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Chastity

Posted in Disc Reviews by David Annandale on September 17th, 2004

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Synopsis

Chastity (Cher) is a runaway, careening from one encounter to the other in a desperate searchfor herself and an attempt to escape the nightmare of her past. Mostly this means wanderingaround in an extremely sullen mood and treating everyone around her like dirt. How verysympathetic. This 1969 effort pretty much encapsulates everything that could make a sixties filmintolerable. Precious and portentous, it achieves a certain degree of unintentional comedy. SEE!The endless ope…
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Good Times

Posted in Disc Reviews by David Annandale on September 17th, 2004

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Synopsis

When sinister businessman George Sanders offers to produce a film starring Sonny and Cher,Sonny can’t wait to get started, though Cher has severe doubts. It turns out the shooting scriptis impossibly bad, and Sonny has ten days to come up with an alternative. We see his fantasiesof various film possibilities (western, mystery, jungle adventure), each one clearly a catastrophein its own right.

This was the directorial debut of William Friedkin. Of course it was! Obvi…
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White Dawn, The

Posted in Disc Reviews by David Annandale on September 16th, 2004

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Synopsis

Based on true events (or at least on tales told by the Inuit), The White Dawn is setin 1896, when three whalers are stranded on Baffin Island, and are rescued by an Inuitcommunity. The three men are Timothy Bottoms (who is instantly converted to this way of life),Lou Gossett (who is skeptical) and Warren Oates (who’s just plain trouble). The meeting ofcultures is not an easy one.

The film is leisurely, but never dull, and much of the running time is spent sho…
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Fearless Vampire Killers, The

Posted in Disc Reviews by David Annandale on September 15th, 2004

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Synopsis

Into Transylvania come a doddering and incompetent Van Helsing figure (Jack MacGowran)and his timorous, clumsy assistant (Roman Polanski). When Sharon Tate, the daughter of thelocal innkeeper, is abducted by vampire Count Von Krolock (Ferdy Mayne), MacGowran andPolanski travel to the vampire’s castle, where plenty of misadventures ensue.

Polanski’s affection for the films he is parodying is evident, and this is a much better filmthan, say, Dracula: Dead and Lovin…
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Murder on the Orient Express

Posted in Disc Reviews by David Annandale on September 8th, 2004

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Synopsis

Hercule Poirot (Albert Finney) boards the Orient Express with his friend Martin Balsam(playing an Italian). On the train is an eccentric group of characters: sullen millionaire RichardWidmark, his twitchy aide Anthony Perkins, motor-mouthed Lauren Bacall, Bible-obsessedIngrid Bergman, aristocratic couple Michael York and Jaqueline Bisset, army officer SeanConnery, his lover Vanessa Redgrave, princess Wendy Hiller, and so on and on, each with anaccent more outrageous than th…
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Alfred Hitchcock – The Signature Collection

Posted in Disc Reviews by David Annandale on September 7th, 2004

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Synopsis

Let’s start with the two biggest titles in the collection, which have a life outside thiscollection. North by Northwest is arguably Hitchcock’s greatest exercise in sheer roller-coaster thriller entertainment. As in so many of the director’s films, an insane chain of eventsis set in motion by the smallest of actions, in this case Cary Grant signalling a bell boy just asthe latter is calling out a name. Grant is thus misidentified by the villains, and he is suddenlyrunning fo…
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Boston Strangler, The

Posted in Disc Reviews by David Annandale on September 4th, 2004

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Synopsis

Boston is in a panic as a maniac stalks the streets, strangling women in their own homes. Thefirst half of the film follows the police investigation, headed up by Henry Fonda and GeorgeKennedy. A huge task force tracks down lead after lead, picks up suspect after suspect, all to noavail. The second half of the film shifts to Tony Curtis, who is the killer, only he doesn’t knowit: he suffers from a multiple personality disorder. The question, when he finally is caught, iswhe…
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Wonder Woman – The Complete First Season

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on September 2nd, 2004

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If you think about it, it’s a little surprising that Wonder Woman lasted for three full seasons. To my knowledge, there really hadn’t been any popular female super heroes before this show. Obviously there were a couple peppered around here and there in comics, but as far as movies and television go, it was pretty hard to find any kind of super female hero. Of course, Lynda Carter and that tiny patriotic costume may have had something to do with it.

Almost 40 years later, it’s a little more understandable wh…
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Dallas – The Complete First and Second Seasons

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on September 1st, 2004

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Fans of The O.C., Melrose Place and even 90210 should take note. The original is back. That’s right, the 80’s favorite Dallas is making a comeback on DVD. This new five disc set features the complete first and second seasons of the show that made America (and even much of the world) stand up and ask the all-important question, “Who shot J.R.?”

A mysterious grin crept across my face when I saw that I would be reviewing this title. Would it be as good now as it was then? Was all of…
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V – The Complete Series

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on August 28th, 2004

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V: The Series was a great idea that couldn’t seem to hit its stride. It was plagued by budget restrictions and astronomical expectations. The result was the inevitable failure of the show. It just wasn’t possible to reproduce the f/x and epic tales of the two mini-series events with about a fifth of the budget. Judged on its own, the series wasn’t all that bad. A solid cast anchored by Marc Singer, Faye Grant, and Robert Englund picked up the slack left by the poor budget. The absence of Kenneth Johnson was also keen…
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Duel

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on August 28th, 2004

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Duel was the first “ made for television” movie directed by Steven Spielberg. This thriller could best be described as a cross between the Rutger Hauer classic, “ The Hitcher,” and the Steven King inspired “Maximum Overdrive.” Dennis Weaver plays David Mann, a salesman on his way home from a cross state trip. During his return, he passes a rusted out old gasoline truck on the highway without giving it much thought. As the film unfolds, the truck begins to pursue him and initially just appears to annoy him on the r…
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Alligator People, The

Posted in Disc Reviews by David Annandale on August 28th, 2004

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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…
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Bug

Posted in Disc Reviews by David Annandale on August 28th, 2004

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Synopsis

An earthquake opens up a crevasse in outside a desert town in California. Emerging fromthe earth is a species of large cockroach that cause fires. Entomologist Bradford Dilman is at firstfascinated by the bugs, but when his wife is burned to death, he becomes obsessed with…well, something (exactly what his motivations are at this turning point in the plot are hard tofathom, and are the film’s major weakness). The firebugs are dying, and Dilman breeds themwith the common c…
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Orca

Posted in Disc Reviews by David Annandale on August 27th, 2004

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Synopsis

Fisherman Richard Harris ignores the warnings of whale expert Charlotte Rampling andattempts to capture a killer whale, the idea being to make a mint by selling it to an aquarium.Everything goes horribly wrong, and he accidentally kills a pregnant female (the scene is prettydamn gruesome). The whale’s mate mounts a vendetta against Harris. It attacks boats and causeshuge fires, turning the town against him, and then lures him out for a final confrontation.

The Ja…
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I Married a Monster from Outer Space

Posted in Disc Reviews by David Annandale on August 27th, 2004

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Synopsis

Returning home from his stag, the about-to-be-married Tom Tryon is abducted by an alienmonster, who then takes his place at the wedding. Bride Gloria Talbott notices right away thather husband is behaving rather strangely, but by the time she suspects that he really ISN’T herhusband, the takeover of the town of Norrisville has begun, and the poor woman doesn’t knowwho is human, and who is an alien. The aliens have invaded to breed with our women (!!!).

Obviously ins…
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Alexander’s Ragtime Band

Posted in Disc Reviews by David Annandale on August 20th, 2004

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Synopsis

Tyrone Power comes from a good family and a has a fine future as a concert violinist, but hedreams of leading a band. A chance encounter in a bar leads to the formation of Alexander’sRagtime Band, with the brassy Alice Faye as singer. Power and Faye are at it hammer and tongs,so you know they’ll wind up falling in love, and so they do. But the road they must travel is notan easy one, as Faye is hired away from the band to Broadway, and Power is recruited into thearmy just i…
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Hardcore

Posted in Disc Reviews by David Annandale on August 20th, 2004

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Synopsis

When midwestern Calvinist father George C. Scott’s daughter vanishes on a Church Youthtrip to California, he hires greasy PI Peter Boyle to find her. Boyle discovers a rough and nastyporn loop that she appears in. When Boyle turns out to be untrustworthy, Scott fires him andtravels to California himself, descending into the world of the sex industry in an increasinglydesperate and violent search for his daughter.

Schrader was still very much working out his own issu…
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Judgment at Nuremberg

Posted in Disc Reviews by David Annandale on August 13th, 2004

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Synopsis

Spencer Tracy arrives in Nuremberg to sit as chief justice at a war crimes tribunal. In thedock are three judges and a prosecutor, accused of crimes against humanity. Chief among theaccused judges is Burt Lancaster, whose record prior to the Nazi era was exemplary. Theprosecutor is Richard Widmark, driven to fight for justice no matter what the wider geo-politicalcontext might be. Defending the accused is Maximilian Schell (who won an Oscar), stopping atnothing to protect h…
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Laverne & Shirley – The Complete First Season

Posted in Disc Reviews by David Annandale on August 11th, 2004

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Synopsis

Set in the same 1950s never-land as Happy Days, Laverne & Shirley starsPenny Marshall and Cindy Williams as its eponymous heroines, two bottle-cappers at the ShotzBrewery in Milwaukee. Laverne is the cynical, semi-bad girl, while Shirley is the wide-eyedPollyanna and conscience of the pair. Both hope for more in life, and inevitably wind up inawkward situations.

The first few episodes assured ratings success by working Henry Winkler’s Fonzie into the…
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Dead Ringer

Posted in Disc Reviews by David Annandale on August 10th, 2004

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Synopsis

Bette Davis plays twin sisters. Edith is the poor sister, barely keeping her life together as herlittle bar goes under. Meanwhile, Margaret lives high on the hog, having become wealthy as thewife of the man she stole from Evie. Shortly after said husband’s funeral, Edith realizes that everyclaim Margaret had on him was a lie. Finally overcome by both misery and the need for revenge,she murders Margaret and takes her place. But Karl Malden, the cop who loves Edith, won’t let…
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Good Times – The Complete Third Season

Posted in Disc Reviews by David Annandale on August 10th, 2004

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Synopsis

All in the Family begat Maude, which begat Good Times, giving thisseries the dubious distiinction of being a spin-off of a spin-off. Unusual then and now for beingset in a housing project in a crime-ridden area of Chicago, the series continues, in its thirdseason, to tackle such subjects as gun control, unemployment, the recession, and so on. Thismakes the show more ambitious than the empty-headed sitcoms that were unaccountablysuccessful (Full House…
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Bad Seed, The

Posted in Disc Reviews by David Annandale on August 3rd, 2004

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Synopsis

Christine (Nancy Kelly) has a wonderful husband (William Hopper) and a perfect little girlin Rhoda (Patty McCormack). But when hubby is sent off to Washington for several weeks andChristine must hold the fort, her lovely little life cracks apart. During a school picnic, one ofRhoda’s classmates drowns. He had been the recipient of Rhoda’s anger, since he won apenmanship award she felt was rightfully hers. It doesn’t take long before Christine realizes thatthe death was not …
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Village of the Damned / Children of the Damned Double Feature

Posted in Disc Reviews by David Annandale on August 2nd, 2004

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Synopsis

Village of the Damned (1960) is the best of the films based on the novels of JohnWyndham (in this case the sources is The Midwich Cuckoos. At 11 o’clock onemorning, every living thing in Midwich falls asleep. Hours later, all awake, apparently none theworse. But shortly thereafter, it turns out that every woman capable of bearing children ispregnant. When the babies are born, they are all blond, eerily similar, and possessed offrightening intelligence and powe…
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Best of Bud Abbott and Lou Costello Volume 3, The

Posted in Disc Reviews by David Annandale on August 2nd, 2004

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Synopsis

By 1948, Bud Abbott and Lou Costello’s film career was in the doldrums. It was revived inthis year by an inspired melding of genres: Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein. Moreon the importance of this film a bit later on. For now, its premise sees Bud and Lou asdeliverymen who unknowingly help bring Dracula (Bela Lugosi) and the Frankenstein Monster(Glenn Strange) into the States. Hot on the heels of the monsters, determined to destroy Dracula,is Larry Talbot (Lon C…
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Garfield and Friends (Volume One)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on July 27th, 2004

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Garfield has been hunting lasagna, out-witting his clueless owner Jon, and frolicking with his intellectually challenged partner in crime, Odie since 1978. While the recent big screen release failed to capture the attention of the public, the animated series from 1988 did everything that the movie failed to do. It made the viewers laugh. The animated series was cleverly written, very witty and in a way similar to the Simpsons, had the ability to make both kids and adults laugh.

Garfield first appeared on T…
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