Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on June 1st, 2004
Star Trek Voyager came into its own during season two. This was the first full season of the Star Trek spin-off. Superior to its sister show Deep Space Nine, Voyager once again brought the concept of exploration to the Star Trek universe.
The season was very uneven. There is the absolutely terrible and contrived episode “The 37’s” which start off with an old pickup truck floating in space. For the first time a starship lands, and I think that was an unwise development. This is the episode where the crew fi...ds Amelia Earhart.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on June 1st, 2004
In season 2, The West Wing was still superior to almost anything on television at the time. The problems began to surface, however. Season 2 concentrated far too much time on the whole MS deal. I missed the powerful insider political stories. Still, there is little question that the writing and production style of the show continued to shine. Up to this point only Hill Street Blues had more Emmy nominations in one season.
Audio
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on May 31st, 2004
“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 …” Season 2 has been called “The Lost Season” by Dick Wolf fans. These episodes were not included in some of the many syndication packages so have been seen less often in reruns. The show maintains its trademark tight storytelling. The addition of Paul Sorvino is both a good and a bad thing here. Sorvino is certainly a very f...ne actor and the character is one of Law and Order’s best. Still, much of the work seems below the accomplished actor, and he seems to either overact or just phone in the performance. It’s not really that hard to see why the mix didn’t last very long.
Synopsis
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on May 27th, 2004
All too often, films with an ensemble cast are a dream for the studio’s marketing department, but end up being a nightmare for the moviegoer. They are the very definition of the phrase, “too many Chiefs and not enough Indians”. There are exceptions to this rule (such as Steven Soderberg’s re-make of Ocean’s 11), but more often than not, such films fall flat, as everybody leads in their own direction, and nobody follows.
Thankfully, this is one of those rare exceptions. Each member of the cast of T...e Great Escape understands their role in telling the story, and they fill it perfectly. No one actor is the star here (though it is clear that Steve McQueen is certainly the man); everyone sacrificed their personal glory for the good of the film.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on May 24th, 2004
Easily the best animated series to hit the airwaves over the past decade, Gennedy Tartovsky’s Samurai Jack has developed a devoted following owing to it’s superior storytelling and cinematography (if you can call it cinematography when it’s on TV).
It follows the story of Samurai Jack – a time displaced samurai looking to restore order to the planet by destroying the demon responsible for his, and the earth’s predicament. Aku, a powerful demon attacked Jack’s village destroying his home and family. Jack sw...ars revenge and tracks down Aku. Following a vicious battle, Jack uses his magical sword to strike his nemesis down. But before he can deliver the killing blow, Aku flings Jack into the far future. Jack arrives disoriented only to find to his horror that Aku is now the absolute ruler of the planet. Jack’s mission is clear – to destroy Aku at any cost while sticking to his samurai code of conduct.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on May 24th, 2004
Following what may be one of the best season finales ever (i.e. Buffy sacrifices herself for her sister Dawn) Buffy is raised from the dead by the ever increasing powers of Willow. She returns disoriented just in time to battle a horde of motorcycle riding demons hell-bent on turning Sunnyvale into their own personal property. It is during the opening two episodes that it becomes clear that secrets are going to play a major role in the sixth season.
Buffy’s friends believe that as a result of the events of...the climax of the fifth season that Buffy’s essence has been in a hell dimension and they are ‘saving her’ by bringing her back to life. Buffy doesn’t ‘thank’ them until midway through the second episode. Shortly thereafter in a touching moment with Spike she reveals that she was not in a hell dimension at all…in fact just the opposite. It sure sounded like she was in heaven – finally at peace with a sense of contentment.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on May 20th, 2004
Synopsis
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on May 15th, 2004
It seems that the producers of many long-running television shows are starting to catch on to what the viewing public has known for years; it’s best to go out on top. Shows such as Seinfeld, Friends and even Frasier (to an extent) have decided to pull the plug while the material is still operating on an acceptable level. It’s rare that shows can successfully pull the great switch like ER did, and replace virtually every member of the cast, while still not losing what made them great in the...first place.
I only wish that Chris Carter bought into this school of thought. While the Ninth season of The X-Files was still one of the better sci-fi dramas on television, it just wasn’t the same. The departure of David Duchovny left a hole in the cast that could not be filled. Now, that’s not to say that Robert Patrick isn’t great as Agent Doggett, it’s just that he’s not the same character. It was like those episodes of The Cosby Show that focused on Theo or Vanessa. It’s the same show, but there is a big piece missing.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on May 10th, 2004
Synopsis
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on May 10th, 2004
In 1980, the United States was in need of something to give hope to its citizens. What it got was a miracle.
Now, hockey has never really been a major sport in the United States. While it is played feverishly in many of the Northern states, those in the rest of the country are just not as passionate about it. Basketball, baseball and football are the big three in this country. This fact just goes one step further to show just how unbelievable the Miracle on Ice really was. I am sure that most people already...know the story, so it would be redundant for me to recount it here. For those that don’t, they should unquestionably see this movie.
