Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on November 4th, 2010
"The Toys Are Back In Town"
That's right. All of your favorite toys are back in Pixar's latest great film Toy Story 3. This time the toys are dealing with the inevitable. Andy (Morris) is about to go off to college. It's been a long time since he's played with his friends, and they are getting desperate and worried they will get tossed away. Although Andy bags them to be stored in the attic, a misunderstanding sends them to the curb and a date with the garbage truck. After that close call they decide to get themselves donated to Sunnyside Daycare, where they hope to live out their lives with tons of children to play with them. But things aren't all that sunny at Sunnyside. The place is ruled by the iron paw of Lotso Bear (Beatty) and his cronies. The bad guys include Big Baby. He and Big Baby once were accidentally abandoned by their owner and Lotso was replaced, making him bitter. Now the toys have to escape the armed camp of Sunnyside.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on November 4th, 2010
In 2024, the Earth’s ozone layer has been depleted (or so most assume), and life is protected by an electromagnetic shield designed by Connor MacLeod (Christopher Lambert). Eco-crusader Virginia Madsen, however, believes that the ozone layer has restored itself, and the corporation that runs the shield is maintaining it for its own purposes. Meanwhile, back in the past, villain Michael Ironside sends assassins to the future to kill Lambert, who is an aging man as the film begins… The assassins fail, Lambert becomes young once more, and he summons Sean Connery back from the dead. Ironside arrives to take care of his nemesis personally.
I could go on, but I feel a brain embolism coming on. The Highlander concept was never the most intelligent SF/Fantasy idea (and I’m not just talking about casting Frenchman Lambert as a Scot and Sean Connery as a Spaniard), but here the vacuity becomes painfully evident, and the time travel aspect is beyond stupid. The dialog is equally mind-numbing, and for a storyline of comparable inanity, the closest thing would be Battlefield Earth. From Lambert’s embarrassing old-man voice to the ridiculous assassins, new idiocies assault the viewer with every passing second. Granted, the production was shut down before the movie was completed, but it is hard to imagine the film was really salvageable. This edition represents the closest version yet to what the filmmakers had in mind. The special effects have been heavily overhauled, but this isn’t a case of George Lucas-style endless tinkering. The previous version of Highlander 2 had effects that were slapped on by technicians who were not part of the original team, and the look of the film has been notably improved (the shield, for instance, is now blue instead of a garish red). So the film looks much better, but no amount of effort can make a silk purse out of this sow’s ear.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on November 4th, 2010
Written by Diane Tillis
Jumping Jellybeans! Scooby Doo deserves mention in any article that discusses the best and most-loved animated television series in history.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on November 4th, 2010
In 2004 DOG the Bounty Hunter first took to the airwaves. On the surface it looked like yet another one of those reality cop shows where camera guys followed the men in blue as they took down the bad guys. Dog wasn't a cop; in fact he'd spent a part of his life on the other side of the law. Still, he was decked out in a Kevlar vest with a badge hanging from a chain around his neck. The cameras followed him around as he kicked in doors and stalked his criminal prey. But this isn't really quite your typical reality cop show. These guys aren't cops. They're bounty hunters. It's a family business that provides bail bonds to get the bad guys out of jail and has the muscle to track them down if they decide to skip their court appearances. This Dog doesn't get stuck holding the bag for nobody.
The Chapman family lives mostly in Hawaii. They do spend a lot of time at a second home in Colorado, where Dog is originally from. But it doesn't really matter what the location might be. The job is always the same. The team is strictly a family affair. Dog (Duane) Chapman is "Big Daddy" and the driving force behind the operation. Beth is Dog's wife and runs the business side of the operation. That doesn't mean that she's not right there on the hunt offering logistic support. Dog's right-hand man is his brother Tim. They have been partners for decades. Then there are Dog's two sons Leland and Duane Lee. This is the core group. They operate out of two SUVs as they track and take down the fugitives. The youngest member of the team is Dog's daughter Baby Lyssa. She's a small and shy girl, but she gets in her share of licks every now and again. There is also Dog's nephew Justin, who has a spotty record of commitment to the group.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Michael Durr on November 4th, 2010
For me, I’ve never understood the fascination behind zombies unless it involves Milla Jovovich (See Resident Evil). They are undead, lumber around, make strange noises and have a primal urge to eat brains. So, admittedly I saw Colin in my review pile and mostly shrugged. Another zombie movie, *twirl finger*. However, after reading the back jacket, I realized this one had something more: it was told from the zombie’s point of view.
Colin (played by Alastair Kirton) walks into his house and closes the door. He calls for Damien, presumably his roommate. We hear gunshots in the background and a general ruckus. Colin walks over to the sink and starts to wash his hands. He notices a steady flow of blood down his arm. That’s when he pulls back his sleeve to reveal a massive wound.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on November 3rd, 2010
Season 5 of this most well-meaning of sitcoms finds a major change. With the cast now having aged to the point that not all the girls could reasonably be in high school together, Mrs. Garrett (Charlotte Rae) opens Edna's Edibles, a bakery-slash-coffee-shop, and the opening two-parter establishes the new status quo (essentially doing whatever is necessary to keep the main characters together). Otherwise, things proceed as they always have, with each story combining standard sitcom hijinks with Important Life Lessons and forays into weighty subjects. So, for example, the friendship between Natalie (Mindy Cohn) and Tootie (Kim Fields) hits a rough patch when Natalie's reaction to being asked out by Tootie's cousin is perceived, by Tootie, to be racist.
The series' flaws and strengths are much as they always were. On the one hand, the commitment to deal with serious issues is commendable, and the actual integration of these themes into the structure of the stories is fairly smooth. On the other, the performances are thuddingly broad, and the dialogue (and its attendant jokes) is both chronically and acutely awful. In the final analysis, only viewers who have retained a devotion to the show will really be able to get much out of this.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Michael Durr on November 3rd, 2010
Apparently, animated shows created by Seth McFarlane are in high demand. He has had considerable success with Family Guy and American Dad. It was only a matter of time before Fox would try their luck with a Family Guy spinoff. The subject would be one of Peter’s friends. No, not Quagmire. That will be reserved for Cinemax late night. Giggity giggity. Actually, the subject would be Cleveland. Let us see how this one plays out.
It is another late night at the Drunken Clam, Cleveland is sitting with Peter, Joe and Quagmire. It seems that Cleveland has lost his house to his ex-wife, Loretta. He does have custody of Cleveland Jr. who is now fourteen years old and very overweight. As a result, he is going to leave Quahog and head to California to pursue his dream of becoming a minor league scout for a professional baseball organization.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on November 2nd, 2010
Written by Diane Tillis
As the title suggests, Attack on Darfur depicts the genocide occurring in Darfur, and it doesn’t get more real than this.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on November 2nd, 2010
This impressive A&E Blu-ray release combines two of the network's better series into one high-definition release. You get the 13-episode first season of How The Earth Was Made and the first season of Universe. Together the episodes explore the most inner depths of planet Earth and the farthest reaches of our own Solar System. It's all in high- definition Blu-ray. It will make a rather nice gift this holiday season. Here's what you get:
How The Earth Was Made: Season One
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on November 2nd, 2010
Both Battle 360 and Patton 360 have provided viewers with one of the more interesting looks at two of the most impressive records in World War II. In the Pacific it was the crew of the aircraft carrier Enterprise. In Europe it was the iconic leader, General George S. Patton and his troops. Together they have amassed the most impressive wartime records in American history. World War II was a defining moment for the United States, establishing this nation as a super power with influence on world affairs unequaled. The results might have been dramatically different if not for these two fighting forces. Now A&E has collected them both in one high-definition Blu-ray collection.
![Highlander 2 [Blu-ray] dvd cover art](https://upcomingdiscs.com/ecs_covers/highlander-2-blu-ray-large.jpg)
![Earth & Space [Blu-ray] dvd cover art](https://upcomingdiscs.com/ecs_covers/earth-space-blu-ray-large.jpg)
