Paramount

MacGyver – The Complete Fourth Season

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on December 29th, 2005

Note: the following synopsis contains spoilers. Only read this first section if you know have happens in season four.

I shall first give a bit of the background of the show for any readers who are a bit interested in the background of the show. The show debuted in the fall of 1985 during an era of non-violent and very-feel good nature type television shows. Even though a show like Macgyver did follow this standard 80’s television show rule, the show manages to distance itself from the standard cop sh…
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Four Brothers

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on December 26th, 2005

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Four Brothers starts off as a solid drama about a group of orphans (Marky Mark, Tyrese Gibson, Andre Benjamin, and Garrett Hedlund) who were raised by a sympathetic woman (Fionnula Flanigan) in downtown Detroit. When she is murdered, the brothers reunite and stay in their mother’s old house. They sit at the dinner table and stare at her now empty seat. They horse around with one another in her living room. And in some cases they even wear her old clothes. In scenes like these, the actors do a good job of makin…
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Airplane! – The “Don’t Call Me Shirley” Edition

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on December 14th, 2005

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The spoof film means something different to audiences today than it did in the early 80’s. Anything, if done enough times over, starts to become stale. For instance, the first Scary Movie, while having a couple of really lame scenes, was actually pretty funny overall. With each sequel, however, came diminished returns. At this point, I wouldn’t be surprised to see a film that spoofs spoof films (though I’m not sure how one would do that).

Airplane!, however, was the first of the genre. Not onl…
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McLintock!

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on December 11th, 2005

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Synopsis

G.W. McLintock (John Wayne, True Grit, Rooster Cogburn) made most of his money by being a cattle baron. He made so much money in fact, the film’s fictional town was named after him. How cool is that? But all is not milk and honey in McLintock’s life. He has an estranged wife who does not live with him (Quiet Man co star Maureen O’Hara), and now wants a divorce.

Those hostilities are put aside when their daughter Becky (Stefanie Powers, Hart to Hart) returns hom…
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Truman Show, The

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on December 10th, 2005

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Every now and then, a film comes along that I really think is something special, but for whatever reason, the movie-going public doesn’t agree. For me, The Truman Show is one of those films. Maybe it was because this was Jim Carrey’s first serious role. Maybe it was because it felt too gimmicky with the popularity of The Real World at the time, and being released around the same time as the similarly-themed film EdTV. Maybe it was because the premise was just a little too far outside of the norma…
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C.S.I. Crime Scene Investigation – The Complete Fifth Season

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on December 7th, 2005

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I started my review of season four by remarking how little CSI had changed over its first four years. In its fifth year the powers that be decided to muck up the works a bit. The team is split between day and night shifts and Catherine is given the supervisor position on days. This actually leads to probably the show’s largest continuity flaw. It seems that the shifts overlap not just once in a while but almost all the time. I found myself really confused about this whole shift deal. Mostly I think the change takes away from the character interactions that I have come to love so much about this show.
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War of the Worlds – The Complete First Season

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on December 5th, 2005

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Synopsis

This series has a clever conceit, being a sequel to the 1953 version of H.G. Wells’ novel. In the present, a terrorist group breaks into the base where the Martian corpses and war machines are being held. Turns out the Martians aren’t dead after all, and they revive to re-embark on their quest to conquer the Earth. In a budget-conscious move, part of this plan of attack consists in possessing the minds of humans, thus hugely diminishing the effects budget. So new viewers shouldn’t expect any…
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Hondo

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on December 4th, 2005

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Hondo is something of an oddity among John Wayne films. For starters, it was a western not directed by Howard Hawks or John Ford, but by John Farrow, a director Wayne only teamed up with one other time in his career (a WWII film called The Sea Chase). This is also a very tightly edited film, clocking in at just 83 minutes, including an intermission! Though he had certainly performed in his fair share of westerns by this time, Hondo came a couple of years before the release of the long series of w…
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Charmed – The Complete Third Season

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on December 2nd, 2005

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Synopsis

Shannen Doherty, Holy Marie Combs and Alyssa Milano are three sisters who also happen to be witches. Very much in the vein of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, our heroines must battle supernatural monsters and evil cults, all the while dealing with love, heartbreak and other issues more connected with mere mortals. The season begins with Combs out of the picture, having eloped with Brian Krause. Their marriage is frowned upon by The Powers That Be, and this is one of the ongoing threads of t…
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Mad Hot Ballroom

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on November 30th, 2005

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Mad Hot Ballroom is the sort of live action family entertainment with which I can get on board. Too often, the desire for a good family film is quickly hampered by third-rate idiocy that only appeals to the youngest in the family. We the adults plod dutifully along for the good of the kids, hoping and praying it will all be over soon. And even though running times on family films are often shorter than a standard feature, it still seems like you’ve watched twice the length of that standard feature by the time …
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Honeymooners, The

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on November 24th, 2005

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Synopsis

Cedric the Entertainer is Ralph Kramden. Mike Epps is Ed Norton. They have the get-rich-quick schemes that never work. Gabrelle Union and Regina Hall are Alice and Trixie, the long-suffering and very sensible wives who are increasingly exasperated by their numbnuts husbands. The latest scheme involves things like turning a pet greyhound into a competitive racer, all in the hopes of purchasing a duplex.

Cards on the table: I was never a fan of the TV show. Born too late, I suppose, …
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War of the Worlds (1953)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on November 23rd, 2005

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Aliens have sent super machines to Earth. The intent is obvious. They want to remove the human infestation and relocate from their own dying world. Independence Day, right? Wrong. Almost 50 years before Rolland and Emerich pitted mankind against killer aliens, George Pal brought us a wonderful interpretation of the famous H.G. Wells novel, War of the Worlds. Although not as faithful to the source material as a Wells fan might have hoped for, Pal created a classic film with groundbreaking f/x for the 1950’s.
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Rainmaker, The

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on November 21st, 2005

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Synopsis

During the crippling drought of the 1930s, con man Burt Lancaster arrives in a small town, promising to make it rain (for, of course, a small remuneration). Present here too is Katharine Hepburn, apparently doomed to spinsterhood. She will blossom under the care of Lancaster’s charming rogue.

Though very open and energetic, the film’s stage origins are apparent in the lengthy monologues and frequently artificial construction of the scenes. But Lancaster and Hepburn attack their rol…
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Coach Carter

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on November 18th, 2005

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In the poor area of Richmond, California, Ken Carter takes charge as a basketball coach, and fights his way to transform a team of rowdy boys into a team of accomplished men. Based on a true story.

There are way too many problems with COACH CARTER to call it great, but it certainly has its heart in the right place at the right time. The very first immediate problem is the script of the film. A lot of the dialogue feels like it has been overly simplified for its audience. Almost all of the actors play stock…
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Titanic

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on November 13th, 2005

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In the event you had to move under a rock in 1997 and just crawled out from under it last week, James Cameron’s TITANIC – winner of 11 Academy Awards – recounts the tragic sinking of the supposedly indestructible ship seen through the eyes of two young lovers on board. Though the romance is fictional, it serves as a guide that will walk us through one of the most memorable events of the twentieth century.

There isn’t much to be said about this film that hasn’t been said a thousand times over in the …
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Star Trek Enterprise – The Complete Fourth Season

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on November 10th, 2005

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It is tragic that the fourth year of Enterprise would be its last. More tragic is the fact that in the fall of 2005 for the first time in almost 20 years there would be no new Star Trek on the air. By far the worst tragedy, however, was the fact that year four of Enterprise was the year it all came together. This is by far the best overall season of Star Trek since The Next Generation. The addition of writer Many Cuto was the spark this fledgling franchise needed. With the exception of the final episode, these 2-4 eposode arcs were for the most part quite fresh and inspired.
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Star Trek: Nemesis

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on November 3rd, 2005

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The extras are the only significant difference between the Collector’s Edition and the near barebones first release of this film. Therefore, some pieces of this review will be taken from the standard release review.

If ever there was a film that was badly misunderstood it is Star Trek: Nemesis. The most common complaint I’ve heard is it was too much like an episode. Excuse me, but isn’t it supposed to be? Nemesis has everything a good Star Trek film should have. The character chemistry, space battle, a morality tale, and terrific f/x.
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Warriors, The

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on October 14th, 2005

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Synopsis

At a gathering of all the gangs of New York City, the messianic leader proposing a unification of all the organizations is gunned down, and the Warriors are unjustly accused. They must make their way from the Bronx to Coney Island with every gang in the city out for their blood.

Set in a vaguely defined near future, this is a cracker of an action flick, one that has lost none of its pace and excitement over the years. The different gangs are all wonderfully realized and bizarre, an…
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South Park – The Complete Sixth Season

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on October 11th, 2005

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Kenny’s gone and most of the season the boys are auditioning a new friend. While it looks like Butter has the inside track, you’ll have to watch the season to find out. Personally I miss the “They killed Kenny” jokes and was relieved that it eventually returned. South Park appeared to regain a bit of its lost creative energy in season 6. It can also be said that the show pushed its boundaries a little bit farther. There are times even I think the show goes too far. One of my favorite episodes can be found in this collection.
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Sahara

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on October 8th, 2005

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Synopsis

Based on the novel by Clive Cussler, Sahara is a popcorn movie at its purest level. It is equal parts National Treasure and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, and God help me, I actually got a kick from watching it. To give you an idea of its popularity, it was nominated for several Teen Choice awards.

I understand that I mock, but I do care a little bit. Dirk (Matthew McConaughey, A Time to Kill and Al (Steve Zahn, Out of Sight) are childhood friends t…
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Witness

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on October 8th, 2005

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Let’s face it; Harrison Ford is not a particularly great actor. He is not capable of playing diversity in his roles, and he has never faded into a character. When you go to see a Harrison Ford movie, the result is always something like “Harrison Ford as the President of the United States”, or “Harrison Ford is wrongly accused of a crime he didn’t commit.” Never once have I seen one of his films and came away saying “it is about this professor that goes on a quest to find the holy grail. Harrison Ford played the profe…
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Taxi – The Complete Third Season

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on October 5th, 2005

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Not to be confused with the current film of the same name, Taxi was one of the funniest shows in television history. There simply hasn’t been a sitcom to feature so many cast members who would go on to bigger but perhaps not better things. Christopher Lloyd’s Reverend Jim has to be one of the best characters television has known. In its third year Jim would finally be around for an entire season. The show simply swept the Emmys in its third year with statues going to Judd Hirsch, Danny DeVito, and Christopher Lloyd (oddly enough, for a script he penned for the series).
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Star Trek Enterprise – The Complete Third Season

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on October 4th, 2005

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For the first time in Star Trek history it was decided to dedicate an entire season to tell a single story. Following a recent trend started by hits like Alias and 24, Enterprise boldly went where many had gone before. The problem with this grand idea is that character development and Trek lore were all given a back seat. Rick Berman felt the need for Trek to become more epic. Unfortunately what Enterprise really needed to do was return to its character and socially driven roots. The show did finally start in that direction, but not before losing a legion of fans.
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Winter Solstice

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on October 3rd, 2005

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Winter Solstice is one of those quiet, somber independent films. While not as flashy as The Upside of Anger (and thatâ€™s not a flashy film), Josh Sternfeldâ€™s feature is a meditative look at a broken family trying to rebuild its life. Donâ€™t expect any major plot twists or a flashy directing style. Solstice takes its time and builds towards something called hope.

A family tragedy as taken its toll on a Jersey family. Anthony LaPaglia plays Jim Winters, a landscape gardener. H…
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Brady Bunch, The – The Complete Third Season

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on September 28th, 2005

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Synopsis

It’s the Brady Bunch. What, exactly, by way of synopsis are you hoping for? At any rate, among the notable episodes is one with guest star Davy Jones of the Monkees. Plus, there’s the epic start to the season: a three-parter that has the family hitting the road with a tent trailer and running into misadventures on the way to the Grand Canyon (such as encountering a hostile prospector or Cindy and Bobby getting lost). The other ongoing thread is Jan’s inferiority complex with regards to Marci…
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