Disc Reviews

Learning your ABCs and 123s are perhaps the most broad and basic themes an educational children's televion show could take.  Nickelodeon offers a roster of their most popular shows (at least, those designed for pre-schoolers) to cover said topics in two seperate DVD releases. Each DVD is virtually identical in structure. There only difference are to particular episodes chosen from each show.

Each release provides more than 2 hours of viewing with a lineup of shows that includes Team Umizoomi, Ni Hao Kai-lan, the strange mini-opera that is Wonder Pets, and the immensely popular Nickelodeon staples Go, Diego Go!, Dora the Explorer, and Blue's Clues. Hopefully the young viewers of these DVDs enjoy diversity as the program never stays the same for more than an episode, save for Team Umizoomi getting two in the "123s" DVD and Wonder Pets getting two in "ABCs."

Erle Stanley Gardner wrote crime fiction, and while many of his 100 or so works are unknown to most of us, he created a character who has become as identified with criminal lawyers as any other in fiction. It was in these crime novels that Perry Mason first faced a courtroom. He developed a style where he would investigate these terrible crimes his clients were on trial for. He would find the real killer, and in what has become a Hollywood cliché, reveal his findings in a crucial moment during the trial. While we may not remember the novels, we all remember the man in the persona of Raymond Burr.  Burr had a commanding presence on our screens and enjoyed a well-deserved 11-year run as the clever lawyer. What makes this run so amazing is that the show followed pretty much the same pattern the entire time. We always know what’s going to happen, but we wait eagerly for that gotcha moment when Perry faces the witness on the stand. We know when he’s got the guy squarely in his sights, and we can’t sit still waiting for him to pull the trigger. OK, so maybe that’s a little over the top, but so was Perry Mason. From the moment you heard that distinctive theme, the stage was set. To say that Perry Mason defined the lawyer show for decades would be an understatement. Folks like Matlock and shows like The Practice are strikingly similar to Perry Mason. If you haven’t checked this show out, this is your chance. See where it all began.

Raymond Burr did not carry the show on his own. There was a very fine cast of supporting characters. The most famous has to be his faithful secretary Della Street, played by Barbara Hale. The two were inseparable. Perry had the help of a good private investigator in the Raymond Chandler style. William Hopper played the tough-as-nails Paul Drake. One of Orson Welles’ famous Mercury Theater Players took on the part of Police Lt. Tragg. Ray Collins starred in Citizen Kane as the political party boss Gettys. He was a fine example of top talent working in television.  Mason was often pitted against prosecutor Hamilton Burger, whose name too often reminded me of hamburgers. There wasn’t anything funny about Burger, however. He was a worthy opponent who drew the short straw most of the time because he was up against Perry Mason. The task was accomplished with a lot of style by William Talman, a one-time evangelistic preacher.

The first time I really observed George Lopez was during his sitcom on ABC, The George Lopez Show. After that first episode, I was hooked and watched every episode religiously up until the departure of Masiela Lusha (the new storylines and the introduction of Aimee Garcia as Lusha’s  replacement caused the show to lose much of its original  appeal). From there I transitioned to his standups specials and his big screen movie appearances. If he was in it, I was there. His routine had a flair. When he talked about how he grew up, you could imagine it as if it was your own life. However, comedy has evolved, and a comedian’s material must evolve with it, something Lopez evidently hasn’t done.

It’s Not Me, It’s You marks Lopez’s third HBO standup special (his ninth standup overall). He kicks it off with a strong opening: driving down the road on his way to his to perform, during which he runs into some familiar faces such as Ray Romano, Eva Longoria, and Conan O’Brien, who all wish him good luck on his show. Also, the entire intro is backed up with his patented theme song, “Low Rider” by War. It is a good opening, always nice to see other celebrities lend a helping hand.

Just as I was starting to believe that the vampire movie genre was bankrupt of originality, I am gifted with a film unlike any other vampire film I’ve ever seen. Don’t you just love when that happens? I’m not going to pretend that I didn’t have reservations about this movie going in, especially with it being a sequel to The Hamiltons, a film I had not seen nor heard of before this film made it onto my docket. However all of my reservations subsided within fifteen minutes of pressing the play button. With a title like “The Thompsons” I was expecting it to be nothing more than vamp ripoff of Rob Zombie’s The Devil’s Rejects, but this film has heart along with the appropriate amount of blood and gore to keep it from becoming too sappy.

 Narrated by Francis Hamilton, the middle child in a family of five, he along with his siblings David, Wendell, Darlene, and Lenny travel a lot. After death of their parents, the family became restless and for years have been on an endless journey to find a permanent place to call home. A place they can be their true selves, a place where they don’t have to hide their “disease” as Francis calls it. The entire family was born vampires, and as vampires they must consume blood to survive. As a result of their affliction, they are unable to settle in one place too long because it would only be a matter of time before they were discovered, hence their constant moving.