Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on October 31st, 2003
Not since the height of the American Western has there been a film genre where we find ourselves rooting for the bad guys and booing the good guys. Yesterday’s Jesse James and Billy The Kid have become Michael Corleone and Tony Soprano. Add to the mix that The Sopranos have totally revolutionized the face of the television drama. It’s no fluke that this show dominates nearly every Emmy category there is. The cinematography is feature film quality. The cast is high end and the writing is gutsy and tight. Make no mistake about it. Season Four was not the best Sopranos by any measure. Still, even at its weakest, the show delivers what most shows can’t at their best.
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Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on October 25th, 2003
Most sci-fi fans have a very warm place in their heart for Starbuck, Apollo, and the rest of the crew of Battlestar Galactica. At over $1 million per episode, it became the most expensive show in network history. Star Wars master Jedi f/x man John Dykstra utilized many of the techniques he developed for the Lucas enterprise. George Lucas claimed they were so close he was forced into a failed effort to sue the show for copyright infringement. Sci-Fi channel is about to relaunch this revered franchise, but the results appear so far underwhelming. (Starbuck as an airhead blonde chick?) Dressed in an amazing package that resembles a Cylon face, this is the ultimate Galactica. Glen Larson was already a network master with huge successes under his belt, like the famous forensic scientist Quincy, when he wrote and pitched the show. Galactica was a risk he did not have to take. The result was television magic. Like so many masterful shows before it, such as another famous sci-fi “enterprise”, it was never given a fair chance at the time. It was doomed to only be truly appreciated when it was finally gone.
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Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on October 25th, 2003
Forever Knight was a CBS attempt to provide original drama broadcasting in the late night slot. This was, of course, before Letterman came along. After two seasons it was jettisoned and the USA network picked it up. USA retooled the show and ran it for just one more year for a total of three: Thus the Forever Knight Trilogy. The concept was quite intriguing. Knight would strongly emulate the popular Ann Rice universe of vampires, combining these gothic images and stories with a modern police drama. Each episode had a trademark dual storyline. One story would involve Knight’s seedy vampire past, while the second story would involve the current police case. The stories would blend on some common element like loyalty or Father’s Day. Filmed almost totally at night in Canada, the series had a distinct atmosphere assisted in no small part by the wonderful time-lapse photography and the cello-rich score of Fred Molin
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Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on October 22nd, 2003
The Hills are back! Hank, Peggy, Bobby and Luanne have returned for more down home shenanigans. After a successful first season that followed in the footsteps of the Simpsons, King of the Hill was a surprising hit from the creative mind of Mike Judge, formerly responsible for the heavy metal antics of Beavis and Butthead. The second series picks up where series one left off albeit with improved writing and further exploration of the characters. I particularly like the characterization of Hank as a true redneck – ... particularly sexually inhibited redneck at that.
There are some great moments in the second season that continued to define the pathological relationships between the Hill family – from the twisted father/son relationship that blossoms due to Bobby’s uncanny accuracy at shooting things which then allows us some insight into Hank’s own poor relationship with his war-vet father. There are some classic digs into American life as one episode gives us a little more background into Luanne as she is returned to the trailer park from whence she came, in time for the trailer park to be hit by a tornado. While this is happening, Dale’s wife, Nancy the TV weather girl, comments on air, “Why is it that tornado’s always hit trailer parks?”
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on October 20th, 2003
This wonderful British comedy comes to DVD once again… this time in a Vol. 6-10 box set. If you are not familiar with this outrageous show, it ruled BBC airwaves from 1972-1985, and continues to entertain today on DVD. Taking place solely on a single floor of a department store, this show covers the lives and misadventures of the staff who are employed there.
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Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on October 19th, 2003
The eighth season of the X-files brought major changes to one of Fox’s strongest running series. And whenever major changes occur there is always a concern about what is going to happen to the integrity of the show. By the end of the 7th season the worries about what David Duchovny was going to do left fans of the show in limbo. Luckily, the creative team behind the X-files (one of the best in television history) was up to the task.
The season opened with the introduction to Agent Fox Mulder’s replace...ent – John Doggett (Robert Patrick – best known as the lethal liquid metal T-1000 from T2). There was an initial great exchange between Scully and Doggett in which she throws a cup of water in Doggett’s face. The writers anticipated that this is exactly what the fans would have wanted to happen (how dare they replace Mulder?). Doggett was a great contrast to Mulder – a complete straight shooter and team player. A very similar premise reminiscent of the first season was replayed with a reversal of roles – Dogget was the skeptic and Scully was the believer. In addition a second addition to the cast occurred early with the appearance of Agent Monica Reyes – a true believer in the purpose of the X-Files with a weird new age feel about her that added some levity to Doggett’s “straight by the book” attitude. Scully was transformed throughout the season as her pregnancy progressed with worries about not only the health of her unborn child but also questions about its genetic make-up. How alien would it be? And what are the implications of its birth?
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on October 15th, 2003
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Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on October 14th, 2003
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Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on October 14th, 2003
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. Redd Foxx turned the cantankerous old junk dealer Fred Sanford into an American icon. Sadly, his fake heart attack routine was so well known that when he actually had one on the set of a later series his co-stars were laughing as he died. Somehow I think Redd might have wanted it that way.
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Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on October 8th, 2003
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...wouldn’t touch the idea due to the excessive drug and alcohol content.
Adding to the cast of characters is Edina’s daughter Saffron who is much opposed to her mother’s intoxicating lifestyle and Edina’s long lost gay son that we meet in “Absolutely fabulous in New York (one of the stories on this disc).” He has been hiding out from his family and is surprised when his mother finds him. What is surprising is that she doesn’t think he is gay enough. Wow. You don’t see this kind of stuff on NBC regularly. There is a special guest star appearance by Whoopi Goldberg as a gay relationship counselor.
