The FILMGAZETTE

HOME | REVIEWS | FEATURES | LINKS | ABOUT US | CONTACT

SPECIAL FEATURE
DVD & VIDEO REVIEWS
by Veronica Mixon July 28, 2003
	Phone Booth Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment - This sleek, sophisticated drama from director Joel Schumacher who re-teams with star Colin Farrell ("Tigerland") creates a mortality tale about living in today's techno-pop world of instant communication that doesn't necessarily bring us closer to each other. A man, Stu (Farrell) picks up a telephone in one of the last remaining telephone booths on a midtown street in NYC and his life altered forever! The caller (Kiefer Sutherland) blackmails and then threatens him if he does not reveal the truth about his lies to a girl (Katie Holmes) he fancies, his wife and then a policemen (Forrest Whitaker) who shows up to investigate a related killing. Stu is a fast-talking, ambitious New Yorker who is forced to face his demon by a nameless, faceless guy who is tired of the lest talented winning the game. This is truly fascinating stuff and it will engage your senses. Riveting drama and one of the best things that heart-throb Colin Farrell has done! The disc is spare -- only a audio commentary by Schumacher and the trailer. But it's worth the watching!
	Solaris Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment - An eerie futuristic tale about a psychologist Chris Kelvin (George Clooney "The Perfect Storm") who travels to a lonely space station to investigate the crews sudden silence and end of transmissions back to Earth. He discovers a strange phenomena emanating from the unexplored planet that the space station is orbiting. It seems that each crew member has been visited by someone strange and even Kelvin is reunited with his dead wife (Natascha McElhone "Ronin"). Slowly, he's torn between uncovering the mystery behind the phenomena or believing that he can have a life with his beloved deceased wife. This is a character driven drama from Steven Soderbergh ("Traffic") that is rather fascinating. The disc includes a full-length audio commentary by Soderbergh and producer James Cameron; a HBO "Making of" special and teaser & trailer.
	Fame Warner Home Video - It's been 20 years since the theatrical release of one of the most contemporary movie musicals! "Fame" was loosely based on a real-life High School of the Performing Arts in New York City. We followed several students as they matriculated and grew from various experiences. Director Alan Parker ("Evita", "The Commitments") does a beautiful job of capturing the intense energy and sensual bravado of the urban streets. It's one of the truest pictures of New York City's racial and class make up among the ambitious young. The young cast of Irene Cara (Oscar winner for Song), Paul McCrane ("ER"), Barry Miller ("Saturday Night Fever") and Gene Anthony Ray and Lee Curreri who also starred in the TV series of the same name are awe-inspiring. This is one of the premiere films of the 1980s! The disc is stuff with wonderful extras that will be extremely informative to young audiences and give older views a delightful trip down memory lane. Besides an interesting behind-the-scenes look at the making of the film which had to inspire Michael Jackson's "Thriller" video, there is a great Class Reunion commentary from many of the performers, a Fame Field Trip that visits the school and an interactive menu and trailer.

	Pinnochio Miramax Home Entertainment - Fans A live action rendition of the classic tale of the Italian cobbler who carved himself a life-like puppet Pinnochio and pretended that it was his son. This rich tale about the importance of telling the truth, the destruction of lies and the miracle of imagination may delight young audiences. Oscar winner Robert Benigni gives it his all and there are delightful magical scenes, this version of "Pinnochio" is an acquired taste. The disc includes the original Italian version as well as the American theatrical release. They have a behind-the-scenes look at the voice actors and a look at the creation of the FAO Schwartz Holiday windows.
	Shanghai Knights Walt Disney Pictures - An If you loved their first pairing in "Shanghai Noon," you'll love this sequel because its more of the same. Hong Kong action hero, Jackie Chan is teamed with wise-ass Owen Wilson in the 'fish out of water' comic look at two zany guys in the old West. This time around Jackie Chan's sister follows her father's assassin to England and the guys travel across the Atlantic to help her. There are some hysterical scenes as Wilson insults rustic England and Chan kicks his way around the city. The DVD includes director's commentary, deleted scenes and a featurette.
	Dark Blue MGM Home Entertainment - Based in the early 1990s around the time time of the Rodney King verdict and the enormous racial tension of Los Angeles at that time, this is a gritty story about a corrupt racist cop who discovers that he's being set up by his boss. Kurt Russell is the cop and newcomer Scott Speedman ("Felicity") is his rookey partner who is desperately trying to learn the ropes. Ving Rhames is the Captain who puts pressure on Russell to turn in his racist allies. Startling and thought provoking, Russell tries to put a face on the cops with more than a dash of "Archie Bunker" in their veins. The disc has a audio commentary by director Ron Shelton, an intriguing look at the Internal Affairs division and three additional featurettes!
	The Kid Stays in the Picture Warner Brothers Video - Rob Producer Robert Evans introduces you to his world -- an inner look at Hollywood and running one of the major studios, Paramount. This documentary his own story about his life and loves. Early in his acting career, he decided that he wanted to be the persona in charge and as one of the key plays during the 1970s Golden Age of filmmaking, he produced "The Godfather" sagas and as independent producer, "The Cotton Club." However, Bob Evans' story is about the personal sacrifices and pitfalls of living in the fast lane. Evans, who is a gentlemen, knew reveals the names of the many women that he knew but he does share his personal pain at losing his wife to actor Steve McQueen. He also talks about his cocaine arrest and being pulled into the murder trial of one of the backers of "The Cotton Club." Mostly, this is a revealing look although he does gloss over quite a bit. However, any student of the era will find this a fascinating look at an exciting time in movies. The disc has an hour of extras about the 70s era. At least the bothersome background music of the film doesn't blur these behind-the scenes look.
	What a Girl Wants Warner Video - A delightful girl fantasy Amanda Bynes ("The Amanda Show") as a spirit American teen, Daphne who goes searching for her long-lost father (Colin Firth "Bridget Jones's Diary") in England. Of course, Daphne doesn't know it but she's upsetting a lot of well-laid plans because her aristocratic dad has a bright political future and he's about to marry. Nevertheless, he's surprised and thrilled to meet Daphne and she proves to be very popular with almost everyone she meets. However, Daphne is determined to make her dad proud if she can beat out the plot against her. The disc has loads of cool features in addition to the usual audio commentaries by director, writer and the star Amanda Bynes. There is a fashion and etiquette 101 documentary, a mix-and-match interactive challenge and more.
	Edited by Veronica Mixon images courtesy of MGM, Miramax, Paramount, Twentieth Century Fox, Walt Disney and Warner Brothers to TOP