Metallica – Some Kind of Monster
Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on January 20th, 2005
Exit light…enter night. Metallica: Some Kind of Monster is a documentary about the inner workings of the band. But it’s not a “behind the music” type piece or a concert movie. The filmmakers attempt to gnaw away at the troubling trials of fame, addiction, and friendship. It’s fascinating stuff. Now, I’m not a big fan of Metallica, but I’ve been in creative collective situations. The personal relationships are constantly shifting. You bicker one minute, you love one another the next. In Metallica’s cas…
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Frasier – The Complete Final Season
Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on January 20th, 2005
After a very successful 11 year run on NBC, the cast, crew and writers of Frasier decided to call it quits. Unlike other series that went on far too long and seemed to die a slow and painful death, the Frasier team left an indelible mark on television history with excellent writing and great comedic performances. Just to give you an idea about how important this series was in the history of television, over the course of its run it garnered over 37 Emmys for excellence in acting, writing and direction in a comedy ser…
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Crusade – The Complete Series
Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on January 18th, 2005
The rise in popularity of TV on DVD has brought about an interesting side effect. Namely, shows that would have previously faded into oblivion after a few airings are now finding a new audience. Often, such as in the cases of Firefly and Boomtown, audiences (and networks) are discovering that they may have pulled the plug too soon on some shows. While Crusade doesn’t exactly fit into this category, it does prove itself to be a show with promise, that may have developed into something special if i…
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Soul Showcase Collection
Posted in Disc Reviews by David Annandale on January 18th, 2005
Synopsis
That Man Bolt is a long way from Sweet Sweetback’s Baadasssss Song. It’scloser to the Shaft films, but its closest relation is the Bond series, as our man Bolt (FredWilliamson) jets from Hong Kong to Las Vegas and back again, karate-chopping his waythrough the bad guys, working to bring down the crime lord who set him up as a fall guy. Bolteven winds up with a British government liaison. The action scenes are very flat, but theproduction values are high for th…
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Gargoyle: Wings of Darkness
Posted in Disc Reviews by David Annandale on January 17th, 2005
Synopsis
Centuries ago, a gargoyle is shot down by a priest and sealed in the ground. In present-dayRomania, an earthquake breaks the seal and unleashes a host of monsters on Bucharest. CIAoperative Michael Paré is investigating what at first appears to be a series of kidnappings, buteventually finds himself up against the mythical beasts.
The dialogue consists of cobbled-together clichés (and bargain-basement ones at that), andthe plot makes no sense. The Romanian setting i…
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Lost in Space – Season 2 (Volume 2)
Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on January 16th, 2005
The second volume of Lost In Space Season 2 is pretty much like the first. I’m still not sure I like the idea of splitting seasons. The reason given was that stores were refusing to carry a higher priced season set. This set does contain one of my favorite of the entire show. “Trip Through The Robot” is an obvious “Fantastic Voyage” rip-off but is a terribly entertaining romp. The stories continued their slide into even sillier tales and lower budget monsters. Gene Roddenberry often told the tale of how CBS pi…
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Village, The
Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on January 16th, 2005
M. Night Shyamalan has a knack for channeling the spirit of Rod Serling each time he sits down to write and ultimately direct and produce a new film. When Serling’s spirit is unavailable, then it seems that Hitchcock will do. The Village, like each of his previous films, is carried off in rather subtle tones both in visual textures and storytelling.
The Village again begins with little or no action but somehow compels us to begin to ask questions about the deceptively simple story unfolding b…
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Wimbledon
Posted in Disc Reviews by David Annandale on January 16th, 2005
Synopsis
Paul Bettany once had an almost-promising career in tennis, but he’s on his way out now,and his last hurrah is a wild-card placement he’s landed at Wimbledon. A chance encounter withrising super-alpha player Kirsten Dunst revives his passion for both life and the game, and hesuddenly starts beating all comers. Her game, however, begins to suffer as she becomesdistracted by her new relationship.
As a romantic comedy, this leaves much to be desired. Top-billed Dunst i…
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Showgirls
Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on January 14th, 2005
First off, let me say that if you have only seen Showgirls on VH-1, then you haven’t had the full experience. It’s bad on network television, but the sheer scope of how truly awful it is can only be experienced in the full, uncut version. Laughing at an idiot is one thing. Laughing at a naked idiot is something else entirely. It’s amazing how un-sexy this film really is. Showgirls is funny in the same way that it was funny to make fun of the fat kid riding in the front of the bus in Junior High. …
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Seed of Chucky
Posted in News and Opinions by Archive Authors on January 14th, 2005
On April 12th, Universal will release the Seed of Chucky in three seperate editions – the theatrical cut (fullscreen) and an unrated cut (widescreen & fullscreen). Each disc will feature English Dolby Digital 5.1 & DTS 5.1 audio tracks along, and a slew of extras… an Audio Commentary (with director Don Mancini and Jennifer Tilly), a “Family Hell-iday” Slide Show, a new “Conceiving The Seed of Chucky” featurette, Jennifer Tilly’s video diary from The Tonight Show, and “FuZion Up Close with the Seed of Chu…
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Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King – Extended Edition
Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on January 13th, 2005
“All good things must come to an end…” Truer words have never been spoken, especially when it comes to describing what may be argued as the greatest epic ever produced for the silver screen. Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy has redefined excellence in movie making. The only other series that I can compare this accomplishment to is, not surprisingly, the original Star Wars trilogy in terms of the scope of what was accomplished – old fashioned story telling which captured its audience with ground…
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Unforgivable Blackness: The Rise and Fall of Jack Johnson
Posted in Disc Reviews by David Annandale on January 13th, 2005
Synopsis
In his patented style (plenty of vintage stills and, in this case, vintage film footage combinedwith compelling narration and actors voicing the actual words of the subjects), documentaristKen Burns unveils the story of Jack Johnson, the first black heavyweight boxing champion. Histriumph was intolerable for white society, and that included the American government. Narratedby Keith David, with Samuel L. Jackson providing the voice of Johnson, this is a powerful lookat the r…
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Pauly Shore Is Dead
Posted in Disc Reviews by David Annandale on January 13th, 2005
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Synopsis
Pauly Shore’s career spirals down into the toilet in the wake of a disastrous Fox sitcom.Desperate, he fakes his own death, thus boosting his popularity. His plan seems to be working,until the terrible backfire when he is caught and sent to jail.
There’s a halfway clever conceit here, given that Shore co-wrote, co-produced and directedwhat plays partly as an exercise in self-loathing, a perspective that viewers can only heartilysupport. There are some amusing cameos…
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Everybody Loves Raymond – The Complete First Season
Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on January 13th, 2005
Sometimes, titles can be misleading. In fact, in our modern high-octane marketing culture, that’s often times their function. For instance, despite the rumors, everybody does not love Raymond. Furthermore, I do not love Raymond. I find the show bland and predictable, and the acting is consistently sub-par. However, just because it’s not my kind of thing, that doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s bad. A Room With a View was nominated for Best Picture, but I found it so detestable that I couldn’t even make …
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What’s New, Scooby-Doo? Volume 3 – Halloween Boos and Clues
Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on January 13th, 2005
Ahh, Scooby-Doo. The cartoon of my youth is back with all new episodes. Luckily, the new episodes haven’t meddled too much with the classic formula, as so often happens with remakes of movie and TV shows. There are four episodes included in this collection, each dealing with a different spooky mystery. Trampy Fred and Daphne, sexually confused Velma, baked Shaggy and their English-speaking dog are all here, and their trippy hippy van as well. You know them, you love them. Scooby is back!
Audio
Confessions of an American Girl
Posted in Disc Reviews by David Annandale on January 12th, 2005
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Synopsis
Jena Malone’s life isn’t what she would like. She lives in a trailer with her mother and oldersister and brother, her boyfriend is a jerk who doesn’t want anyone to know they’re dating, andshe pines for her father, who’s in jail. She has a very idealized memory of her father, and aftermuch pleading, she manages to convince the rest of her very reluctant family to go to the annualprison picnic.
This is a comedy in the vein of The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys …
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Witch Who Came From The Sea, The
Posted in Disc Reviews by David Annandale on January 12th, 2005
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Synopsis
Molly (Millie Perkins) is seriously disconnected from reality. She tells her two nephewswonderful tales about their grandfather, whom she declares a saint, even though we see (indisturbing flashbacks), that he repeatedly raped her. She also enjoys ogling well-built men andfantasizing about their violent deaths. But she doesn’t stop at fantasizing…
Well! Here she is, Anne Frank herself (from the 1959 film) all grown up and castrating menwith safety razors. This is …
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Troy
Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on January 11th, 2005
The story of Troy and the warrior Achilles is the stuff of legends now brought to life by Wolfgang Peterson. With an ensemble cast including Brad Pitt, Eric Bana, Peter O’Toole, Brian Cox, Brendan Gleeson and Sean Bean there are only two things that can happen, magic or mediocrity. In this case I think we end up somewhere in between. Some scenes like the battle between Achilles and Hector is incredible while the storming of the beach at Troy is almost downright laughable. Overall though the film works I just wish it …
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De-Lovely
Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on January 11th, 2005
De-Lovely is a musical bio-pic based on the life of Cole Porter. Now, Porter was an American genius, responsible for writing such song classics as “Love for Sale” and “Anything Goes”. Porter’s personal life was also legendary. He had a wife, but also had affairs with men. Porter also suffered a horse riding accident in the late 1930’s that debilitated him for the rest of his life (to his death in 1964). Sounds like the great makings of a movie, right? Well….
Kevin Kline plays Cole Porter, and h…
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Cinderella Story, A
Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on January 11th, 2005
A vehicle for Hilary Duff, “A Cinderella Story” is a modern updating of the classic fairy tale. Set at a high school in the San Fernando Valley, a “dorky” girl, Hilary Duff, comes to terms with her “wicked” stepmother, Jennifer Coolidge, and evil stepsisters, played by Madeline Zima and Andrea Avery. Duff meets her “prince” and well….there’s a Halloween Dance….well…I think you get it.
This movie does exactly what you expect it to do. No surprises or inventiveness. Fans will enjoy, but to the “layperson” t…
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Yakuza Demon
Posted in Disc Reviews by David Annandale on January 9th, 2005
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Synopsis
The Date crime family is unwillingly drawn into a mob war with the much more powerfulTendo group. This war disrupts the happy existence of one small sub-family, consisting of Muto,the boss more interested in his model planes than in crime, and his two loyal soldiers Seiji andYoshifumi. Muto promises to kill a high-ranking Tendo member to prove his worth, but Seijiknows he isn’t up to it. He arranges for Muto to be packed safely off to jail instead, and thenstages an attack …
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Easy Rider
Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on January 9th, 2005
I started watching this movie expecting something akin to a National Lampoon episode – a goofy motorcycle road trip populated by harmless and amusing stoners. Those of you who are Easy Rider fans, or who have seen and appreciated the film should be chuckling now at my ignorance. This film, as well as Rambo: First Blood and Vanishing Point have now made it adequately clear to me that I’ve completely missed an entire genre of filmmaking. For those who share my ignorance, what I’m referring to is th…
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SpongeBob SquarePants – Home Sweet Pineapple
Posted in Disc Reviews by David Annandale on January 9th, 2005
Synopsis
Eight more episodes of adventures with SpongeBob and friends. One of the highlights is thetitle episode which reworks an old comedy chestnut (two sleepers fighting over the bedclothes)into a moment of truly sublime hysteria. There are plenty of other comic gems, and I will confessthat, over the years, SpongeBob has grown on me. Yes, I’m a fan now. I would be giving thiscollection a higher rating, but the fact that two of the episodes (“Band Geeks” and “RippedPants”) have al…
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Speakeasy
Posted in Disc Reviews by David Annandale on January 8th, 2005
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Synopsis
David Strathairn is a melancholy children’s magician. He is stuck looking after his irritablewife’s deaf father, because she wants nothing to do with him. His day is complete after a fender-bender with pawn shop owner Nicky Katt. And, as it happens all the time in real life, the twodrivers soon become fast friends. One of their bonds is that Katt’s daughter is also deaf. Whata coincidence! The performances are all agreeably low key, and the dialogue and editing havesome occ…
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Master of the Flying Guillotine
Posted in Disc Reviews by David Annandale on January 8th, 2005
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Synopsis
China is under the rule of the Ching dynasty, who send out assassins to kill anyone whochallenges the regime. Greatest of these assassins is the blind master of the flying guillotine. Hesets out to kill the One-Armed Boxer (don’t ask me why all these guys have disabilities). Thecharacters come together at a huge martial arts tournament (this is where Mortal Kombatcomes from, kiddies). The plot is no more developed than that of a typical porno. The film’sreason for be…
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