Disc Reviews

"Baby, if you've ever wondered, wondered whatever became of me, I'm living on the air in Cincinnati,
Cincinnati, WKRP. "

It almost sounds like a take on Harry Chapin's WOLD, and in many ways it is. The song was hot for a while on radio stations. It seems that DJ's couldn't resist songs about DJ's. Who saw that coming? Of course, the song is the opening theme to WKRP In Cincinnati. The show is back on DVD thanks to the folks at Shout Factory. If that's not big news, this absolutely is: it's back with most of the original music intact including the opening and closing themes. For fans of the show, it's the news we've been waiting for for decades now.

Jokesters takes a long time to get to the point. The plot is extremely long-winded to the point that I questioned if the long awaited gruesome stuff would ever come. More time was spent on the setup, specifically the wedding reception sequence, than on the actual climatic events of the movie. Some of the setup was entertaining but it didn’t take long before I was considering hitting the fast-forward button just to get to the good stuff. I wasn’t sure what to expect when I put the disc in, but it didn’t take long for me to put together all that was going to happen (well, maybe not all; don’t want to come off like a know-it-all).

Speaking of the good stuff, that was a lot of preparation for a very predictable and disappointing climax. Not to beat up on it too much, but there were several things that needed to be done in order to elevate the overall experience. Half of the runtime dedicated to the setup should have been dedicated to the climax to better level the film. More time was spent on the events leading up to the killing than the actual killing itself. That is another aspect that needs to be addressed; by the time the blood and gore starts, the film is pretty much over. I would have loved to see more of a chase going on; it would have made things more suspenseful. Besides, the draw for a horror movie is the chase; there needs to be panic as well as the drive to escape.

The Singularity Principle has two recognizable character actors, John Diehl (Miami Vice, The Shield, Escape From New York, Stripes) and William B. Davis (the smoking man from The X-Files), but is a low-budget Canadian production. It was filmed at the Canadian light source Synchrotron in Saskatoon, which adds considerably to its production value. It is a believable technical and scientific workplace. The film is co-written and directed by physicist Dr. David Deranian and is very focused on the scientific aspects of the story, at least those are the most successful elements of the film. The story deals with experiments conducted involving the Einstein-Rosen Bridge, which involves what is on the other side of black holes and wormholes. It posits theories of infinite universes with us in it. Infinity is the one concept the challenges our ability to comprehend. We can say we understand infinity but that is only in the most facile and cursory way. Because of infinity, anything is possible.

Dr. Peter Tanning ( Michael Denis) is being supervised in advanced revolutionary experiments by Professor Jack Brenner, played by Diehl. Both Tanning and Brenner have experienced fleeting examples of other dimensions. They are both obsessed, in a purely scientific way, of course. The story is told in flashback while Brenner is being questioned by Lawrence Cason, played by Davis. Cason is part of a mysterious government agency investigating Brenner's disappearance. It is clear that Tanning has been opening a door allowing alternate versions of himself to interact in this universe.

by Dustin P. Anderson

Gary is a low-level demon trying to find different ways to make it up the corporate ladder in hell. He is also a slacker who doesn’t know the first thing about being a demon, despite his length of time in hell. Claude is a new demon who is sent to intern for Gary but ends up outshining him. As Claude rises to the top, Gary must attempt to gain some sort of recognition for his years of servitude to the dark lord, lest he be forced to shovel coal into hell for eternity. This show isn’t one of Adult Swim’s funniest creations, but it is still funny. This isn’t going to be an instant favorite of mine, like Metalocalypse or Too Many Cooks, but it was a nice watch nonetheless. Gary is one of the most laughably pathetic characters I have seen in a while. It is funny to see him as a “too nice for hell” type, like when Gary refuses to play dirty to win a competition that would give him a water cooler in hell. Satan is a great boss that everyone can find something of their own boss in, and can easily invite the phrase “dude, my boss is the devil.” I found that the scene I identified with the most was when Satan walked Gary down the hall into the break room, and Gary knew what “the break room” meant so he tried to find every excuse not to go. The great part about Satan in this is that you never forget that Satan is the ruler of hell. He never turns out to be nice like the devil in Bedazzled, but he also doesn’t beat you over the head with evil like… well any other movie featuring the devil as an antagonist (let’s say End of Days?). He is the secret jerk character, the character that you think is kind of nice and may have gotten a bad reputation, but then reminds you of why he got that reputation by putting you through…hell.

I’m such a big fan of the late Charles Bronson. Though I have not seen every film on his résumé, I have seen enough to know that if you give that man a gun, you have a movie. From his leading roles in Once Upon a Time in the West and the Death Wish franchise, to his supporting roles in The Great Escape and The Magnificent Seven: if he is in it, I want to see it. Perhaps he is best known for his leading roles as hardened vigilantes or silent hit men, but it is safe to say, you are not watching Borderline for the story. You are watching it for Bronson.

Borderline takes place on the Mexican border, 20 miles from San Diego. Charles Bronson stars as Jeb Maynard, a seasoned border patrolman. One night, his long time partner Scooter Jackson (Wilford Brimley) is shot and killed by Hotchkiss (Ed Harris, in his first theatrical role), a ‘coyote’ smuggling immigrants across the border. Hotchkiss makes a decent living by smuggling immigrants onto a ranch owned by Carl J. Richards (Bert Remsen). With the help of the newly employed Jimmy Fante (Bruno Kirby), Maynard tracks down Hotchkiss and tries to take down Richards’ ranch in the process.

As one who uses animal shows as a precursor to taking a nap -- much like Pavlov’s theory when I hear the melodious voice of the narrator, I drift off into a restful slumber -- I expected the same experience with the second season of Science Channel’s Mutant Planet. Having never experienced season one, with popcorn and large cup of coffee in hand, sitting – not reclining -- in my living room recliner – I was ready to ward off the yawns. Boy, was I was wrong. Mutant Planet Season Two in its glorious five-episode 220-minute runtime is, in one word, amazing. I was not expecting to say “wow” every 10 or so minutes, but that’s exactly what I did watching what animals did to adapt to their ever-changing surroundings. Mutant Planet, in layman’s terms, explained how animals evolved and mutated to survive against the odds based on their environment. This is not a show to watch in standard definition. The stunning cinematography of this program made me glad for my high-definition TV, showcasing the brilliant colors and crisp details of the odd inhabitants of the most unique ecosystems on Earth.  From capturing footage that would normally never be seen by the human eye to exploring the history of the animal and its changing locale via CGI, I have never been more fully paying attention to an animal show than this one. Mutant Planet Season Two toured across the world from Africa, Borneo, India, Namibia, and Central America, visiting the most interesting, sometimes frightening, creatures and plants on our planet. These are a few of my favorite highlights.

In Africa, with exotic species found nowhere else on Earth, I was introduced to terrifying blind killer driver ants that communicate by touch and scent, and devour everything in their path. I was hoping when the episode focused on the adorable-looking chimpanzee in the Albertine Rift, that I could ooh and aww over precious babies, but instead I discovered this benign-looking creature which I see occasionally in the zoo is a meat-eater. Not only is he a meat-eater, but a hunter who could eat fruit, but sometimes has a craving for the flesh and blood of other smaller monkeys. After closing my eyes until my husband said the chimps were done devouring the BABY of their prey, I will never look at Tarzan’s BFF the same way again.