Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on March 5th, 2004
So many people believe the “buddy cop” routine started with Lethal Weapon, or maybe Running Scared. Truth be told, Starsky and Hutch was quite a breakout from the cop shows of the time. The studio was picketed for the amount of violence portrayed, which by today’s standards wouldn’t raise an eyebrow.
This is typical 70’s from the film stock to the wardrobe. The unique Ford Grand Torino was so popular that Ford ended up manufacturing a limited number of the replicas. David Soul and Paul Michael Glaser had s...
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on March 4th, 2004
Synopsis
It turns out that everything we thought about Sherlock Holmes is wrong. He is, in fact,hammy actor Reginald Kincaid (Michael Caine), hired by Dr. Watson (Ben Kingsley) to be thepublic face of his own detective work. The relationship between the two men is fractious at best,and they part company. But when Watson discovers that Professor Moriarty is behind amysterious crime, he realizes he needs Kincaid so the police will allow his investigation toproceed.
The premi...
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on March 3rd, 2004
Synopsis
The setting is an unnamed country, that could be the US, or could be somewhere in LatinAmerica. Either way, the government is repressive and corrupt, the economy is in a shambles,guerilla warfare is constant, and society is approaching total collapse. Bent impresarios JohnGoodman and Jessica Lange are mounting a TV benefit concert, but the only star they can get isJack Fate, a thinly disguised version of Bob Dylan, played by the man himself. Cynical reporterJeff Bridges is ...
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on March 3rd, 2004
Synopsis
Denis Leary plays Doug Munford a wheeling dealing ego maniac skirt chaser who must get the women he has betrayed to forgive him so that he can inherit a million dollars. Elizabeth Hurley plays the lawyer who must accompany him done the road to redemption and cash to ensure that he doesn’t cheat. Along the way Doug finds out that he had a daughter with one of the women who is now dead and decides that maybe he needs to change his life. Ho hum can we throw a couple of more clichés in this one,...
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on March 3rd, 2004
Synopsis
Stephen Burrows plays Milwaukee Steve plays a northern from Milwaukee who heads off to LA to seek fame and fortune under the bright lights. He lands his first job in a jock itch commercial and quickly becomes famous for this. Unable to land anymore work he decides what he needs to do is fake his own death and then make a miraculous return.
First he decides to go on “Wheel of Fortune” and becomes notorious when he is sued by the Merv Griffin Corp. Suddenly everyone wants him and se...
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on March 3rd, 2004
Synopsis
The title has two meanings. It works as both the common expression, meaning that peopleare strange (which the show certainly demonstrates). But it also presents the “queer” as “folk”:i.e. gay characters are, for once, realistic, ordinary human beings. This aspect goes a long waytoward explaining the series’ popularity. In this season, the continuing threads include apregnancy for Melanie and Lindsay, and the nasty politics surrounding the campaign of thecontroversial Mayor ...
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on March 3rd, 2004
For those of you who are into bands like Phish, Dave Matthews and The Grateful Dead you probably already know who this band is. For the rest of us The String Cheese Incident is made up of a group of fairly accomplished musicians from all different genres that are prone to playing very long songs. The songs tend to journey through all different styles from country to rock to jazz to blues and more. This disc features two different performances at the famous Fillmore in Denver.
Video
The vi...
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on March 2nd, 2004
Synopsis
Sharon Stone and Dennis Quaid decide that Big Bad NYC has simply become too much. Shetakes a year’s leave of absence from her high-paying job, and the couple moves with their twoyoung children to rural New England, buying a huge old house at a rock-bottom price. Nevera good idea. In the house are still all the possessions of the previous owner, and Quaid, adocumentary filmmaker, is both fascinated and disturbed by what he finds, including photos thatpoint to distinctly unhe...
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on March 2nd, 2004
Synopsis
A hectoring principal tells his audience of concerned parents the story, in flashback, of thetragedy that befalls Bill and Mary. The All-American couple is destroyed through the actions ofa drug ring that seduces high school kids with the Devil’s Weed. Marijuana, as portrayed here,works like a combination of LSD, crack and Spanish Fly. When tragedy strikes, and Bill isbrought up on murder charges, the drug ring goes into hiding, but their own addictions threatento break the...
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on March 1st, 2004
Film
Sin suffers from a severe case of identity crisis. The film opens with a wide western vista and a lone grave in the wilderness. The music is soft and the atmosphere Unforgivenesque. The peace is rudely crashed with a quick cut to an urban techno-dance club. Ving Rhames plays a one-armed vigilante, but if you watch close enough you can see him cheat and use the “useless” arm. Gary Oldman is the only bright performance in the film. Be warned the central theme of the film involves a brutal gang-rap...
