Warner Bros.

Life Goes On – The Complete First Season

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on May 10th, 2006

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Sam: Hey, I recognize you.

Andrew: Oh, did you go to Columbia High?

Sam: No, not from high school, from TV. Didn’t you play the retarded quarterback?

Andrew: Yeah.

Sam: Are you really retarded?

Andrew: No.

Sam: Ooh, great job man! I really thought you were retarded. I mean, you’re better than that Corky kid and he’s actually retarded. If there was a retarded Oscar you would win, hands down, kick his ass!

– G…
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Firewall

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on May 9th, 2006

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Harrison Ford stars as Jack Stanfield, an online security chief for a mid-sized baking chain. One day, he is introduced to a new possible candidate in Bill Cox (Paul Bettany). We learn this turns out to be a setup. Cox and his men are holding Stanfield’s wife (Virginia Madsen) and their two children hostage. In return, Cox demands that Stanfield hack into his bank’s computers to transfer a fortune into Cox’s offshore accounts.

Firewall, in whole, contains a smart plot, one that makes you think. The …
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Goodfellas (HD DVD)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on May 7th, 2006

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Goodfellas tells the story of Henry Hill (Narc’s Ray Liotta), an Irish-Italian kid whose only ambition, it seems, is to be a type of wise-guy kid. In one of the first scenes with Hill we learn that “As far back as I can remember, I always wanted to be gangster.” This line here tends to set the emotion and mood for the whole film. Hill, as a kid at least, is your typical child who defies his parents, struggles to do well in school and wants to hang out with the older looking tough guys down the street. F…
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Swordfish (HD DVD)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on May 4th, 2006

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Swordfish stars Hugh Jackman (X-Men as computer hacker Stanley. Stanley has just spent two years in jail for hacking a program used specifically by the FBI to snoop in on everybody’s email. Enter Halle Berry (also X-Men) as Ginger who has been assigned to recruit Stanley to help stop mastermind Gabriel Shear played by John Travolta (Face-Off). The initial problem here is that Stanley, obviously, doesn’t trust the government. He has been previously forbidden by the courts to come anywhere n…
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West Wing, The – The Complete Sixth Season

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on May 3rd, 2006

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I have been rambling on and on about the merits of this outstanding series to friends, family and innocent bystanders for years. I will continue to do so until the final disc of the final season has hit Amazon.com; and probably for quite some time after that. It is a show that is important, culturally relevant, and surprisingly political without becoming annoyingly partisan.

Season Six is something of a bounceback season for the show. In Season Five, the show floundered a bit. While it was still easily one of…
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Million Dollar Baby (HD DVD)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on April 25th, 2006

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Clint Eastwood’s film Million Dollar Baby tells the story of an aging fighter trainer named Frankie Dunn (Eastwood) who eventually decides to train a hillbilly girl (Swank) who thinks she can be a boxer. Dunn runs a gym in the Los Angeles area. One day a girl named Maggie Fitzgerald, from Missouri, approaches Dunn informing him that she has been working at a waitress job since the age of 13. She tells Dunn that boxing for her is the only way she can escape this type of job her life has thrown at her.

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Last Samurai, The (HD DVD)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on April 21st, 2006

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With HD-DVD gaining a lot of press and discussion over the past few months, many wondered what would be the initial title for release that would help showcase the power that Toshiba wanted to showcase. Some figured a big blockbuster like The Star Wars Trilogy could be released. (wouldn’t that be nice?) But with Fox being exclusive to Blu-Ray, HD-DVD’s main competition, no one could figure that a moderately successful film like 2003’s The Last Samurai would ever be thought of as a player seller. Well, af…
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Paradise Now

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on April 13th, 2006

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The Academy Awards are starting to build a case against their own validity. In 2005, they nominated a simply amazing film called Downfall in the Best Foreign Film category, but eventually gave the award to The Sea Inside. While Sea is a fine film, it was clear that the Academy got nervous about the ramifications of giving an award to a film about the last days of Adolph Hitler, and took the easy way out.

In 2006, they again got nervous and avoided ultimate controversy by giving their Best…
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Robot Chicken, Volume One

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on April 6th, 2006

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One of the great things about television today is the trend of extreme diversification. Where there used to be a specialized channel called ESPN, that has now been broken down into ESPN Deportes, ESPN2, ESPNews, ESPN U… the list goes on and on. Whatever your interest, there is a very specialized niche available that it fits into. The nice thing is, all of this specialization has allowed some truly creative (and bizarre) programing to creep out onto the airwaves. Robot Chicken is a great example of this trend…
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Flintstones, The – The Complete Fifth Season

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on April 4th, 2006

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For those Flintstones collectors out there, the ride is almost over. Season five of this show’s six season runis now available on DVD. Of course, this show will never completely go away, and for good reason. The Flintstones was quite progressive for its day. Not only was it the first prime time cartoon program to develop a following, but it also has other things in common with modern animated sitcoms. It is easy to see traces of the characters of Homer Simpson and even Peter Griffin in these episodes. F…
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Controversial Classics Volume Two – The Power of Media

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on March 29th, 2006

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With the original Controversial Classics Collection from Warner Brothers, the studio pulled seven films from their classic film archive that were controversial in their day. Topics included government corruption, racism, troubled youth and the wrongfully accused. Instead of following that set with more classic films based on the same themes, Warner Brothers has done something interesting and varied the focus of their theme. The films this time around, as the title suggests, deal with the role of the news media…
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Babylon 5 – The Legend of the Rangers

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on March 28th, 2006

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Where is Chuck Norris when you need him? The Rangers alluded to in this Babylon 5 film aren’t anything like Walker’s bad boys. These Rangers talk tough but are pretty much dull when it comes to action. The problem with Babylon 5 has always been the convoluted and complicated mythology of the show. I’m a huge science fiction fan who has always wanted to get into this show but just couldn’t wrap my mind around the premise. The Rangers are no exception to this flaw. These guys are charged with basically protecting the…
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Goof Troop (Volume 1)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on March 19th, 2006

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Synopsis

Sometimes Disney will release a film that provides feelings of nostalgia to a lot of people. And other times they release shows onto DVD that make me realize just how old I am. When Disney’s Goof Troop was released onto DVD, my wife said the most horrible thing I’ve heard her say so far: “I used to watch that show growing up.” Keeping in mind that Goof Troop aired from 1992-1993, that statement probably says more about her than it does me, it still didn’t make me feel good. For God’s…
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Eros

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on March 17th, 2006

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Anthology films are a good training ground for young filmmakers to flex their muscles and really get creative. However, with Eros, the three filmmakers have already been around the block a time or two, and on the surface, that could be considered a good thing. But when you consider what Michaelangelo Antonioni, Steven Soderbergh, and Kar-Wai Wong, are already capable of, these shorts seem a bit of a letdown. The best segment is Soderbergh’s “Equilibrium,” with its symbolic stylistic effects and wry sense of hu…
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Living Single: The Complete First Season

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on March 14th, 2006

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In the first few years of the nineties, hip-hop singer/movie actress Queen Latifah headlined her own comedy show called Living Single. The show went on to last for five seasons. Although it never won much acclaim or any big awards, the show still had viewers. The basic premise for the show saw the day to day life of four twenty-something year old girlfriends and their two male neighbors.

In each episode, the cast sorted out its various issues with life. They also found time to find problems with eve…
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Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on February 28th, 2006

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Utter the simple phrase of Harry Potter to any age, and it is nearly guaranteed that they will know what you are speaking about. Since becoming a worldwide phenomenon in 1999, the Harry Potter series have been turned into everything from video games to bathing products. Most notably, the series have been turned into a set of excellent films that are successful, for the most part, in recreating the major elements presented in the novels by author J.K.Rowling.

With this being the fourth film in the series of …
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Adventures of Superman – The Complete Second Season

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on February 21st, 2006

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The Adventures of Superman – The Complete Second Season is the last of George Reeves’ Superman character. It’s also a loving tribute to a show that didn’t really deserve it. I respect television shows and movies from yesteryear – in many cases, I even prefer them – but it’s hard to justify the shallow plots and poor character development this show has to offer. I’m sure nostalgia buffs reading this are screaming “Blasphemy!” as we speak, but honestly… how can this show be justified on merits of good writing an…
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Heat Wave

Posted in Disc Reviews by David Annandale on February 2nd, 2006

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Synopsis

Blair Underwood plays Bob Richardson, who moves from Alabama to California with his brother and parents. The African-Amercian family has high hopes of finding a new land of opportunity, but racism and poverty are just as prevalent here. Richardson becomes a reporter, and he is on the scene for the Watts riots of 1965. Families and friends are torn apart in that violence, but his reporting is a landmark work.

A strong cast (notably featuring James Earl Jones) makes an impression, an…
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Flash, The – The Complete Series (1990)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on February 2nd, 2006

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This short-lived series was based on the popular DC Comics character, The Flash. Barry Allen (Shipp) was a crime lab technician, long before CSI made the job trendy. When lightning interacted with an unknown chemical compound as only comic cosmic events can, Allen receives a powerful jolt. The injury results in a dramatic change in his metabolism. Now supercharged, his body is capable of moving at supersonic speeds. Complete with a bright crimson costume appropriately modeled after the swift Greek god Mercury, The …
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Buffalo Soldiers

Posted in Disc Reviews by David Annandale on February 1st, 2006

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Synopsis

Danny Glover is a Sergeant in a cavalry regiment of African-American soldiers. He and his men are tasked with tracking down Apache leader Victorio, who has proven himself to be a brilliant and dangerous fighter. This mission would be difficult enough, but there is also the deep prejudice of the white commanding officers to deal with.

Racial politics are up front and centre from the moment the credits end, with Glover arresting Texas Rangers in the midst of hanging Apache children. …
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Ryan’s Daughter

Posted in Disc Reviews by David Annandale on January 31st, 2006

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Synopsis

Sarah Miles is the spoiled young daughter of Leo McKern. In the troubled Ireland of 1916, she falls in love with, and marries, middle-aged schoolteacher Robert Mitchum. Their marriage hits troubled waters when she begins a passionate affair with a young English officer, which is a politically delicate move, to say the least.

Ach and begorra, but ‘tis a wee long, the story is, to be sure. This simple love triangle is stretched out over a mind-boggling 206 minutes. Everything is Oiri…
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Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman – The Complete Second Season

Posted in Disc Reviews by David Annandale on January 25th, 2006

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Synopsis

The second season begins with the aftermath of the apparent demise of Lex Luthor (John Shea). His ex-wife picks up the slack in trying to eliminate Superman (Dean Cain) and Lois Lane (Teri Hatcher). Luthor himself comes back in Episode 13. Meanwhile, such classic comic book characters as Metallo make their appearance, and the odd triangle romance between Lois, Clark and Superman continues its tantalizing way.

This is a much more light-hearted approach to Superman than the rather mo…
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Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on January 20th, 2006

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2005 was definitely a big year for Tim Burton. He had the mega successful Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and ended the year with this film, Corpse Bride. Neither Charlie or Corpse deserved to be placed on the top of Burton’s best work list, but both are filled with typical Burton qualities from his funny jokes to interesting visuals.

Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride is similar to The Nightmare Before Christmas via Burton’s usual trademarks. Corpse Bride features…
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Must Love Dogs

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on January 4th, 2006

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Synopsis

Diane Lane has been divorced for eight months and still isn’t in a new relationship, which, according to everyone around her, is a situation on par with lymphoma. At any rate, her sister posts her profile on an Internet match-making site, and a date with the recently divorced and incurably romantic John Cusack ensues. Things get off to a rocky start, though, and there’s the hunky divorced father of one of her preschool students who also catches her interest. What road will lead to true love?…
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ER – The Complete Fourth Season

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on January 3rd, 2006

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

Nominated for 25 Golden Globes and 110 Emmys, including 7 for Outstanding Drama Series, ER has long been one of the best prime-time shows on television. Premiering in September 1994 on NBC, the hour-long hospital drama vividly illustrates the intensity and fast-paced stress endemic to hospital emergency rooms across America. Brought into being by Michael Crichton – famous Hollywoo…
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