Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on February 16th, 2005
Synopsis
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on February 15th, 2005
Kwai Chang Caine is back for another season of mayhem and mistaken-accusations on the second season of Kung Fu. How is it that trouble never ceases to track this guy down? It seems that every episode begins with Caine walking along, minding his own business, and the next thing you know, he is accused of murder. It would be ridiculous, if it wasn’t so fun to watch!
The themes of these episodes have evolved from the basics covered in season one. In the first season, racism was a dominant theme of the s...ow. In season two, religion seems to have taken the top spot, as we get to see the Shaolin Priest spend time interacting with various other religions. These themes add a new philosophical depth to the show not previously encountered. In addition to the expansion of the mental boundaries, the physical realm becomes more active as well, as Cane seems to be less reluctant to hold back the power of his physical skills from well-deserving foes.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on February 15th, 2005
Synopsis
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on February 10th, 2005
Ah, the 80's. I remember slapping on the vinyl for the new Def Leppard album, "Pyromania". And what an album it was. "Photograph", "Rock of Ages", the list of singles go on. Def Leppard seemed to be poised for superstardom. Then tragedy struck. Their drummer lost his arm in a car accident. But they still rocked on. "Hysteria" was their most popular album, but a bit too sugary for me. Now we have a movie that charts the rocky road to stardom and beyond, Hysteria: The Def Leppard Story is a heavy m...tal bio pic that meets with semi-successful results.
Hysteriahas all the band movie cliches. We have the forming of the band, the first hit single, lives change, drugs take over. But what makes this story distinct is not just the music (80's hair metal has a certain kitschy charm), but the fact the drummer lost one of his arms. The movie starts with this tragic event, thus setting up the rise and fall narrative. The low budget of this movie is quite noticeable at times (a North American left steering wheel for British driving scenes ¦ c'mon), but the story is told with conviction, cliches and all. The music performances are well done, but this is a minor "band" movie. The metal saves it from becoming a retread altogether.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on February 3rd, 2005
Soap is a curious soap opera parody from the late 1970?s. It has a quality ensemble cast, Richard Mulligan, Robert Guilliaume, Katherine Helmond, and much younger Billy Crystal (to name a few). Soap was a bit groundbreaking for its time, as it tackled some hot button issues (homosexuality being one). But the show is committed to its ridiculousness; alien abductions, demon possession, and prison breaks confirm Soap?s bizarre and wacky charm.
Audio
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on February 2nd, 2005
There is cause for joy for TV sitcom fans. Taxi's second season is now on DVD. It's an important season to own, since the show develops more memorable characters like Reverend Jim and Simka (played by the great Christopher Lloyd and Carol Kane). But series regulars, like Alex, Latka, Louis, Nardo, Tony, and Bobby Wheeler, all show more depth here. Taxi really came into its own in the second year, and its multiple Emmy awards were justified. All 24 episodes are here. Farcical but human, Taxi...should belong on any TV collector's shelf. I could listen to that melancholic theme song for days.
Audio
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on January 30th, 2005
In Season Seven, Voyager returns home and like Deep Space Nine and The Next Generation, the third Star Trek spin-off wraps up. The final episode “Endgame” is not as dramatic as the finales for the other shows. I guess it becomes anticlimactic when you have known for 7 years how this was going to end. The f/x are some of the best in Trek TV history, however. This is truly a visually stunning episode. The season is about on par with Season 6. Stories continue to grow stale. Even the Seven of Nine s...ory arc has pretty much run its course by now. Attempts to spice up the character with a romance fell horribly short.
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Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on January 26th, 2005
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Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on January 25th, 2005
Written by Jason Franz
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Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on January 24th, 2005
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