Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on May 7th, 2007
Synopsis
Five different horror stories play out in this film, though they are all loosely interconnected, in that main characters in one story put in cameos in another, and the same locations are revisited. A sullen teenage girl comes home to her fractious family to see her father struggle with a newfangled remote. It doesn’t change the TV channel, but does zap her through alternate universes. A young man living in a dilapidated building starts taking orders from his possessed radio. A serial killer ...all girl encounters a vampire. And so it goes.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on May 4th, 2007
Gary Lennon is a first time writer/director and it shows with .45. Milla Jovovich is the obvious centerpiece of this misguided drama. We know we’re in for a long haul from the opening shots of Kat (Jovovich). Talking about the sexual prowess of Big Al, her abusive boyfriend. Big Al is played quite single dimensionally by Angus MacFayden). It’s not that the actor’s don’t have the skills or the desire it’s that they are severely limited by the script. The only entertaining moments occur when the film heads more into ...he black comedy realm. This momentary effectiveness is soon lost with rather graphic displays of domestic violence. We are intended to feel for Kat but no matter how inclined we are to find her sympathetic I just can’t. With the help of her manipulated friends Kat sets out to rid herself of her partner in crime once and for all. When she finally does pull it off it is so senseless and anticlimactic. The trailer and box art promise a thrill ride journey of cunning and revenge. What the film delivers is boredom and no satisfaction when it’s done. The film tries to be too many things at once and ultimately succeeds at nothing. Trust me. Pass on this one. You’ll thank me for it later.
Video
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on May 3rd, 2007
Synopsis
The Ant and the Aardvark were regulars on the old Pink Panther show. They were the DePatie-Freeling equivalent of the Roadrunner and Wile E. Coyote. Every episode would see the Aardvark deploy one strategy after another to catch that Ant, and every attempt would blow up in his face (often quite literally). The animation, the invention and the energy are a long way from being up to the level of the Warner team. What is fun, though, is that both antagonists here are very loquacious (voiced by ...ohn Byner). Not all the lines are funny, but the characterizations are good fun, and all 17 of their adventures are present.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on May 3rd, 2007
The Drew Carey Show originally aired its pilot episode in 1995, focusing on a simple group of friends living their simplistic lives. Known for its everyman characters and situations, the show enjoyed a 9-year run on ABC, getting yanked from the schedule in 2004. Drew Carey and Bruce Helford, who both continued to write for the show in the following seasons, created the show with the premise of Drew Carey’s life if he hadn’t become a comedian and pursued a different career. I wasn’t even aware that this show wa... going to be released on DVD anytime soon, so I was happy to see that it was.
The show focuses around a close group of friends and their relationships, romantic lives, and their jobs. The main characters, Drew (Drew Carey), Kate (Christa Miller), Oswald (Diedrich Bader), and Lewis (Ryan Stiles) are life long friends’ living there everyday lives in Cleveland, Ohio. Drew works at a department store as a mid-level manager, Kate bounces from job to job and lands one working under Drew, Lewis is a janitor at a drug company, and Oswald is a delivery driver. None of them are too adamant about their jobs, but enjoy each other’s company and drinking beer. Some of the shows greatest moments occur while Drew is sitting in his cubicle, where behind him sits Mimi. She’s quite the heavyset make up ridden, trash talking assistant for Drew’s boss. The two share witty insults towards each other and often prank each other as well. Outside of the work world the group all have romantic lives, but only Drew’s and Kate’s get top billing. As the season goes on their relationships face problems and at other times look strongly optimistic, making for pretty entertaining side stories.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on May 1st, 2007
“Gotta love me!” What’s not to love about this cute Disney comedy featuring the most sophisticated puppetry ever created for a television show? Sure, the series has taken its share of hits for being a little too preachy. But even an old conservative like myself really can’t find much to fault in the issues tackled by Dinosaurs. There’s nothing wrong with message entertainment as long as it actually entertains. As a long time Star Trek fan I’m no stranger to morality tales. Truth be told, the issues are simplified e...ough that I don’t get what all the complaining been about. This set brings us the final two seasons of the series. An added bonus is the inclusion of a handful of episodes that never did air.
Nothing changed in the makeup of the series from the first two years, so I’ll repeat the setup I gave you for that release: Each character was a sophisticated animated puppet as well as a suit performer. In all, it took four people to bring each character to life. Combined with the familiar voice talents of the likes of Sally Struthers and Sherman Helmsley, a “man in a suit”, and 2 animatronics puppeteers, these hysteric prehistoric characters were brought remarkably to life. Like The Flintstones, Dinosaurs was modeled after the popular 50’s comedy The Honeymooners. Earl was very much a Jackie Gleason clone from his “king of my castle” attitude to his bulky frame. Like Ralph, Earl had a meek and somewhat simple minded pal. Roy was as much an Art Carney clone as Earl was Ralph Kramden. Even Roy’s voice echoed Norton. The show diverged from its Honeymooner roots with the addition of two children. Robbie was very much a rebel against the sins of his society. Charlene was the typical valley girl who cared more about the latest fashions than anything else. Fran, the mother, was a somewhat modern woman who still managed to juggle independence with traditional roles. Finally the best laughs and lines came from newly arrived Baby Sinclair. His “Not the momma” , “Again!” and “Gotta love me” chants became pop culture mainstays.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on May 1st, 2007
Synopsis
After serving ten years as a galley slave for having stolen a loaf of bread, Jean Valjean returns to the outside world a bitter man. He is transformed by the saintliness of a bishop who gives him shelter and the gift of the very items he was trying to steal. Starting his life over again, he becomes Mr. Madeleine, highly respected pottery plant owner and eventually mayor. He even adopts young Cosette, whose mother is dying. But the relentless Inspector Javert feels he recognizes Madeleine as ...he parole-evading Valjean, and so begins a pursuit that will take all three characters to a Paris about to erupt in an uprising.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on April 29th, 2007
Synopsis
Coming of Age is a film about a girl who goes to private school in New York City, and with the help of her friends, tries to find a way to achieve an orgasm. It sounds eerily family to The OH in Ohio, a more recent Parker Posey film I watched and enjoyed.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Michael Durr on April 29th, 2007
Synopsis
*Booming Voice*, "When we last left the Venture Bros season 1, the incredible arch-villain Monarch had been imprisoned for a crime he didn't commit and the Venture Bros were suffering from the loss of their boys Hank and Dean, Meanwhile..." *Monarch voice*, "Where the heck are my cue cards, can't an arch-villain get some normal cue cards for once and how come there is nothing about the sweet Dr. Girlfriend anywhere in here, I mean who really cares about the f****ng V...nture Bros and their miserable excuses for children; Buddy Holly and Fred from Scooby Doo?" *Twenty-one and Twenty-four* "Sorry Monarch." So welcome to another exciting season of the Venture Bros, arguably one of the best animation series on television. Hopefully you know the main characters by now as this is season two. (and thankfully the series has been resigned for a seasons 3 & 4, however we might not see them until 2008). Venture Bros can be described as 4 parts Johnny Quest, 1 part Hardy Boys, 1 part Tick, and even a little Scooby Doo and then throwing that into a big sarcastic machine with lots of sexual innuendo and tons of other classic references before spitting out an animation show.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Michael Durr on April 29th, 2007
Synopsis
Drug addiction is scary. It can take an otherwise decent person and turn them in a messy pool of hate, disgust and worthlessness. When the drug you are addicted to is heroin; amplify that by ten. Enter Paul (played by Harry Eden(Oliver Twist)), a ten year old trying to take care of his younger brother Lee (played by Vinnie Hunter) and his heroin addicted mother Mel (played by Molly Parker(Wicker Man, Deadwood)). The father of th...s family is unfortunately dead from a heart attack so Paul has grown up quickly and takes care of the cleaning, cooking and anything else that needs to be attended to. Mel tries to kick the habit on several occasions but is constantly hampered by the local dealer Lenny (played by David Wenham(300, Van Helsing) and the drug itself. Paul tries to find a way to cope and often escapes to spend time with his crush, a teenage waitress named Louise (played by Keira Knightley (Pirates of the Caribbean, Domino))who is unfortunately just as tragically flawed as Mel and has her own addictions to deal with.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Michael Durr on April 28th, 2007
Synopsis
Video game movies tend to fall into two groups; those that are based on video games (The Tomb Raiders, the Resident Evils) and those that follow video games and usually speaks on how it affects a person, driving their addiction. Often the latter pick it as a device of social commentary. Some do it in humor (Grandma's Boy) but more often than not they manipulate it as something that will take over your brain and kill you. Enter in Gamebox 1.0. Gamebox 1.0 is the story of a video ...ame tester Charlie Nash (played by Nate Richert (Sabrina, the Teenage Witch))who is not coping in life very well since his girlfriend Kate (played by Danielle Fishel (the gorgeous Topanga from Boy Meets World))got accidentally shot by a bad cop. (played by Patrick Kilpatrick) This leads him to completely cover himself in the world of video games. So much that he forgets his friends and any mention of the world's events around him. One day he receives a mysterious package in the mail. It is a new game system. This game system invites Charlie into the highly realistic gaming world contained inside. In that world he can do anything and interact with anybody but once he starts playing he'll never stop. (wow, I sound just like a tagline).
