Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on April 25th, 2006
Dawson’s Creek follows the lives of Dawson Leery (James Van Der Beek) and his friends, as they struggle through their formative years and – in this final season – search for their places in the adult world. The first episode pulls a cruel tease in finally putting Joey (Katie Holmes) and Dawson together before the rug is pulled out from under their love affair the very next episode. Some might say it’s a decision from which the season never recovers – I say the show never had its footing to begin with. Plagued ...y writer and executive producer Kevin Williamson’s penchant for overwriting every single character, the two-hour finale has more laughable life affirmations that in no way resemble the ways that actual people talk than you can shake a stick at. His dialogue – and that attributed to other series scribes – revels in its own verbosity. No matter what the character’s intellectual playing field, he or she has something profound, deep, and flowery, to say; and such speech is usually followed by a self-congratulatory retort from another character – as if the writers are throwing out a line they think sounds terrific, and they’re so pleased with themselves, they must have the other conversational participant pat them on the back for thinking of it. I can’t tell you how many times you’ll hear things like, “So true”; “Well-put”; “I never thought of it that way”; “I couldn’t have said it better myself”; blah, blah, blah…
The final decisions for the two-hour finale are also terribly clichéd and can be seen coming from a mile away. Williamson drives one major character’s death into the ground so much that by the time he/she actually goes, you’ve lost all emotional attachment to the character, and are just thankful you don’t have to listen to one more weeping goodbye. On an unrelated note, the show heavily promotes the gay lifestyle. What your feelings are with regards to this are your own business, and as a free citizen, you have every right to them, but what Dawson’s Creek is guilty of is its refusal – along with the rest of popular entertainment – to feature positive characters opposed to the lifestyle. In this case, the show skirts the issue all together, with the exception of a moment where Jack (the primary gay character) refers to such thinking as living in “the Stone Age” – a relatively small potshot, but still a potshot. I’m not suggesting the gay characters be portrayed in a negative light – but it would be nice if the writers had a large enough understanding of the human race not to paint the opposition in such broad, generic strokes. Of course, if these writers had such ability, they wouldn’t be the pompous lit-class rejects they come across as in this show.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on April 20th, 2006
Synopsis
I’m late coming to this series about a fractious family and the funeral home they run. These are the first episodes I’ve ever seen, so I’m not going to pretend I have the faintest idea what’s going on here. All the various plot lines are clearly working to a conclusion, and for the benefit of those who know these characters, some of the things that are dealt with are James Cromwell’s depression and the difficulty in treating it, and the imminent arrival of a baby (which sets up the final epi...ode’s variation on the opening: instead of starting the show off with a death, it begins with a birth).
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on April 19th, 2006
The appearance of Mr. T as B.A. Baracus unfortunately overshadows the rest of this show. Why is that unfortunate? Because Mr. T’s appeal mostly comes from his performance as the show-stealing Clubber Lang from Rocky III, and not from any major importance he had on this series. While people certainly tuned in to see Baracus, they were often disappointed by the back seat he would frequently take to the other stars – disappointed because they wanted to see Clubber Lang on the A-Team, and not the back-seat charact...r he plays here. But after watching more of his role as Baracus in The A-Team: The Complete Fourth Season, it becomes obvious why he wasn’t used any more than he was – he really is a one-trick-pony actor. He plays one role – plays it well, in fact – but he simply cannot add anything else to the character. The new quickly wears off, and all you’re left with is a supporting character stealing the spotlight by presence alone over the show’s real star, George Peppard.
Some of the episodes included in this latest release are solid, while others are childish – in fact, most are childish, but I won’t say they’re not all a little fun. It always amazed me how The A-Team’s battles with the bad guys – while often containing the use of machine guns, grenades, assault choppers, and dozens of other deadly militaristic weapons – most always resorted in their victory without the loss of one human life, good or bad. It’s also amusing the government has such difficulty locating them, but any yahoo gas station owner can track them down with ease – a shortfall of the series most loyal fans will overlook. Still, the nostalgia factor is huge with this show – it’s got to be – and it does still manage the occasional episode with deeper value (see the season finale). It’s certainly a stupid show, but don’t let that stop you from enjoying it. There are far worse things on our silver screens today.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on April 17th, 2006
It’s his show, he’s Andy Milonakis. That’s what the rap says to begin each and every idiotic entry to the first season of The Andy Milonakis Show. And as Andy himself points out in the commentary for episode six, the show is meant to be as stupid as humanly possible. With Milonakis at the helm, it reaches such high aspirations with ease. I’m still not sure of the merits of a program, whose only intention is to see how asinine it can be. Rest assured, there’s a huge difference between stupid-stupid and stupid-f...nny, and Milonakis sticks with the former like it’s his religion.
I don’t know what else to really say about the eight episodes included in season one. The format of each is Andy acting as stupid as he can in a series of unrelated vignettes. For those who don’t know the name Milonakis, you’ll probably know the face that goes with it. Then again, with his only film credit that immediately comes to mind being a supporting role in Waiting (a funny flick with marginal-at-best box office returns), you may not. But if you’ve ever seen his face, you’re not likely to forget it. Afflicted with a growth hormone condition that puts him in the body (and mind) of a 14-year old, this 30-year old “comedian” usually gets a jaw-dropping reaction from those familiar with him once they discover his true age. Count me in that throng. But the real shock here is not that Milonakis is twice as old as he looks (and acts) – no, the truly flooring bit of information is that his show was ever picked up and produced in the first place. If this is the future of comedy, then I proudly call myself an old fogy.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on April 13th, 2006
Hawaii 5-0 was one of CBS’s most successful shows of the 1970’s. A great deal of money had been spent creating facilities to take advantage of the Island’s unique setting. When the show had finally run its course, executives with the network were not keen to give up the production resources, so they simply created a new show to fill the same time slot and utilize the Hawaiian settings. Instead of a cop, this new show would center around Thomas Magnum (Selleck). Magnum was a former Naval Intelligence operative from ...he Vietnam War. He worked for an unseen wealthy boss ala Charlie’s Angels. His intermediary was Higgins (Hillerman). The show might even be considered a spinoff of Hawaii 5-0, as there are times Magnum mentions McGarrett from the previous show. A great deal of the show’s charm was created in the relationship between the proper English gentleman of Higgins and the devil-may-care free spirit of Magnum. Detective shows of the era also featured cool cars. Rockford had his Firebird, Starsky had his stripped Tomato Torino, Crockett had his Ferrari. Magnum drove a flashy red Ferrari actually owned by his boss. Helping in the adventures was Island chopper pilot TC (Mosley) and Casablanca knockoff nightclub owner Rick (Mannetti).
The Fourth Season of Magnum begins with one of the series’ more unique episodes. In “Home From The Sea” you won’t find the normal antics and car chases that made the show famous. Instead, Magnum is adrift at sea treading water. The episode provides a wonderful opportunity for some insight into Magnum’s childhood through flashbacks. The rest of the season is pretty much more of the same from the first three years. Bad guys and friends in trouble dominate the collection of episodes.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on April 13th, 2006
Synopsis
Apparently Carlos Mencia is being hyped as the latin version of Dave Chappelle when it comes to the eyes of Comedy Central, as he appears to be the guy who says whatever is on his mind, and is an equal opportunity offender. But as we all know with brussels sprouts, if you try to force something on someone, chances are they’re going to resist it.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on April 13th, 2006
Synopsis
Not knowing what just how much further reality TV could go, imagine my shock and amazement when reality shows dived into places that people didn’t feel like going, like bail bondsmen offices or tattoo parlors. A&E has just the thing for you, as a compilation disc of the best episodes of the show Inked is now out on DVD.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on April 12th, 2006
Wonder Showzen is either the most brilliant post modern art piece that I have ever seen, or it's the work of a group of complete head cases. No matter what side of the fence you fall on, this show is undeniably offensive, creative, hilarious, disgusting... did I mention offensive? When I first heard that this show was a kids show parody for adults, I built up this image in my head of something between Pee Wee's Playhouse and South Park. I really couldn't have been more wrong. In fact, the show is...much more like what would happen if The Electric Company was created by a brain trust of some of the most offensive and secretly brilliant comedians on the planet. I have heard about shows that know no boundaries before, but this is by far the most boundary-free product I have ever seen. Honestly, I'm not sure if that's a good thing or not. I am all for comedy without limits, but this show is way, way over the line
Regular segments on the show include kids answers to inappropriate questions, disgusting and disturbing vintage footage, and a puppet who berates the public. One segment features a kid dressed as Hitler. Another shows a child drinking blood in a butcher shop. While this program is unquestionably fascinating and bizarre, and most definitely has some hilarious moments, that's not to say that it is always a pleasant thing to watch.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on April 12th, 2006
Time travel has always been a favorite staple in the Star Trek franchise. Since the days of Kirk and Spock, through the Temporal Cold War of Enterprise Federation, officers and their ships have traversed both past and future. It’s no surprise that the two most popular Trek films: The Voyage Home and First Contact happen to be time travel tales. In this collection, Trek fans have voted for their favorite temporal excursions from the first four versions of the show. Unfortunately some fine Enterprise entries are not ...ncluded. While all of these episodes are to be found in their individual season sets, this is nonetheless an impressive collection.
From the Original Series comes perhaps its greatest episode. Harlen Ellison’s “The City On The Edge Of Forever” features a compelling guest stint by a then very young Joan Collins as the ill-fated Edith Keeler. When McCoy escapes into the past enraged by an accidental drug overdose, he changes the past and strands the landing party on a dead planet. Kirk and Spock travel to Depression era San Francisco, where to Kirk’s horror he finds he must allow Keeler to die. To complicate matters, he appears to have fallen in love with her along the way. This classic is accompanied by that show’s Tomorrow Is Yesterday.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on April 11th, 2006
Synopsis
I like to consider myself both wild and out. Not knowing a helluva lot about Nick Cannon, other than he seems to be an entertainer that’s heavily produced to appear in movies and release the occasional rap/R&B album, kinda like a taller version of Bow Wow, with a little bit more emotional depth and a lot less charisma. The kind of guy that the ladies (that what I like to call them) take a fancy to, without knowing…what he’s famous for.
