Posted in: Disc Reviews by Michael Durr on April 27th, 2011
Hi there, true believers. Take a walk with me today as we go inside the world of super humans. Humans that have powers far beyond average homo-sapiens. Can you control electricity or perhaps possess the strength of several men? Whether you answer yes or whether your eyes go ablaze in wonderment, you might just be interested in Stan Lee’s Superhumans. Season one awaits, let us proceed.
Stan Lee besides being a personal hero of mine is the creator of Marvel Comics. He has created such amazing heroes as Spider-Man, the Fantastic Four, and the Incredible Hulk. But Stan doesn’t think that these super-heroes exist only in the pages of a comic book or on a movie screen. He knows that there are living human beings out there in the world today that possess super natural powers.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by William O'Donnell on April 1st, 2011
Our Planet is a merging of a large handful of documentaries that originally aired on the History Channel. Here they are packaged together to thematically display the “Past, Present, and Future of Earth.”
HOW THE EARTH WAS MADE
Posted in: Disc Reviews by William O'Donnell on March 30th, 2011
The Nazis have been the subject of countless documentaries and films. On this occasion, The History Channel has decided to place the focus on the people of Germany, with a time line that starts at approximetaly the First World War and leads to the end of the Second World War. With the aid of newly discovered home videos gathered from Germany & Russia, we see a combination of German life during this time, as well as public and private views of Nazi discourse and planning.
There is one film hobbyist in particular who's home movies become the basis for a story within the story. This one family are typical of the German people, and their lives are documented as they, like many others, go from joy, to desperation, to a sense of empowerment, to denial, to horror as their nation is seized by Hitler and his enforcers. There have been many written accounts of what the people felt and experienced, in fact many biographies are quoted and/or use as narration script in this film, but it is all the more rare to have visual records outside of propaganda films or some news reels, especially of Nazi Germany. It is such rare glimpses that makes this film so special to behold and the history of it feel all the more real.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on October 26th, 2010
A&E and History have combined for some of the best educational as well as entertaining programs over the years. Many of those shows have taken close looks at the various civilizations and empires throughout world history. Most of these shows take a look at these civilizations from the inside outward. We're not talking the litany of facts and accomplishments that we've seen on hundreds of documentaries as well as our old high school textbooks. These programs look at the day-to-day life of these cultures and peoples. The accomplishments here are the ones that affected everyday life within these empires. These are the kinds of things we tend to take for granted in our modern lives. Things like sanitation, architecture, and basic metro services didn't just appear out of nowhere. These shows give us a rare look into the evolution of the things that have identified human evolution over the millennia. It's said that we are separated from animals by our ability to shape and change our environment. With this massive 14 disc set, you can explore the ways that we have shaped our planet in our quest for civilization.
The disc includes the following series and episodes:
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on September 27th, 2010
"USS Enterprise, aka The Big E, a fighting city of steel. She is the most revered and decorated ship of World War II. On this 360-degree battlefield, where threats loom on the seas, in the skies, and in the ocean depths, The Enterprise's enemies could be anywhere. Now follow this sea-bound band of brothers through four years of hell. From Pearl Harbor to the doorstep of Japan, there's nowhere to run, when the war is all around you."
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on September 21st, 2010
"We are pioneers and trailblazers. We fight for freedom. We transform our dreams into the truth. Our struggles will become a nation."
I was really looking forward to this release. From the moment I was made aware that it was going to be arriving here for review, I made a mental note to put it at the top of my viewing list. Fact is, I'm a history junkie, particularly American history. I taught the subject in AP and honors classes along with American Government and Law for over seven years. The History Channel is also one of my favorite places on the dial. There are many thought-provoking and informative shows to be found there to help you explore almost every aspect of history. I truly expected this to be one of those milestone releases. Unfortunately, it isn't.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on August 24th, 2010
"I'm Rick Harrison, and this is my pawn shop. I work here with my old man and my son, Big Hoss. Everything in here has a story ... and a price. One thing I've learned after 21 years? You never know what is going to come through that door."
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on August 23rd, 2010
"In the beginning there was darkness. And then bang, giving birth to an endless expanding existence of time, space, and matter. Now, see further than we've ever imagined. Beyond the limits of our existence. In a place we call The Universe."
Up until now these History releases have been season sets of the documentary series. This release is the first which appears to be a planned series of specific subject titles. It does create a bit of confusion when you see a series called The Universe and all of the episodes on the set deal with our own back yard, a place we call the Sol System, or Solar System, for those of you unfamiliar with the name of the star that happens to brighten your afternoons, particularly for us here in Florida on an August day. But while it's true that the series itself has explored most of the known, and quite a few of the unknown, corners of creation itself, this set focuses on those objects that orbit the star Sol.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on August 23rd, 2010
"They rob, kill, and terrorize, and they've left their mark on our nation's history."
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on July 22nd, 2010
American Pickers revolves around two “gifted” pickers: Mike Wolfe and Frank Fritz. The thesis of the show is that these two men comb the back roads of the Midwest searching for hidden treasures and collectible items. The people they encounter along the way are far from garden variety with the majority of them having stacks upon stacks of junk cascading out of their property. These two men barter and haggle over pricing on many different things with each item earning them a considerable profit. The question arises through these exchanges, does morality come into play?
The two leads are relatively uncharismatic; Mike is slightly more comfortable on camera than Frank. However, the majority of their conversations in their van are cringe-worthy. The typical episode involves Frank and Mike going “freestyling” or going to leads that their secretary sets up for them. “Freestyling” is when Frank and Mike drive around areas until they see a house that catches their eye. After they proposition the owner of the property, they begin the picking and deal making. Once they obtain the pieces that they are seeking, audiences are given a breakdown of the cost of the piece and what they value it at.
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