Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on October 7th, 2006
If Jackass was on the Travel Channel, the result would be Wildboyz. I think this show can best be described as “perversely fascinating”. On the one hand, any sane person would never sit in a hot tub full of alligators, or step into the ring with a champion Thai boxer. On the other hand, it really is fascinating to see these morons visit the wilds of Africa, see rat-infested temples in India or face off against the Russian hockey team. While most travel programs would discuss the history of the locations...
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on October 5th, 2006
Synopsis
Fred MacMurray (whose line in match-lighting is so cool, I’d take up smoking just to be able to do that) is an insurance salesman. Edwards G. Robinson is a claims investigator with an infallible nose for fraud. MacMurray stops by the home of Barbara Stanwyck (as fatale as any a femme ever was) to make a sale. Instead, he’s sold on the idea of killing her husband for a massive insurance payoff. He concocts a scheme for what should be the perfect murder. But nothing in this life is perfect.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on October 5th, 2006
Few names are as recognizable as that of Boris Karloff. The gentle English actor who brought us the sweet Christmas tale “How The Grinch Stole Christmas” also brought us some of the most terrifyingly wonderful performances in the history of the business. Cursed with a harsh enough look, Karloff was denied the mainstream success his ability so obviously warranted. He was one of the founders of the Screen Actor’s Guild and was extremely active in charity work throughout his lengthy career. Still, mainstream Hollywoo...
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on October 5th, 2006
By the middle of the 1950’s Universal was playing out its long string of monster movies that started over 20 years earlier with Dracula and Frankenstein. In the next year their last iconic monster would take its last bow in The Creature Walks Among Us. This Island Earth was a bit of a crossover film. Like many of the alien invasion films of the 1950’s the film capitalized on the growing belief that we were not alone. Contrary to the DVD’s misleading box art, these aliens were here to find answers to their own survi...
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on October 4th, 2006
When I began watching Gilmore Girls several years ago, it was in response to my girlfriend saying, “it’s my favourite show, but you don’t have to watch it with me.” This meant, of course, that I’d better sit my butt down right quick and get to know the Lorelais.
Well, my girlfriend became my wife, and Gilmore Girls has now made it to season six on DVD. I’ll admit that I’ve taken a liking to the show. It’s not the best thing on TV, but it’s far better than the worst. My biggest complaint about Gilmore Girls also happens to be my favourite thing about it – the dialogue.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on October 4th, 2006
One of the nice things about I Am A Sex Addict is that it is both a comedy and a documentary. I am thrilled that at some point somebody figured out that documentaries can be entertaining as well as informative. Filmmakers have certainly turned the camera on themselves before, but I don't recall seeing one be quite as intimately honest as Zahedi is here. This is a film that is just what the title suggests... an examination of the life of a sexaholic. The document is sometimes funny, but frequently uncomfortable...
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on September 30th, 2006
Synopsis
I can honestly say that a one-hour standup special might result in my shortest review ever, but if that’s how the chips fall this time, so be it. Bob Newhart is certainly not without his admirers, he’s been an established comedic force for decades. He didn’t get his big break until the ‘60s, and parlayed that success into television shows in the ‘70s and ‘80s, and aside from the occasional movie appearance, shows up from time to time with late night talk show hosts that run out of material.
...
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on September 27th, 2006
Synopsis
Following the success of The Cartoon Network’s entertaining Space Ghost: Coast to Coast, someone decided to include one of the characters from the show as part of a spinoff series. The Brak Show recalls the encounters of the space cat of sorts, as he’s placed in a home with a loving mother and father, sort of in the vein of a Leave it to Beaver scenario.
The show, which ran from 2000-2003 had been previously released in one Volume, and this second version covers the ...
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on September 25th, 2006
Synopsis
So what we have here is Season 4, Volume 1 – i.e. the first 20 episodes of the season. I’m not sure I’m wild about this new trend to trap us into shelling out our hard-earned dollars into buying TWO box sets per season, but there you have it. None of which is to take away from the actual qualities of the show. Either I’m growing softer in the head with age (an entirely likely event) or the series just keeps growing funnier. Everything here is funny, but some are epically so, forcing you to r...
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on September 22nd, 2006
The team of Hanna and Barbara are as much a part of my childhood as Uncle Walt Disney. The Flintstones, The Jetsons, Johnny Quest, and yes…Tom and Jerry, were like faithful companions that were never farther away than our 15 inch black and white television set. Nostalgia is very in these days. Baby boomers are all facing the midlife years, and not surprisingly there is a warm longing for those buddies of our youth. It’s simple economics that studios would attempt to cash in on our bygone days. Now in our direct to ...