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New Line Cinema
2004, Color, Rated PG-13, 1 Hr 34 min
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 (16x9 enh)
English Dolby Digital 5.1
Directed by David Ellis
Starring
Kim Basinger, Chris Evans, Jason Statham, William H. Macy
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"Cellular"
Synopsis
Jessica Martin (Basinger)
is a typical L.A. housewife. She is a school teacher, with a son named
Ricky (Adam Taylor Gordon), and a husband who is a real estate agent.
They live in a nice suburban house.
One afternoon, kidnappers
break into their home and take Jessica. They drive her to a remote place
and put her in the attic. On his way out of the room, one of the
kidnappers, Ethan (Statham), smashes the telephone that was mounted on the wall.
Jessica manages to piece
together some of the phone wires, and tapping them together, she rings
the cell phone number of a young man named Ryan (Evans).
At first, Ryan thinks it is
a joke, but Jessica convinces him to take his cell phone to the local
police station and hand it over to an officer. At the reception desk,
Officer Mooney (Macy) takes the phone and listens for a moment, but when
he is called away by a disturbance in the station, Mooney tells Ryan to
go upstairs to a different department.
Ryan goes up the stairs,
but the phone connection starts to fail, so he goes back outside and
decides to take care of the problem himself.
Jessica discovers that the
kidnappers want to find her husband because he accidentally video taped
a drug purchase by some very important people. They want the tape, and
they are willing to do anything to get it.
Mooney now realizes that
the phone call was legitimate and starts investigating on his own.
Detective Jack Tanner (Noah
Emmerich) apparently wants to help Mooney, but something just does not
seem right . . . .
Commentary
The reviews on this film
were not very good, but I enjoyed it. Some of the plot seems a little
unreasonable, like Jessica being able to piece the phone wires together
and actually dialing a number by clicking them together,
but most movies have such implausibilities.
Extras
These include an Audio
Commentary by Ellis, Deleted Scenes, Dialing Up, Calling Out, Trailer,
and other things.
- John E.
Johnson, Jr.
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Twentieth Century Fox
2004, Color, Rated PG-13, 1 Hr 45 min
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 (16x9 enh)
English Dolby Digital 5.1
French Dolby Digital 2.0
Directed by John Moore
Starring
Dennis Quaid, Giovanni Ribisi, Miranda Otto
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"Flight of the
Phoenix (2004)"
Synopsis
In this remake of a 1965
classic originally starring Jimmy Stewart, Dennis Quaid leads the cast as
the gruff cynical pilot Captain Frank Towns. Sent to clean up a failed
oil field and to return with the aging equipment and the rig's crew,
Captain Towns and his co-pilot resent having to make the trip. Naturally,
the crew, which includes the leader Kelly (Otto), feels the
failure and ultimately agrees to abandon their post.
The crew also includes rednecks and the company representative who wants
to distance himself from the remainder of the group. Actor Giovanni Ribisi plays the role of loner Elliot who finds his way out to the
site and pleads his way onto the flight for the trip home.
Although filmed in Namibia, South Africa, the movie takes place in
the Gobi desert. Upon takeoff, sandstorms make it virtually impossible
to fly through, forcing Captain Towns to navigate around the storms but
to no avail. Through his arrogance, he is forced to crash the plane.
Survival becomes the issue as the varied characters deal with the
knowledge that it's virtually impossible to be rescued. Tension and
conflict lead the group to follow the loner's idea of re-building the
plane. As an airplane designer, he assures them he is capable of
putting together a plane with what's left of the aircraft and with what's on
board. He becomes obnoxiously self-absorbed and power hungry to another
point of conflict.
If things couldn't get worse, they discover that they're sharing the
locale with arms dealers, so the race to complete the plane is on.
Commentary
As a human struggle to
survive, the characters begin to build bonds and rally together to make
their escape. However, egos create tension, and the characters are forced
to trust each other to complete the task. Giovanni Ribisi is
convincingly creepy as the mad power hungry designer, finding his niche
in the desert as the indispensable leader.
As we are to understand none of the characters want to be here, we
nonetheless sense no compassion for their plight. Sure we want to see
them overcome the odds, yet there is no sense of enduring human spirit,
no passion as they muddle along in the endless sand. This is quite
different than the original 1965 version, where such talent as
James Stewart, Richard Attenborough, Peter Finch, Ernest Borgnine, Hardy
Kruger, Dan Duryea, and George Kennedy, deliver performances that result
in a much better movie.
Director John Moore seemed more interested in making the movie
commercially appealing by including catchy music, sand and electrical
storms, and chase scenes. I'm surprised there was no love interest
between Dennis Quaid's character and the only female in the movie
Miranda Otto.
Technical
With a mixture of oldies
but goodies like: “I've been Everywhere Man” sung by Johnny Cash, and
“Night Train” by James Brown, and also “Gimme Some Lovin” performed by
Steve Winwood, the music seems out of place. They use the briefly
popular “Hey Ya” by Outkast to bring the group together which is
completely contradictory to the plot.
The Dolby Digital surround is mostly enjoyable during the flight scenes
and especially the early crash scene, placing you squarely in the body
of the plane breaking apart around you.
The video is clean and the endless desert is richly exploited. The
scene shifts are seamless except for one single pause, but hardly a
problem. The film takes on a bit of a surreal look as time goes on,
blinding and grey at times giving you the sense of despair and thirst.
Extras
Included are the usual
behind the scenes discussions and interviews with the actors, and the director cursing as he makes clear his demands. Also include are a few
interesting deleted as well as extended scenes, including an almost
rescue plane spotting them.
- Piero Gabucci
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Walt Disney
2004, Animated Color, Rated PG, 1 Hr 45 min
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 (16x9 enh)
English Dolby Digital 5.1 EX
French Dolby Digital 5.1 EX
Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1 EX
Directed by Brad Bird
Starring
Craig T. Nelson, Holly Hunter, Samuel L. Jackson, Jason
Lee
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"The Incredibles"
Synopsis
Lawsuits against
superheroes have forced elite crime fighters into living as
their alter-egos full time. The story centers around former Mr.
Incredible, his wife, former Elastigirl, and their three children.
Inevitably bored with the hum-drum of normal life, Bob Parr (Mr.
Incredible) spends his ‘bowling night' with old friend Lucius Best (once
the chilling Frozone) listening to the police scanner in dark alleyways.
Eager to relive his glory days as an all important protector of good, Bob
jumps at the opportunity provided by a mysterious figure. All too eager
to do good, he is sucked into an evil life-threatening trap. This in turn
causes his wife to come to the rescue, albeit she is motivated by
relationship issues which cause her to ignore the dangers that come
perilously close to destroying her family that she has worked so hard to
raise ‘normally'.
Commentary
As with any animated movi,e
the voices behind the characters are extremely important. I never even
thought about the voice behind Bob/Mr. Incredible as Craig T. Nelson's
voice fits the role very well. I do feel that Holly Hunter was a poor choice
for Helen/Elastagirl only because she has such a wonderfully unique
voice that it was too distracting from the show.
Jason Lee on the other hand was the perfect choice for Buddy/Syndrome. I
do admit, it would have been nice to see a little more of his
character shine through though. I do enjoy a Kevin Smith rant in any
movie.
Dash and Violet both had decent actors that fit their characters. And
due to the little actual dialogue from Violet, her also very distinct
voice actor fit quite well.
The movie starts off like a firecracker . . . quick to the action and very
enjoyable. The lawsuit angle was very clever, and as a whole the entire
movie was quite funny for kids and adults.
The last 45 minutes of the movie was also fast-paced and very exciting,
especially the chase scene with the ultra quick dash (minor
inconsistencies aside). The movie did however have too much slower paced
footage that could have been trimmed to match the quicker pace of the
first and third acts.
Technical
Wonderfully rich colors
that can only be achieved by today's amazing animation techniques, and
the fact that the only time images ever go through a lens is with the
projector. The flowing-lava doors in the evil lair were breathtaking.
The sound is very enveloping, with excellent low frequency effects, and
great surround information. They did a wonderful job of matching the
sound to the first rate picture.
Extras
The two-disc set is loaded
with extras, such as the Director's Commentary and Behind the Scenes footage.
The Story Boards contain way too much commentary, but they do
show just how different the story began.
Also included is a wonderful short “Jack Jack Attack” that shows what
happened on the other side of those frantic voice messages left by the
babysitter. Add another short “Bounder” that was presented before the
movie at the theaters, and an interview/essay with the voice behind
Violet. There were enough good extras to warrant another
enjoyable ½ hr of movie watching – thankfully I might add, as my only two
TV stations were showing
Survivor and figure skating. Frozone may have
enjoyed that, but not I.
- Jared
Rachwalski
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Criterion
1931, B&W, Not Rated, 1 Hr 45 min
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Dolby Digital 1.0 In German
Language with English
Subtitles
Directed by Fritz Lang
Starring
Peter Lorre, Inge Landgut, Ellen Widmann
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"Fritz Lang's M"
Synopsis
This gem from 1931 is another sparkling release
from the Criterion Collection. Although it is set in prewar Germany,
this movie has nothing to do with the coming war unless you see the
depicted poverty as one of the factors that led to WWII. Rather, this
movie smartly anticipates a dominant theme for films for the next 75
years and counting. It stars Peter Lorre in his film debut as Hans
Beckert, a serial child murderer.
Albeit for different reasons, the police and
criminals of a fictional German town are galvanized in their efforts to
rid the town of the grip of terror brought about by the child murderer.
As the police search haplessly for the killer, they continually crack
down on ongoing mob operations, hoping to find the criminal amongst the
town's low-life crowd. This motivates the mob to try to find the killer
themselves, but it is the people of the streets, the beggars, who are
finally able to find the murderer who is then subject to trial by the
criminals.
Commentary
The film is packed with
techniques and devices that were groundbreaking at the time, but are the
standard fare of both movies and TV today, including loving depiction of
the tools and techniques of both crime (think of Ocean's 11 or the
Italian Job or any of a hundred other films) and police work (CSI being
the most extreme example). It is the treatment of the criminal however
that is most ahead of its time, raising questions that society has yet
to answer.
The movie came about
because of the numerous serial killers that plagued Germany in the
1920's. In particular, the Vampire of Dusseldorf, one Peter Kurten, who
murdered 9 people, was probably an inspiration for M. Kurten was
captured, convicted, and executed in 1931.
Perhaps the most interesting technical aspect of this film is that as
one of the first talkies ever made, it actually bridges the gap, having
both long, silent stretches and portions with sound and dialogue. Lang
wanted to use sound to enhance the film, not be enslaved by it. The
effect can be a little unsettling at first, partially because it is an
effective technique but also because of the way it plays on a modern
home theater system. Even in a modern movie theater, if the soundtrack
goes silent, there is still a comforting clat-clat-clat-whir from the
projector. Except for the very slight fan noise you may be getting from
your TiVo, when your home theater goes silent, it is really silent, and you
might think something has come unplugged.
As is always the case with Criterion, the digital transfer is of
archival quality. This is of course, a black and white movie, and the
soundtrack is mono. But don't worry, because the black and white looks great, with
subtle tones and lots of shadow detail (isn't that what we are looking
for during calibration?).
Extras
A film this important in
the history of cinema deserves the royal-bonus-features treatment, and
Criterion delivers, including a 1975 interview of Fritz Lang by William Friedkin, and a short format remake of ‘M'.
There is also a 32 page booklet with more interviews and commentary.
- Rick Schmidt
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Warner Brothers
2004, Color, Rated R, 1 Hr 53 min
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 (16x9 enh)
English Dolby Digital 5.1
English DTS 5.1
Directed by Renny Harlin
Starring
Stellan Skarsgård, Izabella Scorupco, Remy Sweeney
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"Exorcist: The Beginning"
Synopsis
In this prequel to one of
the scariest movies of all time, the 1973 Exorcist, seasoned actor Stellan Skarsgård recreates the role of Father Merrin who shows up in
the original as the expert exorcist priest. Haunted by images of
executed children at the hands of the Nazis, Father Merrin loses his
faith and turns to archeology because, “It's real”.
The discovery of a church in Kenya dating 1000 years prior to
Christianity in that part of the world intrigues Merrin to accept a
commission to find a certain artifact at the site. Immediately upon his
arrival, he discovers the locals have deemed the dig cursed, and he
bravely investigates the disturbances. As he is accompanied by a young
priest sent by Rome (Vatican), Merrin is anxious to enter the buried
church. This location in East Africa is said to be the spot Lucifer fell
from the war in heaven.
Just as in the first movie, a native African child, played by Remy
Sweeney (a boy this time), is suspected to be possessed as he is
hospitalized and cared for by the female doctor Sarah (Izabella
Scorupco), who herself experienced the atrocities of the Nazi prison
camps. She and Merrin develop a close friendship on the verge of
romance.
Father Merrin rediscovers his faith and battles the evil entity in the
final battle deep beneath the church in the crypt chambers.
Commentary
It's such a shame that more
could not have been done with the potential of this film. The movie was
wrought with problems from the beginning when the original submission to
the studio by director Paul Schrader was rejected because it wasn't gory
enough. Warner Brothers decided to bring in Renny Harlin to bloody it up.
Poor quality CGI rabid hyenas seem out of place, other than to provide
some gross factor. Unlike the original where your attention is held by
the unknown, this version jumps around and hardly builds to the climax,
lacking focus and a journey for the viewer.
The weak ending battle between good and evil is nothing like the
exhausting and deadly marathon of the original. In fact, it was quite
boring and predictable.
I'm not sure if this was the intention of the writer, but there
seems to be a metaphor between Nazi Germany and Lucifer, almost as
though the devil himself influenced the evil empire.
The original scared me because it instilled in us the plausibility of
the devil existing. We knew the devil had the ability to kill anyone
anytime. In this version, Merrin seems to come and go as he pleases, with
little threat from the Evil One.
I'd sure love to see Schrader's version for comparison.
Technical
The film quality is
actually very good, as the exotic locations are very compelling. The
music is disappointing, as it follows the cliché bursts to dramatize the
unexpected.
Extras
There are cast and crew interviews,
including comments from director Harlin. A brief The Making Of, and the
original trailer are included.
- Piero Gabucci
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