Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on December 11th, 2004
Synopsis
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on December 10th, 2004
Spider-Man 2 is a superior film to the first. While it is rare for sequels to live up to expectations, there are rare moments in film history when the sequel may even surpass the first film’s quality. The Godfather Part II and Bride of Frankenstein are two well known examples. But for Every T2 there are usually 20 Jaws 3-D’s. Doc Ock was the perfect choice as the story’s villain; Alfred Molina was a wonderful selection to bring this fan favorite to life on the big screen. Peter Parker’s life is more multi-dimensional...here. It’s about time a superhero film showed us this kind of impact a hero’s choices make on his life. The f/x are nothing short of a miracle. I was a bit skeptical going into the theatre originally. It would have been too easy for Doc Ock to descend into camp or outright silliness. Of course, there are moments where the glimmer of camp shows its ugly head. I’m not sure what the bank was doing with all of those gold doubloons.
It was good to find Tobey Maguire back in action as Spidey. A fall during the filming of Seabiscuit caused severe enough back trauma that the film’s production was stalled as long as possible. It was so close that Kirsten Dunst’s real-life boyfriend Jake Gyllenhaal was cast as an emergency replacement. Dunst is still the weak link in the cast. J.D. Simmons continues to nail J. Jonah Jameson perfectly. Sam Raimi manages to work in cameos from the deceased members of the first film, and let’s not forget another cameo by Raimi’s Evil Dead partner, Bruce Cambell. If you blink you’ll miss the traditional cameo by Spider-Man creator Stan Lee.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on December 10th, 2004
After learning about lawsuits filed by two obese women against McDonald’s - accusing the fast-food giant of making them obese - Morgan Spurlock decided to eat nothing but food from McDonald’s for 30 days to see what would happen. Even his doctors didn’t expect the eventual results: Spurlock gained 30 pounds, became depressed, experienced a diminished sex drive, and teetered on the edge of liver failure. His doctors even warned him that failure to change his diet immediately would cause death - and he still had a week...to go.
Sprinkled throughout Spurlock’s quest to eat nothing but McDonald’s for a month are: interviews with people on the street, experts in the health industry, and executives for fast food companies. Spurlock goes deeper than just McDonald’s, which is fair, because McDonald’s isn’t the only fast food company out there making people fat today. Spurlock also explores school cafeteria lunches, marketing, and subliminal messages in advertising.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on December 10th, 2004
I’ve got to be honest. I was never a Depeche Mode fan. My lack of interest in them didn’t really come from their music, which I always thought was different - in a good way. It was just that in the 80's and 90's, MTV played their videos 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The video for “Enjoy the Silence” was burned into my eyelids. I couldn’t get away from the band no matter how hard I tried.
My, how things have changed. MTV doesn’t play Depeche Mode videos anymore, or any videos for that matter, and after wat...hing Depeche Mode’s concert DVD, Devotional, I have come to appreciate the band to the point where I would proudly say that I am now a fan. In an age where your choices range from over-saturated pop, to recycled rap music, Depeche Mode is a breath of fresh, nostalgic air. Front-man Dave Gahan’s overstated baritone voice is completely different from anything you hear nowadays and Martin Gore’s lyrics are actually quite deep for a techno-rock band, peppered with religious images and undertones. Far more introspective than most of the “music” that is mass produced today.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on December 9th, 2004
Synopsis
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on December 8th, 2004
Synopsis
A minor fire (not the big scorch that case implies) breaks out in the forest, and is quickly extinguished. Nonetheless, there are clear signs of arson, and four teens are involved. The Ranger in charge of the area locks the teens in his station and proceeds to work on ferreting out the truth of what happened. And this fractious group has secrets they would rather not reveal. The film turns into a tale of relationships and coming of age.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on December 7th, 2004
Synopsis
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on December 7th, 2004
Synopsis
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on December 6th, 2004
Synopsis
The storytelling is oblique in the extreme, but as near as I can discern it, the film tells the story of a young woman (Gong Li) who, after reading a collection of poems by Chen Ching (Tony Leung Ka-Fai) called Zhou Yu’s Train, attempts to imaginatively recover the experience of Zhou Yu (Gong Li again). Zhou Yu is an artisan who travels vast distances by train twice a week to keep up an increasingly troubled romance with Chen Ching. The other major figure is a veterinarian (Sun Hongle...), who also travels on that train, and wants to become more than a friend to Zhou Yu.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on December 6th, 2004
Despite season two's unquestionable quality, Smallville's third season is probably its best -- and with Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel now completely off of television, it's pretty much the only thing around that can fill the whole supernatural Scooby gang void.
Of course, one of the big reasons that Smallville helps fill that spot so well is because it has a lot of the same ingredients that powered Whedon's universe along in its prime: that is, it has a ton of supernatural special effects, and a heal...hy but intimate cast of likeable heroes.
