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DVD review: Clone Hunter

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Often, sci-fi and low budget indie productions go together about as well as chocolate and onions. The high budget demands on special effects eventually hamper the entire story. Clone Hunter is indeed  [ ... ]


What to make of the ending to Inception?

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So far, my favorite film this year is Christopher Nolanís Inception. Not only does it deliver all the action and thrills expected of a big budget summer blockbuster, but it has inspired endl [ ... ]


DVD Review: The White Ribbon

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The White Ribbon is a drama starring Christian Freidl, Ulrich Turkl and Burghart Klaussner. Directed by Michael Haneke.

There is something wrong here. In a seemingly quaint German village pre-WW1, [ ... ]


DVD Review: Shutter Island

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The film begins on an ominous note. Eerie strings play as the film fades to white. Soon, a ship appears out of the fog. Cut to a gumshoe, looking and speaking as if he has stepped straight out of a [ ... ]


REVIEWS
DVD Review: Jennifer's Body PDF Print E-mail
Written by Trent Daniel   
Monday, 01 February 2010 14:16
ImageShoot, I was hoping Iíd like this one.

I am an unapologetic fan of horror films (and sometimes the sleazier the better), yet I admit they are way too often predictable, no matter the subgenre. Jenniferís Body had a chance to be unique. Not only did it star ìbabe of the monthî Megan Fox, it was produced and written by Diablo Cody, fresh off her Oscar winning work for Juno. Thus, I was hoping the film would deliver the scares, yet be sexy and feature a feminist perspective on the proceedings (something rarely found in horror). Sorry, but Jenniferís Body simply doesnít deliver.

The plot, in a small northwest town (which looked WAY too much like the setting for Twilight), bffs Needy (Amanda Seyfried), withdrawn and nerdy, and Jennifer (Megan Fox), head cheerleader and school babe, go to a seedy bar to hear a struggling alt-rock band named Low Shoulder. A fire decimates the club and, upon escaping, Needy is left behind while Jennifer is taken away in a van by the band. Turns out the band has decided to sacrifice a virgin to Satan in order to achieve fame (one of the better lines in the movie ìYou know how hard it is for an indie band to make it these days?í). Trouble is, Jennifer lied and is no virgin. The unintended consequence: instead of dying, her body is possessed by a demon that needs to feed on human flesh, preferably boys.
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Last Updated on Monday, 01 February 2010 14:19
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DVD review: Big Fan PDF Print E-mail
Written by Trent Daniel   
Thursday, 28 January 2010 13:48
ImageBig Fan is a black comedy starring Patton Oswalt, Kevin Corrigan and Michael Rapoport. Directed by Robert Siegel.

I am a fan of college football, in particular the Auburn Tigers. In 2004, the team went undefeated, yet did not get a chance to play for the championship due to the college football selection system (known as the BCS; too complicated to go into here for non-college football fans). What hit me some time later: I lived vicariously through the Auburn Tigers to the point that I took my teamís snub personally. Even though I never played for the team, or even went to Auburn, I identified so strongly with them that their snub hurt and enraged me.

Paul (Patton Oswalt) lives by proxy through the NFLís New York Giants, in particular star linebacker Quantrell Bishop. Without the Giants or ìQ.B.î Paul is basically a nobody-he is chubby, in his mid 30ís, works the night shift as a parking garage attendant and still lives with his mother. There is no girlfriend in his life and perhaps one friend, Sal (Kevin Corrigan).

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Last Updated on Thursday, 28 January 2010 13:50
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DVD REVIEW: INK PDF Print E-mail
Written by Trent Daniel   
Tuesday, 19 January 2010 14:47
ImageInk is a sci-fi thriller starring Chris Kelly, Quinn Hunchar, Jessica Duffy and Jeremy Make. Directed by Jamin Winans.

This film was a very pleasant surprise.

In most cases, trying to make an effective sci-fi film on a miniscule budget is like trying to make a gourmet meal with Armour hot dogs. However, Ink is a welcome exception, as Denver director Jamin Winans uses every cent to create a captivating sci-fi thriller that turns into an engaging allegory about loss and redemption.

Two separate worlds are presented in the same story: In the ìrealî world, John (Chris Kelly), a successful but clearly stressed and unhappy business executive, learns that his 8 year old daughter Emma (Quinn Hunchar, in a very good performance) is in a coma. John is a widower who, due to a drug problem, lost custody of Emma to his late wifeís parents. In the spirit world, we learn that there in an ongoing battle between forces of good (shown as young, attractive people who happen to be good at martial arts) and evil (eerie, distorted-faced creatures clad in black leather). These forces continually battle for our souls through our dreams.

Emma is captured in the spirit world by a deformed, ragged figure known as Ink. His aim is to turn over the soul of the child to the forces of evil in order to become one of them. The good forces follow in a desperate attempt to save the child, yet learn her only hope rests in the real world with John. Add a comment
Last Updated on Thursday, 21 January 2010 11:06
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DVD Review: The Hangover PDF Print E-mail
Written by Trent Daniel   
Thursday, 31 December 2009 15:51
ImageThe Hangover is a comedy starring Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, Zach Galifanakis and Justin Bartha. Directed by Todd Phillips.

The Hangover
is a raunchy ìguyî movie in the tradition of Animal House and the Judd Apatow assembly line, yet it does not simply throw raunchy jokes at the screen to see what sticks. Instead, it sets up an intriguing premise beautifully, establishes funny characters we come to care about and smoothly transitions from one bizarre but funny scene to another as the protagonists try to uncover just what the hell happened one night in Vegas.

The premise: a bride is called on her wedding day. Bad news: the best man calls from many miles away, in the middle of the desert, to inform her that the groom is missing. He has a bloody lip and three figures are sitting on a car behind him.
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DVD Review: Man on a Wire PDF Print E-mail
Written by Trent Daniel   
Wednesday, 16 December 2009 17:00
ImageMan on Wire is a documentary by James Marsh.

It seems that, for many people, the moments when they are closest to death are when they feel the most alive. To die taking a bold risk is to die a glorious death, far better than to simply grow old and wither away like other mortals do. I myself am not a daredevil-yet I sometimes envy those who are. They often feel what few others feel, or see what no one else sees, or will ever see.

Philippe Petit is one such daredevil. On August 7, 1974, this infamous tightrope walker crossed not once, not twice, but eight times between the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center.  Man on Wire, the engrossing, moving documentary about his feat, masterfully meshes current interviews, actual footage and reenactments in thrilling fashion in order to understand how and why P
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Last Updated on Wednesday, 16 December 2009 17:03
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