New On Video: 'Shanghai Knights,' 'Pinocchio'
Also New: 'Gods And Generals'
POSTED: 2:26 p.m. EDT July 18, 2003
Shanghai Knights' (PG-13) The wonderfully funny screen duo of Jackie Chan and Owen Wilson are back for another swing with "Shanghai Knights," an action comedy that's about equal to its predecessor "Shanghai Noon." The great thing is, "Shanghai Noon" was one heck of an entertaining movie that gets better with every viewing.
The sequel finds the duo of Chon Wang (Chan) and Roy O'Bannon (Wilson) traveling from the Old West to Victorian era London, where it's up to them to stop a plot to overthrow the rulers of England and China. But for Wang, the mission also hits home. His father's been murdered and his sister (Fann Wong) is in England, too, and together, they must find the killer and restore their family's honor.
There's no question that "Shanghai Knights" falls into both the trappings of the buddy comedy genre and the also-ran fish-out-of-water storyline. But, in the capable hands of Chan and Wilson, the duo gives what could be old and borrowed a fresh feeling. They clearly enjoying acting opposite one another, and their enthusiasm is so infectious that you can't help but become involved. They're masters at feel-good movies.
A welcome addition to the mix in "Shanghai Knights" is Fann Wong, who in her American film debut helps Chan gracefully kick the snot out of the bad guys. For the lack of better words, "Shanghai Knights," like "Shanghai Noon," is a real kick.
DVD Features: Commentary with director David Dobkin and writers Alfred Gough and Miles Millar; deleted scenes; behind-the-scenes featurettes and a "Fight Manual" with Chan and Dobkin. (Touchstone Home Entertainment)
'Pinocchio' (G) "Bizarre" is the only word that can describe "Life is Beautiful" auteur Roberto Benigni's "Pinocchio" -- a disastrous take on the classic tale that was all but dead on arrival in theaters in late December.
Benigni's biggest mistake was a last-minute decision to have American actors dub in their voices in favor of subtitles for the Italian production, and the results are for the most part laughable. The most glaring mismatch is the much-younger Breckin Meyer, who dubs for Benigni; while the likes of Glenn Close, Jim Belushi and yes, Regis Philbin, do their best to voice the Blue Fairy, Geppetto and a circus ringmaster, respectively.
For adults, the horribly out-of-sync dialogue and action will wonderfully hearken the days of "Godzilla" on the tube on Saturday afternoons. As for the kids, well, it will just plain leave them confused. The subtitled version is thankfully packaged in the two disc-set, and while it dulls the pain of the dubbed version, it will again, well, leave the kids confused. Do them a favor and rent them the original Disney animated classic.
The film, of course, works best on a visual level. An inspired shot where the boy Pinocchio leaves behind his wooden counterpart concludes the film -- it's just too bad that it couldn't have invoked the same sense of wonderment before that.
Given his deeply affecting Holocaust drama "Life is Beautiful," Begnini's has proven that he's a talented filmmaker; it's just with this film, you just get the feeling that it spiraled far out his control.
DVD Features: English-dubbed and Italian versions of the film; featurette on creating the English-dubbed version, more. (Miramax Home Entertainment)
'Gods and Generals' (PG-13) A monumental flop in theaters, Ronald Maxwell's 3 hour, 40 minute Civil War epic "Gods and Generals" is bound to find a bigger audience on video.
Sure, the format won't actually make it a better film by watching it at home, but at least by being in control of your own environment, it will make the experience more manageable. On video, the film will feel more like something you would catch on The History Channel, which is really where it should have played in the first place.
The prequel to Maxwell's "Gettysburg," "Gods and Generals" chronicles the events of the Civil War from 1861 to 1863, beginning with the battle of Manassas (Bull Run), and ending with the Battle of Chancellorsville. At the heart of the film, though, are the stories of Union Col. Joshua Lawrence (Jeff Daniels), Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee (Robert Duvall), and most predominantly, Confederate Gen. Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson (Stephen Lang).
If Maxwell succeeds at anything with "Gods and Generals," it's the human element he brings out in these legendary Civil War figures. No longer are these men two-dimensional figures in history books -- great acting makes them come to life.
Unfortunately, the endless personal focus on those characters (and long-drawn out dialogue) -- particularly the Confederate generals -- makes the blessing of great character development a curse on the film's narrative.
That's not to say Maxwell is trying to rewrite history; it's just that by choosing to make the film a personal examination, glossed over in the story are the horrors of slavery; and it's hard to accept the issue of slavery as a mere footnote in a film that borders on the 4 hour mark. There's no question that critical viewers will find fault with how Maxwell tells the story from a decidedly Southern point of view.
From the technical standpoint, Civil War buffs are sure to enjoy the film's epic battlefield re-enactments, even without the bloody details. With a PG-13 rating, Maxwell spares us of any gory details, although one could argue that the sequences would have had more impact if he had gone the way of Steven Spielberg's brutally realistic opening in "Saving Private Ryan."
DVD Features: Commentary by Maxwell and technical advisors, Col. Keith Gibson and James L. Robertson, Jr.; introduction by executive producer Ted Turner; making-of documentaries "Journey to the Past," "The Life of Thomas 'Stonewall' Jackson," and "The Authenticities of the Film"; music videos from Bob Dylan and Mary Fahl. (Warner Home Video)
The sequel finds the duo of Chon Wang (Chan) and Roy O'Bannon (Wilson) traveling from the Old West to Victorian era London, where it's up to them to stop a plot to overthrow the rulers of England and China. But for Wang, the mission also hits home. His father's been murdered and his sister (Fann Wong) is in England, too, and together, they must find the killer and restore their family's honor.
There's no question that "Shanghai Knights" falls into both the trappings of the buddy comedy genre and the also-ran fish-out-of-water storyline. But, in the capable hands of Chan and Wilson, the duo gives what could be old and borrowed a fresh feeling. They clearly enjoying acting opposite one another, and their enthusiasm is so infectious that you can't help but become involved. They're masters at feel-good movies.
A welcome addition to the mix in "Shanghai Knights" is Fann Wong, who in her American film debut helps Chan gracefully kick the snot out of the bad guys. For the lack of better words, "Shanghai Knights," like "Shanghai Noon," is a real kick.
DVD Features: Commentary with director David Dobkin and writers Alfred Gough and Miles Millar; deleted scenes; behind-the-scenes featurettes and a "Fight Manual" with Chan and Dobkin. (Touchstone Home Entertainment)
'Pinocchio' (G) "Bizarre" is the only word that can describe "Life is Beautiful" auteur Roberto Benigni's "Pinocchio" -- a disastrous take on the classic tale that was all but dead on arrival in theaters in late December.
Benigni's biggest mistake was a last-minute decision to have American actors dub in their voices in favor of subtitles for the Italian production, and the results are for the most part laughable. The most glaring mismatch is the much-younger Breckin Meyer, who dubs for Benigni; while the likes of Glenn Close, Jim Belushi and yes, Regis Philbin, do their best to voice the Blue Fairy, Geppetto and a circus ringmaster, respectively.
For adults, the horribly out-of-sync dialogue and action will wonderfully hearken the days of "Godzilla" on the tube on Saturday afternoons. As for the kids, well, it will just plain leave them confused. The subtitled version is thankfully packaged in the two disc-set, and while it dulls the pain of the dubbed version, it will again, well, leave the kids confused. Do them a favor and rent them the original Disney animated classic.
The film, of course, works best on a visual level. An inspired shot where the boy Pinocchio leaves behind his wooden counterpart concludes the film -- it's just too bad that it couldn't have invoked the same sense of wonderment before that.
Given his deeply affecting Holocaust drama "Life is Beautiful," Begnini's has proven that he's a talented filmmaker; it's just with this film, you just get the feeling that it spiraled far out his control.
DVD Features: English-dubbed and Italian versions of the film; featurette on creating the English-dubbed version, more. (Miramax Home Entertainment)
'Gods and Generals' (PG-13) A monumental flop in theaters, Ronald Maxwell's 3 hour, 40 minute Civil War epic "Gods and Generals" is bound to find a bigger audience on video.
Sure, the format won't actually make it a better film by watching it at home, but at least by being in control of your own environment, it will make the experience more manageable. On video, the film will feel more like something you would catch on The History Channel, which is really where it should have played in the first place.
The prequel to Maxwell's "Gettysburg," "Gods and Generals" chronicles the events of the Civil War from 1861 to 1863, beginning with the battle of Manassas (Bull Run), and ending with the Battle of Chancellorsville. At the heart of the film, though, are the stories of Union Col. Joshua Lawrence (Jeff Daniels), Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee (Robert Duvall), and most predominantly, Confederate Gen. Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson (Stephen Lang).
If Maxwell succeeds at anything with "Gods and Generals," it's the human element he brings out in these legendary Civil War figures. No longer are these men two-dimensional figures in history books -- great acting makes them come to life.
Unfortunately, the endless personal focus on those characters (and long-drawn out dialogue) -- particularly the Confederate generals -- makes the blessing of great character development a curse on the film's narrative.
That's not to say Maxwell is trying to rewrite history; it's just that by choosing to make the film a personal examination, glossed over in the story are the horrors of slavery; and it's hard to accept the issue of slavery as a mere footnote in a film that borders on the 4 hour mark. There's no question that critical viewers will find fault with how Maxwell tells the story from a decidedly Southern point of view.
From the technical standpoint, Civil War buffs are sure to enjoy the film's epic battlefield re-enactments, even without the bloody details. With a PG-13 rating, Maxwell spares us of any gory details, although one could argue that the sequences would have had more impact if he had gone the way of Steven Spielberg's brutally realistic opening in "Saving Private Ryan."
DVD Features: Commentary by Maxwell and technical advisors, Col. Keith Gibson and James L. Robertson, Jr.; introduction by executive producer Ted Turner; making-of documentaries "Journey to the Past," "The Life of Thomas 'Stonewall' Jackson," and "The Authenticities of the Film"; music videos from Bob Dylan and Mary Fahl. (Warner Home Video)Copyright 2003 by Lifewhile.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
