August 30th, 2009 by admin
The brainchild of writer Joss Whedon, Buffy The Vampire Slayer originally entered American pop culture as a full-length feature film, starring Kristy Swanson, in 1992. But creator Whedon felt that the project never quite did justice to the full scope of his vision, so he managed turn the film into a television series in 1997. The result of Whedon’s increased artistic freedom is a series that has enjoyed both critical acclaim and audience notoriety. Nominated for 14 Emmy’s during its seven year run, the show managed to win only two (both in 1998 for Outstanding Makeup and Outstanding Music Composition in a television series). Yet, the true success for Buffy The Vampire Slayer is indicated by the massive success of the show’s long run, strong DVD sales, and the overwhelming success of the series spin-off Angel…
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August 25th, 2009 by admin
Long before The Passion of the Christ, Mel Gibson directed another cinematic masterpiece, Braveheart. Filmed against the backdrop of majestic mountains and rolling meadows, it tells the historically-based (yet not entirely accurate) story of William Wallace, a common man’s warrior who led the Scottish people in rebellion against King Edward I, also known as “Longshanks”. Written by Randall Wallace, an American tourist fascinated with a Scottish statue of his namesake, the script collected dust in Hollywood for over a decade before Gibson made the brilliant decision to put it on the big screen. Just like The Passion, it’s a decision he would not regret…
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August 20th, 2009 by admin
Among all the comedies available today, the Blue Collar Comedy Tour ranks number one in the “must see” category. Few comedians can find an audience among a broad range of demographic groups, and with varying tastes among individuals, it’s quite difficult to find universally entertaining people. But Blue Collar Comedy Tour showcases four stand-up comics of such ability. The stand-up routines are filmed in Phoenix with intermittent features on the exploits of each of the men as they travel the country on their popular comedy tour. Opening up with all four men fishing in a lake, amazingly even the conversations between these men are hilarious and entertaining. What then could we expect when they take the stage? Only the best of modern redneck, working man comedy…
One of the rising stars of stand-up, Ron White brandishes his liquor and tobacco drenched persona along with a loveable sarcasm to produce one of the better comic routines of the decade. White chronicles his 9-minute plane ride to Phoenix which almost ended in tragedy when the plane was forced to turn around in mid-flight due to equipment trouble. But the event didn’t phase the alcohol-induced outlook of White who advises the passenger next to him (a man who has something to live for, unlike White) that if one engine goes out, the other will take them right to the scene of the crash. And to top it off, they’ll beat the paramedics by thirty minutes…
White’s act is well followed by Larry The Cable Guy, a redneck’s redneck who lives by the catchphrase “Get ‘r done!” Speaking in a redneck dialect that borders on another language, Larry The Cable Guy is a barrel of laughs for any American who loves apple pie. Providing unique insight into the world at large, his audience is presented with the great conundrum of the dog dish water purifier (among other things). Why should he buy a water purifier for an animal that eats its own crap? If you’re unfamiliar with this guy’s routine, you need to pick up a copy of the Blue Collar Comedy Tour DVD just for him alone (or for that matter – any of these comics merit a full-length DVD by themselves).
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August 15th, 2009 by admin
Nominated for six Academy Awards including Best Picture, Beauty And The Beast is one of Disney’s greatest animated achievements. Its massive success reinvigorated the Disney animation juggernaut which had been dormant for decades, launching the release of smashing blockbusters such as Aladdin, The Lion King, and Finding Nemo. Taking home two Oscars for Best Music (Original Score and Original Song), the film launched a trend in Disney animation by blending musical numbers (with cartoon choreography), an aspect that would become a staple of film after film for the remainder of the decade. In short, Beauty And The Beast is a landmark production just as remarkable today as when it was first released…
Following the Disney tradition of transposing well-known fairy tales from the pages of a book to the sparkle of the big screen, Beauty And The Beast follows the life of Belle (Paige O’Hara), a beautiful bookworm maiden who captivates her town’s most eligible bachelor, Gaston (Richard White). Dissatisfied with life in her small French villa, Belle grows especially tired of the conceited and self-absorbed Gaston, who is unable to fathom the idea that Belle does not welcome his affections.
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August 10th, 2009 by admin
Nominated for three Academy Awards, including Best Music – Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture, Bambi is a true animated classic of the silver screen. Long before the public’s introduction to Aladdin, The Lion King, or Finding Nemo, Walt Disney single-handedly conjured the full-length animated feature film out of nothing and into an enduring, well-respected genre – creating one family classic after another, starting with Snow White (1937) then Pinocchio (1940), Fantasia (1940), and Dumbo (1941) before creating this gem in 1942. Directed by David Hand, a longtime Disney animator and supervising director of Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs, Bambi is a masterpiece of color, motion, and the beauty of life. Its relative simplicity harkens to a time long past when such movies focused on symbolism, emotional breadth, and challenging the boundaries of artistic creativity, instead of catering to a perceived audience demographic. The result is a truly remarkable and memorable family experience…
Bambi begins with the forest birth of a young fawn (Bambi) who comes into the world surrounded by an anxious crowd of admirers. Hailed as the “great prince of the forest,” Bambi is thrust into an exotic world of animal and plant life, complete with all the highs and lows experienced in the world of reality. One of the film’s most powerful scenes (and the one most often referenced in regard to Bambi) is when the dreaded “man” (i.e. a band of hunters) enters the forest and kills Bambi’s mother. Although the scene takes place off camera, Disney manages to convey all the emotional trauma of the event in the brevity of a few bold and powerful brushstrokes.
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August 5th, 2009 by admin
Nominated for 6 Emmys and 3 Hugo Awards in its five-season run, Babylon 5 changed the landscape of the TV science fiction series genre. Following on the heels of hit series such as Star Trek and Star Trek: The Next Generation, Babylon 5 is unrivaled by any of its peers in its application of special effects. The brainchild of J. Michael Straczynski (writer for such shows as Murder She Wrote and Walker, Texas Ranger), the hour-long sci-fi drama series breaks new ground by deploying a five-season storyline that follows the outline of a traditional novel. As such, Babylon 5 is more like a mini-series that lasts five years instead of the usual three to five nights. And also unlike its predecessors, the series showcases original advanced technologies, believable alien characters (who speak alien and not English), and boasts of superb costume and makeup. Premiering in mid-season 1994, Babylon 5 established a solid audience and continues to inspire new generations of fans via syndicated reruns on cable…
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August 1st, 2009 by admin
Another bullet in the cake? No, this time I eat the cake.
I finally saw “Hate Rock” the long awaited – actually 23 hours download – documentary about us. The presentation of the documentary seems much harder than what the video says in reality. Before watching this video I asked for impressions to people who saw it on the cable in the US and all their comments have been very negative. I was caught days ago while answering to some questions on the phone. I classified this documentary as antifascist propaganda, because this is what it seems reading the introduction on the websites (SMG productions and Discovery Times) and this is how people described the show to me. I have to say instead, after watching the work, that it is a “documentary” and not the ultimate show about the “absolute evil”.
If I ever missed anything or did not understand anything or if you just want to post a comment (including the expected “go to hell”), you can send a message to my forum (you don’t need to register) or to my email address: viking@ashtree.org
Contents
Length limitation (about 1 hour) and lack of time make also the best of the videos a marginal work. You must have asked yourselves: what to include and what to exclude? How to delineate the whole documentary? So, this is the section in which I will list (I will exceed!) your “made 30s, why not 31?”, all good advices for someone who’ll try to write a book – maybe – about hate rock in future, and I guess many of the things I will write down here were maybe consciously excluded, not just forgotten.
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