Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on September 7th, 2004
Synopsis
Let’s start with the two biggest titles in the collection, which have a life outside thiscollection. North by Northwest is arguably Hitchcock’s greatest exercise in sheer roller-coaster thriller entertainment. As in so many of the director’s films, an insane chain of eventsis set in motion by the smallest of actions, in this case Cary Grant signalling a bell boy just asthe latter is calling out a name. Grant is thus misidentified by the villains, and he is suddenlyrunning fo... his life with no idea why people are trying to kill him. The crop-duster scene is oneof the most famous in all of Hitchcock’s oeuvre.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on September 3rd, 2004
Sometimes, when I am writing my review and I come to the “genre” section, I wish I could find an entry marked “crap”. If there was ever a serious film effort that deserved such an entry, this is it. Let’s be honest… made for TV movies have a bad reputation for a reason. For that matter, so do films that have child actors as their star. This film suffers from the unenviable fate of being both. Mary Tyler Moore and Burt Reynolds may be on the cover, but the kid is in nearly every frame of the film.
This is on... of those sickly-sweet TNT movies that have been produced time and time again (though they usually seem to show up on CBS). The plot is a familiar one. An older divorced woman (Moore) takes in her free-spirited granddaughter, and the little girl’s presence melts her hardened heart. The point is a simple one, but it takes this meandering film a long, long time to get there. I have heard of films that go nowhere fast, but this one goes nowhere slow. The pace is even more broken up with the added necessity of commercial breaks, which sometimes show up at awkward times.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on September 2nd, 2004
If you think about it, it’s a little surprising that Wonder Woman lasted for three full seasons. To my knowledge, there really hadn’t been any popular female super heroes before this show. Obviously there were a couple peppered around here and there in comics, but as far as movies and television go, it was pretty hard to find any kind of super female hero. Of course, Lynda Carter and that tiny patriotic costume may have had something to do with it.
Almost 40 years later, it’s a little more understandable wh... this show can still move some units. It’s a bit Austin Powers, and a bit Indiana Jones. A show about the 40’s, created in the 70’s, and now available on DVD in the new millennium. It’s about as retro hip as the time that Sammy Davis Jr. guest-starred on Bewitched. Too cool to miss.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on September 1st, 2004
This is one of the most interesting ideas that I have seen for a DVD boxed set in some time. Just as there were five seasons of Babylon 5, there were five made for TV movies created as well. Each was essentially a super-episode that was based on the series, but not necessarily a vital part of the story arc of the overall program. This DVD set includes all five of these bonus films.
Included in this collection is the feature-length pilot, as well as a prequel. The other three films have no added agend..., which I believe actually helps them along. One of the benefits of being attached to a television series is that much of the introductory work is done before the movie begins, so the writers are free to jump right in to the story. Of course, this can also be a problem when dealing with viewers that may not be knowledgeable of the series. These films will not bring in any new fans, as the barriers to entry are just too great.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on September 1st, 2004
Fans of The O.C., Melrose Place and even 90210 should take note. The original is back. That’s right, the 80’s favorite Dallas is making a comeback on DVD. This new five disc set features the complete first and second seasons of the show that made America (and even much of the world) stand up and ask the all-important question, “Who shot J.R.?”
A mysterious grin crept across my face when I saw that I would be reviewing this title. Would it be as good now as it was then? Was all of...the original hype justified? Would Patrick Duffy still have a bad haircut? The answer to all of these questions is an unequivocal “yes”! No other show has succeeded in capturing the lifestyles of the rural millionaire better than Dallas. This is a program that has played as important of a role in shaping America’s view of a modern Texas as George Stevens’ Giant did so many years earlier.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on August 29th, 2004
Synopsis
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on August 28th, 2004
ALF stands for Alien Life Form, but anyone who has seen this hit 1980’s comedy knows ALF stands for “Laughing your ass off funny”. OK, so the letters are out of order, but you know I’m right. It’s no surprise our favorite Melmac dude has made the DVD scene. The real shocker is that it took so long. Who remembers comedy from the 1980’s? There just wasn’t an awful lot to laugh at. ALF was the “muppet-like” creation of Paul Fusco, who also provides the wise-cracking voice of ALF. ALF’s making a comeback these days with ... new talk show on cable, so this was the perfect time to roll out the DVD’s.
Synopsis
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on August 28th, 2004
Chris Rock is quite possibly the most important comic of all time. There are quite a few entertainers that have shown up in the public spotlight over the past few years that have blurred the lines between comic, social satirist and political lecturer. Bill Maher and Dennis Miller come to mind. However, Chris Rock is a special comedian, due to his masterful knowledge of how to manipulate an audience. Anybody can make wise cracks about racial differences, but it takes a special person to be able to change the minds of ...is audience with a single joke.
Rock has discovered that you can be as honest and brutal about any topic that you want to breach, so long as your comments are funny. Lucky for him, he’s very, very funny. This particular program, his fourth for HBO, is not as purely comical as his previous efforts, but that doesn’t mean that it is any less entertaining. In fact, I believe that this may be the best one of the four, as Rock feels more comfortable saying exactly what he wants to say, and is less concerned with confronting subjects that can easily divide an audience, such as abortion and politics.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on August 28th, 2004
V: The Series was a great idea that couldn’t seem to hit its stride. It was plagued by budget restrictions and astronomical expectations. The result was the inevitable failure of the show. It just wasn’t possible to reproduce the f/x and epic tales of the two mini-series events with about a fifth of the budget. Judged on its own, the series wasn’t all that bad. A solid cast anchored by Marc Singer, Faye Grant, and Robert Englund picked up the slack left by the poor budget. The absence of Kenneth Johnson was also keen...y felt. Although there were still some excellent episodes, most notably the first, Liberation Day, too much time and effort went into the soap opera arcs, particularly the alien half-breed baby.
Audio
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on August 28th, 2004
Duel was the first “ made for television” movie directed by Steven Spielberg. This thriller could best be described as a cross between the Rutger Hauer classic, “ The Hitcher,” and the Steven King inspired “Maximum Overdrive.” Dennis Weaver plays David Mann, a salesman on his way home from a cross state trip. During his return, he passes a rusted out old gasoline truck on the highway without giving it much thought. As the film unfolds, the truck begins to pursue him and initially just appears to annoy him on the r...ad, however, by the end of the first thirty minutes of the film, the truck driver has made an attempt on Mann’s life.
The pace and intensity of the film increases as it moves on with a total of 3 serious attempts on Mann’s life. Dennis Weaver does a fantastic job portraying a normal guy who comes to the startling realization that his survival can only come at the cost of his pursuer’s life. The anxiety and paranoia are visceral in his performance, particularly the scene in the lounge where he tries to identify his pursuer. Spielberg does a masterful job of increasing the intensity using very basic techniques – lots of first person perspective and quick cuts during the chase scenes. The most effective tool used in the film was the fact that he never reveals the identity of the truck driver – the truck itself is the bad guy (very reminiscent of “Maximum Overdrive” without the cool Green Goblin face on the front).
