Posted in: Disc Reviews by Michael Durr on October 28th, 2007
What happens when the reviewer who did Dante's Cove decides to tackle its vampiresque cousin, The Lair? (Besides scheduling more sessions with his psychiatrist) You get somebody who starts understanding what makes up the Here! network. We're homies, we break bread together. Just don't expect me to wear my pants that low nor participate in your late night parties. I got an image to uphold. Season one of the Lair provides something that no other show on the Here! network has proved to this point. A show where there is actual dialog and something more than a cheap excuse to show lots and lots of male on male action. Welcome to the Fang Bang.
The Lair is the story of a journalist, Thom (played by David Moretti ) who is investigating the John Doe murders when he comes across a janitor, Frankie (played by Brian Nolan) who gives him information about a club called the Lair. The Lair as it turns out is a sex club with all gay male clientèle (expect gratuitous scenes of six or seven men at a time doing things that would make Ron Jeremy walk out of the room) who have much darker secrets than their lifestyle. They are vampires. The vampires are lead by Damian (played by Peter Stickles) and Colin (played by Dylan Vox). Colin looks like he should be the double for Billy Idol's next televised concert. Seriously, I expected him to bust out with White Wedding at any moment. The story starts to get interesting when Thom's jealous boyfriend Jonathan (played by Jessie Cutlip) goes to the Lair and finds himself in a deadly situation. This leads to Thom who must keep himself alive and in the process unravel the mystery of how the John Doe murders and the Lair are connected.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on October 28th, 2007
Very few of us know A Clockwork Orange as the 1962 novel by Anthony Burgess, instead we know it as the 1971 Stanley Kubrick film adaptation. Not only did Kubrick direct this cult classic, he also wrote the adapted screenplay and produced it. There’s no doubt that Kubrick put a lot into this movie, and by now we all know the results. A Clockwork Orange is a perfect example of Kubrick’s career, highly controversial. After the cult hit 2001: A Space Odyssey, it was crucial for Kubrick to keep the audience on the edge of their seats, and what better way to do that than adapt A Clockwork Orange. There are those who would call this movie trash, and of course there are those who absolutely love it, then of course there’s everyone in between. Well A Clockwork Orange isn’t new news to me, it’s release on HD DVD already looks to impress.
The film takes place in a then futuristic England (ca. 1995) and follows the life of demented youth Alex DeLarge (Malcom McDowell, I Spy) who’s passions are Beethoven, rape, and violence. He leads a gang of thugs who share the same pleasures as him, including fights with rival gangs, beating defenseless tramps, and a violent home invasion. On another occasion while Alex should be at school he instead picks up women and takes them to bed. Eventually his gang members overthrow him and leave him knocked out at the scene of a robbery, where he is found and in turn sentenced to 14 years in prison. But after 2 years he is given the chance to be let out early if he participates in a newly formed aversion therapy technique. After time he is rendered incapable of committing violence, and returns home where everything is turned upside down. His parents have essentially replaced him, his old friends beat on him, and is incapable of fighting back. The real question at hand is, was he cured, or just made into a victim? Well if you watch the film you're sure to make your own assumptions and interpretations of its ending.
![A Clockwork Orange [HD DVD] dvd cover art](https://upcomingdiscs.com/ecs_covers/a-clockwork-orange-hd-dvd-large.jpg)
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on October 27th, 2007
The Invisible appears to have been marketed a couple of different ways when it was released in early 2007, but the most used phrase for the film appears to be “Supernatural Thriller”, which might address it to some degree if it was, you know, thrilling.
Christine Roum (Bodyguard II) co-wrote the screenplay, which David Goyer directed. Goyer has been a longtime writer, providing words to such films as Dark City, Blade and Batman Begins. And for all the good work he’s put in as a writer, you’d think he would have learned some things when it comes to directing, but ultimately, he’s just another guy who was talented in one area and needs some work in his new one.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on October 27th, 2007
I don't think any documentarian in history has been as famous as Ken Burns. His series on the Civil War is what first made him a household name, and his in depth looks at baseball, New York City and jazz are what has solidified his place in the American consciousness as the world's premiere documentary filmmaker. He is so well-respected, in fact, that his method of making still photographs interesting by zooming and panning is actually known as the Ken Burns Effect.
Burns' latest film endeavor focuses on World War II, which may be the most covered documentary subject in history. This topic should present his greatest challenge; a subject that has millions of experts and thousands of pre-existing documentaries, including the very well respected "The World At War", which is considered the gold standard. There are still many veterans of the war alive today, which could be both a blessing and a curse. While they can certainly help with insight into key events, they are also the first to criticize if the film does not accurately portray the battles as they transpired. It is a tall order, but if anyone could meet this challenge, Ken Burns is the one to do it.
Posted in: Brain Blasters, Regular Columns by David Annandale on October 26th, 2007
I know that some of what I’m going to touch on today is going to overlap with past topics, and so I beg your indulgence. But recent DVD releases have prompted some thoughts on the phenomenon of double-dipping. This is not something that is by any means exclusive to the cult movie scene, but plenty of it goes on here. Consider the umpteen “definitive” editions of Halloween that Anchor Bay has trotted out. But I want to look at a three cases, two of which are admittedly mainstream (though not unrelated to this column’s field), with the third representing an overt stab at cult immortality.
We can deal with the first quite quickly, as it represents one of the most egregious, insulting approaches to double-dipping I have yet to hear of. The current release of David Fincher’s Zodiac has the unmitigated gall to advertise a feature-packed director’s cut to be released in 2008. How’s that for a kick in the face to anyone who bought this? Bring the DVD home, pop it in the player, and be confronted with a product that promotes its own inferiority. That’s some kinda nerve. And the mere fact that it is so brazen points to how unfortunately commonplace the phenomenon has become.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on October 26th, 2007
Mario Bianchi’s film is a 1982 remake of the recently reviewed Malabimba. The spirit of a newly deceased woman possesses her daughter, and proceeds to wreak havoc in the gothic castle that is the family’s domicile. Of course, given that the father is a murderous drug-addict, there isn’t that much for the possessed teen to do, as far as the plot itself is concerned. Curiously, this effort is less lurid than its predecessor (barring a couple of insanely OTT performances), with less nudity and taboo-busting, and also a rather less interesting deconstruction of respectable society. Plotting and motivation are haphazard at best. Still, it’s a not-unentertaining late-period Italian gothic, blessed with handsome sets.
Audio
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on October 25th, 2007
There are plenty of reasons to be grateful for public domain rules, as they make plenty of movies easily available that wouldn’t be otherwise. But there are pitfalls as well, and there is no clearer example of this than what has befallen George A. Romero’s classic film. The great man barely saw a dime from his work, but all and sundry can fiddle with Night of the Living Dead as they see fit, and here is a textbook case. The basic premise is intact: young woman and her brother visit cemetery, are attacked by zombies, and heroine winds up part of a besieged group. Sid Haig lends his presence to liven things up a bit, but he have any real role to play until the movie is almost half-over, by which point many viewers will be sunk in boredom. The zombie attacks are tediously realized, and this is easily the most gore-free version of the story. So what is more pointless than a flesh-eating zombie film with almost no flesh-eating? A zombie movie with a twist, that’s what. Talk about pointless. A twist is to zombie movies what bicycles are to fish, but here we are stuck with one, just to irritate us further. The 3D has novelty value, and will be discussed further below, but that’s about it.
Audio
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on October 24th, 2007
I can still remember the first time I saw Raiders of the Lost Ark. It was just after my birthday in June, and I had some time to kill on a weekday afternoon. I didn’t recall seeing a lot of hype, and it seemed no one knew just how huge the film was going to be. My expectations were not really high. The film looked interesting, and I was just looking to escape for a couple of hours. By the time I left that theater, I felt a little bit like Indiana Jones himself having made some grand discovery. I had to tell my friends. I even managed to drag a friend who hadn’t liked a movie since 1972 to see it with me the very next day. Of course, the film was followed by The Temple Of Doom, and my faith in old Indy Jones was shaken somewhat. Along came The Last Crusade, and I was born again into the world that was Indiana Jones. All of us are now gearing up for a fourth film after what seems like decades, because it has been. However, the decades have not been a complete Indiana Jones blackout. For a short time Indiana Jones could be found in the most unlikely of places… network television. Enter The Adventures Of Young
Posted in: Dare to Play the Game, News and Opinions by Michael Durr on October 24th, 2007
Mass Effect LE only available online, DS only releases 21 games this week and there can only be one console - Welcome to the column that only decides to sling mud after they washed their hands completely of it before known as Dare to Play the Game.
Welcome to another edition of Dare to Play the Game. I want to teach the world to sing. Seriously, because most people are just tone deaf! I did end up getting Half Life: Orange Box for 360 and will start playing it as soon as I get off the silly Halo 3 single player. Sure I would occasionally touch the multiplayer but I want to be done with the single one once and for all (provided I don't go back and start playing for the skulls). Everytime I read about Orange Box; I just really really want to play it. I have also asked my girlfriend to unlock the full game of Puzzle Quest & download Bomberman Pack #3 (rumored to dropped today). So what does that mean fellow gamers? One, I'm letting my girlfriend play a game first and will probably rely on her heavily for points to go over in the review. Two, expect to see both HL: Orange and Puzzle Quest under game reviews by this time next week. This is so I can free up my gaming for Guitar Hero 3 on the following week. Whew. I probably won't even download the demo to GH3 (it is out this week) since I don't want to waste the time. Oh yeah, I still haven't played Yaris; but somehow I don't think I'm missing much.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on October 24th, 2007
Smallville, although well shot and portrayed has never been a favorite series of mine. Growing up I was a Marvel comics fan, I hardly ever crossed into the DC market and if I did, it was for Batman, never Superman. Of course, for those of you that don't know Smallville follows the life of a young Clark Kent in the years prior to him becoming Superman. Of course it started out in season 1 with Kent in high school, very unsure of his potential but six seasons later he's very Superman esque. That's the aspect I really like about this show, the character arcs and the development of Clark Kent into Superman. We get to learn why he is the way he is, and why the people around him are the way they are.
For those of you that read the Superman comics you know that Clark Kent grew up in the fictional town of Smallville, first introduced in a Superman comic nearly 60 years ago. During the first 5 seasons of Smallville we get a taste of just about everything Superman, from the origins of Lex Luthor to The Fortress of Solitude. Without a doubt this show is a spectacular Superman spin-off for fans, but if your like me and could really care less about The Man of Steel, Smallville Season 6 isn't going to strike a chord with you unless you rewind a bit and start watching from season 1.
![Smallville - The Complete Sixth Season [HD DVD] dvd cover art](https://upcomingdiscs.com/ecs_covers/smallville-the-complete-sixth-sea-large.jpg)
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