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Special Category

Taxi – The Complete First Season

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on November 19th, 2004

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Taxi was a very funny sitcom that is most notable for the number of future stars it produced. Danny DeVito, Christopher Lloyd, Tony Danza, and Judd Hirsch all went on to bigger and better things when the Taxi ride ended. Andy Kaufman’s life and early death provided one of the more bizarre stories in Hollywood history. The truth is that season 1 was not quite that funny. Sure, Lloyd makes an appearance here, but the lovable Rev. Jim would not get behind the wheel of a taxi until the second season. We can only be glad …
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SCTV Volume 2

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on November 18th, 2004

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SCTV is back with Volume 2. We all know the players, Joe Flahrety, Andrea Martin, Catherine O’Hara, Eugene Levy, Rick Moranis, Dave Thomas, and John Candy. Martin Short wasn’t on board yet. But this volume has all your favorite characters, Bob and Doug MacKenzie, Count Floyd, Johnny LaRue, Dr. Tongue, Jerry Todd, Lola Heatherington, and I always loved the Hi-Q sketch.

SCTV’s kind of satire and parody is not biting like Monty Python. It’s more endearing, like wrestling match with a friend….
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Elf

Posted in Disc Reviews by David Annandale on November 18th, 2004

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One Christmas Eve, an infant crawls into Santa’s sack while the big man is visiting an orphanage, and isn’t discovered until Santa (Ed Asner) is back at the North Pole. Adopted by the Papa Elf (Bob Newhart), the baby grows into Buddy (Will Ferrell). Though Buddy does his best, he is enormously clumsy by elf standards. He decided to head off to New York City to meet his birth father (James Caan), the Scrooge-like editor of a children’s book publisher. Buddy descends on the big city
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Elizabeth Taylor – The Signature Collection

Posted in Disc Reviews by David Annandale on November 17th, 2004

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Synopsis

National Velvet (1944) is one of the most beloved horse movies out there. A veryyoung Taylor wins a horse named Pie, and dreams not only of entering the horse in the GrandNational, but of riding him, too. Helping her achieve this dream is jockey Mickey Rooney. Alsoon hand is Angela Lansbury as Taylor’s older sister. This is innocent fun of the most perfectlycrafted variety, and it expertly tugs at heartstrings from the opening moments on.

Father of the Bride (…
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Hellboy

Posted in Disc Reviews by David Annandale on November 15th, 2004

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Synopsis

In 1944, supernaturally inclined Nazis open up a other-dimensional portal, through whichcomes a demon infant. Rescued from such evil foster-parents, the baby grows up, under the wingof John Hurt, into Hellboy (a perfectly cast Ron Perlman), who now fights monsters undercoverfor the US government. Said government isn’t ecstatic about the clandestine work of Hellboyand other creatures (these guys get none of the respect of the Men in Black). But the need for thissupernatural …
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West Wing – The Complete Third Season

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on November 15th, 2004

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Given this DVD’s release date (directly coinciding with one of the most highly anticipated election days in history), and season three’s initial air date (following on the heels of September 11th), this season may become the most pivotal in West Wing history- if not the most consistent. It opens with an out-of-context episode, “Isaac and Ishmael,” that’s as didactic as it is well-meaning. While Chief of Staff Leo (John Spencer) interrogates a suspect, Sam (Rob Lowe), Josh (Bradley Whitford), Charlie (Dule Hill…
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Tom and Jerry — Spotlight Collection, The Premiere Volume

Posted in Disc Reviews by David Annandale on November 11th, 2004

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Synopsis

Here is an excellent package for fans of classic animation: 40 cartoons, of which nine werenominated for Oscars, and seven won. Just about every variation of cat-chasing-mouse variationis provided, including the WWII-themed “Yankee Doodle Mouse” and the musical “The CatConcerto.” There are also the sequences from other films where our heroes dance with GeneKelly (Disc 1) and swim with Esther Williams (Disc 2). Under the guiding hands of WilliamHanna and Joseph Barbera can b…
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Shawshank Redemption, The

Posted in Disc Reviews by David Annandale on November 10th, 2004

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Synopsis

Convicted of murdering his wife and her lover, Tim Robbins is sentenced to serveconsecutive life sentences at the horrific Shawshank prison. He looks like the sort who wouldn’tlast a week in such circumstances, let alone decades, but he survives, and begins to transformall around him, most prominently long-time resident and operator Morgan Freeman. Robbinsnever gives up his dream of freedom, however, and so the film is, in some ways, about thelongest prison escape ever. But…
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What’s Happening!! – The Complete Second Season

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on November 9th, 2004

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What’s Happening!! (that’s right, 2 exclamation marks) had a three year run on ABC in the mid 70’s. The second season is now on DVD, all 22 episodes. The sitcom revolves around a “family” of sorts. The main characters are three best friends, Raj (the nerdy one), Dwayne (the cool one), and Rerun (the goofy one). There’s also Shirley, the waitress at the local soda shop. But Dee (Raj’s little sister) is a distraction. And I’m not talking about the character. The actor’s line readings are terrible and watc…
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Little Women (Classic DVD and Book Collection)

Posted in Disc Reviews by David Annandale on November 5th, 2004

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Synopsis

For the audience this film is aimed at, a synopsis should be superfluous. At any rate, this isthe tale of March family, consiting of mother Marmee (Susan Sarandon) and her four daughters:protagonist Jo (Winona Ryder), proper Meg (Trini Alvarado), delicate Beth (Claire Danes) andyoungest Amy (first Kirsten Dunst, cute as a button, then Samantha Mathis). We begin during theCivil War, with the father absent, and the family dealing with the privations of that time, andthen move…
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Sense and Sensibility (Classic DVD and Book Collection)

Posted in Disc Reviews by David Annandale on November 5th, 2004

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Synopsis

Jane Austen’s tale concerns the Dashwood sisters. Elinor (Emma Thompson) is sensible tothe point of excessive caution in matters of the heart. Marianne (Kate Winslett) is the opposite,so passionate that she might follow her heart into trouble. Their lives (and those of their littlesister and their mother) are made difficult by their loss of fortune. They are at the mercy ofselfish in-laws, though the brother of the gorgon-in-chief is the extremely likeable Hugh Grant(with w…
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Creature from the Black Lagoon – The Legacy Collection

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on November 3rd, 2004

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Hot on the heels of spring 2004’s Monster Legacy Collections, Universal is at it again. This time The Invisible Man, Mummy, and Creature films get the special treatment. The Creature set is the most obvious standout from the latest releases. Just in time for Halloween, The Creature walks among us again. All 3 Creature films are included along with all of the bonus materials from Universal’s release of the original film.

The synopsis of these films goes something like this…
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Mr. Show – The Complete Fourth Season

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on November 3rd, 2004

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For four seasons, Bob Odenkirk and David Cross, along with a group of writers and comedians, served up comedy skits, parodies, and more, in the underrated but hilarious HBO late-night sketch comedy series Mr. Show.

Mr. Show is a smart comedy show, at least from what I can gather from the fourth season. The first thing to point out is every skit is somehow related to the next one by way of introducing a certain product, idea, or interstitial video. It’s as if each skit is part of one big narra…
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Gone with the Wind

Posted in Disc Reviews by David Annandale on November 3rd, 2004

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Synopsis

Writing a synopsis for Gone with the Wind must be as silly an exercise as doing onefor King Kong or Casablanca. But for what it’s worth, this is the tumultuous sagaof Scarlett O’Hara (Vivien Leigh), spoiled southern belle at Tara, whose life is turned upsidedown by two things: Rhett Butler (Clark Gable) and the Civil War. Her love affair(s) with Rhettare almost as fiery as the chaos of war, and in that crucible she is forced into becoming a self-suffici…
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Sanford and Son – The Complete Fifth Season

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on November 3rd, 2004

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This really was “The Big One”. Season 5 was probably my favorite year of Sanford and Son. Episodes like the Dickens-inspired Ebenezer Sanford, The classic Sanford and Rising Son and The Oddfather leave me laughing just to think about them. I can’t look at George C. Scott as Patton and not be reminded of the intrepid Sergeant Gork. George Foreman took a break from his fight schedule to appear as himself. Even the clip-loaded Camping Trip is a constant riot. In Season 5 the Sanfords discover NBC is making a TV show abo…
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C.S.I. Crime Scene Investigation – The Complete Fourth Season

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on October 28th, 2004

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CSI hasn’t changed much in its first four years. Expect more of the same here. The unique photography and f/x material is pretty much as solid as it was in the first episode. I’m not sure I like the “scruffy” Grissom look, but the show is as good as it’s ever been. As in each of the previous season, Gil Grissom leads a team of Crime Scene Investigators (CSI) on the night shift in Las Vegas.

Audio

This Dolby Digital 5.1 sound once again reinvents TV sound. Highs and lows both exhibit dynam…
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Stargate SG-1 – The Complete Seventh Season

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on October 27th, 2004

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Michael Shanks returned to Stargate full time in Season 7. What continues to impress me is that after 7 years the quality of this show just keeps getting better. I’m rarely moved by film or TV, but “Fragile Balance” was one of the most moving hours of television I’ve ever seen. The writers and actors continue to collaborate to create the best science fiction show ever. I’m sorry, but that might even include Star Trek. Season 7 brought us even more complex stories, if that was possible. The characters each had opport…
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That’s Entertainment! The Complete Collection

Posted in Disc Reviews by David Annandale on October 25th, 2004

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Synopsis

There’s nothing really to summarize about these films. Their reason for being, after all, is simply to present clips from classic MGM musicals. The first film, released to huge success in 1974, set the pattern, with various big stars (Frank Sinatra, Elizabeth Taylor, Gene Kelly and so on) narrating different segments of a potted history of the MGM musical. That’s Entertainment, Part 2 (1976) broadened its scope to include comedy and romance scenes as well. The third film didn’t arrive…
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Dream On – Seasons 1 & 2

Posted in Disc Reviews by David Annandale on October 22nd, 2004

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Synopsis

Brian Benben is a book editor. He is still madly in love with his ex-wife, but his dreams of getting back together with her are smashed by her upcoming marriage. And “dreams” is very much the operative term here, since Benben’s emotional reactions to the world around him are daydreams in the form of B&W clips from old films and TV shows. Exec-produced by John Landis, the series follows Benben’s misadventures (primarily with the opposite sex), and features plenty of Big Name guest appearances…
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Martian Chronicles, The

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on October 16th, 2004

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What Science Fiction fan has not read Ray Bradbury’s groundbreaking book, The Martian Chronicles. The book is not really a novel, but a series of shorter works that follows the settlement of Mars. Even though the Martian canals of medieval times were already disproved by the 1940’s when Bradbury began the project, he insisted on conforming his Martian landscape to such fancy. The series of works translate well to the mini-series format; however, the necessary f/x to pull it off just weren’t available in a 1980 TV bud…
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Star Trek Voyager – The Complete Fourth Season

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on October 16th, 2004

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Season 4 of Voyager is most notable for the addition of Jeri Ryan’s Seven Of Nine character. The stories grew a bit more complex. The season appears to have regarded style above substance in year 4. There is a modest attempt to develop a mother/daughter kind of relationship between Seven Of Nine and Janeway. The problem is that, like the potential for conflict inherent with the addition of the Maquis members of the crew, this conflict is all to often resolved in a Brady Bunch “What have you learned from this, Seven …
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Dame Edna Experience – The Complete Series Two

Posted in Disc Reviews by David Annandale on October 15th, 2004

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Synopsis

The most enduring creation of Barry Humphries (recently the voice of the shark inFinding Nemo), Dame Edna is a “megastar housewife” and this series is “her” version ofa talk show. Guests include Jane Fonda, Douglas Fairbanks Jr., Tony Curtis, Dolph Lundgren,Grace Jones, Princess Michael of Kent, Lauren Bacall and so on. An eclectic bunch, you’ll admit.The interviews are really much more about Edna than they are about her guests: she barely letsthem get a word in edge…
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Wire — The Complete First Season, The

Posted in 1.33:1 Fullscreen, Box Set, Disc Reviews, Dolby Digital 2.0 (English), Dolby Digital 2.0 (French), Dolby Digital 2.0 (Spanish), Dolby Digital 5.1 (English), DVD, HBO, Television by David Annandale on October 13th, 2004

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Synopsis

The setting is Baltimore, and the characters are on both sides of a battle between the cops anda drug-dealing ring. The narrative is that of one long mini-series, with the story spread over all 13episodes, rather than having self-contained units. The principles include Dominic West as thecop determined to bust the ring (though his reasons for wishing to do so are rather self-interested), and the prime target is Larry Gillard, Jr., a mid-level dealer who, after getting off a…
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Star Wars Trilogy

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on October 8th, 2004

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How else am I to begin the review for the most anticipated films ever to be released on the DVD medium?

“A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away…”

Who among you doesn’t notice your pulse quickening and your breathing become more slightly more rapid when you see those infamous words appear on the screen? Anyone who has seen my basement will attest that my pulse and respiration don’t just quicken but enter into full anticipation mode (needless to say that a large percentage of my earnin…
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Lost in Space – Season 2 (Volume 1)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on October 7th, 2004

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There were a lot of changes to Lost In Space in Season 2. The most significant was the decision to begin filming in color. There’s no question the show just looks so much better in color. The second drastic change was the overall mood of the show. Season 1 was much more serious and atmospheric. By the time the second year rolled around it became obvious that the trio of Smith, Will, and the Robot was what was drawing in the viewers. From that point onward most of the stories would revolve around that relationship. Th…
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