William O'Donnell

About William O'Donnell

http://yakandshadow.com/

www.weekthusfar.com www.downeandowte.com www.yakandshadow.com

Posts by William O'Donnell:

Madeline’s Christmas And Other Wintery Tales

Posted in Disc Reviews by William O'Donnell on November 9th, 2010

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As was the case for my two previous Madeline reviews (http://upcomingdiscs.com/2010/07/20/madelines-great-adventures/ plus http://upcomingdiscs.com/2010/09/21/madelines-halloween-other-spooky-tales/#more-13938) there is little more I could say about the general premise of Madeline. But as I slowly become a connoisseur of this particular character (as this website feels I should be, it seems) I have a few more insights brought on by this Christmas themed edition.
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Seven Deadly Sins

Posted in Disc Reviews by William O'Donnell on November 9th, 2010

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Grace, California is the kind of “small” town that all the young people wish to escape. Why? I suppose it is because they have ambitions for “greater” things. What are their ambitions while they have to stay? To be as catty and backstabbing as possible while living out a teen soap opera existence. Such is the groundwork for Seven Deadly Sins, a two-part mini-series created for the Lifetime network and based on a series of books of the same name. On this DVD the two parts are merged into a monstrous movie (clocking in at over 3 hours).
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All American Orgy

Posted in Disc Reviews by William O'Donnell on November 9th, 2010

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Three couples are meeting for a trip out to the country to have an old fashioned, American orgy. What instigated said orgy is mostly a mystery, as is what truly keeps them motivated to go through with it. Needless to say, most of them are in it for reasons beyond being carefree and their ulterior motives and inner demons will only spoil the party.
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The Hitmen Diaries: Charlie Valentine

Posted in Disc Reviews by William O'Donnell on November 7th, 2010

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A hitman is getting into his senior years; a notable luxury for someone in his line of work. To feel more secure, he plans to pull off one last job before calling it quits. In order for this film to have an interesting plot something surely must go wrong, and it does. Now reunited with his son, who is aspiring to learn from dear ole (estranged) dad and elevate himself in the crime world, Charlie Valentine hopes to settles things in one way or another.
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You Might As Well Live

Posted in Disc Reviews by William O'Donnell on November 7th, 2010

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Robert Mutt feels like a hopeless loser and tries to “off” himself (several times). Even in death, he is a failure and finds himself in a mental asylum. Upon receiving some experimental treatment from a new therapist, his confidence is (seemingly) restored and he sets back out into the real world to become a real “somebody.”
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Christmas in Canaan

Posted in Disc Reviews by William O'Donnell on November 1st, 2010

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Two young boys start a rivalry that is forged into a friendship by way of helping an ailing dog. As one boy’s caregiver passes away, the other boy’s family takes him on as one of their own. This family struggles through tough times on their farm as well as tensions from bigoted neighbours because the boy they took into their home happens to be black. Such is the “family bond” thesis of this highly sentimental Xmas film, co-authored by Country superstar Kenny Rogers, and starring country star turned famous dad, Billy Ray Cyrus.
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Ladies and Gentlemen The Rolling Stones (Blu Ray)

Posted in Disc Reviews by William O'Donnell on October 27th, 2010

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This 1972 concert film has been seldom seen since its first release (which was in 1974) and is only now experiencing its first official release onto DVD and Blu Ray (never having been previously released on home video either). Promoting their just released Exile on Main St. album, the setlist is a high energy service to their love of Chuck Berry inspired rock n roll and complete worship of American blues music.
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“31 Nights of Terror” Interview with ASTRON-6 (Troma Entertainment’s latest acquisition)

Posted in Random Fun by William O'Donnell on October 22nd, 2010

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Troma Entertainment has harnessed a young group of Canuck filmmakers who go by the moniker ASTRON-6, and will be debuting their first feature film venture into the realm of bad taste. The film is called Father’s Day and the trailer, which is filled to the brim with topless women and bloody, man-and-man rape, is already getting attention online. As well, it seems that Troma founder Lloyd Kaufman simply cannot stop talking about the film, based on the amount of clips available online (google Lloyd or Troma and soon find out).
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Gunsmoke – Season 4 Volume 1

Posted in Disc Reviews by William O'Donnell on October 15th, 2010

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Gunsmoke, in all of its 20 seasons, making it the longest running prime-time drama of all time, has such a strong legacy that it feels odd to review it. Thankfully the challenge is an enjoyable one as the show is at a full head of steam in its fourth season (it was ranked #1 at this time) and each episode is still as engrossing today as it was over 4 decades ago.
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Medium – Season 6

Posted in Disc Reviews by William O'Donnell on October 13th, 2010

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Having been dropped by NBC, Medium finds a new home for its sixth season at CBS. The story of a psychic working for a Phoenix (I could have played off their location’s name and used it as a metaphor for this show rising from the ashes onto a new network…but I’m a much classier and restrained writer than that) district attorney’s office. Meanwhile, her husband struggles with a new job and when it comes to her daughters, there is evidence that there might be more than one psychic in her household.
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Two Tickets to Paradise

Posted in Disc Reviews by William O'Donnell on October 2nd, 2010

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Three friends, who have been close since grade school, are approaching their 40s and feeling like they are well past their prime. One friend had a 4.0 grade point average, works at a retail store. One was a star athlete bound for a scholarship, is 25K deep in gambling debt. The final of the three was a successful working rock musician, now drives a beer truck and lost his knack for song writing. As they all hit rock bottom, they venture on a road trip with a pair of tickets to a major College Football match and the hope of starting fresh…or end it all on a high note.
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The Exploding Girl

Posted in Disc Reviews by William O'Donnell on September 30th, 2010

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A young epileptic girl returns to her home in New York while on spring break. She stays with her mother and her best friend Al, whose room is now being rented out by his parents. While there she loses touch with her college boyfriend and reevaluates how she feels about her friend Al.
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Madeline’s Halloween & Other Spooky Tales

Posted in Disc Reviews by William O'Donnell on September 21st, 2010

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The only difference between this collection of episodes and the one I reviewed on this site previously (http://upcomingdiscs.com/2010/07/20/madelines-great-adventures/ ) is the Halloween theme implied in the DVD’s title. In fact, in terms of quality and material I could almost quote that review word for word. So feel free to refer to my previous review and I hope to avoid redundancies while writing this latest one.
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The Lottery (2010)

Posted in Disc Reviews by William O'Donnell on September 20th, 2010

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This documentary follows four different families as they await the date for a charter school lottery in Harlem. As the date approaches, we bear witness to the heated debates that go on between those that wish to implement more charter schools (a charter school being one similar to public schools but relies on stringent academic results and standards from its students and operates as an autonomous public school) into a “project” area, and members of the community who believe that their children would be excluded and object to the idea of closing public schools who have failed to produce positive results.
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Jimi Hendrix The Guitar Hero

Posted in Disc Reviews by William O'Donnell on September 18th, 2010

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This documentary is a mainly a sea of praise for the late guitar legend, as it promises to not focus on “drudging up scandal and outworn hypothesis about his lifestyle and ultimate death.” historical footage tells the biographical portions while high-profile interviws with the likes of Lemmy Kilmister (Motorhead), Eric Clapton, Mick Taylor (Rolling Stones), Stephen Stills (Crosby, Stills & Nash) and moany more, plus narration by super-fan Slash (Guns N Roses).
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Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief (Blu-ray)

Posted in Disc Reviews by William O'Donnell on September 17th, 2010

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Zeus’ mighty bolt has been stolen, and whomever holds it may have the power to topple the king of the Gods. Zeus suspects Poseidon’s estranged, half-human son is the Lighting Thief and threatens his wrath upon the entire realm if it is not returned. Percy Jackson is Poseidon’s son, making him a Demi-God, but as far as he knows, he is a just a high school student living with Dyslexia, ADHD and struggling to live with his abusive step-father. As mythic monsters and Gods all start to threaten Percy’s life, his best friend and his mother both reveal themselves to be protectors of his life, both with connections to Greek Mythology.
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Pixies Live: Acoustic and Electric (Blu-Ray)

Posted in Disc Reviews by William O'Donnell on September 15th, 2010

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This Blu Ray is the merging of two previously released concert DVDs. One taking place in Boston comes from their reunion tours of recent years, and the other is an extremely rare acoustic appearance at the Newport Folk Festival. By having these combined into one package makes for a nice compare and contrast for both fans and newcomers of this highly influential, alternative rock band. Both setlists are enormous and ensure that this is a must buy for longtime fans.
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Adopted

Posted in Disc Reviews by William O'Donnell on August 25th, 2010

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Pauly Shore seems to be trying to steer his career from being a washed up b-lister to being a self-aware washed up b-lister. Pauly Shore is Dead was his first dabbling into mockumentaries about himself, and now he has followed it up with Adopted. This yarn is about Shore, following the trend set by Angelina Jolie and Madonna, of flying to Africa (and later Cambodia) to adopt a child, with the hopes that being a father would fill a void in his shallow Hollywood hills life.
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Ca$h

Posted in Disc Reviews by William O'Donnell on August 23rd, 2010

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A robber tosses his loot onto a freeway and it lands on the hood of a random passerby. Said passerby decides to keep the $600,000+ and use it to buy brand new…everything, for him and his wife. While the robber gets incarcerated, he offers half the money to his twin brother if he can track it down. If the young couple flashes their money around and started paying cash for big ticket items, they will be hunted down…they do, and they are.
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Beatdown

Posted in Disc Reviews by William O'Donnell on August 22nd, 2010

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A renowned street fighter’s brother is murdered, so he flees to a small town where his crippled father lives. While there he discovers an underground circuit of Mixed Martial Arts competitions and raw, street fighting prize matches. With the help of a former MMA champ (played by real-life UFC contender Michael Bisping), our hero fights his way up to the top of the underground action in order to pay off the gangster who slayed his brother, earn the respect he deserves, and what the heck…win a new love interest too.
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Super High Me

Posted in Disc Reviews by William O'Donnell on July 23rd, 2010

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Several years ago comedian Doug Benson made a joke about wanting to parody the film Super Size Me, after watching it while high, by smoking pot continuously for 30 days. A filmmaker heard that joke and decided to make it a reality. Upon making the film, there was an added catch to Benson’s plan of 30 days being “Super High,” as he would have to be stone sober for the 30 days leading up to it.
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Madeline’s Great Adventures

Posted in Disc Reviews by William O'Donnell on July 20th, 2010

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This compilation of cartoons takes from different Madeline series’, produced from about 1993 to 2001. Each episode is in the half-hour long format, with different title cards, theme songs and narrators, but all following the same format of rhyming narration, and imaginative story lines, songs peppered throughout, and a couple even dipping into the supernatural.
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The Real McCoys – Complete Season 4

Posted in Disc Reviews by William O'Donnell on July 20th, 2010

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The Real McCoys was a major TV hit during its run of 1957-1963. Starring three-time Oscar winner Walter Brennen and a pre-Rambo Richard Crenna. Led by Grandpa, the family move from Virginia to California (sound a touch familiar?) and is comprised of brothers and sisters that range in age from their twenties right down to eleven. This series paved the way fir rural comedies, especially the Beverly Hillbillies, proceeding it, and Brennen’s voice set the bar for wiley Southern farmer characters for a generation.
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Street Hawk – The Complete Series

Posted in Disc Reviews by William O'Donnell on July 14th, 2010

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Street Hawk is an adventure series about a young cop named Jesse Mach, played by one-time 80s pop idol Rex Smith, who gets injured on the job and is selected to be a part of an experimental motorcycle / vigilante program (funded by the government), that is helmed by computer genius Norman Tuttle, played by a pre-Murphy Brown Joe Regalbuto.
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Crush

Posted in Disc Reviews by William O'Donnell on July 2nd, 2010

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A young man, who is struggling as both a Tae Kwan Do tournament contestant and University student on a shaky student visa, is house sitting at a mansion as a favour for the friend that helped him obtain said student visa. While staying there, a mysterious young woman seduces him, and turns his life into a literal hell.
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