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Sci-Fi / Fantasy

Space: 1999: The Complete Season One (Blu-ray)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on January 4th, 2011

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Dateline: September 13, 1999

Mankind has been storing all of our nuclear waste on the far side of the moon. On the other side of the lunar surface was Alpha Base. Here mankind had a research station which also served as a launching point for deep-space missions. An unfortunate chain of events led to the unthinkable. The nuclear waste pile was ignited, and the whole dump exploded with a force so powerful that it tore the moon out of Earth’s orbit and sent it hurtling through space. The 311 inhabitants of Alpha were swept along for this uncontrolled flight into uncharted space.
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Inception

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on December 23rd, 2010

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Written by Diane Tillis

It is hard to talk about Inception without spoiling something. It is also hard to read any review and get a full feel for the film. Inception truly needs to be seen to understand why it is so amazing. On one level, it is an incredible action film that revolves around the heist scenario set in exotic locations such as France and Japan. On another level, the core purpose of the film is a complex discovery into dreams and the subconscious,
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Hunter Prey

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on December 22nd, 2010

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One man. One alien. One choice.

That’s the tag line for Hunter Prey, the latest project from Sandy Collora, idol to fanboys everywhere thanks to his 2003 short film, Batman: Dead End, believed by many to be the best fan film ever made. Well, after a long wait, he has finally made his first full-length feature film, and though it’s clearly hovering around the bottom rung of the budget ladder, there is much to admire here.
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Space Precinct: The Complete Series

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on December 16th, 2010

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“The name’s Brogan, Lieutenant Brogan. For 20 years I was with the NYPD. Now? Well … let’s just say I’m transferring to another precinct.”

That Precinct is the 88^th, which serves Demeter City from an orbiting station around the planet Altor. Demeter City is one of the toughest cities in the universe. There’s tons of slums and every kind of scumbag criminal you could ever expect to find in the worst of Earth’s hoods. The planet is primarily populated by three species, although there are literally hundreds of known species that might be found in one of the darkest corners of the city.
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Resonnances

Posted in Disc Reviews by David Annandale on December 15th, 2010

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Six young men and women head off in two cars for a weekend trip in rural France. Along the way, the car with the three guys runs out of gas, fortunately within pushing distance of a filling station. There, our boys inadvisedly pick up a hitchhiker, who turns out to be an escaped psychopath. But no sooner have they started to worry about their new passenger when a mysterious fog and a ghostly vision send them careening off a cliff. Wounded and lost, they find that not only do they have a killer to contend with, but there is something monstrous and huge under the ground that is hunting all of them.
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The Sorcerer’s Apprentice (Blu-ray)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on December 9th, 2010

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“The war between sorcerers was fought in the shadows of history, and the fate of mankind rested with the just and powerful Merlin. He taught his secrets to three trusted apprentices, Balthazar, Veronica and Horvath. He should have trusted only two.”

It was one of the most memorable Walt Disney moments in the long history of animation. The Sorcerer’s Apprentice segment in Fantasia would become the most recognizable piece of the film.
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Avatar (Three-Disc Extended Collector’s Edition) (Blu-ray)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on December 8th, 2010

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And the George Lucas Award for the filmmaker who has mined the most out of his movie this year….the envelope please. It’s James Cameron for releasing not one, not two, not three, but four different versions of Avatar in less than a year. But I’ll have to give him a pass, just this once. This 3-disc collection offers enough goodies that it will tempt you to trade in your still-new version for this complete collection. Better yet … put it at the top of your Christmas list. The film comes in three versions. One with 8 minutes added. Another with 16. What’s the point of having the new version if not to see the most extensive edit?
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Avatar (Three-Disc Extended Collector’s Edition)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on December 7th, 2010

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Written by Diane Tillis

The world of Avatar has been a part of James Cameron’s dreams for over a decade. When he initially approached studios to pitch the concept, they denied him the opportunity, citing the huge budget that would be necessary to create the film. Thus Cameron had to wait for technology to catch up with his vision. Flash forward a decade with the advancements in capture-motion cameras and 3D technology; Cameron finally saw his opportunity. With an amazing crew of visionaries, Cameron broke several boundaries in the film industry and created a cultural phenomenon.
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The Six Million Dollar Man The Complete Series

Posted in No Huddle by Gino Sassani on November 30th, 2010

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“Steve Austin, astronaut, a man barely alive. Gentlemen, we can rebuild him, we have the technology. We have the capability to make the world’s first Bionic man. Steve Austin will be that man. Better than he was before. Better. Stronger. Faster.”

I remember as a kid we used to imitate the Bionic Man when we would be playing in the playground. We would run in slow motion
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The Gathering (2010)

Posted in Disc Reviews by William O'Donnell on November 25th, 2010

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A surgeon named Michael Foster, played by Peter Gallagher, has his world turned upside down when his wife disappears one morning without a trace. Initially he suspected she was having an affair and ran away with another man, but as strange evidence gathers he soon realizes that she has been a part of a strange coven of witches and her disappearance might not have been her choice.
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The Twilight Zone: Season 2 (Blu-ray)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on November 23rd, 2010

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“You’re traveling through another dimension, a dimension not only of sight and sound but of mind; a journey into a wondrous land whose boundaries are that of imagination. That’s the signpost up ahead — your next stop, the Twilight Zone.”

Image follows up its great Blu-ray release of season 1 with a second season that continues to impress. You are getting the best image possible with some of the most comprehensive bonus features you’re apt to find with any classic television series.
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Doctor Who: The Complete Fifth Series (Blu-ray)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on November 22nd, 2010

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Imagine a world where Winston Churchill battles deadly machines from space intent on dominating the universe, a place where Santa is a deadly menace, and a rather eccentric fellow travels about in a police call box with a rather deceptively spacious interior. To Dr. Who fans of all ages, this is all very familiar territory. I fell in love with Dr. Who as played by Tom Baker from 1974 – 1981. He was the fourth actor to portray the Doctor and arguably the most popular. With a pocket full of jelly babies and a trusty sonic screwdriver, the Doctor rather muddled his way about with a massive wool scarf around his neck,
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Life On Mars (UK): The Complete Collection

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on November 17th, 2010

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“My name is Sam Tyler. I had an accident and I woke up in 1973. Am I mad, in a coma, or back in time? Whatever happened, it’s like I’ve landed on a different planet. Now, maybe, if I can work out the reason, I can get back home.”

I kind of did things a little backwards. I saw the single-season American version of Life On Mars quite some time before I managed to get my hands on the two seasons of the original British version of the show.
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Highlander (Director’s Cut) (Blu-ray)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on November 10th, 2010

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“From the dawn of time, we came, moving silently down through the centuries, living many secret lives, struggling to reach the time of The Gathering, where the few who remain will battle to the last. No one has ever known we were among you …Until now.”

We all want to believe that we’re special. We fantasize that one day we’ll discover that we aren’t the mere mortal people we thought that we were.
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Splice (Blu-ray)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on November 8th, 2010

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I’m not exactly sure what it is that audiences expected when Splice hit the box offices in June. I will have to admit that the trailers were not all that impressive. But I guess that most people didn’t see what I saw when I looked at the early promotion for the film. I was fascinated by the appearance of the “creature”, and the overall Frankenstein overtones were too much for me to resist. The movie compelled me from the first images and descriptions. Apparently, that wasn’t the case in general. Splice tanked at the box office. It barely made $17 million.
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Highlander 2 (Blu-ray)

Posted in Disc Reviews by David Annandale on November 4th, 2010

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In 2024, the Earth’s ozone layer has been depleted (or so most assume), and life is protected by an electromagnetic shield designed by Connor MacLeod (Christopher Lambert). Eco-crusader Virginia Madsen, however, believes that the ozone layer has restored itself, and the corporation that runs the shield is maintaining it for its own purposes. Meanwhile, back in the past, villain Michael Ironside sends assassins to the future to kill Lambert, who is an aging man as the film begins
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The Rocky Horror Picture Show (35th Anniversary Edition) (Blu-ray)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on October 28th, 2010

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“So come up to the lab and see what’s on the slab.”

It was 1975. Teamsters President Jimmy Hoffa goes missing. South Vietnam falls. The Superdome opens in New Orleans. Elizabeth Seton becomes the first American saint. Patty Hearst ends her fugitive run. George Carlin hosts the first episode of Saturday Night Live. Phil Collins replaces Peter Gabriel as the lead in Genesis. And The Rocky Horror Picture Show opens to absolutely terrible box office numbers.
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Dollhouse: Season Two (Blu-ray)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on October 28th, 2010

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A Joss Whedon universe is always a strange and fantastical place to visit. It doesn’t matter if it’s populated by vampires and demons or space cowboys. If Whedon’s name appears anywhere on the credits, you know you’re going to be in for one hell of a ride. It’s been a little while since Whedon’s been back in the saddle. His most recent series, Firefly, was fraught with problems with the network. It was very badly handled, and the show died an undeserved swift death after just a few episodes.
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Predators (Blu-ray)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on October 27th, 2010

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In June of 1987 many of us took to our local theaters to watch two future state governors tackle an alien creature in the jungles of southeast Asia. Director John McTiernan had combined the Rambo mercenary-styled film with that of a creature feature. The result was an impressive $60 million on a mere $15 million budget, and a franchise was born. From its first reveal in those Asian jungles, the Predator was an impressive sight. The creature was highly intelligent, to be sure, but it possessed those baser instincts of hunting and survival. It was a monster, but one who utilized advanced technological weaponry to accent its own fearsome brutal nature.
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Jonah Hex

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on October 27th, 2010

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“War and me took to each other real well. It felt like it had meaning. The feeling of doing what you thought was right. But it wasn’t. Folks can believe what they like, but eventually a man’s gotta decide if he’s gonna do what’s right. That choice cost me more than I bargained for…”

All of the good superheroes are getting used up. With so many Hollywood blockbuster films featuring those iconic comic superheroes, there comes a time when you have to start looking at the next tier of comic favorites.
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Mad Max (Blu-ray)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on October 19th, 2010

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“Born with a steering wheel in his hand and lead in his foot, he is the Nightrider, cruising at the speed of fright! This is the Nightrider, and we ain’t never coming back. I’m a fuel-injected suicide machine…”

Long before Mel Gibson’s troubles involved real-life police officers and a bad case of “foot-in-mouth disease” that has made him his own worst enemy, Mel had more dramatic enemies to deal with. The unknown Australian actor was only 22 years old when he starred in the Outback production that would put both Mel Gibson and his native Australia on the filmmaking map.
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Legend of the Seeker: The Complete Second and Final Season

Posted in Disc Reviews by Michael Durr on October 8th, 2010

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As mentioned before, reviewing television series can be very rewarding since I don’t watch as much television as I used too. I’ve found series that I never knew existed until the discs showed up in my mailbox. One of these great series is named Legend of the Seeker. I was fortunate enough to review the first season and it got great marks. So, I was even more delighted to see the second season hit my hands as well. This might be the final season for the show but let’s hope they saved the best for last.
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The Secret of Moonacre

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on September 30th, 2010

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“Once upon a perfect time many hundreds of years ago, when the old magic clung to the Moonacre Valley, there was a young woman whose skin gleamed as pale as a star and whose heart was as pure as moonlight. Such was her bravery and goodness, she was beloved by nature as if she were its own daughter.”

Director Gabor Csupo is no stranger to the world of fantasy. While The Secret Of Moonacre was only his third film, his last film was the very similar Bridge To Terabithia. That film had a rather extraordinary cast, and while some of the film festival crowd found themselves endeared to the fanciful film, it was not the box office smash that these films often bring these days.
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The Twilight Zone: Season 1 (Blu-ray)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on September 15th, 2010

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“There is a fifth dimension beyond that which is known to man. It is a dimension as vast as space and as timeless as infinity. It is the middle ground between light and shadow, between science and superstition, and it lies between the pit of man’s fears and the summit of his knowledge. This is the dimension of imagination. It is an area which we call the Twilight Zone.”

It would be very hard, indeed, to argue against the impact that The Twilight Zone has had on television. To say that the series was a milestone in that medium would be an understatement of the worst kind.
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Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (Blu-ray)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on September 15th, 2010

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“It is said some lives are linked across time. Connected by an ancient calling that echoes through the ages. Destiny.”

The Prince Of Persia is not some new phenomenon sweeping the country. The original video game goes back quite some time to the pre-high-definition consoles of the late 1980’s. Over the years the title has had some major staying power and has continued to flourish across several platforms and generations of graphics and game play. Today video games are more and more like movies themselves. Many of these games carry budgets as high as blockbuster effects-laden tent-pole films. It’s big business.
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