Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on November 15th, 2006
Written By Jeff Mardo
The final season of Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman has finally hit store shelves, and it couldn't have come at a better time for the franchise. The Big Red S is everywhere these days, between a new feature film that is coming soon to DVD, a boxed-set re-release of all the Christopher Reeve-era films and an all new video game, the hero seems to be everywhere. It's only fitting that the final season of the modern series should be hitting the streets as well.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on November 15th, 2006
Yes I will admit that I probably was the only person who had never seen Casablanca. A movie so highly regarded by critics and fans alike, I don’t think it needs an introduction. With A List stars of its time, and seemingly endless amounts of quotable phrases it is quite a surprise I haven’t seen it yet.
Set during World War II in Casablanca (current day a city Morocco) the story’s main focus is the love affair of Rick (Humphrey Bogart) and Ilsa (Ingrid Bergman). They had met in France just before Nazi...occupation with a promise of running away together. Rick is let down upon receiving a note from Ilsa at the train station stating that she will not be joining him. Heartbroken life goes on for a now cynical and bitter Rick the owner of an upscale club in Casablanca. Until one-day fait would have it Ilsa enters the club with her husband Laszlo (Paul Henreid) a famous Czech resistance leader. Rick is furious with her and wants nothing to do with her, until later on when she tells him the story behind it all. Ilsa was under the assumption that her husband had been killed in action when she met and fell in love with Rick, when she soon found out he was alive she abandoned Rick. Whether Rick likes it on not, he believes what she has to say and wants to help her and Laszlo to get to America.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on November 9th, 2006
By the time this film was announced, everyone and their dog had asked me if I’d read The Da Vinci Code. I hadn’t.
Yes, I’d heard it was the bestest book in the whole wide world. No, I didn’t want to borrow their copy. Months later, when I finally sat down to watch this DVD, I had still not read Dan Brown’s masterpiece. See, I decided to be one of the few who could judge the film as completely separate from the novel.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on November 9th, 2006
Ultraman is a huge part of Japanese culture and pretty much has been since the original live action show in 1966. Perhaps Godzilla started the ball rolling, but Ultraman brought us these monsters on a regular basis. In Japan, Ultraman is like our Superman. He’s an iconic hero and a huge part of the pop culture. Since the 60’s he has appeared in many forms, most of them animated. But it is this 1966 series that made a ton of us kids fall in love with him and an entire genre. Yes, there were many from the era: Space ...iants featured a giant fighting robot who fought monsters sometimes converted into a spaceship (yes, before transformers were ever thought of); Johnny Socko had his giant robot; and the list goes on. But it was Ultraman that started it. Eiji Tsuburaya, who created the original Godzilla, formed a new company outside of Toho Pictures. Ultraman was pretty much the first thing out of the new shop.
Ultraman was a space being who was chasing an escaped monster. When his spacecraft collided with that of Science Patrol Officer Hayata, he inadvertently killed the young man. To make up for his mistake and also offer Earth a way to fight the endless row of monsters unleashed, he merged his life with Hayata. Now, whenever a monster threatens, Hayata uses his “beta capsule” and morphs into Ultraman. Complete with martial arts moves and an array of ray weapons, Ultraman fights these creatures in hand to hand combat. The downside is that Ultraman’s solar energy diminishes rapidly in Earth’s atmosphere. As he weakens, a light on his chest flashes. A narrator reminds us each time that if it stops, Ultraman will die.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on November 8th, 2006
One of the longest running and most successful television sitcoms came to an end on February 28th 1983. It was an event to end all events. Goodbye, Farewell, and Amen was perhaps the greatest series finale in television history. It was certainly the most watched. Night workers called in sick. Some businesses either suspended work or offered sets for workers to see this long anticipated conclusion. What a fitting end it was. Each character was given what amounted to the best moments in the run. More serious than fun...y, this 90 minute movie explored the end of the Korean War and the effect it had on this family of people who spent eleven long years away from home. Of course, the actual war lasted only a fraction of that time. Still, this collection is worthy of owning, if only for that single episode..
Not that there wasn’t a wonderful collection of MASH moments to be had in the final year leading up to this dramatic conclusion. Trick or Treatment was a hilarious Halloween show. Paranoia sets in when BJ announces the greatest practical joke of all time will be played in just a day’s time in The Joker Is Wild. An Enemy Mine relationship develops in Give and Take. Everyone involved knew from the first episode of the season that MASH was going to end in the spring. Rather than go through the motions as too many “lame duck” series have done, MASH never let up for a second. It was the professionalism from the writers to the actors that allowed the team eleven years on the air and the chance to go out in style. Mission accomplished.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on November 8th, 2006
The DVD is basically one of those HBO comedy stand-up presentations. George Carlin’s been doing them for years, but Lewis Black ain’t no George Carlin. He’s just an angry middle-aged liberal with an agenda. As Terry Bradshaw is fond of saying: “That ain’t funny.” Say it again, Terry. The crowd seems appreciative enough, so maybe there’s about 1500 DVD sales there. I had heard very little about Black before this DVD came my way, so I had really no expectations going in. Somehow I had managed to miss any of his mater...al, and now I know why. It just isn’t very good. Now, if you’re looking for some harsh potshots at Republicans and the current administration, you’ll likely eat this stuff up. You won’t really laugh, but you’ll feel warm and fuzzy inside. You could just hug a teddy bear and skip the antics. To his credit, he does take one shot at Kerry, but somehow manages to bring it around to another jab at Bush. All of the so called jokes are merely DNC speaking points, yelled at times to attempt to make them funny. Hell, maybe they should do a Howard Dean HBO comedy special. I’d pay good money for that one. But Carlin does the same thing, you might say. Sure. But Carlin’s funny as hell.
Video
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on November 6th, 2006
20 years after its theatrical release, Transformers the Movie is available on DVD. This is indeed a treat for all Transformers fans, since the VHS version of the movie has apparently been out of print for several years.
This 2-Disc set is a significant upgrade from the VHS version, boasting a remastered image, commentary tracks, and tons of extras.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on November 6th, 2006
Proof that HBO was gutsy before The Soprano's comes with season five of Tales from the Crypt. By this point, the series had become a well-respected cult favorite, and these 13 episodes, spread over three discs, are some of the series' best. The show, based on a classic comic book series, really became my generation's version of Alfred Hitchcock Presents and The Twilight Zone. It was a half-hour series that told twisted tales of mystery and horror, and was hosted by a very decomposed Crypt Keeper. The Keeper was full of really bad puns, yet that was part of the show's charm. He was the one thing that ties each episode together, and he became something of a pop culture icon, on par with both Freddie Krueger and Jason Voorhees.
One of the really great things about this show is that the creators somehow convinced Hollywood's elite actors and behind-the-scenes personalities to lend their crafts to the production. Each week featured a different director or actor that viewers would be surprised to find working on the series. This season saw guest appearances from Tracy Lords, Martin Sheen, Steve Buschemi, Billy Zane, The Who's Roger Daltrey and more. This is a series that is just plain fun. If you start watching these episodes, you may very well find yourself going back and picking up the seasons you may have missed. The good news is, this is not a show that you necessarily need to watch in the correct order, so there's no reason why viewers can't start here, and pick up the earlier seasons later. The important thing is that you start somewhere.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on November 6th, 2006
Synopsis
More half-hour tales of horror from back when the letters “HBO” didn’t yet necessarily imply envelope-pushing TV. A bit of cod-philosophising from our host, the obligatory female nudity, and some okay-but-nuthin’-special horror, only slightly edgier than what was passing for terror material on network TV at the time. Among the familiar faces this time around: Michael Madsen (playing an abusive husband), Bill Paxton, Kelly Lynch, Lauren Hutton, and Michael Ironside. Guest directors include th... likes of Roger Vadim, but it’s all pretty interchangeable stuff.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on November 5th, 2006
Synopsis
Windy City Heat is the longest practical joke that I’ve seen in recent memory. Basically as I understand it, the premise is that Perry Caravello, who is supposed to be a friend to The Man Show’s Adam Carolla and Jimmy Kimmel, is lured to a studio to play a tough cop or detective of some sorts. MTV VJ Carson Daly has just been rejected when Perry gets to the studio office, and he auditions for Bobcat Goldthwait and Dane Cook, and he magically gets the part, and puts up with a lot to ma...e the movie.
![Casablanca [HD DVD] dvd cover art](https://upcomingdiscs.com/ecs_covers/casablanca-hd-dvd-large.jpg)
