Disc Reviews

Low-budget films are typically very hit-or-miss for me. Sometimes the story is engaging from the beginning; other times the cinematography is so creative that I just can’t stop watching the movement of the camera. However, sometimes the film is extremely slow-paced and uninteresting. When it comes to Candy Apple, it is very difficult to place it on either of those two ends of the spectrum. From the outset, you can tell this film is extremely personal to the filmmaker, and while that might not draw in crowds, it opened up an infinite number of doors leading to creative freedom. That being said, I can’t say that I liked this film, but I can say that I couldn’t stop watching it.

Candy Apple follows a washed-up, amputee singer-songwriter, Texas Trash, as he makes his way around his new home: New York City. However, being a strange musician means that we are largely exposed to New York City’s underbelly. Throughout the film we learn that he has moved in with his son Bobby (played by director Dean Dempsey), and they both find unsavory ways of making ends meet. The “personal” aspect I mentioned earlier involves the fact that Texas Trash is Dempsey’s biological father, and many of the events that unfold on screen are inspired by true stories.

With a solid title and appealing DVD cover, No Solicitors is a film that looks to attract horror fans looking to make an impulse buy or a late-night viewing when in the mood for something to get the heart racing.  Unfortunately, the film doesn’t hold up to its potential, and to be honest this might be one of the more disappointing titles I’ve had the privilege to review.  The film has a strong premise, one that not only teases plenty of horror, but the potential for what could result in numerous sequels if the film was successful and the creative parties involved were inclined to go that direction. Instead the film seemed to aim more towards laughs than scares, and the result is at times a painful experience to watch, and not for the graphic gore that is sprinkled throughout.

If you’re like me, you’re not a fan of unexpected houseguests, and even worse being interrupted by solicitors who are trying to sell you something or convince you to check out their church.  The notion of a horror film about a family that takes pleasure in preying upon these door-to-door salesmen (and women) seems like it would be entertaining.  Getting a little deeper into the family’s motives, they keep the solicitors locked away and restrained to hospital gurneys after removing an arm and a leg to help prevent any chance of escape.  You can’t just simply toss away a good and arm and a leg, so not to waste any good meat, the family has the body parts cooked up for dinner.  Yes, this is a family of cannibals who also use their victims to harvest organs for the black market. All this solid horror material and still this film manages to not just disappoint, but simply struggled to hold my interest.

Lynda La Plante is quite a fixture in the British television landscape. She has been a television writer since the 1970's and has been producing her own creations since the 1990's. Her shows often feature a woman in some kind of authority position fighting the good fight in a law enforcement tradition that leans heavily in the male department. Likely American audiences know her best from her more recent Prime Suspect series which has enjoyed some success here in the States. It wasn't long before that show that she was writing and producing a series of television movies with the overall title of The Commander. The films ran from 2003 until about 2008 when the final film was released as a three-part show. Acorn has put together a 7 disc DVD collection of the show's entire run.

The only common thread in the series is the character of Commander Clare Blake played by British television icon Amanda Burton. The first film follows her promotion to the prestigious Murder Squad but she's met with immediate complications that have more to do with her own failures than working in a "man's world". A killer that she arrested many years ago has been released from prison. He claims he has been rehabilitated and has written a book about that experience. The profits will go to a victim's charity he has set up and he's asked Blake to write the book's forward. Unfortunately, she does much more than that. The two become romantically involved while he has become the suspect in a string of recent killings that could mean he has graduated from murderer to serial killer. The bad press and series of events cast a huge cloud over the newly minted commander and her work. And it's with that cloud that the series moves forward.

Alibi gives you quite a bit of storytelling, which is surprising given that it is only comprised of three hour-length episodes. I will give it to British shows that have somehow found the key to making that work, because that would not work in the U.S. It would feel rushed, and a lot of key nutrients would have to be removed due to time constraints. Alibi manages to have multiple twists and turns in that time span as well as tell a very entertaining and engrossing story with the assistance of its two established leads, Sophie Okonedo and Michael Kitchen. Alibi tells the story of what happens when two people attempt to cover up an accidental death, when one person is a complete neurotic and the other is calculating to the point that you might find yourself question if this is her first “accidental” death.

No good deed and all that, or least that’s the case for Marcey Burgess (Sophie Okonedo), a civil servant and part-time caterer who finds herself ingrained in a murder investigation when all she was trying to do is retrieve her purse. However, I will say that she was presented with an opportunity to walk away and she didn’t take it, so I guess that technically means that she reaped what she sowed. While catering the 19^th anniversary for a married couple Greg and Linda (Michael Kitchen and Phyllis Logan), Marcey notices inappropriate contact between the wife and the husband’s business partner, but keeps it to herself and leaves with her group. However, after realizing that she left her purse behind, she returns to the house to find the husband standing over the business partner’s lifeless body. Marcey attempts to flee the scene but ultimately ends up locked in a back room with the husband on the other side.

"Lion’s Guard, let's go!"

For many years The Lion King was the highest-grossing animated film of all time. It remains one of the most beloved films in history. It marked the last of the Disney classic animation triumphs. Combined with the Elton John and Tim Rice songs, it is one of those generational films. While there has never been a feature film follow-up at the box office, there have been a few attempts to keep the franchise alive, and why not? A direct- to-video film told the same story from the unique point of view of the popular characters Timon and Pumbaa. A full-fledged sequel appeared in another direct-to-video feature called The Lion King: Simba’s Pride. Now the baton is being passed to the next generation with a television series on the Disney Channel called The Lion Guard.