Dracula
Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on May 16th, 2002
“Among the rugged peaks that frown upon the Borgo Pass are found crumbling castles of a bygone age.” Carla Laemmle read these the first words ever spoken in a horror film that featured sound in the opening moments of Dracula. The film was based more on the Broadway play version of Dracula than the famous Bram Stoker novel. Who better to play the Count than the young Hungarian actor who immortalized him on the stage, Bela Lugosi? Lugosi brought more immortality to Dracula than the blood of his victims.
Read More
Rambo Trilogy
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 Northwest. Harassment by an unsympathetic small-town sheriff brings on nasty flashbacks of torture at the hands of the Viet Cong; after busting out of the jail where he has …
Read More
Frankenstein
Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on May 14th, 2002
Bela Lugosi had become the heir apparent to Lon Chaney, Sr. as Universal’s horror king with the extraordinary success of Dracula. When the studio decided that Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein would be its next vehicle, Lugosi adamantly turned down the role of the monster. He felt that the role was doomed to failure, mainly because there was no dialogue and that audiences would not relate to the character. Enter a little known character actor from England to fill the monster’s shoes, and the name Boris Karloff would eventually eclipse Universal’s reigning king of horror.
Read More
Desert Rats
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. Though his toughness doesn’t endear him to his him, Burton nevertheless whips them into combat and commando troops.
The characters are familiar. Burton’s comm…
Read More
To the Shores of Tripoli
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 knows what Scott should be capable of; or court sensible nurse Maureen O’Hara (who also expects more of Scott than he does of himself).
Don’t approach this hoping for an action flick. Despite t…
Read More
Intimacy
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 left his family some years ago, in a fit of what appears to have been existential ennui/sexual angst. Now he lives in a run-down house, and is visited every Wednesday by woman with whom he has sex.
Read More
Slackers
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 plays an absolutely insane collage student infatuated with a girl beyond his means. Enough for my rambling, here is the synopsis…
“Crafty room…
Read More
Lost In Space
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 stellar special effects and a much more logical plot than the campy 60’s show, Lost In Space had promise. What New Line failed to understand was the cheese cardboard effects and zipper-toting aliens spun around a totally ridiculous plot was the true charm of Lost In Space.
Read More
Belphegor – Phantom of the Louvre
Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on May 9th, 2002
Another recent big-budget French production to hit these shores, this, along with Brotherhood of the Wolves, makes for an interesting comparison with American blockbusters.
Synopsis
A sinister mummy case is discovered in a disused vault of the Louvre. The expedition that originally found the mummy was decimated, and now the mysterious deaths begin again. Living across the street from the Louvre is Sophie Marceau (most recently seen by North American audiences in The World Is Not Enough), wh…
Read More
Brotherhood, The
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 the Cosa Nostra. From the States comes his brother, who wants to make his name with the mob. His assignment, as it turns out, is to kill Douglas. Set entirely in rura…
Read More
Memento
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 me tell you, once you have found the Easter egg that contains the film played sequentially, this film will take on a whole new life.
“In MEMENTO, Guy Pearce (“L.A. Confidential”)…
Read More
Atlantic City
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 hustles are strictly nickle-and-dime operations. Burt Lancaster is an ageing small-time gangster. Susan Sarandon works the food counter in a casino, and is trainin…
Read More
Marilyn Monroe – Diamond Collection Vol. II
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 the woman is not as stable as perhaps she should be. A unique thriller featuring a rare dramatic performance from Monroe, illustrating a broader range than most people might …
Read More
Frequency
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 chemistry between father and son even though for most of the film they are never actually together. The baseball theme, for me, adds warmth that makes the relationship play out like a common memory.
Read More
M
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 course, along-side Bogart in The Maltese Falcon and Casablanca. M is a disturbing film that constantly assaults the viewer with stark images of a city’s underworld life. Th…
Read More
Jurassic Park
Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on April 20th, 2002
“Welcome to Jurassic Park”. With those words begin an adventure that started with the legacy of Willis O’Brien’s “The Lost World”… which would lead to Steven Spielberg to acknowledge this connection with the title of Jurassic Park 2. Dinosaur films are nothing new; they have held our child-like fascination since the industry was born. Jurassic Park was, however, something very new when it thundered into our cineplexes and forever in our imaginations. The marriage of brand new CGI technology with Stan Winston’s superbly detailed animatronics models transport you back 65 million years in time.
Read More
From Hell
Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on April 17th, 2002
Intro
Fox has done it once again! From Hell is not the greatest of films, but this DVD release makes this film a must own.
Film
“FROM HELL is a gory detective film cloaked in Victorian-era mystique. The movie shows how the serial killer Jack the Ripper stalked the dark streets of 1888 London, slaying prostitutes and crudely dissecting their bodies. Based on the graphic novel written by Alan Moore and Eddie Campbell, this moody chiller is directed by twin brothers Albert and…
Read More
Best Men
Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on April 17th, 2002
The case features Drew Barrymore front and centre, but don’t be misled. This is a 1997 effort, and Barrymore’s star was still on the (re)ascension. She has a supporting role in this crime story, yet another smart-aleck tale to come in the wake of Quentin Tarantino.
Synopsis
Luke Wilson (doing his best Nicolas Cage impression) has just been released from prison. He is picked up by his friends to be driven to the church to marry Drew Barrymore, but along the way, one of them (Patrick Flannery) decide…
Read More
Stargate SG-1 – The Complete First Season
Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on April 16th, 2002
Let me start off by being very honest. I was not a huge fan of the Devlin and Emerich film version of Stargate. And because I wasn’t into the film, I did not bother to watch the Showtime original series when it first debuted. That was a major mistake on my behalf. The series is closer to Star Trek than Stargate (the movie). The cast is excellent beginning with Richard Dean Anderson taking over the Mike Douglas role of Col. O’Neal. With a refreshing blend of wit and tough guy, Anderson is everything you want in a le…
Read More
X-Files – The Complete Fifth Season
Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on April 14th, 2002
The X-Files is one of those TV shows that lends itself very well to the DVD format. Its insanely complicated mythos and attendant continuity makes it a show where extras actually make sense. (Does anyone REALLY need Ally McBeal commentary?)
Synopsis
The fifth season is the one that led up to the release of the feature film, so it functions something like an extended prologue. Among the notable stand-alone stories, however, is “Kill Switch,” scripted by William Gibson. This season also saw the Lone …
Read More
Thief of Hearts
Posted in Disc Reviews by David Annandale on April 12th, 2002
Let’s take a little trip down memory lane, shall we? Follow me back to that bygone era known as the eighties. Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer were consolidating their formula for slick, commercial fluff, Harold Faltermeyer’s synthesized scores were inescapable, and Steven Bauer actually rated star billing.
Synopsis
Steven Bauer is a professional cat-burglar, aided and managed by cocaine-sniffing restaurant employee David Caruso (looking geekily young). On one particular job, Bauer finds, amid hi…
Read More
The Cell
Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on April 10th, 2002
Let me start off by saying that “The Cell” is not for the timid. It can be as disturbing as it is visually stunning. On the surface this is a serial killer thriller but in reality the film is much more. Elements of suspense and graphic horror combine with a science fiction premise that one can enter the dreams of another person. It’s hard not to make comparisons with the 1980’s film “Dreamscape”; both have created elaborate larger than life dream worlds where if you die in your dream you die in reality. “The Cell” goes much further with its stark contrasts of often gritty environments followed by lavish and brightly colored settings.
Galaxy Quest
Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on April 9th, 2002
Anyone who has been to a Star Trek convention will have heightened appreciation for Galaxy Quest. George Takei, who played Sulu on the original Trek, was asked about the film at a convention and he responded, “That was real. I know that guy played by Tim Allen”. There are many classic parodies of science fiction films but I think this is one of the most entertaining.
Synopsis
The cast of the cult classic sci-fi series Galaxy Quest are now relegated to convention hell. They aren’t really fond of each other but stay together because they need the money.
Read More
Independence Day
Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on March 27th, 2002
This film has been met with mixed but mostly rave reviews (Maltin only gives it 2.5 stars) since it was released. I loved it. It wasn’t just the spaceships and groundbreaking effects but the well-rounded cast that makes this film a future classic for me. Goldblume’s quirky nerd works perfectly here (more than it did in Jurassic Park), Quaid is a simple joy, Will Smith showed that he has grown out of the “Fresh Prince” stereotype, and anyone who thought Judd Hirsh wasn’t anything more than Taxi’s Alex must have been awed by his performance.
Read More
Jurassic Park II: Lost World
Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on March 25th, 2002
“Welcome back to Jurassic Park”. How do you make a blockbuster better? The simple answer is: You don’t. The story for this one is about as contrived as a good Godzilla film. Call it the politically correct Jurassic Park. The high point, however, is bigger, better, and cooler dinosaurs. The T-Rex and raptors are back but now they’re joined by dozens of new species to gape at. The movie is actually fine until the ending. What was Spielberg thinking? Substitute Tokyo for San Diago and we’ve seen it too many times before done better.