Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on May 15th, 2006
Synopsis
Her hands covered in blood, a distraught-beyond-coherence Julianne Moore wanders into a hospital with a story of being carjacked in a predominantly black housing project area. Detective Samuel L. Jackson, assigned to the case, learns from her that her young son is apparently still in the car. Given that her brother is a cop in the adjoining white area, all hell breaks loose and racial tensions threaten to send an explosive situation into terminal meltdown. But the question is whether there i... more to Moore’s story than there at first seems.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on May 15th, 2006
Jim Henson was a creative genius. Who among us hasn’t grown up with his immortal Sesame Street characters? In the years leading up to his untimely death from pneumonia, The Henson Creature Shoppe had begun to expand out of its Muppet roots. The Dark Crystal was an amazing breakthrough in puppetry technology. One of Henson’s last ideas was about a family of dinosaurs. Sadly, Henson passed before his vision could be fully realized. Fortunately for us his son Brian has continued the Henson tradition, beginning with Dinosaurs.
This was no ordinary sitcom. 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 Hemsley, 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 Archive Authors on May 13th, 2006
Like it or not, you can't talk about this show without talking about the C.S.I. phenomenon. The extreme popularity of that single show has launched an entire genre of hour-long police investigation shows that are showing up on every network, every night. There are now three different C.S.I. programs on the air, as well as military crime programs, FBI profiler programs... even a mathematical approach to crime solving with Numbers.
The latest show in this trend is The Closer, a TNT ...riginal program staring Kyra Sedgewick. The twist on this program is that Sedgewick's character is a sweet southern investigator from Atlanta who becomes the head of the Priority Murder Squad in Los Angeles. As one could discern from the title, her specialty is suspect interrogation. Despised by her colleagues because she is a female southern outsider, she must fight against criminals as well as the members of her own department to solve the crime.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on May 10th, 2006
Sam: Hey, I recognize you.
Andrew: Oh, did you go to Columbia High?
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on May 10th, 2006
If Only is a romantic drama, which too often goes for the cheapest emotional reaction out of its viewers, without incorporating logic or common sense into such decisions. Jennifer Love-Hewitt and Paul Nicholls star as a couple of young lovers, who represent the prototypical female and male, with very little surprises in their characterizations. In the beginning, we see Nicholls is a bit invested in his work, and, while adoring his singer-songwriter girlfriend, he instinctively keeps her and the rest of the wor...d at arm’s length. This distancing is due to a somber childhood, which involved a relationship with his alcoholic father that was filled with both admiration and disappointment. His father was his hero, but is now the case study Nicholls’ character uses for how NOT to live his life… due to the alcohol, of course. But as a result, Nicholls’ character tends to run from love, when it’s staring him in the face (and I mean that both figuratively and literally). Then, something huge happens that forces him to approach life from another perspective… his girlfriend dies in a car accident. The accident makes him realize just how much she meant to him… but it all comes too late.
Or does it?
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on May 9th, 2006
Synopsis
Spanning 1966 through 1995, these are six short features covering David Lynch’s career from is very beginning to his current position as one of the most important voices in American cinema. The shorts are, in order: “Six Men Getting Sick,” “The Alphabet,” “The Grandmother,” “The Amputee” (two versions), “The Cowboy & The Frenchman” and “Lumière.” As one might expect from Lynch, there is a pretty heavy nightmare quotient here. The first three films have a lot of animation, and the result is n...t unlike the hallucinatory collaboration between Monty Python’s Terry Gilliam and Norman MacLaren. The most substantial piece here is “The Grandmother,” a half-hour journey through a little boy’s hell and the grandmother he grows to protect him from his horrible parents. Lynch introduces each film, contextualizing it in his life and career, and there are shots of her first camera, the receipt for it, and the like. For Lynch fans, this is essential viewing. For film historians, ditto.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on May 9th, 2006
Fran Drescher, the nasally, whiny-voiced beauty we all either love or hate, returns in The Nanny – The Complete Second Season, and the show hits its stride, if you’re of the belief it ever had one. With mileage out of the mutually aloof Fran Fine-Maxwell Sheffield (played by Charles Shaughnessy) relationship, The Nanny does manage a few chuckles, even from someone such as myself. Let’s make things clear right out of the gate: I’m not a Nanny fan. If I had free reign to decide on everything that w...uld, and would not, be watched on my television, this hit show from the nineties would never make the cut. Never mind that its star is an absolute knockout. (You know she must be gorgeous if you still find her attractive in spite of that voice.) But alas, I don’t have that autonomy, for I am married. That, along with the frequent airings on Lifetime, spells out whom the show’s demographic really is – women… in particular, women, who wish to escape in the form of a fairy tale with real-world context. I can’t fault them for liking it; and the show really does succeed in reaching that demographic. I’m just not of the multitude.
Sony’s package includes all 26 of the second season episodes completely uncut. Most of the laughs are hokey and telegraphed, but a few will occasionally take you off-guard, especially during Niles the Butler (hard to believe this guy’s from my home state of Arkansas, as his British accent easily bests Shaugnessy’s – who’s actually from England!) and C.C. Babcock’s banter. Also of value is the aforementioned relationship between boss and employee, as the show, from its very first episode (“Fran Lite”), plays up the continual “they’re perfect for each other, but don’t know it” angle. I don’t hate this series, and some may really feel it’s blasphemous to make this comparison, but I honestly look at it as an I Love Lucy for the nineties. I get the same escapist feeling from both programs, and neither one invokes much laughter in accordance with my personal tastes. But neither show is fly-by-night either, and I’ve got a feeling each will hang around for some time to come.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on May 3rd, 2006
Synopsis
FBI agent Martin Lawrence has given up the dangers of field work because of his family responsibilities. Now he’s a safety mascot. But when his first partner is killed, Lawrence surreptitiously dons his Big Momma persona gain, posing as a nanny in the family of the chief suspect, a man who is developing software that could compromise national security.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on April 30th, 2006
Honestly, does the world really need another Steven Segal movie? I think what's even more depressing than the thought of another Segal flick is the fact that he has attached himself to the project as an executive producer. Clearly, this is the failed actor's latest attempt in an ongoing quest to regain the successful film career he enjoyed in the 90's. Of course, his string of hits ended for a very good reason. Sure, there will always be a place for the big, dumb, mindless action movie. The thing is, even mindless ac...ion flicks have been done better than this one. The plot here is pretty much the same kind of thing you would expect. The son of a wealthy arms dealer has been kidnapped, and Segal is called in as a mercenary to rescue the boy and collect a handsome reward. Only, when the mission gets underway, Segal realizes that he has been double-crossed, and he must choose between his reward and doing the right thing.
Do these things still make money? While I certainly understand Segal's desire to want to keep making films, I can't understand the studio's desire to keep funding them. When I was a 15-year-old boy, I was all about going to see Steven Segal karate chop some foreigner. Once I reached an age where I would be legally permitted to go to see such films, however, I had matured beyond this stage in my life. Apparently, I am in the minority, because here he is yet again, killing for a good cause, in this steaming pile of a direct-to-video film.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on April 29th, 2006
Best guess, this is David Lynch's way of showing how crude and tasteless many modern animated shows are. Maybe by creating one of these shows at the truly lowest possible denominator, Lynch is trying to make an artistic comment on what the American public freely accepts as quality entertainment. Shows such as Beavis and Butt-Head have been mocked for their poor animation quality. South Park has frequently been mentioned when strong language is the topic of discussion. This series hits an all-new low in...both categories, not to mention those of extreme violence and gross-out humor. This show truly is the lowest possible artistic medium... and it is that way on purpose. By showing us just how utterly wretched these shows could be, Lynch is sending a powerful message to the ever-growing segment of the American population that thinks it is “cool” to be ignorant; as well as to those networks that put such shows on the air.
While I do not completely agree with his beliefs, he still makes a very valid point. This is a very shrewd way of making an editorial comment, but that doesn't make this disc any more pleasant to watch. Watch this disc if you must, but I beg of you, please, please do not buy it. You will never watch it a second time. In fact, though the entirety of the disc only lasts 35-minutes, you may not even make it that far the first time through.
