Sugar Hill
Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on March 8th, 2003
Let me admit from the start I have an almost pathological fear of needles. This means I watched several minutes of this film with my eyes closed. If you share the phobia this is not a DVD for you. Sugar Hill has a lot of unfulfilled potential. The acting is mostly first rate and the story is often compelling. The producers mucked it up with too many Godfather clichés from the “I’m your older brother and I was stepped over” to Snipes coming of age at a baptism. Even AbeVigoda shows us what Tessio would have turned into if he hadn’t taken that “ride”.
Beauty And The Beast – Belle’s Magical World
Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on March 8th, 2003
This is a collection of short stories set in the world of Beauty and the Beast featuring Belle, Beast, Cogsworth, Lumiere and a continuing cast of characters as they explore the castle. With all new songs and all of your favorite characters from the original film this is sure to delight any of the kids in your family.
Video
The film features very good quality cell type animation with an image just short of the quality you would see in one of Disney’s feature animation films. Colors are vibr…
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Claudine
Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on March 8th, 2003
When this movie first came out in 1974 I think it probably caused a stir and was maybe even labeled “controversial”. We have the story of Claudine (played by Diahann Carroll) a struggling Harlem mother with 6 children to support; she collects welfare and works under the table on the side as a maid for a wealthy family. She meets a charming garbage man named Roop (James Earl Jones, much younger and thinner then I have ever seen him) who is struggling with his own life trials which makes him slow to respond to her invi…
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MTV – Real World You Never Saw: Las Vegas
Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on March 8th, 2003
I’ve got a confession. I just don’t get it. The Real World lays claim to being one of the first “reality” shows, dating back almost ten years. If you get off on watching a group of 7 twenty-somethings pretending to be spontaneous while basically either making out or grossing out, then this DVD is for you. This particular version is a season that was deemed too “hot” for broadcast TV so never appeared on MTV.
On the Run
Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on March 4th, 2003
Synopsis
Albert is not a people person. He doesn’t enjoy his job as a travel agent, doesn’t travelhimself, and doesn’t want to go out. All he wants to do is stay at home and be left alone.Unfortunately, his childhood friend Louis, who was always good at getting him into trouble,breaks out of prison two weeks before his sentence is up, and calls up Albert, dragging himwilly-nilly into After Hours-style misadventures.
Audio
The sound (in a 2.0 mix, from all av…
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Unsavory Characters
Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on March 3rd, 2003
Synopsis
For the first twenty-five minutes, we are in 1950 Havana, where a typical noir tale of crimeand betrayal unfolds. Then we shift into colour, and discover that the hero of the first film, EricA. Leffler, is actually a writer of pulp fiction, and what we saw was the first part of his currentnovel, one that he doesn’t know how to finish. Before long, he gets caught up in a “real-life” noiradventure. This is a very, very low-budget exercise, but its ambitions are admirable, and i…
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Inspector Gadget 2
Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on March 3rd, 2003
Inspector Gadget returns to take on the nefarious Dr. Claw who has just escaped from prison in small town Riverton. Throw into the mix an all new and improved G2…all-robot, all-tech and all-female gadget and we have the potential for a ton of fun. Inspector Gadget (this time around played by French Stewart and G2 (Elaine Hendrix) are set to save the world with help from Penny, her dog Brain and the tricked-out Gadgetmobile.
Video
Full bright and colorful scenes and characters the quality o…
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Auteur Theory, The
Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on March 3rd, 2003
Synopsis
George Sand is a documentary filmmaker, and quite conceited about the fact. He comes tothe US from the UK to shoot a documentary about the 2nd Mike Wong Film Festival. Curiously,all of the competitors at the festival, each of which worked on Wong’s last movie before he died,start being murdered one by one. Sand decides to uncover the murderer. This is a cheerfully sillylow-budget film, loaded with hilarious send-ups of student films. The sense of the absurd isnicely underst…
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101 Dalmatians 2 – Patch’s London Adventure
Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on March 3rd, 2003
The lovable animated puppies from 1961 are back in their all new direct to video release just for the kids. The TV obsessed Patch heads of to London to find the star of his favorite TV show Thunderbolt. The star of Thunderbolt is about to be fired and he decides that the only way to save his job is to become a real life hero, so with Patches in tow he sets of for the streets on London. Creulla De Vil returns on probation for her previous bad deeds, still determined to steal the puppies and brings new henchman Lars with her after springing Horace and Jasper from jail.
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Howards of Virginia, The
Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on March 2nd, 2003
Synopsis
Young Matt Howard’s father goes off to help the British fight the French and Indian Warsin Ohio, apparently in the cause of liberty, and is killed. Years later, Matt has grown up into CaryGrant (hellishly miscast and looking utterly ridiculous in his Daniel Boone getup). He becomesa surveyor, still imbued with his father’s political ideals and marries into an aristocratic andconservative family. Tensions rise and decisions must be made once the War of Independencebegins. Th…
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Eighteenth Angel, The
Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on March 2nd, 2003
Synopsis
An ancient clock is has almost finished its countdown to the return of Lucifer to Earth.Helping out is a cult led by an over-the-top Maximilian Schell. Schell and company have theireyes set on Rachael Leigh Cook as the vessel who will facilitate the devil’s return. What youhave here is recycled Omen crossed with Rosemary’s Baby, and a bit of cloning thrown in forgood measure. We’ve been here before, in much more elaborate films. Still, the film is ratherengaging in its very…
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Gentleman Bandit, The
Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on March 2nd, 2003
Synopsis
Brooklyn-to-the-core thief Nick (Charlie Mattera) is betrayed by his friend Manny (PeterGreene), who is jealous of his love with Maria (Justine Miceli). Released from prison years later,Nick moves to LA, where he re-connects with Maria. Maria had married Manny (who is nowa brutal cop), but the two have since split. Nick is also taken under the wing of Harry (EdLauter), an aging gentleman bandit, who trains Nick to be a more elegant criminal than he hasbeen until now. The fi…
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Mostly Martha
Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on March 1st, 2003
Synopsis
Martha is the highly strung, control-freak chef at a top restaurant. Her organized life isthrown into chaos when her sister is killed in a car accident, leaving Martha to look after her littleniece Lina. Lina, understandably traumatized, refuses to eat. Meanwhile, Martha feels that herposition at the restaurant is threatened by newcomer Mario. Soon, though, she realizes that Mariohas other, more romantic goals in mind. Though witty, the film does not shy away from the realp…
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Equus
Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on March 1st, 2003
Synopsis
Peter Firth is a young man who has just blinded six horses. Institutionalized, he comes underthe care of psychiatrist Richard Burton. As he digs away, slowly uncovering what led Firth tothis breakdown, Burton comes perilously close to a breakdown himself. Though much-lauded,this is really a rather silly film, with the performances pitched way over the top, and thepsychodrama truly hysterical (when it isn’t hilarious). The stage origins are painfully obvious,and what worked …
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Salaam Bombay!
Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on March 1st, 2003
Synopsis
We’re a long way from the escapist song-and-dance numbers that characterize so manyIndian films. Salaam Bombay! is set on the mean streets of Bombay, with special focuson the street children living there. The main character is Krishna, who tries to make a life forhimself, but circumstances push him towards crime. Many of the roles are actually played byhomeless children.
Audio
The soundtrack (in Hindi) comes in both the original mono and in a…
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El Dorado
Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on February 28th, 2003
posted by Marc Atonna
Film
Mitchum and Wayne are joined by a very young James Caan in this western tale of a few very talented fighters fighting a group of evil businessmen and cattle barons. Mitchum is the drunken sheriff who trades one crutch for another. Wayne plays an old friend with a fast gun and a bum right arm. Caan is a young expert with the knife, but needs a shotgun to hit the side of a barn.
The first hour introduces the bad guys and establishes the relationships and weaknesses of the good guys. …
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Cactus Flower
Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on February 28th, 2003
posted by Marc Atonna
Film
Goldie won the best supporting actress Academy Award as a ditsy, blonde mistress. Not bad for a debut. Goldie starts the film with her suicide attempt foiled by a neighbor (who unknowingly gives a great James Stewart impression). Matthau thinks he has the perfect love scenario. He has a stuffy secretary (Bergman) who keeps his life in order and a fling (Goldie) he keeps in check by telling her about a non-existent wife and kids.
As with all successful romantic comedies, a wrench has…
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Quitting
Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on February 27th, 2003
Synopsis
Jia Hongsheng was a rising actor in the Chinese film scene, until drugs derailed his life. Thefilm chronicles his struggle to break his addiction to heroin, and the role his family plays in thisstruggle. What makes this film unique is that not only is the story factual, but all of the charactersare played by the actual people in question: that’s the real Jia Hongshen, those are his realparents, those are his real friends. Fascinating.
Audio
Very nic…
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1984
Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on February 27th, 2003
Synopsis
Welcome to Oceania in 1984, the last word in totalitarian regimes. Winston Smith, a lowlevel functionary, engages in two kinds of thought crime: he falls in love, and he questions BigBrother. The film is as compellingly and utterly bleak as the novel. The vision of future isactually a vision of the past: Oceania is a worst-case version of late-40s Britain. This approach isbrilliant, because, as a result, the film does not date, and its chilling warning, in these days ofTota…
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Glory Daze
Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on February 26th, 2003
I doubt the makers of the current Daredevil film took one look at Glory Daze and said, “We’ve got to have that guy.” Glory Daze is a mindless romp through the last weeks of a group of frat-like college students. If you’re interested in plots, solid acting, and quality cinematography, this really isn’t your film. If, however, a cheap imitation of Animal House sounds like a good way to spend an hour and a half, look no further.
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Sunrise
Posted in Disc Reviews by David Annandale on February 26th, 2003
Synopsis
A city vamp seduces a country man and convinces him to kill his wife. At the moment heis about to commit the crime, he finds he cannot go through with it. We then follow the husbandand wife through the course of their reconciliation. Put this way, the film sounds flat and boring,but the poetry of its simplicity, imagery and performances is overwhelming. (There’s a stormsequence that must be one of the greatest storms in the movies.) This is emphatically one of thegreat clas…
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Journey to the Center of the Earth
Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on February 25th, 2003
Synopsis
Irascible Scottish scientist James Mason discovers evidence that an explorer made thejourney of the title. Determined to do likewise, Mason sets off for Iceland (there to descend avolcanic crater that will lead to the centre of the Earth) in the company of Pat Boone (whoseaccent must be heard to be believed). Along the way, they are joined by feisty widow ArleneDahl and towering Icelander Peter Ronson. They are not alone in their journey, however, andthey must confront huma…
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Quest for Fire
Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on February 25th, 2003
Synopsis
The time is 80,000 years ago. Our focus is tribespeople who value fire deeply, but do notknow how to make it. When they are attacked by a rival, far more simian, group, they lose theirfire. A trio of friends (Everett McGill, Nameer El-Kadi, and Ron Perlman, a man who doesn’tneed much make-up to look prehistoric) head off on a search for new fire. During theirquest, they encounter a cannibal tribe, and hook up with Rae Dawn Chong, a prisoner of thecannibals and member of a m…
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Stargate
Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on February 25th, 2003
Why is there yet another DVD of Stargate? This time it really is an improvement. The Ultimate Edition contains a director’s cut which is about 16 minutes longer than the original. If you like the original better, a second disc is included which contains the original cut. This was Devlin and Emmerich’s first real blockbuster. I found Independence Day and The Patriot to be better films, but Stargate has its moments. It’s a little hard for me to accept Kurt Russell as Jack O’Neal after 7 years of Richard Dean Anderson.
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Road House
Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on February 23rd, 2003
Road House is one long bar brawl interrupted occasionally by a thread of a plot line. Patrick Swayze is the offered marquee name, but better performances can be found from Ben Gazzara, best known for his portrayal of Al Capone, Sam Elliott, and even Kevin Tigue. The music is the only thing that keeps this one interesting. Jeff Healey stars as the bar’s regular musician and treats us to some of his best music.
Synopsis
Daulton (Swayze) is hired to clean up a rowdy redneck bar.
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