Movieline Online

THE FLICK: This is the part where I normally explain the appeal of director Lucio Fulci, a filmmaker of rather dubious qualifications but nevertheless adored by fans across the world. Why? Because the man knows how to pop eyeballs, crush craniums and shred flesh like nobody’s business. But if you’re even a casual fan of horror, I won’t waste time on what you already know. Suffice to say Blue Underground has treated Fulci’s films far better than they deserve on DVD. And the trend continues with Zombie, which, if not the director’s most accomplished film, is certainly his most bankable thanks to the pseudo-sequel tie-in with Romero’s Dawn of the Dead. Fulci, though, doesn’t waste his time with social satire or dark comedy (intentional comedy, anyway) but gets right down the bloody business of loosing his zombie horde on the world (or at least, the parts he can afford the location costs). The film opens with a very effective Nosferatu image of an abandoned sailboat drifting into New York ...

THE FLICK: As Hollywood digs further in the pantheon of comic-book heroes mining for cinematic success, Hellboy seem the most unlikely of choices. Not for lack of creativity, mind you. The eccentrically inventive story combines Nazis, demons, secret government agencies and doomed love triangles to great effect. But it’s precisely this hodge-podge of ingredients that should have made any adaptation of Mike Mignola’s witty sardonic hero nigh impossible. Should have. But I don’t think anyone was counting on director Guillermo Del Toro’s masterful balancing act of humor, horror, action and actual character development...especially when your character is a 9-foot tall red-skinned devil-child with sawed off horns and a pointed tail. When all is said and done, Hellboy makes for an invigorating experience – unpredictable, unusual and all the more exceptional because none of this cult comic book BS should work on the big screen...but it does. Kicking off during WWII with a raid on demon-conjuri...

THE FLICK: Only Mel Brooks could break cinematic ground by breaking wind! Or so he claims in the extras in Warner Bros. 30th Anniversary Special Edition DVD of Blazing Saddles, the director’s send-up of classic Hollywood westerns and 1974 racial stereotypes. Cleavon Little has the title role of Bart, a smart-mouthed railroad worker who is railroaded into becoming the first black Sheriff in the West, moseying into Rock Ridge much to the dismay of the local redneck populace. It’s all part of crooked politician Headley Lamar’s (Harvey Korman) plan to scare off the property owners and make way for untold profits as the railroad comes to town. But when Bart and his alcoholic sidekick, the Waco Kid (Gene Wilder), get wind of the plan, the entire town comes to its senses and stands up to Slim Pickens and his gang of rough-riding bad guys. Blazing Saddles gets away with more racial epithets and politically incorrect humor than any film in the history of cinema. The reason being, they’re all eq...

THE FLICK: Robert Ludlum will be the first to admit he’s simply a storyteller. The late author says as much in the extras on Universal’s new Explosive Extended Edition DVD of THE BOURNE IDENTITY. But if you’ve ever picked up one of the Bourne novels and suffered through the piss-poor descriptive passages and thick-tongued dialogue, you might need some more convincing. Thankfully, the cinematic incarnation of amnesiac super-spy Jason Bourne (played by the unlikely choice of Matt Damon) emphasizes the strengths of Ludlum’s story, a noir-ish road trip of cobblestone street car chases and post-Cold War government conspiracies. Although some of the simple-minded plot holes come along for the ride, too. In a genre that traditionally values explosions over exposition, it’s nice to see director Doug Liman bring his free-wheeling, improv-style of filmmaking (see his infectiously fun debut “Go”). THE BOURNE IDENTITY still finds time for quick-cut hand-to-hand combat and gunplay, but the film use...

THE SHOW: TV on DVD is now officially the hottest thing since Britney french-kissed Madonna (actually, that’s old news too, but it’s the thought that counts). But after you’ve written about one season of Charlie’s Angels, The A-Team or Starsky and Hutch, haven’t you pretty much said all there is to say? With most series, that’s true, but South Park Season Four demands some special attention. Not only does it represent the pinnacle of Trey Parker and Matt Stone’s taboo shattering comedic schtick it also features a number of “firsts” that simply must be recognized. The first appearance of Timmy and the Lords of the Underworld. The reunited team of Cheech and Chong (even if it’s only in animated form). The debut of Stan, Kyle, Cartman & Kenny’s boy band, Fingerbang. And the introduction of new fourth-grade teacher, Ms. Choksondik. You’ll find a full listing below, but what it won’t tell you is how $&#damn funny each and every one of these episodes is. Really, there’s not a loser i...