Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on September 1st, 2004
Fans of The O.C., Melrose Place and even 90210 should take note. The original is back. That’s right, the 80’s favorite Dallas is making a comeback on DVD. This new five disc set features the complete first and second seasons of the show that made America (and even much of the world) stand up and ask the all-important question, “Who shot J.R.?”
A mysterious grin crept across my face when I saw that I would be reviewing this title. Would it be as good now as it was then? Was all of...the original hype justified? Would Patrick Duffy still have a bad haircut? The answer to all of these questions is an unequivocal “yes”! No other show has succeeded in capturing the lifestyles of the rural millionaire better than Dallas. This is a program that has played as important of a role in shaping America’s view of a modern Texas as George Stevens’ Giant did so many years earlier.
Posted in: News and Opinions by Archive Authors on August 31st, 2004
Warner Home Video will release the Ultimate Oliver Stone Collection on October 19th. This 14-disc set will include the films in the original set (Wall Street, Talk Radio, Natural Born Killers, Born on the Fourth of July, The Doors, JFK: Director's Cut, Heaven and Earth, Nixon, U-Turn, Any Given Sunday: Director's Cut and a documentary entitled Oliver Stone's America), the DVD debuts of Looking for Fidel and Persona Non Grata, as well as the MGM special editions of Platoon and Salvador. There will also be a bonus disc co...taining an exclusive preview of Stone's Alexander, as well as an Alexander movie ticket.
Posted in: Game Reviews by Archive Authors on August 30th, 2004
The RPG market for the X-Box is really heating up. Within the last two years the X-box has arguably had the 2 best single player RPG’s out there – Morrowind and Knights of the Old Republic. And with Fable to make it’s entrance soon along with KOTR II in the works, it would take something truly memorable to make a serious impact in the RPG world of the X-Box. Sudeki is Climax Studios attempt to break into the upper echelon of the RPG market.
Gameplay
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on August 28th, 2004
Chris Rock is quite possibly the most important comic of all time. There are quite a few entertainers that have shown up in the public spotlight over the past few years that have blurred the lines between comic, social satirist and political lecturer. Bill Maher and Dennis Miller come to mind. However, Chris Rock is a special comedian, due to his masterful knowledge of how to manipulate an audience. Anybody can make wise cracks about racial differences, but it takes a special person to be able to change the minds of ...is audience with a single joke.
Rock has discovered that you can be as honest and brutal about any topic that you want to breach, so long as your comments are funny. Lucky for him, he’s very, very funny. This particular program, his fourth for HBO, is not as purely comical as his previous efforts, but that doesn’t mean that it is any less entertaining. In fact, I believe that this may be the best one of the four, as Rock feels more comfortable saying exactly what he wants to say, and is less concerned with confronting subjects that can easily divide an audience, such as abortion and politics.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on August 28th, 2004
Duel was the first “ made for television” movie directed by Steven Spielberg. This thriller could best be described as a cross between the Rutger Hauer classic, “ The Hitcher,” and the Steven King inspired “Maximum Overdrive.” Dennis Weaver plays David Mann, a salesman on his way home from a cross state trip. During his return, he passes a rusted out old gasoline truck on the highway without giving it much thought. As the film unfolds, the truck begins to pursue him and initially just appears to annoy him on the r...ad, however, by the end of the first thirty minutes of the film, the truck driver has made an attempt on Mann’s life.
The pace and intensity of the film increases as it moves on with a total of 3 serious attempts on Mann’s life. Dennis Weaver does a fantastic job portraying a normal guy who comes to the startling realization that his survival can only come at the cost of his pursuer’s life. The anxiety and paranoia are visceral in his performance, particularly the scene in the lounge where he tries to identify his pursuer. Spielberg does a masterful job of increasing the intensity using very basic techniques – lots of first person perspective and quick cuts during the chase scenes. The most effective tool used in the film was the fact that he never reveals the identity of the truck driver – the truck itself is the bad guy (very reminiscent of “Maximum Overdrive” without the cool Green Goblin face on the front).
Posted in: News and Opinions by Archive Authors on August 28th, 2004
Miramax Home Entertainment will release the Collector’s Edition of the highly popular comedy Bridget Jones's Diary (starring Renée Zellweger & Hugh Grant) on December 9th. This disc will be presented in a 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer, along with and English Dolby Digital 5.1 audio track. Extras will the original audio commentary (with Director Sharon Maguire), deleted scenes, four featurettes (“The Bridget Jones Phenomenon”, “Today's Single Woman”, “Portrait of the Makeup Artist” & “Making of”), complete Bridge... Jones's Diary columns, reviews, a “Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason” excerpt, and trailers.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on August 25th, 2004
Sometimes, the craziest ideas are the best ones. In the world of television (and movies as well), there seems to be a constant struggle between playing it safe and gambling on a big return. For instance, when it comes to sitcoms, stories about a family plus one or two outside characters are sure-fire hits. Just look at Family Matters, The King of Queens, The George Lopez Show, Cosby, Frasier and My Wife and Kids. Shows about work, such as Newsradio, Suddenly Susan, Veronica’s Closet, Scrubs and < ...>Working are quite popular as well. As is the case with most things in this world, moderate success can be obtained by sticking with what has worked in the past.
Occasionally, however, the networks will let a show that goes against the formula slip onto the air. Often times, these experiments end in disaster (does anyone remember Cop Rock?), but occasionally the risk pays off, and we get extraordinary shows like Seinfeld, Northern Exposure, Friends, The Soprano’s… and Soap.
Posted in: News and Opinions by Archive Authors on August 25th, 2004
Warner Home Video will release the Wolfgang Petersen’s blockbuster Troy (starring Brad Pitt, Eric Bana and Orlando Bloom) in separate 2.40:1 anamorphic widescreen and 1.33:1 fullscreen versions on January 4th. This 2-disc set will feature both English and French Dolby Digital 5.1 audio tracks, along with three featurettes (“In the Thick of the Battle”, “From Ruins to Reality” & “Troy: An Effects Odyssey”), a photo gallery, the theatrical trailer & Easter eggs.
Large Cover: Click Here
Posted in: News and Opinions by Archive Authors on August 23rd, 2004
Columbia Tristar will release Spider-Man 2 in FIVE separate versions on November 30th. You will be able to choose from a standard two-disc set (in widescreen and full screen editions), a Superbit edition (no extras, but with a DTS track), a double-pack containing the first and second films, and a limited edition giftset. The giftset will include the two-disc edition along with a new miniature reproduction of The Amazing Spider-Man #50 comic book, five postcards, & a twenty-five page artists' works portfolio inspired ...y the film.
The 2-disc set will be presented in a 2.40:1 Anamorphic Widescreen transfer, along with English & French Dolby Digital 5.1 audio tracks. Extras on disc one will include two audio commentaries (the first with the Director, Producer, Co-Producer and Tobey Maguire; the second with SFX Designer John Dykstra and the Effects Team), a Spidey Sense 2 pop-up Trivia Track, Four Web-i-sodes, a Music Video, a Blooper Reel, and Trailers. Extras found on disc two will include a 12-Part Production-to-Premiere Documentary entitled “Making the Amazing”, three featurettes (“Hero in Crisis: A Look into Peter Parker's Personal Battles,” “Eight Arms to Hold You: Doc Ock from Comics to the Big Screen,” & “The Women of Spider-Man”), a multi-angle “Enter the Web” feature, an Alex Ross Art Gallery, a “Behind the Scenes Look” at the Spider-Man 2 Game, and an Easter Egg.
Posted in: News and Opinions by Archive Authors on August 18th, 2004
Universal Home Video will release The Chronicles of Riddick (starring Vin Diesel) in separate Rated and Unrated Director’s Cut (10 minutes longer) versions on November 16th. Each disc will be presented in 2.40:1 anamorphic widescreen transfers along with English, French, & Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1 audio tracks. Extras will include “Riddick Insider Facts on Demand” during the film, a 360 degree location feature entitled “Riddick's Worlds”, a complete level from the new “Riddick Escape from Butcher Bay” X-Box game, an in...eractive virtual guide to the film, trailers and more.
