Disc Reviews

"In our findings on Gamera, we've ascertained that: Firstly, it is attracted to and consumes fire. Secondly, it also seems to possess an internal power plant, of sorts. This emits a signal frequency that can jam radio communications. In order to store up energy reserves, Gamera consumes inorganic resources. Not only does it consume petroleum as well as other mineral and fossil fuels, but Gamera may also seek out atomic bombs."

Ask anyone about Japanese monster movies and Gamera usually won't be the first name that comes into their minds.

It was 2007 when Veronica Mars concluded its three-season run on the CW.  The door was left open for more seasons, and the season three set came with a bonus that showed us the direction things could have gone.  But after one of the most successful Kickstarter campaigns and seven years later, fans of the show will finally get to see their favorite little marshmallow, Veronica Mars, on one last investigation.  I’m going to come out and say it; I was a big fan of the show. The high school noir series was more than just your standard teen melodrama

Call Me Crazy is about mental illness. It tells five different stories with women’s names as titles (well, one exception confirms the rule). Mental illness is an extremely important topic because an enormous part of the population is mentally ill. This collection deals with women mostly, but it should be noted that men are just as crazy but in different ways. This film is a followup to another film called Five about breast cancer. Both films have a heavy group of heavy hitters on both sides of the camera. They are produced by the Lifetime network, and both films are to be considered prestige projects for them.

Craig Morrison was in his late 80’s the first time he got in trouble with the law. Still Mine tells the real-life story of the Canadian octogenarian who found himself in court facing the prospect of jail time. In case you’re wondering, Morrison didn’t rob a bank or cheat on his taxes. He merely wanted to build a modest house on his own property that could better accommodate his ailing wife. And he insisted on doing it himself.

Following the live performance of Madea’s Neighbors From Hell captured on this DVD, Tyler Perry joins his fellow cast members on stage after they’ve all taken their bows. Perry has ditched his Madea drag and takes to the microphone to thank his fervent, loyal fans for their support. You probably know Perry because of the phenomenal success he has enjoyed in TV and movies. (And because he puts his name on practically everything he does.) However, Perry is quick to remind his audience that it all started on the stage.

"Let's Be Careful Out There!"

It started as a mid-season replacement on NBC and ended up anchoring NBC's famous Thursday night lineup for seven years. In that time Hill Street Blues racked up enough awards to fill a lot of trophy cases. The face of television would be changed forever. There was nothing like it before, and there hasn't been anything like it since. It was a breeding ground for brilliant television show-runners like Scott Brazil (The Shield), David S. Milch (Deadwood), Walon Green (ER), Dick Wolf (Law & Order), Ken Olin (Alias) and David Black (CSI:Miami).

When it comes to the feud between Marvel and DC film adaptions, I think we can all agree Marvel at this point may be winning the battles on the big screen, but when it comes to the animated films DC has been delivering hit after hit. Perhaps it’s because the landscape in animation is virtually unlimited and comes with a significantly smaller price tag to deliver.

I do wish I could be content, but...”

You cannot.”

There's a reason “Great Expectations” continues to be adapted for the stage and screen more than 150 years after its publication. Charles Dickens wrote — and set — his novel during Britain's Victorian era, but the classic coming-of-age story is thick with ideas about social status and all-consuming ambition that easily transcend its original time and place. So how does this new version, first released in the U.K. in 2012, stack up?

It’s been a while since a movie has been released that broke the rules on how we expected a film to be made.  Avatar was the last game changer, I would say, considering it gave audiences a new way to see films in 3D.  Sure, hundreds of millions of dollars were invested in that film, and the reward for bringing audiences something different is it being the highest box office grosser ever.  Escape From Tomorrow goes in the opposite direction, and to be matter of fact about it, the film shouldn’t even exist.  But writer/director Randy Moore pulled off something that is an achievement that deserves praise for filming his sci-fi satire on location at Disney, without their permission.

There is something I find unsettling about an amusement park after hours, when all the rides are shut down and the laughter and screaming of kids running around are gone.  These parks, for the most part, are designed to take us to another time or another world where reality is how the park engineers design it to be.  So when Skip (Jason Spisak) arrives at the Old West theme park to be the overnight janitor, I could appreciate the surreal world he would be stepping into.  As we go along with him on a tour during his first day, his guide and superior is played by Jon Gries, who seems to have a story for just about everything at the park.