Best of the Power Rangers – The Ultimate Rangers
Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on April 8th, 2003
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Synopsis
Five Power Rangers adventures, three of which are two-parters, add up to almost three hours-worth of material. The cheerful super-powered teens go up against the regular batch of rubber-suited bad guys. If you want your kids to develop an early appreciation of camp, this is just theticket. If you’re not already familiar with the basic premise of the series, the plot lines could be alittle confusing.
Audio
Ouch. The 2.0 surround is a very harsh mix. …
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What to Do in Case of Fire
Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on April 7th, 2003
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Synopsis
In 1986, a group of anarchists cobble together a home-made bomb and plant it in a hatedbuilding. Something goes wrong with the mechanism, and the bomb doesn’t go off until 2000, bywhich point most of the group have moved on with their lives. The fact that they filmedthemselves making the bomb presents a problem, however, and the reunited group must find away to break into police headquarters to recover the incriminating evidence. This film is not ablanket condemnation of se…
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Adventures of Pluto Nash, The
Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on April 7th, 2003
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Synopsis
Eddie Murphy is Pluto Nash, ex-smuggler, now owner of the Moon’s most successful nightclub. He refuses to sell his business to mysterious casino operator Rick Crater, with the resultthat his club is blown up, and various and sundry goons are after him. What follows is all sortsof barely motivated running around sets that appear to have waltzed off outtakes from TotalRecall. The film makes little sense, isn’t very funny, isn’t very exciting, and doesn’t have verygood special…
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Secret Ballot
Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on April 6th, 2003
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Synopsis
In a beautiful opening shot, a plane flies across the screen at sunrise, parachuting a box tothe ground. The in the case is a ballot box, and a solider stationed on a deserted beach is to watchover the election agent who comes for the box. Together they criss-cross the island in search ofvotes, which is not the straightforward task you might think. This is very low-key satire, whereevery nuance counts for something. The extremely long, often motionless takes furtherconcentr…
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Brown Sugar
Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on April 5th, 2003
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Synopsis
Sanaa Lathan is a music journalist, and Taye Diggs is a hip-hop star. They’ve been friendssince childhood, but not a romantic couple. Diggs is about to get married to someone else, whichcauses Lathan to reconsider her feelings. The naturalism of the performances and the importanceof the setting make this a refreshing break from too many cookie-cutter romances.
Audio
The environmental effects aren’t bad, with decent use of sound effects. The music, how…
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Path to War
Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on April 5th, 2003
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Synopsis
Elected with the greatest majority of any US president, Lyndon Johnson (Michael Gambon,who will be replacing Richard Harris as Professor Dumbledore) begins his administration withgreat hopes for the positive transformation of American society. But he listens to the wrongpeople about Vietnam (Alec Baldwin instead of Donald Sutherland), and little by little everythinggets swallowed up by the war. Though long, this is one compelling drama, and much of thedialogue is spooky in …
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White Oleander
Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on April 4th, 2003
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Synopsis
Alison Lohman is the daughter of the chillingly beautiful Michelle Pfeiffer. Dangerouslyself-possessed, Pfeiffer murders her boyfriend when he cheats on her, and is sentenced to 35-years-to-life. Lohman then bounces from one foster home to another, and among her fostermothers are Robin Wright Penn (as a born-again ex-stripper) and Renee Zellweger (as a fragileformer actress). Tragedy and hardship are present around every bend, and as if that weren’tenough, Pfeiffer does her…
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Jonah: A Veggie Tales Movie
Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on April 4th, 2003
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Synopsis
On their way to a kid’s concert, the Veggies’ bus runs off the road, and they go for help ina seafood restaurant. At this restaurant are the “pirates who do nothing,” who teach one of theyoungsters a lesson in compassion through their tale of their adventures with Jonah. Nicelyanimated, Jonah for the most part avoids the ham-fisted didacticism that plagues many similarefforts.
Audio
A very strong, powerful mix. The music is a particular standout. Th…
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I Spy
Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on April 4th, 2003
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Synopsis
Owen Wilson is an agent for the fictional Bureau of National Security. He doesn’t have avery good track record, and so is constantly stuck with substandard equipment. He is sent toHungary to recover the Switchblade, a super-stealth plane stolen by Malcolm McDowell. He ispartnered up with egotistical boxer Eddie Murphy, and the usual buddy hijinks ensue. There issome fun to be had in the frantic action sequences, and in a Cyrano de Bergerac moment whenMurphy is trying to coa…
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Who Framed Roger Rabbit
Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on April 3rd, 2003
Originally released in 1988 this film received 4 Academy awards (Best film editing, best sound effects editing, best visual effects, special achievement in animation direction) and was the first film to feature a combination of live action and traditional cell drawn animation. Before any of the other big budget animation films of the 90’s (think the Little Mermaid, The Lion King, etc.) there was Roger Rabbit. This film spawned the animation revolution of the 90’s and there still to this day is nothing like it. One pa…
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Troop Beverly Hills
Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on April 3rd, 2003
Synopsis
A wealthy Phylis Nefler (Shelly Long) has everything money can buy, except a husband. Freddy (Craig T. Nelson) is leaving her for good unless she can prove to him that she is still the dynamic and energetic person he married. She becomes the leader of her daughters Wilderness Girls troop and heads off into the wild blue yonder.
Video
Remeastered in High Definition like a lot of the Columbia Tri-star re-releases have been lately the video quality is better then ave…
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Lucus
Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on April 3rd, 2003
Synopsis
Being the outsider at school is never an easy thing and for 14 year old Lucas who has been accelerated in his schooling it is especially difficult. He is more interested in bugs and symphonies then football and popularity. This all changes after he befriends the new girl in town during summer break, she turns into a cheerleader who only has eyes for the quarterback and Lucas will stop at nothing to get her to notice him. This includes joining the football team! A coming of age film staring C…
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Other Side of Heaven, The
Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on April 3rd, 2003
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Synopsis
Christopher Gorham plays a 19-year-old Mormon who is sent on a three-year mission toconvert the islanders of the Tonga. After some initial stumbles, he learns the local languagethanks to a four-day Bible reading marathon (that’s what it looks like, anyway), and is soon goinggreat guns, despite such hardships as a vicious rival minister and a hurricane. This is anunbelievably retrograde film. Setting aside whatever doubts one might have regarding the entiremissionary project…
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Drumline
Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on April 3rd, 2003
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Synopsis
Nick Cannon plays Devon Miles, brilliant drummer with attitude to burn, who arrives at acampus with one of the most prestigious marching bands in the US. What follows is essentially atraining film, the kind of thing you see in To the Shores of Tripoli and GI Jane, only this timemusic, rather than war, is the goal. The usual ups and downs and character conflicts are present(you can set your watch by the predictability of the script), but the performances are engaging,and the…
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Evelyn
Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on April 2nd, 2003
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Synopsis
When Pierce Brosnan’s wife up and leaves him, decamping with another man for Australia,his attempts to be a single parent are quickly derailed by the government. Since he is currentlywithout work, his children (including the title daughter Evelyn) are placed in group homes runby nuns (where Evelyn goes) and monks (where the two boys go). Once he is back on his feetfinancially, he still isn’t granted custody, as the children will not be released without the consentof both pa…
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Death to Smoochy
Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on April 1st, 2003
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Synopsis
Kiddie-show host Rainbow Randloph (Robin Williams), up to his armpits in graft, is nailedby the FBI and turfed from his slot. Replacing him is Smoochy the Rhino (Edward Norton), arelentlessly nice and upstanding individual. Being so nice makes the target not just of theobsessive and psychotic Randolph, but also of the mob (headed, in a brilliant piece of casting, byHarvey Fierstein). Almost everyone in the film is a nasty piece of work, which makes the blackhumour all the m…
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Wind
Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on March 30th, 2003
Synopsis
A rare glimpse inside a world rarely seen by outsiders we have the story of a young, brash captain (played by Matthew Modine) on a quest to reclaim the America’s Cup (that he lost) to an arrogant Australian (played by Jack Thompson). Entangled in the battle of wits on the water we also have a classic love story of two people separated by their own personal ambition and reunited by a shared dream.
Audio
I suspect that the original audio for this film was a simple …
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Bushwacked
Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on March 30th, 2003
Synopsis
Daniel Stern stars as bumbling package delivery man “Mad Max” Grabelski who finds himself on the wrong side of the law after a get rich quick scheme makes him a murder suspect. He heads for the hills and is mistaken for a world famous scout leader and things just go down hill from there. Your pretty low end stab at slap stick kids comedy this film falls short and really disappoints on all fronts
Audio
This disc has a simple Dolby stereo audio track so there is not…
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C.S.I. Crime Scene Investigation – The Complete First Season
Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on March 27th, 2003
Jerry Bruckheimer becomes yet another A-List film producer to take a shot at the television drama. I have to admit that I never gave this show a prayer of success when I first saw it three years ago. It’s not that I thought it wasn’t good. I loved it. I thought it would be too cerebral for the normal Joe six-pack audience. Boy was I wrong. CSI has become the hottest drama in prime time, and like Law and Order before it has begun to spin off into another incarnation with CSI: Miami. The characters are engaging and it seems we’re all obsessed with some morbid fascination of murder.
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Shadows Run Black
Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on March 27th, 2003
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Synopsis
Someone, variously known as the Black Angel and the Co-Ed Killer is, well, killing co-eds.All of whom knew each other. Who is responsible? And who the hell cares? This is about as badas a slasher film can get. Never mind the amateurish acting, the sub-literate script, and the awfulphotography. There’s no blood!
Audio
The sound is technically 2.0, and I suppose it is, but just barely. There is virtually no soundat all from the rear speakers, music or…
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Physical Evidence
Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on March 27th, 2003
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Synopsis
An all-around sleaze is found murdered (and the discovery of his body is, I have to admit,pretty damn funny). All sorts of evidence points to hot-tempered cop Burt Reynolds, and he ischarged with murder. Defending him is a very wooden Theresa Russell. She and Reynolds areconvinced he was framed, and they begin to dig. There are loose ends all over the place by thetime the film wraps up, but it is decently entertaining along the way.
Audio
The sound …
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Lone Star State of Mind
Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on March 27th, 2003
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Synopsis
Earl Crest (Joshua Jackson) and his (extremely feisty) girlfriend Baby (Jamie King) aregetting ready to up sticks from Texas for LA. Unfortunately, Earl’s deeply moronic cousin hasstolen a lot of money from the wrong (and dangerous people). All sorts of comical troubleensues.
Audio
A full 5.1 mix, and pretty good stuff. The music has some particularly nice echo effects,sounding as big as the state of the title. The sound effects are good too, with s…
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Midnight Crossing
Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on March 27th, 2003
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Synopsis
In 1959, US sailors stash a load of money on an island not far from Cuba. Flash forward tothe present, and one of those sailors (Daniel J. Travanti!) and his wife (poor Faye Dunaway)convince John Laughlin (the son of one of the other sailors) and his wife Kim Cattrall to sail outto get this cash. Naturally, all is not what it seems. Travanti is badly miscast as the villain, andthe plot takes so long to get in gear that you have plenty of time to realize this makes nosense.< ...
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NYPD Blue – Season One
Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on March 27th, 2003
Steven Bochco is no stranger to innovative television. Hill Street Blues is arguably the best cop show ever made. Even his failures are praised for their innovativeness and freshness. Remember Cop Rock? NYPD Blue didn’t just push the prime time envelope. It tore the envelope to pieces and blew it away with hurricane force winds. George Carlin made a career out of his “7 words you can’t say on television”. Along comes NYPD Blue and Carlin just might need a new act. Language and nudity made this the first R-Rated primetime program.
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Auto Focus
Posted in Disc Reviews by David Annandale on March 27th, 2003
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Synopsis
Greg Kinnear, in the role he was born to play, is Bob Crane. Rising to fame as ColonelHogan, Crane falls in with the slimy John Carpenter (Willem Dafoe). The two are obsessed withsex and photography, and the invention of home video is their ticket to ride. The obsessionultimately ruins both lives. Very funny in the early goings, the film gets, as you can well imagine,very dark by the end. The message, one could argue, is as puritanical as the sex=death lesson ofthe 80s slas…
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