Lost Junction
Posted in Disc Reviews by David Annandale on December 5th, 2004
Synopsis
Drifter Billy Burke’s car breaks down near the town of Lost Junction. He accepts a ride fromNeve Campbell, and very quickly is drawn into a web of mysteries that surround her. Why is sheliquidating her bank account? For that matter, where is her husband? Caught, Burke may bemystified, worried, and threatened, but he cannot tear himself away. Before he knows it, he’s onthe run with Campbell, pursued by the authorities.
The characterizations are quirky, and there is a…
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Anacondas: The Hunt for the Blood Orchid
Posted in Disc Reviews by David Annandale on December 5th, 2004
Synopsis
The McGuffin here is the titular Blood Orchid, a plant that blooms only once every sevenyears, and which seems to hold the secret to eternal youth. A team is dispatched by amultinational drug company, but the expedition arrives in Borneo (where, as numerous reviewshave already pointed out, anacondas do not exist) at the height of the rainy season, andeverything goes wrong very quickly. Soon our heroes are slogging through the jungle, beset bypoisonous spiders, treachery from within…
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Gozu
Posted in Disc Reviews by David Annandale on December 4th, 2004
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Synopsis
A yakuza is charged with eliminating his violently unstable mentor. On the drive to do thedeed, said mentor is (apparently) accidentally killed. But then his body vanishes from the car ofour hero, who is then charged with finding the corpse and making absolutely sure the man isdead, or else. His search takes place in a town populated entirely of grotesques, from a man whohas the same repetitive phone conversation day after day, to another whose face half plaster-white, to a…
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King of the Ants
Posted in Disc Reviews by David Annandale on December 4th, 2004
Synopsis
Chris L. McKenna plays Sean, who seems, at first, to be a typical slacker, working nothingjobs. He is hired by Daniel Baldwin (doing a very fine dissolute turn) first to watch atroublesome city hall accountant (whose wife — Kari Wuhrer — McKenna falls for), then to killhim. McKenna agrees with surprisingly little reluctance. He has a falling out with Baldwin andhis associates (including a brutal George Wendt), and they beat him to within an inch of the life,the idea being to indu…
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Howard Hughes: The Real Aviator
Posted in Disc Reviews by David Annandale on December 3rd, 2004
Synopsis
This is the life story of Howard Hughes, as told by the man himself. Literally. Sort of. Michael Ferreri is the voice of Hughes, and he narrates his life from birth to death. This narration is intercut with interviews with Hughes’ surviving friends and widow. The visuals are a lively mix of footage and animated stills. Though the case boasts a running time of almost three hours, this is when all the extras are factored in. The actual feature is only 56 minutes long. Though the effort is alwa…
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Betty Blue
Posted in Disc Reviews by David Annandale on December 3rd, 2004
Synopsis
Jean-Hugues Anglade plays Zorg (yup, that’s his name), a handyman living in a beach-front house, scribbling away quietly in his spare time. Not so quiet is his tempestuous affair with Betty (Beatrice Dalle), whose passions overwhelm both of them. First she moves in on him with no warning. Then, when she discovers his writing, she decides that they must move to Paris so he can have a career as a writer. To make sure Zorg complies, she burns his house to the ground. Once in Paris, her plans fo…
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Star Trek Voyager – The Complete Fifth Season
Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on December 2nd, 2004
Things were pretty much over the peak when Voyager warped into Season 5. The Seven Of Nine tension was begin to feel played out by now. The prominence of the girl Naomi I found to be a bit irritating. This would also be a year of rebellion as quite a few crew members cause Janeway more than her fair share of grief. The Borg continue to be the master villains and account for the bright spots in an otherwise mediocre season. Season 5 does bring us to that magical 100th episode with “Timeless”. “Dark Frontier” would be…
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Godzilla – Tokyo SOS
Posted in Disc Reviews by David Annandale on December 2nd, 2004
Synopsis
A year after the clash seen in Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla, the giant robot built around the bones of the original Godzilla is still being repaired. Mothra and her two fairy princesses appear to warn humanity to return the bones to the sea, but the authorities do not listen, and Godzilla, drawn to Mechagodzilla, returns to ravage Tokyo. A titanic battle ensues, with Mechagodzilla and Mothra struggling to save the city from the unstoppable lizard.
The case could certainly …
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Bettie Page – Dark Angel
Posted in Disc Reviews by David Annandale on December 2nd, 2004
Synopsis
This is an episodic biopic about Bettie Page, moving from her glory days as a model for the pin-up photographer Bunny Yeager and fetish actress for Irving Klaw, maker of B&D shorts. All is well until a Senate investigation into obscenity, and Bettie herself pines for more mainstream, respectable roles. A fair bit of running time consists of B&W recreations of lost Klaw films, with Paige Richards doing a credible re-creation of Bettie’s look.
This is the very textbook definition of …
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19 Months
Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on December 2nd, 2004
Rob (Benjamin Ratner) and Melanie (Angela Vint) are a couple that think they’ve found the key to solving all relationship problems – simply break up after 19 months. By then, all the romance, lust, and excitement of a relationship has worn off and both people involved are ready to test the dating waters. So, they agree to do just that, only they’ll remain friends with benefits until they each find someone else. To prove that their theory is correct, Rob and Melanie even allow a film crew to follow them around and ma…
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Smooth Talk
Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on December 2nd, 2004
Smooth Talk is a “coming of age” story that won the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival. It stars Laura Dern as Connie, a teenage girl from a small southern town. She’s at that rebellious age. In the words of Britney Spears, “she’s still a girl, not quite a woman”. Connie is curious about the opposite sex and a world outside the town. She’s searching for something, but what she finds, she might not want.
Treat Williams plays Arnold Friend. Friend, as it turns out, is nobody’s frien…
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Venus Rising
Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on December 2nd, 2004
Venus Risingis a laughably bad movie advertised as “in the tradition of Johnny Mnemonic”. Maybe the two movies are in the same ballpark, theme-wise, but quality-wise they’re not even the same sport. Audie England and Costas Manylor play two fugitives who escape from a desert Island. Eve and Vegas, however, are still controlled by drugs from the Pacifica Corporation. The drugs also enable the characters to achieve a “virtual reality” state of mind. Fantasy sequences occur, flashbacks etc. It’s just an exc…
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Slipping Down Life, A
Posted in Disc Reviews by David Annandale on December 1st, 2004
Synopsis
Lili Taylor essays another of her trademark depressed wallflower roles as Evie, a woman who hates her job, her town and her life. She becomes obsessed with local rock star and pseudo-philosopher Drumstrings Casey (Guy Pearce), to the point of carving his name in her forehead (backwards, since she was looking in a mirror). This brings her to the attention of Pearce, and both of the to the attention of the media, and so begins a prickly, off-kilter relationship.
We’ve certainly been …
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Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on November 30th, 2004
While the world of Harry Potter was created primarily for a younger adolescent audience, there is no question that the tapestry is epic, and compelling enough to satisfy adults. I believe the true success of these films lies within that idea. It is truly rare when a film arrives that can appeal so completely to both demographic groups.
Prisoner of Azkaban is perhaps the darkest, but I don’t think the most frightening, Potter film. The creature images of the previous entry were considerably more graphic an…
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Peep Show
Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on November 30th, 2004
Peep Show is a 9 minute award winning short film. It’s about a private “peeping booth” for females. But the women don’t see anything sexual. The male performers say exactly what a woman wants to hear. Well…what we think they want to hear, “I want to commit, can I wash your hair, etc”. It’s an amusing sketch and just the right length. Since we’re told what the “joke” is fairly early on, and since there’s no surprise or twist, the film ends before things get stale. The performances are on target.
Luther
Posted in Disc Reviews by David Annandale on November 30th, 2004
Synopsis
Dismayed by the corruption of the Church, Martin Luther (Joseph Fiennes) preaches against the selling of indulgences and other practices that combine tyranny and greed. His teachings find a receptive audience, much to the dismay of the Pope. A power struggle erupts, threatening to tear Christianity apart.
This effort is both compelling and wonky. Luther himself remains a cypher, with Fiennes portraying him as a rather disagreeable pasty-faced neurotic, little more than a mouthpiece…
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Kim Possible – The Villian Files
Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on November 30th, 2004
Secret agent/crime fighter by night…high school cheerleader by day…Disney brings us Kim Possible. The DVD is subtitled The Villain Files. Kim Possible is an original TV show made by Disney. The Villain Files have four episodes for Possible fans. In each segment, Kim battles an arch enemy all the while trying to keep up her pom poms at the local high school. Her buddy, Ron Stoppable, is along for the ride.
Kim Possible has an intriguing premise. For kids watching, it has the best …
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I Heart Huckabees
Posted in News and Opinions by Archive Authors on November 30th, 2004
Fox Home Entertainment will release the Dustin Hoffman, Isabelle Huppert, Jude Law, Jason Schwartzman and Naomi Watts comedy I Heart Huckabees on February 22nd. This dual-sided disc will include both anamorphic widescreen and full screen presentations, along with an English Dolby Digital 5.1 audio track. Extras will include two audio commentaries (The first with director David O. Russell; the second with cast members Jason Schwartzman, Mark Wahlberg and Naomi Watts), two featurettes (“Production” & “Behind the S…
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Boy Meets World – The Complete Second Season
Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on November 29th, 2004
What’s the dealio with Boy Meets World,? It was a television series that ran from 1993-2000. And the reruns seem to be on TV all the time! But maybe that’s just me. Now we have the second season on DVD. So for all you Boy Meets World fans, your wish has come true.
It stars Ben Savage (Fred Savage’s brother) as Cory Matthews. The show centers on life in the “real world” and the struggles of growing up in a high school setting. It’s a pretty sanitized journey, as the show doesn’t delve in…
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Straw Dogs
Posted in Disc Reviews by David Annandale on November 29th, 2004
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Synopsis
American mathematician Dustin Hoffman has moved to the English home town of his wifeSusan George. The adjustment is difficult. A gang of local louts is taking forever to assemblehis garage, and he simply cannot stand up for himself or his wife. She, filled with contempt,teases the locals with predictable results. Finally, a crisis looms involving the simple-mindedDavid Warner, and Hoffman takes a spectacularly violent stand.
Peckinpah’s gift for cinematic violence i…
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Brave New Girl
Posted in Disc Reviews by David Annandale on November 29th, 2004
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Synopsis
It’s all just so heartwarming. Spirited single-mother Virginia Madsen (what in Heaven’sname is she doing in this?) struggles to make ends meet flipping waffles, while spunky, talenteddaughter Lindsey Haun longs to attend The Haverty Conservatory of Music and Dance. WhenMadsen becomes aware of Haun’s dream, she moves mountains for her daughter. You canpredict the rest.
Mother and daughter wuv each other sooooooo much, you just want Jason Voorhees to stepin and stag…
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Phantom of the Opera, The
Posted in Disc Reviews by David Annandale on November 26th, 2004
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Synopsis
A back-stage accident knocks New Yorker Jill Schoelen out and into her earlier incarnationas a 19th-Century opera singer in London. Madly in love with her is the Phantom (RobertEnglund), a composer who sold his soul (and his face) to the Devil in exchange for musicalimmortality. Englund coaches Schoelen and eliminates anyone who interferes with her career. Hewill also stop at nothing to ensure that he and Schoelen are united forever.
We’re a long way from Andrew Llo…
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Species 3
Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on November 26th, 2004
Species III comes from good genes. The original was kind of fun (and starred Ben Kinglsey!), but the first sequel was not as fun. But here comes the second sequel. It has the original alien girl Natasha Henstridge, but her appearance is short (I’ll just leave it at that). The director, Brad Turner, is a veteran of action television shows like 24. Is this direct to DVD release the best one of the “species”? The answer tilts towards the negative.
But Species III has a few things goi…
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Wild at Heart
Posted in Disc Reviews by David Annandale on November 24th, 2004
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Nicolas Cage and Laura Dern are the last-word in star-crossed lovers. Pursued by theminions of Dern’s psychopathic mother Diane Ladd, they engage in a nightmarishly picaresquejourney across the American south, encountering one grotesque after another (most memorablyWillem Dafoe’s deeply creepy Bobby Peru). The over-the-top sex and violence is held togetherby a narrative that is a dark remake of The Wizard of Oz.
This was David Lynch’s follow-up to Blue Vel…
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National Lampoon’s Holiday Reunion
Posted in Disc Reviews by David Annandale on November 24th, 2004
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Synopsis
Anaesthesiologist Judge Reinhold, dreaming of a traditional Thanksgiving holiday with long-lost cousins, packs up his resentful, upper-crust family and heads off to Idaho. The relatives turnout to be a group of hippies with a yard that would horrify the family in The Texas ChainsawMassacre. Cue the culture clash.
But don’t cue the laughs. This is sad, sad stuff, as only a made-for-TV (TBS in this case)version of National Lampoon can be. The gags are old, and …
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