Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on November 30th, 2005
Stargate Atlantis took a little getting used to. I wasn’t sure the characters had enough chemistry or were even dynamic enough to carry the high expectations for a Stargate series. When the show was first introduced it was likely that Atlantis would soon take over for the original series. Anderson had wanted to leave for years and it seemed the end was near for SG-1. Since that time SG-1 is about to enter a tenth season and the new format is working quite well. Now I can view Atlantis more as the companion show it really excels at being. Atlantis maintains all of the tight writing and production values that made SG-1 such a great show. I am a little weary of The Wraith already. For some reason they just don’t work for me. The Ori, SG-1’s new baddies, are far more interesting. The Wraith are just sinister. We haven’t had a chance to view them as a society yet. There were high hopes when Teyla began to connect with them, but that has become a dead end. I think Atlantis has some real growing to do, or it risks falling into the “Deep Space Nine” wormhole.
Synopsis
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on November 23rd, 2005
Aliens have sent super machines to Earth. The intent is obvious. They want to remove the human infestation and relocate from their own dying world. Independence Day, right? Wrong. Almost 50 years before Rolland and Emerich pitted mankind against killer aliens, George Pal brought us a wonderful interpretation of the famous H.G. Wells novel, War of the Worlds. Although not as faithful to the source material as a Wells fan might have hoped for, Pal created a classic film with groundbreaking f/x for the 1950’s. It’s a bit of a shame that this edition is hitting stores primarily because of the Spielberg version, also soon out on DVD. I like Steven Spielberg. I really do. I have to say, however, that I was disappointed in the “remained” version of the film. Purists will say there are moments that are closer to the Wells story, but they are wrong. How can you have War of the Worlds without Martians? George Pal gave us a wonderful milestone in science fiction history; it should be truly admired with this newly mastered DVD.
Synopsis
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on November 13th, 2005
A long time ago in a galaxy far far away...
It was really 1977 and as close as your neighborhood theatre. Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Darth Vader, and Princess Leia captured our imaginations and have never let go. Star Wars has become nothing less than a modern mythology. No one can deny that George Lucas changed how we see films forever. It doesn’t matter if you’re a Star Wars fan or even watch science fiction as a whole. Movie making changed in 1977. Lucas continues to shape the industry with the f/x empire he built on Star Wars.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on November 10th, 2005
It is tragic that the fourth year of Enterprise would be its last. More tragic is the fact that in the fall of 2005 for the first time in almost 20 years there would be no new Star Trek on the air. By far the worst tragedy, however, was the fact that year four of Enterprise was the year it all came together. This is by far the best overall season of Star Trek since The Next Generation. The addition of writer Many Cuto was the spark this fledgling franchise needed. With the exception of the final episode, these 2-4 eposode arcs were for the most part quite fresh and inspired. Brent Spiner’s portrayal of an early Dr. Soong is perhaps his best Trek role to date. Finally, elements of several Trek incarnations come together in a way that doesn’t rip the continuity to shreds. The Mirror double episode was brilliant. I sat down to watch it for the first time with a friend recently and was struck by the creativity it brought to the series. This is the season to get even if you haven’t really followed Enterprise at all. You will be impressed.
Synopsis
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on November 8th, 2005
The first episode of Season 8 is appropriately titled “New Order”. Changes are inevitable as this superior series goes where no American sci-fi show has gone before, a tenth season. Richard Dean Anderson has been slowly removing himself from the everyday appearances since Season 7. Here he is made base commander, and while his responsibilities have increased, his screen time has certainly tumbled. By year 9 Anderson is nothing more than a memory and occasional guest star. Still... the huge changes haven’t come yet, and season 8 is your last chance to visit this core team on a regular basis. Even after 8 years, the quality of the show has never been better. We have a heavy dose of Replicators, Gou’ld, and Super Soldiers... Oh My. Carter is now a Lt. Col. and O’Neal is a Brig. Gen. The beginning of the season helps to set up the spin-off Atlantis series as Dr. Weir wraps up her time as base commander.
Synopsis
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on November 3rd, 2005
The extras are the only significant difference between the Collector’s Edition and the near barebones first release of this film. Therefore, some pieces of this review will be taken from the standard release review.
If ever there was a film that was badly misunderstood it is Star Trek: Nemesis. The most common complaint I’ve heard is it was too much like an episode. Excuse me, but isn’t it supposed to be? Nemesis has everything a good Star Trek film should have. The character chemistry, space battle, a morality tale, and terrific f/x. If the film suffers at all it is from poor editing, as the collection of deleted scenes clearly shows (more on that in the special features section). As many politicians are fond of saying, “mistakes were made,” but this is a far better film than the critics or fans have given it credit for being. It deserves a second look and this 2 disc release is the perfect opportunity to revisit Star Trek: Nemesis.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on October 30th, 2005
1955 was a very significant year in the life of filmmaker Alfred Hitchcock. He received his American citizenship and he changed the face of the young television industry forever. Alfred Hitchcock Presents came before all of the other classic anthology shows. The show combined Hitch’s trademark gallows humor with his unerring instinct for suspenseful storytelling. The show was the first overnight success, drawing millions of viewers with its first episode, no small feat for 1955.
Hitchcock was ahead of his time. He was one of the first to believe that you could apply the same standards of big budget film making with the limited scope of the newly discovered smaller screen. While Hitchcock did rely on some very talented people to provide the day to day work on the series, his presence could always be felt in every detail. Hitch himself was active in selecting stories as well as cast. The show was both entertaining and thought provoking. Hitch himself began and ended each show with some clever observations and sketches that made him a household name. He tempted fate by constantly poking fun at his own sponsors, a habit that was not always taken in good fun. Hitch also poked fun at the moral code that existed at the time for television. Bad guys were never allowed to get away with their crimes. Instead of adjusting his scripts, Hitch demanded they be unchanged. To “settle the score” as he used to call it, he would inform us of some unfortunate luck the bad guy fell into after the events of the story.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on October 23rd, 2005
Val Lewton produced 9 horror films for RKO back in the 1940’s. His films did not rely on terrible monsters or horrific images. Lewton was a master at atmosphere. Unfortunately these films have mostly been forgotten over the years, The Cat People being perhaps the most recognizable title in the collection. Sadly, this might be more for the lackluster remake in the 1980’s. Truth be told, these films are not really horror films in the usual sense of the genre. In most cases the evil is the product of an all too human hand rather than anything supernatural or fantastic. Not surprisingly Boris Karloff stars in the three best of the films including The Body Snatcher, one of the best horror films ever made. Please don’t confuse the title with the Invasion of the Body Snatchers.
Lewton’s films were all about mood and ambience. Violence more often than not occurs off-screen and portrayed as shadows, allowing the audience to imagine frights far more fantastic than could be placed before our eyes. Lewton’s productions were budget affairs but had comparable quality to the higher cost features that the big studios, most notably Universal, were creating at the time. This collection brings together all 9 films on 5 DVD’s…
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on October 11th, 2005
Kenny’s gone and most of the season the boys are auditioning a new friend. While it looks like Butter has the inside track, you’ll have to watch the season to find out. Personally I miss the “They killed Kenny” jokes and was relieved that it eventually returned. South Park appeared to regain a bit of its lost creative energy in season 6. It can also be said that the show pushed its boundaries a little bit farther. There are times even I think the show goes too far. One of my favorite episodes can be found in this collection. The boys attempt to steal the master print of Raiders of the Lost Ark to thwart Lucas and Spielberg’s evil plot to add new digital effects and create a “special edition”. For all of us movie fans out there this touched home quite a bit. Cartman’s still my favorite character. The opening episode’s jab at Jared from Subway was one of the show’s most well deserved targets. Aren’t we all sick of that guy yet?
Audio
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on October 11th, 2005
First let me begin by admitting a bias. I have always loved this show dearly. Carl Kolchak is partly responsible for you reading these very words. When I was young and The Night Stalker first appeared I was enthralled with it. My father had already introduced me to the Universal Monsters so this was great fodder for my young and developing brain. I immediately knew I wanted to BE Kolchak. I decided I wanted to be a journalist and so began to write. Not only has that passion lasted through the decades since, but thanks to this job I often get to write about monsters and things that go bump in the night. Come to think of it, I am Kolchak, or at least I’m closer than the one ABC has put on Thursday nights this season. Enough about me and Carl.
The Night Stalker began as a TV Movie of the Week. Kolchak was a down on his luck reporter in Vegas looking for that one big story that would put him back in the game. Instead he discovered a real vampire killing women and demolishing police cars. Of course, no one believes him, and Kolchak must stalk the beast himself. The film’s success quickly led to another film, The Night Strangler. Now Kolchak’s in Seattle and this time the Boston Strangler is still alive and killing young girls to keep himself young. Once again Kolchak must take matters into his own hands, and once again he’s run out of town for his troubles.
