You’d think that a caper comedy with three powerful leads such as Christopher Walken, Morgan Freeman, and William H. Macy would make for some good times. Alas, The Maiden Heist presents itself as a comedy that you know is supposed to be funny, but the laughs that emerged on my end came across as forced.
Archive for November, 2009
*DVD Review* The Maiden Heist
Posted: 30 November, 2009 in Movies/TVTags: art, caper, Christopher Walken, Comedy, Marcia Gay Harden, Morgan Freeman, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, The Lonely Maiden, The Maiden Heist, William H. Macy
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*DVD Review* Death In The Garden (La Mort En Ce Jardin)
Posted: 29 November, 2009 in Movies/TVTags: Death In The Garden, Drama, French, La Mort En Ce Jardin, Luis Buñuel, Microcinema International, Spanish, Transflux Films
I must confess that I really never expected to see a jungle drama from master surrealist Luis Buñuel. As it turns out, Senior Buñuel did make such a film in 1956, somewhere during his minimalist Mexican period. Although it is not as bizarrely outrageous as some of the filmmaker’s earlier or later works, Death In The Garden (La Mort En Ce Jardin) is still worth a look-see, especially for Buñuel fans.
*Blu-ray Review* Dexter: The Third Season
Posted: 27 November, 2009 in TVTags: Blu-ray, crime, Dexter: The Third Season, Michael C. Hall, serial killer, Showtime, TV
From that first auspicious moment when the world was introduced to DEXTER, we all knew had Showtime winner on our hands. But even after two seasons of watching a serial killer murdering serial killers, it’s a bit hard to fathom the writers of DEXTER coming up with enough plot points to keep viewers interested and still keep the show fresh.
Thankfully, DEXTER: THE THIRD SEASON does not disappoint. In fact, it goes well beyond expectations, just as the show itself has done for the past three years. The stories are tightly woven. The suspense is damn-near harrowing at times. And never once does the show let its dark humor turn it into a farce.
*DVD Review* Nude In Dracula’s Castle
Posted: 27 November, 2009 in Movies/TVTags: '50s, '60s, 8mm loops, Nude In Dracula's Castle, nudie cutie, nudie flick, nudity, Secret Key Motion Pictures, T&A
Well, with a title like NUDE IN DRACULA’S CASTLE, you’d expect a mini exploitation masterpiece at the least. This collection of black and white 8mm loops from yesteryear begins with a fun-but-minor excursion into the nudie stag films of the ‘50s and ‘60s featuring British pin-up June Palmer. It’s only about seven minutes long, but it’s a pretty amusing romp nonetheless. It’s also the only portion of this entire 2-DVD/300+ minute set to include a “plot” — and, following the titular short in question, this collection starts to become annoyingly repetitive.
*DVD Review* Far Cry (2008)
Posted: 26 November, 2009 in Game, Movies/TVTags: Action, adaptation, B-Movie, Far Cry, Michael Paré, Udo Kier, Uwe Boll, video game
Germany’s B-Movie auteur Uwe Boll is at it once again with yet another video game adaptation. But this time around, Herr Boll has outdone himself. Sure, my very utterance that the longtime Razzie Award contender has “outdone himself” will probably be cause enough for many to question my sanity overall. After all, I’m perfectly content with watching a cheesy retro European-made action flick over a modern big-budgeted American film any day — there’s a certain naïve charming about them.
*Blu-ray Review* Rocky: The Undisputed Collection
Posted: 23 November, 2009 in Movies/TVTags: Blu-ray, boxing, Drama, MGM/Fox, Rocky Balboa, Rocky: The Undisputed Collection, Sylvester Stallone
It was great news to hear: the entire Rocky franchise was coming out in a box set on Blu-ray. We could at long last enjoy the whole Sylvester Stallone series in glorious High Definition. Granted, some of the entries in this series were bad enough in the pan-and-scan VHS days, but a sliver of an upgrade every now and then never hurts…
*DVD Reviews* Zorro: The Complete First and Second Season
Posted: 22 November, 2009 in TVTags: Disney, Guy Williams, Johnston McCulley, TV, vintage, Walt Disney Treasures, Zorro: The Complete First Season, Zorro: The Complete Second Season
In keeping up with their long and prestigious line of excellent Tin Box Sets, Disney has unleashed two new Walt Disney Treasures for collectors the world over to get all warm and fuzzy over. This time, though, the Tin Box Sets are black in color (as opposed to silver), and they bear the adventures of one of the most iconic swashbuckling heroes of fiction: Johnston McCulley’s “Zorro.”
*DVD Reviews* A Fistful Of Horror From Synapse Films
Posted: 22 November, 2009 in Movies/TVTags: Euro, French, Horror, La Nuit De La Mort!, Night Of Death!, Sick Girl, Stepfather II: Make Room For Daddy, Synapse Films
It recently came to my attention that my work was beginning to pile up on me. Several stacks of everything from independently-made B-movies to classic films, and to TV shows were lying in wait of a critique. And so, I figured I’d start out my Saturday afternoon with some good ol’ horror titles from Synapse Films. My roster included the indie flick Sick Girl, Jeff Burr‘s Stepfather II: Make Room For Daddy, and an obscure French title, Night Of Death!, which I had actually had the pleasure of seeing years before.
The one and only Arch Hall, Jr. announces new website
Posted: 22 November, 2009 in Event, Movies/TV, MusicTags: announcement, Arch Hall Jr
Arch Hall, Jr., the star of several classic B-Movies including Eegah!, The Sadist, and Wild Guitar, announced via a Yahoo discussion group that his new website, archhalljr.com, is up and running. As a longtime fan of the Archer, I felt it was my patriotic duty to forward this on.
Soundtrack to John Lennon biopic, Nowhere Boy, streets in UK December 14
Posted: 18 November, 2009 in Movies/TV, MusicTags: announcement, John Lennon, Music, Nowhere Boy, Sony Music, soundtrack
Sony Music is pleased to announce the CD and Digital Download release of the soundtrack album of the year, “Nowhere Boy” – the critically acclaimed hot new film biopic about John Lennon’s teenage years which led to his musical career from the Quarrymen to his early relationship with Paul McCartney and George Harrison when the Beatles first set off to Hamburg.
