Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on August 28th, 2004
Synopsis
Beverly Garland (who was, with Allison Hayes, one of the queens of 50s SF) is on ahoneymoon train ride with her new husband Richard Crane. A telegram makes Crane blanch,and he hops off the train at the next stop, disappearing form Garland’s life. She searches for him,finally tracing his last address to The Cypresses, a plantation deep in the Louisiana swamp. Itturns out that Crane is slowly turning into an alligator due to the well-intentioned experimentsof scientist George...
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on August 28th, 2004
ALF stands for Alien Life Form, but anyone who has seen this hit 1980’s comedy knows ALF stands for “Laughing your ass off funny”. OK, so the letters are out of order, but you know I’m right. It’s no surprise our favorite Melmac dude has made the DVD scene. The real shocker is that it took so long. Who remembers comedy from the 1980’s? There just wasn’t an awful lot to laugh at. ALF was the “muppet-like” creation of Paul Fusco, who also provides the wise-cracking voice of ALF. ALF’s making a comeback these days with ...
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on August 28th, 2004
Chris Rock is quite possibly the most important comic of all time. There are quite a few entertainers that have shown up in the public spotlight over the past few years that have blurred the lines between comic, social satirist and political lecturer. Bill Maher and Dennis Miller come to mind. However, Chris Rock is a special comedian, due to his masterful knowledge of how to manipulate an audience. Anybody can make wise cracks about racial differences, but it takes a special person to be able to change the minds of ...
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on August 27th, 2004
Synopsis
Michael Gambon narrates four tales from Greek mythology: Daedalus and Icarus, Orpheusand Eurydice, Perseus and the Gorgon, and Theseus and the Minotaur. Gambon is the Storytellerof the title. Clad in toga and moving about his workshop, he tells the stories to a talking dog. Thestories themselves cut back and forth between the tales and Gambon, and are a mixture of humanactors and Jim Henson Creature Shop creations. The result is rather ambitious, and the tone israther oddly...
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on August 27th, 2004
Synopsis
This is a four-part series that aired on PBS’s Frontline. Four hours long, it is ahistorical/archaeological look at Jesus’ life and that of his early followers. The series has time todelve into detail, and so the whole context of the era, political and otherwise, is presented. Ratherthan use cheesy recreations, the documentary shows us actual settings and interweaves these withinterviews with experts in the field.
Audio
Obviously, this isn’t a relea...
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on August 27th, 2004
Synopsis
Patrick Stewart is King Henry II of England. He is on the verge of announcing the heir tohis throne. Trouble is, none of his sons are fit to rule, and two of them previously were part ofa rebellion against him, led by his wife Eleanor of Aquitaine (Glenn Close). He summons hisfamily to his seat of power, and the stage is set for all sorts of palace intrigue.
The screenplay is the same one used in the original film -- James Goldman’s adaptation ofhis play. As present...
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on August 25th, 2004
Synopsis
Pity poor Daniel Hong (Chin Han), a mild-mannered eye surgeon who is buffeted at homeby the war between his wife Natalie (Vivian Wu) and blind mother Mrs. Hong (Lisa Lu). His lifeisn’t going to get any easier, however. This night, while he is called away to the hospital, his oldfriend Patrick (Joe Lando) descends on the house. Patrick has spent the last ten years in prison forthe murder of his parents. He has escaped from custody, and he arrives at the Hong residence,hungry...
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on August 25th, 2004
Sometimes, the craziest ideas are the best ones. In the world of television (and movies as well), there seems to be a constant struggle between playing it safe and gambling on a big return. For instance, when it comes to sitcoms, stories about a family plus one or two outside characters are sure-fire hits. Just look at Family Matters, The King of Queens, The George Lopez Show, Cosby, Frasier and My Wife and Kids. Shows about work, such as Newsradio, Suddenly Susan, Veronica’s Closet, Scrubs and < ...
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on August 21st, 2004
Synopsis
Turns out Kong didn’t die at the foot of the World Trade Center. He’s been kept alive(though in a coma) in a University lab for the last ten years. Linda Hamilton has designed a hugeartificial heart for him, but he needs a massive blood transfusion. By lucky coincidence,adventurer Brian Kerwin is wandering around a set that is supposed to be Borneo, and hestumbles upon a female Kong. A half-dozen tribesmen with blowdarts promptly sedate her (asimple solution to monster trou...
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on August 21st, 2004
Synopsis
The Carter family might appear to have it all. But as this is a Movie of the Week, we knowthat these people are really a dysfunctional calamity. And so they are: Dad is a tyrant, Mom isa social-climbing bitch-on-wheels, daughter is terrified of becoming like her mother and so hasan abortion behind her husband’s back rather than risk being a mother, older son (Jim Carreyin a supporting role) is a disappointment in every aspect, and Perfect Younger Son turns out tobe gay. My ...
