DVD Review: Chinese Ghost Story (B)

Chinese Ghost Story (1987)
Directed by Ching Siu-Tung
Starring Leslie Cheung, Joey Wong, Wu Ma
MPAA: Not Rated
Review By Ellyn Elm
Grade: B

When lowly tax collector Ning Tsai-shun gets caught in a downpour on the way to town, his tax books are ruined and no one will pay. He needs a place to stay for a few days so he can re-write the books. He settles into the strange and silent Lam Ro temple, empty except for one very energetic Taoist priest who warns him away. He elects to stay, and it isn't long before he is lured by the sound of a lute out of the temple to where Hsiao Tsing, a beautiful woman, awaits him.

But there's more to this woman than meets the eye. She's a ghost in the reluctant employ of a thousand year old tree demon who uses her massive tongue to suck the life out of hapless victims.

When ghost and tax-collector meet, they fall in love, and he swears to help her escape from the tree demon's evil clutches.

Some really great (and cheesy!) special effects coupled with kooky dialog and likeable characters make this movie enormously entertaining. If you’re looking for a fun and upbeat horror flick – this is it!

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DVD Review: Alex and Emma (F)

Alex and Emma (2003)
Directed by Rob Reiner
Starring Luke Wilson, Kate Hudson, Rip Taylor and Rob Reiner
MPAA: PG-13
Grade: F
Review by Bobby Nashville

Alex and Emma is by far the worst movie I have seen in a long, long time. What the hell was Rob Reiner thinking? Kate Hudson and Luke Wilson actually have some talent (as does Reiner of course) so how in the world did they: A) even film this monstrosity and B) decide that it was okay to release on the public?

Let's break this down: Luke Wilson plays a writer that has to write a big selling novel in 30 days, or loan sharks will kill him. He hires Kate Hudson to work as his stenographer. He relates his completely trite story to her in the comforts of his apartment. She hates him. I wonder if they will fall in love? Gee, I hope the loan sharks don't get him!

I almost gave this movie some extra credit since Reiner also directed Spinal Tap, one of the greatest comedies of all time, but then I remembered that history continues to indicate that Christopher Guest was really the creative force behind that classic too. As painful as they come, Alex and Emma is a boring film that is neither funny or believably romantic.

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DVD Review: Amy Fisher Story, The (C-)

The Amy Fisher Story (1993)
Directed by Andy Tennant
Starring Drew Barrymore, Anthony John Denison and Laurie Paton
MPAA: UR
Grade: C-

Review by Bobby Nashville

I love sensationalized, rushed to TV style movies "ripped from today's headlines". That's why the hastily made for TV flick The Amy Fisher Story starring Drew Barrymore, sure looked like a winner to me. I wasn't majorly disappointed, but I also wasn't that impressed folks. Mr. Nashville was intrigued mind you (Drew Barrymore is always nice) but this wanna be camp classic just doesn't go over the top enough to garner my recommendation.

A little over ten years ago, a bad little lady named Amy Fisher shot Mary Jo Buttafuoco in the face. That wasn't very polite of her so it wasn't too long before the police tossed the "Long Island Lolita" in the clink. The news that soon followed regarding her past would propel her into the national spotlight. She was 16, she claimed to be having an affair with Mary Jo's creepy husband Joey, and allegedly, she was a high school student by day and a hooker by night. Nice.

The actor playing Joey Buttafuoco is a bit if a goof, but hey, how would you play Joey Buttafuoco? The rest of the actors do their best to tack on Long Island or New York city accents to mixed results. Drew Barrymore vamps this role to the hilt, complete with big hair, glamour nails and bared midriffs galore. There are some steamy sex scenes in this one. Reportedly they were added to this video release after the TV presentation, and they feature a body double (sorry Drew fans, that's not really her).

The Amy Fisher Story is a silly dramatization that frankly, probably wouldn't have even sparked our interest if it wasn't starring Drew Barrymore. She does a decent job keeping this snoozer from hitting rock bottom, but ultimately, there's not much else keeping this afloat. If you like Drew, this is worthy of renting but otherwise, keep your distance.

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DVD Review: May (B+)

May (2002)
Directed by Lucky McKee
Starring Angela Bettis, Jeremy Sisto, Anna Faris, James Duval and Nichole Hiltz
MPAA: R
Grade: B+

Review by Bobby Nashville Wow, what a pleasant surprise May (the movie is). However May (the girl) is certainly not pleasant. Sure, she's kind of sincere and charming in a certain way, but she's also very strange. The combinations of her character and the fantastic acting by Angela Bettis in the lead role make this one excellent B movie horror film.

May has a lazy eye and a domineering mother. This has caused her to be socially awkward at best, and strangely obsessive at worst. She talks to a doll that can't be let out of it's case (always a bad sign), and she has a fascination with body parts. Sounds normal, right?

May falls for the equally strange (but hypocritical) Adam (played by Jeremy Sisto) and when things go bad, she isn't ready to let him go. May decides to take matters into her own hands and create the perfect man, even if she has to do it the hard way.

Well acted, well directed and perfectly cut together, May is a very entertaining. For fans of modern horror films such as Ginger Snaps, this one is highly recommended.

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DVD Review: Sidewalks of Bangkok (D+)

Sidewalks of Bangkok (1984)
Directed by Jean Rollin
Starring Francoise Blanchard, Jean-Claude Benhamo, Jean-Pierre Bouyxou and Brigitte De Borghese
France: 16
Grade: D+

Review by Bobby Nashville

Director Jean Rollin is supposed to be the king of French soft-core vampire porn, so when I saw the provocative cover to this DVD, I admit that I was intrigued. French vampires and a little nudity can certainly go a long way in my book.

Unfortunately, this movie just didn't live up to my expectations, and by the way, there are no vampires in this one. I guess Rollin was looking to change things up for a picture. Its a straightforward "cops and spies" tale and from what I've read, it was a big departure for Jean Rollin.

Where does Rollin go wrong with Sidewalks of Bangkok? Well, in an attempt to pay tribute to the film Mask of Fu Manchu, Rolling goes a bit overboard with the private eye thing here. The plot (if you can call it that) centers around a French agent named Rick that was supposedly shot in Paris. He had a tube full of a biological chemical that could be turned into a chemical weapon, and its turned up missing. Rick's lover in Bangkok has the tube, and the agents go on a chase after her. Here's where it gets interesting: the chase leads the viewers through the strip clubs, kinky massage parlors and mud wrestling pits of Bangkok. There's lots of nudity (hooray!), but not enough action or goofy dialogue to make this a classic bad film.

Somewhere between weird and boring you will find the Sidewalks of Bangkok, a slightly kinky tale of espionage and erotic dancing. I've heard that the classic Jean Rollin films of the 1970s are far better examples of this cult director's work, so I promise to give him another shot down the road.

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DVD Review: Eight Legged Freaks (D)

Eight Legged Freaks ( 2002)
Directed by Elloy Elkayem
Starring David Arquette, Kari Wuhrer, Doug E. Doug and Rick Overton
MPAA: PG-13
Grade: D

Review by Bobby Nashville

Sigh. Talk about a big disappointment. The TV ads for Eight Legged Freaks were fantastic, and let me be perfectly clear: no one loves gigantic bug movies more than me. Except maybe my good friend Ghoulash, but he doesn't count since he's been MIA for years. Seriously, Ghoulash- come back to the world of horror, we miss you!

Anyway, the problem with Eight Legged Freaks is this: it's not funny enough to be camp and it's not scary enough to be entertaining. The worst part of this is that director Elloy Elkayem obviously gets the whole gigantism genre and could have made this film either intentionally bad, or intentionally funny. Instead its neither.

Sure there are some cool computer generated effects but it doesn't take long before the wow factor wears off. Midway into Eight Legged Freaks there's not much to do except nurse your beer and wonder just how much time is left. Frankly the black and white big bug classic Them is far superior to Eight Legged Freaks in just about every way. Ah, the classics.

Note to big bug directors: next time, make the characters hokier, the dialogue campier, and the effects cheesier. That is all.

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DVD Review: Chicago (B-)

Chicago
Directed By Rob Marshall
Starring Rene Zellweger, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Richard Gere, Queen Latifah and John C. Reilly
MPAA: PG-13
Grade: B-

Review by Scott Standish

I like musicals. Cabaret was fantastic. Grease was classic and I even liked Moulin Rouge. But despite all of the critical acclaim for Chicago, I had a hard time getting my arms around it. The songs were fine, the acting was good, but ultimately the film doesn't leave you much to think about afterwards.

Rene Zellweger plays Roxie Hart, an aspiring singer/dancer that wants to hit it big in Chicago. She offs her lover and ends up behind bars and hires Richard Gere to represent her. Catherine Zeta Jones plays Velma Kelly, a big time stage star. She is also in the ward on a murder rap and the two gals try to one up each other to the Chicago press. Queen Latifah plays the head of the women's prison ward and John C. Reilly shines here as Zellwegers invisible husband.

The musical numbers run almost nonstop and the songs are memorable, especially Reilly's "Mr. Cellophane". He actually outshines Richard Gere in Chicago, even while playing a rather mopey character.

Winner of six Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role (Catherine Zeta-Jones) Chicago is a good movie that left me feeling empty at the end.

Give it a shot if you love musicals or the stars listed here, its worth a rental.

DVD Review: Monday Night Mayhem (B)

Monday Night Mayhem (2002)
Directed by Ernest R. Dickerson
Starring John Turturro, John Heard and Kevin Anderson
MPAA: UR
Grade: B

Review by Bobby Nashville

I can remember watching Monday Night Football as a young kid and getting hooked on the drama of sports. Howard Cosell was simply amazing, calling the game with elaborate phrases and a style that was truly his own. The players and the drama of live athletic competition really came to life through the play by play of Howard Cosell.

Monday Night Mayhem is a look back at the rise and fall of Howard Cosell, more specifically his years as announcer of ABC's Monday Night Football. Before MNF, football was broadcast in a cold, rather clinical style. Howard Cosell changed all of that with his bold play by play style. Producer Roone Arledge brought in lots of glamor and glitz via more cameras (including on field cameras) and splashy graphics. Monday Night Football was a huge hit and it remains one of the most popular shows on TV today.

John Turturro (one of my favorite actors) is fantastic as the moody, slightly paranoid Howard Cosell. John Heard is brilliant as Roone Arledge, the groundbreaking head of sports (and later News) for ABC. Kevin Anderson seems a little miscast as Frank Gifford but he does what he can with a rather stiff character.

If you remember Howard Cosell fondly then you will love Monday Night Mayhem, a fascinating look at the early years of Monday Night Football.

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DVD Review: Vanishing, The (B)

The Vanishing (1988)
(AKA Spoorloos)
Directed by George Sluizer
Starring Gene Bervoets, Bernard-Pierre Donnadieu and Johanna Ter Steege
MPAA: Unrated
Grade: B

Review by Scott Standish

Looking for a solid thriller in the tradition of Hitchcock? The original version of the Vanishing (also known as Spoorloos) should do the trick. Its well acted, tightly scripted and has a pretty cool ending.

The Vanishing tells the story of Rex and Saskia, two young lovers traveling through France. They stop at a truckstop for a can of soda and beer. Saskia goes to the washroom, but never comes back. Rex realizes that something terrible has happened, and he spends the next few days, weeks, and even years trying to unravel the story behind her .... well... vanishing. I'd love to tell you more, but I certainly don't want to give away too much of the clever script.

Whatever you do, DO NOT confuse this original French version with the 1993 American remake starring Jeff Bridges and Kiefer Sutherland. They are miles apart, even though they were both directed by the talented George Sluizer. The original version has much more elegance to the story, allowing it to slowly unravel - whereas the US version has way too much over the top emotion and simplistic dialogue.

The Vanishing treats its heros and villians with the same amount of respect (a rare feat in movies today). You can understand the thoughts and emotions of its players, and no one is one dimensional. The original version of the Vanishing is a well made thriller, and is highly recommended.

On a side note, Sluizer's next project was to be a thriller entitled Dark Blood. River Phoenix was the lead, but he died as the project just started to get underway. The film was never completed.

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DVD Review: Tadpole (B+)

Tadpole (2002)
Directed by Gary Winick
Starring Aaron Stanford, Sigourney Weaver, Bebe Beuwirth and John Ritter
MPAA: PG-13
Grade: B+

Review by Scott Standish

In an age of overly long, needlessly complex dramas trying to do too much, Tadpole is a delight. Coming in at just 77 minutes long, Tadpole is an intelligent comedy about love that smartly knows just when to quit. Shot completely on digital, this feature film stars big league talent and came in under 150 thousand to make. Nice.

Oscar (played by newcomer Aaron Stanford) is a highly intelligent 15 year old that has a serious crush on his father's new wife, Eve. His father (played by John Ritter) has started to take Eve (Sigourney Weaver) a little for granted. Eve feels like something is missing, but can't put her finger on what it is. Oscar is an extremely smart young man, with a firm grasp of the French language (which he loves to show off at every opportunity) and a passion for literature.

Despite the fact that Eve's friends are in the 40 year old range, they fall all over themselves vying for Oscar's attention. Oscar only has eyes for Eve. Oscar's doorman still calls him Tadpole, a childhood nickname. No matter how he tries to be a mature adult, he finds it hard to escape his youth.

Much has been made about the age differences here and how it seems a little creepy. I do think that if Tadpole were about a young girl chasing an older man, especially her step father, this story would have met even stronger criticism. But, I think that the filmmaker is not exploiting this storyline in any way, he is simply telling how a plot like this can develop naturally (and of course this does happen in real life all of the time- simply check out any of the daytime talk shows).

Tadpole is a witty, engaging story that gets right to the point, and then delivers. Aaron Stanford is obviously a talented young actor. Director Gary Winick won the Director's Award at Sundance 2002 and Bebe Neuwirth (always a treat) won the Seattle Film Critics Awards Best Supporting Actress award for her performance here.

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DVD Review: Planet of the Apes, The (B)

Planet of The Apes (1968)
Directed By Franklin J. Schaffner
Starring Charlton Heston and Roddy McDowell
MPAA: PG
Grade: B

After sitting through the disappointing Tim Burton remake, I kept wondering if the original was as entertaining as I remembered. It was, is, and certainly deserves another look by film historians.

Before there was Star Wars, there was the Planet of the Apes film conglomerate, and just like the Star Wars empire, it grew to become way larger than the creators ever imagined. The first film is still the best, and it holds up well, both as fun, Saturday matinee fare and as an interesting poke at human beings need to enslave others.

Just about everyone has seen or heard the plot behind, this (if you haven't then you must be from the future). But suffice it to say that Charlton Heston is great as Colonel Taylor, the leader of a space ship that has been knocked out of it's planned mission, sometime in the distant future. The ship lands on a far off planet similar to Earth, and Colonel taylor is trapped and kept captive by the rulers of this brutal planet. The rulers, of course, are apes.

The DVD I viewed looked great, and the widescreen presentation really is quite awesome. I forgot how great this film looks in widescreen mode (I saw it first as a kid in the theater), since it shows up on TV in pan and scan mode all the time. Tired of all the same old Sci-Fi channel straight to video, run of the mill movies hitting the DVD shelves. Dust off the original Planet of the Apes and enjoy.

Review by Scott Standish

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DVD Review: Novocaine (C-)

Novocaine
Directed by David Atkins
Starring Steve Martin, Laura Dern, Helena Bonham Carter and Elias Koteas
MPAA: R
Grade: C-

I really wanted to like Novocaine. It had all of the elements necessary to grab my attention: drug addiction, quirky casting (Steve Martin, Elias Koteas and Laura Dern), horrific murder, and just to seal the deal they even tossed in Helena Bonham Carter dressing and behaving like Marla from Fight Club. Nice.

Should have been enough. Wasn't enough. Here's why. Novocaine tells the story of Dr. Frank Sangster played by Steve Martin. He has a successful dentistry practice and a perfect fiancee (Laura Dern) who is also his assistant. He thinks he has it all. Frank's brother Harlan is a lifelong screw up, and he comes to stay with the good Dr. Frank for a bit. Frank seems to be noticing just how normal his life is when he encounters Susan Ivey (Helena Bonham Carter), a beautiful patient that puts the move on him. Dr. Frank falls for the tequila drinking, fishnet wearning, pill popping Susan. Bad move for Dr. Frank. Before long his whole world starts to unravel.

You get the sense that this was intended to be a dark film noir? I think so too, especially since they use a first person voice over throughout, similar to the best private eye films out there. You know the kind: "She sauntered into my office and I just knew by the way she lit her cigarette that entire life would soon turn upside down." Well, those kind of voice-overs are hard to pull off, and if you are going that route, you'd better pull out all the stops. Keep it dark, keep it murky and keep the characters right on track.

Instead, Novocaine features some characters that reach for dark comedy, especially Laura Dern as the anal retentive Jean Noble and Elias Koteas as the sloppy yet scheming Harlan. They both play their characters over the top here and it just doesn't work right. Steve Martin does his best to walk the fine line between thriller and dark comedy here, but he never seems to bust through. Helena Bonham Carter is fantastic as the drug addicted troublemaker Susan Ivey, and she adds excitement and a shred of credibility to the scenes that she tries to save.

David Atkins (the director and writer of Novocaine) wrote the script for the excellent movie "Arizona Dream" starring Johnny Depp and Faye Dunaway. That movie also walked the fine line between comedy and drama. The splintered characterizations in Arizona Dream worked because the film was an artistic play on memories, love and fate - a splintered story looking back upon itself. But this type of layered characterizations does not work in Novociane. This is supposed to be a thriller, a mystery, a film-noir. Attempting subtle comedy in this script just didn't work and it detracts from what is really a decent plot. Novocaine, a movie that tries to be both mystery and comedy,is ultimately a film that will leave you disappointed.

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DVD Review: Auto Focus (C-)

Auto Focus (2002)
Directed by Paul Schrader
Starring Greg Kinnear and Willem Dafoe
MPAA: R
Grade: C-

Review by Scott Standish

By now everyone has heard the story of former Hogan's Heroes star Bob Krane. He was a clean cut family guy that became famous and soon found himself surrounded by beautiful, adoring female fans. Simple indiscretions led to regularly scheduled videotaped sex orgies. The double life caught up to him and his career bottomed out.

Greg Kinnear plays the swinging star and Willem Dafoe is well cast as his sidekick John Carpenter (not the director of Halloween). The acting here is not bad all around and the music by Angelo Badalamenti is also quite good. Last but not least is the fascinating subject matter itself: what could be more fertile ground for a movie than the freaked out double life of a beloved Hollywood star? Unfortunately, despite the cast's good intentions this film just doesn't not deliver the goods.

I was hoping to learn a lot more about the mind of Bob Krane. Auto Focus doesn't really take you deep into his mind, it's a People Magazine style gloss over of what should have been a moe exhaustive examination. The characters areunlikeable (even Krane's long suffering first wife is a bit of a nagging prude) and don't have a lot of range. One leaves Auto Focus still waiting for the ultimate Bob Krane bio flick and wondering why Paul Schrader (writer of Taxi Driver, director of Patty Hearst) didn't pull out all the stops here.

Entertaining (especially for Dafoe fans) but not as fulfilling as one would have hoped Auto Focus offers a somewhat blurry glimpse into the world of Bob Krane. Everyone involved in this production has done better work (and probably will do better work) so skip this one if you can.

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DVD Review: Insomnia (C+)

Insomnia (2002)
Directed by Christopher Nolan
Starring Al Pacino, Hilary Swank and Martin Donovan
MPAA: R
Grade: C+

Review by Scott Standish

The director of Memento and the very underrated Following tries his hand at redoing another director's work in Insomnia, but with mixed results. Readers must know that I am a huge fan of the original, shot in Swedish language, starring Stellan Skarsgard back in 1997. The original was a bit darker, a little slower and frankly, although I know this might upset a few people, I think the acting was better.

This Chris Nolan version is certainly a decent thriller however, with the story pretty much intact from the original. Al Pacino stars as Detective Will Dormer, a legendary LA Detective loaned out to a small town in Alaska in hopes that he can solve a brutal murder. Dormer has some skeletons in the closet, and he is being investigated by internal affairs. Plugging ahead, Dormer uses his skills to rally together the local police force and track down clues to find the killer. Hilary Swank sleepwalks through the role of Ellie Burr, a young cop that has idolized Dormer's technique for years.

Dormer has arrived during a time period where the sun never sets, and as time wears on, he finds that he can't fall asleep. The pressures of tracking the killer, worrying about the internal affairs probe, and the never ending sunlight start to get to Dormer, and Pacino does a great job of showing this professional start to crack.

As everyone knows by now Robin Williams plays the killer in Insomnia, a writer that is supposed to seem creepy, but actually comes off as a slouchy nerd. I am pretty sure that the casting of Williams here was supposed to shock people, and Williams has done a good job recently of trying to shake his "good guy" image by taking bad guy roles. But, sorry folks, he just doesn't really seem to carry this role, and its a bit of a downer, since Pacino shines so brightly here.

Insomnia is a decent thriller that certainly doesn't tarnish the image of the superior original, but it also doesn't take the story to a higher level. For Al Pacino and Christopher Nolan freaks only.

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DVD Review: Eye, The (B)

Eye, The (2002)
Directed by the Pang Brothers
Starring Angelica Lee, Lawrence Chou, Chutcha Rujinanon and Yut Lai So
MPAA: R
Grade: B

In the hype following the Ring we have seen a renewed interest in foreign horror films (the Ring is based on the Japanese "Ringu" films), and maybe for good reason. The Eye is another fine horror film from the East that deserves a wider audience in the states. Often compared to the Sixth Sense, I found The Eye to have its own unique style and pace.

In The Eye, a young blind girl named Mun is given a cornea transplant in order to bring back her sight. She is a violinist and has been taught to make her way through the world by using her hearing. As her vision comes back (its a slow learning process for the mind) she starts to wish she never went through it all. First, her orchestra drops her (because she is no longer blind) and then she begins to see horrible visions. Reality and fantasy merge and she can not tell what is real and what is not. Ghosts certainly have a way of making these type of things hard to discern.

Some excellent moments of horror in The Eye make it quite entertaining and certainly worth checking out. The Pang Brothers show great promise as filmmakers, keep an eye on them.

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DVD Review: Dogtown and Z-Boys (A)

Dogtown and Z-Boys (2001)
Directed by Stacy Peralta
Narrated by Sean Penn
MPAA: PG-13
Grade: A

Review by Bobby Nashville

This documentary is fantastic, and frankly it is one of the best I've seen in a long time. It captures the passion of the most influential skateboarders of all time while still keeping things from flying off the rails. I don't think you even need to be a skateboarding fan to get into Dogtown and Z-Boys, it has that much charisma.

In the beach side community of Venice, California lies Dogtown, an area where "pyromaniacs, junkies, artists and surfers could excel in symbiotic disharmony". Throughout the sixties, surfers protected the area's Pacific Ocean Park as their own. These kids lived to surf (when the waves where good) and skateboard (when the waves weren't). Great weather, a carefree lifestyle and a fierce competitiveness helped the group improve their skills to insane levels. At the same time, these guys were very protective of their group, their locale and their boards.

In the 70's these rag tag boarders began to dabble in skateboarding. Hanging out with the Zephyr surf board shop owners and surf team, they soon became noon as the Z-Boys. Similar misfits began to join up. The Z-Boys, led by skate board legends such as Jay Allen and Tony Alva were renegades that took the sport by storm and elevated it to a whole new level.

The narration is handled quite capably by Sean Penn, a fan of both skateboarding and surfing. Full of style, grace, humor and passion, Dogtown and Z-Boys is a killer documentary.

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DVD Review: Black Christmas (B+)

Black Christmas (1974)
Directed by Bob Clark
Starring Olivia Hussey, Margot Kidder, Andrea Martin and John Saxon
MPAA: R
Grade: B+

Review by Bobby Nashville

Before John Carpenter's Halloween kick started the slasher genre, this little movie laid the groundwork. Directed by Bob Clark, the director of A Christmas Story and Porky's, Black Christmas is an evenly paced horror flick that does just about everything right. Quirky characters and lots of tension propel this forgotten classic forward, and with the lights down low it might make you jump out of your seat a couple times.

Its Christmas time but the holidays are spoiled at this Canadian sorority house by a psycho killer who has targeted the lovely young ladies for terror. His trademark is calling the house and making sicko prank calls either while murdering someone or immediately after. One at a time the ladies of the house find themselves at the mercy of the sicko, while the camera deftly obscures the identity of the killer.

The casting for Black Christmas was right on target. You've got Olivia Hussey as the main target, a beautiful young gal with long 1970s hair. She has a weirdo boyfriend with lots of issues, so he clearly becomes the top suspect right off the bat. But is he really the guy? You also have Margot Kidder as the rebel of the Black Christmas sorority. Kidder's character likes to booze it up and mouth off to everybody (nice!). Speaking of booze, the house's maid, Mrs. Mack, likes to booze it up as well. She likes to hide liquor bottles all over the house and making silly comments to herself about how much fun it is to drink.

I recommend taking a shot along with Mrs. Mack and Margot Kidder whenever they do the same onscreen, it makes for a fun drinking game. Andrea Martin (yes the SCTV alumn) makes an early appearance here as a mousy sorority gal that seems a tad off.

Packed with frights and delights, Black Christmas is a forgotten horror classic that horror fans need to dust off and take a fresh look at.

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DVD Review: 28 Days Later (B+)

28 Days Later (2002)
Directed by Danny Boyle
Starring Cillian Murphy, Naomie Harris, Megan Burns and Brendan Gleeson
MPAA: R
Grade: B+

Review by Bobby Nashville

It's Night of the Living Dead but with a biohazard twist. Sure that sounds simple minded, but hey folks, its a horror film and if you are willing to accept it as such, 28 Days Later is damn good entertainment.

Danny Boyle's (Trainspotting) foray into the horror genre is based on the concept that a "rage virus" escapes a testing lab in England and quickly spreads across the land. The virus causes people to turn into nonstop killing machines, rabid with blood that burns for violence and destruction at all times. Cool, huh?

Well 28 Days after the release of the virus, a fellow named Jim (Cillian Murphy) wakes up in a hospital, alone and confused. What happened to the world he was living in? Why has everyone either died or left the country? He meets fellow survivors Selena (Naomie Harris), Hannah (Megan Burns) and Frank (Brendan Gleeson) who quickly teach him how to survive in this chaotic nightmare world. However, zombie murderers are everywhere and soon he realizes that even amongst fellow survivors, there are unseen dangers.

Sounds whacky? Yes, I guess it is. But its also a lot of fun and it has a great look, too. Looking for a modern scary movie? 28 Days Later is a good choice.

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DVD Review: Haunting, The (C-)

The Haunting (1963)
Directed by Robert Wise
Starring Julie Harris, Claire Bloom, Richard Johnson, Russ Tamblyn
MPAA: G
Grade: C-

Review by Bobby Nashville

Yawn. Okay, I've read a ton of reviews claiming that The Haunting is chilling, horrifying and of course haunting. Some of these reviewers must be a lot jumpier than I am, because I found it to be frustrating, plodding and most of all, boring.

The premise of The Haunting is simple: a researcher (Richard Johnson, doing his best Clark Gable) brings a group of people to spend time in a haunted house. Their goal is to scientifically verify the supernatural occurrences but they really don't do any scientific tests, they basically wander around trying to find out who keeps closing doors when they aren't looking.

The characters in The Haunting have some key flaws and I found them very frustrating. When there are pounding noises coming from the house's hallways, the lead scientist doesn't have the guts to open the door to see what's really happening. What kind of scientist is that? Sheesh. It left me thinking: if the scientist wants to explore haunted occurences so much, why doesn't the bozo just open the damn door? I almost expected Shaggy to come around the corner with a bong and a ham and cheese sandwich at any moment. Actually that might have been kind of cool, now that I think about it.

There is an interesting sub plot here between Theo the psychic lesbian (now we are getting somewhere!) and the emotionally challenged Nell, but they keep this below the surface. A remake of the Haunting starring Catherine Zeta Jones and Lili Taylor came out in 1999 and I would bet that these subplots were milked for all they were worth. (Note to self: make a ham and cheese and rent the remake).

If you are looking for a good old fashioned scary movie, skip The Haunting and try The Ring, The Others or the surprisingly scary Black Christmas.

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DVD Review: Planet of the Vampires (D)

Planet of the Vampires (1965)
Directed by Mario Bava
Starring Barry Sullivan, Norma Bengell, Ángel
Aranda, Evi Marandi, Stelio Candelli
MPAA: PG
Grade: D

Review by Ellyn Elm

One might imagine that a cast clad entirely in black leather spacesuits would make for at least a mildly entertaining movie. Let me assure you this assumption is terribly, terribly wrong.

Planet of the Vampires is so unrelentingly boring I actually fell into a coma while attempting to watch it. An Italian production originally titled Terrore Nello Spazio, Planet of the Vampires has not a single vampire in it let alone a whole planet of them.

Many Horror and Sci-fi geeks rave about this movie. They blather on and on about the “…dark, eerie fog” creating a “…masterful mood of suspense”. These same people probably find a trip in an elevator suspenseful. From what I could gather, the plot consists of a group of people wandering around. “Now, in this shot, I want you to walk really slow across the room and go stand in the corner. Ok! Good!”.

The sets are ill conceived and hokey as apparently most of that budget was invested in fog machines. Forget about dialog and story because no one involved in this production bothered. The only reason to rent this DVD is because many of the voices used in the English dubbed version also lent their talents to Speed Racer cartoons.

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DVD Review: Terminator 3 - Rise of the Machines (C+)

Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (2003)
Directed by Jonathan Mostow
Starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Nick Stahl, Claire Danes, Kristanna Loken
MPAA: R
Grade: C+

Review by Scott Standish

Dusting off the Terminator franchise after a seven year hiatus, Arnold does his best to make this sci-fi thriller entertaining. There are the prerequisite inside jokes for fans of the first two films, and lots of action. However, T3: Rise of the Machines just doesn't have the power of the second film or the originality of the first and it ultimately disappoints.

The plot line is simple: an advanced evil Terminatrix (Loken) is sent back in time to kill the young John Connor (Stahl) before he can lead a resistance to the impending war on humans. Machines are taking over and Connor and his future girlfriend (Danes) must be kept alive to ensure the survival of the human race. Enter Arnold. He's a good old fashioned Terminator without all the bells and whistles of the Terminatrix, but hey, at least he's got a sense of humor: at one point, after the Terminatrix is driven away, he looks into the camera and says "She'll be back". Sure, it's a play on his famous catch phrases from the past, and that's about the best thing in T3, it's self-deprecating humor.

Director Jonathan Mostow does a good job of keeping the film moving along and poking some subtle jabs at itself. Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines is not a bad movie, it's just not that great, especially when compared to the first two films. It has some nice action sequences however and some subtle humor to keep it afloat. Rent it, but don't buy this one (unless you are absolutely set on completely your Terminator collection).

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DVD Review: Peter Tosh Stepping Razor Red X (A)

Peter Tosh: Stepping Razor: Red X
Directed by Nicholas Campbell
Starring Peter Tosh, Bob Marley and Mick Jagger
MPAA: UR
Grade: A

Reviewed by Scott Standish

In a time where VH1's Behind The Music is the most watched form of music documentary its nice to stumble across something as well done as Nicholas Campbell's Stepping Razor. Peter Tosh, a founding member of Bob Marley's band the Wailers, was a reggae superstar at the time of his vicious murder in 1987. This finely crafted documentary lends insight into his life, his music, his politics and his death.

After the death of Peter Tosh, a collection of audio tapes were discovered in the legendary singer's home. Entitled Red X (after the Red X that the Jamaican government always attached next to his name on official documents), the tapes were filled with Tosh's inner thoughts and fears. They were intended to be the basis of his autobiography. They are used as the narration to this great documentary, providing in his own words rare insight into the mind of a politically outspoken artist.

For those unfamiliar with Tosh, he began his musical career at a young age, and formed the group the Wailers with Bob Marley and Bunny Wailer. The group achieved fame internationally and Tosh decided to go solo. His lyrics praised the Rastafarian religion and bashed the Jamaican government at every opportunity. His controversial views brought him attention from the press, the music industry and the increasingly angry Jamaican political structure. Tosh endured beatings at the hands of the police and was convinced that he would be killed by "demons" or "ghosts" that haunted him. And yet, Tosh continued his musical and political campaign to uplift those forced into poverty by a corrupt political system.

A fantastic documentary, artfully crafted with excellent music, its hard to find a better independent feature than Peter Tosh: Stepping Razor: Red X. This is one to seek out (it's very hard to find) and enjoy.

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DVD Review: Real Women Have Curves (B)

Real Women Have Curves (2002)
Directed by Patricia Cardoso
Starring America Ferrera, Lupe Ontiverso, Ingrid Oliu, Brian Sites and George Lopez
MPAA: PG-13
Grade: B
Review by Scott Standish

Ana is graduating from her Los Angeles high school and is not sure about which direction to take in life. Her teacher wants her to apply to college but her parents want her to work for the family business, a dress manufacturing plant. Real Women Have Curves deals with issues of identity, self worth and how hard people will fight to achieve their dreams.

Ana is a young girl that is being tested by just about everyone: her family, her teacher, and most importantly, herself. When Ana wins a full scholarship to Columbia, the family steps up the guilt, forcing Ana to choose working in a sweatshop for her family. Her dreams of going to school seem a million miles away. As the summer progresses, she learns how to bond with her coworkers and work together as a team. Ana starts up a relationship with a boy and is starting to feel more confident about herself in general. Her choices become clearer as she forms a stronger self of identity and its refreshing to see this character mature.

Director Patricia Cardoso Won the Audience Award at Sundance, and America Ferrera and Lupe Ontiveros won Special Jury prizes for their acting. Well acted and smartly scripted, Real Women Have Curves is a nice little movie that many have overlooked. Don't make the same mistake: give a look to Real Women Have Curves, an excellent story of a young person growing into adulthood.

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