Gary Frisch

War of the Worlds Two-Disc Limited Edition—DreamWorks
Gary Frisch  |  Apr 06, 2007  |  Published: Mar 06, 2006  |  1 comments
Video: 4
Audio: 4
Extras: 3
Steven Spielberg's frightening remake of George Pal's seminal 1953 classic was the popcorn-munching movie of last summer. This time out, the aliens' decimation of Earth is told from the highly personal viewpoint of a single, divorced man (Tom Cruise), trying merely to keep his family safe amid the chaos. This one-view approach proves highly effective, as it thoroughly puts the viewers in our hero's working-class sneakers.
Continue Reading >
Dreamer—DreamWorks
Gary Frisch  |  Mar 23, 2007  |  Published: Jun 23, 2006  |  0 comments
Video: 4
Audio: 3
Extras: 3
What’s Dreamer got that the similarly themed, highly acclaimed Seabiscuit didn’t? How about the emoting of Dakota Fanning, playing the daughter of a distant father and broken-down horse trainer seeking redemption? Combine her heart-melting appeal with a broken-down horse, and you’ve got the family charmer of the year. That sound you hear isn’t galloping—it’s a family bonding.
Continue Reading >
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.
Continue Reading >
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.
Continue Reading >
Bambi II—Buena Vista
Gary Frisch  |  Feb 02, 2007  |  Published: May 02, 2006  |  0 comments
Video: 4
Audio: 4
Extras: 1
“Your mother can’t be with you anymore,” intones the Great Prince, a regal buck, to young Bambi, thus setting into motion the events of this modern-day follow-up to the timeless classic. Voiced by Patrick Stewart, the Great Prince breaks with tradition by taking everyone’s favorite fawn under hoof, teaching Bambi the ways of the forest, while bonding with his son. Consider this Bambi: The Formative Year.
Continue Reading >
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.
Continue Reading >
Kinky Boots—Buena Vista
Gary Frisch  |  Sep 14, 2006  |  1 comments
Audio: 4
Video: 3
Extras: 3
Continue Reading >
Planet of the Apes: The Ultimate DVD Collection—20th Century Fox
Gary Frisch  |  Apr 20, 2006  |  0 comments
Somewhere at my mom's house, I still have a Planet of the Apes action figure or two and possibly a 45-record with a storybook. Prior to Star Wars, POTA was the movie-marketing phenomenon.
Continue Reading >
CSI: NY The Complete First Season—Paramount
Gary Frisch  |  Jan 20, 2006  |  0 comments
Video: 4
Audio: 3
Extras: 3
The third series in the juggernaut forensics franchise brings the police procedural to the city of NYPD Blue, quite literally. In stark contrast to the orange and mango hues of CSI: Miami, NY is bathed in deep, metallic blues and grays, making investigators and killers look as if they could use a good dose of Florida sun. Nowhere is the disparity between the look of the two shows as apparent as in the pilot, which blends both locales as it introduces the new cast.
Continue Reading >
A Dirty Shame—New Line
Gary Frisch  |  Jan 11, 2006  |  Published: Jul 11, 2005  |  0 comments
Video: 3
Audio: 3
Extras: 3
I've never been a fan of John Waters. In fact, I thought the guy was dead. But I suspect that his latest effort will try even his ardent admirers' patience. Sexploitation films definitely have their place in cinema history; but peppering such a film with name talent—albeit B-list talent like Tracy Ullman and Johnny Knoxville—is a misguided attempt to lend legitimacy to a genre that's best left in the underground. It's like putting a fancy sign on a porn store.
Continue Reading >

Pages

X