Home Media Magazine - January 6-12, 2008 - (Page 18) REVIEWS Edited by John Latchem www.homemediamagazine.com I SHILOH FALLS Street 1/8 Vivendi Visual, Western, $24.99 DVD, ‘PG-13’ for some violence and a brief sexual situation. Stars Art LaFleur, Steve Bannos, Esteban Powell, Brad Greenquist, J. Marvin Campbell. W I SUNSHINE Street 1/8 Fox, Sci-Fi, B.O. $3.7 million, $29.98 DVD, $39.98 Blu-ray, ‘R’ for violent content and language. Stars Cillian Murphy, Chris Evans, Rose Byrne, Michelle Yeoh. A ccording to the movies, in the future we will travel through space in large, complex vessels that have little real function other than to get its crew killed. Sunshine unveils what may be the ultimate form of such a spacecraft, so large and impractical we are left to wonder why a human crew is needed at all. It’s 2057, and the sun is inexplicably dying. As the Earth chills, the last hope for humanity rests with eight astronauts guiding a massive nuclear bomb designed to reignite the fading star. That the sun is likely to last another five billion years is of little concern to this film, which makes no attempt to explain why it burns out in 50. A commentary by the scientific advisor certainly lends some credibility to the plot, as far-fetched as it is, and should prove most fascinating to science and space buffs. At first glance, this seems to be The Core in space, but Sunshine quickly sets itself apart with the unique visual interpretations of its director, Danny Boyle. Early scenes treat the audience to intriguing sequences of speculative fiction, interrupted briefly for an ethics lesson that presents the audience with an intriguing notion: Is killing one man justified if it means saving humanity as a whole? Unfortunately, the screenplay cheats us out of any meaningful exploration of the topic, sinking into the realm of a slasher film before a brief discussion of theology that descends into a massive light show. In trying to be all things to all people, Sunshine loses its voice, devolving into a bizarre mix of 2001, 2010, Event Horizon and Mission to Mars. The DVD includes the requisite deleted scenes, which don’t add much, and a series of behind-the-scenes webcasts. But leave it to an eccentric mind such as the director of Trainspotting to include, on a whim, two of his favorite short films, which have nothing to do with the main film, simply because the capacity of the disc allows for it. If not for anything else, Boyle should be applauded for expanding the horizons of the format to give such exposure to projects that otherwise would remain anonymous. – John Latchem hen a pair of outlaw brothers, Dalton (Greenquist) and Wyatt (Campbell), attempt to rob a payroll coach loaded with mysterious artifacts, they inadvertently unleash a deadly curse that takes the life of Wyatt and consumes the outpost town of Shiloh Falls. The botched heist lands Dalton in prison, where he awaits the day he can return to avenge his brother’s inexplicable death. This is the set up for the fast-paced, supernatural western Shiloh Falls, which puts a fresh, malevolent spin on the typical western film. GANGSTA RAP: THE GLOCKUMENTARY Prebook 1/10; Street 2/5 ThinkFilm, Comedy, $27.98 DVD, ‘R’ for non-stop language, crude sexual content and drug use. Stars Slink Capone, Howie Bell, Schuyler Harvey. W hile the shadows of the heavy metal rockumentary spoof This Is Spinal Tap are indeed long, this new film comes as close as any other to emerging from the legacy of Rob Reiner’s classic and standing on its own. Sure, musically, heavy metal and gangsta rap are as different as night and day. But on further analysis, the differences end there. Practitioners of both forms are known for their wildly hedonistic, misogynistic life- style and gargantuan egos. If there ever was a style of music and musician as ripe for parody as heavy metal, it is surely gangsta rap because, on a good day, both varieties border on unintentional self-parody. Much like Spinal Tap, the film is about a trio of veteran hardcore rappers attempting to mount a come- back album and tour after 20 years of being off of the cultural radar. The trials and tribulations of this endeavor are captured by documentary filmmaker and hip-hop enthusiast Carlton Bentley (real life writer-director Damon “Coke” Daniels). The ups and downs include trying to find a record label that will take a chance on an over-the-hill act and retaining a variety of clueless or incompetent managers and executives — not to mention finding a recording studio that will accommodate the band and its legendary bad reputation. Like heavy metal, rap has its own legacy, icons and, of course, catalog of music that is familiar only to fans of the style. Therefore, only so many viewers are going to recognize the band Gangsta Rap’s new single “My House Shoes” as a loving send up of Run-D.M.C.’s classic “My Adidas.” So, maybe the audience for the film will be limited to serious hiphop aficionados, but given the massive popularity of the music over the past 30 years, that audience should be pretty happy. – David Greenberg After 20 years in prison, Dalton finally convinces two fugitives to help him escape under the pretense that he’s leading them to gold, unaware of the evil they are all about to face. The only ones standing in their way are the two Texas rangers, Deputy John Gaffney (Gregory Littman) and his son Sam (Jack Littman), who are hot on their trail and looking to bring the escapees back to justice. Unfortunately, the lawmen can’t stop them before they reach Shiloh Falls, where the two groups will be forced to fight together in a good versus evil showdown to survive. With acclaimed films such as 3:10 to Yuma and The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford having hit theaters in 2007, the market is still hot for westerns such as Shiloh Falls. Filmmaker Adrian Fulle, who wrote, directedandproduced,deservesmuch credit for giving the film an edge that makes it unique. The movie also features a combination of talented character actors such as LaFleur, as well as passionate newcomers such as Littman, who together add depth and humor to this supernatural Wild West tale. – Matt Miller 18 Home Media Magazine January 6–12, 2008 http://www.homemediamagazine.com
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