Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on May 25th, 2005
Much like previous con films before it like Matchstick Men and The Grifters, Criminal tells the story of a veteran taking a young inexperienced rookie under his wing and showing him the tricks behind the money, and the con artist philosophy.
Based on the Argentinean film Nine Queens, Richard (John C. Reilly, Magnolia) spots Rodrigo (Diego Luna, The Terminal) trying to hustle drink money in a club. He hustles Rodrigo out, and discovers Rodrigo is doing this to earn m...
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on May 25th, 2005
East Meets West
I don’t know a great deal about Korean cinema, but I imagine that H must have been a milestone in the Korean film industry – a distinctly Korean interpretation of a Western tradition. H is a dark psychological murder mystery, thriller, and suspense film, best compared to The Silence of the Lambs, or Kiss the Girls - not what one expects from the other side of the Pacific. There’s no martial arts to be found, and no running through trees, and pseudo-mystical mum...
Posted in: News and Opinions by Archive Authors on May 24th, 2005
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment will release the Bernie Mac and Ashton Kutcher comedy Guess Who on August 2nd. This disc will be presented in an anamorphic widescreen transfer, along with an English Dolby Digital 5.1 audio track. Extras will include an audio commentary (with director Kevin Rodney Sullivan), a gag reel, deleted scenes (with optional director commentary), a "Love is the Melody: The Making of GUESS WHO" featurette, & a collection of trailers.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on May 24th, 2005
White Noise borrows much from the successful cycle of modern horror films. There is a tremendous likeness to both The Ring and FearDotCom. The use of a television screen for eerie f/x and a few shocks reminds us of the former, while the torture of the kidnapped victim in industrial and dank surroundings is taken right out of the latter. White Noise has some wonderfully disturbing moments. The atmosphere is rank with just enough possibility to be truly scary at times. Michael Keaton adds that element of respectability and believability which carries a weak script much farther than it deserves. I should also point out that the cinematography is simply brilliant.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on May 24th, 2005
Samaritan Girl is a provactive little film from South Korea. The director, Kim Ki-Duk, has been said to be a filmmaker to watch. The plot surrounds the plight of two teenage girls, Jae-young (played by Min-jeong Seo) and Yoe-Jin (played by Ji-min Kwak). These two friends have dreams of going to Europe. The only problem: they need money. What's the solution: the oldest profession. Jae-Young becomes the prostitute and Yoe-jin is the pimp. Sounds a little twisted. Well...tragedy strikes. And Yoe-Jin devo...
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on May 23rd, 2005
As is the trend for today, this is the Special Edition re-release of The Day After Tomorrow tagged as the All-Access Collector's Edition. As much of this set is the same as the original release, pieces of this review will be taken from our prior review of The Day After Tomorrow.
Storms both freakish and intense devastate the planet. Climatologist Dennis Quaid realizes that the world is on the brink of a sudden new ice age.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on May 23rd, 2005
Miracles is a unique television experience in the same vane as X-Files but with a religious rather then an alien spin. Many seem to blame this series short network run (6-episodes) on its misplacement and movement within ABC’s schedule, but there is also talk of the War in Iraq possible having something to do with it. As we all know… timing is everything. This set adds seven episodes to the six that originally aired on ABC… giving us all a chance to see the full 13 episodes that were filmed.
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Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on May 23rd, 2005
Continuing in the bold tradition of centering a movie around a place or event in the African American community (see The Wash, Barbershop and Beauty Shop, to name a few), Queen Latifah has decided to run the horse into the ground, and subsequently throw it over the coals, in a film she wrote and appears in, entitled The Cookout.
The concept of the film is simple enough that everyone can identify with it; cookouts are a good time where friends and family, sane and crazy, can get t...
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on May 22nd, 2005
A cast that included Martin Sheen and Marlee Matlin made Hear No Evil appear promising. Sheen is too little used to be very effective, and Matlin’s acting is often overshadowed by a director too eager for use to experience her deafness. I always found that her strength was the power of her performance in spite of the handicap. This film goes to excessive lengths to remind us she is deaf, just in case we happen to miss the point. Often the soundtrack goes silent, apparently to portray the action from Matlin’s point of view.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on May 22nd, 2005
Assault on Precinct 13 is a remake of the 1976 John Carpenter classic (which is remake of the Howards Hawks western Rio Bravo). The plot scenario is something we've all seen before. Our heroes are holed up in an indoor arena (in this case, a precinct), trying to keep the outside forces at bay. In this case, the hero is Jake Roenick (played by Ethan Hawke). On New Year's Eve, and with the closing of the precinct looming, crimelord Bishop (played by Laurence Fishburne)is dumped off at the office. A s...
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