Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on March 9th, 2005
Synopsis
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on March 7th, 2005
Five discs, ten episodes, one amazing show.
For those that are unaware, MI-5 (or Spooks, as it is called in the UK) is a popular spy series set in London. While some similarities will inevitably be drawn to ABC‘s Alias, MI-5 is an excellent show in its own right. I highly recommend that those that are new to the series start with Season One of the show and work their way up. Starting in the middle of a series cliffhanger is never a good idea, as I learned all-too-late. Of course,...the fact that I wondered in to the show in the middle of the action, with no background knowledge of the series, and was immediately hooked might also say something about the addictive nature of this show. Neverthless, the best place to begin is at the beginning.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on March 6th, 2005
There are two kinds of men on the planet; those that are fans of Gilligan‘s Island, and those that are not. Now, every man will gladly participate in the Ginger vs. Mary Ann debate, but as for actually liking the show for it’s intended purpose, that‘s something different altogether. I must admit, I am not a fan. I find the show unbearably lame, and have a hard time putting aside my desire for quality programming to enjoy the campy and carefree nature of the classic series.
There are a whopping 32 epi...odes in this season, which is a lot even by today’s standards. Furthermore, the episodes have all been crammed onto three double-sided discs, which makes this season set a real value. Warner Brothers always does a great job of making their classic television sets as economical as possible, and this one is no exception. All of this, coupled with the fact that there were only three seasons in the life of this show, makes the decision to collect this series an easy one for true Island fans.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on March 2nd, 2005
Synopsis
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on February 25th, 2005
In the midst of Hollywood rehashing old TV shows from the 70s and 80s, they’ve been working on a big screen version of The Dukes of Hazzard. I will repeat that because I think that it bears repeating. Somebody in Hollywood greenlit a movie with Stifler and Johnny Knoxville as Bo and Luke Duke, and Jessica Simpson as their cousin Daisy, as they taunt and evade Boss Hogg played by, wait for it….Burt Reynolds. Someone should be brought up on charges for this, because that sound you’re hearing is Hollywood scrapin... the bottom of the barrel of ideas.
That’s not to say that perhaps they aren’t trying to capitalize on a potentially big crowd. I mean, the show was a staple on CBS TV for 7 seasons, running for almost 150 episodes. You can’t do much better than that with 2 good looking guys, a good looking girl and the requisite pile of car tricks each episode. It was Southern boys acting like Southern boys, having fun and staying close to their family. Warner brothers has put the entire second season (23 episodes) out on 4 flipper discs. Quite a few well known names of the South appeared through the years on the show. Among those recognizable are Nascar driver Cale Yarborough (it was 1980, keep that in mind) along with musicians Mel Tillis, The Oak Ridge Boys and Loretta Lynn.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on February 25th, 2005
Every now and again a show comes along that on the surface probably isn’t that great. Still, something about it endears itself to you, and you might never completely understand it yourself. The Greatest American Hero is one of those shows. Created by the same man who created James Rockford, Stephen Cannell, The Greatest American Hero was a welcome change to the run of hero shows that preceded it. Robert Culp is pure genius as “by the book” FBI agent Bill Maxwell. Connie Sellecca delivers a little more than scenery or...sidekick value. William Katt is a nice fit for the quirky teacher turned superhero. Of course, who could forget the hit theme song “Believe it or Not”? It’s amusing to find Ralph Hinkley asking his students not to call him Mr. H. When John Hinkley shot President Reagan, the show’s producers decided to limit the character’s name references to Mr. H. Later the last name would be changed to Henley.
Synopsis
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on February 25th, 2005
There’s gotta be some reason why Charmed has stuck around for as long as it has. What started as a show created by Aaron Spelling, starring Shannon Doherty (Beverly Hills 90210) and goddess to internet pervs everywhere in Alyssa Milano (Embrace of the Vampire) has been a staple in the WB lineup for its 7th season now. Even though the show did have to change out Doherty several seasons ago, replacing her with Rose McGowan, the adventures of the Halliwell sisters are still going strong.
T...e folks at Paramount have finally started putting this show out on DVD, and the first season has recently arrived. All 22 episodes from the first season are available on a six-disc set, which examines the clairvoyance of Phoebe (Milano), the telekinetic powers of Prue (Doherty), and the freezing powers of Piper (Holly Marie Combs, Picket Fences). Phoebe returns to San Francisco to stay with her sisters, the more free-spirited of the three, while Prue is the dominant one and Piper is the shy one. Those familiar with the show now will find the dynamic between the three completely different than what it first was, and it’s fun to watch, as the girls try to get a better handle of their newfound powers, and they eventually embrace them in a fight against various demons and other black magic antagonists.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on February 20th, 2005
In the world of television spinoffs it is rare that the newer material will live up to that which spawned it. All In The Family holds the record for number of spinoffs and coincidentally produced the most memorable. Frasier was an instant hit after Cheers. But how many of you remember After-MASH or Beverly Hills Buntz?
Angel, to anyone living under a rock, dates back to the pilot episode of Buffy The Vampire Slayer. I recently took another look at that maiden appearance. Who says vampires don’t age? This i... going to be heresy for some of you, but Angel is a far superior show. The darker tones and the good sense to stay away from the Scooby Doo Club antics made it a show to be taken more seriously. That was until Season 5.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on February 20th, 2005
The Matrix (1999) was a landmark film in the Sci-Fi genre. While it’s box office intake was dwarfed by Episode 1, it was The Matrix that had people talking. Andy and Larry Wachowski’s story of a post-apocalyptic world where humans serve as biological generators of energy for the machines that rule the planet, challenged people’s perceptions of what reality was.
In addition to the well crafted story, The Matrix was well known for the creation of one of the most copied special eff...cts shots currently in movie production, “bullet time” blew audiences away. The normally wooden acting of Keanu Reaves seemed to fit Neo’s transformation well and the performances by the supporting cast (Laurence Fishburne and Carrie-Ann Moss) were visceral in their appeal. The Matrix was a box office success – the production budget was $63 million and the domestic gross was $171 million.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on February 19th, 2005
Synopsis
