Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on February 25th, 2006
Synopsis
I think that by revisiting Unbreakable, and looking at it outside of M. Night Shyamalan’s other films (The Sixth Sense and Signs), there’s actually a pretty good movie going on there. I mean, a movie that grossed $95 million domestically can’t be considered a failure, right? It did, however, do amazing overall numbers, the international totals brought the film up to a near $250 million gross. However, I guess when you put them up against Signs ($227 million domestic, $40... million worldwide) and The Sixth Sense ($293 million domestic, $672 fricken’ million worldwide), maybe it can be considered disappointing, but the film itself is pretty good.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on February 25th, 2006
Synopsis
Quite frankly, I didn’t remember much about 13 Going on 30 when I first saw it (yes, I’m copping to watching it), but in revisiting it for the purposes of the review, I found that it was a cute film whose story is quite clearly lifted from the ‘80s Tom Hanks film Big (right down to the scene where the main character rides in a limo), but the performances by the cast is actually quite commendable.
Posted in: News and Opinions by Archive Authors on February 24th, 2006
Paramount Home Entertainment will release the Queen Latifah & LL Cool J comedy Last Holiday on May 2nd. This disc will be in an anamorphic widescreen transfer, along with an English Dolby Digital 5.1 audio track. Extras shouls be posted soon.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on February 24th, 2006
Lincoln and Lee at Antietam: The Cost of Freedom delves into what is, without doubt, the single bloodiest day in American history. In 12 hours, we lost about 24,000 people – nearly eight times the carnage of 9/11. As historical events go, The Battle of Antietam is one of the most vivid reminders we have of the realities and the horror of war. It was also one of the first battles in the history of the world whose carnage was put on display for all to see through actual photographs. After Antietam was in the boo...s, a studio opened in New York and made available for public viewing pictures containing the bodies of soldiers from both sides, twisted and broken on the battlefield. Unfortunately, the years which have passed since that day have lessened the impact of the battle, but this new documentary succeeds in taking us back to that time, and forcing us to appreciate the lives of these men and the fear they must have felt.
War should never be a course of action – it should always be a course of reaction, and an extreme one at that. This documentary does a fine job of making us see such a truth, and Antietam is an excellent example of how the Civil War was altered from being a war of rebellion to becoming one of freedom for all men. It was this hard-fought and costly victory that allowed Lincoln to be effective in his release of the Emancipation Proclamation, and though by no means does it represent the end of the War, it’s where the tide turned for the North, and freedom became a reality rather than a possibility. I highly recommend this documentary to every American. It succeeds at presenting both the broad picture and the personal intimacies of the participants. And it does so without any partisan fat connected to current political climates. It’s simply about remembering these men and this battle – not judging them – and that’s the kind of neutrality we could use more of in our history books. The only drawback is some of the narration is overdone by the actors, but it’s just a minor complaint to an all together informative, entertaining viewing experience.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on February 24th, 2006
Betty Grable is best known for keeping the many, many GI’s thinking about their home country during World War II. She was mostly known for being a Pin-Up Girl during this time, and is also the star of the 1944 film Pin Up Girl. The film is part of Fox Home Entertainment’s Marquee Musicals and is pretty entertaining if you enjoy musicals or enjoy Betty Grable.
Betty Grable in Pin Up Girl is a pretty odd film overall, probably because of the four different writers the film had. The basic plot is... Lorry Jones (Grable) is the toast of the toast when it comes to gorgeous pin up girls in the USO. These girls sing, dance and provide conversation and TONS of goodies for the serving men in the armies. Lorry has one goal in being a pin up girl. Make every man as happy as she possibly can. This tends to make many of the men think there’re actually engaged to Lorry at one point.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on February 24th, 2006
This is not one of Jack Nicoholson’s better known roles, but it deserves more attention than it has gotten. Nicholson can always be counted on to deliver a strong performance. It is that skill that turns an average idea into something much more.
Alex Gates (Nicholson) is not a nice man. And let’s face it. Nicholson excels at complicated characters, often with few redeeming qualities. Gates appears to have everything he could want. He’s an apparently successful wine merchant. He has a wife and stepson... Yet Gates is the kind of a man who is never happy. He needs the mistress on the side and the extra thrills that taking risks provides. He decides to steal a wealthy client’s multi-million dollar necklace. Of course, instead of making his life better, events conspire to start making his life miserable. Bad things happen to bad people. That’s a common enough theme in the films of Bob Rafelson. Blood and Wine is no exception, and soon Gates has a hearty helping of good times gone bad. It should be noted that there really aren’t any good guys in this film at all. Rafelson doesn’t want you to sympathize with anyone. He instead uses incredible acting to compel you to follow his characters. Michael Caine treats us to another stellar performance as Victor, Gates’ ruthless partner in the heist. Jennifer Lopez in one of her first roles is a bit underused as Gates’ mistress.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on February 24th, 2006
The death of a celebrity usually brings sadness to many of their fans. However, whenever a celebrity does die, you can definitely expect a best of or some type of collection to find its‘ way to your video store shelves as soon as possible. After Richard Pryor died in December, Universal decided to wait one short month before releasing this four disc movie collection which features four of Pryor’s films that he either starred in or had something to do with. While the film’s contained her are not the best work of Pryor...s (other studios have rights to those particular works), the film’s Universal chose are pretty entertaining and remind us of the genius that Pryor was.
First up is the film Which Way is Up? which is re-make of the 1972 Italian comedy The Seduction of Mimi. The Italian version concerns the mob, but this version concerns Corporations and Labor Unions, where the workers at an orange-picking field want to form a union to ensure better and less-dangerous working conditions. Pryor steps up the plate when he falls off his ladder one day. Pryor is asked to leave the town by the big bosses at the orange corporation. This causes him to move to the city, fall in love with a union supporter, and funny comedy simply ensues. While the comedy presented is nothing that will have you laughing on the floor, it did have me similing many times simply because the type of comedy is something we can all relate to. The comedy is about human beings and their life lessons through family and work.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on February 24th, 2006
Get ready, all you pre-teen Emilio Estevez fans, for this new special edition of Repo Man from Focus Features. I had no idea this film had such a following, and after viewing, I can’t seem to make sense of it. Not always sure of its genre, Repo Man is a film oddity that mixes drama, comedy, and goofball science-fiction with a meandering plot and questionable performances to get one of the strangest and most forgettable B-movies this side of Bride of the Monster. I was joking about a pre-teen Este...ez, but he is still very young, and not at all convincing in the role he’s playing here. I wonder if Estevez looks back on this film with the embarrassment one has for an old yearbook photo. He probably should. The great thing about this film, however, is you get to see Harry Dean Stanton at the top of his game, and he was an actor of incredible talent, who could have brought artistic credibility to a porno film if he so desired. Unfortunately, cheesy ‘80’s effects inferior even to Alf and an all-over-the-place plot pull away from the merits Stanton brings to the production.
The story begins with a roguish teen outsider, played by Estevez, who can’t seem to get any respect, or anything good out of life, no matter how hard he tries. One day, Stanton’s character takes a liking to him and decides for no reason that makes any sense he would make a great “repo man.” Voila, instant protégé. Meanwhile, there’s a scientific madman on the loose carrying a neutron bomb in the trunk of his old Malibu, and frying any overly curious person to a crisp with it. Whether it’s a highway patrolmen or a street punk kid, no one is immune from its effects. Along the way, there are crazy conspiracy theorists, street gangs, and a rival team of repo men on the prowl just waiting to heat the pot to a confusing boil. The sad thing about this film: it’s very entertaining in its simplicity, and very frustrating and dull in its complexity. The repossession scenes are immensely entertaining, and I’m sure a good film lurks somewhere within those confines. But Cox wants to make too many films at once and, in the end, does more harm than good.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on February 23rd, 2006
The film’s prologue informs us that the sport of sculling captured the nation’s attention long before baseball or football came along. We’re told that this activity created a national obsession with much the same pitfalls of modern sports. Somehow I can’t imagine, in this age of sports bars and ESPN, that rowing would demand the attention this boast assumes. I don’t remember my grandfather or great grandfather for that matter reminiscing about some great rowing move he witnessed with his dad as a child. The film al...o reports that the events are based on the true story of rowing legend Ned Hanlon. If any of this is true, it appears the more things change the more they truly do remain the same. The same slimy agents and event fixing have been represented as well as the heroes who came from nothing.
The film is an obscure 1986 effort, notable only as an early role for Nicolas Cage. He wears the part well. In fact, the film features a rather fine cast that includes Christopher Plummer and David Naughton in fitting roles. The real problem is, there isn’t all that much to work with here. None of the parts allows the fine acting to be showcased. The film uses too much time with rowing scenes that offer no variety from one to another. There’s a reason rowing doesn’t command huge network contracts or even much cable coverage. It might be very exciting to participate in these events, but there is nothing at all engaging as an observer. The plot is familiar: Unlikely hero battles incredible odds and triumphs in the big event. Still there is no eye of the tiger here. More like eye of the tiger beetle. An inspiring story with no inspiration.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on February 23rd, 2006
The 1970’s was the decade of the muscle car. Films like Smokey and the Bandit and Cannonball Run raced into theatres, riding on the thrills of speed. If you were a young man, then you were right there ridin’ shotgun. Kicking butt and takin’ names. The Last American Hero makes the unfortunate attempt to combine this “need for speed” with a typical “against all odds” story. The result is a dead end street.
Junior Jackson (Bridges) is the son of a bootlegger with a real talent for running roadblocks. Wh...n his booze-making father finally takes a fall with the law, Junior turns his talents to the racing circuit. Stop me if you’ve heard this one before. Faced with corrupt promoters and unsportsmanlike fellow drivers, Junior must climb a mountain of adversity and finally win the big one. While the cast features some fine performances, the film just never delivers on all cylinders.
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