Gary Frisch

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Casino Royale—MGM/Columbia
Gary Frisch  |  Jun 19, 2007  |  1 comments
Video: 4
Audio: 4
Extras: 4
For those who thought the world wasn’t ready for a fair-haired James Bond, Daniel Craig acquits himself extremely well in this twenty-first entry in the franchise, which plays fast and loose with the series’ chronology to show the super spy as a newly minted double-0. Cool, steely-eyed, and, above all, physically and emotionally vulnerable, this Bond can actually love a woman, although we learn in short order why he stopped doing so. In this installment, Bond infiltrates an arms financier’s high-stakes poker game staged to win back clients’ lost money. While the story line doesn’t hold up to close scrutiny, we get to see the evolution of the shaken vodka martini and the spy’s signature line of introduction.
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Man About Town—Lionsgate
Gary Frisch  |  May 01, 2007  |  0 comments
Video: 4
Audio: 3
Extras: 1
They say that you have to reach your nadir before you can start to rebound. If that’s the case, then Ben Affleck’s career might very well be on the upswing following his portrayal of a tormented Hollywood agent in this bland movie that seems to defy genre classification. Not funny enough to be a comedy yet too light on its feet to be a drama or character study, Man About Town is simply a low-budget throwaway that probably rated too poorly to merit theatrical distribution in the United States.
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Would You Like a Movie With That Collectible?
Gary Frisch  |  Apr 13, 2007  |  0 comments
The film is almost an afterthought in this recent crop of enhanced DVD packages.

In the beginning, there was DVD.

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The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe Four-Disc Extended Edition—Disney
Gary Frisch  |  Apr 13, 2007  |  0 comments
Video: 3
Audio: 4
Extras: 5
The magical world of Narnia gets even more enchanted with this massive four-disc set, available both alone and as part of a gift package that includes collectible bookends. The film itself is seven minutes longer than the theatrical release and the two previous DVD versions, but there’s nothing to call out the new material.
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Miami Vice—Universal
Gary Frisch  |  Apr 13, 2007  |  0 comments
Video: 4
Audio: 4
Extras: 3
Michael Mann revisits the iconic ‘80s TV show he helmed with this humorless, straight-for-the-jugular film adaptation, which puts Colin Farrell’s Crockett and Jamie Foxx’s Tubbs deep undercover against a drug cartel. In his audio commentary, the director terms the DVD the “more extensive” cut—completed weeks after the release of the theatrical version—rather than the “extended” or “director’s” cut. In any case, this unrated version runs six minutes longer and, presumably, includes some violent moments not seen theatrically.
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World Trade Center 2-Disc Commemorative Edition—Paramount
Gary Frisch  |  Feb 05, 2007  |  0 comments
Video: 4
Audio: 4
Extras: 4
The massive reconstruction of Ground Zero for Oliver Stone’s tribute to the heroes of 9/11 is one of the more fascinating DVD extras I’ve seen in a while. The set had to resemble the actual site and be flexible enough to allow for lighting and shooting in tight spaces—all while being safe for the crew to work on and around.
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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Mission: Impossible III 2-Disc Collector’s Edition—Paramount (HD DVD)
Gary Frisch  |  Feb 05, 2007  |  0 comments
Video: 5
Audio: 4
Extras: 4
M:i:III is the first film to be released simultaneously on HD DVD, Blu-ray, and standard DVD. Underachieving at the box office, this is nonetheless a lavish and worthy entry in the franchise. Philip Seymour Hoffman steals the show as a vile weapons dealer, but there are plenty of action sequences, stunts, and disguises to support Cruise. So what if it feels like we’ve seen it all before? Director J.J. Abrams adds a few fresh twists, and it’s still good fun the third time around.
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United 93 2-Disc Limited Edition—Universal
Gary Frisch  |  Nov 13, 2006  |  0 comments
Video: 3
Audio: 3
Extras: 4
This isn’t so much a DVD as a shelf-sized memorial to the passengers who fought “the first battle in the war on terror.” The film itself, deftly and nonpolitically directed by Paul Greengrass, captures the chaotic events of that morning on the ground and in the air. The movie’s final act is set exclusively on the doomed airliner, and it’s then that the tension and anguish reach their apex, aided by a minimalist, throbbing score.
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RV—Sony Pictures
Gary Frisch  |  Apr 24, 2007  |  Published: Oct 24, 2006  |  0 comments
Video: 3
Audio: 2
Extras: 3
RV had good potential, but even Robin Williams’ presence fails to turn this retread into anything more than a forgettable evening’s rental. Everything about this story of a man dragging his family on a road trip in a rented recreational vehicle—from the overly enthusiastic but bumbling dad, to the resentful kids and the family bond forged on four wheels—was done better in National Lampoon’s Vacation. That doesn’t mean RV is devoid of laughs. There are enough chuckles to keep nondiscriminating viewers reasonably entertained, and the overly long waste-disposal sequence should evoke gales of laughter from the kids. But you’ll be left with a “been there, done that” feeling.
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Kinky Boots—Buena Vista
Gary Frisch  |  Sep 14, 2006  |  1 comments
Audio: 4
Video: 3
Extras: 3
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