Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on November 29th, 2003
Synopsis
Rod Steiger is an Israeli nuclear scientist on a speaking tour of England. He is targeted forassassination by a group of Palestinian terrorists. While the French police manage to kill twoof the assassins, the third makes it to England, where he hooks up with an IRA fixer (who justhappens to be the spitting image of Conan O’Brien). The British Security Service calls inAnthony Perkins to head up the protection detail around Steiger. What follows is a Day ofthe Jacka...
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on November 29th, 2003
Synopsis
OSS major Matt LeBlanc has a track record of ALMOST successfully completing no end ofmissions. His current assignment: infiltrate an all-female factory in Berlin and steal an Enigmacode machine. His team: a pencil pusher, a geek, and a transvestite. This last, played by EddieIzzard (Chaplin in The Cat’s Meow) coaches the rest of the crew in the finer arts ofpretending to be women. The mission goes wrong immediately when the factory turns out not tobe where it ...
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on November 28th, 2003
Most fans of the NBA have strong feelings about Allen Iverson. While some feel that he his the most dominant player in the game today, others feel that he is selfish, a player who is more concerned with his own numbers than the welfare of his team. Iverson is usually embroiled in some sort of controversy, and I suspect that he likes it that way. While it is true that his rough image is probably not what the NBA has in mind as a league player, his talent simply cannot be denied.
This hour-long documentary ha...
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on November 28th, 2003
Synopsis
Mandy Moore plays Halley, a teen having a rough year. Her parents have just gottendivorced, and her DJ father (Peter Gallagher) is about to marry a weather bimbo. Her best friendhas suddenly fallen in love, her sister is getting married, and she feels very alone. Enter theexaggeratedly cute Trent Ford, who slowly will turn Halley’s cynical heart around. Though everyconceivable teen trauma is bundled into the plot, solid performances, a more mature look at teensexuali...
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on November 27th, 2003
Synopsis
Sean Young and Richard Lewis, two penniless Americans in Rome, meet when they bothhappen upon a dachshund for whom a large reward is posted. They make their way to MonteCarlo to return the dog and collect the reward, but arrive to discover the dog’s owner murdered.They become prime suspects. So do James Belushi, Cybil Shepherd, John Candy and GeorgeHamilton as the various characters cross paths with each other in hotels and casinos. There’s a lotof energy being expen...
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on November 27th, 2003
This is not your father's cop show. Even if you’re father watches NYPD Blue.
The Shield may just be the show that puts F/X on the map, if it can stay on the air long enough to do so. This is a series that pushes all the boundaries. It features a level of adult language that is comparable only to South Park, fleeting nudity that rivals that of the previously mentioned NYPD Blue, and violence levels never before seen on a network television series. The weekly plots also push the li...
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on November 26th, 2003
Synopsis
The pathologically shy Willard Stiles (Crispin Glover) lives a life from Hell. His mother isa domineering invalid. (Played by Jackie Burroughs as the most horrific mother since AnneRamsey in Throw Mama from the Train, she resembles nothing so much as NormanBates’ stuffed mother come to life.) His boss (R. Lee Ermey) is an abusive bully. But thenWillard befriends the white rat Socrates, and things begin to look up. Socrates brings more andmore friends into the ...
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on November 26th, 2003
The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (LXG) might best be described as a Movie of Bizarre Moments. Attempting to blend Gothic Batman imagery with an Indiana Jones cast, director Stephen Norrington shows his relative newness to directing. The film is at times awkward and unbalanced, but overall entertaining and visually impressive enough to justify watching.
The Plot: The story of LXG is an interesting one. A band of miscellaneous folk hero’s and mythological urban characters are brought together to f...
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on November 25th, 2003
The Tomb Raider film franchise was based on the popular adventure video game. This second Tomb Raider film, however, owes more to Indiana Jones and James Bond than anything else. Cradle of Life does an excellent job of moving along an adventure story. With exotic locations in Africa and China, Lara Croft has plenty of opportunities to show case her Bond-like bag of gadgets. Critics didn’t like this film much, but then again most film critics don’t seem to appreciate a film as a thrill ride.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on November 25th, 2003
It takes a lot to become a true Christmas classic. Mr. St. Nick just doesn’t have any of it. The story of a reluctant Santa Claus was done with much funnier results in the Tim Allen The Santa Clause films. Kelsey Grammer can be a very fine comedic actor as his stints in Cheers and Frasier have more than proven. The problem here is the material is old and tired and Grammer never seems to be able to decide on a tone for the film. I’m a fan of just simple fun, but this film never really takes me on a good ride.
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