Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on June 20th, 2005
Ten years ago Chuck Norris took his movie tough guy routine to television. It is there that he has enjoyed far greater success than in his films. For nine years Norris brought us the ultimate Texas Ranger in a formula cops and robbers show. The show often became a parody of itself, but maintained a solid viewership throughout. Hell, Norris even sings the theme song. Truthfully, what started as a one man show had become a good working ensemble that probably kept the train going for so long.
Walker (Norris) is a tough guy Texas Ranger. He is partnered with Sydney Cooke (Peebles) and Jimmy Trivetti (Gilyard) who’s an ex-jock with a brain. Together they fight the evils that come to the high plains of Texas armed with their fists, six-shooters, and Stetsons.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on June 18th, 2005
Again, this USA Network series is based very loosely on the early Stephen King novel or the film with Martin Sheen. The third season takes the series much closer to the darker world of the King novel. Johnny’s growing obsession with Candidate Stillson flirts ever so dangerously with the tragic conclusion of the original story. Of course, the series appears to have strong legs. A fourth and fifth season are already ordered, so Johnny won’t be taking that ever fateful step... just yet. What makes this increasingly compelling storyline work is twofold. Fans of the original finally have some beef to sink their canines into. The second benefit is a direct payoff of this being a series instead of a single film. While we may think we know where Johnny’s headed, we now get to see it have a profound impact on his life. This is a solid 12 episode run and well worth the DVD shelf space required to display it.
Synopsis
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on June 16th, 2005
Poker viewing on television has been a phenomenon that has exploded over the last few years. This 8-disc set of The World Poker Tour - Season Two (14 episodes and one disc with bonus material) is a viewing pleasure for any poker fan who just enjoys watching it or is looking to improve their game.
Each episode includes poker instruction and player profiles for an inside look at the professional poker world. The host team of Mike Sexton and Vince Van Patten are very knowledgeable and add excitement t... every match, and then of course there’s Shana Hiatt!
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on June 14th, 2005
The Godfather Part II is, quite simply, one of the best films of all time. Personally, I would actually place it above it's predecessor, the original Godfather film, though both won Academy Awards for Best Picture. Part II, however, gave us not only Al Pacino in a genre-defining role, but also the young days of the original Godfather, played brilliantly by Robert De Niro, who impressively treads the line between believability and farce that is so fine with an actor like Marlin Brando.
In fact, i... is not only Al Pacino's acting that defines the gangster genre, but just about everything about this film, from the cinematography to the dialog. After the original film was released, every classic period piece for the next 35 years had to have that same golden look. The acting, the romantic storylines, and the cinematography re all first-rate. This is a classic film that deserves to be on every film fan's top 5 list and DVD shelf.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on June 13th, 2005
Synopsis
The degree to which any of these films is or was “controversial” varies quite a bit, but the claim can certainly be made that all seven of these films dealt with pertinent social issues of their times. Some are still quite relevant today, and all are well worth watching.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on June 7th, 2005
“In the criminal justice system the people are represented by two separate, yet equally important groups: the police who investigate crime and the district attorneys who prosecute the offenders …” If you haven’t seen Law and Order, this is the set to begin with. Season 3 is most notable as the first year for Jerry Orbach. His 11 years in the role of Briscoe gave this revolving door series the kind of stability it needed. The powers that be at Universal added confusion to the mix when it released season 14 following season 2. I suspect the move was intended to deal with the unfortunate death of Orbach. His final season was obviously a “hot” item. Fortunately it now appears the releases will continue again from the show’s beginning.
Synopsis
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on June 2nd, 2005
Man on Fire is a stylish thriller with excellent performances at the heart. Denzel Washington plays Creasey, an ex CIA/assassin who is too tired of the killing. Now out of the game, Creasey sticks to drinking in Mexico City. Enter Rayburn, an old buddy (played by the wonderful Christopher Walken). He has a potential job for the down and out Creasey. A string of abductions and kidnappings in the city (Mexico City is the real life kidnap capital of the world) forces a young industrialist (Marc Anthony)and h...s wife (Radha Mitchell)to hire Creasy as a bodyguard for their 10 year old daughter Pita (played by Dakota Fanning). Well...let's just say...the bodyguarding doesn't go too well. And Creasey needs to find Pita before it's too late.
Man on Fire is directed by Tony Scott. Scott is a stylist, and the movie definitely has stylistic excess. But this is the man who invented stylistic excess with Top Gun. But Scott is more successful when he has great actors to inhabit his stylish canvas, True Romance and Crimson Tide are great examples. Scott has become more "modern" with his use of jump cuts and freaky camera angles. It's a dizzying experience, but thankfully this over the top effort is fleshed out by the excellent performances of Denzel and Dakota Fanning (she will be a star one day). The movie is way too long (2 and a half hours for a genre thriller??). But the peformances and the script (by Mystic River's Brian Helgeland) hold Scott's over direction in check.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on June 1st, 2005
Season Eight of MASH was most notable as the year one of the most beloved characters left the series. Radar, that down-home country boy, was perhaps the most reality based character in the run of the series. I’ve spoken to many G.I.’s who have informed me that the company clerk really runs any Army outfit. Radar had an element of innocence and sincerity that was skillfully portrayed by Gary Burghoff. Burghoff was the only cast member from the original film to reprise his role for the series. Year Eight would feature the first of a few appearances by Alan Alda’s real life father and 1950’s film star Robert Alda.
As miraculous as an 8 year run might be for any sitcom, MASH still had 3 additional seasons to go before leaving while still artistically on the ball. MASH set the stage for multiple cast changes long before Dick Wolf would claim the practice as his own invention with Law and Order. By the time the series ended, only three actors from that first episode remained: Alan Alda, Jamie Farr, and Loretta Switt. (While the character of Father Mulcahy appeared in the pilot, a different actor portrayed him.)
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on May 31st, 2005
We now have the full I, Robot experience with this new “All Access Collector’s Edition”. We have more a lot more supplements but, unfortunately, the movie is not improved. It’s still a fun couple of hours though. I, Robot follows the story of Will Smith (and his character name, if that matters, is Detective Spooner) as he tries to solve the murder of a robotics scientist (James Cromwell). Smith must overcome his prejudice against robots, as he tries to solve the case.
There are a lot of “c...ol” scenes, and I really enjoyed the universe created by Alex Proyas. One of Proyas’ previous films, Dark City, is a startling work of imagination. The special effects are very modern, but the story is as creaky as an old rocking chair. We’ve seen all this before: the chases, the one note characterizations, the one-liners, the Will Smith-ism. This is ain’t Bad Boys. The movie is caught between an intelligent futuristic tale and a Will Smith vehicle. The two cancel each other out. What’s left is a watered down film that’s only “suggested” by Isaac Asimov’s original work. Fans didn’t seem to mind though. The excellent box office summer receipts proved that Will Smith is still a force to be reckoned with. I enjoyed I, Robot, but I took it for what it was…and not as it should be.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on May 29th, 2005
In terms of concept, it seems kinda cool and avant-garde: take the old cartoon Space Ghost, hire some writers and voiceover guys to interview some guests as part of a talk show and see what happens. The result, being Space Ghost Coast to Coast eventually did turn into a cult following and captured an older (read: 18-30) demographic for the Cartoon Network.
Though Space Ghost is a superhero, in this series he has kidnapped a couple of his villains to be a part of his talk show. You have ...orak, essentially an animated praying mantis that serves as the Paul Shaffer of the show. The producer is Moltar, who looks like he should work as part of a hazardous material recovery team. And in the middle of it all, you have a 15 minute, disjointed conversation between a varying group of eclectic guests and a seemingly detached masked hero and show host. The guests over the course of the season include Jon Stewart, Bob Odenkirk and David Cross, Jimmy Cliff, Beck, Ice T, Goldie Hawn and Colin Quinn, to list very few.
