Posted in: Disc Reviews by Michael Durr on May 19th, 2011
When I got to college, I had no idea what I wanted to be. I had signed up for computer science so I could go on to be a video game programmer. The truth is, I placed that as my major because I did not know what else to put. As luck would find it, five years later would get me a degree in Finance which I have never used in the professional world. But there was one thing in college I knew for sure. I wanted nothing to do with any fraternity and I am guessing Brotherhood is not going to change this opinion.
We start off the story with four frat guys in a van (if that van was down by a river, I’m out of here). Frank (played by Jon Foster), the pledge leader puts on a mask and runs out to rob a convenience store and comes back. He demonstrates that he wouldn’t ask the pledges to do anything he wouldn’t first. The other three are noticeably frightened because they think they will be arrested. Eventually one of the pledges decides to do it and when they hit the next store, he completes his task quickly.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on May 17th, 2011
There were a lot of changes in store for the Bunkers in the 9th and final season. The biggest change was the addition of Stephanie played by Danielle Brisebois. She was the daughter of one of Edith's cousins. The girl was originally left with the Bunkers for what was supposed to be a temporary situation. Of course, the couple gets stuck with the 9-year-old girl and have to raise her. The matter is made worse when Archie discovers she's Jewish. Mike and Gloria have moved out to California but are not completely out of Archie's life. Archie and Edith make a trip out to see them and their grandson in a three-part episode, only to discover they have split up. This would lead to yet another All In The Family spin-off called Gloria. The release includes the three-part All In The Family Retrospective hosted by Norman Lear.
The series was first released through Fox for three seasons. Sony took over the releases for the next three seasons. Finally Shout Factory has stepped up and has taken over the release chores for this classic comedy.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on May 12th, 2011
"Once upon a time in the projects..."
Eddie Murphy co-created this controversial situation comedy that aired first on Fox and was later picked up by the WB. It was quite an original undertaking. The show was made using stop-motion. The process was very much like the traditional claymation process that brought such classic favorites like Gumby to life. But since the models were made of foam instead of clay, the process was dubbed foamation. There's a bit of a coincidence at play here since Eddie Murphy often played a version of the Gumby character on a regular basis during his stint with Saturday Night Live.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Michael Durr on May 12th, 2011
Sometimes I miss the days of my youth. Huddled in front of a thirteen inch color television set with the knobs you had to turn but not too quickly (or else you were forced to break out the pliers) to your desired channel. It seems like I watched so many sitcoms back then. Silver Spoons, Different Strokes, Facts of Life, etc. But I do seem to remember a show about a small child named Emmanuel Lewis who would play Webster. It was awfully cute back in the mid eighties, I wonder if it holds up today.
If you missed the first season of Webster, well all came to know Emmanuel Lewis as the little boy with a big heart that everybody loves. His original parents get killed in a car accident and then he is taken in by the Papadapolis’. The new parents are made up of George (played by Alex Karras), an ex-football player and Katherine (played by Susan Clark) who is just your average high maintenance socialite.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by William O'Donnell on May 11th, 2011
Lesser know than the Loch Ness Monster, Chupacabra and many other crypotzoilogical monsters is the Mongolian Death Worm. This SyFy production gives the mythological beast the Tremors “graboid” treatment and makes them desert prowling beasts with extending tongues/second mouths. Being compared to Tremors is a high summit to reach., as this film is outclassed by that film in all aspects.
Things are shaky right off the hop. The opening title has the same size and font as the text used to detail the characters' location, making it seem as if Mongolian Death Worm is the name of the setting. Such things are not monumental problems, but there are enough of these lofty mistake to mark sloppy composition and lack of care by the filmmakers.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by William O'Donnell on May 11th, 2011
Based on actual Old Bailey court records from the 18th Century, Garrow's law tells the true story of William Garrow, a young barrister you revolutionized the legal system. This first series may only be 4 episodes long, but with each clocking it an an hour long a piece, this series offers plenty of drama to invest in.
The first episode kicks off with Garrow's earliest attempt to be a proper defense attorney, with the mindset to stop “blood money” from influencing convictions, and to cease the casual executions and/or barbaric treatments of innocent people. The proceeding episodes each contain a highly tense adventure, as Garrow has to not only prove his clients' innocence, but must also fend off bounty hunters, judges and other callous opponents of what he views as true justice.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on May 10th, 2011
In the 1970's the critically acclaimed Upstairs Downstairs was a television mainstay in England. American audiences were soon introduced to the series through PBS broadcasts in the late 1970's and beyond. It was a unique kind of drama that served both as a period piece and an examination of the class lifestyles. The series began at the turn of the century and led up to the events of World War I and the period that soon followed. We were witness to the wealthy Bellamy family who occupied the estate at 165 Eaton Place. The family lived in the upstairs rooms, while the servants who kept the place in order occupied the rooms downstairs. Each episode would bring the dramatic events of the world to the doorstep of the home and we would see how they affected the two classes. We got to know members of both classes, and as the series progressed, observed the stark differences while also seeing the common humanity the two worlds shared. It was a huge hit and has lived on in syndication in all of the years since. The original series ran from 1971 until 1975 and covered the years of 1903 until the market crash of 1929 and the death of the patron of the estate. The whole thing had to be sold and the characters dispersed to their own lives from there.
Enter Heidi Thomas, who was eleven when the original series ended. The show stuck with her, and she made it a sort of life mission to bring the series back. In 2010 that's exactly what she did. The result is the three episode run that we have in this release.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by William O'Donnell on May 10th, 2011
I suppose there is something to be said about shows where we literally watch the main characters grow up. This season of Boy Meets World sees Cory Matthews (played by Ben Savage) and his cohorts enter their final year of high school. In some fashion, this is the season where the boy really is about to “meet the world,” but perhaps that is just a little too much poetry smeared onto this season of family friendly prose.
If you can somehow crawl past the horrendous theme song and opening title sequence, you will witness an acceptable Disney comedy, filled with cheesy smiles, over-acting supporting cast, madcap scenarios that have no edge whatsoever, and hearty doses of family oriented life lessons.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on May 3rd, 2011
Ever since the second National Treasure film came out, there has been speculation that there might really be a Book Of Secrets that is passed down from president to president, perhaps since Washington himself. It is true that each president does traditionally leave a sealed note to his predecessor on the desk in the Oval Office. Still, there is no documentation that a special book exists, but then again there hardly would be, would there?
If you are expecting this special to talk about the existence of such a book, you are in for a disappointment. In fact, the title is quite misleading and obviously intended to take advantage of the film buzz. Instead, this special talks about the kinds of things that might/would be in such a book, if it existed. The show really talks about the office of the presidency and some of the traditions and precautions that are taken for the holder of the office. There's a lot of talk about the security details made for the office. You get a look at the "football", which is the briefcase that follows the president everywhere he goes. It contains emergency protocols and the launch codes for our nuclear arsenal. The episode explores secret societies like the Masons and Skull & Bones which have produced a large number of presidents as well as other powerful positions.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Michael Durr on April 27th, 2011
Hi there, true believers. Take a walk with me today as we go inside the world of super humans. Humans that have powers far beyond average homo-sapiens. Can you control electricity or perhaps possess the strength of several men? Whether you answer yes or whether your eyes go ablaze in wonderment, you might just be interested in Stan Lee’s Superhumans. Season one awaits, let us proceed.
Stan Lee besides being a personal hero of mine is the creator of Marvel Comics. He has created such amazing heroes as Spider-Man, the Fantastic Four, and the Incredible Hulk. But Stan doesn’t think that these super-heroes exist only in the pages of a comic book or on a movie screen. He knows that there are living human beings out there in the world today that possess super natural powers.
