White Chicks
Posted in Disc Reviews by David Annandale on October 15th, 2004
Synopsis
Shawn and Marlon Wayans are two FBI agents. After screwing up royally (busting an ice-cream salesman instead of a drug dealer), they are anxious to redeem themselves. Charged withescorting the heiress Wilson sisters (read: Hilton) to the Hamptons where they will be bait fora socialite kidnapper, they mar the sisters’ faces, and so go themselves, made-up as the WhiteChicks of the title. Misunderstandings, racial and sexual, ensue.
I’ll grant the brothers this: there …
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Wire — The Complete First Season, The
Posted in 1.33:1 Fullscreen, Box Set, Disc Reviews, Dolby Digital 2.0 (English), Dolby Digital 2.0 (French), Dolby Digital 2.0 (Spanish), Dolby Digital 5.1 (English), DVD, HBO, Television by David Annandale on October 13th, 2004
Synopsis
The setting is Baltimore, and the characters are on both sides of a battle between the cops anda drug-dealing ring. The narrative is that of one long mini-series, with the story spread over all 13episodes, rather than having self-contained units. The principles include Dominic West as thecop determined to bust the ring (though his reasons for wishing to do so are rather self-interested), and the prime target is Larry Gillard, Jr., a mid-level dealer who, after getting off a…
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NBA 2K5 (Playstation 2)
Posted in Game Reviews by Michael Durr on October 12th, 2004
ESPN NBA 2k5 is the basketball game for the cool and low priced Sega Sports at a meager $19.99 price point. My copy was purchased for $14.95 in fact at the local Best Buy. By competing with people’s wallets, they have established solid competition with NBA Live 2005 by EA before they even open the box. As shown by well placed titles such as NFL 2k5 & NHL 2k5, one would think Sega Sports would have a fine showing with their basketball title. They have folks, it is a great sports game and debatably the best showing…
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Open Water
Posted in News and Opinions by Archive Authors on October 11th, 2004
Lions Gate Home Entertainment will release the “based on true events” thriller Open Water on December 28th. This disc will be presented in an anamorphic widescreen transfer, along with both English Dolby Digital 5.1 and DTS 6.1 audio tracks. Extras will include a two audio commentaries (the first with Director Chris Kentis and Producer Laura Lau; the second with stars Blanchard Ryan and Daniel Travis), an “Indie Essentials” filmmaker guide to marketing a movie, & a “On The High Seas: Making Open Water” featurett…
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Star Wars Trilogy
Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on October 8th, 2004
How else am I to begin the review for the most anticipated films ever to be released on the DVD medium?
“A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away…”
Who among you doesn’t notice your pulse quickening and your breathing become more slightly more rapid when you see those infamous words appear on the screen? Anyone who has seen my basement will attest that my pulse and respiration don’t just quicken but enter into full anticipation mode (needless to say that a large percentage of my earnin…
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Barbie As The Princess and the Pauper
Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on October 7th, 2004
“Long ago and far away…”
So begins the latest direct-to-video CGI-animated Barbie movie, Barbie as the Princess and the Pauper. Based on Mark Twain’s classic tale, this video/DVD is a modern-retelling of the story. It’s Barbie’s first musical, and it does a fantastic job of both entertaining kids and giving them something to think about.
At the same moment, two identical baby girls were born. One, Princess Anneliese, had everything, while Erika, born to a poor village family, lived a li…
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Lost in Space – Season 2 (Volume 1)
Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on October 7th, 2004
There were a lot of changes to Lost In Space in Season 2. The most significant was the decision to begin filming in color. There’s no question the show just looks so much better in color. The second drastic change was the overall mood of the show. Season 1 was much more serious and atmospheric. By the time the second year rolled around it became obvious that the trio of Smith, Will, and the Robot was what was drawing in the viewers. From that point onward most of the stories would revolve around that relationship. Th…
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One Eyed King
Posted in Disc Reviews by David Annandale on October 6th, 2004
Synopsis
William Baldwin is the leader of a group of friends in New York’s Hell’s Kitchen area. Theyare all on the periphery of the crime world, and the local kingpin is Armand Assante (with a mostsinister scar on his cheek). Two of the five become involved in a scheme that has them passingincompetently counterfeited hundred-dollar bills, and Assante demands their lives. Baldwininvestigates the death of one of them, and gradually realizes the depth of the betrayal.
The plot is rathe…
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Aileen Wuornos: The Selling of a Serial Killer
Posted in Disc Reviews by David Annandale on October 6th, 2004
Synopsis
Nick Broomfield’s first documentary about Aileen Wuornos is a mixture of media clips andinterviews Broomfield conducted with Wuornos and the major figures in her trial, notably heradoptive mother and her unbelievably sleazy and incompetent lawyer (his “Dr. Legal” ad markshim as the legal equivalent of Dr. Nick Riviera). Then there’s the issue of police corruption. Allin all, essential viewing, especially in conjunction with the later film (which shows that, at thevery least said la…
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In Praise of Older Women
Posted in Disc Reviews by David Annandale on October 6th, 2004
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Synopsis
Tom Berenger plays Andras Vayda, a young man growing up in post-war Hungary. He isboth precociously sexual and completely at sea with girls his own age, and at 16 becomes thelover of Karen Black. He then has a succession of older mistresses, including Susan Strasberg asa revolutionary in the heady days of the unsuccessful Hungarian uprising against the Communistsin the late 50s. He then moves to Canada, where his adventures continue.
The tale of sexual adventures pl…
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Ghosts of Edendale, The
Posted in Disc Reviews by David Annandale on October 6th, 2004
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Synopsis
A young couple (Stephen Wastell and Paula Ficara) move from the East Coast to LA withdreams of writing screenplays. Their new house is on a hill that was once part of Tom Mix’sHollywood studio, and all their neighbours are in the movie business in one way or another.Ficara is recovering from a nervous breakdown, and when she begins to see ghosts, she assumes,at first, that she is having a relapse. But then Wastell not only becomes inhumanly productive,banging out a script i…
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The Simpsons – The Complete Fifth Season
Posted in News and Opinions by Archive Authors on October 6th, 2004
Fox will finally release the complete fifth season of The Simpsons on December 21st. Each episode will be presented in 1.33:1 fullscreen transfers, along with English Dolby Digital 5.1 and both Spanish and French Dolby Digital 2.0 audio tracks. Extras will include a commentary tracks on 6 episodes (by Matt Groening and his associates), animatics and storyboards with illustrated commentary, commercials, Tree House of Horror Sketches and deleted scenes. If more extras are announced, we will let you know.
I Wanna Hold Your Hand
Posted in Disc Reviews by David Annandale on October 4th, 2004
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Synopsis
It’s 1964 and The Beatles are about to make their first appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show.Teenage girls are losing their minds. We focus on four (with two boys in tow) who head off toNew York to try to crash the show and meet the band. Our heroines are the Shrieking Fan, theWould-Be Photographer, the New-Fiancee-Who-Has-Other-Things-On-Her-Mind and theBeatles-Hater.
This was a bomb in 1978, perhaps because it wasn’t hugely different from the sort of thing…
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War Room, The
Posted in Disc Reviews by David Annandale on October 4th, 2004
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Synopsis
This is a fly-on-the-wall documentary that follows Bill Clinton’s presidential campaign fromDemocratic primaries to the White House. This piece also made stars of sorts out of campaignmanage James Carville and communications director George Stephanopoulos, with the formerbeing an especially larger-than-life character. There is no narration, and pretty good knowledgeof how the American political system works is helpful, not to mention a sharp memory of thecon…
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Three Faces of Eve, The
Posted in Disc Reviews by David Annandale on October 4th, 2004
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Synopsis
Psychiatrist Lee J. Cobb is visited by Joanne Woodward and husband David Wayne. She ishaving spells during which she cannot remember what she gets up to. It turns out that she has amultiple personality disorder, and when repressed, demure housewife Eve White fades out ofthe picture, teasing minx Eve Black steps out. Hubby, who is neither the most sympathetic northe smartest cookie going, cannot understand what’s going on, but Cobb does his best to help.Woodward’s wife spira…
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Heartlands
Posted in Disc Reviews by David Annandale on October 4th, 2004
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Synopsis
Michael Sheen plays Colin, a very ineffectual but well-meaning sort, who is obsessed bydarts and has a bored wife. When she takes off with the captain of Colin’s dart team, Colindecides to travel to Blackpool (“the Las Vegas of the North”) to win her back. He mounts hisscooter and heads off on a picaresque adventure, and each encounter he has along the way hasa transformative effect.
I confess, I had my reservations. The first act is set in what is rapidly becoming …
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Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle
Posted in News and Opinions by Archive Authors on October 4th, 2004
On January 4th, New Line will release separate Rated and Unrated editions of Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle. Both releases will feature a 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer along with an English Dolby Digital 5.1 audio track. Extras will include two audio commentaries (teh first with director Danny Leiner and actors John Cho and Kal Penn, the second with writers Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg), deleted scenes, “Back Seat” Interviews, an “Art of the Fart” sound documentary, Cast & Crew: Drive-Thru Bites,…
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Sony: 0 Fair Use: 1
Posted in News and Opinions by Archive Authors on October 4th, 2004
In the firm’s latest reversal, Sony has abandoned anti-copying technology on CD’s. The corporate claim is that the anti-piracy message has been communicated, and such measures are not really necessary. Now – consider also that Sony recently announced that it will allow the playback of native MP3 in its digital music players, and a somewhat different message is communicated: Sony figures they can make more money selling music and hardware that allows consumers the freedom to do with their media as they please. Too bad it…
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Collateral
Posted in News and Opinions by Archive Authors on October 1st, 2004
DreamWorks will release the Tom Cruise / Jamie Foxx thriller Collateral on December 14th. This 2-disc set will be presented in a 2.40:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer, along with English DTS 5.1, Dolby Digital 5.1, & Dolby Digital 2.0 audio tracks. The “extras” information is a little sketchy at this time, but we do know that this disc will include at least three featurettes (“City Of Night: The Making of Collateral”, “Tom Cruise and Jamie Foxx Rehearse” & “Visual FX: MTA Train”), as well as deleted scenes and t…
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You Bet Your Life — The Best Episodes
Posted in Disc Reviews by David Annandale on September 30th, 2004
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Synopsis
Groucho Marx hosted this popular game show for 14 years, and this set collects 18 episodes.The way the game works is as follows: a paired set of contestants comes out, and Grouchobanters with them, having fun with whatever way these people are unusual (and they frequentlyare). Then they are asked a series of questions. If they get four right, they win a thousand dollars,and have the opportunity to return at the end of the show to risk the money for a bigger pr…
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Track Down
Posted in Disc Reviews by David Annandale on September 30th, 2004
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Synopsis
Kevin Mitnick (Skeet Ulrich) is cyberoutlaw supreme, breaking into computer networksright, left and centre. The police are trying to catch him, but our hopelessly outclassed. Mitnickencounters an opponent more worthy of his talents when he hacks into the files of securityconsultant Tsutomu Shimomura (Russell Wong). The latter uses his own formidable computerskills to track Mitnick, but meanwhile Mitnick is busy trying to crack the encryption on one ofShimomura’s files, a pr…
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Breakin’ all the Rules
Posted in Disc Reviews by David Annandale on September 30th, 2004
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Synopsis
Dumped on the night he was to announce his engagement, Jamie Foxx turns his pain into abestselling breakup manual. When his cousin, Morris Chestnut, thinks his girlfriend GabrielleUnion is going to break up with him, Foxx is enlisted to help, which leads to a massive chainreaction of mistaken identities and misunderstandings.
The structure is clearly and consciously that of a classical farce. Though the film neverachieves the proper frenzy requires of a farc…
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DVD Format Wars – MODS disc enters the DVD fray
Posted in News and Opinions by Archive Authors on September 29th, 2004
A new technology capable of storing the equivalent of 100 DVDs on a single DVD-size disc has been unveiled by researchers from London’s Imperial College.
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Posted in Disc Reviews by David Annandale on September 27th, 2004
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Synopsis
Jim Carrey wakes up on Valentine’s Day in a funk. On the spur of the moment, he takes offto Montauk, where he meets Kate Winslet. Sparks fly, and a relationship seems about to be born.We suddenly flash back in time, and realize that, though they no longer remember it, these twohave previously had a relationship. When it collapsed, Winslet availed herself of the services ofLacuna, a company that erases unpleasant memories. Carrey has been removed from hermemory. Dist…
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Young Adam
Posted in Disc Reviews by David Annandale on September 27th, 2004
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Synopsis
Ewan McGregor and Peter Mullan are barge workers, and one morning they fish the corpseof a young woman out of the river Clyde. McGregor tries to put the body out of his mind byseducing Mullan’s wife, Tilda Swinton. We soon learn, however, that McGregor knows moreabout the body than he lets on: the dead woman’s name is Cathy, and she is an old girlfriend ofhis. In fact, he knows how she died, and he is even more disturbed when a man he knows to beinnocent is charged with mur…
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