Carrie
Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on September 17th, 2001
Intro
“If you have a taste for terror, you have a date with CARRIE.” So intones the original theatrical trailer for 1976’s “Carrie,” Brian de Palma’s cinematic adaptation of Stephen King’s identically named novel. This is a revenge story: Carrie is a high school student (at “Bates High” – yes this did come out after Psycho) who is tormented by her peers for her lack of physical prowess, weird family, homeliness, et cetera. Her contemporaries mysteriously overlook that fact that she is telekinetic and can…
Read More
Terminator
Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on September 15th, 2001
Intro
Forget the “blue-lightning = naked guy” time transport system; you can do real time travel in your living room with MGM’s “The Terminator SE.” Step back to a time before Linda Hamilton started taking steroids, and before Arnold Schwarzenegger stopped. A time when guys (Michael Biehn = “Kyle Reese”) wanted to look like Sting, and CGI animation didn’t even exist. Yes, step back into the terrifying stop-motion world of James Cameron’s “The Terminator” in this superb re-release.
The…
Read More
Blob, The (1988)
Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on September 12th, 2001
Intro
In the wake of the successful remake of The Fly came this retread of the 1958 B-picture classic.
Synopsis
A meteor crashes to the ground just outside the town of Arborville. An old man pokes at it, releasing a crimson blob that goes on the rampage, growing ever larger as it consumes every living thing in its path. Can the courageous high school kids, led by rebel biker Kevin Dillon, save the day?
Audio
In this day and age when mono films are being remixed into …
Read More
Bride, The
Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on September 12th, 2001
Intro
This is something of a surprise: a rather nice presentation of a film almost universally characterized as misbegotten.
Synopsis
An non-horror remake of what many consider the greatest horror film ever made, James Whale’s Bride of Frankenstein (1935), this film sees Charles (Charles?!) Frankenstein (Sting) make a female creature, Eva (Jennifer Beals). Both Frankenstein and his male creature Viktor (Clancy Brown) fall in love with Eva. Both creatures struggle to establish their ow…
Read More
Survivor Season 2
Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on September 11th, 2001
Intro
Everybody’s favorite reality based television show has come to video for the second time, courtesy of Paramount. Unfortunately this is not the complete second season of Survivor, only a “best of” compellation. We are introduced to the contestants that we have all come to either love (Elizabeth & Colby) or hate (Jerri & Kimmi), and are shown some of their footage from the show and the entry videos that the contestants submitted.
Audio
I would call the audio on this disc “made fo…
Read More
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on September 4th, 2001
Posted in Disc Reviews by Carly Peters
Intro
Can you believe that this film is the pre-cursor to the highly popular television show? It is really entertaining to compare the film to the t.v. show, but unfortunately this film did not receive a great treatment on DVD. I am sure you can figure out the premise, but here is the film’s synopsis courtesy of Fox…
Synopsis
“Blonde, bouncy Buffy (Kristy Swanson) is your typical high school cheerleader – her goal is to “marry Christian Slater and die” and nothing gets in her way …
Read More
Kramer vs. Kramer
Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on August 30th, 2001
Intro
I have seen many fabulous restorations of old films in the past, and even though this restoration does not compare to that of Lawrence of Arabia or Gandhi, Columbia-Tristar did a really good job. Unfortunately, this Academy Award winning Best Picture did not get the DVD release it deserved. If you have not seen his film, here is a synopsis from the press release:
Synopsis
“KRAMER VS. KRAMER is a story of contemporary relationships, values and choices. Returning home late from w…
Read More
Simpsons: The Complete First Season
Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on August 30th, 2001
Posted in Disc Reviews by Carly Peters
Intro
Everyone’s favorite dysfunctional family is releasing a box set of the season that started it all. The Simpsons: The Complete First Seasons includes 13 episodes on three discs and is filled with lots of goodies, including some never before seen footage of an episode creator Matt Groening wishes he could forget.
Audio
To me the audio was no great shakes. There were moments when sound effects were really clear and realistic, i.e. Homer banging his head against a metal pole, while…
Read More
Gandhi
Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on August 30th, 2001
After watching this epic film, I could see why it was the winner of multiple Academy Awards including Best Picture. I have to thank Columbia-Tristar for presenting this film in a DVD release that actually enhances the viewing experience of this amazing picture. Sure, the 190 minute running time is not for those with no patience, but it is definitely worth watching.
Synopsis
The biography of Mohandas K. Gandhi, who rose from a small-time lawyer to India’s spiritual leader through his philosophy of…
Read More
Proximity
Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on August 9th, 2001
Posted in Disc Reviews by Carly Peters
Intro
This straight to DVD release by Columbia-Tristar was an average film, but a lack-luster DVD. Here is a little bit about the premise by Columbia-Tristar…
Synopsis
“When William Conroy (Rob Lowe), a former college professor, is sentenced to life in prison for vehicular manslaughter it seems his life is over. But, when a fellow inmate tells Conroy that in the past two years fourteen inmates have died at the prison, and then turns up dead the next day, Conroy realizes he is in more…
Read More
Everlasting Piece, An
Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on August 3rd, 2001
Intro
It never ceases to amaze me the amount of effort that DreamWorks puts into each and every one of their DVD releases. Not having heard of this film before, I was not sure what to expect from the DVD release. But DreamWorks came though, and even though An Everlasting Piece is a very non-mainstream film, it is still given a great treatment on DVD. What DreamWorks does best, in my opinion, is create fabulous menus, great picture quality, and best of all, amazing sound quality. Just so you have an u…
Read More
4 for Texas
Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on July 30th, 2001
Intro
This was the last of the notable Rat Pack films. No more Sinatra and Martin after this, only dire stuff with Sammy Davis Jr. and Peter Lawford.
Synopsis
We’re in pretty familiar territory here. Call it Rat Maverick. Sinatra and Martin are cowboys engaged in jocular warfare over big money and the riverboat scene. They don’t really want to kill each other. Victor Buono and Charles Bronson, on the other hand, DO want to put paid to our heroes. Anita Ekberg and Ursula Andress provide…
Read More