Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on February 22nd, 2004
The third season of South Park was a bittersweet one. It seemed that season 2 had floundered just a little. Most of us wondered if the talents of Stone and Parker had already run out of gas. Season 3 turned out to be one of the funniest yet. This was also the year that Mary Kay Bergman committed suicide. Mary Kay had provided ALL of the female voices for the show. This left the crew in a scramble to deliver episodes before they could find a replacement. This unfortunate turn did produce some memorable episodes, howev...r.
Audio
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on February 22nd, 2004
In 1967, a top secret document was commissioned by the government, tracing the United States’ history with the Vietnam war. This history went as far back as the 1940’s. The result was a 7,000 page document. In 1971, a defense department official and former Rand corporation employee, Daniel Ellsberg, secretly photocopied these “Pentagon Papers” and released them to the New York Times. Then President, Richard Nixon, called Ellsberg’s act “treasonable”. FX and Paramount’s television production of The Pentagon Pa...ers details this period in Ellsberg’s life and times.
The opening credit sequence (with its shadowy images and sounds) sets up the expectation that this movie will be a taut political thriller. Perhaps in the style of The Parallax View or Winter Kills (which are must sees, by the way). Unfortunately, the sequence belies the film’s true events. It’s really a carefully crafted character piece; at least, it tries to be. James Spader plays Ellsberg with a kind of indirect integrity. In any given performance, you’re never quite sure where Spader is coming from. And you probably think he’s into something kinky. In The Pentagon Papers, Spader’s indirect and unconventional qualities are a good match for Ellsberg.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on February 22nd, 2004
Synopsis
On the outside, Rivervale High seems like a typical suburban school, filled with a largely white, middle-class population. New student Jenny Dahlquist (Jane McGregor) quickly discovers the divisive cliques that polarize the campus when she tries to find a seat in the cafeteria. Cheerleaders, jocks, druggies, preppies, skateboarders, nerds—they've all staked their territory in the lunchroom, and don't tolerate outsiders. At an empty table sits Trevor, the ultimate loner/outcast. Dubbed "The M...d Bomber," Trevor targeted the football team with an unwired explosive device the previous year, after enduring continual abuse and humiliation at the hands of the school's swaggering athletes. As a result, Rivervale now resembles a maximum security prison, complete with metal detectors, guards, and a zero tolerance policy.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on February 22nd, 2004
Synopsis
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on February 22nd, 2004
Synopsis
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on February 22nd, 2004
Season three sees Futurama cooking on gas. This is THE SIMPSONS on some mind-altering substance. For the uninitiated (and if you have never watched the series before - watch seasons 1 and 2 first…duhhh!) pizza delivery boy Fry has awoken from cryogenic suspension and finds himself in the year 3000. Here he teams up with the girl of his dreams, one-eyed space captain Leela, the hard-drinking, wallet-lifting robot Bender (he bends things for a living), the frankly barmy Professor Farnsworth and an assorted bunch of ge...ks and aliens who tag along for the ride.
The reason Futurama is an acquired taste is because, as its creators intended, it uses every opportunity to parody and poke fun at the conventions of practically every science-fiction show and film ever made. By season three the writers are in full flow and watching these episodes is an exhausting experience because they are so packed with visual gags and brilliant one-liners. By the time you've realized the significance of the hypno frog you've missed a dozen other quips and in-jokes.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on February 22nd, 2004
The third and hopefully final entry in the American Pie series, American Wedding keeps with the sweet charms and gross out comedy of the first two movies, but can’t live up to the humor of the original or its sequel. Average Joe Jim, (Jason Biggs) and former band geek Michelle, (Alyson Hannigan) are now engaged to be wed and must decide whether raucous Stifler (Seann William Scott) should be invited to the wedding. Shenanigans ensue involving a night out at a gay club, a bachelor party, pleasing the in-laws, and pubi... hair on a wedding cake.
Sure, Stifler eats dog poop and does for curse words what bullet time did for special effects, but missing characters and lack of novelty cannot lift this one into the rare category of sequels being as good or better than the previous installments. While it offers plenty of funny moments, most courtesy of Stifler, the movie just seems tired and worn out. The filmmakers should excuse themselves from the table after this. No more pie for them.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on February 21st, 2004
Synopsis
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on February 21st, 2004
I came into this title completely blind. I almost always have some idea what I am going to be watching, but in this case, I truly had none whatsoever. I believe that I might have heard the title of this show before, but that’s about it.
Upon viewing this set, it might be a good thing that I didn’t know what I was getting myself into. Otherwise, I would have never taken this task on. Put simply, this is not a show that has stood the test of time. True laughs are virtually nonexistent, as almost all of...the jokes in this show are now tired sitcom cliché’s. The funky 70’s duds may have been hip at the time, but they just look stereotypical by today’s standards. As many afros, bellbottoms, and velour as you can stand are crammed into each and every frame.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on February 20th, 2004
MGM keeps rolling out the Best Picture award winners. A few weeks ago it was Mutiny on the Bounty, this time it’s The Great Ziegfeld . I think Ziegfeld belongs in the category of those Best Picture winners that aren’t necessarily the best films for that year (Driving Miss Daisy?? C’mon). I actually prefer Frank Capra’s Mr. Deeds Goes to Town and Gregory La Cava’s seminal screwball comedy My Man Godfrey (starring Ziegfeld’s own William Powell). The Great Ziegfeld al...o picked up Best Actress for Luise Rainer. She has excellent presence, some nice moments (the phone call scene, most famously), and those eyes. But for my money, I would’ve given it to Carole Lombard for My Man Godfrey. The Academy has always been a sucker for Big Emotion, and Rainer gives the audience spoonfuls of it. But then there are the well deserved Oscar Winning dance sequences by Seymour Felix.
The story follows the rise and fall of Flo Ziegfeld, broadway producer extraordinaire. We see the highs of lows of Ziegfeld’s life in “biz” and in love. It’s a Hollywood bio-pic, so you know some events will be glossed over. And the clichéd ending is, of course, completely ridiculous. But Powell’s portrayal of Ziggy tries to reflect some of the flaws in this “diamond” of a man. It’s a nice well rounded performance. If you enjoy his work, check out Criterion’s excellent DVD presentation of My Man Godfrey. And there are the Thin Man films, of course.
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