Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on February 6th, 2010
"One year ago, the MOD test system at Eskmeals confirmed radioactivity of above normal background levels at the Corry Reservoir, Craigmills, Yorkshire. The usual emergency procedurals were activated under NAIR arrangements, and the reservoir was shut down. An independent inquiry was set up under the chairmanship of Dr. Anthony Marsh."
Edge Of Darkness is something of a classic to the British. It cleaned up in the 1986 BAFTA awards, taking almost every award they have with the possible exception of Best Coffee In Craft Services. The mini-series has apparently stood the test of time, maintaining such high regard for nearly 25 years.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on February 4th, 2010
Muhammad Ali could be the greatest athlete of all time. Facing Ali is a documentary that interviews ten of Ali’s former opponents throughout his career. All of the retired fighters offer some brilliant insight into Ali’s career, personality and break down their memories of their individual bouts with him. The fights that are being recounted mark the pinnacle of personal achievement for these fighters and each fight is equally as significant to each fighter. The idea and execution of this documentary are exceptional and this film provides substantial entertainment for the duration.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on February 3rd, 2010
I grew up on the Peanuts creations of Charles M. Schulz. Most of us have, in one way or another. His newspaper comic strip is one of the longest running and most successful strips of all time. The work has been translated into every language currently spoken on the planet. The images of Charlie Brown, Snoopy, Linus, and the rest of the Peanuts gang have appeared on just about any kind of product imaginable. Our pop culture contains too many references to the strip to mention briefly. For me, it was the television specials starting in the mid 1960’s that brought the gang into my life. The classics are running annually, still after nearly 50 years
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on February 1st, 2010
Before SpongeBob SquarePants, before The Family Guy, before South Park, before even The Simpsons, there was Mighty Mouse. This revival of the Terrytoons character was a short-lived, but creatively vital series that ran in 1987-88. It wasn't an adult show, like many of its spiritual successors would be, but it was something that hadn't been seen in the world of television animation in a long, long time: it was witty, smart, and expected its audience to be smart, too (and that includes smart kids, at whom the series was ostensibly aimed).
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Michael Durr on February 1st, 2010
As the resident video game expert for the site, certain movies will always fall into my lap. Any movie that includes something about video games, good or bad I will get the chance to review. Sometimes, I'm not so thrilled and sometimes I'm simply elated to take on the task. But then every once in a while, I get a movie where I'm not sure what to expect. The movie Gamer seems to take that tone. But perhaps the journey will lead to some rather unexpected but pleasant surprises.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on February 1st, 2010
Sterling Silliphant, in the latter days of his career, gifted the world with the deliriously schlocky screenplays to the likes of The Poseidon Adventure, The Towering Inferno, and that apotheosis of the Expensive Badfilm, The Swarm. So it is sometimes hard to remember that he also penned the script of In the Heat of the Night and some 74 episodes of Route 66. I confess to a being a complete newcomer to the series, and though I was rather baffled at first, I was also struck by the quite beautiful prose being spoken. Anyone who thinks highly literate scripts are impossible (or just about) on network TV should cock an ear (and an eye) in the direction of this series.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on January 31st, 2010
There’s a quote by author Kent Nerburn that says: “It is much easier to become a father than to be one.” The Boys Are Back, based on a memoir by Simon Carr, is the best example of that sentiment on film that I’ve personally seen in a few years. Clive Owen plays sportswriter Joe Warr. He’s good at becoming a father, but not at being one. His one-the-go job keeps him from spending any real quality time with his family, leaving his wife Katy (Laura Fraser) to raise their son Artie (Nicholas McAnulty). When Katy becomes fatally ill, Joe must step up to the plate to take care of his 6-year-old son.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on January 31st, 2010
If there was a recipe book for the modern romantic comedy, it would undoubtedly include a checklist of the following: group of girlfriends in their late twenties/early thirties with neurotic ideologies revolving around dating and clothes, a writer’s quota of at least one catch phrase per scene, product placement, and the charming leading man. Maneater receives checks across the board, and so much more.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by William O'Donnell on January 30th, 2010
This is the story of two young twins who are living completely different lives, one in a boarding school who is caught up in a child smuggling ring and the other is living with his struggling artist father, but are able to share their physical pain and emotions as if telepathically. Thomas, who is with his father, knows of Tom, the boarding school “orphan,” but everyone believes Tom is just his imaginary friend. Through a chance encounter the two are reunited and both must find a way to escape the smugglers who wish to take them sell them outside of England.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on January 27th, 2010
The time is the 1930s, the setting Africa, as Mussolini attempts to recreate an Empire through the colonization of Abyssinia. An officer and poet Elio (Al Cliver) returns from the campaign with the spoils of conquest, one of which is Abyssinian princess Zerbal (Laura Gemser, of D'Amato's Black Emanuelle films). The erotic heat in his home is already pretty torrid, what with wife Alessandra (Lilli Carati) carrying on with secretary Virma (Annie Belle). Zerbal's arrival upsets the emotional apple cart, passions flare, and the supposed slave starts to exert more and more influence over the putative masters.
