Archive for the ‘Reviews’ Category
Brian White on November 17th, 2008
Before I begin (no pun intended), I need a quick moment to reflect upon a disclaimer I need to make. If it were not for on-screen onslaught of The Dark Knight, I don’t think I would have given Batman Begins the much needed respect and appreciation it deserves. I think I need to be brutally honest here for a moment. Batman Begins is an origin story so if you have not seen it, do not go in with the expectations that it is going to be one of the greatest high-adrenaline action movies you have ever seen because you will be greatly disappointed. Instead, you need to appreciate the movie for what it really is. What is that, you might ask? It is a slick vehicle to introduce to the world who the Batman really is. Read the rest of this entry »
Gino Sassani on November 15th, 2008
The CG animation craze has no shortage of lovable and cute animals these days. It seems that the animal kingdom has become the greatest fodder for these family animated blockbuster films. Dreamworks might be in the lead with these kinds of efforts. They’ve given us bears, penguins, and lions among others. Now they deliver perhaps one of their better ideas in a lovable Kung Fu Panda. As much as anything else, you really have to give most of the credit for the film’s success to Jack Black and the wonderful voice cast that support him here. Honestly, the script is pretty simple, and like most children’s films it tends to be oversimplified and rather silly throughout. But give a cast like this an even average script and you can pretty much sit back and watch them go. Okay, maybe sit back and hear them go. Read the rest of this entry »
Kristina Kehler on November 13th, 2008
Young or old, and anywhere in-between Sleeping Beauty is commonly regarded as a childhood classic, a comfort film if you will. Like many other Disney films we remember the vintage animation, the songs, and the often compelling storylines. When Disney announced it would begin releasing its vaulted classics on Blu-ray fans met the news with an outmost enthusiasm and anticipation. For the first time ever classic films including Sleeping Beauty would be available in hi definition, with high expectations of crisp animation and solidified audio Disney had better dress to impress. So how does the Sleeping Beauty clean up after nearly fifty years of entertaining several generations of Disney fans? Read the rest of this entry »
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Brian White on November 12th, 2008
OK…so yes…the premise of The Love Guru is about as ridiculous as the name of the movie sounds. Couldn’t you tell just by looking at the diverse characters on the Blu-ray Disc cover art? But there is just something about the movie that I find charming and it has become quite a guilty pleasure of mine. I can almost guarantee, out of all the reviews you will read on The Love Guru, mine will probably be the most kind. Many critics and reviewers will claim this movie is devoid of any laughs but I humbly disagree. Read the rest of this entry »
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Bill Geiger on November 11th, 2008
Keanu Reeves has come a long way since the days of Bill & Ted. He really came into his own when given the part of Neo in The Matrix. The film Constantine suits him well as the character is very dark, with not too much emotion. This seems to be the type of character he is used to playing in many of his recent films, including the up coming The Day the Earth Stood Still. Constantine is a film full of action, drama and some scares, which is all a good thing and really is a thrill ride kind of a film. Read the rest of this entry »
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Gino Sassani on November 5th, 2008
The arrival of Blu-ray and high definition home video has had an enormous effect on the documentary industry. Suddenly cinematographers can bring us to the most remote reaches of our globe and even beyond, and they can do so with such detail and sharpness it’s like opening a window to these once unreachable places. Wild China is a perfect example of this ability. With incredible HD equipment, this mini-series from the BBC brings the hidden realms of China into our living rooms. Read the rest of this entry »
Brian White on November 2nd, 2008
As the title implies, this really is a movie about zombie strippers. With that being the case, the movie really is as absurd as the title sounds. And yes…I love it! I have not been this excited to watch a Blu-ray again since my initial viewing of another future cult classic film, in my opinion, Doomsday. Zombie Strippers is a 2008 comedy horror film, written and directed by Jay Lee. The movie features legendary horror star Robert Englund and ex-porn star, the Heartbreaker, Jenna Jameson. These two really need no further introductions. Ultimate Fighting Champion Tito Ortiz also stars as a bouncer in the film. If you can lower your standards a bit by making it past the first fifteen minutes of this film and don’t mind excessive gratuitous nudity, then you will be in store for a very fun and titillating time. After awhile you just become so numb from the nudity that it feels alien when the girls are clothed. We had some great conversations about this film today around the office water cooler. Read the rest of this entry »
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Gino Sassani on October 30th, 2008
As a fan of the Universal horror films from the 1930’s and 1940’s I have a deeper appreciation for Mel Brooks and his rather silly Young Frankenstein than most. If you watch the film without the references, I don’t think it holds up very well at all. The jokes are often repeated enough times that they lose any effectiveness they might have had. Just about all of the performances are over the top. From that quick look one might dismiss Young Frankenstein as a minor effort that was mildly amusing in its day, but without any real staying power. So, what is it that has made this not only the best film from the mind of Mel Brooks, but a perennial classic 30 years later? For the answer to that question you must return to that golden age of horror. Read the rest of this entry »
Brian White on October 30th, 2008
Back in 2005, Sin City was one of those DVD movies I bought as a blind purchase, and coincidentally, the first movie I ever watched on my brand new 50” Sony LCD rear projection HDTV at the time. I remember just being completely mesmerized by the movie’s unique, and at the time, revolutionary coloring process. The majority of the film is rendered in black and white but contains certain color palettes to emphasize specific objects and scenes. I was really taken aback by this as I am usually just into the cookie-cutter kind of traditional color looking films and not often moved by artistic attempts at being different. Read the rest of this entry »
Gino Sassani on October 29th, 2008
Tinker Bell has been a Walt Disney icon almost since its inception. The character has gone way beyond her appearance in Peter Pan. In the decades since, she has come to represent the magic of Walt Disney and its many incarnations. Seen at the beginning of every Disney title, Tinker Bell is likely as recognizable as Mickey Mouse and his many friends. John Lassiter and the animators of Disney’s new CG animation studios take on this monumental character in the first of at least 5 announced films to feature the little fairy. Read the rest of this entry »
Gino Sassani on October 29th, 2008
Warren Miller has been putting out these snow sports videos for decades. If you’ve seen any of his previous efforts, you will pretty much know what to expect here. The real difference, of course, is that for the first time you can catch it all in high definition. Fans of the sport will get plenty of the action and loud rock soundtrack that they’ve come to expect from these kinds of films. What the fans and even some nonfans, like myself, can get out of this film is the experience it offers. Miller has taken some impressive equipment and exceptional photographers to the slopes to deliver an up-close and in your face tour of some of the world’s greatest snow sports mountains. Read the rest of this entry »
Kristina Kehler on October 28th, 2008
Looking back over the last twenty or even thirty years of horror films, we’ve been on a downward slope with the occasional spike of decency. In a market filled with remakes, blood and guts, and redundancy, there’s a bit of solace thinking back on movies like The Omen. An undeniable favorite in the Christian end times corner of the horror universe. Packaged along with Richard Donner’s classic are two sequels and a remake, will they follow the overall downward trend? Or are we going to see a spike, maybe even a spark in inventive and horrific film making? Read the rest of this entry »
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Brian White on October 26th, 2008
On many levels, I am still trying to cope with the sheer disappoint that was Ang Lee’s 2003 Hulk. I guess I can pretty much give up on the open case I have with theatre management for getting my money back after suffering through that movie. I could not understand how they could screw up a movie about such an iconic and powerful character as the Hulk. I mean, they have the successful longevity of the comic book series and the cult television series to reference and they still got it wrong. I suppose you can say I was a bit reluctant when I heard about the Hulk reboot that Universal was planning. Read the rest of this entry »
Gino Sassani on October 24th, 2008
Pierce Brosnan only got to play James Bond for four films, which is unfortunate when you watch a film like Die Another Day. He’s always had a great presence in the part, but watching this movie gives you tremendous appreciation of what he brought to the character and to the franchise. In such a short time he made the part his own in a way that only Sean Connery had done before. Read the rest of this entry »
Kristina Kehler on October 24th, 2008
Bathing in blood and dominating Romania some six centuries ago, I assure you Vlad the Impailer would never have guessed his legacy would live on in this light. Rooting back to Bram Stoker’s original novel, our imaginations have been captivated by the blood thirsty creatures of the night, based in name upon Vlad, also known as Vlad Dracula. In film there has been a real hit and miss streak with the vampire genre, usually conforming to a teenage hack and slash plot and falling short of all expectations. But there have been a few gems along the way, 1922’s Nosferatu, 1992’s Bram Stoker’s Dracula, 1931’s Dracula, and of course, the topic of this review, 1994’s Interview with the Vampire. I’m not going to beat around the bush on this one, Interview with the Vampire is probably the best Vampire movie of the past twenty years, and I’ll tell you why. Read the rest of this entry »
Brian White on October 23rd, 2008
Unlike most people, I have been waiting for Rob Zombie’s interpretation of Halloween to come out on the Blu-ray format for over a year now. Words cannot express how disappointed I was that I had to buy the Standard Definition DVD of this movie when it came out in late 2007 because there was no release date in sight for the Blu-ray format. Coincidentally, that was the last DVD I ever bought. Having always been a big Michael Myers fan, I was extra stoked that the theatrical release of this movie fell on my birthday. What a birthday that was! Could you imagine a better way to celebrate your birthday? There is no need to seriously answer that one. That is what they call a rhetorical question. I really enjoyed Rob Zombie’s eccentric visions in House of 1,000 Corpses and The Devil’s Rejects so I was very much looking forward to him tackling one of my all-time favorite movie villains, Michael Myers. Read the rest of this entry »
Gino Sassani on October 23rd, 2008
The title of Roger Moore’s 5th Bond film actually comes from a short story written by Fleming and not a novel as most of the earlier films did. To make up for the limited source material another Fleming short, Risico, was added to the mix and the screenplay would draw from both works. I’ve already said that Moore is my least favorite Bond, but I have to admit that I like For Your Eyes Only quite a bit. Coming on the heels of one of the absolute worst Bond films ever, Moonraker, it was a welcome return to a simpler adventure that relied more on the characters than gadgets and out of this world locations. Read the rest of this entry »
Bill Geiger on October 23rd, 2008
I have only seen a handful of Paul Newman films in my lifetime. Most of the films I have watched were more from the 80’s and 90’s. The one film I found the most enjoyment from was The Color of Money. As I have mentioned many times before in my reviews, I don’t have the most experience with films prior to 1970. They have never been my cup of tea. I had vowed to have an open mind about things when they pertain to older films. So, going into the viewing of Cool Hand Luke, I had no idea of what to expect. Read the rest of this entry »
