Posted in: News and Opinions by Archive Authors on February 20th, 2006
On May 23rd, Fox will release the Director’s Cut of the Orlando Bloom film Kingdom of Heaven on May 23rd. This 4-disc set will be presented in a 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer, along with both English DTS & Dolby Digital 5.1 audio tracks. Extras will include an Introduction by Ridley Scott, an Audio Commentary (with Ridley Scott and crew), a multi-part Documentary entitled Path to Redemption (Part I: Good Intentions, Part II: Faith and Courage, Part III: The Pilgrimage Begins, Part IV: Into ...he Promised Land, Part V: The Burning Bush and Part VI: Sins and Absolution), a "Tripoli" Overview & Gallery, a first draft screenplay by William Monahan, Screen Tests & Cast Rehearsals, three featurettes (“Costume & Weapon Design,” “Creative Accuracy: The Scholars Speak,” & “Unholy War: Mounting The Siege”), Multiple Galleries (location scouting, production design, conceptual art, and costume), Storyboard Comparisons, Deleted & Alternate Scenes, Trailers, and more.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on February 20th, 2006
Each year there are quality films that slip through the cracks for one reason or another. Lord of War is one of those movies. At first look, I would blame this film’s lack of financial success on the marketing department. It was hard to get a feel for the film through the trailers and commercials.
What was it about? A gun salesman? With Nicolas Cage and a bunch of spent bullet casings at the front and center of the ad campaigns, one might think that this was another Jerry Bruckheimer action-fest muc... like past Cage vehicles The Rock or Con-Air. But Lord of War could not be more different than those films. OK, so maybe it’s not the marketing department’s fault after all. Lord of War is a tough movie to pin down. And in today’s age of fast food cinema, it’s no surprise that Lord of War was pushed to the back of theaters upon its release.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on February 20th, 2006
Synopsis
Dennis Quaid is a widower Coast Guard Admiral with eight kids. He runs his household with (of course) military precision. His career has taken him back to his home town, where he runs into high school sweetheart Rene Russo. She is a widow (no divorces in THIS movie, thank you very much) with ten kids (four biological, the rest adopted), and her household is a joyful chaos of artistic self-actualization. Quaid and Russo fall in love and marry immediately, and then announce to their kids that ...heir family has just double in size. Cue conflict as the military kids and the artsy-hippy kids collide, and then collude to try to break up the marriage.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on February 19th, 2006
This disc is one of those classic cartoon sets that is marketed directly to children alone. Serious animation collectors will no doubt go for Disney's fantastic Walt Disney Treasures releases instead of a one off release such as this one. This disc is one of those products that is set up as a quick point of purchase sale for parents that need something to throw in the DVD player while in the mini-van, or to keep the kids entertained while the parents are busy doing laundry or making dinner.
The simple ...act is, there are only seven Donald Duck shorts on this disc, and that's about it. The disc's complete running time is less than an hour, and while that may be a good length for kids to watch the disc in its entirety, whoever purchases this disc is most definitely not getting their money's worth. In my opinion, the smart move would be to pick up Walt Disney Treasures - The Chronological Donald instead. Just because a product has 30 or 40 animated shorts on it, that doesn't mean the kids (or adults) have to watch them all at once.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on February 19th, 2006
Riding on the coattails of the successful and acclaimed film Ray comes the life story of Johnny Cash. Walk the Line, adapted from the novel The Man in Black, places Joaquin Phoenix in the role of the legendary country singer. Similarly to Ray, Walk the Line has garnished critical acclaim for both the film (which was a surprise omission in the Best Picture category at the Oscars) and the lead roles of Phoenix and Witherspoon (both of whom won best actor/actress and the Golden Globe..., and are nominated at the Oscars).
More then the music, this film focuses on the downward spiraling emotional state of Cash, and his addiction to drugs to try to constrain his inner demons. The story starts with a glimpse into Cash’s childhood where we see a strong bond with his brother and meet his emotionally abusive father. After his brothers accidental death, and the emotional scaring his father puts him through, we fast forward to Johnny’s moving away from home.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on February 19th, 2006
The idea of a gross-out comedy is nothing new. There have been some extremely funny gross-out comedies like The 40-Year Old Virgin and The American Pie Trilogy. However, there have also been some extremely boring and stupid gross-out comedies like National Lampoon’s Van Wilder and Deuce Bigalow: European Gigalow. The key to a successful gross-out comedies to is have a smart plot and jokes that actually make sense and aren’t just made for a quick laugh. While there are some funny sequences ...n Waiting…, the film just lacks the overall spark and humor of a good comedy.
Basically summing up the plot of the film; Monty (Ryan Reynolds), Serena (Anna Faris), and Dean(Justin Long) star in this film about a bunch of waiters that are simply trying to show their customers how awesome the service can be at the restaurant ShenaniganZ can be. Monty’s job, it seems, is to show the new guy Mitch (John Francis Daley) around the restaurant, showing him everything from where the condiments are kept to a rather vile game that ends with the offender’s butt being kicked. (I won’t go into full detail as it seemed like Director McKittrick was trying to bring some energy into the film with a gross-out concept that falls extremely flat.)
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on February 18th, 2006
I think all true DVD fans have a list in their mind of movies or television programs that they find to be utterly captivating, and simply cannot fathom why the rest of the world doesn't feel the same. I have some products on that list in my mind, and MI-5 may very well be on the top.
I first discovered MI-5 when I was sent Volume 2 to review. Upon watching the first episode of that season , I was so completely blown away that I promptly sent away for Volume 1 before proceeding any farther. I was...not disappointed. For my money, this is a program that rests comfortably between the best seasons of Alias and The West Wing.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on February 18th, 2006
In the era we live in, the eventuality of a movie about a soldier’s experience in war was going to come, whether or not we wanted to see the film. Since the war in Iraq is such a hot button topic with a majority of people, regardless if you were for the war or against the war, Universal thought this would be the perfect moment to capture our interest in war. Enter director Sam Mendes (American Beauty) and stars Jake Gyllenhaal (Brokeback Mountain) and Academy-Award winning Actor Jamie Foxx (Ray) ...nd you know you have a movie that will pique the average person’s curiousity. But was Jarhead made too soon? Would people really want to see what our soliders are going through? Read on to find out.
Jarhead is based on the 2003 memoirs of Anthony Swofford who is portrayed by Gyllenhaal. Swofford served in the first Gulf War. The film is obviously about a war, but what makes the film amazing is that it is a war film that rises way, way above the concept of a war to tell an intriguing story of exhaustion, boredom, lonliness, obession and drama.
Posted in: Game Reviews by Michael Durr on February 18th, 2006
Traditionally, I don’t get into peripheral type games. You know the ones, dance your life away with the dance pad, or here is a huge $200 controller – go play a tank game. It’s a gimmick, to get us to buy something extra that we will never use for another game (unless a sequel is produced). More often than not, these peripherals break, and then you can’t even play the game anymore. Well I am happy to report, I have found a set that is the best hands down. Better than Karaoke Revolution, better than Dance Dance R...volution, it is Guitar Hero. For $75, you get a great controller & a great game.
Graphics
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on February 17th, 2006
Synopsis
Untroubled by charisma, Jimmy Kimmel hosts this concertedly nasty roast of Pamela Anderson. The roasters include Tommy Lee, Adam Carolla, Sarah Silverman, Andy Dick, Bea Arthur, and Courtney Love. They all mangle each other as well as the guest of honour. So many jokes involve Anderson’s breasts and Lee’s penis that the they get rather boring (scratch that: EXTREMELY boring), but there are a few very funny bits. The highlight is Bea Arthur’s reading of Anderson’s novel Star. Arthur’s ...elivery, her constant disbelieving looks directed at the “author,” and the riotously awful prose itself make sitting through the more predictable moments worthwhile. Notable too is the spectacularly off-kilter Love. That woman needs help.
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