Posted in: Brain Blasters, News and Opinions by David Annandale on April 5th, 2007
So Grindhouse is upon us, and fans of exploitation cinema everywhere are no doubt bathing in the warm glow of nostalgia for bygone sleaze and spooky cinemas many of us were too young to enter, but that nevertheless were surrounded by an aura of forbidden fascination. Here in Winnipeg, I remember, in my formative years as a film fan, being simultaneously frightened and attracted by the ad campaigns for movies playing at the likes of the Downtown and the Eve. The era has passed, of course, never to return, but t...e movies live on, often in DVD releases that present prints far more pristine than anything theatregoers would have experienced during the original releases. At any rate, in the name of nostalgia and history, here are a few books to completely immerse you in the grindhouse spirit.
A little digression first, however. Some time ago, I listed some worthwhile magazines in the field, and that Shock Cinema, in particular, is dedicated to keeping the spirit of Times Square and 42nd Street alive. Its website (www.shockcinemamagazine.com) opens up all sorts of further gloriously dubious avenues to explorer. Okay, end digression.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on April 5th, 2007
This winner of the Oscar for best animated feature of 2006 is one fantastic movie.
Happy Feet is the story of Mumble, a teenager who - thanks to his daddy dropping him early on in life - is mildly physically challenged. You see, Mumble can't sing like other Americans - he can only dance. As a result, he has never fit in with his people. When he accidentally crosses the border into Mexico, his disability and greater height over the small, energetic Mexicans earn him a sort of respect. With his newfoun... friends, the teen heads back to the U.S. to trick the girl he loves into believing he's no longer challenged, Cyrano De Bergerac-style. While she admits she'd be happy if it were true, she quickly exposes his lie. Fortunately, Mumble owns up to it and goes back to being himself, with gusto.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on April 4th, 2007
David Lynch’s twisted horror/crime/comedy/grotesque/soap opera came to a close with this season, wherein we learn who killed Laura Palmer, who shot Agent Cooper, and what at least some of the secrets of the Black Lodge are (the Lodge being a threatening, supernatural space). Viewers coming into this series without having seen the first season (got 120 bucks to buy it used on Amazon?) will be hopelessly confused, and we can only hope that a reissue of where it all began is not far down the road. And though many people thought that the show went off the rails in the second season, there is so much here that is deliriously funny, macabre and mystical that it remains one of network television’s finest hours.
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Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on April 4th, 2007
To the credit of James Bond film producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli, they realized that recycling a storyline with Russian antagonists or other satellites of communism, was stale even several years after the Berlin Wall fell. But in its place, the big Bond villain was a Serbian national of sorts named Renard, who was shot in the head, and the bullet, still lodged in his brain, made him magically impervious to pain.
When it comes to The World is Not Enough, the ideas and aspirations (the script was written by Neal Purvis and Robert Wade) were fairly lofty, and the directing choice (Michael Apted of Gorky Park fame) was interesting. In this installment, Pierce Brosnan reprises his role as 007, this time following the death of a wealthy English businessman whose daughter (played by Sophie Marceau, Braveheart) was kidnapped and held for ransom. How does Renard play into it? Well, he's holding the daughter for ransom, part of a larger plot to control the world's oil supply.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on April 4th, 2007
Perhaps in an all too unsubtle move, the MGM/Fox contingent has released The Pebble and the Penguin on the same day as the recently released Happy Feet. The film chronicles the quest of Hubie (Martin Short, Innerspace), a penguin who is trying to win the love of Marina (Annie Golden, Twelve Monkeys) as a mate. But Marina is also eyed by Drake (Tim Curry, Clue), and knows that Hubie must not have her, so he throws Hubie into the ocean. Hubie meets Rocko (Jim Belushi, Return to Me), who helps him stand up to Drake while winning the love of Marina.
Posted in: Dare to Play the Game, News and Opinions by Michael Durr on April 4th, 2007
PSP Price Drop (Sales were over), Interviewing a WOW addict (his life is over), and Guitar Hero 2(my life is over) - Welcome to the little addiction that meetings won’t cure known as Dare to Play the Game.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on April 3rd, 2007
Edward Wilson (Matt Damon) believes in all that America stands for and will do whatever he must to protect what his country stands for. As one of the founder members of the CIA in 1939, Wilson is also one of the most trusted members of this group of secrecy. When the idea that a mole may be working within the CIA is found, Wilson is told to find out which member is the mole. The path Wilson must take to discover this mole will lead him to question not only the CIA as a group, but also his personal life.
The biggest enjoyment out of this film is that it demands that you pay attention to every little detail present on the screen. As Wilson struggles to balance his personal life with his life of secrecy inside the C.I.A., we experience a story about a man who tries to uncover the ultimate secrecy inside a group of secrets. De Niro, having only directed The Bronx Tale before this, shows that his craft in the directing chair has improved (no one really needs to question his acting talents though). Most of the characters he presents (with the exception of his role, Baldwin�s role and some of the more minor roles) felt in place, adding to the tenseness of the story as it unfolded before our eyes.
![The Good Shepherd [HD DVD] dvd cover art](https://upcomingdiscs.com/ecs_covers/the-good-shepherd-hd-dvd-large.jpg)
Posted in: Highly Defined, News and Opinions by Archive Authors on April 2nd, 2007
And another week remains quiet on the western next-gen front.
Well, HD-DVD seems to be firing back when it comes to their lack of releases in the first quarter of the year. The problem seems to be though that not many releases are new, and the equipment price cuts that have been previously reported elsewhere were rehashed here. So on the impressive scale, it’s a light rock in the ocean. But still, it’s nice to see them doing SOMETHING. European buyers will be seeing a version of the Sony BDP coming out this...summer. Notable for it having HDMI 1.3, it’s another case of a device that you’ll have to wait and get a good receiver for down the road. Blu-ray has drown the proverbial line in the sand too, with the BDA expecting Java support by the end of October. It’s kind of funny how this announcement comes hot on the heels of the Matrix releases, but at least it gives a kick in the pants to Blu-Ray, so that Batman Begins and V for Vendetta can’t be HD exclusives. But hey, Dreamworks CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg says it’s a niche market anyway, so screw it, right?
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on April 2nd, 2007
Turistas is a horror film about six hard-bodied 20-somethings whose vacation in paradise turns bad when they're drugged, robbed and kidnapped on behalf of a crazed doctor who wants to harvest their organs while they're still alive.
I think that about sums it up. Now let's talk about why this film isn't any good. First, while I realize characters in horror movies are supposed to fall into traps, never before have I seen characters this stupid. They don't just make one or two dumb choices. No, these kids take every single chance they get to put themselves in danger.Even when someone - in absolute terror - tries to warn them away from the evil doctor's home in the middle of the jungle, they insist on going anyway.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on April 2nd, 2007
A ferocious typhoon washes up a giant egg on Japan's coast. Unscrupulous entrepreneurs lay claim to it, planning to exploit it as a tourist attraction. The egg in fact belongs to Mothra, now nearing the end of her life cycle, and the twin fairies from Infant Island come to Japan in the hopes of having the egg returned. No such luck, but when Godzilla returns and begins another rampage, this time it is the inhabitants of Infant Island who are turned to for help in the hopes that Mothra will come to Japan's aid.
This was one of the Godzilla films that was least hacked about for its American release (the running times between the two versions here differ by less than 30 seconds), and of the first series of Godzilla films (running from the 1954 original to 1975's Terror of Mechagodzilla, this is arguably the best after the first. Colourful and exciting, with lively monster battles that never undermine the dignity of the creatures, this is Toho at the top of its game.
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