Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on June 4th, 2002
Synopsis
A synopsis is pretty pointless. Either you watch the series or you don't. But for what it's worth, Buffy is a high-school student who is also one of the chosen heroes of history whose purpose in life is to combat and destroy vampires. The big complication this season is the fact that she's fallen love with one (Angel).
Audio
The Dolby 2.0 audio is acceptable, but nothing special. While generally clean, the dialogue does occasionally have some buzz to it. The music ...
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on April 16th, 2002
Let me start off by being very honest. I was not a huge fan of the Devlin and Emerich film version of Stargate. And because I wasn’t into the film, I did not bother to watch the Showtime original series when it first debuted. That was a major mistake on my behalf. The series is closer to Star Trek than Stargate (the movie). The cast is excellent beginning with Richard Dean Anderson taking over the Mike Douglas role of Col. O’Neal. With a refreshing blend of wit and tough guy, Anderson is everything you want in a le...
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on April 14th, 2002
The X-Files is one of those TV shows that lends itself very well to the DVD format. Its insanely complicated mythos and attendant continuity makes it a show where extras actually make sense. (Does anyone REALLY need Ally McBeal commentary?)
Synopsis
The fifth season is the one that led up to the release of the feature film, so it functions something like an extended prologue. Among the notable stand-alone stories, however, is “Kill Switch,” scripted by William Gibson. This season also saw the Lone ...
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on December 19th, 2001
Intro
For those who just can’t get enough of the much-loved series on perpetual re-run, now comes the 3-disc set of the first season.
Anyone needing a summary of the premise is clearly not part of the set’s target market. But in case you need a reminder, the setting is a Mobile Army Surgical Hospital during the Korean War, and the series revisits the characters introduced by the movie of the same name. Wacky hijinks interweave with the horrors of war. The show is at its tightest when the dialogue i...
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on November 23rd, 2001
Intro
If you are part of the MTV generation, you may find this collection more ancient then entertaining. If you grew up watching this series, it will bring back memories….
Synopsis
It changed the face of television forever. Based on the enormously popular and successful Planet of the Apes movie, the 1974 TV series has become a true cult classic. Now all 14 episodes (including "The Liberator," which never aired during the show's original run) have been compiled and are available to ow...
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on November 13th, 2001
Posted in Disc Reviews by Carly Peters
The season 4 collection of the X-Files comes in a seven disc package chock full of special features. Season four had some of the most talked about episodes in the X-Files brief history. Featured in this collection is “Home”, an episode that only aired once due to the undertones of incest in the plot, and has been banned from the re-run rotation. Other episodes include “Musings of the Cigarette Smoking Man”, a subplot that follows the life of young Cancer Man, who took part in some of the worlds most histo...
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on November 1st, 2001
Intro
In terms of Box Sets, HBO has impressed with the Sopranos DVD Collection. Season One was a pure treat on DVD. From the packaging, the layout, the quality, and the content, the First Season was a beautiful DVD release. HBO has pleased again with the release of Season Two. The quality standards have remained impeccable, and the content is as good as ever…
Synopsis
“In its second season, The Sopranos sustains the edgy intelligence and unpredictable, genre-warping narrative moment...
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on October 10th, 2001
Intro
For you British comedy fans out there, do I have a treat for you? The BBC has released the complete Fawlty Towers collection on DVD, and it is a very nice 3-Disc set.
Synopsis
“John Cleese stars as Basil Fawlty, the sharp-tongued, short-tempered owner of Fawlty Towers, a hotel plagued by crisis, chaos and bizarre characters.”
Audio
Considering that this collection is a 22 year old television series, the 2.0 audio is pretty good. Sure, you won’t get any notice...
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on September 11th, 2001
Intro
Everybody’s favorite reality based television show has come to video for the second time, courtesy of Paramount. Unfortunately this is not the complete second season of Survivor, only a “best of” compellation. We are introduced to the contestants that we have all come to either love (Elizabeth & Colby) or hate (Jerri & Kimmi), and are shown some of their footage from the show and the entry videos that the contestants submitted.
Audio
I would call the audio on this disc “made fo...
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on August 30th, 2001
Posted in Disc Reviews by Carly Peters
Intro
Everyone’s favorite dysfunctional family is releasing a box set of the season that started it all. The Simpsons: The Complete First Seasons includes 13 episodes on three discs and is filled with lots of goodies, including some never before seen footage of an episode creator Matt Groening wishes he could forget.
Audio
To me the audio was no great shakes. There were moments when sound effects were really clear and realistic, i.e. Homer banging his head against a metal pole, while...
