Hey guys! You’re reading a brand new edition of Diggin’ Into the DVD Archive, written by myself, Randy. Greetings from the UK! So now I am officially on a different continent. And I must say, London is pretty nice. I am fitting in well here. My internship starts in a little less than a month, and so I am getting prepared for that one day at a time. School has ended out here already, and I’m glad I wasn’t stuck going to school in London for 2 weeks. Even more so, I am glad I will be returning to the States just in time for school to begin there in September. Anyhow, things are going good for me. During the days I mostly go out, and look around, explore the city. I’ve seen some really cool sights since I’ve been here. I had some free time on my hands today, and figured I’d sit down and write an article for you Arcaders to read. I think tomorrow I may go down and visit Abbey Road. =)

For this edition of DIDA, I profile a recent film that got split reviews. Even more so, a film that has the honor to be inducted into my four-stars club. So that’s it, here it is, enjoy! Until next time, this Randy signing off from London.

“Cloverfield”
2008
**** out of ****

Oh boy. Every since the trailer before the Transformers movie last summer, I looked forward to one date and one date only: 1-18-08. I tracked the clues, kept up with the rumors, anticipated, and followed the film along the way. I was reading for clues and news on the film constantly and checking 1-18-08.com daily. I was honestly extremely excited for this film. Then it came: 1-18-08. The day I had been waiting for for 6 months... It came... and it passed. I didn’t see the film. Why you ask? I have no goddamn clue! I just never got around to getting to the theater. And then, I just never took the time to go and get it from Wow Video.

However, I did watch it this week, and it was absolutely amazing. It was 100 percent what I expected, and it is now in my four stars club. I am not going to go into a long plot synopsis of the film, seeing as most of you have probably already seen it. However, it is about a guy who is having a going away party when something attacks New York City. The whole this is shot (and viewed by us) on a video camera, by a guy who is supposed to be documenting the night of the party. Instead, however, he ends up documenting the most surreal footage ever.

I am personally not a fan of monster movies. However, I don’t know whether it was the hype, or the fact that it was shot with a camera, or that I was in a good mood when I watched it last night... but I loved Cloverfield. Now I feel even worse that I totally disregarded this for 5 months. However, great acting, an ok plot, and amazing film techniques came together to create this JJ Abram-kissed classic of the year. For me it has 4 stars. It has joined the club. 5 months into 2008, and my thoughts of Cloverfield:

It is the best movie, by far, or the year thus far.

With this killer lineup of movies this summer, including “The Dark Knight” and “Indiana Jones”, we will see if any film can truly surpass the awesomeness of “Cloverfield”.

Good evening everyone; you’re reading the 3rd edition of Diggin’ Into the DVD Archive, aka DIDA, written by myself, Randy. Now let me just start off by saying that I have worked out my reviewing schedule. It has been awhile since you have seen ANYTHING from me… and I apologize for that. I planned on reviewing “Drillbit Taylor” and “Leatherheads” for FilmArcade and “Prom Night” for my blog, however, never got around to doing any of them. Things have been extremely hectic these last three weeks, and I have been unbelievably busy, and so I have been doing my best here. However, here is what I have worked out:

DIDA will be posted EVERY OTHER Saturday. Yes, I realize today is Monday. However, for some reason, the last two nights when I went to post this, blogger would not let me log into my account. I contacted them last night via email, and everything has been fixed (I needed to reset my password). But from now on, you can look forward to DIDA every other Saturday. That means the next edition will be posted Saturday May 3rd. As for theatrical releases, my schedule is clear until May, in which I have Indiana Jones to review right here on FilmArcade. I will also be doing some others for my blog, however, none of that is important now.

Just as a heads up, I will not be writing a little end-of-the-month update for April. There hasn’t been that much going on in the last month (or, at least not enough to make an article out of it), so we’ll see what May will bring. As always, we have had absolute excellence from our FilmArcade reviewers. And as it gets closer and closer to summer, and as the summer blockbusters begin to come out, I can only expect better and better.

Ok, so let’s get back to this edition of DIDA. I got two emails with suggestions for this week’s issue: One was from an old friend from a previous website I had written for, and the other, surprisingly was from a FilmArcade reader, who wanted me to review his favorite movie: “Forrest Gump”. In my friend’s email, he actually suggested about twenty movies, but one especially caught my eye: “Apollo 13”. It was really the only one that appealed to me (sorry, Ron!), and I knew that Tom Hanks played a role in it. So, I suddenly got an idea: to do a special, Tom Hanks edition. So, I put the two movies together for this special edition of DIDA: All About Tom Hanks.

So there you have it! This week, you get a special themed edition of DIDA. So enjoy, leave your comments if you so choose, and check back on May 3rd for the very next edition.


“Forrest Gump”
1994
**** out of ****
Director: Robert Zemeckis
Cast: Tom Hanks, Robin Wright Penn, Gary Sinise

Forrest Gump… an old one. However, my favorite movie of all time. And what’s more, one of the very few movies that can brag to its fellow movies that it is a part of my four stars club. For those of you that don’t know me, I am very critical with movies, and you will hardly ever see me give a film four stars. However, there are a select few that have made it into the four stars club, and this is one of them.

Tom Hanks takes on the tough role of playing a mentally challenged man in this clever parody of historical events, and Tom Hanks does an excellent job. Forrest Gump is a mentally challenged man whose character is cleverly written into major historical events throughout the 60s and 70s. Gump finds himself fighting in the Vietnam War, going to a Black Panther party, and investing in Apple computers to make millions. He creates the slogan, “**it happens”, and was responsible for the first yellow shirt with a smiley face on it. He also became a world-famous table tennis player, and founded his own shrimping company, Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. All the while he is wishing that he could be with the woman he loves, ah, sweet Jenny. All throughout the movie as we hear of Forrest’s adventures, we also hear of how he constantly thinks of Jenny.

This is an amazing movie. I recommend it to all. This film is serious, funny, and touching all at the same time. As Forrest goes on telling us his life story, we cannot help but to laugh, or to feel sorry from him. And the way they put his character into actual historical events was probably the cleverest thing I have seen in a film (other than the ending to “The Sixth Sense”). Tom Hanks does an excellent job portraying the role of the mentally challenged man trying to carry out a normal life. However, Forrest Gump is far from normal. And I don’t necessarily mean that in a bad way.

Superb. 4 out of 4.


Apollo 13”
1995
** and ½ out of ****
Director: Ron Howard
Cast: Tom Hanks, Bill Paxton, Kevin Bacon

“Apollo 13” is not a fictional film. It is based on a true story. On April 11th, 1970, the space shuttle Apollo 13 left Earth on a mission to land on the moon. With three men, James A. Lovell, John L. Swigert, and Fred W. Haise on board, there was an explosion that damaged their craft badly. Their oxygen tanks were the primary source of their trouble that April’s day: They had been damaged during the explosion, and now the three astronauts were running low on air. With their heat shield also banged up during the explosion, it would be difficult to reenter the atmosphere without incinerating in the fire.

Tom Hanks (Lovell) and his co-stars Paxton and Bacon (Haise and Swigert) do an excellent job of portraying the fear and emotion of what was actually going on in that shuttle that day. We get a great look at what the conditions were like in the shuttle, and how the astronauts were affected by the explosion. We feel emotion from the movie: As you watch, you are hoping along with everyone else that they can get this ship to work. This was the 1970s… The Russians were all over space by then, but the Americans were new to this stuff. This was a new thing to them, and they were all trying to figure out how to get those three men home.

A very suspenseful film. Excellent acting by all three of the stars along with great special effects and visual and you have a good movie. I did enjoy this. There were some things that didn’t appeal to me as much, such as the NASA crew. To me, (and I don’t know if this is bad acting or inaccurate portrayal) they seemed like a bunch of blubbering idiots! I find it very hard to believe that the same people that could get a 10,000 pound spacecraft into the air, out of Earth, and into space would be such morons when it came to this. Like I said before, NASA was new to this space stuff at the time; however, you would think they would be prepared for things to go wrong.

I liked this. This is also an emotional film, especially if you lived while this was happening for real… you look back and remember the news and the radio broadcasts. All in all, I think it’s a good film. Better than I a lot I have seen. 2 ½ out of 4.

Looks like that does it for this edition of Diggin’ Into the DVD Archive. I still am looking for films to do for the next edition. If you would like to suggest a movie for me to review here for DIDA, leave your comment on this post, or send me a quick email here at pittsburghboy36@hotmail.com and I would be glad to review it for you.

Well, that’s all folks. Check back on May 3rd for the next edition. I hope everyone has a wonderful next couple of weeks. Until next time, you know what I say: Happy reviewing!

Good evening folks, and welcome to the latest edition of “Diggin’ Into the DVD Archive” with me, Randy. Tonight, I am going to take you on a journey through two fairly recent films: “Fun With Dick and Jane” (2005) and “Mr. Woodcock” (2007). In this week’s edition you will have the opportunity to read my opinions on two films that while in theaters didn’t necessarily do too well in the box-office, and when released on DVD, got mixed reviews. In just a few moments, you will be able to read my insights on both. However, before I begin, I feel the need to quote my good friend TonyD in saying:

“The opinion of the reviewer is strictly his. If you don’t like my review, eat my ass.”

Keep that in mind while reading.


“Fun With Dick and Jane”
2005
**1/2 of ****
Director: Dean Parisot
Cast: Jim Carrey, Tea Leoni, Alec Baldwin

A remake of a 1977 film, “Fun With Dick and Jane” was released in 2005. This was around the time I started to really get into movies, you know, as more that just entertainment. I refer to it now as my “Tom Hanks and Jim Carrey Era”. Those two being my favorite actors at the time (and still to this day), these were the days where I would sit at home and watch my favorites over and over again on DVD. My “usuals”? “Liar Liar”... “Bruce Almighty”... “Cast Away”... and lest us not forget the famous “Forrest Gump”.

Well, when I saw the commercial for this on TV, I thought it looked pretty funny. But that fact that my boy Jim Carrey was in it sold it for me. I went to see it opening weekend. And I actually liked it. In a rather hilarious plot, Dick Harper (Carrey) loses everything: his job, his car, his money, all the way down to his front lawn, when his company, Globodyne, crashes. So, he and his wife Jane (Leoni), after trying numerous things to make money, must resort to stealing to get what they want. Everything they lost: their money... car... TV... they stole it all back. They continue to live their lives this way, stealing what they need, until they see their friends, also ex-Globodyne employees who lost everything, get arrested for holding up a bank. They finally realize that they cannot keep living their lives the way they are.

In the meantime, ex-CEO of Globodyne, Jack McAllister (Baldwin) is living it large. The crash of Globodyne didn’t affect him at all. In fact, he has 400 million dollars put away in a bank while all his ex-employees are either on the streets or in jail. So instead of stealing the money, they devise a scheme to get McAllister to unknowingly wire-transfer 400 million dollars to them.

This movie is an absolute riot. On top of the naturally funny plot, the little things that happen in between make the movie so enjoyable. Jane takes an experimental drug as part of a clinical study and her face blows up like a balloon. She can barely talk and looks like a chipmunk. Dick ends up getting arrested by immigration officials, when of course, he is an American non-immigrant. The two of them go in to stick up a coffee shop, but instead of stealing money rip off a muffin and two cappichinos! The fact that they are two average, normal individuals trying to carry out a criminal lifestyle is funny, because they are so amateurish. The fact that they stick places up with a water gun is hilarious. The whole concept of it if just plain, out and out funny.

This is still a favorite of mine to this day. I always laugh when I watch it, and never mind seeing it over and over again. 2 and ½ stars for me. I recommend it to those with a good sense of humor and like to laugh.


“Mr. Woodcock”
2007
*** out of ****
Director: Craig Gillespie
Cast: Billy Bob Thornton, Seann William Scott, Susan Sarandon

“Mr. Woodcock”. Many of you may remember the title. It wasn’t all that long ago... about a year now. I remember seeing a trailer for it for the first time, and if I recall correctly, almost pissing myself. It looked funny from the beginning, however, I didn’t get to see it in theaters.

And then I forgot about it for awhile. Actually... for a LONG while. I hadn’t even REMEMBERED the film “Mr. Woodcock” until I was browsing through WOW Video last week. So I read the back of the case, laughed again, and took it out.

And boy do I regret missing this one on the big screen. This is probably one of the funniest films I have seen since Clerks 2. John Farley (Scott) grew up the fat kid. He was always pushed by his gym teacher, Mr. Woodcock (Thornton) to succeed. However, Woodcock wasn’t the friendliest gym coach. When I say “push”, I mean it in the literal sense. Woodcock pushed kids to their limits. Some kids considered it torture, and Farley was convinced that Woodcock had ruined his life.

Well, years later, Farley is a successful author of his book “Letting Go”, which is about his childhood struggles, and how he worked to get past all of it. A major part of the novel was inspired by Woodcock himself. Well, it turns out that when he comes home to visit mommy, Woodcock is engaged to her. Talk about a conflict? After that, the rest of the film is about Woodcock and Farley competing and butting heads.

A very funny film. I haven’t laughed so hard in a long time. It seems that, years later, Farley is trying to get his revenge, and do now, what he couldn’t do then: To beat Woodcock. They make each other’s lives hell, and Woodcock hasn’t changed one bit. Farley goes to the ends of the earth to prove that Woodcock is a bad guy. He accuses him of cheating on his mom, killing a cat, and killing one of his childhood friends. Woodcock beats John with a bat, “mistakenly” thinking he was an intruder, even though John had identified himself.

The settler: They wrestle, in one of the funniest scenes I have even seen in a movie. If you at all get bored with this, skip to the wrestling scene. I can guarantee some laughs from it.

I loved Mr. Woodcock, and as of now it is now under the title of “Randy’s Favorites”. 3 out of 4 stars for me. I really enjoyed it, and since last week have watched it 3 times. Everyone I have watched it with has also enjoyed it. Excellent writing and dialogue make this film a complete success.




Well, that’s gonna do it for this edition of Diggin’ Into the DVD Archive. I hope you’ve enjoyed my reviews. I’m not entirely sure what’s in store for the next edition, but if you have any suggestions, feel free to comment this article and let me know. Suggestions are always welcome, and if I can, I will review it for a future installment. Well, that’s all for now. Until next time, happy reviewing!

Welcome to the very first edition of Diggin’ Into the DVD Archive, a brand new segment here on FilmArcade written by me, Randy. Twice a month, I will be “digging” into my archive of DVDs and randomly selecting a few to watch and review for this special installment. My purpose for this segment is to give everyone a little bit of insight on some good films out now on DVD: Whether they be recent releases, or forgotten classics. I will try and mix it up. This way, not only will our readers be able to log onto FilmArcade.Net to find out what’s good in the theaters, but also what they can check out at their local neighborhood Blockbuster.

“The Mighty Ducks”
1992
*** of ****
Director: Stephen Herek
Cast: Emilio Estevez, Lane Smith, Joshua Jackson

When I was younger, The Mighty Ducks movies were always favorites of mine. My mom always had a basket of VHS tapes (back in the day) that she considered “classics” (Or in other words, movies that the family wouldn’t mind watching on a rainy Saturday afternoon), and the Mighty Ducks tapes were always in there. (Along with Toy Story, of course!)

It had occurred to me when I began thinking of movies to do for this segment that I hadn’t seen any of the Mighty Ducks movies in years, and so I decided to watch and review them for my very first edition of this installment.

Coach Gordon Bombay (Estevez) becomes coach of “The Mighty Ducks”, a pee-wee hockey club, when he is forced to do community service. Take a coach that doesn’t want to be there, a bunch of diverse kids, and put them together. What do you get? The Mighty Ducks. (Uh.. wait. I mean CHAOS!)

The whole first film is about how everyone learns to work together as a team. You have a group of diverse kids, ranging from bullies, to geeks, to average kids, to the fat goalie from Philadelphia. You have hockey skills ranging from amazing to “you suck” on the talent meter. All of these kids are joined together in one place, and unified as one through the Mighty Ducks. Not only do the players have to learn to get along with one another, but as a whole they need to get along with their un-enthusiastic coach who they butt heads with constantly throughout the film. In the end, the Ducks rise above adversity to win the Pee-wee hockey championship.

Like I mentioned before, always a favorite of mine. It has a great plot, it was funny, IT ENTERTAINED ME. That is what I look for with movies like this (family movies, sports films) TO BE ENTERTAINED. And I was. So I was happy, and still am to this day. Adults are not the target audience, however, watch this with your families. As my mom would say, this is a good one for a Saturday afternoon.

3 Stars. A good one, but my favorite of the 3 comes with the sequel, “D2: The Mighty Ducks”.

“D2: The Mighty Ducks”
1994
*** out of ****
Director: Sam Weisman
Cast: Emilio Estevez, Kathryn Erbe, Joshua Jackson

Ahh, the sequel. My favorite of the three, and from a critical standpoint, the best of the three. In this one, Coach Bombay is back again for more, only this time, he isn’t coaching the Ducks. Nope. He is coaching none other than Team USA.

Remember that group of kids that learned to work together so well last year and can now call themselves a team? Well now that same group of kids have to find a way of getting along with some MORE kids, this time from all over the United States. The Ducks, joined together with kids from all over the country, and coached by Bombay, make up Team USA.

You’ve got girls, cowboys, Asian figure skaters, and Russ “from da hood” with his special “Knuckle-puck”, all mixing together with the Ducks to form Team USA. And if you think getting along with one another last season was tough, just imagine what this year will be like. The goal this year: To work as a team to beat Iceland, the toughest team in the world. But with bad attitudes and things distracting Bombay, it doesn’t seem possible, and the team starts to give up. Bombay needs a wake-up call, and the Ducks (whoops, I mean USA)..... need some faith. The whole sequel is about how The Ducks (whoops, I mean USA).... overcome adversity to become champions of the world.

This one is my favorite, for a few reasons. First, it is the most realistic of them all. The hockey scenes, even for a bunch of kids, looked real, not staged. Second, this one has a good over-riding message. Never give up. Shoot for your goals. (Get it, shoot? haha) Rising above adversity. Common themes played perfectly into a family/children’s type movie. On top of that mushy crap, it was entertaining. It is a fun family film. I recommend that if you and the family are looking for something to watch together one afternoon, do a double feature, and see the first 2 “Ducks” movies.

Don’t bother seeing the 3rd. It is crap. Totally pointless, irrelevant crap. But as for “D2”, it gets 3 stars from me. Very good.


Well, that does it for this edition of Diggin Into the DVD Archive. I hope you enjoyed it. The second edition will follow shortly. In the next edition, you will have a chance to look at my thoughts on “Fun With Dick and Jane (2005) and Mr. Woodcock (2007). I know a lot of you groan at those titles, however, read Edition 2, because I believe that a lot of you will be surprised at what I have to say. Until next time, this is Randy. Happy Reviewing!