Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on December 3rd, 2008
While many of us think that President-elect Obama might have more important things to be concentrating on right now, I don’t know, like maybe the economy, we’re hearing a lot about his search for a new doggie. Of course, with a child who is allergic to dogs the search is complicated by the need for a hypoallergenic dog, if such a thing exists. No matter; it is certainly a tradition among most occupants of the White House to have pets. Most, of course, were dogs, allergies included.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on November 26th, 2008
It’s the final roll call for everyone’s favorite Marine. Gomer Pyle began life as a one of the down home residents of Mayberry, where Andy Griffith held court as the sheriff and Don Knotts blundered his way to fame and fortune. It’s no small task indeed to find a way to shine as a minor character who wasn’t even there from the beginning; he replaced Floyd after the second year. But shine he did. Much of the character’s charm and success has to be given to Jim Nabors.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on November 21st, 2008
There have been many films about the Vietnam War. Some have been epic. Some have been emotional. Some have even been very bad, but now comes one that is absolutely funny. Are we ready for this kind of a send up? That might be the overriding question, but I think that we are. Tropic Thunder took the chance that the public was ready to accept such a film and be able to enjoy it. To soften the blow, it was likely a good idea that the film doesn’t address the war in itself. The film takes aim at movies about the war, and in an extension of that theme it pokes a lot of fun at
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on November 18th, 2008
"Space...The Final Frontier. These are the voyages of the Starship
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on November 18th, 2008
Jack Black stars as a Panda named Po who works in his family’s noodle shop. His dreams, however, aren’t of noodles and broth, but of Kung Fu. He fantasizes of hanging out with the famous furious five, the living legends of Kung Fu. The five are made up of the actual animal poses in Kung Fu. You have Tigress (Jolie), Crane (Cross), Monkey (Chan), Mantis (Rogen), and Viper (Liu). Together they have been training with the Master Shifu (Hoffman). Under the guidance of Grand Master Oogway (Duk Kim) they are preparing for one of them to take on the mantle of Dragon Warrior.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on November 13th, 2008
Working in
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on November 13th, 2008
After just 5 years on the air, the unlikely duo of Oscar and Felix take their final victory lap in this the 5th and final season of The Odd Couple. Even though the show lasted a mere half decade, it remained in our collective consciousness for over 40 years and shows no sign of slowing now. Both of the stars, particularly Klugman, went on to do many huge things later, but they never did escape these small sit-com roles. You might as well come along for the ride and enjoy that last victory lap with them.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on November 13th, 2008
If you weren’t around in the 1970’s, you might be surprised to find out that film superstar Michael Douglas was once in a television cop show. It was this influential crime drama that allowed Douglas to show off the acting chops that would earn him a spot in the
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on November 13th, 2008
Casino Royale was the only one of Ian Fleming’s James Bond novels that was not a part of the deal with Ion Productions. It was the only Fleming story that was off limits even though it was the first Bond story written. Until recently it was never filmed as part of the official Bond franchise. However, there was a version made back in 1967 that has been deservedly long forgotten. After 40 years it remains unclear who originally came up with the idea for this farce, and after watching the results, I’m not expecting anybody to stand up and take credit any time soon. This is a James Bond film, but in name only.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on November 7th, 2008
I’ve spent more than a few hours in the company of Ray Harryhausen over the years. I’ve handled many of the original armatures and have seen the original hand drawn storyboards and conceptual drawings he had created for most of his films. Maybe that’s why I love his films so much. I doubt it. They do speak for themselves and you owe it to yourself to see three of his best pictures, which have been collected here in one set.
