London, and headed east through Russia and other countries, caught a short flight to Alaska, continued down through Canada and all the way to New York. It was an idea originally conceived by McGregor as a best friend road trip, but turned into an international spectacle, as millions of people shared their experience via television. A...series that spanned seven episodes, documented their journey via cameras attached to their helmets, bikes and a third motorcycle driven by their cameraman, Claudio. Two support vehicles stayed a few hundred miles behind on the main roads to meet up with the guys at each border they crossed to make sure their supplies and medical needs were met.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on December 4th, 2005
Synopsis
I haven’t seen The Hours. And I haven’t seen Chicago. And while all the Oscar talk seemed to revolve around either Kidman or Zellweger, after seeing Far From Heaven, I’ve gotta think that the wrong woman got the brass ring. Or gold little guy, whatever. Julianne Moore (who was also nominated in The Hours) does an outstanding job in this movie, set in 1957 Hartford. Moore plays Kathy Whitaker, the wife of a man (Dennis Quaid, Innerspace) who she surprises at work w...th dinner one night. The tables are turned when she discovers him in the arms (and mouth) of another man. What sets this movie apart from other films which are set in the 50’s or 60’s is the amazing grasp that writer-director Todd Haynes (Velvet Goldmine) has on the times in terms of his story. The word "homosexuality" isn’t uttered for some time after Kathy walks in on Frank. Frank (Quaid) seeks therapy after consulting his wife, and he talks of his "problem" as if he were talking about alcoholism. Moore’s friend Eleanor (Patricia Clarkson, The Green Mile) talks about another person being "light in the loafers." Eventually, Moore finds comfort when interacting with her gardener, Raymond (Dennis Haysbert, 24), who is widowed, with a daughter. The looks and reactions she receives from the townspeople when it comes to her talking with, even touching Raymond, are astonishing, almost ridiculous. Frank even voices his displeasure at this in a jaw-dropping scene. All the while, Kathy tries to maintain the good appearance of her household, holding a dinner party for guests, keeping Frank’s behavior a secret to the public, and later, almost accepts Frank’s homosexuality in order not to disrupt the life she’s become accustomed to. After the dinner party, Frank hits Kathy, and Eleanor comes over the next day, to find the bruise on Kathy, and Kathy’s reticence in not admitting the fact that Frank hit her, disappoints Eleanor, and to a lesser extent, Kathy. There is a scene where Kathy and Frank are in Miami, and we see Kathy at the swimming pool, wearing rose colored sunglasses. Those sunglasses sum up Kathy’s existence, doing what she can to keep up her good community standing, despite robbing herself of the pleasing times she has with Raymond.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on December 3rd, 2005
Phillip Noyce's critically acclaimed Newsfront comes to DVD from Blue Underground in a quite impressive package. While not always exciting, Newsfront does manage to attract attention, and is pieced together very well. It's also a film covering unique material I am not sure has ever been covered in the realm of cinema.
The plot centers around Len, a newsreel photographer, who manages to keep audiences apprised of world events long before the nightly news ever exists. Len shoots films of any newsworthy item his employers at Cinetone can find for him. His footage is then used in theater houses throughout the country in an effort to inform, and sometimes entertain, the public. But heavy competition lurks ahead in the new invention of television. And Len is "a bit old fashioned," as colleague Amy (Wendy Hughes) refers to him, so his survival in this new world could be endangered by the competition, which includes his opportunistic brother Frank (Gerard Kennedy). Frank, also a skilled newsreel photographer, wants to change with the times to insure his survival, so he heads for America, where he finds success in television. He would like to bring his brother along for the ride, but Len is an unchanged man in a quickly changing time. As things go, Len would rather be true to himself and what he's always been, because he believes in it. And if that means he must give way, then so be it. But he's not about to let life run right over him. And he won't go down without a fight.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on December 2nd, 2005
Synopsis
Shannen Doherty, Holy Marie Combs and Alyssa Milano are three sisters who also happen to be witches. Very much in the vein of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, our heroines must battle supernatural monsters and evil cults, all the while dealing with love, heartbreak and other issues more connected with mere mortals. The season begins with Combs out of the picture, having eloped with Brian Krause. Their marriage is frowned upon by The Powers That Be, and this is one of the ongoing threads of t...e season.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on December 1st, 2005
Synopsis
Peter Sellers turns in a performance that opens at high do and never looks back as a lunatic psychiatrist. He is treating Peter O’Toole, a man who wants to be faithful to his girlfriend (Romy Schneider) but cannot say no to the innumerable women who throw themselves at him. Into the mix comes Woody Allen, who, unsurprisingly, plays a sexual loser.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on November 30th, 2005
Mad Hot Ballroom is the sort of live action family entertainment with which I can get on board. Too often, the desire for a good family film is quickly hampered by third-rate idiocy that only appeals to the youngest in the family. We the adults plod dutifully along for the good of the kids, hoping and praying it will all be over soon. And even though running times on family films are often shorter than a standard feature, it still seems like you've watched twice the length of that standard feature by the time ...he credits roll.
But not with Mad Hot Ballroom. First and foremost, I've never been a dancer nor considered myself interested in it, but with this piece from Paramount and Nickelodeon Films, that doesn't matter. Just like a love for boxing is not essential to adore the first Rocky film, Mad Hot Ballroom will thouroughly involve you in its story and characters and make its major platform of ballroom dancing seem incidental compared to the immersing quality of its narrative.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on November 30th, 2005
Stargate Atlantis took a little getting used to. I wasn’t sure the characters had enough chemistry or were even dynamic enough to carry the high expectations for a Stargate series. When the show was first introduced it was likely that Atlantis would soon take over for the original series. Anderson had wanted to leave for years and it seemed the end was near for SG-1. Since that time SG-1 is about to enter a tenth season and the new format is working quite well. Now I can view Atlantis more as the companion show it really excels at being. Atlantis maintains all of the tight writing and production values that made SG-1 such a great show. I am a little weary of The Wraith already. For some reason they just don’t work for me. The Ori, SG-1’s new baddies, are far more interesting. The Wraith are just sinister. We haven’t had a chance to view them as a society yet. There were high hopes when Teyla began to connect with them, but that has become a dead end. I think Atlantis has some real growing to do, or it risks falling into the “Deep Space Nine” wormhole.
Synopsis
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on November 30th, 2005
Synopsis
After the death of a popular commander, the stern and inflexible Richard Widmark steps in to take charge of a group of a Navy underwater demolition team. His command gets off to a rocky start, as he is seen as heartless and unwilling to take risks himself. But he eventually proves himself to his men (and old hand Dana Andrews), just in time for a particularly dangerous mission.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on November 28th, 2005
Synopsis
The film begins with the gunfight at the OK corral, making this something of a sequel to director John Sturges’ earlier film that ended with that famous battle. Here we see the aftermath, as the vengeful Ike Clanton (Robert Ryan, doing the Robert Ryan Villain thing) arranges for the shooting of the brothers of Wyatt Earp (James Garner). When legal means of redress prove fruitless, Earp progressively becomes more and more of a vigilante in his quest for vengeance, just as his best friend and ...oted gunslinger Doc Holliday (Jason Robards) becomes more concerned with the law.
