Archive for the ‘Shout Factory’ Category
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Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on August 31st, 2010
Back in 2001 Larry Blamire and his troupe released The Lost Skeleton Of Cadavra. Blamire was obviously a fan of the science fiction films of the 1950’s and decided to take many of those standard elements and pretty much have a blast with the material. The end result was an over-the-top spoof that left you laughing, not because the material was all that funny. You laughed because they sometimes hit those ludicrous devices so perfectly that you have flashbacks to your favorite Mystery Science Theater 3000 episode.
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Disc Reviews by Michael Durr on August 30th, 2010
Despite lasting over a hundred episodes, The Patty Duke Show only lasted about three years from the fall of 1963 until the late spring of 1966. However, it was often penned as one of the best shows of the 1960’s and still finds a way into syndication when networks such as TV Land need a wholesome show to fill a time slot. So, it is little surprise that Shout Factory have decided to release all three seasons of the show to DVD. But how does the final season of this show hold up after all of these years?
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Disc Reviews by Michael Durr on August 16th, 2010
Reviewing schlock in my tenure here at Upcomingdiscs has reached a level of passion. When I was a much younger pup here, I abhorred the concept. Eventually, as I was fed some of the worst movies on record (and most of them weren’t even romantic comedies), I started to actually enjoy some of these and look forward to writing reviews. Then I got a most gracious gift in my review pile, my first Roger Corman flic. Like a new father, I gave out cigars, asked the doctor for the extra stitch, unwrapped Galaxy of Terror and went straight to work.
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Disc Reviews by William O'Donnell on July 20th, 2010
This compilation of cartoons takes from different Madeline series’, produced from about 1993 to 2001. Each episode is in the half-hour long format, with different title cards, theme songs and narrators, but all following the same format of rhyming narration, and imaginative story lines, songs peppered throughout, and a couple even dipping into the supernatural.
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Disc Reviews by Michael Durr on July 19th, 2010
G.I. Joe the Movie was originally supposed to be a real box office movie. It was to be the first of three animated motion pictures put out by Hasbro Toys. The other two were based on Transformers and My Little Pony. However, production delays caused the other two to go first. When Transformers and My Little Pony did poorly (gee, never would have guessed that a talking magical pony failed to grab box office sales), it was decided that G.I. Joe would go the direct video route. Years later, it still proved to be arguably the best of the three.
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Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on July 19th, 2010
This series from Comedy Central began as a low-budget film hosting show in a small television station in Minnesota. It was the brainchild of Joel Hodgson. It ended up running for 11 years and a feature film version.
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Disc Reviews by William O'Donnell on July 14th, 2010
Street Hawk is an adventure series about a young cop named Jesse Mach, played by one-time 80s pop idol Rex Smith, who gets injured on the job and is selected to be a part of an experimental motorcycle / vigilante program (funded by the government), that is helmed by computer genius Norman Tuttle, played by a pre-Murphy Brown Joe Regalbuto.
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Disc Reviews by Michael Durr on July 12th, 2010
Marvel Superhero cartoons come and they go. For every Spider-Man cartoon, there is an X-Men cartoon, or Wolverine or perhaps even Iron Man gets one. Some of them last more than one season but more often than not they are replaced by shows telling the same stories but in a different style. Marvel Superhero Squad show attempts to break the mold by providing fresh stories with a rather interesting and unique animation style.
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Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on July 8th, 2010
“Barugon: The Freezing Monster – This carnivorous reptile, a nightmare cross between a monitor lizard and a chameleon, is found only in New Guinea’s Valley Of The Rainbow. It is born every 1000 years, according to legend, from an egg resembling a large opal. It has a long, darting tongue used as a battering ram, while the tip sprays a freezing mist that immobilizes its prey…”
Ask anyone about Japanese monster movies and Gamera usually won’t be the first name that comes into their minds.
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Disc Reviews by Michael Durr on July 8th, 2010
Swamp Thing the series was one of those shows that certainly be considered a guilty pleasure. Like the Incredible Hulk, Swamp Thing told the story of a scientist who is forced to live his life transformed as a mutated green monster. However, this particular green monster is not a drifter, he is forced to live his life in the swamp where the elements in turn give him great power. But in return, he must protect the swamp from people who would cause the ecological system harm.
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Disc Reviews by Michael Durr on July 6th, 2010
Everybody’s favorite Small Wonder is back for another season. Most of you will remember my first season review of Small Wonder. The show wasn’t as great as I remember but if Shout Factory is willing to release a second season on dvd, I’m willing to give the show another try. Let’s see how the Lawsons and Vicki spend the next twenty four episodes of mayhem and laughter.
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Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on June 8th, 2010
“You may think this silly, but ever since I can remember I had this urge to be a knight. Not in armor or anything like that. Just in spirit. You know, to help the helpless. To find a wrong and right it. Then somewhere around 13 or 14 it sort of all became an urge to save beautiful damsels in distress. I just wish that somewhere in all of those books I read about knights and dragons they’d have warned me about damsels wearing little straw hats.”
Donald P. Bellisario has made quite a name for himself in television drama.
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Disc Reviews by David Annandale on June 8th, 2010
A spin-off from Diff’rent Strokes, The Facts of Life centered around four residents of the Eastland Academy for Girls and their headmistress, Mrs. Garrett (Charlotte Rae). The four girls were characterized in strokes as broad as they way their physical types were presented: Blair (Lisa Welchel), rich, spoiled and blonde; Jo (Nancy McKeon), tomboy and brunette; Tootie, nosy and African-American; Natalie (Mindy Cohn), fun-loving and overweight.
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Disc Reviews by Michael Durr on June 7th, 2010
In countries all over the world, there is still the prevalent issue of not being able to read. Even in advanced countries such as the United States, there are reports that suggest that many adults don’t ever pick up another book after leaving college. This reviewer was fortunate enough to have two adults in his life that read to him all the time when he was an infant and thus developed a desire and ability to read very early on. But for those who don’t have that luxury, perhaps they can find entertaining television programs such as Ghostwriter.
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Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on May 19th, 2010
“In our findings on Gamera, we’ve ascertained that: Firstly, it is attracted to and consumes fire. Secondly, it also seems to possess an internal power plant, of sorts. This emits a signal frequency that can jam radio communications. In order to store up energy reserves, Gamera consumes inorganic resources. Not only does it consume petroleum as well as other mineral and fossil fuels, but Gamera may also seek out atomic bombs.”
Ask anyone about Japanese monster movies and Gamera usually won’t be the first name that comes into their minds.
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Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on May 11th, 2010
Perry Mason did it for lawyers. Marcus Welby did it for doctors. From 1969 to 1976 and beyond Robert Young was the face of the television doctor. The actor was so identified with his part that he dealt with fans and their medical questions his entire life following his portrayal of Marcus Welby. In those days there wasn’t a medical doctor on the planet, real or fictional, who was more recognizable than Welby. The show pretty much wrote the book on the television medical drama. It doesn’t matter if your a fan of House, ER, Grey’s Anatomy, or any of a hundred other medical dramas that have come and gone since that time
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Disc Reviews by Michael Durr on May 10th, 2010
In September of 1993, an animated series using the wonders of stop-motion animation was broadcast on ABC. The name of the series was called Bump in the Night. It would run for twenty six episodes, spanning over two seasons. It was created and directed by Ken Pontac and David Bleiman. It also featured the vocal stylings of Jim Cummings, a man perhaps most famous for his Winnie the Pooh performance.
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Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on May 10th, 2010
I grew up on Bill Cosby. He was everywhere when I was a kid. Fat Albert And The Cosby Kids were on my television every Saturday morning. My parents had all of his records, and I can remember borrowing them when I finally got a player of my own. I played Chicken Heart so often I think I wore away the grooves on the track. Of course, you youngsters out there have no idea what I’m talking about when I mention grooves and wearing them out. That also means that you remember a very different Bill Cosby show.
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Disc Reviews by William O'Donnell on April 25th, 2010
C.O.P.S aired in 1988, one year after the debut of Robocop, and the future-cop theme and design is clearly influenced by Verhoven’s violent satire. As a child I caught onto this influence immediately and a part of me always saw it as derivative (along with some Judge Dredd influence). Watching it now I get an eery knot in my stomach as I realize just how silly and loaded with slapstick this cartoon really is, and yet cannot help but still recognize the design influence of Robocop. Throughout there is this strange paradox of immensely threatening looking characters doing terribly silly things.
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Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on April 12th, 2010
Think of it as The Odd Couple Private Investigation Agency. These guys might be brothers, but they have only one thing in common, and that’s their skills as private investigators. Otherwise they are as far apart as night and day. A.J.’s (Parker) the clean cut, nearly anal member of the sibling pair. He sees the detective game more in the mainstream world and tries to play things straight and by the book. Rick (McRaney), on the other hand, is a slob of a guy. He’s the kick back let life come to him sort of chap. He doesn’t pick up very much after himself. He lives a Bohemian lifestyle complete with houseboat and Sanford and Son beat up pick ‘em up truck.
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Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on March 30th, 2010
This series from Comedy Central began as a low budget film hosting show in a small television station in Minnesota. It was the brainchild of Joel Hodgson. It ended up running for 11 years and a feature film version.
Mystery Science Theatre is an acquired taste. For me, I’ve really got to be in that certain mood to watch it. That’s the beauty of these DVDs. You pop them in when you’re ready. The idea is pretty whacked. Depending on the season you’ve got, Joel or Mike is trapped in space on the “Satellite of Love”. Doomed to spend his life watching very bad films,
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Disc Reviews by Matthew Spencer on March 18th, 2010
In the realm of family sitcoms, My Two Dads is sort of ahead of its time. While sitcoms today break stereotypes with ethnic and racial diversity, this show was the first to cover same-sex parenting. Premiering the same year as the film Three Men and a Little Baby, this Michael Jacobs (Boy Meets World) creation chronicles the struggles of two single, hetero fathers (Mad About You’s Paul Reiser and B.J and the Bear’s Greg Evigan) sharing custody of their teenage daughter, Step By Step’s Staci Keanan. Financial advisor Michael (Reiser) is the more conservative of the two; Joey (Evigan) is the artistic lothario.
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Disc Reviews by Matthew Spencer on March 17th, 2010
“In an old house in Paris that was covered in vines lived twelve little girls in two straight lines.” That simple opening rhyme has wooed children around the world for more than 70 years. Author Ludwig Bemelmans’ Madeline books have been reincarnated as Academy Award-nominated animated shorts, syndicated cartoons, soundtracks and a live-action film. Madeline: Lost in Paris celebrated its 10th anniversary in 2009 and continues the party with a Shout! Factory DVD release.
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Disc Reviews by William O'Donnell on March 13th, 2010
What good would come from me panning a series that ended over 15 years ago? Would personal satisfaction be enough? I hope so because I’m moving forward with this.
Designing Women is the story of a Southern woman who runs an Interior Design firm, three other women who either read the news paper or tease their hair while claiming to work there, and a black assistant who makes Stepin Fetchit look like Malcolm X at times…he actually sang “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot” to his boss…it was meant for irony (I pray) but having it proceed “The Banana Boat Song” did not stop me from gritting my teeth.
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Disc Reviews by William O'Donnell on March 7th, 2010
Like the musical compilation I had previously reviewed on this site (http://upcomingdiscs.com/2009/10/19/the-secret-policeman-rocks/), this DVD is another compilation of clips taken from the Secret Policeman’s Balls that were held for the benefit of Amnesty International. Here we have examples of comedy sketches performed by several Monty Python alumnus and other comedians such as Neil Innes, Peter Cook, Dudley Moore and a pre-Mr.Bean Rowan Atkinson.
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