Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on June 3rd, 2002
Welcome to Oliver Stone’s history 101, where Vietnam looked a lot like Florida, and JFK was killed by a conspiracy so large it included the mafia, FBI, CIA, the Teamsters, and two bag ladies on Pennsylvania Avenue. Hollywood has always tinkered with history, but Oliver Stone performs reconstructive surgery. Nixon is no exception to this […]
Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on June 2nd, 2002
Fresh off of its multiple nominations at the 2001 Academy Awards, and Academy’s winner of the Best Original Screenplay, comes Gosford Park to DVD. Most who have seen this film have fallen in love with it, I on the other hand, felt the story moved far to slow, and my interest waned as the film […]
Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on June 1st, 2002
It’s hard to imagine, but in the 1930’s sequels were almost unheard of. If a work was considered to be a franchise, it was released in serial form before the main features. By today’s standards, Bride of Frankenstein would be no surprise. James Whale was reluctant to continue the Frankenstein saga as was the Monster […]
Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on May 31st, 2002
Monster’s Ball is a very raw and powerful film. The story and the cinematography are wonderful, as is the acting… thus the Best Actress Academy Award for Halle Berry. “MONSTER’S BALL is a hard hitting Southern drama tempered by a story of powerful, life-changing love. It is the story of Hank (Billy Bob Thornton), an […]
Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on May 30th, 2002
Synopsis Child-like nun Meg Tilly is found one night lying on the floor of her cell, covered in blood, a strangled newborn in her wastebasket. Psychiatrist Jane Fonda is called in to determine whether or not Tilly is fit for trial. Mother Superior Anne Bancroft is convinced that she is not, and does not want […]
Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on May 28th, 2002
Synopsis The tale is told in flashback. We begin in 1950, in a labour camp in Czechoslovakia. Franta Sláma (Ondrej Vetch ) is imprisoned there for having flown with the RAF during World War II – his reward for having helped liberate his country. From this beginning, we move back to see Sláma’s experiences in […]
Posted in Disc Reviews by David Annandale on May 25th, 2002
Synopsis Paul Newman’s Frank Galvin has seen better days. Now he’s a broken-down, alcoholic ambulance-chaser. But then his last chance arrives in the form of a negligence case being brought against two doctors who gave a young woman the wrong anaesthetic, reducing her to a vegetable. Though Galvin at first is planning to settle out […]
Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on May 25th, 2002
Film Jack Black, in my opinion, is one of the funniest actors in Hollywood today. Black, along with Gwyneth Paltrow, stars in Shallow Hal… the latest in the line of crude Farrelly Brother’s comedies. This film fell short of its potential, but was still mildly amusing. “Jack Black is Shallow Hal, a superficial skirt chaser […]
Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on May 23rd, 2002
Synopsis Jeffrey Beaumont (Kyle MacLachlan), is on his way home from visiting his father at the hospital when he finds a human ear. He turns the ear over to the police, but the mystery eats at him, and, with the help of a detective’s daughter (Laura Dern), he begins his own investigation. Very quickly, he […]
Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on May 23rd, 2002
“He’s gone for a little walk.” I’ve never forgotten the first time I saw the mad assistant describe the escape of the Mummy from his tomb and the maniacal laughter that accompanied it. Again it’s the combination of Boris Karloff and makeup genius Jack Pearce that defines a creature for generations to come. When most […]
Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on May 20th, 2002
“Even a man who is pure at heart and says his prayers at night can become a wolf when the wolfbane blooms and the moon is full and bright.” Curt Siodmak penned that poem over 60 years ago as the centerpiece for a film that was to feature Boris Karloff. The film was to be […]
Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on May 18th, 2002
Film The Mothman Prophecies is a nice little thriller. This Richard Gere film is quite dark and mysterious. The story and film are both hit and miss, but overall, it’s a good view. “Distraught by the sudden, tragic death of his wife (Debra Messing), John Klein (Richard Gere), a journalist for The Washington Post, finds […]
Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on May 17th, 2002
Film Braveheart this film is not, but The Patriot is still a decent Mel Gibson offering. This film, along with Hollow Man, has had the pleasure of being one of the first Superbit Deluxe DVD release. For me, this film will be remembered by one, and only one great sequence. That sequence (if you have […]
Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on May 15th, 2002
The Films Guilty as charged. Yes, it is true… until now, I had never seen any of the Rambo films. Sure, these films are all now somewhat dated, but they sure are fun to watch. Rambo: First Blood – Sylvester Stallone stars as ex-Green Beret John Rambo, a shell-shocked Vietnam vet adrift in the Pacific […]
Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on May 12th, 2002
Synopsis Randolph Scott is a young man who refuses to live up to his potential. Though very skilled, and possessing every attribute necessary to excel as a marine, he refuses to do so. When not training, he does one of two things: engage in a battle of wills with the crusty sergeant (John Payne) who […]
Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on May 12th, 2002
Synopsis 1941. Field Marshal Rommel’s forces are sweeping across Africa. The only thing blocking him from the Suez Canal is Tobruk. The British and Australian forces are hopelessly outmanned and outgunned, but their orders are to hold out, and hold out they will. Richard Burton is placed in charge of a battalion of green Australians. […]
Posted in Disc Reviews by David Annandale on May 11th, 2002
The film may take place in London, and feature English actors, and be shot in English, but this is definitely French cinema. How do we know? Because the sex scenes hit hardcore explicitness, and none of the characters are particularly happy about any of the proceedings. Synopsis Jay is a former musician, now bartender, and […]
Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on May 10th, 2002
Film Here comes another teen movie from Columbia-Tristar… no, not “Not Another Teen Movie”, rather just another teen movie. This time it is Slackers that is getting the DVD treatment. This film was not as bad as I expected. Actually it was somewhat entertaining, especially the role played by Jason Schwartzman (from Rushmore fame) who […]
Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on May 9th, 2002
“Danger, Will Robinson.” Attempting to make a serious film out of Irwin Allen’s beloved space family Robinson wasn’t one of Hollywood’s brightest ideas. The filmmakers did a pretty decent job of creating a fun science fiction film, but their obvious attempts at nostalgia never quite gel with the overall vision of the film. Complete with […]
Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on May 8th, 2002
WOW! This is one of the most unique and fascinating films ever made… and this DVD release is equally as amazing. If you have never been introduced to Memento, this is your chance. This film works like no other (not counting “The Following” – Christopher Nolan’s first film), running backwards rather then sequentially. And let […]
Posted in Disc Reviews by David Annandale on May 8th, 2002
The title catches your eye. A mob film, you suspect. And you’re right. But a mob film from 1968, BEFORE The Godfather defined the genre as we know it today, and the difference is apparent. Synopsis Kirk Douglas is big-shot Mafioso living in retirement in Sicily. He’s old-fashioned, and believes in the old “values” of […]
Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on May 5th, 2002
This is a rather unique match-up, pairing one star in the twilight of his career (Burt Lancaster) with one entering her prime (Susan Sarandon), and both are given meaty roles. Synopsis Welcome to Atlantic City, the poor man’s Las Vegas. The emphasis is on “poor.” Everywhere we see buildings being torn down, and even the […]
Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on May 4th, 2002
Time travel stories and their inevitable paradoxes have been with us since Twain’s Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court. This film takes a fresh approach to the subject. Instead of the characters moving through time, they are afforded the chance to communicate through time. Frequency is both engaging and often emotional. There is an amazing […]
Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on May 4th, 2002
Films Fox offers five more Marilyn Monroe classics in Marilyn Monroe – The Diamond Collection Vol. II Don’t Bother to Knock – “Jed, an airline pilot, (Widmark) is resting in a hotel when he notices Nell (Monroe), a young woman babysitting for a wealthy couple. As Jed gets to know Nell better he realizes that […]
Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on May 3rd, 2002
Film Fritz Lang became one of the earliest masters of filmmaking. Known mostly for such classic silents as Metropolis and Spies, Lang delivers a startling film definitely ahead of its time with M. This is also the very first film for the talented Peter Lorre who would later shine in Corman’s Poe series, and of […]
