Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on September 13th, 2004
Scooby-Doo 2 is pretty-much the same as the original film. Oh, sure, the plot differs slightly, but for the most part, this is the same film. If you liked the first one, you will like this one. However, if you hated the first one, like I did, then this is regrettably more of the same mindless fluff.
Recently, movie studios have caught on to the idea that if they make children’s movies with subtle in-jokes for adults, their profits will rise. This was the case with Finding Nemo, Shrek an... even Looney Tunes – Back in Action. Unfortunately, this trend does not continue with the Scooby-series. These films are purely and unashamedly “kids only”. The jokes are lame, the mysteries are transparent, and the film takes itself way too seriously. The inherent problem with a film based on a cartoon is that it must develop a cast full of characters that were previously one-dimensional. This is not an easy task for any filmmaker, and it is clear that Raja Gosnell (which sounds curiously like a pseudonym to me) is not up to the challenge.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on September 13th, 2004
In the shadow of the Olympics’ return to Athens, PBS has decided to take a look back at the original games. This mildly-interesting program that feels more like a documentary that might be screened in a High School classroom than one you might watch on television in your free time. Such is the difference between PBS and the History Channel, I suppose. It is a good documentary, but certainly not great.
That’s not to say that the disc is all dry, though. There is some interesting background into some aspects ...f the modern games, especially in relation to the 1934 Munich Olympics. I don’t want to give it all away, but I will say that many of Hitler’s ideas for the games still live on today. For World War II and Nazi buffs, this is an interesting aside that I have heard little about in the past.
Posted in: News and Opinions by Archive Authors on September 12th, 2004
Yup, the A-Team is being made into a movie, and thus will eventually be a DVD. In the meantime, I'm sure you can expect all sorts of SE/CE/??? DVD releases of the original series, and plenty of hype. Looks like for the movie the surviving original cast (Mr. T, etc. - Hanninbal died a few years back) will be resticted to cameos. The setting will be modern day with the A-Team perhaps hailing from the Persian Gulf instead of Vietnam.
<a href="http://breakingnews.iol.ie/entertainment/story.asp?j=120504316&p=yzx5...5xzz">Read the full story here...
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on September 11th, 2004
Synopsis
In a totally enclosed dystopia, THX 1138 (Robert Duvall) gradually begins to rebel againstthe completely controlled and drug-managed existence. He dares to think, and to have an affair,and, after a nightmarish imprisonment in a featureless white limbo, he attempts an escape.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on September 10th, 2004
Synopsis
Posted in: News and Opinions by Archive Authors on September 9th, 2004
Miramax Home Entertainment will release the Jet Li film Hero on November 30th. This disc will be presented in a 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer, along with both Dolby Digital 5.1 and DTS 6.1 audio tracks (in both Chinese (with English subtitles) and dubbed English versions) Extras will include of a 'Hero Defined' making-of featurette, four storyboard sequences, and an interview with Quentin Tarantino.
Posted in: News and Opinions by Archive Authors on September 9th, 2004
MGM Home Entertainment will release the special edition of David Lynch's Wild At Heart on December 7th. This disc will be presented in a new digitally remastered anamorphic widescreen transfer, along with a Dolby Digital 5.1 audio track. Extras will include a new thirty-minute making of documentary, an original promo featurette, interviews with the cast and the crew, sixty-five animated behind-the-scenes photos (set to music), a “Specific Spontaneity: Focus on David Lynch”, a David Lynch “On the DVD” feature, as well as...trailers.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on September 9th, 2004
Synopsis
Posted in: News and Opinions by Archive Authors on September 9th, 2004
New Line will finally release the much anticipated Extended Edition of the final chapter of the Lord of the Rings Trilogy on December 14th. This 4-disc set will include approx. fifty-minutes of additional footage, along with cast and crew audio commentaries and multiple behind the scenes documentaries and featurettes. A collector's giftset will also be made available on the 14th that will include a Sideshow/Weta statue of Minas Tirith and a Howard Shore Creating the Lord of the Rings Symphony DVD.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on September 8th, 2004
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