Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Michael Durr on October 12th, 2009
The people at Warner Bros recently decided to adopt a new strategy when dealing with some of their back catalog. They would propose a printing on demand option or what they would dub the “Archive Collection”. This would allow collectors to own classics of long forgotten films and keep costs at a minimal to Warner Bros. One such movie was named Lightning Strikes Twice which came out in 1951 with Ruth Roman. Hopefully this one was a gem and not something that should be long forgotten back in the vault.
Richard Trevelyan (played by Richard Todd) has been convicted for murder of his wife. He is about to be executed when the jury becomes dead-locked and no decision can be made. He is then released where he decides to hide out at a Texas ranch where nobody can find him. Everybody is convinced that he did it and nobody seems that willing to stand by his side.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on October 7th, 2009
This season finds the protagonists well beyond high school, now having adventures in the adult world. So writer Lucas, in the midst of promoting his book, proposes to Peyton. Brooke fights to save her clothing business from the clutches of her mother From Hell. Piece of work Dan is flattened by a car and then finds himself in the hospital, helpless, badly injured, and at the mercy of a sadistic nurse out for revenge. Basketball player Nathan doesn't know that his mother is having an affair with one of his friends. And on we go, and I haven't even mentioned the episode that's a fantasy construction of Lucas', relocating the entire cast and setting to the 1940s.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on October 6th, 2009
“You know those shows that say don’t try this at home? This is one of those.”
Scare Tactics is really nothing new. In 1948 one of the very first television shows to air on network television was a converted radio program originally called Candid Microphone and renamed Candid Camera for television. It was the brain child of Allen Funt, who began the idea while in the armed services, secretly recording fellow servicemen in awkward positions for his Armed Forces Radio program. The idea was a hit and was television’s first hit program. Funt would hide his 16mm cameras and put people in awkward situations with the intent to make them feel and appear foolish. The stunts in those days were pretty simple. A talking mail box or strange acting workers. It was all in good fun and everybody got a laugh.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on October 5th, 2009
“In 1982 controversial film director Wilson Wyler Concannon released his only film, The Hills Run Red. Because of its graphic depiction of sadism and murder the film was quickly pulled from theaters. All known prints vanished and no cast member was ever found. Over the years film historians attempted to find the film, but all that remained was a crudely made trailer. Director Wilson Wyler Concannon was never heard from again.”
Believe it or not, The Hills Run Red was a project saved at one point by the Man Of Steel himself, Superman. Okay, it’s not like the famous Kryptonian hero actually swooped in and rescued anyone on the project, but he does deserve some credit for the film’s ultimate release.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on October 2nd, 2009
“In the future, a computer program called Skynet will declare war on the human race. Machines have traveled back in time taking human form to terminate John Connor, the future leader of the resistance; Sarah Connor, John’s mother, teacher, and protector; Cameron, a terminator reprogrammed to defend them at all costs; Derek Reese, John’s uncle and a commanding officer with the resistance. Together they fight to stop Skynet from ever being created. The battle for our tomorrow starts today.”
Well actually, to be perfectly honest, it started back in October of 1984 with the release of James Cameron’s blockbuster Terminator. It was the story of a future Armageddon and a machine sent back in time to make sure it happens by killing the mother of the unborn leader of a future resistance. No one saw the success coming, but come it did. With just over a $6 million budget the film brought in over $38 million in the domestic take. That’s not a lot by today’s mega tent pole release standards, but it was huge in 1984. Add another $40 million in overseas box office, and you get quite a return on that money. And so as inevitable as the film’s prophesized Doomsday, a sequel was unavoidable. The film also made a star of an Austrian born bodybuilder who had only television and one film to his credit by that time. A star and a huge franchise was born. The man behind the film, James Cameron, was just as unknown, having helmed a cheesy Piranha sequel as pretty much his only calling card. Who knew then that Arnold Schwarzenegger, James Cameron, and the Terminator universe would all go on to become household names. Cameron would go on to bring us Aliens and Titanic. Arnie would become THE action star of the 90’s and end up, of all places, as the Governor of California. Only in America.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on September 23rd, 2009
“Mentalist: Someone who uses mental acuity, hypnosis, and/or suggestion. A master manipulator of thoughts and behavior.”
I remember fondly Simon Baker’s last television series, The Guardian. It wasn’t exactly a great or groundbreaking show, but it chugged on somewhat quietly for 5 seasons. It didn’t seem like anyone was really noticing this quality show. So, as much as I like this new series, I think what pleases me most is that in a few weeks The Guardian’s first season will make it to DVD. I’m not sure it would have happened if The Mentalist hadn’t broken out as the number 1 new series last year. And as much as I’d love to tell you more about that earlier series, I’m going to get that chance next month, so stay tuned.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on September 11th, 2009
“For those of you just joining us: What you are looking at is the work of ZFT, a terrorist organization responsible for at least a half a dozen biological attacks over the last several months. Everything we know thus far can be found in your packets (or Blu-rays), including a copy of their manifesto which elucidates their ideology and their methods. Which boils down to the following: Attempting to provoke or prepare for a war. With who? That’s the question, isn’t it? What we do know is that these bizarre acts seem to be increasing in frequency and that their targets are unpredictable and therefore unprotectable. Those of you assembled in this room now have a clear-cut goal…”
That goal is to rush out and pick up the high definition, Blu-ray release of the first season of JJ Abrams latest television enigma, Fringe.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on September 2nd, 2009
Scooby Doo has spanned generations and over 40 years. Since the 1960’s the name and conventions have become a part of the pop culture. The original cartoon series had a series of conventions. The Scooby Gang would drive around in their green Mystery Machine van and solve ghostly mysteries. Fans of the show quickly grew to learn that these spirits and goblins were usually just normal people using scare tactics to get revenge or make a profit. The cartoon classic spawned music albums, live action movies, and several new shows and animated features.
This single disc release is pretty much just a collection of 4 episodes, 5 if you include the “bonus” episode of the television show, Scooby Doo Where Are You. The episodes are:
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on August 31st, 2009
If you are a fan of the original Kolchak: The Night Stalker, you were more than likely disappointed in the remake a couple of years ago on ABC. Your hope is now once again restored. Supernatural is the closest thing I’ve ever seen to The Night Stalker. Like Kolchak, the Winchester brothers are faced with weekly incarnations of evil. They’re forced to research these legends and figure out a way to stop them. As Kolchak discovered, it’s a thankless job. Sure, Supernatural is populated with all sorts of beasties and nasties, but it also manages to hold on to a sense of humor that rounds out these adventures to make this one of the most entertaining shows around. When UPN and WB merged, I was a little worried about Supernatural. You do the math (that was another review). Two networks worth of shows, one network worth of programming time. Half of the shows needed to vanish, and I was concerned Supernatural would be one, if history of respect for genre shows was any indication. Fortunately for us, the show has not only survived, but it has thrived, looking to be around for quite a while yet.
In season 1 Sam Winchester (Padalecki) was in college. His fiancée was attacked by a creature that had once also taken his mother. Enter brother Dean (Ackles) who arrives to take the mourning Sam on a cross-country search for their missing father. It turns out that Daddy Winchester has been on a self-imposed crusade to find the monster that took his wife and any other demon or creature he might be able to hunt along the way. We also find out he’s trained the boys to be quite capable monster hunters themselves. Most of the first year dealt with the brothers fighting their way to their dad. It ended in a hell of a cliffhanger. Season 2 didn’t waste anytime picking up the action. The action picks up the moment we were left waiting last May. If the first year gave the boys their mission, the second is about consequences. All of the expected monsters are there for the hunt, and year two turned out twice as good as the first. In year three the theme was redemption. Dean had made this deal that would send him to Hell.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on August 27th, 2009
Charlie Sheen is an unlikely actor to star in a television sit-com. Even after watching the show, I’m not sure how anyone came up with the idea in the first place. He has little to no comedic timing, and he’s about as funny as a funeral. The thing that works here, however, is that he really doesn’t need to be all that funny to make this show work. Sheen pretty much deadpans his entire performance, which generously enough works rather well teamed with the more manic comedy of Jon Cryer. Throw into the mix a rather extraordinary young child actor in Angus T. Jones, and suddenly a show that looks terrible on paper turns out to be pretty dang funny. We’re not talking Fred Sanford funny, but I caught myself laughing far more often than I expected to. I had only caught the show before in bits and pieces and was never all that fond of what I saw. Watching these DVD episodes from the third season shed some new light on the show for me.
Charlie Harper (Sheen) is your typical womanizing bachelor. He’s got plenty of coin because he writes those annoying jingles you hear on commercials. He also happens to go through plenty of women. He’s got a swank place on the beach, and life is pretty much one big party until his brother Alan (Cryer) shows up on his doorstep along with his son Jake (Jones). In typical Felix Unger/Oscar Madison style, Alan’s been kicked out by his wife of 12 years and needs a place to stay for “just a little while”. Of course, Alan’s lifestyle is drastically different from Charlie’s. He’s got the responsibility of raising his son, and he’s rather obsessive compulsive. As I’ve already mentioned, there is no escaping the obvious Odd Couple revival at work here, down to the slob vs. the neat freak mentalities. Here we add the presence of an impressionable child. Most of the best laughs come when Charlie is trying to educate young Jake to his own philosophies of life. Naturally Alan considers him a bad influence, but then again, he is a guest in Charlie’s house. Helping to spread the humor out a bit, we get some great supporting work by Holland Taylor, who plays the boys’ smothering mother. Every good sit-com needs the nosy or pesky next door neighbor, and Melanie Lynskey fits the bill as the rapid staler, Rose. Some ethnic humor is provided by bossy housekeeper Berta, played by sit-com veteran Conchata Ferrell. New to the cast in season three is April Bowlby as the brainless Kandi dating Alan. As a particular treat, we get a visit from Charlie’s real life padre; Martin Sheen is an extremely off the wall character, the guys’s… what else… dad. If all of this sounds a bit complicated, it really isn’t. My best advice is not to ask too many questions, and enjoy the ride.
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