Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on March 11th, 2006
Synopsis
The first time I became acquainted with the work of documentarian James Miller and reporter Saira Shah was when I first saw the documentary Beneath the Veil some years back, shortly after the September 11th attacks. It was an unnerving and powerful look at life in the Taliban-led area of Afghanistan, where women were brutalized and humiliated beyond comprehension.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on March 10th, 2006
Newsradio ran for five seasons. Four seasons gave us some of the best work of excellent comedic legend Phil Hartman, but the beginning of the fifth season marked a sadness period from which the show was never able to recover, as Hartman was shot to death by his wife, who committed suicide immediately following. It was the kind of tragedy you still can’t believe – even today – if you knew Hartman or his work. Luckily, season three offers some of his best moments, as well as the comic genius of the undera...preciated Stephen Root. Root will be known to many office workers as Milton from Office Space, but here, he plays Jimmy James. James is more egotistical and outspoken than Milton, but he’s no less funny. Last but not least, Vicki Lewis brings a surprising humor and sexual vitality to her role (I had only known her previously from her small part as George’s secretary on Seinfeld, and was shocked to see her out of that bookish mold).
But as much positive as there is to say about Newsradio, there are two drawbacks, which frequently slow the laughs and drag an otherwise high-quality show through the proverbial mud – and their names are Joe Rogan and Andy Dick. Neither has improved in the years since the show’s run ended, and the inclusion of either in more prominent roles only served to stifle the work of Root, Hartman, and Lewis. Joe Rogan is Joe Rogan, no matter what kind of show he’s in. He never acts; he just “is.” Andy Dick constantly overdoes it, and brings an obnoxious whininess to every scene he’s in. The rest of the cast just sort of watches the two extremes unfold with nothing significant to add – but then, they don’t detract either. Of course, some people are able to look at Rogan and Dick and see the charm – I am not one of them. But if that’s the case, then you should have no complaints regarding this season.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on March 9th, 2006
In its first year NYPD Blue succeeded through controversy. Language and partial nudity was pretty much all the critics were talking about. Season two brought “the test”. Could the show survive a major cast loss with David Caruso’s well publicized split from the show? Season three, however, is when it all came together. It’s so much fun watching a quality series hit its stride, that season when everything falls into place and we see for the first time that we could be in for a sweet ride.
The cop show ...as back in the 1990’s resurrected by the man who performed CPR on the genre in the 1980’s. With NYPD Blue we realize that Hill Street Blues wasn’t a fluke. Jimmy Smits was far more compelling than Caruso could be on his best day. The writers were beginning to find deep emotional material here. The season’s many rich themes included alcoholism, with not only Sipowitz but the newly formed Russell character. This seems to be a common theme for Steven Bochco. Every one of his shows have featured at least one alcoholic. Andy gets a fresh shot at fatherhood. One of the most compelling arcs has been the Andy/Andy Jr. arc. The tragic death of his son and the birth of a new son were huge stories in this season. Overall the characters are challenged both professionally and personally. The show’s documentary-like filming remains. This is the point when NYPD Blue finally took shape. We haven’t looked back yet, until now.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on March 9th, 2006
Synopsis
As one of the discs in this set is exactly the same as the previous release, my review is the same too:
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on March 8th, 2006
MacGyver (v) To act in an extremely resourceful manner. To utilize everyday items in unconventional ways to achieve a difficult task. I predict it will not be long before you can open your trusty copy of Webster’s and find this character has officially entered our lexicon. There is little doubt but that it is an unofficial part of it now. Crossing over from the realm of pop culture and into our language is a phenomenal achievement for a television show.
I came to the MacGyver party rather late. Like ...veryone else on the planet I was certainly aware of the show and the clever abilities of the lead character. Still, with so many other shows to watch, I never saw a complete episode. Then came Stargate SG-1. This was another series I at first avoided. I thought the original film was OK but nothing I’d care to see week in and week out. One day while my wife was taking our neighbor’s dog to the vet I was bored and sat down to an episode on Showtime. I was hooked, not only on the series, but the characters, along with their alter ego actors. Richard Dean Anderson I found most compelling. I must admit to confusing him at first with the Richard Anderson of The Six Million Dollar Man fame (Oscar). Finally I sat down to some MacGyver on DVD. It didn’t hurt that MacGyver’s boss bears no small resemblance to O’Neil’s commanding officer, played by Don S. Davis. I would later learn that Davis has filled in for Dana Elcar on a few occasions as a double.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on March 7th, 2006
Ahh, Moonlighting. For people of my generation, this may be the golden age of television. That's not to take anything away from I Love Lucy or The Andy Griffith Show, but when you grew up in the 80's, there was this, L. A. Law and Miami Vice. For my money, Moonlighting was the best of the three. Even by today's standards, it is extremely rare to find a show such as this. A genuine drama/mystery program that succeeds in being very, very funny. The fact is, the entire show was ...uilt around the skill of a new actor on the scene named Bruce Willis, and had he been anything less than stellar in every single scene that he was in, the program would have crashed and burned. Suffice to say, the show soared. Cybill Shepard was both beautiful and clumsy, and quirky character work by Allyce Beasley and Curtis Armstrong filled in the supporting plotlines, but it was Willis who stole the show every week. By the time the series ended, he had made himself a superstar.
Season Three may very well be the best season of this shows five year run. On the one hand, the early introductions and quirks of the first season had been worked out. On the other hand, we are still in the midst of the brilliant episodes that came before David and Maddie took the plunge, so to speak. These episodes are the cream of the crop. If you are thinking about trying out this series to see if it is for you, Season Three actually might not be that bad of a place to start. It's cheaper that the combined Seasons One and Two release, and you don't necessarily need the back story to dive right in and have fun.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on March 5th, 2006
Synopsis
Let me tell you a story. Back in 1904, I used to be in the Army. For 3 glorious years, I went to the office every day from 9 to 4:30 (with an hour and a half for lunch), typing up and processing awards and various evaluation reports and generally doing the best job I could. When I had to, I went out for field training and would (for lack of a better phrase) “play Army”, where I would sit in a communications center for 8 hours at a time, checking to see if the radios worked occasionally.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on March 4th, 2006
Not only is HBO not afraid of controversial programming, they actually embrace it. It is widely believed that the two topics that cause the most tension among people is politics and religion. Maybe that's why abortion is such a hot-button issue. No other topic simultaneously evokes such strong political and theological views. Solders in the Army of God is an HBO original documentary that takes a close look look at the "Army of God" organization, the most violent anti-abortion group in the United States.
Now, my interest is not to share my personal beliefs on the subject of abortion, or to try to persuade others to share my viewpoints. My sole aim here is to comment on the quality of the film, which I will gladly do. This is a short but extremely powerful film that provides an incredibly insightful look into this frightening organization. By definition, the Army of God is a terrorist organization, and though this film was originally shot in 2000, it provides invaluable insight into the mind of a terrorist and the beliefs of a terrorist organization in the 21st century climate.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on March 3rd, 2006
Week-End in Havana manages to entertain, but not by way of its musical numbers. For one, the songwriting is relatively lame and dated. Also, singing isn’t a forte for any of the performers. While Carmen Miranda certainly has a screen presence and a dynamic personality, her voice remains scratchy and flat – and she’s the best vocalist the film has to offer. But that doesn’t condemn it by any means. With films such as these that manage to function well as straight romance, the inclusion of musical numbers is mor... annoying than anything. Of course, without the numbers, Week-End would barely have cracked the one-hour running time mark. But at least all that remained would have been worthwhile. Once you do manage to cut through the padding of song-and-dance routines, the story provides a few nice surprises in the viewer’s journey. Instead of “will-they-or-won’t-they,” the film focuses on the question of “how will they?,” and it keeps things intriguing along that pathway.
John Payne plays leading man to Alicia Faye’s leading lady… but it’s not easy to tell this at first. Payne seems happy in his engagement, and Faye’s department store associate persona feels more than a little pathetic. She’s traveling to Havana alone, using Payne’s cruise liner company as her means of transportation. After an unforeseen occurrence ruins her trip, she plays hardball with the liner to get a free trip to Havana. But she won’t sign the waiver, which exonerates the company of any damages, until her vacation is in the bag, which means Payne has to come along for the ride. Contrived? Yes, but it’s also fun to see the complications that wait. Week-End in Havana is pure escapist fun in the nostalgic Jimmy Buffett sense of the words, and I’m sure no doubt influenced the great troubadour of beach and party tunes in his own professional journey.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on March 2nd, 2006
Originally released in 1997, The Next Step is one of those coming of age dance films that became so popular in the late 90's. Usually, that alone would be enough to put me off the film, but as I am a reviewer, I was forced to dig deeper. Unfortunately for me, there really isn't anywhere deeper to go. The genre pretty much dictates the plot.
For those who dare to actually be concerned with said plot, I really can't say it any better than it is already stated on the back of the box. Specifically, this ...ilm “tells of how a womanizing, arrogant dancer gets his just desserts and learns the hard way to treat his partners with more respect.” Seriously, how many hundreds of films have been made with this premise? Better films. Films helmed by talented directors. Honestly, I think I would rather sit through an entire season of Fame than to have to watch this horrible thing again. At least Fame has some of those “so bad it's good” moments. This thing is just uncomfortably embarrassing.
