Disc Reviews

This short-lived UK television series from 1995 is something I had never heard of, and after watching it, I consider it one of the best horror anthologies produced.  Tales from the Crypt, The Twilight Zone, The Outer Limits all hold their own place in what they brought to the small screen, each with episodes that are given the same reverence we would give a classic film.  What Chiller managed in five episodes left me wanting so much more; five episodes simply was not enough.

Prophecy: When a group of friends get together for some drinks and a séance, you just know things are not going to go as planned.  During the séance a prophecy is given that seems vague and nothing for the friends to worry about, that is until five years later when the friends begin to die off one by one. Though the story seems familiar, it remains fresh by adding a young boy who has a gift/curse where is able to see how people will die.  As the first of the stories, it sets up the tone nicely for the other tales to follow.

Ken Follett has written many historical novels from many periods such as World War II and the Hundred Years War. World Without End is part of the latter. It is a sequel to Pillars of the Earth. Both have been made into mini-series. World Without End takes place 157 years after Pillars and features descendants from the first book. It was broadcast in the USA, UK and Canada and is now available on DVD.

Kingsbridge is the fictional town in England which all the events revolve around. It begins in 1327 after King Edward II loses a brutal civil war to his French wife, Queen Isabella. Isabella crowns her son Edward the new king. There are characters from every level of medieval society and over eight episodes dozens of individuals have a major impact on the story. I will say at the outset that much of the mini-series plays as an old-fashioned soap opera. Heroes and heroines are at odds with some of the blackest and most unsavory of villains. Some of the villains are in sheep's clothing, or in this case, cleric’s robes. Nearly every kind of treachery is displayed from husbands kicking wives down stairs, sister poisoning brother, brother sword-fighting brother, father raping daughter, and, of course, the rich and powerful subjugating the poor into lives of endless suffering. There is the Hundred Years War and then the ultimate plague, The Black Death.

"Everywhere you’ll go you’ll hear that slavery is a thing of the past.  Don’t believe it."

When I got handed this disc to review I didn’t pay it much attention till I noticed it had Michael Caine in it.  Then after a search on IMDB well I started to get more and more excited.  Filling out the rest of cast there’s Peter Ustinov (Spartacus), Omar Sharif (Lawrence of Arabia), and William Holden (The Wild Bunch) all together in an African adventure film directed by Richard Fleischer (Tora! Tora! Tora! and 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea) I couldn’t believe I had never seen, much less even heard of this film.  When we first meet Dr. David Linderby (Caine) and his wife Dr. Anansa Underby (Beverly Johnson) they have just arrived in a tiny African village where they have travelled to inoculate the villagers.  With their work done, David takes in a celebration that the tribe is performing; instead of staying to enjoy the ceremony Anansa (who happens to be a former native to an Ashanti tribe) decides to go for a swim.  It’s this fateful decision that leads to Anansa’s capture by a group of slave traders lead by Suleiman (Ustinov).  The film wastes no time putting Caine in pursuit of the slave traders.

"In New York City's war on crime, the worst criminal offenders are pursued by the detectives of the Major Case Squad. These are their stories."

Dick Wolf used to pretty much own NBC and prime-time drama. His flagship series Law & Order lasted 20 years, tying the record held by Gunsmoke for the longest-running scripted drama. It was his wish to break the record, but by season 20 the franchise had lost some steam and was axed by NBC. It wasn't a total loss for Wolf, who had two other Law & Order shows still running at the time. Law & Order: SVU has been the more successful, but Law & Order: Criminal Intent had a pretty good run as well.

“Through the good times and the bad, you were the best I never had.”

Who became successful? Who completely changed? Who stayed the same? For all the questions that are asked at every 10 year high school reunion, 10 Years is dedicated to you. Equipped with a stellar cast of Hollywood’s next generation elite: Channing Tatum, Justin Long, Rosario Dawson, Kate Mara, Brian Geraghty, Ari Graynor, Kate Mara, Oscar Isaac, and the list goes on.

Who doesn’t get a little creeped out any time they see an old van cruising slowly through their neighborhood?  Now, I’m not talking about the soccer mom mini-van you see plenty of, but I’m talking about those vans from the 80s and beyond that seemed to be the vehicle of choice in films where kidnapping is involved.  Creep Van takes the idea of the sleazy van and uses it to its fullest, transforming this white metal beast into the ultimate death trap on wheels.  Unfortunately the van and the gore are pretty much all the film has going for it.

Cambell (Brian Kolodziej) is a little down on his luck; with a new job working at a car wash and having to take the bus, things are far from easy.  To make matters worse, his living situation isn’t much better with a roommate with a few fetishes and the roommate’s girlfriend who has an unexplained hatred for Cambell and enjoys kicking him down when she gets the chance.  Just about the only good thing going for Cambell is his cute co-worker Amy (Amy Wehrell).  Things begin to look all the more promising after Cambell comes across a white van that’s for sale and in his price range.