Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on June 25th, 2004
The 1970s was a fertile time for feminist movements. This film was amazingly cited by both sides of the argument, never seeming to please either. Feminists considered the film to be a slap in the face of the “modern woman”. It was accused of undermining years of progress to the age-old stereotypes of a woman’s place. At the same time anti-feminists citied it as a mockery of what were considered wholesome American values. It’s strange that a film that was never intended to be part of these controversies couldn’t seem ...o please either side. The film quickly disappeared from the box office and was deemed an early failure. That was until frequent television showing gained a cult following that exists today. To many of us this is simply a quaint blend of science fiction and horror elements to produce a better than average low budget film.
What is extremely disappointing about this disc is it is actually just a re-release of the 2000 Anchor Bay edition. Not only are there no improvements, but the extras are exactly the same.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on June 18th, 2004
Everyone’s favorite television psychiatrist is back for his third go around. Frasier and his emmy award winning cast return for one of the better seasons that the series produced. The third season sees more wackiness, more Eddie jokes, and more shenanigans at the radio station. The biggest story shift this year is Niles' (David Hyde Pierce) separation from the still unseen Maris, leaving him more free time to moon over Daphne (Jane Leeves). In a half-season arc, Frasier (Kelsey Grammer) finds himself at odds with, an... then in the arms of new station manager Kate Costas (Mercedes Ruehl). And along the way we meet gangsters, Diane Chambers returns (having written a hilarious play with a very familiar Boston setting), and the season finale gives us a look at Frasier's first week on the air - something we didn't get a good look at before, even in the pilot.
The outstanding writing that introduced us to these characters in the first 2 seasons returns with all guns a blazing for the third season, particularly showing some fine wit in the stories that centre around Nile’s separation from the mysterious Maris.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on June 14th, 2004
Synopsis
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on June 13th, 2004
Synopsis
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on June 13th, 2004
Synopsis
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on June 13th, 2004
Synopsis
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on June 8th, 2004
Summer School is one of those films that I really enjoyed as a boy growing up in the 80’s. It had crazy characters, pretty girls, funny one-liners and cool people, like Mark Harmon. Watching the film today, I can honestly say that it is as good now as it was then. The only problem is, I have matured as a person and as a movie viewer. The characters are still crazy, but they are also largely annoying. The girls are still pretty, and the foreign exchange student is the same woman who played Allota Fagina in A...stin Powers, but Kirstie Alley is no longer the girl America once thought she was. There are still some great one-liners, but many of the attempts at humor fall painfully flat. And then there’s Mark Harmon. While he was cool at the time, I can now see that he most closely resembles the bastard offspring of Dave Coulier and Kevin Costner.
The film is certainly entertaining enough for a casual viewing. The premise is a simple one. Mark Harmon plays a coach who is tapped to teach remedial English in Summer School. Nobody wants to be there, but the mad cap band of misfits comes together to do what has to be done, while having fun along the way. It is a story that has been told on screen countless times, with similar results. If it weren’t for the excessive gore (provided by two students obsessed with The Texas Chainsaw Massacre) and one character dropping the “F” bomb, I’d think this was one of the never-ending stream of Disney flicks that follows this formula to mediocre glory.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on June 2nd, 2004
Synopsis
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on June 1st, 2004
Star Trek Voyager came into its own during season two. This was the first full season of the Star Trek spin-off. Superior to its sister show Deep Space Nine, Voyager once again brought the concept of exploration to the Star Trek universe.
The season was very uneven. There is the absolutely terrible and contrived episode “The 37’s” which start off with an old pickup truck floating in space. For the first time a starship lands, and I think that was an unwise development. This is the episode where the crew fi...ds Amelia Earhart.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on May 23rd, 2004
Synopsis
