Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on May 4th, 2007
Synopsis
A serial killer who sounds just like Jigsaw (only rather less interesting) and kills exclusively using explosives (!) blows up the brother of a criminal psychologist, then turns his unwanted attentions to seminary student Marc Blucas, taking his life apart one explosion at a time. Blucas is convinced that the killer is a dark figure from his past, and turns amateur sleuth even as he is consumed by guilt. Most of his time, however, he puts his energy into being one of the whiniest protagonist... ever.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on May 3rd, 2007
Synopsis
The Ant and the Aardvark were regulars on the old Pink Panther show. They were the DePatie-Freeling equivalent of the Roadrunner and Wile E. Coyote. Every episode would see the Aardvark deploy one strategy after another to catch that Ant, and every attempt would blow up in his face (often quite literally). The animation, the invention and the energy are a long way from being up to the level of the Warner team. What is fun, though, is that both antagonists here are very loquacious (voiced by ...ohn Byner). Not all the lines are funny, but the characterizations are good fun, and all 17 of their adventures are present.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on May 3rd, 2007
The Drew Carey Show originally aired its pilot episode in 1995, focusing on a simple group of friends living their simplistic lives. Known for its everyman characters and situations, the show enjoyed a 9-year run on ABC, getting yanked from the schedule in 2004. Drew Carey and Bruce Helford, who both continued to write for the show in the following seasons, created the show with the premise of Drew Carey’s life if he hadn’t become a comedian and pursued a different career. I wasn’t even aware that this show wa... going to be released on DVD anytime soon, so I was happy to see that it was.
The show focuses around a close group of friends and their relationships, romantic lives, and their jobs. The main characters, Drew (Drew Carey), Kate (Christa Miller), Oswald (Diedrich Bader), and Lewis (Ryan Stiles) are life long friends’ living there everyday lives in Cleveland, Ohio. Drew works at a department store as a mid-level manager, Kate bounces from job to job and lands one working under Drew, Lewis is a janitor at a drug company, and Oswald is a delivery driver. None of them are too adamant about their jobs, but enjoy each other’s company and drinking beer. Some of the shows greatest moments occur while Drew is sitting in his cubicle, where behind him sits Mimi. She’s quite the heavyset make up ridden, trash talking assistant for Drew’s boss. The two share witty insults towards each other and often prank each other as well. Outside of the work world the group all have romantic lives, but only Drew’s and Kate’s get top billing. As the season goes on their relationships face problems and at other times look strongly optimistic, making for pretty entertaining side stories.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on May 1st, 2007
“Gotta love me!” What’s not to love about this cute Disney comedy featuring the most sophisticated puppetry ever created for a television show? Sure, the series has taken its share of hits for being a little too preachy. But even an old conservative like myself really can’t find much to fault in the issues tackled by Dinosaurs. There’s nothing wrong with message entertainment as long as it actually entertains. As a long time Star Trek fan I’m no stranger to morality tales. Truth be told, the issues are simplified e...ough that I don’t get what all the complaining been about. This set brings us the final two seasons of the series. An added bonus is the inclusion of a handful of episodes that never did air.
Nothing changed in the makeup of the series from the first two years, so I’ll repeat the setup I gave you for that release: Each character was a sophisticated animated puppet as well as a suit performer. In all, it took four people to bring each character to life. Combined with the familiar voice talents of the likes of Sally Struthers and Sherman Helmsley, a “man in a suit”, and 2 animatronics puppeteers, these hysteric prehistoric characters were brought remarkably to life. Like The Flintstones, Dinosaurs was modeled after the popular 50’s comedy The Honeymooners. Earl was very much a Jackie Gleason clone from his “king of my castle” attitude to his bulky frame. Like Ralph, Earl had a meek and somewhat simple minded pal. Roy was as much an Art Carney clone as Earl was Ralph Kramden. Even Roy’s voice echoed Norton. The show diverged from its Honeymooner roots with the addition of two children. Robbie was very much a rebel against the sins of his society. Charlene was the typical valley girl who cared more about the latest fashions than anything else. Fran, the mother, was a somewhat modern woman who still managed to juggle independence with traditional roles. Finally the best laughs and lines came from newly arrived Baby Sinclair. His “Not the momma” , “Again!” and “Gotta love me” chants became pop culture mainstays.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on May 1st, 2007
Synopsis
After serving ten years as a galley slave for having stolen a loaf of bread, Jean Valjean returns to the outside world a bitter man. He is transformed by the saintliness of a bishop who gives him shelter and the gift of the very items he was trying to steal. Starting his life over again, he becomes Mr. Madeleine, highly respected pottery plant owner and eventually mayor. He even adopts young Cosette, whose mother is dying. But the relentless Inspector Javert feels he recognizes Madeleine as ...he parole-evading Valjean, and so begins a pursuit that will take all three characters to a Paris about to erupt in an uprising.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Michael Durr on April 29th, 2007
Synopsis
*Booming Voice*, "When we last left the Venture Bros season 1, the incredible arch-villain Monarch had been imprisoned for a crime he didn't commit and the Venture Bros were suffering from the loss of their boys Hank and Dean, Meanwhile..." *Monarch voice*, "Where the heck are my cue cards, can't an arch-villain get some normal cue cards for once and how come there is nothing about the sweet Dr. Girlfriend anywhere in here, I mean who really cares about the f****ng V...nture Bros and their miserable excuses for children; Buddy Holly and Fred from Scooby Doo?" *Twenty-one and Twenty-four* "Sorry Monarch." So welcome to another exciting season of the Venture Bros, arguably one of the best animation series on television. Hopefully you know the main characters by now as this is season two. (and thankfully the series has been resigned for a seasons 3 & 4, however we might not see them until 2008). Venture Bros can be described as 4 parts Johnny Quest, 1 part Hardy Boys, 1 part Tick, and even a little Scooby Doo and then throwing that into a big sarcastic machine with lots of sexual innuendo and tons of other classic references before spitting out an animation show.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Michael Durr on April 28th, 2007
Synopsis
When I heard about Loonatics Unleashed the cartoon show, I like many heard it from the web critics. "We can't stand it", "It's ruining the image of the Looney Tunes", or just simply "It sucks" were their cries. However, what I also found interesting in my research is that these comments mostly came before the show even aired. So, the web critics sport superhero abilities I see. They should be villains on this show. Anyhow, needless to say I was a little worried when I saw it at t...e end of my review queue. But what I did find was a little gem of a cartoon show.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on April 22nd, 2007
Synopsis
The first thing that surprised me when I did some minor research on The Addams Family was that as a show, it was barely on for a cup of coffee, lasting two seasons. Maybe because it was on around the same time as The Munsters shortened its shelf life. However three decades later, the film (and its sequel) helped propel it into fan appreciation.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on April 18th, 2007
Synopsis
Anna Karenina (Vivien Leigh) is married to a rigid and boring politician (Ralph Richardson). Despite herself, she falls in love with the dashing young Kieron Moore. Richardson retaliates by cutting her off from her son. And though having an affair is tolerated by upper class Russian society, the couple wind up challenging convention too far, and Anna finds herself completely ostracized.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on April 16th, 2007
Synopsis
A young Jane Eyre thinks she is escaping Hell when she is sent from the home of her unloving aunt to a boarding school, but she has simply traded one Hell for another. Despite the attempts of sadistic Henry Daniell, she survives her years at the school with her spirit intact, and, now a grown woman (Joan Fontaine), she goes to work as a governess at the gothic home of Edward Rochester (Orson Welles). She perceives something good behind his forbidding extrior, and finds herself falling in lov... with her haunted employer. But what is the secret in the locked tower?
