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Beverly Hillbillies, The

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on December 23rd, 2004

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”Come and listen to a story about a man named Jed…”. Yes we all know that familiar strain. Now…The Beverly Hillbillies is the movie adaptation of the popular television show. I was never a fan of the original show, but I can see its charm. And I’m not a fan of the movie, which doesn’t have much charm. Penelope Spheeris directs, and the deft comic touch seen in Wayne’s World is not evident here. There are only so many “fish out of water” jokes one can take in 90 minutes. When there are four writers…
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Saw

Posted in News and Opinions by Archive Authors on December 14th, 2004

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Lions Gate Home Entertainment will release the shock horror film Saw on February 15th. This disc, released in separate widescreen and full frame editions, will feature an Audio Commentary (with Director James Wan and Writer/Actor Leigh Whannell), a Making of “Bite the Hand That Bleeds” featurette, a Making of Saw featurette, as well as Fear Factory’s “Bite the Hand That Bleeds” Music Video.

Depeche Mode / Devotional

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on December 10th, 2004

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I’ve got to be honest. I was never a Depeche Mode fan. My lack of interest in them didn’t really come from their music, which I always thought was different – in a good way. It was just that in the 80’s and 90’s, MTV played their videos 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The video for “Enjoy the Silence” was burned into my eyelids. I couldn’t get away from the band no matter how hard I tried.

My, how things have changed. MTV doesn’t play Depeche Mode videos anymore, or any videos for that matter, and after wat…
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Super Size Me

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on December 10th, 2004

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After learning about lawsuits filed by two obese women against McDonald’s – accusing the fast-food giant of making them obese – Morgan Spurlock decided to eat nothing but food from McDonald’s for 30 days to see what would happen. Even his doctors didn’t expect the eventual results: Spurlock gained 30 pounds, became depressed, experienced a diminished sex drive, and teetered on the edge of liver failure. His doctors even warned him that failure to change his diet immediately would cause death – and he still had a week…
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Exorcist: The Beginning

Posted in News and Opinions by Archive Authors on December 7th, 2004

Warner Home Video will release Exorcist: The Beginning on March 1st. This disc be presented in a 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer, along with an English Dolby Digital 5.1 audio track. Extras will include an audio commentary (with director Renny Harlin), a making-of featurette, and the theatrical trailer. The Paul Schrader version of the film will not be included on this single-disc release.

O Genio: Ray Charles Live in Brazil 1963

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on December 6th, 2004

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With the popularity of the bio-pic Ray, Rhino comes out with O Genio: Ray Charles Live in Brazil 1963. Ray Charles is truly an O Genio, and this disc confirms that. Jazz, gospel, blues, rock n’ roll, this guy did it all. We have two performances recorded live in Sao Paulo. Each performance runs about an hour long. Ray is accompanied by a full brass orchestra and a lovely collection of female back-up singers. The first show gets off to kick-butt start with Charles’s famous hit “What’d I Say”. The …
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Smallville – The Complete Third Season

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on December 6th, 2004

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Despite season two’s unquestionable quality, Smallville’s third season is probably its best — and with Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel now completely off of television, it’s pretty much the only thing around that can fill the whole supernatural Scooby gang void.

Of course, one of the big reasons that Smallville helps fill that spot so well is because it has a lot of the same ingredients that powered Whedon’s universe along in its prime: that is, it has a ton of supernatural special effects, and a heal…
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Venus Rising

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on December 2nd, 2004

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Venus Risingis a laughably bad movie advertised as “in the tradition of Johnny Mnemonic”. Maybe the two movies are in the same ballpark, theme-wise, but quality-wise they’re not even the same sport. Audie England and Costas Manylor play two fugitives who escape from a desert Island. Eve and Vegas, however, are still controlled by drugs from the Pacifica Corporation. The drugs also enable the characters to achieve a “virtual reality” state of mind. Fantasy sequences occur, flashbacks etc. It’s just an exc…
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Smooth Talk

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on December 2nd, 2004

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Smooth Talk is a “coming of age” story that won the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival. It stars Laura Dern as Connie, a teenage girl from a small southern town. She’s at that rebellious age. In the words of Britney Spears, “she’s still a girl, not quite a woman”. Connie is curious about the opposite sex and a world outside the town. She’s searching for something, but what she finds, she might not want.

Treat Williams plays Arnold Friend. Friend, as it turns out, is nobody’s frien…
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19 Months

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on December 2nd, 2004

Rob (Benjamin Ratner) and Melanie (Angela Vint) are a couple that think they’ve found the key to solving all relationship problems – simply break up after 19 months. By then, all the romance, lust, and excitement of a relationship has worn off and both people involved are ready to test the dating waters. So, they agree to do just that, only they’ll remain friends with benefits until they each find someone else. To prove that their theory is correct, Rob and Melanie even allow a film crew to follow them around and ma…
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I Heart Huckabees

Posted in News and Opinions by Archive Authors on November 30th, 2004

Fox Home Entertainment will release the Dustin Hoffman, Isabelle Huppert, Jude Law, Jason Schwartzman and Naomi Watts comedy I Heart Huckabees on February 22nd. This dual-sided disc will include both anamorphic widescreen and full screen presentations, along with an English Dolby Digital 5.1 audio track. Extras will include two audio commentaries (The first with director David O. Russell; the second with cast members Jason Schwartzman, Mark Wahlberg and Naomi Watts), two featurettes (“Production” & “Behind the S…
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Kim Possible – The Villian Files

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on November 30th, 2004

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Secret agent/crime fighter by night…high school cheerleader by day…Disney brings us Kim Possible. The DVD is subtitled The Villain Files. Kim Possible is an original TV show made by Disney. The Villain Files have four episodes for Possible fans. In each segment, Kim battles an arch enemy all the while trying to keep up her pom poms at the local high school. Her buddy, Ron Stoppable, is along for the ride.

Kim Possible has an intriguing premise. For kids watching, it has the best …
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Peep Show

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on November 30th, 2004

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Peep Show is a 9 minute award winning short film. It’s about a private “peeping booth” for females. But the women don’t see anything sexual. The male performers say exactly what a woman wants to hear. Well…what we think they want to hear, “I want to commit, can I wash your hair, etc”. It’s an amusing sketch and just the right length. Since we’re told what the “joke” is fairly early on, and since there’s no surprise or twist, the film ends before things get stale. The performances are on target.

Boy Meets World – The Complete Second Season

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on November 29th, 2004

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What’s the dealio with Boy Meets World,? It was a television series that ran from 1993-2000. And the reruns seem to be on TV all the time! But maybe that’s just me. Now we have the second season on DVD. So for all you Boy Meets World fans, your wish has come true.

It stars Ben Savage (Fred Savage’s brother) as Cory Matthews. The show centers on life in the “real world” and the struggles of growing up in a high school setting. It’s a pretty sanitized journey, as the show doesn’t delve in…
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Species 3

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on November 26th, 2004

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Species III comes from good genes. The original was kind of fun (and starred Ben Kinglsey!), but the first sequel was not as fun. But here comes the second sequel. It has the original alien girl Natasha Henstridge, but her appearance is short (I’ll just leave it at that). The director, Brad Turner, is a veteran of action television shows like 24. Is this direct to DVD release the best one of the “species”? The answer tilts towards the negative.

But Species III has a few things goi…
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Ladder 49

Posted in News and Opinions by Archive Authors on November 22nd, 2004

Buena Vista Home Entertainment will release the John Travolta & Joaquin Phoenix film Ladder 49 on March 8th. This disc will be presented in a 1.85:1 Anamorphic Widescreen transfer, along with a THX certified Dolby Digital 5.1 audio track as well as an Enhanced Home Theater audio mix. Extras will include an audio commentary (by Director Jay Russell and Editor Bud Smith), deleted scenes, two featurettes (“Everyday Heroes” & “Making of Ladder 49”), and a “Shine Your Light” music video performed by Robbie Robertson….
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Bob the Builder – Snowed Under

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on November 20th, 2004

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Everybody’s favorite guy in a construction hat is back. No, not Sully from Sesame Street It’s Bob the Builder! He stars in Snowed Under: The Bobblesberg Winter Games. To join in on the fun, Bob has his favorite buddies along too, Lofty, Scoop, Muck, Roley, Travis, Spud, Wendy, Dizzy. And there’s even a new character to the crew, Benny. What trouble does Bob have to fix this time? Well…let me tell ya kids. It’s the Bobblesberg Winter games and the course is snowed under. And it’s up to Bob and h…
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Christmas Carol, A (1997)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on November 19th, 2004

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There have been umpteen movie adaptations of the Dickens classic, “A Christmas Carol”. Some of my favorites include the Alastair Sim version, the Henry Winkler version (yes, the guy who played Fonzie), the Bill Murray version, the Muppet version, and the Mister Magoo version. This 1997 version of A Christmas Carol is an animated feature featuring the voices of Tim Curry, Whoopi Goldberg, Ed Asner, and Michael York. It’s a story that we all know well.

But what makes this different from the other ve…
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Jingle All the Way

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on November 19th, 2004

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Just in time for Christmas, and starring the Governator himself, we have Jingle All the Way with Arnold Swartzenegger. The story follows Arnold’s relentless pursuit to get a Turbo Man action figure for his son. This obsessive quest brings a lot of complications for our hero, from kidnapping, to stealing another kid’s toy, to a manic riot for numbered balls. Arnold even assumes the persona of Turbo Man at a parade and rockets around the city on a real turbo pack (Turbo rocket packs are real?). This all sound…
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Born Rich

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on November 18th, 2004

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Born Rich is a documentary about, well, rich kids. The subject makes it hard to sympathize with the piece (“oh those poor millionaires”). But the director and main character, Jamie Johnson (an heir to the Johnson & Johnson fortune), gives us interviews with other heirs from rich families – Ivanka Trump (Real Estate Heiress), Josiah Hornblower (Vanderbilt/Whitney Heir), Cody Franchetti (Textile Heir), S.I Newhouse IV (Publishing Heir), Luke Weil (Gambling Heir), and others. Johnson makes his subjects talk abo…
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SCTV Volume 2

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on November 18th, 2004

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SCTV is back with Volume 2. We all know the players, Joe Flahrety, Andrea Martin, Catherine O’Hara, Eugene Levy, Rick Moranis, Dave Thomas, and John Candy. Martin Short wasn’t on board yet. But this volume has all your favorite characters, Bob and Doug MacKenzie, Count Floyd, Johnny LaRue, Dr. Tongue, Jerry Todd, Lola Heatherington, and I always loved the Hi-Q sketch.

SCTV’s kind of satire and parody is not biting like Monty Python. It’s more endearing, like wrestling match with a friend….
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Around the World in 80 Days (2004)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on November 17th, 2004

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The original Around the World in 80 Days is known for its spirit of adventure, wild cameos, and also one of the weaker movies to win an Academy Award for Best Picture. Disney’s remake of Around the World still has that sense of adventure, has a few funny cameos, and is in no danger of winning Best Picture.

Based on the Jules Verne book, Around the World in 80 Days stars British actor Steve Coogan as the infamous inventor Phileas Fogg. His famous balloon is supposed to go around the wo…
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Sleepover

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on November 16th, 2004

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Released approximately at the same time as Mean Girls, Sleepover is an attempt to make an impact on the teen demographic. But after watching this movie, there’s really no impact. In fact, it barely makes a dent. Four best friends go on a crazy all night scavenger hunt against the “popular” girls. The winner of the hunt gets to sit at the “popular” lunch hang out. The loser…well…gets to hang out with the losers. Pretty trite stuff, eh?

Sleepover is supposedly a throwback to those…
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Sky Captain and the World of Tommorow

Posted in News and Opinions by Archive Authors on November 15th, 2004

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Paramount will release the ground-breaking film Sky Captain and the World of Tommorow (starring Jude Law, Gwyneth Paltrow and Angelina Jolie) on January 25th. This disc will be released in separate anamorphic widescreen and full screen version, both with English Dolby Digital 5.1 audio tracks. Extras will include two audio commentaries, five behind-the-scenes featurettes, deleted scenes, a gag reel, and the original six-minute short film that inspired the film.

Ranch, The

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on November 15th, 2004

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The Ranch is a movie about life in bawdy high class brothel. It’s supposedly based on a real life place. Somewhere in Nevada I think. The Ranch is advertised as unrated and uncut. And it’s also SINsational; well…I’m not so sure of the sational part. And maybe not even about the sin. There are some naked breasts from time to time, and some matter of fact and tasteful sex scenes. But there’s nothing really too hot. If this movie is salsa, it would be mild.

But if you’re doing a disserta…
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