Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on January 15th, 2004
Synopsis
The format is familiar (as is pointed out by the series creator): this is a “precinct” show. Onlyinstead of cops, we’re dealing with spies, who fight against threats to Great Britain, whilejuggling complicated personal lives. Given the combination of ensemble cast, investigations, andsnazzy, futuristic look of the MI-5 headquarters, you might want to imagine a cross betweenNYPD Blue and La Femme Nikita. The performances are strong, the productionvalues are hig...
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on January 15th, 2004
Synopsis
This is pretty redundant, I know. If you don’t know what Cheers is about, you won’tstart watching it now. Anyway, Sam and Diane are having an affair, Norm is out of work, Carla’sex-husband (Dan Hedaya) resurfaces, and so on. Definitely a sitcom whose ensemble approachwas a real strength, and backed up by consistently witty writing.
Audio
The audio is 2.0, and is crisper than most people would have heard it back in 1983-4. Thereis a definite s...
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on January 14th, 2004
Synopsis
In the Heat of the Night (***1/2) is probably the best known film in the set. HereSidney Poitier plays Virgil Tibbs, Philadelphia homicide detective. Waylaid in a smallMississippi town, he battles racism and his own arrogance as he both clashes and cooperates withPolice Chief Rod Steiger in a murder investigation. Directed by Mr. Concerned Cinema himself,Norman Jewison, the film can hardly be taken seriously, what with all the inhabitants of Sparta,with only the par...
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on January 10th, 2004
Synopsis
Freddy has been rendered powerless by being forgotten. In order to revive his memory, andthus his power, he impersonates Jason’s mother (work with me, here) and sends the hulkingkiller down Elm Street way, hoping that he will be blamed for Jason’s murders. His plan beginsto work, but Jason is so relentless in his slaughter that he starts nailing teens that Freddy hadreserved for himself, and thus the two monsters are set on a collision course.
Enormous fun, even tho...
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on January 3rd, 2004
Easily the one of the weirdest (if not the weirdest) concepts to ever grace the small screen, Space Ghost Coast to Coast is a bizarre talk show hosted by a minor 60’s cartoon hero Space Ghost. Repeated animation clips are used to have Space Ghost “interview” such luminaries of the mid 90’s (the show ran on Cartoon Network from 1993-1996) such as Slash, Hulk Hogan, Bobcat Golthwait, Michael Stipe from REM (promoting Monster), and The Jerky Boys.
The basic premise has Space Ghost asking inane questions to hi...
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on December 28th, 2003
Casablanca. The Treasure of the Sierra Madre. The Big Sleep. TheMaltese Falcon. To Have and Have Not. All legendary titles, all among the very bestmovies Hollywood has ever made. Terrific adventures and mysteries, the fit together as acollection in fascinating ways, beyond simply having Bogart as the lead. To Have and HaveNot is structurally very much like a more upbeat version of Casablanca. TheMaltese Falcon is frequently held up as the first film no...
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on December 21st, 2003
Synopsis
Jamie Lee Curtis is the harried big-name therapist with the bestselling book. Lindsay Lohanis her teenage daughter going through the meat-grinder of high school. They are at each otherhammer and tongs, neither understanding the stresses of the other’s life. Then, of course, theywake up one Friday in each other’s bodies, and the fun begins. Not only must each survive inthe other’s environment, but two major events loom: Curtis’ marriage and Lohan’s band’saudition. Pos...
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on December 15th, 2003
Show
It would be a boldfaced lie to say that Alias is the best show of its kind on television. The truth is that it is the ONLY show of its kind on television. Alias certainly contains writing that rivals even the award-gobbling Sopranos. The photography is film quality. The character chemistry, which I rank as the most important element in any show, is wonderful. The characters are compelling. You really start to care about these guys; even the villainous Sloan demands sympathy at times.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on December 9th, 2003
How quickly we forget our accomplishments. It was not long ago that the thought of sending a man into space was a far-fetched concept. The thought of landing a man on the moon was pure science fiction. Once the space race heated up, however, all boundaries were eclipsed. We succeeded in reaching the moon, and eventually space flight became a regular occurrence. It is easy to take for granted the miracles that were performed during the early days.
Thankfully, the folks at Spacecraft Films are here to remind ...
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on November 27th, 2003
This is not your father's cop show. Even if you’re father watches NYPD Blue.
The Shield may just be the show that puts F/X on the map, if it can stay on the air long enough to do so. This is a series that pushes all the boundaries. It features a level of adult language that is comparable only to South Park, fleeting nudity that rivals that of the previously mentioned NYPD Blue, and violence levels never before seen on a network television series. The weekly plots also push the li...
