Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on December 15th, 2009
"For years, we've been putting a secret into the heart of every member of the Saberling Family. Be it the cryogenic refrigerator or the microwave heated coffee maker. A Secret which is at the core of any successful family: Communication."
When director Hoyt Yeatman's son Hoyt, Junior, got a pet guinea pig, he began to put soldier-like gear on the unfortunate animal and imagine stories that the rodent was part of a secret spy ring. He would imagine all kinds of missions for the little guy. Thus was born the idea for G Force. Yeatman took the idea to Jerry Bruckheimer, who in turn shopped the idea to Disney. Before you know it, Bruckheimer had put his extensive resources into making the next cute talking animal film for the Mouse House.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on December 15th, 2009
"Space...The Final Frontier. These are the voyages of the Starship Enterprise. Its 5-year mission: to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations, to boldly go where no man has gone before!"
Paramount was bold indeed when they undertook the remaster project of the original series. Not only did they clean up the prints, but they took the decidedly risky option of redoing most of the f/x shots from the original prints. We all know just how cheesy the old work looked when compared to today’s computer abilities. You could see a box around spacecraft that allowed the obvious cutout to maneuver through a cardboard star field. There were often mix-ups where phaser shots would be used for photon torpedo commands and the opposite. The planets often utilized matte paintings that look somewhat ridiculous now. We forgave these flaws with a complete understanding of the limitations the crew had at the time. While Star Trek showed us computers that were remarkably similar to the PC’s we use today, down to the floppy drives of our own yesteryear, the use of computers to create f/x was still many years away. So Paramount decided to “fix” these “flaws” and make much of the show look like it might have had it been produced today. It was a serious risk because of the extreme possessiveness fans have for these kinds of shows. Just ask George Lucas how much fans like their sci-fi tinkered with. The project encompassed a few years, and the results are quite attractive. But how do they stand up for the fans?
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Michael Durr on December 15th, 2009
Janky is a term that means shady or dishonest. An adjective that is anything but tasteful. Throw that in with the noun promoters and what you have is possibly the biggest revelation since somebody discovered Jon & Kate would have marital issues with eight children & a camera crew running around. Oh really? So, when I received Janky Promoters in the mail with Ice Cube and Mike Epps smiling ear to ear, all I could think was “Janky Promoters indeed.”
Russell Redds (played by Ice Cube) is an entertainment promoter. He has a fiancée named Loli (played by Jowharah Jones) who he plans to take to Aruba. He also has a kid named Seymour (played by Little JJ) who has aspirations of being a young rapper. It sounds like the perfect family but yet there are more than a few kinks in this scenario.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on December 14th, 2009
The Tudors returns for a rather triumphant third season. The series attempts to modernize the story more than a little. Henry’s attire is more akin to a rock star than a 16th century ruler. The language is also more updated, often filled with modern colloquialisms and the like. The story of Henry VIII is well known, but this is not the Henry your history teachers told you about. This Henry is a slim, energetic man. There are only hints in regard to his famous lust for food. His appetites for women are not so subtly portrayed. The series follows Henry’s alliances and break-ups with France and his growing disfavor of members of his own court. If the series is to be believed, Anne Boleyn was placed in his path by her scheming father. In any case, by the third episode his growing infatuation with Boleyn takes center stage in the series. Henry grows weary of the Church after he is constantly blocked from divorcing his Queen Catherine to marry Boleyn. This is also the story of his own rise and fall along with the Church’s influence on England’s culture. There is an almost soap opera aspect to the storytelling, which is admitted by the show’s writer, who credits shows like Dallas and Dynasty as well as Rome and The Sopranos as inspiration. Side stories like a gay musician’s coming of age populate the background, but serve merely as distractions. When The Tudors works best is when we are with Henry and his court engaging in matters of global importance.
Let’s talk about the cast. At first I must say I completely hated Jonathan Rhys Meyers as Henry. But that was last year, and by the third episode I absolutely loved his performance. He commands the screen whenever he is on it. James Frain gets a ton of time as Thomas Cromwell, who is advising the king to his own ends. He plays the part with little emotion, but it does fit the role quite effectively. Alan Van Sprang plays the King's assassin and spy, Sir Francis. He is a character that moves in and out during the season, having less screen time than you might imagine, but he makes the most of it. Annabelle Wallis gets the unenviable task of following a strong female lead, now playing Jane Seymour. She's not near as attractive or as good an actress. She's not there all that long, of course, and manages to hold her own. Still the shadow of Natalie Dormer remains throughout.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on December 14th, 2009
Erle Stanley Gardner wrote crime fiction, and while many of his 100 or so works are unknown to most of us, he created a character that has become as identified with criminal lawyers as any other in fiction. It was in these crime novels that Perry Mason first faced a courtroom. He developed a style where he would investigate these terrible crimes his clients were on trial for. He would find the real killer, and in what has become a Hollywood cliché, reveal his findings in a crucial moment during the trial. While we may not remember the novels, we all remember the man in the persona of Raymond Burr. Burr had a commanding presence on our screens and enjoyed a well deserved 11 year run as the clever lawyer. What makes this run so amazing is that the show followed pretty much the same pattern the entire time. We always know what’s going to happen, but we wait eagerly for that gotcha moment when Perry faces the witness on the stand. We know when he’s got the guy squarely in his sights, and we can’t sit still waiting for him to pull the trigger. OK, so maybe that’s a little over the top, but so was Perry Mason. From the moment you heard that distinctive theme, the stage was set. To say that Perry Mason defined the lawyer show for decades would be an understatement. Folks like Matlock and shows like The Practice are strikingly similar to Perry Mason. If you haven’t checked this show out, this is your chance. See where it all began.
At this rate, it’s going to be quite some time before you complete your collection. I’m not even sure that DVD will still be a viable format before the end of the series on DVD. It’s another half season, and the episodes continue to fly at us at a snail’s pace. But slow and steady wins the race, and as long as the quality episodes continue to deliver that classic Mason charm and style, I guess folks like us will continue to come back for more.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on December 14th, 2009
“The man is Richard Kimble and, not surprisingly, the man is tired. Tired of looking over his shoulder, the ready lie of the buses and freight trains. Richard Kimble is tired of running…”
The elusive “one armed man” is one of the best known television icons of all time. The plight of Dr. Richard Kimball has been the subject of numerous imitations and even a feature film staring Harrison Ford as Kimball and Tommy Lee Jones as his pursuer. Tim Daly left the ranks of comedy to fill the shoes of Kimball in a very short lived revival series. While some of these efforts managed to capture the essence of The Fugitive, none can truly compare to the real thing.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on December 11th, 2009
"Veridian Dynamics: every day something we make, makes your life better. Power? We make that. Technology? We make that. Cows? Well, no, we don't make cows. Although we have made a sheep, and medicine, and airplane engines and whatever this is and all sorts of things. Veridian Dynamics: every day we make something that makes your life better ... usually."
Ted Crisp (Harrington) works as the head of research and development for Veridian Dynamics. They're a global technology company with the motto: "Money before people". Inside their labs they make cowless beef, experiment in cryogenics, and turn pumpkins into military grade weaponry. With a "We can do that" attitude, there isn't any idea too small or too large for Veridian Dynamics. Ted's boss and liaison with the company board is Veronica (de Rossi). Veronica is pretty much an ice queen. She wears her hair painfully tight against her head to look authoritative. Ted's a moneymaker for the team, so she somewhat likes him, but she's cold and calculated toward the rest of the staff. That staff includes the bickering lead scientists team of Phil (Slavin) and Lem (Barrett). Both are incredibly bright and come up with amazing new scientific breakthroughs. But they are extremely socially awkward and timid when it comes to standing up to Veronica. Linda (Anders) is the potential love interest for Ted if it weren't for the fact that he used up his one allowed office affair on Veronica. She steals office creamer as a stress relief whenever the company gets one over on her. Needless to say, she has a lot of coffee creamers at home. Ted has a very young daughter he sometimes brings to the office and often bounces moral dilemmas off of. Together the cast is an Office clone, but with much more wit and a certain harder edge to it.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on December 9th, 2009
This must be tool month at Disney. I ended up watching two of the specials that were released on the first, and both have tools as a central theme. This one is apparently about tools all of the time. Handy Manny is a Spanish handyman who has a living collection of tools in his box. They all talk. The Phillips and straight edge screwdrivers bicker. There's a tape measure named Stretch, a wrench named Rusty, and a pair of pliers named Squeeze, to name a few. Together with Manny's expertise, they can tackle any repair or building job.
Manny and his tool friends are preparing to go to Manny's family reunion. It's a long trip, so they're going to take Manny's motorcycle with a sidecar for the tools. Pat, the hammer, is depressed because he doesn't seem to have any family that's just like him. Apparently, Manny's tools are special and this isn't a world where tools ordinarily talk. When Pat sees a cartoon hammer on the cover of a tool catalog, he begins to believe it's his cousin, on his Mother's side, of course. On the trip to the reunion, Pat sees a truck with the same hammer on it. He sneaks into the truck with Squeeze and Flicker, the flashlight, only to become trapped and separated from Manny and the others. Now Manny must rescue the tools and get to the family reunion in time. Of course, along the way there are plenty of things to fix.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on December 9th, 2009
Anyone who has come here long enough to get to know my likes and dislikes probably knows what a Walt Disney and Mickey Mouse fan I am. The man and the character opened the road for so much of what we have today, from Pixar to Tom and Jerry. But, if you're looking for the kind of cartoons you and I have grown to expect, this one is bound to disappoint you. It's an episode of the current television series Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. It's an animated Sesame Street, however, and not really a cartoon adventure.
While I use the term Sesame Street, I don't mean it literally. You'll find the traditional Disney characters, to be sure. There's Donald Duck, Minnie Mouse, Goofy, Pluto and even Professor Von Drake. You won't find a Cookie Monster or a Big Bird anywhere. What you will find is that strictly educational style. The characters talk directly to the children watching. They ask questions geared toward teaching such basic concepts as identifying colors and shapes to basic math addition problems. There's a great deal of shouting encouragement as well. You should be prepared for your young one to answer Mickey's questions and join him in some hollering. There's a particularly annoying repetition as the gang calls for a character named Toodles. Toodles carries objects that the characters need to accomplish various tasks. Whenever they find they are in the need of one of these tools Mickey encourages everyone, including your child, to yell “Oh Toodles”, to bring the character to them with the needed item.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on December 8th, 2009
"When the lights go off the battle is on."
Sequels are a dangerous business. They've gotten the best of some of the biggest heroes. Just ask Indiana Jones, Luke Skywalker, or Neo. Expectations are always going to be high. You've already shown us what you can do. We assume you did your best on the original film, now go and do better. Often filmmakers interpret this mandate to just make it bigger. More explosions and hard hitting action and special effects. They tend to remember everything but the story. I'm happy to say that Night At The Museum refused to fall into that trap. The film is certainly bigger. There are far more characters. The f/x have absolutely gone up a notch. But everything that made you love the first film is back ... and more.
![G-Force (Three-Disc DVD/Blu-ray Combo +Digital Copy) [Blu-ray] dvd cover art](https://upcomingdiscs.com/ecs_covers/g-force-three-disc-dvdblu-ray-com-large.jpg)
![Star Trek: The Original Series - Season 3 [Blu-ray] dvd cover art](https://upcomingdiscs.com/ecs_covers/star-trek-the-original-series-se-large.jpg)
![Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian (Three-Disc Edition + Digital Copy + DVD) [Blu-ray] dvd cover art](https://upcomingdiscs.com/ecs_covers/night-at-the-museum-battle-of-the-large.jpg)
