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Past DVD Hardware / Software News |
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Action-Adventure
Tuesday, 25 May 1999 |
Written by
Bill Warren
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title:
True Lies
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studio:
20th Century Fox home video
MPAA rating:
R
starring:
Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jamie Lee Curtis, Tom Arnold, Bill Paxton, Art Malik, Tia Carrere, Charlton Heston, Eliza Dushku
release year:
1994
film rating:
Three and a half stars
reviewed by:
Bill Warren
The main selling point of TRUE LIES is also its main weakness: Arnold
Schwarzenegger. He is, as almost always, appealing, he packs star
power, and he's believable doing the occasionally amazing stunts his
role requires. But here he's playing a very (VERY) James Bond-like
secret agent who also lives an ordinary suburban life with his wife
(Jamie Lee Curtis) and daughter. Arnold is, well, so very A*R*N*O*L*D
that it's not easy to accept him in either role. A SECRET agent? A big,
muscular Austrian in a tuxedo is anything but secret, and he lacks the
sardonic, suave edge Bond actors -- or imitators -- must have. And he's
equally implausible as the computer software salesman that's ...
Tuesday, 18 May 1999 |
Written by
Abbie Bernstein
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title:
Out For Justice
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studio:
Warner Home Video
MPAA rating:
R
starring:
Steven Seagal, William Forsythe, Jerry Orbach, Jo Champa
release year:
1991
film rating:
Two Stars
reviewed by:
Abbie Bernstein
Even judged by the standards of other Steven Seagal actioners, ‘Out For
Justice’ is one silly movie. Indeed, viewed as a whole, it largely
falls into the category of being so absurd that it’s often
entertaining, though probably not in the way its makers intended.
Tuesday, 18 May 1999 |
Written by
Bill Warren
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title:
Action Jackson
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studio:
Warner Home Video
MPAA rating:
R
starring:
Carl Weathers, Craig T. Nelson, Vanity, Sharon Stone
release year:
1988
film rating:
Two-and-a-Half Stars
sound/picture:
Three Stars
reviewed by:
Bill Warren
‘Action Jackson’ is better than its title and formulaic plot might
suggest, without quite transcending its cartoonishness enough to
qualify as an entirely good movie. Still, it’s enjoyable on a guilty
pleasure level.
Carl Weathers carries ‘Action Jackson’ on his broad shoulders as the
title character, a Detroit police detective. Jackson was busted from
lieutenant to sergeant two years ago for roughing up a violent child
molester. The molester’s father, auto manufacturer Peter Dellaplane
(Craig T. Nelson), now has a nefarious plot to get into politics by
taking over a union, using murder as a tool. Naturally, Jackson gets
wind of the scheme and tries to intervene, while Dellaplane uses every
dirty trick in the book to stop him.
Director Craig R. Baxley and writer Robert Reneau get the film off to ...
Tuesday, 30 March 1999 |
Written by
Abbie Bernstein
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title:
The Gauntlet
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studio:
Warner Home Video
MPAA rating:
R
starring:
Clint Eastwood, Sondra Locke, Pat Hingle
release year:
1977
film rating:
Three Stars
reviewed by:
Abbie Bernstein
Action-thrillers tend not to age well. Stunts, special effects and even
plot twists are constantly being updated, so that yesterday’s
jolt-a-minute movie can look downright relaxed when seen today. Still,
it’s easy to appreciate and enjoy films like ‘The Gauntlet’ on their
own terms. The plot is solidly constructed and while the pyrotechnics
aren’t exactly surprising, they are executed effectively.
Tuesday, 30 March 1999 |
Written by
Abbie Bernstein
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title:
Fair Game
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studio:
Warner Home Video
MPAA rating:
R
starring:
William Baldwin, Cindy Crawford, Steven Berkoff
release year:
1995
film rating:
Two and a half stars
reviewed by:
Abbie Bernstein
Sometimes great craft is found in unexpected places. The sound on ‘Fair
Game’ may well be its best asset. Explosions, gunshots, brake squeals
are all precisely mixed and punched up so that they have maximum
impact. A shootout in Chapter 10 has such powerful acoustics that when
bullets hit the scenery, it sounds like steel pipes being rammed, one
by one, end first through the walls.
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