| SPECIAL
FEATURE |
| DVD
& VIDEO REVIEWS
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by Veronica Mixon
December 2, 2003
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Pirates
of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
Disney
DVD
- This is one of the best films
of 2003! An old-fashion swashbuckling pirate adventure
with loads of exciting battles, romance, laughs and
a tour-de force performance by Johnny Depp as the notorious
Captain Jack Sparrow our hapless hero. Capt. Sparrow
has survived being marooned by the crew from his ship,
the Black Pearl when he stumbles upon a missing gold
piece that may break a curse on the greedy pirates.
His nemesis Captain Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush) kidnaps
the governor's daughter, Elizabeth (Keira Knightley)
from Port Royal. Sparrow and a smitten blacksmith, Will
Turner (Orlando Bloom) join forces to rescue her. A
lush, rousing adventure with unforgettable characters,
beautiful tropical settings and breathtaking sword and
cannon battles, this is a wonderfully engaging movie
reminiscent of the Golden Hollywood era. Johnny Depp
gives a humorous clever rendition of a hard luck pirate;
Orlando Bloom, known for his role in the "Lord
of the Rings" trilogy, shines as a romantic lead;
Keira Knightly ("Bend it Like Beckham") is
regal and spunky and Geoffrey Rush is awesome and hilarious.
This is an incredibly entertaining film that captivates
you from its opening scene!
- The two disc set complete with
DTS 5.1 Digital Surround Sound and enhanced for TV has
some fantastic extras. Of course, there are three audio
commentary tracks to choose from including the director,
Depp and the screenwriters. There are ten hours of special
features including an informative interactive tour and
history of pirates, the ships and the culture. The behind
the scenes on location, the creation of the ships and
sets, costumes, guns, make-up, the imaginative rendering
of the cursed ghostly pirates and other CGI visions
are marvelous. There are deleted and alternate scenes,
a blooper reel and featurettes about the sea, an image
galley and much, much more.
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To
Live and Die in LA
MGM
- This is one of the best films of 2003! An old-fashion
swashbuckling pirate adventur
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Man
On the Train
Paramount
Home Entertainment
- When a mysterious stranger departs the train in a
quiety little French village, he accidently meets a
soliatry retired school teacher with a lively imagination.
Milan (Johnny Hallyday) is a seasoned bank robber who
has agreed to do one last job with an old friend. Befriended
by Manesquier (Jean Rochefort), who loves Milan's leather
jacket and cowboy boots and easily guesses the motives
for Milan's visit. However, Milan is attracted to Manesquier's
quiet existence. The comfortable house slippers, the
convenience of the bakery shop, an occassional young
student for tutoring and a safe place to live suddenly
are very desireable to the weary gangster. He fits in
effortlessly and his presence spurs Manesquier's courage
especially since he's facing an important medical procedure.
This poignant and quietly powerful drama about life's
choices is beautiful and haunting. The Dolby digital
disc with French 5.1 surround sound has English subtitles
on this widescreen version. It is a delightful movie.
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Once
Upon A Time in the West
Paramount
Home Entertainment
- Sergio Leone was a fan of the Western and this talented
Italian director left a powerful imprint on this American
film stable at a time when the genre had begun to wane.
Released in 1969, "Once Upon A Time in the West"
is an epic look at the ambitious and greed of men who
dreamt of riches. Charles Bronson stars as a stranger
searching for Frank (Henry Fonda), a man who murders
an entire family to gain land that will be important
to the railroad being built across the west. Jason Robeards
is falsely accused of the murder and Claudia Cardinale
is the newly arrived widow. Leone utilized stock actors
like Jack Elam and Woody Strode and blanketed his film
wil operatic music that pierced the imagination as he
let his story unroll in a cool, stylish manner that
exploded with violence. Like Ford's westerns, you sense
the multi-racial makeup of the frontier and the reckless
freedom of the land.
This
film gave Henry Fonda the darkest and most intriguing
role of his distinguish career. Frank was a killer without
conscious. It also made newcomer Charles Bronson a star
and introduced theater actor, Jason Robards to movie
audiences. It is a brilliant and significant film about
the turmoil that accompanied the expanision of business
in the 19th century.
The
two disc widescreen discs in Dolby digital 5.1 surround
sound includes a wealth of information about Serio Leone's
production style, the history of the railroad, featurettes
on creating the Old West violence, sin and death culture.
There is a commentary track with directors John Carpenter,
John Milius and Alex Cox and Leone's biographer. Three
documentaries include exclusive interviews with stars
Claudia Cardinale, director Bernardo Bertolucci who
was a friend of Leone's and cinematogrpher Tonino Deli
Colli. Since Leone's death, these friends and colleagues
provide a valuable insight into the director's vision
and ambitions for the film. "Once Upon A Time in
the West" is an incrediable achievement and it
will be a precious gem in your DVD collection.
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For
Your Eyes Only
MGM
Home Entertainment
- The 1981 release of "For Your Eyes Only"
is one of my favorite James Bond movies starring Roger
Moore. When a British ship is sunk in foreign waters,
the British and Russian superpowers race to get the
precious secret cargo: a nuclear submarine control system
and the evil criminal empire wins. James Bond must retreive
the device and he teams with a vengeful beauty Carole
Bouquet. As Bond races around the world from Spain,
to the Italian Alps, the non-stop action and stunts
are cool. Of course, James Bond is one of the first
and biggest serial characters in movie history and the
filmmakers went to every length to provide the best
action sequences at the time.
The
races to ed love
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Edited
by Veronica Mixon
images courtesy of Buena Vista, Columbia, Disney, MGM
and Paramount.
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Film Gazette • copyright © 2003, VM Media Services.
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