Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on June 20th, 2004
It is nearly impossible to escape the common comparisons between Monk and Columbo. But don’t get this show expecting it to be at all like the well-loved bumbling detective played for decades by Peter Falk. The two characters are nothing alike. The comparisons are made because we haven’t had a detective show since Columbo where the quirks and personality of the character himself were more important than the cases he solved.
Tony Shalhoub’s Adrian Monk suffers from a long list of phobias from germs to drink...ng milk. He also suffers from O.C.D. (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder). This means that Monk can’t stand disorder of any kind. This, of course, doesn’t help when you consider how few “neat” crime scenes there are. The series uses different writers to bring out the comedy and the mystery elements of the show. Shalhoub is what really makes everything fly. Expect that the show does go way over the top. But it’s all in good fun. On of the big surprises here is Ted Levine as the police captain. Levine, of course, is best known as the killer from Silence of the Lambs.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on June 15th, 2004
With the release of Spider-Man 2 in late June, it was no surprise that Sony decided to give us an upgrade of the first film. Spider-Man was probably the best superhero film to come along since the original Superman in the late 70’s. Perhaps not as recognizable as Batman or Superman, Spidey is still quite an American icon to the millions of us who grew up during the golden age of comics.
This film is a faithful adaptation. The only real complaint I’ve heard is the tweaking of the origin story. In the comics...it was a radioactive spider, not a genetically altered one, that sank its teeth into Peter Parker. The casting is exceptional with the possible exception of Kirsten Dunst. I can’t put my finger on it, but she is the weak link of the entire picture. Law and Order’s Simmonds is a dead ringer for J.J. Jamison.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on June 1st, 2004
Star Trek Voyager came into its own during season two. This was the first full season of the Star Trek spin-off. Superior to its sister show Deep Space Nine, Voyager once again brought the concept of exploration to the Star Trek universe.
The season was very uneven. There is the absolutely terrible and contrived episode “The 37’s” which start off with an old pickup truck floating in space. For the first time a starship lands, and I think that was an unwise development. This is the episode where the crew fi...ds Amelia Earhart.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on June 1st, 2004
In season 2, The West Wing was still superior to almost anything on television at the time. The problems began to surface, however. Season 2 concentrated far too much time on the whole MS deal. I missed the powerful insider political stories. Still, there is little question that the writing and production style of the show continued to shine. Up to this point only Hill Street Blues had more Emmy nominations in one season.
Audio
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on May 31st, 2004
“In the criminal justice system the people are represented by two separate, yet equally important groups: the police who investigate crime and the District Attorneys who prosecute the offenders …” Season 2 has been called “The Lost Season” by Dick Wolf fans. These episodes were not included in some of the many syndication packages so have been seen less often in reruns. The show maintains its trademark tight storytelling. The addition of Paul Sorvino is both a good and a bad thing here. Sorvino is certainly a very f...ne actor and the character is one of Law and Order’s best. Still, much of the work seems below the accomplished actor, and he seems to either overact or just phone in the performance. It’s not really that hard to see why the mix didn’t last very long.
Synopsis
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on May 6th, 2004
I’m not a big fan of “Reality TV.” I do watch Survivor, and I think that’s a really good show, but I don’t watch any of the others. When I first heard of the concept of “The Mole,” I have to admit that I was intrigued. Reality TV is all about real people reacting to each other’s most annoying personality traits and translating that friction into ratings. Well, “The Mole” puts a different spin on that concept by adding a dissenting element - one of the participants is “a mole” i.e. a nefarious agent of the producers ...laced to lead the group astray and prevent them from attaining the big cash rewards. I have to admit intriguing, but not intriguing enough to get me to watch week to week, until now.
Celebrity Mole: Hawaii takes a group of B-list celebrities (Stephen Baldwin, Corbin Bernsen, Michael Boatman, Kim Coles, Kathy Griffin, Frederique Van Der Wal, and Erik Von Detten) and pits them against each other in various games to win cash, and avoid termination (i.e. elimination – one person leaves the game at the end of each show) while figuring out who the mole is.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on May 3rd, 2004
The Monsters of Universal Studios during the 1930’s to the 1950’s truly are a legacy. This collection, while including many films already released, is an important set. Bela Lugosi’s Dracula, Boris Karloff’s Frankenstein Monster, and Lon Chaney’s tortured Larry Talbot/The Wolfman have inspired generations of filmmakers, writers, and f/x engineers. The influence on our culture is impossible to deny. When asked about Frankenstein, most of us conjure the classic Karloff image long before we think of Mary Shelley or any ...ther incarnation. These images are burned into our collective imaginations. They are signposts of fear that have been passed down from father to son and even mother to daughter. They are in essence our inheritance from an era long gone but somehow never forgotten. It is true that these films are tame by today’s standards. They have long ago lost the ability to terrify. That says more for the sadness of our own age than any blemish to these masterpiece classics. We are a hard people to frighten today, but no one ever did it better than these Universal classics.
The Monster Legacy Collection is made up of three individual monster collections which you can purchase separately…
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on April 20th, 2004
Season 4 brought a few changes to the Homicide: Life On The Streets beat. Beatty’s and Baldwin’s characters would exit. Reed Diamond and Max Perlich would enter the cast to replace them. Diamond’s Kellerman, an arson investigator turned homicide detective, would provide the more interesting character arc for the season. Year 4 also marked a change in style to more of the multi-episode stories. Another Law and Order crossover is a bit confusing because there isn’t the Dick Wolf franchise episode to complete it. I’d li...e to see a cooperative effort to release these annual crossovers as full shows.
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Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on April 9th, 2004
Suspended animation is a story with a lot of promise. Fifteen minutes into the film and it looks like we’re seeing a Misery ripoff with a cannibal twist. From that point on I’m not sure if I’m watching Misery, Deliverance, or Texas Chainsaw Massacre. There are some truly suspenseful moments in the film, but they are spaced too far apart with needless muddled plotlines. The film style is eerily reminiscent of the Italian suspense masters like Brava and Argento without the gore. The Spaghetti Nightmares are an obvious ...nfluence.
Synopsis
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on April 9th, 2004
In season four, Redd Foxx ended his eight episode holdout for more money after a significant raise. Redd’s return would make this one of the show’s most creative years. Ironically one of the series’ funniest moments occurs in the Redd-less opening episode when Grady feeds the local cops pot instead of parsley. Sanford and Son also reached the peak of its popularity with this 1974-1975 season. Many weeks it was the number one rated show and finished the entire season ranked second.
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