Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on April 19th, 2003
Synopsis
The protagonists are the members of the Gonzales family, who live in East LA. The serieschronicles their many ups and downs, some comical -- struggles between the father and hisfirebrand activist daughter, the drama queen aunt confronted by her daughter’s desire to be asingle mother -- and other are less so, as in the recently paroled son who finds the difficulties ofparenting compounded by legal entanglements. The makers of the series are proud that this is thefirst of its...
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on April 14th, 2003
The X-files was one of the best written and directed shows on television, this unfortunately is the last year that the show held onto it‘s audience and originality. We start the season off with the two part season opener “The Sixth Extinction” and “The Sixth Extinction II” with Scully in Africa looking for a cure for Mulder’s mental state. In the middle we have the strangely sublime “X-cops” that finds Mulder and Scully on patrol with the Cops TV crew. We also find the typical mix of X-files weird and wonderfulness i...
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on April 12th, 2003
Synopsis
The year is 1949, and mainland China is falling to the Communists. Eruasian doctor HanSuyin (Jennifer Jones, and the casting should be a bit of a clue as to what you’re in for) has asuccessful professional life in Hong Kong, but her personal life has been nonexistent since thedeath of her husband. Then reporter Mark Elliot (William Holden) waltzes into her life, refusingto take no for an answer. Of course, their love is beset by all sorts of obstacles, be it racialsuspicio...
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on April 5th, 2003
Synopsis
Sanaa Lathan is a music journalist, and Taye Diggs is a hip-hop star. They’ve been friendssince childhood, but not a romantic couple. Diggs is about to get married to someone else, whichcauses Lathan to reconsider her feelings. The naturalism of the performances and the importanceof the setting make this a refreshing break from too many cookie-cutter romances.
Audio
The environmental effects aren’t bad, with decent use of sound effects. The music, how...
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on April 3rd, 2003
Synopsis
Nick Cannon plays Devon Miles, brilliant drummer with attitude to burn, who arrives at acampus with one of the most prestigious marching bands in the US. What follows is essentially atraining film, the kind of thing you see in To the Shores of Tripoli and GI Jane, only this timemusic, rather than war, is the goal. The usual ups and downs and character conflicts are present(you can set your watch by the predictability of the script), but the performances are engaging,and the...
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on April 3rd, 2003
Synopsis
Being the outsider at school is never an easy thing and for 14 year old Lucas who has been accelerated in his schooling it is especially difficult. He is more interested in bugs and symphonies then football and popularity. This all changes after he befriends the new girl in town during summer break, she turns into a cheerleader who only has eyes for the quarterback and Lucas will stop at nothing to get her to notice him. This includes joining the football team! A coming of age film staring C...
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on March 30th, 2003
Synopsis
Daniel Stern stars as bumbling package delivery man “Mad Max” Grabelski who finds himself on the wrong side of the law after a get rich quick scheme makes him a murder suspect. He heads for the hills and is mistaken for a world famous scout leader and things just go down hill from there. Your pretty low end stab at slap stick kids comedy this film falls short and really disappoints on all fronts
Audio
This disc has a simple Dolby stereo audio track so there is not...
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on March 27th, 2003
Steven Bochco is no stranger to innovative television. Hill Street Blues is arguably the best cop show ever made. Even his failures are praised for their innovativeness and freshness. Remember Cop Rock? NYPD Blue didn’t just push the prime time envelope. It tore the envelope to pieces and blew it away with hurricane force winds. George Carlin made a career out of his “7 words you can’t say on television”. Along comes NYPD Blue and Carlin just might need a new act. Language and nudity made this the first R-Rated primetime program.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on March 22nd, 2003
Synopsis
Gene Tierney is Mrs. Muir, a young widow at the turn of the 20th Century, who has hadenough of her overbearing in-laws. She moves to the coast, falling in love with a cottage thatturns out to be haunted by Rex Harrison, a crusty sea captain. The two strong wills clash initially,but soon develop a real affection for each other. Directed by All About Eve’s JosephMankiewicz, this low-key romance is affecting and witty, and the black-and-whitecinematography is gorgeous. The per...
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on March 22nd, 2003
Synopsis
A huge biker dude wreaks havoc in a strip club. Captured by the police, he tears his way outof the police truck and is on the loose again. Naturally, this is because he is a werewolf (or, moreaccurately, a “hybrid werewolf,” but you would be forgiven for failing to notice what the hell thedifference is), and he is seeking the next werewolf matriarch, killing all and sundry she hastouched (they have her scent on them, you see), along with anyone else in his way. The nextmatr...
