Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on January 31st, 2004
I have had the pleasure of reviewing better films than Home Room; and I’ve certainly suffered through worse. But I am not sure I’ve reviewed a more important film. I’ve been a public high school teacher for over 8 years. Ask any educator and you’ll find that Columbine changed things for everyone, so I wasn’t sure how I would find this study of that kind of violence. The subject is handled with extreme care in Home Room. In a wise decision, the shooting occurs to a black screen. We don’t really pick up the story until after the event.
The film has two basic themes. The most obvious is the budding relationship between two teenage girls who are dramatically unalike but forced together to deal with their tragedy. The second theme is blame. Our society seems to possess a powerful need to blame someone when disaster strikes. We don’t deal well when evil has no recognizable face. This film examines that theme like no other I’ve seen before. The acting is incredibly on target. Victor Garber is excellent as the detective who is haunted by the tasks before him. Busy Phillips and Erika Christiansen nail the characters of Alicia and Deeana, our two troubled teens.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on January 25th, 2004
In 1976 a New York media group conducted a survey of the NYPD detectives. The question was: “Of all the TV cop shows, which most accurately portrays life as a detective?” The overwhelming response was the comedy Barney Miller.
It seems that real cops related to the daily grind and weekly wackos of Barney Miller. Let’s not put aside that this was also one of the most consistently funny shows on television. I remember it took me a while to accept Abe Vigoda in such a light role as Fish. My first exposure to Vigoda was the ruthless mobster in The Godfather. Barney Miller always managed to be funny while still telling a good short story. The characters were always wonderful. In Season 1 we will not meet the famous Dietrich character, but it was a joy to see the briefly shown detective Chano played by Sanford and Son’s Julio, Gregory Sierra. Unfortunately there were only 13 episodes in the first season, but they’re all here in this two-disc set.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on January 25th, 2004
James Gurney created a wonderful mythical land to rival Tolkien’s Middle Earth that was populated by stranded travelers and talking dinosaurs. Hallmark finally brought these settings to life on film with their popular mini-series. The ABC series that followed was unfortunately complete with several fatal flaws. The dino f/x were not really as good as we have become used to. The blurs and surreal appearance often takes one out of the experience. The actors used in the mini-series were replaced with virtual unknowns and a noticeable lack of skills. It was obviously a mistake to attempt such an ambitious project for weekly television.
Audio
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on January 25th, 2004
The best sci-fi show on television keeps getting better. MGM has also shown an attempt to improve the DVD releases with each subsequent season. This was Showtime’s final year of hosting Stargate SG-1. I will be interested to see if the cinematic quality holds up with the release of season 6 which was taken over by the Sci-Fi Channel. The stories are bigger in season 5 and the f/x continue to amaze. With seasons 4 and 5 SG-1 had reached its peak.
Synopsis
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on January 19th, 2004
I had never seen, or even heard of this show until I received this complete first season to review. I was a little hesitant heading in to my first viewing… especially after seeing that the main characters are played by Luke Perry (of 90210 fame), and Malcolm Jamal Warner (of The Cosby Show fame). But after viewing a couple of episodes, I must confess that I was hooked. Sure, the story is full of holes, and the acting is suspect at times, but the overall show is quite gripping and entertaining.
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Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on January 16th, 2004
If your only contact with the original series Lost In Space is the episodes available in syndication ala the Sci-Fi channel then you really don’t know Lost In Space. The first season was a lot different than the final two. The most noticeable difference is that the first season is in black and white. The stories are much less schlock and camp. More Star Trek than SpaceBalls. The cheesy rubber monsters are there, but the characters have a harsher edge to them.
As the season progressed through 29 episodes (Can you imagine having a 29 episode season!) the tone of the later series begins to come through. It became obvious by mid-season that the interplay of Will, Dr. Smith, and The Robot were what kept audiences tuning in each week. (A special note to the WB network. They are planning a new Lost In Space series next year which will have no Dr. Smith and maybe no B-9 Robot.) This DVD collection is a wonderful treat for fans who have not had the opportunity to see these episodes uncut for almost 40 years.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on January 11th, 2004
Legends of vampires and werewolves are almost as old as time itself. Long before Bela Lugosi and Lon Chaney defined these creatures for Hollywood, the myths persisted. Cave drawings in South America depict stories of changelings and blood suckers that were told 5,000 years ago. Underworld offers a refreshing spin on both tales. What if the clans of Vampires and Werewolves were at war for over a thousand years? The dark, seedy “Underworld” is visually compelling. Let’s not even talk about Kate Beckinsale. The wonderfully photographed blend of Gothic and modern settings owes much to the European locations. Imagine hi-tech cars speeding along on ancient brick streets. The pacing is often strange, lending an emotional uneasiness at times which plays handsomely into the required atmosphere.
Audio
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on December 15th, 2003
Show
It would be a boldfaced lie to say that Alias is the best show of its kind on television. The truth is that it is the ONLY show of its kind on television. Alias certainly contains writing that rivals even the award-gobbling Sopranos. The photography is film quality. The character chemistry, which I rank as the most important element in any show, is wonderful. The characters are compelling. You really start to care about these guys; even the villainous Sloan demands sympathy at times.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on December 10th, 2003
Ray Harryhausen and Ray Bradbury, along with Famous Monster Forry Ackerman, have been friends since childhood. It’s no wonder that when Harryhausen was given his first chance to completely control a production that he would turn to his boyhood friend who happened to become one of the world’s best known science fiction writers. Actually, the original production team had already fashioned a script based on Bradbury’s short story without giving credit to the writer. Both Rays created an iconic creature. The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms would go on to represent an entire genre of 1950’s monster movies. The climatic rollercoaster scene is one of the genre’s best moments. For me it ranks right there with the Empire State Building climax in King Kong, ironically created by Harryhausen’s mentor.
Audio
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on December 3rd, 2003
Willis O’Brien, the f/x magician behind King Kong and The Lost World, had always wanted to do a cowboys and dinosaurs film. It is no surprise that his prodigy Ray Harryhausen would accomplish the task. Using some of O’Brien’s design ideas, Harryhausen credibly put these two film icons together with mixed results. The script is certainly not the best Harryhausen had to work with. More Bronco Billy than Jurassic Park, this is more an entertaining film than anything to be taken seriously. James Franciscus does a fine job of playing to the f/x.
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