Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on May 15th, 2009
With the original series I see no reason at all to buy into a 4 episode release. This stuff has already appeared countless times in the last 5 years or so. The episodes appeared in double episode discs originally. Then there were the complete seasons. There was the remastered DVD season sets. Finally, the best news yet, the release of these episodes in high definition on Blu-ray. So, why is Paramount releasing these single disc DVD’s now? There’s no question that they picked 4 of the best episodes, and they are the remastered versions.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on May 7th, 2009
Talk about your hit show running out of steam. The Waltons is the perfect example of a show that outstayed its welcome. When it first took television audiences by storm in 1971, it became a cultural phenomenon. But by the show’s ninth and final year as a regular series it was 1980 and the country, the world, for that matter, had changed. It didn’t help matters that Richard Thomas had left the show, and his popular John Boy character, behind. The show’s core fans remained, but America’s love affair with The Waltons was clearly over. The show continued with 6 specials, often around holidays that brought the now scattered family back to Walton’s Mountain and our television screens. The last of these reunion films aired in 1997. They are not included in this final season set. I would expect they are awaiting their own release, much as the Columbo series has done.
John (Waite) and Olivia (Learned) Walton lived on the Walton land high atop Walton’s Mountain. The land had been in their family for generations. They shared their home with Grandpa (Geer) and Grandma (Corby) Walton and 8 children. At first we found the family in the heart of the Great Depression. They series had a Little House On The Prairie feel to it. The stories took place mostly in that small town where they all lived. The family would suffer one hardship or another and overcome weekly obstacles by sticking together as a family. As the years moved on, the series entered the World War II era and some of the boys would end up fighting in the conflict. By far the breakout character became John Boy, who was first played by and made famous by Richard Thomas. In the last season the character was covered as a recurring character by Robert Wrightman. It would never be the same.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on May 5th, 2009
They say that it isn’t over until the Fat Lady sings. Did you ever wonder what “it” was or who the heck this Fat Lady is they keep talking about? I can’t help you there, but I do know who the Fat Man is. It’s William Conrad, who came back to television in 1987 as J.L. McCabe, better known as “the Fatman”. McCabe was one of those tough as nails district attorneys. He was actually an ex-cop, so had great criminal instincts. McCabe wasn’t above bending the law to put away the bad guy, and he wasn’t considered a very friendly type of fellow. He majored in stubbornness and plain speaking. He relied on Jake Styles, his private investigator, to do much of the leg work for the office. Jake was a bit of a flashy playboy, but he always delivered the goods for his boss. Again, Styles wasn’t against breaking a few rules to get what he needed. Styles was played by Joe Penny. McCabe also served as a mentor, of sorts, to young District Attorney Derek Mitchell, played by Alan Campbell. Mitchell was quite wet behind the ears and a little too eager sometimes. His ambition often got the better of him, and it was the gruff McCabe who kept him out of trouble. Finally, the team was completed by Gertrude, McCabe’s loyal and trusty secretary, played by Lu Leonard. While The Fatman put crooks away instead of defending innocent defendants, there could be no mistaking the parallels between Jake And The Fatman and Perry Mason. The two shows were from different times, and the styles might not have been the same, but the dynamic was very much the same. You can see a lot of Della Street in Gertrude and more than a little of the Drake/Mason relationship in the two leads. There was far more action, but that was more a reflection of the change in decades than anything else. And like Mason, the Fatman rarely lost a case.
The Fat Lady was warming up after the first season of Jake. The show did not immediately return for its second year. It was delayed until March and so only ran for 11 episodes. That’s why Paramount has issued this as an “entire” season set. The show never really found its footing and struggled for the 5 seasons that it ran. It wasn’t a terribly original program and was steeped in cliché for its entire run. It was never a ratings monster, and there were constant radical changes in attempts to retool the show over the years. In this season McCabe and his staff, excluding trusty Gertrude, moved to Hawaii in an effort to spice the show up Hawaii Five-0 style. Even that exotic location didn’t help matters, and the series returned to California by 1990. These erratic changes in location and style meant that the show never found the solid fan base it needed to survive. It was likely William Conrad that was the only thing that allowed the show to last 5 years. What made the show work at all was the unlikely pairing of the two characters. It wasn’t only their weight that separated the two. McCabe looked angry all the time and had a slower pace to his method. Jake was almost too slick; at least that’s the way they tried to portray him most of the time. In the end the pair really was too unlikely for most viewers’ tastes. While it did get 3 Emmy nominations, it never won. These nominations were for cinematography and music only. Today Jake And The Fatman wouldn’t have gotten past the mid season.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on May 5th, 2009
Warner nearly single-handedly invented the cartoon medium as we know it today with the advent of their various Bugs Bunny and associates cartoons. Ever since the early 1930’s these characters have become an indelible part of the American pop culture. Their images became an important part of the World War II effort and even helped to put a face on the issues of the Great Depression. They represent one of the richest histories in animation, second only to Walt Disney. There are some, I’m sure, that would argue they might even belong in front of Uncle Walt. When I was growing up in the 1970’s, I had no idea I was enjoying cartoons and characters that were already 40 years old. The truth is that my grandfather had been a fan of these same cartoons when he was a kid. Today the Warner cycle of Loony Tunes cartoons is over 70 years young. Things might have changed with the passing of Mel Blanc, who provided most of those familiar voices for much of that time, but Bugs and the gang are still out there and going strong.
Which brings us to The Looney, Looney, Looney, Bugs Bunny Movie, which arrived in theaters in 1981. While the film wasn’t a huge box office success, it was pretty cheap to make. The film was made up of bits and pieces from various Looney Tunes shorts. The featured shorts included: Knighty Knight, Bugs, Hare Trimmed, Sahara Hare, Wild And Wooly Hare, Roman Legion-Hare, Golden Yeggs, Catty Cornered, The Unmentionables, Three Little Bops, Birds Anonymous, Show Biz Bugs, and High Diving Hare. All of these shorts were from the time period between 1949 and 1957. The shorts were edited into an opening and a three act film. The cartoons are not necessarily shown in their entirety and are used to create these three separate stories. There is new material that was created more to bridge the shorts and act as a wraparound for the whole affair.
Posted in: 1.33:1 Fullscreen, Disc Reviews, Documentary, Dolby Digital 2.0 (English), DVD by Gino Sassani on May 5th, 2009
I’ve had to watch and review a lot of crap in my nearly decade long life as a reviewer. Usually there’s something good to say about almost anything, no matter how bad the title is. I have officially gotten the absolute worst piece of garbage that has ever arrived on my front door in Hollywood The Dark Side Collection. Honestly, that’s all I have to say…..
Editor’s note: We finally tracked Gino back down and “requested” that he complete this review. We apologize for any delay this might have caused. –Ed.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by William O'Donnell on May 2nd, 2009
This is the second season of this prime time soap opera's fourteen season run. This show is the stories of three couples who all live in the same cul-de-sac, along the second season addition of single temptress Abby Cunnigham (played by Donna Mills), whose role inspires the packaging's amusing tag-line "Abby Cunnigham moves to Knots Landing. Do you know where your husband is?"
The show is a spinoff from the massively popular Dallas, and it contains much the same level of drama peppered with some sassy comedy, leading it to surpass Dallas in ratings for a time. This particular season kicks off with a two part story where one of our Californian cul-de-sac heroes is accused of rape and needs the aid of his lawyer neighbour. From there on we get stories involving the FBI, the mob, and an especially interesting episode where the women of the neighbourhood are held hostage at a baby shower and newcomer Abby uses her seductive powers to aid their escape.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on May 1st, 2009
“The legend began hundreds of years ago when the fierce warriors known as the Samurai served the warlords of Japan with absolute loyalty. The most fearsome of all were the ronin, the samurai who had lost his master, set adrift like a wave on the open sea. One ronin sought out the master swordmaker, Masermune. The legendary master agreed to forge the samurai a sword of great mystical power. But, it would take an entire year to complete the work. The master’s evil-minded apprentice, Masamas, offered to forge another sword, but in only half the time.”
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. The very latest of these direct to video animated features is Scooby Doo And The Samurai Sword.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on April 30th, 2009
“Super-toon extraordinaire Freakazoid! Freakazoid! Runs around in underwear Freakazoid! Freakazoid! Rescues Washington D.C .Freakazoid! Freakazoid!
Unless something better's on TV Freakazoid! Freakazoid! His brain's overloading. It has a chocolate coating. Textbook case for Sigmund Freud Freakazoid! Freakazoid!”
Only from the mind of Steven Spielberg and the gang that brought us Animaniacs could such a cartoon series and superhero be found. From 1995 to 1997 it could all be found as near as your television set, with the oddball Freakazoid series from Spielberg and Warner.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Michael Durr on April 30th, 2009
The day of October 31st is usually Halloween to most people. However, back in 1992 it was the day one of the best cartoon superhero shows premiered on the Fox Network. It was simply called X-Men. The show would last seventy-six episodes and five seasons while rising to considerable popularity. I’m not one to toot personal bias, but this is probably my second favorite comic book related animated show next to Batman: The Animated Series. Most of us X-Men fans have been waiting for these episodes to be released for as long as the dvd format has existed. Finally that time has come and I couldn’t be more delighted to watch these again.
Two parents sit in a living room wondering if they did the right thing. Their adopted child: Jubilee is a mutant. They have felt the best thing to do is file her name with the Mutant Registration Program, a privately funded program with ties to the government. The Mutant Registration Program is supposed to be a peaceful group helping humanity and the mutants carry on in their existence. However, things are not as they seem.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on April 28th, 2009
“We’re tiny. We’re toony. We’re a little bit loony. And in this cartoony we’re invading your TV. We’re comic dispensers. We crack up all the censors. On Tiny Toon Adventures, get a dose of comedy. So, here’s Acme Acres, it’s a whole wide world apart. Our home sweet home, it stands alone, a cartoon work of art. The scripts were rejected, expect the unexpected on Tiny Toon Adventures it’s about to start.”
What do you get when you cross Steven Spielberg with the tradition of Loony Tunes? You get Tiny Toon Adventures. Spielberg produced this 1990’s television cartoon show for the WB Network. Set in Acme Acres, this cartoon was intended as a Next Generation of Loony Tunes characters and stories.
