Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Gino Sassani on August 8th, 2011
I have a lot of fond memories of this show from back when it first appeared in the mid-1970's. And while the series didn't last very long at all, it seems to have left a pretty strong impression on me as a child. My mother was a huge Dallas fan, and I remember the first time I had seen the show, and there was Patrick Duffy with body hair, and I knew that The Man From Atlantis had gone on his final mission. You see, the show was left up in the air for a considerable amount of time. There was no internet to get the latest entertainment news, and word of an official cancellation had not yet reached my ears. I wasn't too concerned that the show hadn't been on for a while; after all, that's pretty much been the story of this science fiction show from its inception.
The concept began as a series of television movies. Patrick Duffy starred as Mark Harris. He was found washed up on a beach following a terrible storm. Rushed to the hospital, his condition continued to deteriorate to the complete mystification of the medical staff. Fortunately for Mark, and fans of the show, Dr. Elizabeth Merrill, played by Belinda Montgomery, happens to be attending a party with the hospital's chief doctor. She tags along and recognizes something about the man no one else appeared to get. He has webbed hands and feet and a set of gills where his lungs ought to have been. She rushes him back to the ocean and brings him back to life. Mark can survive out of water, but only for a few hours at a time before he would again be close to death. It's an envelope that seems to be pushed at least once per episode. He was weaker on land, but in the water he was super-strong. He swam like a dolphin, only faster, and could see spectrums of light and hear sounds that ordinary humans could not.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Michael Durr on August 8th, 2011
Sometimes I wonder what would have happened if I wised up at the altar of my first wedding and walked away. Sure, I would have been spared a terrible marriage and some financial woe but fate has a weird way of canceling out the good things in life too. How long would I have been single? Who would I end up with? Would I even know the love of my life, Sarah? Scary when you start thinking about it. Well, today I review A Guy Thing which explores a marriage to be that shouldn’t be. What will happen?
A pair of shots are poured. Jim (played by Shawn Hatosy) says there are three rings in a man’s life: the Engagement Ring, the Wedding Ring and suffering. *rim shot*. Heyooooooo. Jim is the best man for Paul Coleman (played by Jason Lee) who is set to be married in just a week’s time. The bachelor party is at the Hula Lounge and the bar is a hopping. But Paul just does not want to be recognized as the groom of this bachelor party.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by David Annandale on August 8th, 2011
Gregory Peck is an aging Scottish outlaw, and Desi Arnaz Jr is his “breed” (as Jack Warden’s racist sheriff refers to him) partner. Warden captures Arnaz, but Peck, who could have been free and clear with all the stolen money, rescues him, much to Warden’s puzzlement. Peck is wounded in the getaway, however, and as the two friends are pursued by the law across a barren landscape (with Israel playing the role of the American West), the younger, less-experienced man must take on the responsibility of saving both their lives.
Though directed by Ted Kotcheff (The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz, First Blood, Fun with Dick and Jane), the film is co-produced by fellow Canadian Norman Jewison (The Hurricane, Fiddler on the Roof, In the Heat of the Night). Given Jewison’s involvement, it comes as no real surprise that there is considerable focus in the film on social issues – race relations in this case. So it does come across as a little odd, even in 1974, for a film with these particular concerns to have one of its leads playing a race that is not his. Then again, both our heroes are required to inhabit other ethnicities, which means we have to get through Peck’s attempt at a Scottish accent. He may not be Keanu Reeves in Bram Stoker’s Dracula, but he ain’t Meryl Streep either, can ya ken what I mean while ya sip yorrr wee dram? So there are some disconnects here that tend to take one out of the movie.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Michael Durr on August 7th, 2011
Hockey is one of my favorite sports. Unfortunately, figure skating is not. This actually paints an interesting parallel. How can two sports that both share skating on the ice cause love on one side and distaste in the other? It most likely stems from upbringing and society's mainstream views on the two subjects. But what would happen if a hockey player came to the world of figure skating, would I feel different about the sport? Perhaps, but I would be more interested to see a film about it. Enter: The Cutting Edge.
The alarm sounds, Doug Dorsey (played by D.B. Sweeney) wakes up in a panic along side a girl with a heavy foreign accent named Lita or Rita or perhaps Anita (it is actually Gita, played by Nahanni Johnstone). Doug is #9 on the American Olympic Hockey team and is to be the next big thing in the NHL. However, at this point he is four hours late and must get dressed and off to the finals with the West Germans.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on August 4th, 2011
Having accidentally caused the death of her mother, Helen (Jenny Neumann) develops an unhealthy fixation with broken glass. Now an adult and an aspiring actress, she auditions for a role in an absurdist play. She gets the part, and also the attention of her handsome co-star. But then someone starts killing off the cast and crew of the play. Is it Helen?
It isn’t really venturing into spoiler territory to reveal that the answer to that question is “yes.” It is just one of the many odd aspects of this Australian slasher flick that the murders are staged in such a way (often, though not always, in first person) as to conceal the identity of the murderer, while the story makes it clear that there is only one person who could be responsible for the deaths. It then has the nerve to reveal Helen as the killer, right at the end of the film, as if this is some kind of surprise. Imagine if Halloween had concluded with the statement that “The murderer is... Michael Meyers!” and you have the idea. Meanwhile, the editing is frequently disorienting, with the 180-degree rule being violated on a number of occasions, and any sense of geography going right out the window (unless we really are supposed to believe that the critic’s home is an annex of the theatre itself). The storytelling is extremely choppy, with the film being broken up into short, barely developed scenes that have very little connective tissue between them. And as far as the plot itself goes, it’s a typical 1980 slasher in every way, just with Australian accents.
Now having said all that, the theatrical setting does add a measure of interest, and there are moments that call to mind Michele Soavi’s later Stagefright (1986). While the latter is by far the better movie, Nightmares (which was also, by coincidence, known as Stagefright) really comes alive in the rehearsal and performance scenes, with some genuinely witty barbs thrown out at the theatrical world, and some striking camera compositions tossed into the mix. So while this film will remain of interest primarily to fans of the 80s slasher movie, said fans will find just enough different here to make the film worth checking out.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on August 4th, 2011
By Natasha Samreny
Scent of a Woman is a rich example of classic storytelling maintaining its power through the years. In this American remake of an Italian tale, Al Pacino, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Chris O'Donnell continue to captivate. If you love the film already and want to make it part of your collection, consider its HD-DVD or Blu-ray versions, released later. It seems neither color nor sound were improved for this film until then. To fans' dismay, Universal has yet to update any discs with special features beyond the outdated text-centered cast/crew list and bios.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on August 3rd, 2011
An ancient facility beneath Antarctica becomes the launching platform to the lost city of Atlantis. Atlantis is buried beneath an ocean in another galaxy and can only be reached with an additional symbol on the Stargate. Because of power limitations this trip, at least for the time being, is a one-way adventure. A crew of scientists and military officers from many countries assemble to explore the Pegasus Galaxy from the Atlantis gate. Led by scientist Dr. Weir (Higginson) and Maj. John Sheppard (Flanigan) they take over the Atlantian command center and begin to explore. In their initial investigations they accidentally awaken the area’s top bad guys, the Wraith. These vampire-like beings suck the life-force out of humans.
When Stargate SG-1 was about to enter its ninth year, there was speculation that after season 8 the series would bow out gracefully with the anticipated exit of Richard Dean Anderson. With that plan in mind, the folks at Stargate Command decided it was time to spin off the franchise, and so was born Atlantis. Stargate Atlantis boasts pretty much the same production team as SG-1. The quality of the production and tight storytelling have translated well to this sister series. Stargate Atlantis took a little getting used to. I wasn’t sure the characters had enough chemistry or were even dynamic enough to carry the high expectations for a Stargate series. Those concerns eventually evaporated by the time Atlantis began to live without the SG-1 companion series. These characters really took off, and they’ve developed into nearly as strong a group as SG-1 ever was. Now with Atlantis available on high-definition Blu-ray, you’ll have the chance to explore where the show from beginning to ending.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on August 3rd, 2011
"The die was cast. If I just said City Hall the story would end here. But I didn't, and Betsy and I took our fateful trip to Vegas."
Everyone remembers the 1993 provocative film Indecent Proposal with Robert Redford as the rich playboy who offers Woody Harrelson a million bucks to spend a night with his wife, played by Demi Moore. The movie created quite a stir, and more than a little water cooler conversation about what you might do in that situation. What most people overlook, however, is that same kind of situation appeared a year earlier with a more romantic-comedy take in Andrew Bergman's Honeymoon in Vegas. It wasn't one of Bergman's best and certainly not one of his most remembered films. Who can’t argue that The Freshman, The In-Laws (writer), and even Fletch (writer) were better movies? But you can't escape the fact that Bergman was the first to offer up the conundrum that faced Moore and Harrelson a year later. But you probably don't remember Honeymoon In Vegas. Not many folks do if the box office numbers are any indication. Now you have a second chance with this latest wave of catalog titles from MGM now out on Blu-ray.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on August 3rd, 2011
"As people flocked together for safety, the plague marched through their locked gates and they became death traps. When Washington fell it was over for America as we knew her. As government blew away, our great leaders ran for it, and hope was abandoned."
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on August 3rd, 2011
"One morning in 1940, the entire population of Friah, NH walked north up an unmarked trail into the wilderness. Some were later found frozen to death. Others were mysteriously slaughtered. Most, however, were never found."
It's legends like these that usually mean we're about to embark on another Blair Witch journey into the woods in search of some deep dark secret. It means it's time to brace yourself for some "found" footage. It's going to be shaky and rough and leave your eyes or head (or both) hurting by the time the experience is over. Thankfully, co-directors Jesse Holland and Andy Mitton decided that they could tell the same kind of story without taxing the endurance of disorientation of their audience, at least not in a visual sense.
![The Cutting Edge [Blu-ray] dvd cover art](https://upcomingdiscs.com/ecs_covers/the-cutting-edge-blu-ray-large.jpg)
![Stargate Atlantis: Complete Series Gift Set [Blu-ray] dvd cover art](https://upcomingdiscs.com/ecs_covers/stargate-atlantis-complete-series-large.jpg)
![Honeymoon in Vegas [Blu-ray] dvd cover art](https://upcomingdiscs.com/ecs_covers/honeymoon-in-vegas-blu-ray-large.jpg)
