Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on September 7th, 2005
ALF stands for Alien Life Form, but anyone who has seen this hit 1980’s comedy knows ALF stands for “laughing your ass off funny”. That’s what I had to say about season 1. Season 2 is just as funny, if not tons more. Of course, it helps that the show got its first full run of episodes in this year. Each episode shares its name with a song title. To the show’s credit, many are obscure. The big problem here continues to be the use of cut syndicated episodes. At least on this set the box clearly alerts you to this fact. An ethics issue I had with season 1 was the lack of any such warning. If this show were still around in syndication, at least here in the Tampa area, I would certainly forgo any bought sets and simply DVD-R them from broadcast. Uncut versions of these older shows is really the only reason to buy them.
Synopsis
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on September 7th, 2005
Synopsis
When Glynis Johns’ car breaks down, she seeks help at the mansion run by Dr. Caligari (Dan O’Herlihy), who promptly makes her prisoner. He won’t let her leave, he says, until she tells him everything about her most intimate life. All of the other guests at the house won’t help her, and everyone has a tendency to speak in riddles. Our heroine descends deeper and deeper into a nightmarish psychological trap.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on September 7th, 2005
What's the dealio with The Deal? Well... Christian Slater's in it. Selma Blair's in it. What's it about? The Deal is a thriller set in the world of insider trading and the oil market. Sounds like a bore? Well, the film is fairly knowledgable about its information. The screenplay has a lot of "insider" gobbledegook. The characters talk the talk, but can they walk the walk?
The Deal, on a thriller level, gets lost in its own plot. Tom Hanson (Christian Slater) slogs through a maz... of narrative. Too much information, too little time. The world of Wall Street is hard to wrap your head around as it is. The strength of the film lies in its strong cast, sure handed look, and intelligent ideas.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on September 6th, 2005
This is not your father’s Sinbad. The emphasis is on the Bad, very bad. Seek and ye shall find no Ray Harryhausen magic to carry you away to distant lands and grand adventure. Lou Ferrigno was much better as The Hulk than as Sinbad. His much too modern use of slang coupled with a wise-guy barrage of one-liners makes this a difficult film to watch. Trust me. This film is really bad. Most disturbing is the total lack of respect the producers of this mess show for the grand traditions of previous Sinbad films. There is no majesty and mystery. You will also quickly become annoyed with the narration. A woman is telling the story to her all too inquisitive child.There is only mockery and triteness. They even try to pass off some of Lou’s Hercules footage as new stuff shot for this film. Well, the film wasn’t what needed to be shot here.
Audio
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on September 5th, 2005
Synopsis
In 19th-Century Edinburgh, medical doctor Timothy Dalton needs bodies in order to further medical science. He avails himself of the services of two scoundrels (Johnathan Pryce and Stephen Rea), who provide him with extremely fresh specimens. Disturbingly fresh, as assistant Julian Sands is quick to realize. Dalton contends that the ends justify the means, even if those means are murder.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on September 5th, 2005
Synopsis
Art Carney is a spirited senior (the Harry of the title) who is evicted from his home (the building is going to be torn down to make way for a parking lot). He sets out with his cat Tonto on a cross-country journey that sees him bouncing off family members and strangers on their own journeys.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on September 4th, 2005
Synopsis
Kingdome Hospital is built on the site of a former Civil War textile mill, where many children lost their lives in a tragic fire. The ground is therefore haunted, and strange things are happening in the hospital. We follow the lives of many characters here, including one particular patient, an artist who was hit by a truck (the incident is very faithful reproduction of what happened to Stephen King himself) and is haunted, in his comatose state, by visions of a supernatural anteater (I’m not...making this up).
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on September 4th, 2005
Synopsis
Based on Henry James’ novella The Turn of the Screw, this is the tale of a repressed governess (Deborah Kerr), who arrives at a country estate to care for two young children. She soon becomes convinced that the ghosts of the valet and the previous governess are haunting the place, and have evil designs on the children.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on September 3rd, 2005
Synopsis
Professor Gangreen (John Astin) and his evil killer tomatoes are back with yet another attempt to take over the world. This time, the mad scientist and his hapless assistant Igor are spreading their message by running a trashy TV daytime talk show out of their base on Crystal Mountain (kinda like Crystal Lake, geddit? Cue Friday the 13th parody). Investigating are a clueless hardboiled cop and the oh-so-hot tomatologist.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on September 3rd, 2005
Synopsis
Narrowly escaping the guillotine thanks to the intervention of the evil tomatoes, Professor Gangreen (John Astin) sets up shop with Igor in a medieval castle/tourist attraction. A young American tourist, embarrassed at starring in a killer tomatoes movie, pretends to be Michael J. Fox (thus landing a comely French girlfriend), and winds up fighting against the evil doctor and his vegetables. (Or are tomatoes a fruit?)
