ScreenArchive

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6 - Volcanic
5 - Blistering
4 - Hot
3 - Smolder
2 - Room Temperature
1 - Fizzled
0 - Extinguished

A - Multiple Viewing Possibilities
B - Deserves Another Look
C - Once Should Suffice

 

EAGLES - Hell Freezes Over
Many an
Eagles fan was elated when the news broke that they'll not only be doing a reunion show, but also recording a new album. The quintet including (guitarist) Glenn Frey, (drummer) Don Henley and (guitarist) Joe Walsh gelled like always and on this show gave their fans all time favourites like Hotel California, Tequila Sunrise, Take It Easy, Life In The Fast Lane, In The City, Desperado, Love Will Keep Us Alive, The Girl From Yesterday, Learn To Be Still, Help Me Through The Night and newer tracks like Get Over It. What makes these guys so good is that they maintained their identity with everyone's varied voices singing, besides the two leads of Frey and Henley. The DVD opens with a little background on the reunion and ends with a special bonus audio track of Seven Bridges Road for DTS players.
4 / B
- PB


EARTH, WIND & FIRE - The Collection
These funky disco kings have been at it since the early seventies, releasing a steady album a year during that decade. From the mid-'80s it tapered down though, a string of best of's and collections following. Still going strong, SA fans also got to see them live here mid-2004. This double DVD set includes all their promo clips, 11 of them including classics like Serpentine Fire, Boogie Wonderland, September and Let's Groove. Most of these were glitter & glam filled performance videos with a dozen or more people on stage, Maurice White's receding afro lookin' snazzy. Some clips include their frequent use of Egyptian imagery as well as video graphics looking so cheesy today, but was state of the art then. That's part of the charm, though. Magnetic is an '80s post-apocalyptic production while more recent '90s videos feature boring padded shoulder jackets and box haircuts with conscientious issues at hand and not the burning urge to dance. September's '99 Phats & Small remix is also added, plus 5 live tracks. The second disc is the Live By Request TV show from 1999 where people phone in to request their favourites - 16 songs played live by the band with in between chatter. Unfortunately Maurice White wasn't present, but Philp Baily's voice is tops,
still hitting the notes. Bassist Verdine White still has his long hair as well! Some great memories will come from hearing these tracks and seeing the vintage videos.
5 / A
- PB


EDtv
With Matthew McConnohey, Jenna Elfman, Woody Harrelson, Ellen Degeneres
Directed by Ron Howard
Not exactly the same concept as The Truman Show, but pretty close and just as funny and human. Ed ends up becoming a superstar when a dwindling TV channel tries to save their skin with an attempt at a 24 hr show with a regular person constantly followed by their cameras. With initial hick-ups, it actually takes off and becomes a great hit. In the process, Ed falls for his stupid-ass brother’s wonderful girl (portrayed by the scrumptious Jenna Elfman) and a bunch of other serious and funny situations flow from one another, its stem being Ed’s show. Not a dull moment, even when many expected events float to the surface. Wonderful bit parts by Martin Landau, Rob Reiner, Elisabeth Hurley and Dennis Hopper.
4 / A
- PB

EIGHT LEGGED FREAKS
With David Arquette, Kari Wuhrer, Doug E. Doug, Scarlett Johansson
Directed by Ellory Elkayem
There's nothing wrong with spoofing old giant creature films or adding the comedic slant. If it's done this atrociously though, why bother raising the millions necessary to make it if it could've been put to better use elsewhere? This small-town-overrun-by-biohazard-enhanced-spiders is as crap as crap can be. I was absolutely appalled at the fact that many of the press members sitting through this drekk found the lame scenarios funny, especially with the abso-f-ing-lutely irritating pitch shifted human voices given to the spiders with which to react in a variety of personalized exclamations. You know, the kind of pathetic "uh-oh" sounds before it gets splattered. Gimme a goddamn break and do yourself a favour! Walk on by, unless your cinematic requirements rate zilch on the quality scale. Even Arachnophobic masochists won't be distraught.
1 / C
- PB

8 MILE
With Eminem, Mekhi Phifer, Brittany Murphy, Kim Basinger
Directed by Curtis Hanson
Marshall Mathers (or better known as the world's biggest rapper
Eminem), makes an admirable big screen debut as Jimmy Smith, Jr., a young underprivileged city kid nicknamed Bunny Rabbit. He wants to become a rap star, but first have to overcome many an obstacle. When he breaks up with his girlfriend, he's forced to live with his mom in a trailer with her idiot boyfriend. Set in Detroit, Jimmy works a shitty auto factory job. Life with his posse is a day-to-grind, with rival threats often more than just words. Getting out of their crummy situation is his main drive (besides his little sister). His ambition and talent freezes up when it comes to proving his rap skills at the open mike knockout club nights. In a black dominated field it is intimidating at best. Meeting a new girl and building up the nerve, Bunny Rabbit seems to be on the verge of a break through. Hanson (whose previous efforts include LA Confidential) and his cinematographer Rodrigo Prieto created a moody urban environment with colourful characters amid the inner city gloom, believably striving to reach their dreams. Eminem's theme tune earned him an Oscar, putting him beside such winners as Philadelphia and Dirty Dancing! This is a moving drama with great performances and not a Hip-Hop glorification session.
5 / B
- PB

8mm
with Nicolas Cage, Joaquin Phoenix, James Gandolfini
Directed by Joel Schumacher
Tense and intensely dark film for mainstream audiences has Cage investigating a roll of film found in an extremely wealthy man’s safe by his wife and attorney. It seems to be a snuff film where a masked man gruesomely kills a young woman. The widow wants him to find out whether it is real and if the girl is alive. This leads him into an escalating downward smutty spiral of porn shops and underground scum. The closer he gets to the truth, the more dangerous it gets, especially when it starts to consume him to the neglect of his wife & baby.
5 / A
- PB

ELECTION
With Matthew Broderick, Reese Witherspoon
Directed by
Charmingly wicked comedy with Broderick as an everyman teacher in a high school who’s life gets turned around completely. All in the midst of the campaign for for student council president - the most likely (and totally annoying contender), Tracy Flick, the over achieving, grating little brat. One wonderful scene after another dishes up some great comedy with Broderick again faring well as the ordinary loser while Witherspon equally succeeds in making us despise her with a smile.
4 / B
- PB

ELEPHANT
With John Robinson, Alex Frost, Elias McConnell, Eric Deulen, Nathan Tyson
Directed Gus van Sant
With a rich variety of films under his belt like
My Own Private Idaho and Drugstore Cowboy to the Psycho remake and Good Will Hunting, van Sant takes an intense and ominously edgy look at a normal school day where a Columbine disaster is brewing. Following a variety of students along their sometimes eventless activities on this fateful school day (including the perpetrators), van Sant with his roaming camera and the lack of music, coupled with the inexperienced actors' natural delivery creates a tense sense of impending doom. Some scenes are lengthy uneventful walks through hallways, the camera a few feet behind the subject, but invoke an hallucinogenic mood that is in no way boring. A harrowing cinematic experience of social commentary without acting preachy.
5 / B
- PB


THE ELEPHANT MAN
With John Hurt, Anthony Hopkins, Anne Bancroft, Wendy Hiller, Freddie Jones
Directed by David Lynch
The tragic real English case of John Merrick in the Victorian period is a heartbreaking story of an intelligent man discriminated against for his extremely deformed appearance. Taken under the wing of a doctor who saved him from a freak side-show, he restores the man's dignity and he becomes a society darling - and indirectly a novelty as he was before, the patrons now merely from the upper class. All the actors deliver incredible performances. Big Hollywood players like Mel Brooks backed this film and made a great choice to use David Lynch, whose dark black & white atmosphere from his debut feature
Eraserhead translated well into the squalor of the new industrial era.
5 / B
- PB

THE END OF THE AFFAIR
With Ralph Fiennes, Julianne Moore, Stephen Rea
Directed by Neil Jordan
One random, rainy London evening in 1946, Maurice bumps into Henry, the man with whose wife he had a passionate affair. An author, Maurice is a man of deep reflection and emotional focus. This chance meeting floods back memories of the affair and the true feelings of love he and Sarah shared (Henry not much of a husband, dedicated to his governmental career). The affair ceased suddenly, seemingly without real reason. Then after two years he meets Henry, who informs Maurice that he feels Sarah is having an affair and he’s thinking of getting a private investigator. Maurice volunteers to do it. More so because his silent jealousy wants to find out even more so than Maurice. He takes it upon himself, against Henry’s wishes. Throughout, the flashbacks take us through Maurice and Sarah’s affair of the past, as the PI snoops in the present. More and more about their relationship unfolds and seen from both their perspectives, the assumed version and true facts. With a gliding Michael Nyman score, a subdued tone and a touch of miracle, this romantic, but emotional see-saw leaves one feeling slightly drained, but perhaps that is because Jordan succeeds in having us pay attention.
PS. Other Jordan movies include A Company Of Wolves, Mona Lisa, The Crying Game and Interview With The Vampire.
2 / C
- PB

ELTON JOHN - Greatest Hits, One Night Only
A nice sizeable set for fans of Reginald Dwight aka
Elton John. The double CD features 34 songs across Elton's huge career: Your Song, Tiny Dancer, Honky Cat, Candle In The Wind, Bennie And The Jets, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, Daniel, Sacrifice, Sad Songs, Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me, Don't Go Breaking My Heart, Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word, Nikita, Kiss The Bride, Made In England, Circle Of Life, Believe, Philadelphia Freedom, The Bitch Is Back, Someone Saved My Life Tonight, Written In The Stars (with Leann Rimes), I Want Love, This Train Don't Stop There Anymore, Blue Eyes
The DVD in the triple set offer 27 clips like Funeral For A Friend, Candle In The Wind, Bennie And The Jets, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (with
Billy Joel), Little Jeannie, Tiny Dancer, Can You Feel The Love Tonight?, Daniel, Rocket Man, Club At The End Of The Street, Blue Eyes, I Guess That's Why They Call It The Blues (with Mary J. Blige), I Don't Wanna Go On With You Like That, Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word, Sacrifice, Your Song (with Ronan Keating), Sad Songs (Say So Much) with Bryan Adams, I'm Still Standing, Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting, The Bitch Is Back, Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me, Don't Go Breaking My Heart (with Kiki Dee). 5 bonus tunes are included: the videos to I Want Love starring Robert Downey Jr., This Train Don't Stop There Anymore starring Justin Timberlake, Original Sin featuring Mandy Moore & Elizabeth Taylor plus a San-O-Rama Remix of Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word featuring Blue.
5 / B
- PB


EMINEM - The Anger Management Tour
The world's most successful white rapper
Eminem (aka Marshall Mathers) is a guy who doesn't like to be told what to do, how to act or what to say (unless its Dr. Dre in the studio!). Rap shows can be quite boring affairs with a baggie pants crotch grabber prancing around in front with a DJ in the back. In contrast this tour is a big production with a carnival set design and several bit-part players. Around 20 songs include Eminem favourites like Business, White America, When The Music Stops, Purple Pills, Stan, The Way I Am, Cleanin' Out My Closet, Forgot About Dre, Superman, Sing For The Moment, and My Dad's Gone Crazy. Guests include his D12 buddies. Extra features include a backstage documentary and an uncut video of Ass Like That. Besides having to be a rap-fan, it is essential to be an Eminem supporter to sit through the whole show. Sometimes the outspoken aspect gets blurred by that of the bratty, obnoxious elements.
4 / C
- PB


ENIGMA
With Dougray Scott, Kate Winslet
Directed by Peter Hyams
Perhaps this film was made at the wrong time. Combining military intelligence, espionage and bitter romance, this slow and gray film demands a bit to sit through. With an emotionally shattered coding expert brought back in to a project during WWII to help with cracking intricate German coding via the Enigma machine, we're dragged through his torn psyche of tormented genius and lost love. It is all set against the backdrop of the race to get the better of the Germans and save the world. Intense on the one hand and too drawn out on the other,
Enigma may have been a more acceptable or enjoyable film if it came out around the 70s, or the days of
Eye Of The Needle. Technically it is not lacking, but it is just the kind of film that drama lovers who don't mind a lot of talking and lengthy build up to conclusions would enjoy - or WWII fans & experts. A chubby Winslet delivers a fine performance, but unfortunately Titanic will still overshadow her role in this one.
3 / C
- PB


ENIGMA - MCMXC a.D. - The Complete Album DVD
In the early '90s this German phenomenon created a whole new dimension in music by combining pop and dance grooves with Gregorian chants, ambient- and world music elements to blend it into a stunning mood-piece, flowing into a sexual / spiritual audio journey, spilling over into the visual with the intriguing videos. This DVD contains the complete debut album with its visually compelling imagery - a flowing chapter of tranquility and titillation. Mastermind
Michael Cretu with the help of minimal collaborators (including his wife and ex-'80s popstar Sandra) have created a provocative album (and many subsequently) which, after more than ten years is still highly listenable (and watchable - except for Cretu's curly mullet and failure to remove his specs for the video featuring him, killing the ethereal mood). The videos get some repetition to expand tracks which didn't get videos at the time of release, but that doesn't really matter. The disc also contains a 1/4 hour interview with Cretu and the full versions of the four main tracks.
5 / A
- PB


ENOUGH
With Jennifer Lopez, Billy Campbell, Juliette Lewis, Dan Futterman
Directed by Michael Apted
For me Lopez lost her appeal somewhere after
U-Turn - perhaps because the world made such a fuss about her once the singing career skyrocketed. Here she plays an ordinary short order waitress who, within the first half hour of the film meets & marries Mr Right and has a kid. The guy is in fact a rat bastard womanizer who gets violent when she confronts him with it. She hits the road with her daughter, but he pursues them, using his contacts to track her down. His obsession is likely to turn deadly, so she's left with one last resort. Do him before he does her - but, legally, as self-defence. The constant relocations to stay one step ahead of him keeps the pace going. The tough preparation regiment, like a "battle preparation" is a bit cheesy and annoying, but what can you do? This film is a great boost for women's rights though, retaining the right to stand up for oneself…
3 / C
- PB

ENTRAPMENT
With Sean Connery, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Ving Rhames, Will Patton
Directed by Jon Amiel
Multi-million dollar heists are always fun to watch; what with the preparation scenes, the gadgetry and conflict between partners. Entrapment has it all, even a generation gapped romantic possibility. Zeta-Jones is an insurance agent after Connery whose cat-burglar skills, techno-access and cunning are costing millions. She infiltrates his realm, posing as a partner in crime. They pool their knowledge and resources to pull off a serious art heist. The elaborate preparation sequences get a bit silly sometimes, especially the gratuitous scene of Zeta-Jones’s sliding session to bypass the multitude of laser alarm triggers. The job is actually in anticipation of a far greater one. The 8 billion dollar figure and only 10 seconds to pull it off over new year 2000 is tense, action packed, almost innovative, but fun. It all just seems a little artificial, though, and even if you watch the film (as we did), throwing your own Connery lines in, it’s even more of a blast than if you took it all seriously.
3 / B
- PB

ENVY
With Jack Black, Ben Stiller, Christopher Walken, Rachel Weisz
Directed by Barry Levinson
The man who gave us impressive movies like
Diner, Rainman and Good Morning, Vietnam seems to be getting comfortable with the silly comedy formula (since Bandits). Here at least it is worth watching, greatly due to Black and Stiller being wonderfully cast in the lead roles. The two working stiffs, buddies and neighbours commute to the same 3M factory every day. Black has constant hair-brain ideas that Stiller brushes off. When he comes up with Vapoorize, a spray that makes dog doo disappear, he becomes a gazillionaire. Instead of moving to a more affluent area, he maintains his roots and builds a mansion on the same spot, across from his pal. Stiller turned down an initial offer to get in as a partner before the product became a runaway success. The sight of the house, the elaborate dinner parties they get invited to and the complete opposite of his middleclass set-up gnaws at him. His pissed-off wife only intensifies his anger. To top it all he flips and loses his job. The envy eats away at him until he gets an idea from a Walken, an old washout in a bar, while drowning his sorrows… Black is stellar as the regular guy with more money than he can spend, as is Stiller in jealous-mode. With an equal dose of straight comedy and slapstick, Envy is a laugh and great fun for a frivolous evening of no-brain viewing.
4 / B
- PB


EQUILIBRIUM
With Christian Bale, Emily Watson, Sean Bean, Taye Diggs, Angus MacFadyen
Directed by Kurt Wimmer
Here you have an amalgamation of several themes we've seen before.
A Clockwork Orange, 1984, Logan's Run, Minority Report, The Matrix. Future societies and the attempts to make a better life for all usually leads to fascist means and the question whether the attempt to attain this Utopia isn't more of an intrusion into our human rights and free will. It is post-WW3. Here society has been numbed by the mandatory personal dosing of Prozia II, a drug which numbs the emotions. Ruled by The Father, he believes that human emotion has been the cause of all the world's ills, pains and atrocities. Remove the emotion, remove the problem. Those who refuse to take their "medication" and are open to feel and creatively express themselves, laugh and cry are "sense offenders". An elite police force, Grammaton Clerics track these sense offenders down with extremely accurate and deadly means. When a top Cleric misses a dose, his life starts to change as he gets second thoughts on the effectiveness of this new "peaceful" order. He goes on the run, siding with the underground to bring it all down. Equilibrium finds itself very closely related to its title in that it had me balanced between enjoying its action sequences and scoffing at its far-fetched premise. The Nazi-ish insignia, dress and philosophy is pretty obvious but necessary. Once you've seen the film, the film list mentioned at the beginning will make sense.
3 / C
- PB


ERASERHEAD
With Jack Nance, Charlotte Stewart, Jeanne Bates
Directed by David Lynch
David Lynch's cult classic first feature from the late '70s is still a work of black & white brilliance. Set in a nondescript semi-post apocalyptic dystopia, our unlikely lead, Henry, has to move in with a girlfriend who had their extremely premature baby. Shacked up in a cramped apartment he starts to flip out and his lust also ventures to the lady across the hallway. With some great nightmare sequences and symbolic moments,
Eraserhead is one of those few great visual narratives where dialogue is not all that important. Apparently born from Lynch's panic when his girlfriend fell pregnant with his daughter Jennifer (who went on to direct Boxing Helena), his neuroses ended up becoming a film of historic visual significance. Lynch's lighting and sound design obsession is already on display here and the film also sees many of his recurring actors, themes, and even sound- & set design in his later work. This particular soundtrack is filled with atmospheric industrial sounds sometimes mixed with Fats Waller piano tonking. When the subject of Cult Films comes up, the chance of Eraserhead not being mentioned is mighty slim.
6 / A
- PB


ERASURE - The Tank, The Swan & The Balloon Live!
From
Depeche Mode to Yazoo to Erasure, Vince Clarke's '80s excursions had him find his home with his partner Andy Bell who added an angelic pop voice to his electronic music. This double disc includes the live show plus a behind the scenes documentary. One wouldn't expect much from a live electro-pop performance, but from the get-go you know you're in for a fabulously camp, colourful, eccentric pop spectacle with costume changes galore, back-up singers, drag queens, dancers, the works. The round about 30 songs(!) include everything from Siren Song, Ship Of Fools, Chorus and Love To Hate You to their Abba tribute (Voulez Vous, Take A Chance On Me, S.O.S., Lay All Your Love On Me) and other faves like Oh, La Mour, Stop!, Who Needs Love Like That, Blue Savannah, Star, A Little Respect, Home and Sometimes. They also throw in covers of The Good The Bad & The Ugly and Stand By Your Man (for the Western section of the show), plus a ruby slippered Over The Rainbow. True fans will be captivated while lukewarmers will find it ridiculous.
4 / C
- PB


ERASURE - Live In Cologne
The electronic duo of Vince Clarke and Andy Bell seems to be set on going till the wheelchairs come out. If rockers like the
Rolling Stones can do it, why not the Popsters? Without losing their camp airs and flamboyance when it comes to performance, this time round their tour show transformed the stage into a fantasy fairytale forest, with costumes including classic Elvis jumpsuits. A bulky two dozen songs from their two decade career which started in the sensational 80s Pop era cover all of their hits: Sometimes, Stop!, A Little Respect, Oh L'Amour, Chorus, Victim Of Love, Breathe, No Doubt, Ship Of Fools, Chains Of Love, Blue Savannah, Love To Hate You and more. Extra material includes three music videos, three extra live songs from the Copenhagen performance, as well as interviews and a short tour documentary. You also get a time-lapse clip of the entire stage rigging and set-up, as well as the show. Bright and flashy, just what we'd expect from Erasure.
4 / B
- PB

ERIN BROKOVICH
With Julia Roberts, Albert Finney, Peter Coyote, Aaron Eckhart
Directed by Steven Soderbergh
An interesting commercial choice of film for Soderbergh who wowed us with his debut of Sex, Lies & Videotape. This true story takes us into the world of the uneducated, divorced-with-kids title character that gets a job at a law firm. She happens to stumble onto some clues that lead to water contamination by an industrial giant that might’ve lead to illness, cancer and deaths with an overwhelming amount of residents in the area. Her forceful determination leads to one of the biggest court cases of its kind. But after years of struggling to get it in front of a judge, her spirit and drive did have an impact on her home life - not seeing her kids or her boyfriend who plays babysitter. I’ve never been much of Julia Roberts fan and never found her attractive in any way. But here they manage to make her look quite sexy in a slutty kind of way, boobs pushed up to high heaven, short skirts and all - based on the real life Erin, who apparently wore even shorter skirts(!). Goes to show how face value and judging character on appearance have little if nothing to do with the person inside and their capabilities.
4 / C
- PB

E.T. - The Extra-Terrestrial
With Henry Thomas, Drew Barrymore, Dee Wallace, Peter Coyote
Directed by Steven Spielberg
While kids of recent years grow up with the likes of
Tellytubbies and Pokémon, some of us were fortunate enough to grow up with the movies of Star Wars and this, admittedly one of Spielberg's most personal films, E.T. - The Extra-Terrestrial. The basic but magical tale of a boy who finds an alien stranded on earth gets treated with so much emotional depth, humanity, humour and action that even those who were not fortunate enough to see this film on its original release will still find it magical. The brilliant performances by the kids, especially Henry Thomas and a tiny, sweet Drew Barrymore make this film beyond moving and believable - not to mention the innovative E.T. creature effects innovations of the time. For this 20th anniversary release (2002), technology allowed Spielberg to add and alter some details he couldn't back then. While some of us may wish to remember the film in its originally created form, the alterations and additional footage does not detract from the film's intrinsic sense of wonder. For example, cops' & agents' firearms were digitally replaced by walky-talkies! This double disc features some wonderful extras. There is the look at how E.T. was created, a piece on John Williams' incredible soundtrack, designs, photography and marketing, the 20th anniversary reunion with cast interviews, trailers, the anniversary premiere and even a space exploration portion where E.T. gives you info on the planets in our solar system. The footage of Thomas' audition is absolutely jaw-dropping and behind-the-scenes footage show how emotionally the kids got involved with this creature (basically a puppet), who became their friend, for real! In stead of a directors' commentary (which would've been great, although the film speaks for itself), is the addition of the live orchestral soundtrack John Williams conducted at the 20th anniversary premiere (complete with audience cheers) - a piece of logistic, artistic, timing and rhythmic brilliance. Winning 4 of its 9 nominated Oscars, E.T. is one of those magical, timeless films that moves all who allow it to sweep them up in its near flawless narrative and execution. The chance of another commercial film like this seeing the light in our digital age is highly unlikely, so take this opportunity to get transported into a truly amazing cinematic accomplishment.
6 / A
- PB


ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND
With Jim Carrey, Kate Winslet, Kirsten Dunst, Elijah Wood, Mark Ruffalo
Directed by Michel Gondry
Joel met a girl, Clementine. Their relationship differences leads to her abruptly going to a company which erases specific parts of your memory. With Joel no longer a part of her existence, he decides to go and do the same. But mid-process, while he's asleep (the technicians systematically erasing her from his memory banks), he changes his mind within his mind and tries to run from the erasing process as he backtracks through the memories they had together. At first it seems a little confusing, but its non-linear structure soon becomes understandable. After all, it was written by Charlie Kaufman (who gave us
Being John Malkovich and Adaptation with another music video director Spike Jonze). Music promo genius Michel Gondry's stamp is all over this incredible film. This little Frenchman has a visual knack that is truly inspiring, this project exactly his kind of thing with optical distortions and logical twists that defy convention. Carrey proves yet again he's more than just a funny guy.
6 / B
- PB


EVANESCENCE - Anywhere But Home
With hardly two albums to their name, Wind-Up decided that an audio disc of the band's live show might as well accompany the live
Evanescence DVD release (or is that vice versa?). Crowd favourites like Haunted and My Immortal are executed with precision (like the rest of the 14 strong album). The hard guitar backing to Amy's lyrical voice (a basic combination which has pushed them to the forefront) also gets pulled back with the voice and piano prominent tracks like Breathe No More. With the stamp of the band's departed original guitarist still in evidence, this has done little to deter the band's constant climb. Recorded in Paris, the live DVD also features a behind the scenes documentary (often silly to the extent that hardcore fans who live themselves into the pain-stricken moods and commercial pop-goth-rock intensity of the songs may become a touch disillusioned with the fact that they are actually regular folk who don't sit in dark rooms staring at the floor, driven to lovelorn self-mutilation). Local Seether fans will be happy to see the ex-Mr. Welgemoed (Amy's beau) in some of the clips, as the bands toured together. Some will prefer hearing the music than seeing it, but at least here you have the choice to enjoy both. The closing track Whisper is a new studio recording. The band's style is formulaic in both the frequently ultra simplistic guitar riffs and soaring vocal melodies, but it works, with fans spanned across the divide, from housewives to metal fans. While the hard-rock-metal-melodic female voice combination is nothing new, hopefully Evanescence will turn listeners new to the genre on to groups like Therion, Nightwish, Lacuna Coil, The Gathering and Madder Mortem who have been doing this on the fringes for many years.
3 / B
- PB

THE EVIL DEAD
With Bruce Campbell, Ellen Sandweiss, Betsy Baker
Directed by Sam Raimi
After shooting a Super-8 pilot of this gory classic, Raimi shopped it around to get financing to shoot a full-length version on a larger format. Expecting a fun getaway in a log cabin deep in the woods, a group of friends find a tape recorder and accidentally conjures up an ancient evil when they play it. A wild, over the top, super funny survival battle ensues as our hero Ash is overrun by demons, zombies and all kinds of weird spirits taking over his friends and sweetheart. Great, innovative camerawork, FX and animation that makes more than just the best of the low budget. A trendsetter and one of the coolest kick-starts for one of the craziest, funniest and coolest horror franchises of all time.
5 / A
- PP
…the 2nd opinion…
THE EVIL DEAD
With Bruce Campbell, Ellen Sandweiss
Directed by Sam Raimi
It is rarely that we still get a classic case such as this, where a group of young aspiring filmmakers head out and shoot their vision against all odds, only to have it transcend cult status to become a horror benchmark. Never before
The Evil Dead has extreme gore and comedy been spliced together in such a successful concoction. The basic story follows a group of youngsters heading out into the woods to stay over in a cabin. They discover a book (the Book of the Dead) and a tape recorder in the basement which, when played, conjured up an ancient evil force hidden in the woods. One by one they get possessed as the survivors (in particular Ash) try to get their heads around it all, stay alive and fight this vicious power. The Evil Dead got a lot of flack at its release in the early '80s when the "video nasty" issue was riding high. With the limited financing they had, the camera work, sound and FX were absolutely amazing. Makeshift techniques and budget-constrained ingenuity forced the collaborators to make a creative little film that is still fantastic to watch twenty years later. In South Africa it was banned and you could only get your hands on multi-generation pirate copies. This uncut Anchor Bay DVD release also contains commentary tracks by Sam Raimi and the ever-smooth Bruce Campbell respectively, entertainment in its own right. You also get a little documentary with Campbell on fan conventions, plus outtakes. Of course the film got expanded into a successful trilogy, without sending it into lame-ass territory with different writers, directors and stars, the same team continuing it brilliant work. Oh yes, and of course director Sam Raimi eventually went on to direct a little franchise called Spider-Man (!).
6 / A
- PB

EVIL DEAD 2
With Bruce Campbell, Sarah Berry, Dan Hicks
Directed by Sam Raimi
Not many people got to see the original Evil Dead (and still haven’t). With the wider release of this better financed sequel, a short re-shot, re-cap of the original is there to clarify what exactly is going on. From there we’re thrown headlong into an even more crazy, even slapstick horror extravaganza that is as wacky and gory as it is creative and funny. Ash is still plagued by the “evil” and fights them with everything he’s got (including a shotgun and a chainsaw attached to where his hand used to be). Totally amazing.
6 / A
- PP
…the 2nd opinion…
EVIL DEAD II
With Bruce Campbell, Sarah Barry, Ted Raimi
Directed by Sam Raimi
Five years after the incredible little shocker
The Evil Dead, more money and a cult following behind it spawned this sequel with the Three Stooges comedy antics stepped up into overdrive. Raimi's inventive style nurtured on the first movie, blooms even more in its sequel. The opening is pretty much a recap of the first film leading up to its cool ending, blasting away from that same point into a whole new chapter of cinematic psychosis, great special FX and madcap humour. Here Bruce Campbell proved not only to be a great horror and physical actor, but also a fantastic comedic one. Strapped with his chainsaw, shotgun and a host of quotable lines, Campbell became a fully-fledged horror-action-man. The UK DVD release features a funny commentary by Raimi as well as an FX featurette.
6 / A
- PB


(EVIL DEAD 3) ARMY OF DARKNESS: The Medieval Dead
With Bruce Campbell, Embeth Davidtz, Marcus Gilbert, Ian Abercrombie, Richard Grove
Directed by Sam Raimi
At the end of the second
Evil Dead episode Ash is sucked into a time warp. His new medieval destination is also infested with undead beasts and demons. With limited technology it is up to him to stop an army of these deadites. Fighting them as well as possession, you get enough action and gory moments to keep you busy, Ash even getting some romance on the side! South African born actress Embeth Davidtz also features! In addition hilarious moments are obviously in ample supply. The expanse of the story and production is obviously a far cry from the modest single location original and is a cool climax to the series. Rabid fans will obviously love another chapter, knowing these guys won't mess up a classic series. The trilogy was also released in a cool box set shaped like the skin-covered Book of the Dead.
5 / A
- PB


EVIL WOMAN
With Jason Biggs, Jack Black, Steve Zahn, Amanda Peet, R. Lee Ermey, Neil Diamond
Directed by Dennis Dugan
Three buddies have an absolute ball, partying, watching football, jamming in their Neil Diamond tribute band…But they absolutely suck at romance - or just plain getting laid. Until one lands a hot female psychiatrist. She starts to control him totally, even forbidding him to see his friends or play in the band, burning his Neil records and more. Eventually his two friends decide to rectify the situation. After many feeble attempts, they attempt to kidnap her and get their buddy hooked up with "the one that got away" - his school sweetheart. Jack Black is in top form as the slob pal with good intentions as the slapstick rides high. Neil Diamond fans will love it (as he pops in as well), while a dark angle on some of the comedy is hardly enough to be too offensive. Even
Full Metal Jacket Gunny Sarge R. Lee Ermey features as a convicted ex-football coach. Fun, occasionally funny, but fundamentally a "what the hell" slap-dash slice of passing entertainment for that indecisive "what haven't I seen" moment as you stare at the video shelves. But, if you liked director Dennis Dugan's Big Daddy, you'll no doubt get a kick out of this one.
3 / B
- PB

EVITA
With Madonna, Antonia Banderas, Jonathan Price
Directed by Alan Parker
Long awaited and anticipated filmed version of the Tim Rice/Andrew Lloyd-Webber show about the opportunistic Argentinian Eva Peron. Growing up discarded and disadvantaged, her drive to excel left nothing to chance. Eventually she worked her way up to an important, key man, Peron, whom she vibrantly assisted in having elected. The film, unfortunately does not sweep the viewer up as to be expected. Drawn out with loads of mass marching sequences and scenes of Evita rising up as Banderas narrates ther whole thing. I expected far more, but for lovers of the music and lyrics, it will be hard to disappoint. One of Parker’s worse. The political content obviously had Oliver Stone involved in the scripting (at one time lined up to direct), but his stamp in way shines through. Well executed, but sometimes a bit too painful to watch.
2 / C
- PB

EVOLUTION
With David Duchovny, Orlando Jones, Seann William Scott, Julianne Moore
(Mis)Directed by Ivan Reitman
I'm gonna keep this short and sweet because the memory is too painful... What a waste of celluloid! I'm sorry, usually there is SOME redeeming quality in a movie, in
Evolution there is none. An alien meteor crashes near an Arizon suburb emitting a wierd goo that in fact is an alien primordial soup. From it springs all creatures weird and wonderful that evolve at an alarming rate until they become nasty and large enough to pose a serious threat. Duchovny is flat and flavorless. Orlando Jones has moments, but they're not good ones... Seann William Scott didn't learn his lesson from Dude, Where's my Car? and Julianne Moore's character has a quirky clumsiness that is just totally unjustified. Weird. The special CGI effects aren't so amazing anymore... The creatures are ho-hum... The gags are flat, predicatable and badly delivered... hence the acting from a for-all-intents-and-purposes "star" cast is as weak and incomplete as a Cadiz take-away coffee. Remember Bats? I think this is its match. But at least Bats tried to be a serious movie. Watch out for a scene where the three "heroes" head out along an Arizona highway in Duchovny's red Jeep en-route to another disaster-area singing "Play that Funky Music White Boy" for absolutely NO APPARENT REASON!!! I'd also suggest walking out before it's all over, but for those of you who find delight in watching weak movies that are funny because they're bad, do stick around for the Head & Shoulders mock commercial right at the end. Ugh...
This movie scores high on the CRINGE-O-METER.
- Brett Reynolds (USA Flamedrop guy)
...the 2nd Opinion...
EVOLUTION
To say that Ivan Reitman is "the director of Ghostbusters" may be a good hook, since this is pretty much more of the same - in the sense of more money to wreak more havoc as earthlings battle a take-over, this time by a fast evolving alien life-form as opposed to the '80s hit's ghosts & spooks. The FX are extravagant in many cases (then, why does so much of the alien eco system look so damn plastic?). But, seeing as Evolution's target audience was probably not even born when Bill Murray & the gang kicked ghostly ass to Ray Parker Jr.'s hit tune, this lure is directed at those of us who loved it on its innitial global release - since not much will keep the current younger audience from heading out to go see it. If you still hadn't seen Ghostbusters, get yer ass down to the videostore!
The alien invasion picks up momentum pretty quickly after a meteor hits earth, while an assembled cast is there to include as wide an audience as possible (race, age, gender). Duchovny is his dry self and Moore tries to hit a new slapstick form she'd hardly ever done before. Jones is quite a laugh while Scott is in regular early 20s "loser" shape. They play for laughs as well as the gross out factor.
The FX are cool, the jokes silly and the pace fair.
Butt, in the end, it seems as though the writers created a hole movie around the urge to poep out the world's biggest ass joke.
Evolution doesn't take itself too seriously and neither should we.
3 / C

- PB

EXISTENZ
With Jennifer Jason Leigh, Jude Law, Willem Dafoe, Ian Holm
Directed by David Cronenberg
Canadian master of the weird & macabre, David Cronenberg propels us into the world of virtual reality games in an evolutionary way we might just still experience in our lifetime. At a demonstration of a new highly anticipated game, the developer (Leigh) goes on the lam with a security guard/PR man at this event, after a realism assassin attempts to wipe her out. Cronenberg creates an interesting future with organic game modules plugging into a port in your spine (like an umbilical chord), mutated amphibians, revolutionary anti-game organizations, blurring fantasy & reality and (for want of a better term) a Naked Lunch meets Videodrome atmosphere. Very visual, very absorbing and very Cronenberg.
4 / B
- PB

EXIT WOUNDS
With Steven Seagal, DMX, Anthony Anderson, Michael Jai White, Isaiah Washington, Tom Arnold
Directed by Andrzej Bartkowiak
Seagal will be Seagal. The carved frown in the forehead, the whispering, thumb breaking and ass-kicking. But that's what he's there for and if that's what you need, you attend his flicks. This one has him in the role of an undisciplined cop who plays by his own rules (big surprize!). Demotion, repremands, rage management classes and a transfer to a notorious precinct do little to change his passion for upholding justice at any cost. When he uncovers a serious drug scam involving a wealthy guy and a cop, things start hotting up. At least a few plot twists are thrown in as Seagal kicks, whacks and shoots his way to the truth. While some twist are surprizing, others are way cliche'. Some of the action is well executed while a dose of humour gets injected into the narrative to ease down the action and marginal suspense. The humour is also substantiated by casting Anthony Anderson (in enjoyable but typecast guise) as well as Rozanne ex, Tom Arnold. Rap star DMX does an OK job while Seagal won't disappoint his fans, even though he may be getting on in years.
3 / B
- PB

THE EXORCIST - Director’s Cut
With Ellen Burstyn, Max Von Sydow, Linda Blair, Jason Miller
Directed by William Friedkin
In 1973 a film was released that shocked the whole world (except South Africa - being one of the backward countries believing it might destroy its perfect population’s morals). Not a horror film, gorefest or mere exercise in blasphemy, The Exorcist was and still is a masterpiece. Part drama, part struggle of faith and all mesmerizing, writer William Peter Blatty and director Friedkin take us on a mind-blowing trip of possession in the modern world. Yes, everyone knows about the queues around the block at theatres as well as churches and the green projectile vomiting and crude words of blasphemy coming from the possessed little girl’s oral cavity (still hectic). But, as a whole it is a touching (and disturbing) drama of a mother’s inability to protect her child from a force beyond her. After scientific explanation fails, she has to turn to the clergy to perform an exorcism, herself not at all religious. Brilliantly made, acted and executed, almost 30 years later it still packs a punch and a half or two. Some will still leave the theatre feeling severely pummeled. This director’s cut is not a mere re-release excuse - and even if it was, it doesn’t matter, since not many of us (in SA) had the privilege of seeing this classic on the glorious big screen - besides being too young or unborn on top of its banned status. The additional scenes and sequences do not necessarily enhance or detract from the film as its original genius is still well in tact. Now if only the censor board would pull its finger out of its ass and release Scorsese’s brilliant Last Temptation Of Christ…
6 / A
- PB

...2nd opinion...
THE EXORCIST - Director's Cut
With Ellen Burstyn, Linda Blair, Max Von Sydow, Jason Miller, Lee J. Cobb, Kitty Wynn, Jack MacGowran
Directed by William Friedkin
The all time best good & evil movie gets a make-over with additional footage and a big screen re-release (and of course video & DVD). An actress’s daughter starts to act strangely and it escalates to levels of madness and the unexplained. She is in fact possessed by a demon. Hardly a “horror film” in the true sense, it is in fact a deep human drama without gratuitous sense of exploitation. In stead, the revolutionary make-up, extraordinary acting and great story & direction makes The Exorcist a trend-setter and modern day masterpiece of hair-raising proportions. Though a lot of this could’ve been spotted on the additional segments of the early DVD release, this version is still as compelling, shocking, brilliant and talked about like over a quarter of a century ago. Before the censor board lightened up in SA, we used to watch a copy from a friend many times over the 80’s. It is still as incredible now as then. This is one of those films everyone simply has to see, whether you’re a believer or not.
6 / A
- PB

THE EXORCIST - Director's Cut ***** (in Afrikaans)
Met Ellen Burstyn, Max Von Sydow, Linda Blair, Jason Miller Regisseur: William Friedkin Na oor ‘n kwart eeu is hierdie meesterstuk steeds net so skrikwekkend, skokkend en geniaal soos toe dit die eerste keer in die middel 70er jare gehore geskok het (hoewel ons publikasieraad toe gedink het ons is te onvolwasse om dit te hanteer). Die nuwe weergawe is nie verbetering nie, vul dit net 'n bietjie meer uit. Daar is steeds kerkgroepe wat dink dat hierdie besonderse en sorgvuldige drama oor ‘n dogtertjie wat deur ‘n demoon besete raak, mense se geloof in gedrang kan bring en hulle na die donker kant lei - dis absolute bog, aangesien hierdie rolprent meer mense se geloof sal hervestig as deur enige witbroodjies wat baie kerklikes bak. 'n Moet-Sien fliek.
6 / A
- PB

EXORCIST: The Beginning
With Stellan Skarsgard, Isabella Scorupco, James D'Arcy, Remy Sweeney, Ben Cross
Directed by Renny Harlin

Besides the fact that they shouldn't have bothered, they apparently fired Paul Schrader from the job - if only they hadn't there may have been a fraction of redemption to this load of muck. Not scary, not creepy, not faith shaking, nor entertaining, this prequel takes us to father Merrin's beginnings. He has given up his priesthood (due to WWII experiences) and turned to archeology. When he gets called in to investigate a find in Africa, he can't resist. What he finds is a perfectly preserved catholic church, buried in the desert. After entering, the evil starts to emanate. For a fan of the original writer-director team's film (William Peter Blatty & William Friedkin), this will seem like blasphemy. Skarsgard is not bad in the Merrin role, but everything from mood to FX and even props simply don't cut it. Harlin should stick to action fare and Hollywood should stop delving for an extra buck.
2 / C
- PB

...2nd opinion...
EXORCIST: The Beginning
A tedious bore fest, riddled with stereotypes & clichés. Jesus, not to mention the amateur FX & make-up.
Turkey!
- Uncle Vinnie


THE EXORCISM OF EMILY ROSE
With Jennifer Carpenter, Laura Linney, Tom Wilkinson, Campbell Scott
Directed by Scott Derrickson
One would think that after Blatty & Friedkin's
The Exorcist any attempts at venturing into this territory would be futile in its shadow. But, this fascinating film is based on true events of a girl Anneliese Michel who was officially declared as being demonically possessed by the Catholic church. She died during an exorcism and the priest overseeing it was charged. With obvious alterations and a shift Stateside it is a well constructed, tense and often damn scary movie. The parallel tale is told via a court case where the accused priest stands trial. Besides good vs. evil, it becomes a matter of belief and faith against science and pragmatic facts. The lawyer of the priest is hardly a believer but soon things that cannot be ignored start to permeate her realm. The flashbacks slowly, effectively and shockingly reveal the events leading to the girl's death. Well acted and directed, this is well worth watching.
5 / B
- PB

EXTREME MACHINES
In our frantic technological advancement, the pursuit to outdo ourselves are sometimes more of a motivational drive than to benefeit the human race and the uphold the general good. Ever since the penny-farthing, George Stephenson's steam engine concept, Henry's Model-T Ford and the Wright Brothers's first flight, we were intrigued beyond belief. And it wasn't just because we could get from A to B much quicker. The economic factors are an obvious revolution, but an added need created by the automotive progress was that of the thrill. The thrill of travelling at high speed, seeing racing cars compete, watching rockets streak across the sky...It has become a part of our lives. Be it on land, in the sky, halfway between the two, on or under water, extreme machines are practical, groundbreaking vehicles of facsination, frightening and invigorating in its power and beauty. Have a look below at a few more of the automotive videos released by
Discovery Channel and strap yourself in for one hell of a ride.
DIVING DEEP
Submarines seem like a sinking and rising "thing". Until you've watched this video, that is. The complexity of these pressure defying vessels and the amazing living body they explore seemed to have been overshadowed by other machines throughout history. A relatively young developed vehicle as opposed to others, numerous intriguing facts come to light on the workings of these "tubes". The incredible pressure they withstand and the role they played in defense changed the face of the ocean forever; not to mention the amazing finds they've made - Titanic for instance. It even made cinematic masterpieces like Das Boot possible. This video also includes research subs like Alvin, military disasters like The Thresher and the internal workings of a nuke sub, the USS Scranton. We get a glimpse at bizarre underwater life at killer depths and are enlightened with new developments which include re-breathers.
CARRIER - FORTRESS AT SEA
The unbelievable size and magnitude of aircraft carriers are illustrated here with the Carl Vinson's voyage from San Francisco to the Persian Gulf. Holding around 5000(!) men, this virtual floating city is a self sufficient military monster and airstrip for fighter planes, each man's function essential in making it a smooth operation in this feature length documentary. A number of the crewmen's functions are explained and includes the fighter pilots and their planes, one of which happened to crash as it attempted to break the sound barrier at high sea. An astonishing look at an enormous vessel which will either make you want to join the navy or stay far away.
MURRAY WALKER'S MAGIC MOMENTS
The world's best known F1 commentator takes us through his favourite racing moments spanning the last 20 years of his 5 decade career. High speed excitement, thrills and spills make up the world of Grand Prix and you can watch this one any time in stead of waiting for the occasional Sunday afternoon race on TV.
JEREMY CLARKSON'S MOTORSPORT MAYHEM
Most of us watch motor racing to wait for one thing. The smash. This compilation of great auto havoc eliminates the long laps and gives you the spectacular disasters you hold out for. The wit of BBC motorcar fundi, Jeremy Clarkson adds to the costly, disasterous fun. Even record attempts, wild stunts and punch-ups are included.
CRASH IMPACT Volumes 1, 2 and 3
This series treads the same ground as the above mentioned and covers everything on wheels losing its traction, going belly-up, rolling, spinning, twirling, exploding or disintegrating. Man and machine coming to a violent halt. Lovely. The soundtrack was executed by the liks of earky Kiss producer, Bob Kulick.
ROLLERCOASTERS
Between heaven and earth there is a place where we seek thrills, manipulate our adrenalin and scare ourselvs to death. Rollercoasters were originally developed by the French in the 1800's and only really had a resurgence in the 70's. Today it is almost like an arms race as amusement parks around the world try to out-thrill one another with G-forces stopping an inch away from cardiac arrest. Some of the interviewees include coaster fans, designers and a psychologist, to get to the bottom of this rush. With societies established to glorify the rollercoaster, this is one machine developed purely for fun - transport not a factor. In fact, these rollercoasters don't have engines, but rather rely on forces of gravity, weight, angle and momentum to scare the living dailights out of us, be you seated, hanging or standing, loops and corkscrews wonn't go out of fashion soon. The real thing still surpasses any virtual reality. Nothing like an endorphine fix to start your day.
NIGHTHAWK: Secrets of the Stealth
We all know it as the Stealth Fighter, but to its designers and pilots it is the F-117 Nighthawk. This military phenomenon, once cloaked in secrecy with the waging Cold War, can now be seen in its full glory as archive footage and great airial photography show us this slick, radar dodging marvel of modern aviation. Never before seen footage can now be enjoyed and is enough to make any aerophile drool.
ROCKETS
Our biggest and most powerful machines to date in fact started out as fireworks created by the Chinese. Since then we've put a man on the moon, littered our orbit with satellites so we can watch MTV or the Discovery Channel and blown each other to kingdom come. These useful and destructive machines changed our world forever. Great facts come to light like the fuel tanks, the incredible weight, new rockets and their applications, the Challenger disaster and a whole lot more. Highlights of the space race between the USSR and USA are also added while facts like German rockets hitting London during WWII are both educational and astonishing. These jaw dropping objects of beauty, progress and destruction is one of our most amazing advances which can so easily be the end of us all.
5 / A
- PB

EXTREME OPS
With Devon Sawa, Bridget Wilson-Sampras, Rupert Graves, Rufus Sewell
Directed by Christian Duguay
Oh, boy. A production company specializing in risky, extreme sports related ad-shoots get a job to outrun an avalanche for a digital video camera manufacturer. Assembled is an atrociously annoying bunch of brats who encounter a gang of international bad-asses up in the snowy mountains. They use their X-treme sports skills to outwit and thwart their evil intentions (cripes!). The leader of the militants is a notorious war criminal whose death was faked in an aircraft crash. Get your butt ready for a CGI yawn. Rufus Sewell gives the characters some mature balanced focus, but his agent should be smacked for squeezing him into this joke. Milking a trend while it's hot is an inevitability, but it doesn't mean it's guaranteed to be of superior quality.
1 / C
- PB

EYE OF THE BEHOLDER
With Ewan McGregor, Ashley Judd, Jason Priestley, Patrick Bergin, k.d. lang, Genevieve Bujold
Directed by Stephan Elliott
The director of
Priscilla Queen Of The Desert hits back with super-stylish, visually amazing tale of obsession. A secret agent with psychological glitches (speaking to the daughter he’d never met after his wife ran out on him), falls disturbingly for a woman he sees during a surveillance job. He follows her around the States, voyeuristically getting pulled in deeper and deeper, regardless of her Black Widow-like journey. A stunning film.
4 / B
- PB

THE EYES OF TAMMY FAYE
With Tammy Faye, Jim Bakker, Roe Messner, Pat Boone. Narrator: RuPaul Directed by Fenton Bailey & Randy Barbato
Where I always found Tammy Faye and Jim Bakker a repulsive couple - equally divided between her garish make-up, his fake smile and their fanatic capitalising on Christianity. But, hey, if you're sucker enough to be conned by the likes of them, you probably deserve it, or is a true naïve believer. This digital documentary on the creature known as Tammy Faye sheds a whole lot of light on what they accomplished. Sure, the speculation of their money-hungry embezzlement can be questioned. Seeing as the significant cost involved in their endeavors had to be substantial - they built up the biggest (and only at the time) 24hr Christian satellite TV network, PTL (Praise The Lord) and the third most popular location in America, their reborn theme park and worship complex. But we do get to see a bit of Tammy's personality through the caked mascara, bad hairdo and fluffy little dogs. She may well be sincere, but there's no way round her tacky style and instant tear ducts. She'd recorded around 40 albums and her singing voice is remarkably good (especially compared to that of her speaking voice). Interesting facts (or deviations) come to the fore like that moralistic scumbag of a "religious figure", Jerry Falwell (who had a life long war with Hustler's Larry Flynt) who shockingly intercepted the Tammy & Jim Bakker empire. He basically high-jacked it under the guise of assisting them in putting a damper on the breaking of Jim's fling scandal with a Playboy Playmate. We are all sinners, after all? Jim went to jail and Tammy married a guy who worked with them for years, but also ended up in jail. Superstar Drag Queen RuPaul narrates the whole dirty holy tale. With great footage from old TV shows to stock footage, it's an intriguing look at a very interesting cult figure.
4 / C
- PB

© 2006 Flamedrop Productions