Movieline Online

THE FLICKS: Most movies try their best to disguise they era in which they were created (70’s sci-fi flicks being the exception...apparently they were pretty confident that polyester would stand the test of time). But Brian DePalma’s “Scarface” embraces the decadence and self-destruction of the 80’s as the backdrop for a re-imagining of the gangster classic with Al Pacino as the dangerously ambitious Cuban immigrant Tony Montana. It’s safe to say we wouldn’t even be enjoying this 2nd special edition if it wasn’t for all the exposure “Scarface” receives on MTV’s “Cribs,” in which every gold-toothed rapper proudly displays their copy of the film on their shelf. At the time of its release, Pacino’s over-the-top performance was about the only thing that attracted positive reviews. Oliver Stone’s brutal, profanity laced script hit the screen after fighting its way past an X-rating, only to do moderate business at the box office. But from these humble beginnings a cult film was borne. Bereft ...

THE FLICK: Now that all the hype has died down around the “Matrix Trilogy” – replaced by crushing disappointment – it’s hard to remember which came first, the Wachowski Brothers sci-fi digital revolution or the Japanese culture that inspired it. The simultaneous release of “The Animatrix” on DVD showed that the filmmakers were eager to give credit where it was due. So even though there’s no glowing endorsement on the front cover, “Avalon,” the latest in a number of “Matrix” knock-offs, should garner a little extra love. Why? Because director Mamoru Oshii was also responsible for the seminal anime “Ghost in the Shell,” which was one of many templates reinterpreted for American audiences to “ooh” and “ahhh” over. This existential action film is likely as close as one can get to translating the Japanese animation style into a live-action film: emotionally barren but undeniably visionary. In an alternate reality somewhere between Orwell and the Holocaust, gamers compete in a worldwide on-l...

It’s tough to criticize the final chapter of Peter Jackson’s “Lord of the Rings” trilogy. Even casual fans now seem to defend Tolkien’s text with almost biblical fervor, frothing at the mouth at even the mention of literary meddling. Which is a shame, because other than Jackson’s slavish attachment to the source material, “Return of the King” is a largely successful conclusion for Frodo, Gandalf, Aragorn and the rest of the Middle Earth gang. The film’s visual effects quite literally reach a peak, with a distinctly vertical sense of dizzying heights prevalent in Frodo and Sam’s ascent of Mount Doom and the towering city of Gondor, the focal point of Sauron’s attack against all Mankind. There’s a great deal of emotional set-up before we make it to the big show – a winner take all battle between the newly crowned King Aragorn and an endless army of Mordor’s enemy forces. If you’re mouth doesn’t hang open in awe, you’re jaw must be wired shut. But for all the grandiose images on display, ...

THE FLICK: Some films are fatally flawed. Script problems, bland direction, weak acting Ð take your pick. Like Hill House or the Ford Fury in Stephen KingÕs ÒChristine,Ó theyÕre just born bad. Others suffer from, for lack of a better term, Òbad apples.Ó Creatively and competently executed, there remain enough head-scratching moments of Òwhat were they thinking!Ó to stink up (but not spoil) the whole experience. Yet sometimes those Òbad applesÓ make for an infinite amount of re-watchibility; as if one were hoping the film would miraculously correct itself with each new viewing. And for whatever reason (thereÕs a lot of personal bias in the Òbad appleÓ theory), ÒThe League of Extraordinary GentlemenÓ fits quite nicely into the latter category. A moderately big-budget adaptation of the Alan Moore graphic novel built around the audacious idea of classic Victorian literary figures (Alan Quartermain, Dorian Gray, The Invisible Man, Dr. Jekyll, Mina Harker, Captain Nemo & Tom Sawyer) band...

For those that donÕt ÒgetÓ animation (i.e., close-minded, over-educated snobs with no sense of humor) shows like ÒSouth Park,Ó ÒThe SimpsonsÓ and the late-great ÒFuturamaÓ must seem like annoying Saturday morning escapees that accidentally wound up in prime time. DonÕt bother to convince them otherwise. TheyÕll never grasp the comic timing of a well-placed ÒDÕoh!Ó or appreciate the familiar refrain of ÒScrew you guys, IÕm going home!Ó In fact, that last sentence has them so confused, angry and disoriented theyÕre rushing to the TV for a live-action fix of Courtney Cox-Arquette. ÒSouth Park: The Complete Third Season,Ó in the words of creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone, is where the cardboard cutout show truly came together. The character quirks, interwoven plots, and no-limits sense of humor found a groove that became familiar rather than formulaic Ð playing off the now well-established cast of oddball personalities and scathing celebrity cameos. The seventeen episodes collected in Pa...

THE FLICK: Fans of Johnny Depp will say itÕs about time the rest of the country woke up and appreciated one of the most interesting and eccentric actors of our generation. But ÒPiratesÓ didnÕt exactly shove the smelling salts under John Q. PublicÕs nose; most folks already had a good idea what Depp was capable of from modest hits like ÒEdward ScissorhandsÓ and ÒSleepy Hollow.Ó More accurately, it was Depp himself who finally broke down and channeled his independent spirit into the Hollywood mainstream. Director Gore Verbinski captures the feel of classic swashbucklers past and the squeaky clean fun of the Disney thrill ride the filmÕs based on. But without his leading pirate the movie would be just more big budget eye candy. Depp, famously basing his performance on StoneÕs guitarist Keith Richards, is a fumbling, mumbling wreck of a pirate whoÕs much cleverer than he looks. As Captain Jack Sparrow, he overwhelms even the most elaborate special effect in the film and lifts the material ...

THE FLICK: Like it or not, season two of “Alias” was defined by the post-Super Bowl spectacular that featured superspy Sydney Bristow (Jennifer Garner) in even more revealing outfits than usual. The fact that it spun the series into a completely different direction was a fringe benefit. Give creator J.J. Abrahms credit for not letting his show sit on its laurels and keeping audience’s guessing just when they thought things were starting to make sense. Plot threads that will pique regular viewers interest: the return of Syndey’s mother (and her mysterious motivations), shifting personal and professional alliances, a budding romance with CIA handler Vaughn and plenty of one-shot supervillians and good guys like Ethan Hawke, Christian Slater and Rutger Hauer. Although the sense of discovery that made Season One appointment television is lacking and the formula is becoming a bit transparent, how do these next 22 episodes stand up? Very well, thank you very much. Many of the juicy secrets t...

THE FLICK: The DVD format has made it fashionable to label nearly every special edition re-release a “classic.” That’s capitalism at work. And it’s hard to argue when so many obscure one-hit-wonders not only get the digital treatment, but are also hailed as masterpieces in their own mini-genres. So for a film like “Once Upon A Time In The West,” director Sergio Leone’s finest work and a high point of the Western, to slip quietly into the night would have been more than a shame...it would have been embarrassment. Thankfully, Paramount came through and Leone’s epic not only shines on home video, it runs a few minutes longer to boot. Made from fragments of Leone’s own work, and those classic Westerns he idolized (most notably “High Noon” and “Johnny Guitar”), “Once Upon A Time...” is both the last gasp and an invigorating shot in the arm for a dying genre. Charles Bronson is another “man with no name” (although everyone calls him “Harmonica”), Henry Fonda is a cold-blooded killer (for the...

THE FLICK: Let’s sit back and marvel for a moment at the accomplishments of director Bryan Singer and the creative team behind “X-Men” and “X2.” Not only did they turn in a faithful adaptation of comicdom’s most beloved team of misunderstood mutant superheroes, but they made the often soap-operatic storyline accessible to anyone and everyone who was lucky enough to buy a ticket. And while the first film served as an excellent introduction to the mutant menace, “X2” is an improvement in almost every respect. More action. More characters. More depth. And more visual razzle dazzle - the only element that was lacking in Singer’s first go round with Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) and the gang. “X2” takes the idea of mutant prejudice to the next level by introducing the character of Stryker (Brian Cox), a right-wing military man with a grudge to bear against Professor X (Patrick Stewart) and his school for gifted youngsters. His plan for global mutant genocide forces the X-Men into action, teaming...

THE FLICKS: Attaching a quote to a box set that proudly labels Gualtiero Jacopetti and Franco Prosperi “perhaps the most devious and irresponsible filmmakers who have ever lived” is bound to either pull you in or turn you off. And Blue Underground’s immense 8-disc “Mondo Cane Collection” is likely the most gorgeous love it or leave it DVD product released this year. Comprised of five films, two directors cuts and a full-length documentary, some might question the loving care that went into acquiring and restoring films that have been decried as pornographic, racist, sensationalistic, and entirely fabricated. But extreme opinions add up to interesting filmmaking. And the “Mondo” films are always that. “Mondo Cane” (1962) (translated as Dog’s World) was the first of the so-called “shockumentaries,” gathering footage from around the world of the strange, bizarre, exotic, and just plain disgusting. It set the stage for latter day imitators like “Faces of Death” and a slew of other films th...

THE FLICK: Even before “Finding Nemo,” it was patently obvious that Pixar Studios had found the key to producing consistently outstanding animated films. What separates “Toy Story,” “A Bug’s Life” and “Monsters Inc.” from other family fare are strong scripts and characters that appeal to every age, not just children. It’s that ability to entertain beyond the so-called “target audience” that explains how “Nemo” swam to the of the box office last year...and now dives into home video with a two-disc collector’s edition DVD. More of a typical Disney plot, “Finding Nemo” follows the deep sea quest of Marlin, a clownfish (voiced by Albert Brooks) as he crosses the ocean to find his son who’s been scooped up and plopped in an Australian dentist’s fish tank. Marlin’s misadventures along the way, including a run-in with sharks, sea turtles, whales, ravenous seagulls, and a dimwitted tag-along named Dory (Ellen Degeneres), make for a charming, funny, and warmly familiar fish tale. THE FEATURES: ...

THE FLICK: Willis O’Brien is the cinematic equivalent of a one-hit-wonder. There’s no denying “King Kong” is a milestone in movie history. Even the stop-motion animator’s silent warm-up, “The Lost World,” pushed the art of filmmaking into a fantastic new direction. But O’Brien’s career seemed to topple with Kong’s long fall off the Empire State Building. “The Black Scorpion” (1957) is one of his latter efforts and is hampered by a low budget, hammy acting, and all the contrived set-ups of the giant bug genre. That being said, there’s still a lot to enjoy once the talking stops and O’Brien’s title character starts tearing up the screen. After being awakened by a volcano, a swarm of prehistoric scorpions descend on Mexican peasants, eating livestock and disturbing the peace. Luckily, a Norte Americano scientist and his Mexican sidekick volunteer to meet the big bugs on their own turf, at the bottom of a bottomless cavern that serves as a “lost world” of its own. The plan fails and eventu...

THE FLICK: Those who insist on trying to convert the unenlightened to the stop-motion artistry of Ray Harryhausen are fighting a losing battle. As the effects master’s lifelong friend Ray Bradbury puts it, “We grew old together, but we never grew up.” And that’s the key to enjoying films like “Beast from 20,000 Fathoms” and “Valley of Gwangi”; keeping your heart and mind open to the fantastic. The vast majority of audiences simply don’t get it, but those that do are in for a treat. “Beast” is loosely based on a short story by Bradbury and is also Harryhausen’s first solo project (he assisted mentor Willis O’Brien on “Mighty Joe Young”), hired to bring his titular Rhedosaurus to life on a low, low budget. Laying down the groundwork for atomic monster tales like “Godzilla,” the story has its prehistoric dino thawed out at the Arctic Circle, only to make its way to New York City and Coney Island for the famous flaming rollercoaster finale. As is often the case, the film wrapped around Har...

THE FLICKS: Classic horror fans and Hammer aficionados are two discs closer to nirvana with the release of “Frankenstein and the Monster from Hell” & “Captain Kronos: Vampire Hunter” – two of the British studios latter fare that stacks up surprisingly well with some of their best. The final installment in their Frankenstein films, Hammer somehow roped in Peter Cushing and director Terence Fisher to send out the series with a low-key tale of dread and dismemberment at a remote asylum which, of course, results in the creation of a murderous man-ape than runs amok. While the plot may be redundant and does nothing to further the mad scientist mythos, Cushing is predictably amazing in the lead role as “Dr. Victor,” now hiding under a flimsy alias and using mental patients as raw material to continue his body building experiments. Railroad-spike thin but still full of nervous energy (witness his piggy-back stunt at the ripe old age of 65), the actor gives it his all, a nice counter-balan...

THE FLICKS: To hear Lucas and Spielberg tell it, the Indiana Jones films are nothing more than shameless patchworks of Saturday Afternoon serial adventure films. Of course, to an entire generation that had never seen Flash Gordon, Tarzan, or the assorted cowboy heroes, “Raiders of the Lost Ark” was a completely new and completely liberating experience. And in their fanciful quest to re-create the films of their youth, Lucas and Spielberg managed to create an entirely new cinematic icon almost by accident. Few films, if any, can top “Raiders” for sheer entertainment value. Yes, its action set pieces are the stuff of legend – the boulder, the blowdarts, the truck stunts, the exploding heads – but it’s the surprisingly well-rounded performances from secondary characters like Karen Allen and John Rhys-Davies that make it feel like family reunion every time you watch. “Temple of Doom” took some much undeserved heat at the time of release for being too violent and dark, even though the physi...

THE FLICK: The third film in Godfrey Reggio’s “Qatsi” series continues his visual dissection of human society. Only this time, instead of contrasting the natural world with Man’s complex mechanical imitations, “Naqoyqatsi” is made up of images that are electronically altered to support the title’s thematic translation, “Life as War” – war with each other, war against ourselves, and war against technology. If you turn off your brain, Reggio’s film is nothing more than an adult version of those “Baby Einstein” videos – a mesmerizing montage of glorious photography set to the hypnotic beat of composer Phillip Glass. But the deeper meanings behind it all begin to seep in eventually, even if it’s only on a subconscious level. And you come out of “Naqoyqatsi” with a different view of the world, one that lay hidden just below the surface. THE FEATURES: After a brief intro by producer Steven Soderbergh (who champions the film as an example of brave and experimental filmmaking), the special fea...

THE FLICK: Low-budget horror hit a peak in the 70’s with films like Tobe Hooper’s “Texas Chainsaw Massacre” and Wes Craven’s “The Hills Have Eyes” breaking the barriers of good taste and the heretofore predictable rules of scary movies audiences came to expect. These were the pioneers of the “anti-Hollywood” horror movie. “Hills” is a jury-rigged minor masterpiece, held together by sheer brute force and an overwhelming sense of dread. Despite an obvious script full of over-the-top melodrama (a weakness Craven carried throughout his career), the film feeds off the momentum of its stripped down story about a family of whitebread vacationers fighting for survival in the desert against an family of cannibalistic madmen (and women). The set-piece scene (and the one that likely earned the film its reputation) is a disturbingly violent attack at the family RV which includes one rape, two deaths and a kidnapped baby saved for dinner. Almost 30 years later, it still has the power to shock. And ...

THE FLICK: It’s hard to say who should get the blame for “Mimic: Sentinel,” the producers who came up with the ridiculous “Rear Window with giant cockroaches” concept, or first-time director J. T. Petty, who was handpicked out of NYU on the basis of his student film. And it’s also hard to say whether the slow-pace, bad acting and claustrophic sets are the result of a stripped down budget or some artistic aspiration to take the “Mimic” films in a new direction. You won’t get any answers by watching the movie. All you’ll get is a frustrating experience in low-budget “art-horror” hidden behind name-brand franchise. The plot has a Strickler’s disease survivor, Marvin, isolated in his room with a view, living vicariously through his telephoto camera lens as he snaps pictures of the neighbors. When he catches some clues on film of mysterious murder, it’s not long before the truth comes back to bite him: the Judas Bugs are alive and well and breeding. And his family is smack dab in the killin...

THE FLICK: Think of “Wrong Turn” as a glam-slasher flick, all dressed up in CGI and Stan Winston make-up, but still grinding out the old-school body count. And there’s nothing wrong with that...especially since horror went south with the “Scream” trilogy a few years back and is only now on the comeback trail. A film like “Wrong Turn,” which at least embraces its 70’s horror roots rather than mocking them, can now be enjoyed for the mechanical thrill machine that it is. Essentially an extension of that creepy “X-Files” episode about the in-bred family of mountain people, Eliza Dushku (“Bring It On”) is the hottie on the poster who goes out camping with her four pals and comes back with none of them. No surprise, since a trio of backwoods monstrosities (covered in elaborate disfiguring make-up appliances) has been picking them off one by one. Since this is the new millennium, director Rob Schmidt enhances his death scenes with some clever computer effects and stages a few set-piece scene...

THE SHOW: The overwhelming success of television shows on the DVD format can be explained in part by the ability to cram countless episodes on one shiny plastic disc. But there’s also the added value of giving fans a chance to watch an entire series at their own pace – a weekend marathon or once every few days grazing. But a show like “The Tick,” whose unsuccessful run on the Fox network lasted only nine episodes, makes it even easier to take in the entire series in one hilarious viewing session. Created by Ben Edlund (who also wrote the comic book and the animated series), produced by Barry Sonnenfeld (“Men In Black”), and starring Patrick Warburton (Puddy of TV’s “Seinfeld”) as the big blue bug of justice, “The Tick” is a show for those with discriminating tastes in comedy. It’s almost too smart for its own good, even though its central character has the vocabulary of a PHD and common sense of an extra-wide toaster. Built around the idea that superheroes and their exploits are an eve...

THE FLICKS: Blue Underground’s latest contribution to the world of cult cinema on DVD is the Christopher Lee Collection, which is a bit of misnomer. Although the horror icon is the featured player in each film, he’s far from the driving force behind them. The box set could easily have been re-titled “The Harry Alan Towers Compendium” (the producer and screenwriter of all four films) or “The Jess Franco Jamboree” (the director responsible for three of four). Bored with his association with Hammer and his typecasting as Dracula, Lee sought out more diverse roles to satisfy his creative outlet. While the “Fu Manchu” films were an initial success, by the time Towers and Franco put “Castle of Fu Manchu” and “Blood of Fu Manchu” into production, the actor was backed into the same corner – covered in heavy make-up with very little screen time. Both films are saddled with Franco’s lasseiz-faire direction - unnecessary and disorienting camera zooms, pathetic stunts, and a dash of clumsy erotica...

THE SHOW: In case you didn’t know, “Alias” is the best show on television. No, really. It is. Now that the Simpsons have gone goofy, Futurama is off the air, and ER is ready for euthenasia, producer J.J. Abrahms and star Jennifer Garner’s serpentine spy drama has no competition. For those that still aren’t in the loop, Garner plays Sydney Bristow, a grad student recruited by the CIA (or so she thinks) to live the life of a full-fledged secret agent. The James Bond cliches are all here: dangerous missions, clever gadgets, and deadly hand-to-hand combat. But “Alias” succeeds where even its big screen cohorts fail by putting a human face on all this espionage. Sydney is far from infallible (even though she is tougher than “La Femme Nikita” and better looking than most Bond girls), and it’s how her work interferes with her real life that give the show its heart. I defy anyone to watch the pilot episode and not be hooked. TV doesn’t get any better than this. THE FEATURES: This 6-disc set in...

THE FLICKS: Even though only a handful of people caught Mark Dacascos’ butt-kicking performance in the terrific period action/horror/ flick “Brotherhood of the Wolf,” there’s no doubt it made every one of them a fan. So how does some of the actor’s other work hold up? “Scorcher” casts him as the good guy trapped in a low-budget end of the world adventure. Inspired by other mediocre disaster movies with actors you’ve never heard of (like “The Core”), Dacascos is under-utilized as a Van Damme-type military man who must escort a team into LA to set off a couple of nukes and stop the planet’s plates from shifting. You can almost excuse the lack of special effects and terribly melodramatic dialogue, but to pull the punches on Dacascos’ fight scenes (which are choreographed like a bad 70’s TV series) is almost unforgivable. “Scorcher’s” only accomplishment is to make the apocalypse unbearably boring. “China Strike Force,” despite the Americanized voice-overs and Coolio’s stunt casting, is a ...

THE FLICKS: You’ve got classic auteurs like Bergman, Truffaut and John Ford. Modern guys like Kubrick, Scorsese and Copolla. Even the quirky independent minded fellas like Cronenberg, Lynch, and the Coen Brothers. But what the hell do you do with someone like Larry Cohen? Here’s a guy who arguably has put up just as impressive a body of work, but gets none of the credit. Laboring on genre pictures like blakxsploitation, shoot-em-ups, and monster-on-the-loose flicks, just to name a few, that garner little or no respect from mainstream critics. While the big names walk away with all the awards, Larry Cohen’s work is more subversive; changing the genre from within, adding a twist where another director would walk a straight line. One has only to take their pick of Blue Underground’s three new releases to get an idea of what his unique style of guerilla filmmaking is capable of. BONE is Cohen’s rarely seen (even during its initial release) skewering of California fantasies; its false-front...

THE FLICKS: If one is ever hard pressed to prove the legitamacy of film as art, the works of Ingmar Bergman make the case beautifully. Intensely personal, technically flawless, and emotionally raw, the director’s own obsessions are reflected throughout his career in the cinema. And although many European auteurs followed in his footsteps (Godard, Truffaut, and Fellini among them), none could explore the same psychological depths with a storyteller’s gift for tortured, yet unflinchingly honest, characters. The “Trilogy” is made up of three films that mark Bergman’s move away from the expressionistic style of “The Seventh Seal” toward a more intimate, and often painful, study of the human heart and mind. Bound together by the common thread of “God’s Silence,” Bergman finally addresses the theological questions he had danced about in previous films. A minister’s son who resented the hypocrisy of the modern church, the director had never before faced so many of his own personal demons in s...

THE FLICK: I won’t bore you with a rote description of the plot of John Carpenter’s “Halloween”. Not because it plays on some cable channel every night, or because you’re bound to catch one of its seven mediocre sequels. Because to do so is to sell the film short. Building off the modern horror ideas invented by Alfred Hitchock’s “Psycho,” “Halloween” brought terror out of the castle and into suburbia. The psuedo-supernatural killer Michael Myers doesn’t stalk his victims across some foggy countryside, he hunts them in backyards and parked cars. He’s anywhere and everywhere. It’s that sense of insecurity that puts audiences on edge. That’s what gives “Halloween” its impact – it brought fear into the home. But it didn’t do it in the sloppy, low-budget way, it did it with the same sort of meticulous craft ‘ol Hitch brought to the screen. Carpenter and cinematographer Dean Cundey produced unsettling shots with an eye for composition, where every empty inch of screen harbored a possible th...

THE FLICK: Director Robert Wise, despite his own string of successful films like “The Sound of Music” and “West Side Story,” will always be remembered for his association with legendary film figures Val Lewton and Orson Welles. An editor on Welles’ “Citizen Kane” and creative contributor to Lewton’s series of classy suspense films, Wise’s influences came to bear perfectly with his 1963 film “The Haunting,” an adaptation of Shirley Jackson’s novel, “The Haunting of Hill House.” A ghost story that uses the power of suggestion not out of budget constraints, but by stylistic choice, no spirits are ever physically visible in the film, but their presence is a near suffocating experience. Hill House was “born bad,” constructed at odd angles and designed to confuse those who wander its halls after dark. Which makes it perfect for Dr. Marquay’s ( )scientific quest to prove the existence of supernatural phenomena. He invites a psychic (Clair Bloom), a non-believer (), and Nell (), who’s naïve, n...

THE FLICK: For those unfamiliar with Columbia’s Superbit monikor, the idea is to strip away all the extras like commentaries, trailers and deleted scenes to make more room for the movie itself; what the consumer allegedly is buying the disc for anyway. This free space adds up to a much better transfer that approaches hi-def, plus DTS & Dolby Digital Sound. It’s safe to say that if you’ve already spent a couple grand on your home theater, a Superbit title is the best way to show it off. But how Columbia selects which movies to give the Superbit treatment is the true mystery. Even by horror fans liberal standards, “John Carpenter’s Vampires” is not the director’s crowning cinematic achievement. But it is a genuinely fun time-waster with a coarse, foul-mouthed performance from James Woods as a single-minded vampire slayer out to rid the world of bloodsuckers. It’s no secret that most of Carpenter’s action flicks can be read as new-age Westerns. And “Vampires” makes it even more obviou...