Posted by DVD Verdict on 03/13/06 09:32

Today, DVD Verdict posted reviews of BAMBI II, BUSTER KEATON 65TH
ANNIVERSARY COLLECTION, THE CRUISE, FIRST DESCENT: THE STORY OF THE
SNOWBOARDING REVOLUTION, HARLEM GLOBETROTTERS: THE TEAM THAT CHANGED THE
WORLD, A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE, THE ICE HARVEST, JUST LIKE HEAVEN, NORTH
COUNTRY, NO WAY OUT (1950), RYAN'S DAUGHTER, and WALLACE AND GROMIT IN
THE CURSE OF THE WERE-RABBIT:


BAMBI II (reviewed by Mike Pinsky, overall score 92/100):
"Given all the awful sequels Disney has cranked out in recent years,
Bambi II is likely to be overlooked, another shelf-filler that
undiscerning parents will grab for their kids and Disney-philes will
avoid with a sneer. That is unfortunate. On its own merits, this film is
pretty good."

FULL REVIEW: http://www.dvdverdict.com/reviews/bambi2.php

BUSTER KEATON 65TH ANNIVERSARY COLLECTION (reviewed by James A. Stewart,
overall score 86/100):
"These two-reel comedies may be from his waning days, but Keaton has an
amiable charm that often elevates the standard-issue material. Some of
the material is lame and there are lulls in the laughs, but there's at
least one side-splitting gag in each two-reeler; and the performers, at
least, are always first-rate."

FULL REVIEW: http://www.dvdverdict.com/reviews/keaton65thanniv.php

THE CRUISE (reviewed by Brett Cullum, overall score 83/100):
"No, this is a dadaist manifesto delivered off the pavement leading to
the Brooklyn bridge. It runs like an hour of poetic jazz -- verbal scats
and flourishes aplenty."

FULL REVIEW: http://www.dvdverdict.com/reviews/thecruise.php

FIRST DESCENT: THE STORY OF THE SNOWBOARDING REVOLUTION (reviewed by
Eric Profancik, overall score 80/100):
"For a movie about such a wild and crazy sport, it is just a bit too
sedate and a bit too mainstream. They do have their moments when I
thought they were crazy 'mofos,' but they were too few and far between."

FULL REVIEW: http://www.dvdverdict.com/reviews/firstdescent.php

HARLEM GLOBETROTTERS: THE TEAM THAT CHANGED THE WORLD (reviewed by Mike
Pinsky, overall score 91/100):
"The Team That Changed the World may not totally erase my childhood
memories of the Globetrotters chasing after ghosts with Shaggy and
Scooby, but I did gain a new appreciation for their historical relevance
for a generation that had too few black heroes that could show both
amazing athletic talent and inspiring humor."

FULL REVIEW: http://www.dvdverdict.com/reviews/globetrotters.php

A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE (reviewed by Mike Pinsky, overall score 99/100):
"As a western, as a revenge tragedy, as a character study, as a love
story, as a family drama, as a deconstruction of American identity, as a
probing look at what makes us human -- A History of Violence nails it on
so many levels it almost makes you dizzy. I can't wait to see if David
Cronenberg can top this one."

FULL REVIEW: http://www.dvdverdict.com/reviews/historyviolence.php

THE ICE HARVEST (reviewed by Patrick Bromley, overall score 94/100):
"But, then, there's a movie like The Ice Harvest, which understands that
there's more to making film noir than cliches and style. It combines an
A-list cast comprised mostly of character actors, magnificent source
material, and a gifted comedy director (Harold Ramis, Groundhog Day)
working outside of his element; the result is a film that's at once
fondly faithful to the genre and refreshingly original."

FULL REVIEW: http://www.dvdverdict.com/reviews/iceharvest.php

JUST LIKE HEAVEN (reviewed by Brendan Babish, overall score 81/100):
"While Just Like Heaven has moments of originality and irreverence, it
ultimately succumbs to the same boring, formulaic conventions that give
romantic comedies a bad name."

FULL REVIEW: http://www.dvdverdict.com/reviews/justlikeheaven.php

NORTH COUNTRY (reviewed by Jennifer Malkowski, overall score 82/100):
"Erin Brockovich was a drama about serious issues that had a lot of
jokes and light moments. North Country is not and that makes a certain
amount of sense to me. Caro has the guts to make this a straight story
and refuses to cut the dramatic and political tension with well-timed
comic relief."

FULL REVIEW: http://www.dvdverdict.com/reviews/northcountry.php

NO WAY OUT (1950) (reviewed by Dan Mancini, overall score 89/100):
"Twenty-two year old Sidney Poitier has all the characteristics and
screen presence that would make him a star. His performance is smooth,
dignified, and intense. When Brooks finally snaps under the pressure of
Biddle's racism and the increasing possibility of racial violence
inspired by his medical decision-making, his loss of faith in humanity
is an entirely believable bit of tragic character evolution."

FULL REVIEW: http://www.dvdverdict.com/reviews/nowayout1950.php

RYAN'S DAUGHTER (reviewed by Ryan Keefer, overall score 84/100):
"This film is probably more of a testament to how great a studio Warner
is. They give the same treatments to the standards as they do for the
lesser known or forgotten ones."

FULL REVIEW: http://www.dvdverdict.com/reviews/ryansdaughter.php

WALLACE AND GROMIT IN THE CURSE OF THE WERE-RABBIT (reviewed by Mike
Jackson, overall score 94/100):
"What you get in Curse of the Were-Rabbit is old-fashioned
entertainment. Its pace is more sedate, its values more friendly. The
art style in which it's told -- an antiquated, irrelevant means of
producing movies -- is key to bringing the story to life, because you
absolutely could not reproduce the charm of Wallace and Gromit with
paints or pixels."

FULL REVIEW: http://www.dvdverdict.com/reviews/wgcursewererabbit.php

Mike Jackson
Editor & Webmaster, DVD Verdict
www.dvdverdict.com

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