![[Screen It]](/images/underground_header.jpg)
|
|
|
|
Less filling than our full-length reviews but still informative, our DVD capsule reviews offer technical and supplemental information for each release, along with a quick look at whether the title is any good and/or entertaining or enjoyable.
THE COTTON CLUB
A terrific looking "old style" mob film that has a decent, but not fabulous tale to tell, the picture - directed and co-written by Francis Ford Coppola ("The Godfather," "Apocalypse Now") - was more famous in its day - that being 1984 - for all of its production troubles, in-fighting, and various other rumors than for the finished product. With a moderate, but box office take for its time and two Oscar nominations - for Best Art Direction/Set Direction and Best Editing - the film won't go down in the annals of filmdom as a great or even one of the best films about the mob. Nevertheless, its decent cast, terrific jazz score and stimulating visual sense certainly makes it worth seeing if you enjoy films of this genre.
|
|
Length: 132 minutes
Screen Formats: 2.35:1, 16x9, Full Screen (Pan & Scan) Languages: English, French Subtitles: English, Spanish Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1, DTS Sides: 2 Discs |
|
|
Length: 124 minutes
Screen Formats: 2.35:1, 16x9 Languages: English, French Subtitles: English, Spanish Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1, DTS Sides: 2 Discs |
|
|
Length: 131 minutes
Screen Formats: 2.35:1, 16x9 Languages: English, French Subtitles: English, Spanish Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1, DTS Sides: 2 Discs |
|
High above the city of L.A., a team of terrorists has seized a building, taken hostages and declared war. But one man has managed to escape detention...an off-duty cop. He's alone...tired...and the only chance anyone has. Bruce Willis stars as New York City detective John McClane, newly arrived in Los Angeles to spend the Christmas holiday with his estranged wife (Bonnie Bedelia). But as McClane waits for his wife's office party to break up, terrorists take control of the building. While the terrorist leader, Hans Gruber (Alan Rickman) and his savage henchman (Alexander Gudunov) round up hostages, McClane slips away unnoticed. Armed with only a service revolver and his cunning, McClane launches his own one-man war on the terrorists.
DISC TWO:
On a snowy Christmas Eve in the nation's capital, a team of terrorists has seized a major international airport and how holds thousands of holiday travelers hostage. The terrorists, a renegade band of crack military commandos led by a murderous rogue officer (William Sadler), have come to rescue a drug lord from justice. They've prepared for every contingency except one: John McClane, an off-duty cop gripped with a feeling of deadly déjà vu.
Bruce Willis returns as the heroic cop who battles not only terrorists, but also an incompetent airport police chief (Dennis Franz), the hard-headed commander (John Amos) of the Army's anti-terrorist squad and a deadly winter snowstorm. The runways are littered with death and destruction, and McClane is in a race against time since his wife (Bonnie Bedelia) is trapped on one of the planes circling overhead, which is desperately low on fuel.
DISC THREE:
The third installment of the hugely successful Die Hard series re-teams Bruce Willis and director John McTiernan in a new action/adventure extravaganza of special effects, unexpected comedy and nonstop thrills. This time, New York cop John McClane (Willis) is the personal target of the mysterious Simon (Jeremy Irons), a terrorist determined to blow up the entire city if he doesn't get what he wants. Accompanied by an unwilling partner (Samuel L. Jackson), McClane careens wildly from one end of New York City to the other as he struggles to keep up with Simon's deadly game. It's a battle of wits between a psychopathic genius and a heroic cop who once again finds himself having a really bad day.
The perfect action film that single-handedly resurrected that genre and inspired countless other "rip-off" imitators (including two sequels), the original film is a great flick that also jump-started Bruce Willis' film career after becoming a success on TV's "Moonlighting." From the terrific premise to the brilliant acting by Alan Rickman -- as one of cinema's best-portrayed villains ever - the 1988 film is a blast to watch (literally and figuratively) throughout its entire two-hour plus runtime.
A prime example of copying the formula of a successful film but forgetting the soul and spirit that made the original so much fun, the 1990 sequel to the original "Die Hard" may have the requisite action mayhem, but it's clearly inferior to the first film. Perhaps realizing that it would be difficult to match the great villainous character from the original (as played by Rickman), director Renny Harlin simply makes the one embodied by William Sadler a meaner and more sadistic villain.
Although the effect works (as far as making the audience root against him), Sadler's military officer gone bad character simply can't match up to Rickman's brilliant portrayal. As a result, the film just comes off more as violence for violence's sake and consequently simply isn't as much fun to watch (although it's not an arduous task to do so if you're an action fan). Of special note are appearances by Dennis "NYPD Blue" Franz and Fred "now a U.S. Senator" Thompson. Fans of the series will still probably get a kick out of watching Willis kick some terrorist butt and the film does have some decent action sequences that keep it from falling too far into the shadow of its excellent predecessor.
After the more violent, but less inspired and certainly less fun to watch sequel to the original "Die Hard," director John McTiernan returned to helm the third installment of this series. While not quite as good as the original, this 1995 film is much better than the second for several reasons. The villain, as portrayed by Jeremy Irons, is more in tune with that of Rickman's brilliant performance in the original than that of Sadler's one-dimensional role in the sequel. The film also opens up from the confines of a high-rise or airport to the entire city of New York and thus circumvents what was quickly becoming a tired situational premise.
What really makes the film work, however, was the clever idea of giving Willis' character a sidekick to battle the villain. Accordingly, the presence of Samuel L. Jackson in that role not only provides for greater plot development, but also inserts a great deal of much needed comic relief to offset the standard and obligatory lethal violence. Featuring some great action sequences and plenty of fun exchanges between Willis and Jackson, this third installment of the series, while not up to par with the original, certainly is a lot of fun to watch.
As far as the collection is concerned, it's far superior to the early versions of the trilogy, especially when it comes to supplemental features that are so numerous and informative that it will take fans of the series a very long time to go through all of them.
Die Hard - The Ultimate Collection is now available for purchase by clicking here.
THINGS YOU CAN TELL JUST BY LOOKING AT HER
|
Length: 109 minutes
Screen Formats: 1.85:1, 16x9, Full Screen (Pan & Scan) Languages: English, French, Spanish Subtitles: English, French, Spanish Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1 Sides: 2 |
|
Despite the high-caliber cast, the film was seemingly seen by more critics than actual viewers (I don't know if it ever actually played in theaters), but that might change now that it's arrived on video.
Things You Can Tell Just By Looking At Her is now available for purchase by clicking here.
Wayne's World 1 & 2 - The Complete Epic
|
Length: 94 minutes
Screen Formats: 1.85:1, 16x9 Languages: English, French Subtitles: English Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1 Sides: 1 |
|
|
Length: 94 minutes
Screen Formats: 1.85:1, 16x9 Languages: English, French Subtitles: English Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1 Sides: 1 |
|
In the tradition of "The Ten Commandments," "Lawrence of Arabia" and "Gandhi" comes a sweeping screen epic bursting with spectacle and drama…NOT! It's "Wayne's World," the hilarious, party-down movie of the year, featuring rockin' tunes, radical babes, and your most excellent hosts, Wayne Campbell (Mike Myers) and Garth Algar (Dana Carvey).
When a sleazy TV exec (Rob Lowe) offers Wayne and Garth a fat contract to tape their late-night cable-access show at his network, the two can't believe their good fortune. But they soon discover the road from basement to big time is a gnarly one, fraught with danger, temptation and ragin' party opportunities. Can Wayne win the affections of rock goddess Cassandra (Tia Carrere)? Will Garth get dunked by his dream girl (Donna Dixon) at the donut shop? Serious questions, dude, and there's only one way to find out - watch "Wayne's World!"
DISC 2:
It's 2 excellent to be true! Wayne and Garth are back (and front) in the most awaited video since "Wayne's World" - "Wayne's World 2!" Having achieved godlike status as a late-night TV personality, Wayne (Myers) now confronts the question that has plagued man for centuries: Is there life after cable? He gets his answer in a dream, wherein a very famous (and very dead) rock star says, "Put on a rock concert and they will come." So Wayne and Garth (Carvey) present "Waynestock." But first, Wayne must save his girlfriend, Cassandra (Carrere) from a sinister record producer (Christopher Walken), as Garth grapples with the advances of mega-babe Honey Hornée (Kim Basinger). Party on!
Originally released in 1992, the first "Wayne's World" - directed by Penelope Spheeris and written by Myers, Bonnie Turner and Terry Turner - turned out to be - and still is - the best big screen adaptation of a "Saturday Night Live" skit. While the plot's rather predictable and nothing particularly special, the performances from Myers and Carvey are what make the film accessible and so much fun to watch. The two expand upon but still play with the imaginative and funny characteristics of their parts that no doubt share some lineage with the Bill & Ted characters from a few years earlier. They also concoct some fun lingo and individual moments, such as when they and others break into their rendition of Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody."
The sequel, hurried into production and released just a year later - obviously hoping to capitalize on the surprise success of its predecessor - pretty much delivers more of the same sort of comedy material that fueled the first. The result was a picture that wasn't nearly as successful as the original - thus the reason for no "Part III" so far - but still it still manages to be moderately entertaining in its own right (including a terrific spoof of dubbed martial arts films), again working mostly because of what the two leads bring to their characters.
The discs do feature fun menu pages that resemble scrolling cable TV guides, complete with some humorous advertisements and some other clips from available Paramount titles, as well as running directorial comments and "making of" featurettes.
Wayne's World 1 & 2 - The Complete Epic is now available for purchase by clicking here.
By entering this site you acknowledge to having read and agreed to the above conditions.
All Rights Reserved,
©1996-2022 Screen It, Inc.