Disc Reviews

“If you have a tender soul, brace yourself.”

Sometimes I’ll get a stand-up comedy DVD and wonder how to write the review differently from other stand-up routines because there was simply little-to-no difference between the acts. Everyone just about knows — or should know — the basic formula. A guy walks out on stage and, for 45 minutes to an hour, delivers self-deprecating humor with the goal of receiving a few laughs. But then there are the comedians like Bo Burnham and Jeff Dunham, who at least try to bring something new to the stage by using music or puppets. In the case of Kristen Schaal, the mold continues to break as she delivers a stand-up performance unlike any other. This isn’t to say she delivers a perfectly amazing set, but it was refreshing to see something outside the formula of the standard routine.

I should start by saying I just re-watched the 1939 version of Wuthering Heights with Laurence Olivier and Merle Oberon on Turner Classic Movies, and I fell in love all over again. Olivier was never more magnetic, naturalistic and appealing than he was as Heathcliff. I have watched it many times and Wuthering Heights has been done many times. There have been recent versions with Ralph Fiennes and Tom Hardy (The Dark Knight Rises, Inception). This is not one of those versions.

This version is by the adventurous — some would say radical — filmmaker Andrea Arnold. When she first started making films as a director, Arnold made shorts and won an Oscar for a film called Wasp. Both of her first two feature films — Red Road and Fish Tank — won the Jury prize at Cannes. She is a big believer in the Dogme 95 style founded by Lars von Trier, but only as a general philosophy. She does not adhere specifically to all the rules of that movement. Arnold does use the hand-held camera almost exclusively, which gives all of her films — including this one — a documentary feel. There is no music in her version of Wuthering Heights, except for those moments that are generated by the characters in the scenes (though there is a Mumford and Sons song at the end), and the film uses mostly untrained “actors.” It also hopes to shake things up by having the Heathcliff character be black.

There has always been something about anime, as well as role playing card games like Pokémon and Kaijudo, that I’ve never quite been able to understand the draw towards them. When my friends talk about these games — with their booster packs and leveling up — all I can do is smile, nod my head, and pretend I have the slightest inkling at what they are talking about. Surely I can’t be alone on this. So when it came time to settle in and give Kaijudo: Rise of the Duel Masters a spin, I was reluctant; I hoped, perhaps, I could gain some insight into what some of my friends were talking about.

Before I go any further, I should mention the Dragon Strike DVD is only a five-episode arc and is not a reflection of the show or an entire season. The story arc, I’m guessing, takes place a while after the characters and the two worlds that exist have been established. So it did take me some time to just figure out what was even going on. But with that in mind, I wanted more by the time I was through the third episode.

"You call this plain clothes?"

Few shows in television history have the kind of storied history that you'll find with Cagney & Lacey. The show's own story would make for compelling television drama in its own right. It didn't end with simply trying to get on the air. The trials continued through three cancellations and an unprecedented recasting of a lead...twice. It's no small miracle that the show made it at all, let alone lasting for six years and a total of over 130 episodes and television movies.

“Some people are lucky enough to find their true passions. That’s okay, because their passion makes them feel like somebody. Sometimes it’s the only thing that keeps them moving. I know some people don’t get mine. My passion is jumping rope…competitively, but I like it.”

Growing up I can remember a desire to tie my parents up; did anyone else share that desire? Don’t get me wrong, this desire was not meant with malicious intent, but to simply grasp the full attention of my parents. Well, for Olyesa Rulin’s character in Family Weekend, that desire is a reality. (Yes, the irony of a movie being considered a reality is not lost on me; just go with it.)

“Imagine if you could never make another sound, not for the rest of your life.”

With those opening words, Marvel Knights Animation draws you into the world of the Inhumans, a race with many different genetic varieties. This 12-episode DVD shares one of the many stories from this unique corner of the Marvel Universe, focusing on the Inhumans’ home of Attilan, an island in the middle of the ocean. Ruled by their king, Black Bolt, they are content to live in their protective dome, blissfully ignoring the outside world. That bliss is shattered during the yearly coming-of-age ritual, when one of the self-imposed genetic transformations goes horribly awry for one of the young people. This sets off a chain of events orchestrated by Black Bolt’s insane brother, Maximus the Mad, who is determined to rule Attilan or see it destroyed.

I wasn’t sure what I’d be getting into when picking up this Bollywood animated feature for kids.  Though it has an Americanized voice cast, the Bollywood culture is more than evident throughout this feature, not just through the cultural views but the many song and dance numbers peppered throughout.  As the film progressed, there was one thing that stuck with me from the beginning; this film has a message, and it’s not subtle about it, it hits the audience square in the jaw with it. 

Somewhere deep in the heart of the jungle in India a young leopard cub Yuvi (Tara Strong) is playing with his father when suddenly they are being chased down by a large bulldozer.  The chase is relentless until the two leopards are surrounded, and in a move to save Yuvi the father ends up getting shot.  The animals of the jungle are devastated by the loss and the prospect of losing their home, so together they make a plan to seek out the help of the government to save the animals and their homes.  Problem is none of them know how to speak human, that is of course till they learn about a parrot, Alex (Tom Kenny) who has been captured and lives in a golden cage that can speak for them.