Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on August 13th, 2002
Synopsis
Bill Murray (finding some difficulty to lose that trademark smirk) plays Larry Darrell, a man who takes nothing seriously until World War I happens to him. Disillusioned, he embarks on a quest to find meaning in life, a quest that will take him to the Himalayas and back to his home town.
Audio
All in all a pretty successful creation of a sound environment. Ambient sound effects are a constant presence, and the music is served well by its mix. Some of the dialogue s...
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on August 12th, 2002
After a dismal resurrection on film with Star Trek: The Motion Picture, it appeared that the crew of the good ship Enterprise was finally stilled forever. Enter two heroes to rival Kirk and Spock in Harve Bennett and Nicholas Myers. Star Trek II is everything that shines about Star Trek. Finally the triumvirate of Kirk, Spock, and McCoy dazzle longtime fans with the chemistry that made the original series so enduring. In The Motion Picture, the characters come off stiff and cold. They hardly seem to know each other.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on August 11th, 2002
The final (so far) Lethal Weapon is not a bad film at all, but it does suffer from the escalation syndrome. After three explosive films number 4 finds itself in the trap of having to try too hard to top its predecessors. While Chris Rock is a funny guy and he adds some great moments in the film, he’s just simply not necessary and distracts from the Glover, Gibson, Pesci trilogy of hysterics. I could also do without the domestication of Riggs through Russo’s character. All that said, you won’t be disappointed because it’s back to Disney World and another film literally exploding with rides.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on August 11th, 2002
Synopsis
Two brothers survive a plane crash (a crash in which their father dies, but they don't seem too broken up about the sad event), and find themselves washed up on the island of Dinotopia. As the name implies, this is a land where humans and dinosaurs co-exist. We explore this island with the brothers, and get caught up in their quest to help save this world in its hour of peril. The characters here are a long way from believable, and so the main draw is the special effects, which are, by telev...
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on August 11th, 2002
Synopsis
SpongeBob and his friends are up to their usual misadventures. SpongeBob encounters the Flying Dutchman, is turned into a snail, mistakes Squidward for a ghost, and so on.
Audio
The sound is brisk, clean and chipper. There's not a whole heck of a lot happening surround-wise -- mainly music, with the sound effects rather sparse. There is the occasional moment of left-right effect too, but you have to stay alert for those.
Video
The transfe...
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on August 9th, 2002
Synopsis
Driving through the middle of nowhere, Ben, his daughter KT, and his girlfriend Nicky arrive in a strange little town. It turns out that arriving here is much easier than leaving. And that's all I'm going to tell you, other than to say that, as the title says, Satanism is at work here. Do not read the summary on the DVD's case, which gives absolutely everything away. Hit the film cold, and you'll be impressed by a knockout opening, some truly eerie moments, and a compelling sense of darkness...
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on August 7th, 2002
Synopsis
“A white school teacher takes over a talented, but undisciplined black high school basketball team and turns them into a winning team.” – Columbia-Tristar
Audio
This film contains a very good Hip-Hop soundtrack. The base is substantial during the music sequences, and the surrounds are used effectively during these scenes as well. As just stated, the 5.1 Dolby Digital soundtrack was effective for the music, but did not do much in terms of the film. The surrounds were n...
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on August 7th, 2002
The Show
I cannot say enough about how great this series is. Not only is it extremely entertaining, but the DVD is of remarkable quality. If you have not had the pleasure to see an episode of The Sopranos, here is a synopsis of season three for you:
“Some suburban households have two cars. Some have two houses. But Tony Sopranos has two families.
This could be why the FBI is going to such lengths to wiretap his home. Why is the son of his dear late friend Jackie Ap...
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on August 5th, 2002
Just when it seemed that the Glover and Gibson chemistry was as good as it could be, Richard Donner finds a way to improve it. Joe Pesci was the best thing that could have happened to the franchise. This second installment keeps everything that was good about the original and makes it bigger and better. Lethal Weapon 2 is a lot more fun than the first film. The guys are much more comfortable in the roles and it’s obvious they’re having a blast. Watch for a few scenes where you can see Glover working very hard not to crack up around Pesci.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on August 5th, 2002
The Lethal Weapon series peaked with the third installment. The addition of Rene Russo, while giving Riggs more of a personal life, adds little to the chemistry of Glover, Gibson, and Pesci. Make no mistake. By the third film it’s all about these three characters. This series does not mix well with romance thrown into the pot.
Synopsis
Riggs (Gibson) and Murtaugh (Glover) team up with an internal affairs cop (Russo) to track down a street gang of gun runners. Leo Gets (Pesci) attaches himself to the investigation and, once again, it’s off we go.
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