Posted in: Disc Reviews by Michael Durr on April 16th, 2007
Synopsis
When the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series came out on DVD, they decided to go the 12 episodes on one disk Volume approach. Sure it was only $10, but when you are looking at near 200 episodes and realized that it would 16+ volumes to make it complete, it was a bit overwhelming. Add that to the fact they were only releasing a new volume every 4-6 months, you were looking at well over 5 years to get all of the episodes. Plus some major shelf space. Thank ...
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on April 15th, 2007
In fairness to the folks at the Disney Channel and this movie’s target audience, I’m stepping into the shoes of an 11-year-old girl for this review. Boy, these are tight.
Jump In! is totally a fun movie. It was a Disney Channel original, but now you can buy it on DVD to watch whenever you feel like it. The movie is about Izzy Daniels, a teenage boy played by Corbin Bleu, who was like, so cool in High School Musical. Izzy lives with his dad and his kid sister, and he likes to box. His dad loves...
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on April 13th, 2007
Synopsis
This is a collection of eight SpongeBob cartoons, generally (but not exclusively) focussed in and around the Krabby Patty. The title story, which is a two-parter, explores the Krabs and Plankton’s shared tragic history, and what led to their endless rivalry. The level of hilarity remains as high as ever (including some extremely squirm-inducing moments in “Fungus Among Us”), but I can’t help but feel that this is a bit too naked a money grab, given that everything here will wind up in one se...
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on April 12th, 2007
Synopsis
Lloyd Nolan stars in this quartet of films about Michael Shayne. Less hard-boiled than he was in other media, here he’s an inveterate wisecracker and the films are sometimes more comedies than thrillers. Our boy takes his first bow in <>i>Michael Shayne, Private Detective (1941), where he’s hired to keep an heiress (Marjorie Weaver) out of trouble. But when one of the dubious people she’s been hanging out with turns up killed, apparently by Shayne’s gun, the detective must stay one step ...
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on April 11th, 2007
It seems unbelievable to me that Scooby Doo was just on for three seasons. Undoubtedly there were individual cartoon tie-ins created all along the way, and there are new episodes being created even today. No, I’m talking about the original classic program. Just three short seasons were produced, the final one of which is now available on DVD.
What is there to say about this series, these cartoons that were such an integral part of my childhood? You would have to be living in the mountain caves of Afgha...
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on April 9th, 2007
Synopsis
Carlos Santana has been a veritable part-owner in the Montreux Jazz Festival, with a half dozen or so appearances under his belt in over three decades of performing. Some have been solo appearances, but others have been fruitful collaborations with various blues and jazz performers, some singers. In 1988, Santana and friend Wayne Shorter performed at the show as part of a brief tour.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on April 9th, 2007
Synopsis
Carlos Santana has been a veritable part-owner in the Montreux Jazz Festival, with a half dozen or so appearances under his belt in over three decades of performing. Some have been solo appearances, but others have been fruitful collaborations with various blues and jazz performers, some singers. In 1988, Santana and friend Wayne Shorter performed at the show as part of a brief tour.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Michael Durr on April 8th, 2007
Synopsis
As a kid, I read Garfield on a daily basis. I collected the little books they would put out every so often (still have most of them). The cartoon show, Garfield & Friends; I always found funny & I even went to the first movie though I found it a little puzzling (like why would you animate Garfield but have a real live Odie, doesn't make much sense). In my head, I had even teased the idea of owning the Volume sets of Garfield & Friends. So when this title came across my desk, I wa...
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on April 6th, 2007
Dances With Wolves has always been a bit of a conundrum for me. The story is simply a beautiful one. The cinematography is often nothing short of breathtaking. What causes my trouble is when we get down to its star. Kevin Costner is horrible in this film. I’m not a Costner hater. Untouchables and JFK are two of his best films, and in each he delivered exactly what was required. I’m beginning to think, however, that the G-Man persona is all he is capable of delivering with any consistency. What exactly is my problem...
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on April 4th, 2007
David Lynch’s twisted horror/crime/comedy/grotesque/soap opera came to a close with this season, wherein we learn who killed Laura Palmer, who shot Agent Cooper, and what at least some of the secrets of the Black Lodge are (the Lodge being a threatening, supernatural space). Viewers coming into this series without having seen the first season (got 120 bucks to buy it used on Amazon?) will be hopelessly confused, and we can only hope that a reissue of where it all began is not far down the road.
