Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on March 28th, 2006
Synopsis
Clive Owen is a man approaching the end of his tether. His marriage is becoming stagnant, his job at an advertising firm is no better, and he is worried about his daughter, who has type 1 diabetes. He and his wife have set aside a lot of money to pay for an experimental drug for her. One day, on a train, he meets Jennifer Aniston. A friendship is sparked, and then an affair begins, only to be violently disrupted by Vincent Cassel. He brutalizes both, and begins to blackmail Owen for ever-inc...easing sums of money.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on March 27th, 2006
Synopsis
We begin with an ending: the final collapse of the marriage between Jeff Daniels and Laura Linney. He is a formerly renowned author who now can’t get himself arrested, let alone published. She is suddenly coming in to her own as a writer. He is pathologically self-obsessed. She is deeply insecure. Together, they spell bad news for their two sons, 16-year-old Jesse Eisenberg and 12-year-old Owen Kline. Both parents are a bit of a mess, but daddy is easily the worst offender, and is an absolut...ly poisonous influence on Eisenberg, who worships his father and viciously blames his mother for the split-up. What follows is primarily Eisenberg’s coming of age, where he must learn to see both of his parents (and, for that matter, himself) with real honesty.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on March 24th, 2006
After the transformation of the Harry Potter and The Lord of the Rings books into hugely successful films, it was only a matter of time before someone decided to tackle C.S. Lewis’s famous novels The Chronicles of Narnia. Both of the aforementioned books into movies were excellent because, even though they didn’t include every little detail presented in the novels, fans still embraced the films for what they were. They brought a majority of the presented themes and ideas in the books and showed u... them in a live action manner via the film. Similar to the seven part Harry Potter series, would it be possible for the classic seven part Narnia series to have a successful transformation into film?
Both C.S. Lewis, author of the famed Narnia books, and J.R.R. Tolkien, famed author of the Rings books, were said to have been friends who taught at Oxford at exactly the same time. They both enjoyed smoking pipe, drinking in the same pub, taking Christianity seriously, and writing. Lewis loved Tolkein’s style of writing and the universe he created for the Rings books, but Tolkein never seemed to return the same affection to Lewis’s Narnia books. Many say this is because Tolkein actually created a vast universe for his novels, while Lewis just used his native country as the setting.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on March 24th, 2006
Season 7 of South Park has all the earmarks of a successful show trying to return to its roots. With Kenny back, we are once again treated to multiple deaths, although not on a weekly basis. The very first episode of the season recalls the show’s Comedy Central pilot episode. Cartman is once again struggling with his Anal Probe incident. There are tons of homage elements to South Park’s origins. Could it be that Stone and Parker have decided to satire themselves? Season 7 revitalizes a show that quite honestly had ...escended to too many cheap shots and over the top disgust to stay fresh. South Park is back and as good as it ever was in Season 7. Some of the highlights include: Cartman sings gospel music for Jesus, Jimmy and Timmy mix it up with the “Bloods” and the “Crips”, Cartman returns to law enforcement, and Gay Pride reaches South Park.
Video
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on March 24th, 2006
Synopsis
A fractious rock band known as the Choke, on the verge of breaking up (did all its members but know it) is supposed to play a gig at a local nightclub. But a killer has other plans, and (after a very long preamble) the members of the band find themselves trapped in the locked warehouse/nightclub, being picked off one by one. Suspicion falls first on one character, then another.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on March 24th, 2006
Synopsis
French nuclear testing (?!) in the Pacific leads to the mutation of iguanas (!?), and giant one makes its way to New York to nest. Scientist Matthew Broderick hooks up with old-flame TV journalist Maria Pitillo and French secret service guy Jean Reno to try to stop the rampage.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on March 23rd, 2006
Synopsis
Above the Zu Mountain range, on floating peaks and the like, live various clans of immortals. They must unite to fight off the attack of a returning enemy: the dreaded demon Insomnia. The united efforts of the clans meet with plenty of problems, including star-crossed lovers, and humans from down below wind up being dragged into the battle, too.
Posted in: News and Opinions by Archive Authors on March 22nd, 2006
Fox Home Entertainment will release the Martin Lawrence comedy Big Momma's House 2 on May 9th. This disc will include both anamorphic widescreen and fullscreen transfers, along with a Dolby Digital 5.1 (English) audio track. Extras will include an audio commentary (by director John Whitesell, producer David Friendly, & actor Zachary Levi), a "Big Momma's Secrets" Featurette, 12 deleted/extended scenes (with optional commentary), & a collection of trailers.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on March 22nd, 2006
As I see more and more film’s from 2005, I realize that a majority of the best films are those that aren’t huge financial successes. Films like Capote, Munich and now David Cronenberg’s latest film A History of Violence weren't huge successes but have earned praise due to the themes and stories they present. Containing a well crafted story, with interesting characters, A History of Violence is one of those rare films that you see that has a latest impact on you.
As the film <i ...A History of Violence opens up, we met two characters, Leland Jones (Stephen McHattie) and Billy Orser (Greg Byrk) who have just come out of a motel apparently killing the two clerks inside. The film then flashes forward and we meet the Stall Family. Father Tom (Viggo Mortensen) and Wife Edie (Maria Bello) have two children, teenager Jack (Ashton Holmes) and young daughter Sarah (Heidi Hayes). Tom runs a small family diner in Indiana that gets steady business. Edie is a lawyer while son Jack hates gym class and is bullied by Bobby Jordan (Kyle Schmid) and daughter Heidi seems to have nightmares about monsters coming out of her closet. The town is very quiet and everyone looks out for each other as Sheriff Sam Carney (Peter MacNeill) informs us.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on March 22nd, 2006
Synopsis
Five years after saving New York City from supernatural destruction, the Ghostbusters have fallen on hard times. Bill Murray and Sigourney Weaver have broken up, and he is now the host of a dubious psychic TV show. Dan Aykroyd and Ernie Hudson have been reduced to performing a children’s parties, what with the anti-spook outfit having been sued into non-existence. And so it goes. But then weird goop, powered by New York’s anger, rises from the ground to create havoc anew.
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