Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on November 13th, 2003
Dick Wolf reinvented the cop drama with the original Law and Order. That flagship program is the longest running drama currently in primetime. There does not seem to be an end in sight. This second version has a bit harder edge; dealing with sex crimes, it was important that the new show didn’t degrade into a “pervert” of the week scenario. The writing is top notch. For me, the addition of Richard Belzer as Homicide’s John Munsch was a stroke of genius. Belzer’s deadpan characterization is a perfect fit for such a sensitive subject. He now holds the record of an actor appearing in 5 TV shows as the same character: Homicide Life On The Street, The X-Files, Oz, Law And Order, and now Law And Order SVU.
Synopsis
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on November 11th, 2003
Everybody has their favorite Looney Tunes character and particular cartoon shorts. That’s the largest obstacle facing Warner Brothers in this ambitious project to restore and release these shorts on DVD. The first collection features 56 all time great shorts plus a ton of extras. If your favorites were not included, take heart. This is only the first of many promised releases. All in all it would take a Dickens’ Scrooge not to find something to love about this collection. It doesn’t matter if you’re 5 or 105, these cartoons have been a vital part of growing up for all of us.
Synopsis
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on October 31st, 2003
Not since the height of the American Western has there been a film genre where we find ourselves rooting for the bad guys and booing the good guys. Yesterday’s Jesse James and Billy The Kid have become Michael Corleone and Tony Soprano. Add to the mix that The Sopranos have totally revolutionized the face of the television drama. It’s no fluke that this show dominates nearly every Emmy category there is. The cinematography is feature film quality. The cast is high end and the writing is gutsy and tight. Make no mistake about it. Season Four was not the best Sopranos by any measure. Still, even at its weakest, the show delivers what most shows can’t at their best.
Audio
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on October 27th, 2003
Harrison Ford is the top selling actor in Hollywood these days. He owes this distinction in no small part to a couple of trilogies he did early in his career. While Star Wars might have been a chance for Ford to break out, Raiders of the Lost Ark and its sequels defined his abilities. Indiana Jones is the perfect hero. He’s strong, intelligent, and above all moral. Unlike the stereotypical hero Jones is also vulnerable and at times flawed. Credit Steven Spielberg for the iconic stature Indy occupies today. Left to his own devices, George Lucas would have given us Tom Selleck as the cigarette-smoking morally bankrupt Indiana Smith.
Raiders of the Lost Ark brought back the cinematic tradition of the 2-reel serials. These shorts would combine with a newsreel, a cartoon, and a feature film to provide a splendid moviegoing event in the early days of talkies. To those of us too young to remember them, the Indiana Jones saga is a time machine to a much simpler day of good guys and bad guys. While even Spielberg himself admits that Indiana Jones and The Temple of Doom was inferior to the rest of the trilogy, even this weaker film provided a historic filmmaking moment. Because of its dark nature and gore elements the film did not fit neatly into the PG rating. The filmmakers did not want this “family” adventure labeled with R, so the ensuing conflict brought us PG-13, now the most widely used rating on films. Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade dared to show us a much more vulnerable hero with the addition of his father. The relationship is a complicated one, but a relationship every father and son can instantly recognize and relate to. Right Dad?
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on October 25th, 2003
Forever Knight was a CBS attempt to provide original drama broadcasting in the late night slot. This was, of course, before Letterman came along. After two seasons it was jettisoned and the USA network picked it up. USA retooled the show and ran it for just one more year for a total of three: Thus the Forever Knight Trilogy. The concept was quite intriguing. Knight would strongly emulate the popular Ann Rice universe of vampires, combining these gothic images and stories with a modern police drama. Each episode had a trademark dual storyline. One story would involve Knight’s seedy vampire past, while the second story would involve the current police case. The stories would blend on some common element like loyalty or Father’s Day. Filmed almost totally at night in Canada, the series had a distinct atmosphere assisted in no small part by the wonderful time-lapse photography and the cello-rich score of Fred Molin
Synopsis
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on October 25th, 2003
Most sci-fi fans have a very warm place in their heart for Starbuck, Apollo, and the rest of the crew of Battlestar Galactica. At over $1 million per episode, it became the most expensive show in network history. Star Wars master Jedi f/x man John Dykstra utilized many of the techniques he developed for the Lucas enterprise. George Lucas claimed they were so close he was forced into a failed effort to sue the show for copyright infringement. Sci-Fi channel is about to relaunch this revered franchise, but the results appear so far underwhelming. (Starbuck as an airhead blonde chick?) Dressed in an amazing package that resembles a Cylon face, this is the ultimate Galactica. Glen Larson was already a network master with huge successes under his belt, like the famous forensic scientist Quincy, when he wrote and pitched the show. Galactica was a risk he did not have to take. The result was television magic. Like so many masterful shows before it, such as another famous sci-fi “enterprise”, it was never given a fair chance at the time. It was doomed to only be truly appreciated when it was finally gone.
Audio
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on October 22nd, 2003
The Hills are back! Hank, Peggy, Bobby and Luanne have returned for more down home shenanigans. After a successful first season that followed in the footsteps of the Simpsons, King of the Hill was a surprising hit from the creative mind of Mike Judge, formerly responsible for the heavy metal antics of Beavis and Butthead. The second series picks up where series one left off albeit with improved writing and further exploration of the characters. I particularly like the characterization of Hank as a true redneck – ... particularly sexually inhibited redneck at that.
There are some great moments in the second season that continued to define the pathological relationships between the Hill family – from the twisted father/son relationship that blossoms due to Bobby’s uncanny accuracy at shooting things which then allows us some insight into Hank’s own poor relationship with his war-vet father. There are some classic digs into American life as one episode gives us a little more background into Luanne as she is returned to the trailer park from whence she came, in time for the trailer park to be hit by a tornado. While this is happening, Dale’s wife, Nancy the TV weather girl, comments on air, “Why is it that tornado’s always hit trailer parks?”
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on October 21st, 2003
Synopsis
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on October 20th, 2003
This wonderful British comedy comes to DVD once again… this time in a Vol. 6-10 box set. If you are not familiar with this outrageous show, it ruled BBC airwaves from 1972-1985, and continues to entertain today on DVD. Taking place solely on a single floor of a department store, this show covers the lives and misadventures of the staff who are employed there.
Audio
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on October 19th, 2003
The eighth season of the X-files brought major changes to one of Fox’s strongest running series. And whenever major changes occur there is always a concern about what is going to happen to the integrity of the show. By the end of the 7th season the worries about what David Duchovny was going to do left fans of the show in limbo. Luckily, the creative team behind the X-files (one of the best in television history) was up to the task.
The season opened with the introduction to Agent Fox Mulder’s replace...ent – John Doggett (Robert Patrick – best known as the lethal liquid metal T-1000 from T2). There was an initial great exchange between Scully and Doggett in which she throws a cup of water in Doggett’s face. The writers anticipated that this is exactly what the fans would have wanted to happen (how dare they replace Mulder?). Doggett was a great contrast to Mulder – a complete straight shooter and team player. A very similar premise reminiscent of the first season was replayed with a reversal of roles – Dogget was the skeptic and Scully was the believer. In addition a second addition to the cast occurred early with the appearance of Agent Monica Reyes – a true believer in the purpose of the X-Files with a weird new age feel about her that added some levity to Doggett’s “straight by the book” attitude. Scully was transformed throughout the season as her pregnancy progressed with worries about not only the health of her unborn child but also questions about its genetic make-up. How alien would it be? And what are the implications of its birth?
