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Past DVD Hardware / Software News |
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Foreign
Tuesday, 18 July 2006 |
Written by
Allan Peach
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title:
Tsotsi
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studio:
Miramax
MPAA rating:
R
starring:
Presley Chweneyagae, Terry Pheto, Mothusi Magano, Kenneth Nkosi, Zenso Ngoobe, Jerry Mofokeng, Zola
director:
Gavin Hood
film release year:
2005
DVD release year:
2006
film rating:
Three Stars
sound/picture rating:
Four and a half Stars
reviewed by:
Allan Peach
Based on the only novel by famed Afrikaner dramatist Athol Fugard,
“Tsotsi” (slang for thug, or flashy hoodlum) is a film about
self-discovery and redemption in the shantytowns of South Africa.
Spanning six days in the life of a young street tough, known to his
gang only as Tsotsi, the plot is simple. Tsotsi steals a rich woman’s
car, only to discover a three-month old baby in the backseat. Rather
than returning the child or disposing of it, Tsotsi decides to keep the
baby. At first, Tsotsi ineptly attempts to mind the infant himself, but
soon coerces Miriam, a local nursing widow, to help him care for the
child. This turn of events sparks a journey of self-evaluation that
finally ...
Monday, 17 July 2006 |
Written by
Allan Peach
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title:
Warning Shadows: A Nocturnal Hallucination
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studio:
Kino Video
MPAA rating:
Unrated
starring:
Alexander
Granach, Fritz Kortner, Ruth Weyher, Gustav von Wangenheim, Rudolph
Klein-Rogge, Eugen Rex, Karl Patten, Max Gülstorff, Lilli Herder.
director:
Arthur Robison
film release year:
1923
DVD release year:
2006
film rating:
Three and a half Stars
sound/picture rating:
Three and a half Stars
reviewed by:
Allan Peach
“Warning Shadows” (“Schatten—Eine nächtliche Halluzination”) is a
rarely seen, but highly influential German psychological horror film
from 1923. Director Arthur Robison is known for a number of film
history firsts. Some claim his “Nächte des Grauens” (1916) was the
first vampire film, his “The Informer” (1929) was the first version of
the Liam O’Flaherty story (six years before John Ford’s superior
adaptation), and Robison’s “The Student of Prague” (1935) was the first
feature film to be broadcast on the BBC using the then
“high-definition” format of 405 lines (August 14,1938). Although
Robison was born in Chicago, he studied medicine in Germany. Returning
to America, he gave up medicine ...
Tuesday, 08 June 2004 |
Written by
Paul Lingas
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title:
City Of God
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studio:
Miramax Home Entertainment
MPAA rating:
R
starring:
Matheus
Nachtergaele, Alexandre Rodrigues, Leandro Firmino Da Hora, Jonathan
Haagensen, Phellipe Haagensen, Douglas Silva, Daniel Zettel and Seu
Jorge
release year:
2003
film rating:
Four Stars
sound/picture:
Two-and-a-Half Stars
reviewed by:
Paul Lingas
An intriguing, warm, funny and frightening look at the violent slums of
Rio de Janeiro, “City of God” was last year’s critical favorite in the
foreign film category. It tells the story of Rocket (Alexandre
Rodrigues), a well-meaning youth who has dreams of being a professional
photographer. Unfortunately, he has lived all of his life in the City
of God, what the slums of Rio were originally called. The City of God
is marked by drugs and violence, both among the different groups and
gangs of drug dealers and between all of them and the police.
Tuesday, 24 September 2002 |
Written by
Bill Warren
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title:
Monsoon Wedding
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studio:
Universal Home Video
MPAA rating:
R
starring:
Naseeruddin
Shah, Lillete Dubey, Shefali Shetty, Vijay Raaz, Tilotama Shome,
Vasundhara Das, Parvin Dabas, Kulbushan Karbanda, Kamini Khanna, Rajat
Kapoor, Nehat Dubey, Kemaya Kidwal, Ishaan Nair
release year:
2001
film rating:
Four stars
sound/picture:
Four stars
reviewed by:
Bill Warren
Mira Nair directed both "Salaam Bombay" and "Mississippi Masada," but
has returned to her Punjabi roots in India. This warm-hearted,
involving movie, written by Sabrina Dhawan, is a feast for the senses.
It's an almost surreal blend of the exotic and the familiar, but
anyone, anywhere will find much to identify with in the characters. In
her commentary track, Nair says that the image of Punjabis is of
excitable, warm-hearted, life-loving people who work hard and party
hearty. Punjab is a region in the northwest part of India, and has its
own language, though judging from the film, most also speak Hindi like
most of the rest of India, and some English as well. ...
Tuesday, 20 March 2001 |
Written by
Abbie Bernstein
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title:
Dancer In The Dark
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studio:
New Line Home Video
MPAA rating:
R
starring:
Bjork, Catherine Deneuve, David Morse, Peter Stormare, Joel Grey
release year:
2000
film rating:
Three-and-a-Half Stars
reviewed by:
Abbie Bernstein
Let us begin the "Dancer in the Dark" with a word of warning, lest
unwary viewers (as this reviewer did) spend the first several chapters
of the movie wondering – especially following New Line’s
subwoofer-rattling logo theme – why every speaker but the center
channel seems dead. Moving from DTS to regular Dolby 5.1 surround
doesn’t help – the mix is quite good (considering), but it’s all coming
through the center. The rears and mains briefly come to life in Chapter
7, when the characters discuss the traditions of movie musicals.
Approximately 40 minutes in, when the first full-blown musical number
"Cvalda" kicks in, the full sound system awakens to support the vocals,
orchestrations and pounding percussive beat. When the music ends, we
are left with only the ...
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