Disc Audio

SpongeBob SquarePants Christmas

Posted in Disc Reviews by David Annandale on October 14th, 2003

Synopsis

Nine more SpongeBob episodes, including the double-length “Christmas Who?” Not all theepisodes are Christmas, or even winter, related. “Procrastination,” for instance, showsSpongeBob desperately trying to write an essay (amusing enough, but not a patch on RichardCondie’s animated short “Getting Started”). All in all good-humoured fun, though I keep beingreminded of Ren and Stimpy with the edge removed.

Audio

The sound is much the same as that on the…
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I Love Lucy Season One, Volumes 7-9

Posted in Disc Reviews by David Annandale on October 14th, 2003

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Synopsis

Each disc contains four episodes of the series, moving forward in the order they wereoriginally broadcast (so volume 9 ends gets us as far as episode 35). These are valuable historicaldocuments of TV’s pioneer days, and the show, at the time, was hugely impressive from aproduction standpoint in that it used multiple cameras (and employed such luminaries aslegendary cameraman Karl Freund). I’ll admit Lucille Ball’s style of slapstick doesn’t do muchfor me, but I guess I just…
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Sanford and Son – The Third Season

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on October 14th, 2003

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I understand that it might be highly debatable, but Sanford and Son was one of if not the funniest sitcom in TV history. Based on a British series called Steptoe and Son, Sanford made television history by becoming the first sitcom to feature a predominantly black cast. Norman Lear, known more for the historic All In The Family, took a chance on a black comedian with a risqué reputation. Redd Foxx was recording records he called Party Albums that came in plain brown wrapper and featured dirty jokes that would even make Richard Pryor blush.
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All The Real Girls

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on October 14th, 2003

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All The Real Girls is an attempt to delve deeper into the emotional landscape involved with being young and in love. Most movies that try to tackle this very complicated issue often only so a very superficial job. The main thrust of this movie is to examine what it’s actually like to be smitten i.e. not being able to think straight, how desperate our emotions can make us feel and doing things we hadn’t planned and facing the consequences.

Paul (Paul Schneider) is the 22 year old town heart-throb who is wo…
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Christmas Carol – The Movie

Posted in Disc Reviews by David Annandale on October 13th, 2003

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Synopsis

This is, of course, the familiar tale of miser Ebenezer Scrooge (voice of Simon Callow) andhis conversion thanks to his encounters with the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Yet-To-Come. This version has a few alterations, though: Scrooge’s lost love (Kate Winslet) is still verymuch around, and is trying to get in touch with him; there’s a new subplot involving a hospitalfor poor orphans that shuts down because of Scrooge; and Scrooge’s only friends are two mice,who sca…
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Mimic 3: Sentinel

Posted in Disc Reviews by David Annandale on October 12th, 2003

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Synopsis

A survivor of Strickland’s disease (the illness that led to the creation of the Judas breed ofgiant cockroaches in the first place), Karl Geary is extremely allergic, cannot be far from hisoxygen bottle, and is essentially of prisoner of his bedroom. From here he watches theneighbourhood through a telephoto lens, obsessively photographing. His mother (AmandaPlummer) is an oblivious flake, and his younger sister is well on her way to becoming a junkie.Gradually, Geary realiz…
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House That Dripped Blood, The

Posted in Disc Reviews by David Annandale on October 12th, 2003

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Synopsis

A movie star has disappeared, and a police inspector arrives in the small town where he wasstaying to investigate. He is informed that there is something very strange about the house wherethe star was living, and we then see the stories of what happened to the various tenants. In thefirst story, writer Denholm Elliott fears that a strangler in the novel he is working on has come tolife. Next, Peter Cushing visits a wax museum and sees a statue of Salome that bears an uncanny…
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Sweet Sixteen

Posted in Disc Reviews by David Annandale on October 11th, 2003

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Synopsis

Liam (Martin Compston) is about to turn 16. His mother is in prison, taking the fall for hisbrutal drug-dealing father. (And his grandfather is just as bad.) Thrown out his home fordeliberately messing up a drug exchange which would have spoiled his mother’s chances forrelease, Liam sets about creating not just a new life for himself, but trying to provide for hismother when she gets out. His quest won’t be easy, to put it mildly. Strong, naturalisticperformances, and an un…
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Once In The Life

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on October 9th, 2003

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A double crossed drug deal goes bad and two half brothers 20/20 Mike (Laurence Fishburne) and Torch (Titus Welliver) retreat to an abandoned New York warehouse. When Mike calls his friend Tony the Tiger to help them out, tension erupts and not everything is as it seems in this story of loyalty and love. This is a well written, well shot and very well acted film, Titus Welliver is riveting as the dope fiend half brother. Written and Directed by Laurence Fishbourne this film is raw and gripping.

Video

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Men Seeking Women

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on October 9th, 2003

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Three best friends all born on the same day in the same hospital make a bet to help them find love. Each of them put two thousand dollars in a bank account and the first one that get get a girlfriend and live with her for 60 days wins. Nick the playboy makes a pact with a college friend, Al (played by Will Ferrell) embarks on misadventures in dating and Les finds himself a married woman of mystery who may be married to the mob. You can see the ending coming a mile away but, the story is still entertaining.

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Kim Possible – The Secret Files

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on October 9th, 2003

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Follow along with Kim Possible, Ron Stoppable and Rufus the naked mole rat as they foil the plans of some seriously wacko bad guys and still make it home for dinner. We have three episodes as well as the very first episode from this popular Disney kid’s series.

Video

The transfer of this 1.66:1 anamorphic widescreen format video is pretty good, it is not plagued with edge enhancements or noise. The story is a traditional cell animated cartoon and the video quality varies somewhat, at times…
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The Lion King

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on October 9th, 2003

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For a long time The Lion King was the highest grossing animated film in history. For my money it is still miles ahead of any other animated feature. Using more frames per second in animation than the modern cost-cutting standard, this animation simply flows. Elton John and Tim Rice combined for some spectacular songs that somehow appeal to adults and the pop crowd while still maintaining that charm and sing-along ability necessary to attract children. The story is far richer in content than the typical animated fare.
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Absolutely Fabulous – Absolutely Special

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on October 8th, 2003

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Absolutely Fabulous is a British series that aired on the BBC starting in 1992. The show stars Jennifer Saunders as Edina, who is a fashion-world publicist whom with her best friend Patsy, played by Joanna Lumley, tries to re-live their younger days by consuming large amounts of alcohol and drugs. Gotta love those crazy Brits! This formula worked well enough for 4 seasons of the show, which are now available on DVD. Apparently Rosanne Barr tried to convince the networks in the US to make an American version but they…
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Osbournes – The Complete Second Season

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on October 8th, 2003

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Ozzy’s back! Jack, Kelly, Sharon, and of course Ozzy, have returned for a second season where they share their insane lives with all of the world; the result is a hilarious look at a functioning dysfunctional family. The shock and uniqueness of this show is waning somewhat, but it is still extremely entertaining to watch.

Video

Considering the source material, this set looks just fine. The picture quality is pretty standard “TV on DVD” fair, and the color levels and blacks are maintained…
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It’s a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on October 6th, 2003

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Often family Christmas movies, while ambitious, often miss the mark with a weak story or bad acting. I was worried that a Muppet Christmas movie would follow in these footsteps. Additionally, some of the previous Muppet movies fell short of the comedic styling that resonated within a generation of kids like myself whom grew up with the Muppet Show. Thankfully I was disappointed on both accounts.

It’s a Very Merry Muppet Movie holds it’s own against the best of the family Christmas movies and in my mind riv…
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Leap of Faith

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on October 6th, 2003

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I had never heard of this movie before and when I first saw it I thought, well here’s a Steve Martin comedy that I’ve never heard of (probably because it is really bad…). However, Steve Martin plays this role straight and in doing so brings a lot of presence to the screen. Leap of faith tells the story of a con man named Reverend Jonas Nightengale who has made a career of separating the poor and uneducated from their money. He is in the midst of a tour when his tour bus breaks down in the backwater town of Rustwater,…
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Dawson’s Creek – The Series Finale

Posted in Disc Reviews by David Annandale on October 5th, 2003

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Synopsis

Cards on the table: I never watched the show, and so didn’t have the faintest idea what wasgoing on. Here’s the case summary: “It’s five years later and Dawson, Joey, Pacey, Jen and Jackare reunited in Capeside for Dawson’s mom’s wedding. But the celebratory mood comes to anend when they receive some heartbreaking news. As the gang faces a future more uncertain thanbefore, Joey struggles to come to terms with her true feelings for Dawson, Pacey and her currentboyfrie…
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Christmas with the Simpsons

Posted in Disc Reviews by David Annandale on October 5th, 2003

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Synopsis

There are five episodes here, going all the way back to arrival of Santa’s Little Helper (in“Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire”) and featuring such classics as the “Mr. Plow” episode.Admittedly, that one has more to do with snow than Christmas itself, but what the hell. Sure, thisis pure marketing (and don’t bother if you’re already buying the complete seasons in boxed sets),but there’s plenty of comic gold here too.

Audio

The sound is 2.0, a…
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Forbidden Dance, The

Posted in Disc Reviews by David Annandale on October 5th, 2003

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Synopsis

Ubiquitous B-movie bad guy Richard Lynch is clearing the Brazilian rain forest. Nativeprincess Laura Herring (or, as she is now known, Laura Elena Harring) arrives in LA hoping toconvince the chairman of the evil multinational to halt the destruction. She falls in love with thechairman’s son, and lot of dancing ensues. Utterly inane. Harring went on to much better thingsin Mulholland Dr.

Audio

The 2.0 sound is decent but unspectacular….
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Full Bottom – Not Another Half-Arsed DVD Set

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on October 5th, 2003

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Rik Mayall (Drop Dead Fred) and Adrian Edmondson are the stars in this British comedy about two obnoxious loaners at the bottom of the food chain. Follow along with Richie Richard and Eddie Hitler on their quest for love and money as they try out pheromones, dating services and visit the carnival. This DVD collection contains all three seasons of the show for a total of 18 episodes.

Video

This disc contains a 1.33:1 fullscreen transfer of very good quality. The putrid green color of Richie and Eddie’s apartment comes through in all its grimy glory.
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Kids Are Alright, The

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on October 5th, 2003

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Synopsis

The Kids Are Alright is an combination of footage of performances by The Who(covering the fifteen years of their career up to 1979) and interview excerpts. There are all sortsof historic moments here, one of which occurs right off the top, where we see the band’sappearance on the Smothers Brothers TV show, where an overdone explosion set PeteTownsend’s hair on fire (and perhaps was responsible for his hearing loss). If you’re not a fan ofthe group, this will p…
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Dark Angel – The Complete Second Season

Posted in Disc Reviews by David Annandale on October 5th, 2003

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Synopsis

Having been recaptured by the government at the end of the previous season (not to mentionalmost killed), Max (Jessica Alba) breaks loose at the start of this season. Also freed are otherexperiments, mutants who are very visibly mutants (their DNA was crossed with that of animals,for instance), ultimately leading to some very X-Men style battles with human prejudice. JamesCameron himself comes in to direct the final episode.

Audio

An energeti…
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Smallville – The Complete First Season

Posted in Disc Reviews by David Annandale on October 3rd, 2003

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Synopsis

The pilot episode lets you know immediately that this is going to be a bit different from thebucolic Smallville stories we might be familiar with. The spaceship containing the child Kal-El(soon to be Clark Kent) doesn’t arrive on its own: it is accompanied by many fragments of theplanet Krypton, which smash destructively into Smallville, killing the parents of Lana Lang (andalmost putting paid to a young Lex Luthor). Flash forward to the present, and we follow ClarkKent thr…
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Office, The

Posted in Disc Reviews by David Annandale on October 3rd, 2003

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Synopsis

Set in a dismal industrial park (appropriately named the Slough), the offices in questionbelong to Wernham Hogg, a paper company. Principle characters are insufferable boss DavidBrent, skeletal yes-man Gareth Keenan, cynical receptionist Dawn, and bored-out-of-his-skullsales rep Tim. The characters each get their turn speaking to the camera (especially thepsychotically pleased with himself Brent), and we see them interacting too. The tone is not unlikeLarry Sanders, and the…
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The Hospital

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on October 3rd, 2003

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Arthur Hiller’s films are often quirky and funny like The In-Laws, but just as often confusing. The Hospital left me with a feeling that most of the material was over my head. At times Woody Allen, and at others Alan Greenspan. The jacket promises a look behind the scenes of the modern hospital. What we mostly get is a character study performed exceptionally by George C. Scott, but little else. Important subplots like the hospital’s takeover of a ghetto building are never really fully developed.
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