Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on January 30th, 2004
This is a great idea for a children’s video. Our Friend Martin is an animated film that follows the Dickens Christmas Carol format to tell the story of the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. When two boys (an underachieving African-American and his slacker white counterpart) visit the birthplace of Dr. King on a school field trip, they are magically transported back in time to experience monumental events in the civil rights movement. Along their journey, they learn of the legacy of Dr. King, and of his...importance to our modern American way of life.
Many A-list actors have provided their voice talent for the production, including Ed Asner, Susan Sarandon, Whoopi Goldberg, Samuel A. Jackson, Angela Bassett and John Travolta. Part of the fun of watching the film was trying to pick out which actor was voicing what character. Surprisingly, however, much of the voice talent is weak, and only a few actors (such as James Earl Jones and the aforementioned Sarandon) really grasp the intricacies of providing a voice for an animated character. Particularly bad is the “surfer hick” accent of the white main character.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on January 29th, 2004
Synopsis
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on January 28th, 2004
Synopsis
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on January 27th, 2004
Synopsis
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on January 25th, 2004
In 1976 a New York media group conducted a survey of the NYPD detectives. The question was: “Of all the TV cop shows, which most accurately portrays life as a detective?” The overwhelming response was the comedy Barney Miller.
It seems that real cops related to the daily grind and weekly wackos of Barney Miller. Let’s not put aside that this was also one of the most consistently funny shows on television. I remember it took me a while to accept Abe Vigoda in such a light role as Fish. My first exposure to Vigoda was the ruthless mobster in The Godfather. Barney Miller always managed to be funny while still telling a good short story. The characters were always wonderful. In Season 1 we will not meet the famous Dietrich character, but it was a joy to see the briefly shown detective Chano played by Sanford and Son’s Julio, Gregory Sierra. Unfortunately there were only 13 episodes in the first season, but they’re all here in this two-disc set.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on January 25th, 2004
James Gurney created a wonderful mythical land to rival Tolkien’s Middle Earth that was populated by stranded travelers and talking dinosaurs. Hallmark finally brought these settings to life on film with their popular mini-series. The ABC series that followed was unfortunately complete with several fatal flaws. The dino f/x were not really as good as we have become used to. The blurs and surreal appearance often takes one out of the experience. The actors used in the mini-series were replaced with virtual unknowns and a noticeable lack of skills. It was obviously a mistake to attempt such an ambitious project for weekly television.
Audio
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on January 25th, 2004
Scorched follows in the tradition of Guy Ritchie films such as “Loch Stock and Two Smoking Barrels” and “Snatch” from the perspective of having a group of characters that don’t have too much in common except for fate brining them all together at the right (or wrong) place at the right (or wrong) time.
Scorched follows three main characters who all work at a bank and have the same idea, although thought of independently, to rob the bank – all on the same weekend. Sheila (Alicia Silverstone) has been dating ...he bank manager and supporting his desire to continue through school and going so far as to pay for a tutor for him. However she has revenge in her sights when he leaves her for that same tutor. Woods (Woody Harrelson – go figure) is a hard working employee who believes that all of his dedication has finally paid off when he is called into the manager’s office with the promise of a promotion. He does get it – more responsibility a better title and a massive raise of…55 cents and hour. Stuart Stein is another hard worker who is encouraged to carry through on his little thought out plan to rob the bank by a friend.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on January 23rd, 2004
Synopsis
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on January 21st, 2004
Synopsis
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on January 20th, 2004
Unlike most spinoff series, Frasier may be one of those rare instances where the spinoff was equally if not better than the original series. Much of the writing that made Cheers a phenomenon was continued with Frasier, with the exception that there was a smaller cast of characters and as such the stories became more involved and the characters were allowed to grow. The second season adds a great amount of depth to Frasier, his equally quirky psychiatrist brother Niles, and their gruff but lovable father, Martin. ...uring the second season, Frasier annoys the entire city of Seattle by complaining about the weather, Martin’s favored bar faces the threat of a wrecking ball (which may be the fault of his own 2 sons), Roz gets a new job offer, Niles lusting after Daphne continues, and Frasier once again comes face-to-face with his ex-wife Lilith ruining his island getaway.
During its run, Frasier won several Emmys for best direction, best comedy series and best actor. Watching the second season will remind any viewer why the show was worthy of its high praise. The jokes are fast paced and work well. The writing was very clever, especially the use of Frasier and Nile’s elitist vocabulary which often was used to poke fun at them. Fans of the show quickly grew to love the characters in the first season and the second season allowed the writers the opportunity to really sink their teeth into them and truly produce one of the greatest television shows in history.
