Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on August 13th, 2002
Synopsis
Bad boy Spike discovers the benefits of calling the title phone number for his "horrorscope." Bad things happen to the people who tick Spike off. But Spike doesn't need help as much as his put-upon cousin Hoax does. And Hoax's addiction to the number is going to spell bad news for everyone.
Audio
The music is good, the effects okay. Most of the time there's not too much to create an environment for the viewer, and there is some minor distortion on some voices. But ...
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on August 12th, 2002
After a dismal resurrection on film with Star Trek: The Motion Picture, it appeared that the crew of the good ship Enterprise was finally stilled forever. Enter two heroes to rival Kirk and Spock in Harve Bennett and Nicholas Myers. Star Trek II is everything that shines about Star Trek. Finally the triumvirate of Kirk, Spock, and McCoy dazzle longtime fans with the chemistry that made the original series so enduring. In The Motion Picture, the characters come off stiff and cold. They hardly seem to know each other.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on August 11th, 2002
Synopsis
SpongeBob and his friends are up to their usual misadventures. SpongeBob encounters the Flying Dutchman, is turned into a snail, mistakes Squidward for a ghost, and so on.
Audio
The sound is brisk, clean and chipper. There's not a whole heck of a lot happening surround-wise -- mainly music, with the sound effects rather sparse. There is the occasional moment of left-right effect too, but you have to stay alert for those.
Video
The transfe...
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on August 11th, 2002
Synopsis
Two brothers survive a plane crash (a crash in which their father dies, but they don't seem too broken up about the sad event), and find themselves washed up on the island of Dinotopia. As the name implies, this is a land where humans and dinosaurs co-exist. We explore this island with the brothers, and get caught up in their quest to help save this world in its hour of peril. The characters here are a long way from believable, and so the main draw is the special effects, which are, by telev...
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on August 7th, 2002
The Show
I cannot say enough about how great this series is. Not only is it extremely entertaining, but the DVD is of remarkable quality. If you have not had the pleasure to see an episode of The Sopranos, here is a synopsis of season three for you:
“Some suburban households have two cars. Some have two houses. But Tony Sopranos has two families.
This could be why the FBI is going to such lengths to wiretap his home. Why is the son of his dear late friend Jackie Ap...
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on July 24th, 2002
Synopsis
"Diamond Joe" Esposito recalls Elvis Presley's career, from when Esposito first became aware of him, to their shared military service, to the moment he became part of Presley's entourage. The memories go all the way to Presley's death and beyond. The disc's intro is irritatingly self-promotional, and the reverential tone of the piece smacks of an Entertainment Tonight segment stretched to 130 minutes.
Audio
The sound is 2.0 surround, but they really needn't ha...
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on July 24th, 2002
Synopsis
The Littles (Hugh Laurie and Geena Davis) head off to the local orphanage to adopt a child. Their son George (Jonathan Lipnicki) is hoping for a little brother, but what he gets is considerably smaller than he had in mind: talking mouse Stuart (voice of Michael J. Fox). We follow Stuart's misadventures as he adapts to his new family, and they adapt to him. Nathan Lane does the voice of Snowball, the very put-out cat.
Audio
The sound is very clear, and Alan Sil...
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on July 24th, 2002
Synopsis
A group of friends made a bet at the end of high school to see who would bring the most attractive date to the ten-year reunion. That time has come, and the bet is worth $50,000.00. Time to surf the Internet for that perfect woman. This is, apparently, a comedy. Really. Utterly inept in every department (acting, writing, direction, editing, cinematography), this achieves the not-inconsiderable feat of making Corky Romano looking screamingly funny by comparison.
Audio
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Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on July 19th, 2002
Synopsis
Jodie Foster, victim of a gang rape, stumbles out of a bar called The Mill. Immediately before she appears, a young man also comes running out, and phones the police. Kelly McGillis is the prosecuting attorney on the case. She arranges a plea bargain with the assailants, which enrages Foster. McGillis then agrees to prosecute the men who stood by, watched, and did nothing. That young man at the beginning of the film will obviously have a crucial role to play.
The film is anchored b...
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on July 17th, 2002
Jet Li is the “Contract Killer” (“Sat sau ji wong”) in this direct from Hong Kong 1998 martial arts thriller. Budget? Nope. Plot? Not really. Jet Li? Definitely. This movie is dubbed, and the comedic voices are almost worth the price of admission, especially when they keep switching at various points through the movie. Its really amusing to see Jet Li change from normal to baritone from one scene to another, and its great listening to the “Kwan” character, who’s voice seems to have been done by a young Jason Alexande...
