Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on September 23rd, 2011
It all started as an internet show. Amanda Tapping was fresh from her stints as Samantha Carter in the Stargate franchise, and the SyFy Channel saw some worth in keeping her around for something else. The show was unique in more ways than just its origins. There are few sets on the series. Most of the show is shot in huge green screen rooms where even ordinary environments are computer generated. It's an evolution of the film Sky Captain And The World Of Tomorrow. I guess it was my complete disenchantment with that film and a shrinking regard for the more recent projects at SyFy that led me to pass on this show when it made the jump from web series to full television show. This was my first exposure to the world of Sanctuary and I was, at least somewhat impressed with what I saw.
Dr. Helen Magnus (Tapping) has been around for a little over 150 years now. She was part of a group of five Oxford students who conducted experiments with vampire blood among other things. It was somewhat of a wild group that included Jack The Ripper (Heyerdahl), Nikola Tesla (Young) and Nigel Griffin (Gale), also known as The Invisible Man. A sixth man Adam Worth (Tracey) wanted in and was the inspiration for Stevenson's Jekyll & Hyde. Now Dr. Magnus heads a place where "abnormal" creatures can be protected. The place is called Sanctuary, and it's part of a global network begun by her father.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on September 22nd, 2011
"It's the summer of 1863, more than two years into our nation's devastating Civil War, and the stakes have never been higher. The Confederate Army of Northern Virginia, led by Robert E. Lee, crosses into Pennsylvania. Trailed by the Union's Army of the Potomac, Lee's 75,000-strong army heads toward Harrisburg, but the forces meet instead near Gettysburg, a quiet farm town that would become synonymous with the epic battle that all but decided the outcome of the American Civil War."
The Civil War is still the bloodiest war that Americans have ever experienced. The battle at Gettysburg was the bloodiest battle of that war. While the war raged on for two more years, there is little doubt that the turning point came here at this place and time. It's not really a surprise to find that History put together a riveting documentary about the pivotal battle. It's a bit surprising that they pulled out all of the stops and created quite an epic documentary produced by the famous Scott Brothers Ridley and Tony.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on September 22nd, 2011
"The body is the proof. It will tell you everything you need to know if you just have the patience to look."
And patience is exactly what you're going to need with this new ABC drama. Body Of Proof was a mid-season entry by the network; it debuted at the end of March and ran for only 9 episodes so far. It has been renewed, so it will have the opportunity to develop into something better than what it is. So far I see a ton of potential, but these first 9 episodes didn't exactly leave me on the edge of my seat.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Michael Durr on September 21st, 2011
If left to my own devices, I would probably have dismissed Jeff Dunham as nothing more than a novelty act. He’s a ventriloquist and most of their profession relies on the fact that they can throw their voice and perform various parlor tricks with their dummies. However, my wife and others have turned me on to the fact that Jeff is more than a novelty act. He’s a comedian and a darn good one at that. He just happens to employ characters (certainly not dummies) to help him.
Jeff Dunham was born in Dallas, Texas in the early 60’s. Early on, actually as early as eight years old he was already looking into ventriloquism. Influences included legendary performer, Edgar Bergen. At a young age, he was already attending conventions and competitions. He did so well that eventually organizers of the Vent Haven ConVENTion actually declared him a retired champion since other performers were afraid to compete against him.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on September 21st, 2011
"Book 'em Danno."
It's been 30 years since we last heard that phrase. Still it persisted in the modern lexicon along with the term Five-0, which is still shouted in high-crime areas in cities all over the country whenever a police presence is felt closing in on the bad guys. Hawaii Five-0 ended in 1980. That's when Tom Selleck took over the sets and production crew on Hawaii to work as Magnum P.I. until 1988 when it all closed down for good, or did it? Wouldn't you know it, the show has been resurrected and became the hottest new drama on television last year. A younger Steve McGarrett and company are back in action and Hawaii ...the world might never be the same again. Roll wave...
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on September 21st, 2011
For the second year in a row Private Practice has decided to tackle a huge and emotional issue for the characters at Oceanside Wellness Group. Last season began when Violet had been brutally attacked. A crazy woman believed Violet was carrying her baby, so she showed up and cut the baby out leaving her to die on the floor. Of course, she survived, but the season was all about the scars left from the attack in her mind. It was quite an intense storyline and one the show decided to try and top in season 4. Charlotte King, played by Kadee Strickland, suffers an equally brutal attack and is sexually assaulted. It's quite an intense episode that digs deep into the emotional trauma as well as the physical. It will change some of the characters forever. One thing you can't say about the folks running Private Practice. You can't accuse them of being unwilling to take chances and push the boundaries of our own limits as members of the audience. The show also suffers the death of one of its beloved characters in the previous season finale. Dell's death has an impact on the beginning of the season. But the man who killed him ends up coming to Pete to save his life.
Shonda Rhimes had a big hit on her hands with Grey’s Anatomy, so after five years she did what comes naturally in her situation. You spin the success off in the hope that the fans can’t get enough in just one night. At first it appeared to me she had chosen the wrong character to put out on her own. I mean, I never considered Kate Walsh as Addison to be one of the show’s more compelling characters. The show was presented as what the business calls an imbedded episode on Grey’s. What that means is that the situation is set up during one of the original show’s episodes. In this case a two-parter called The Other Side Of Life. The idea is that you want to be sure that your existing show’s fans at least watch the pilot in the hope that they will consider it a part of their beloved series. I got to watch that episode when I was called upon to review the fifth season of Grey’s.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on September 16th, 2011
Grey's Anatomy had one heck of a year in its seventh season. The season begins with the aftermath of the shooting in the hospital that closed out the previous year. It's taken a toll, particularly on Dr. Webber who is catching a ton of heat for the incident. But it isn't that story arc that dominated the talk of the 2010-11 season over at ABC. It was the long anticipated and critically acclaimed musical episode that stole the spotlight this year.
Buffy did it years ago, and it turned out to be quite an entertaining event. More recently Scrubs took a stab, pun intended, at the idea with more mixed results. Grey’s ended up taking one of the show's most emotional stories and putting it to music. Callie, played by Sara Ramirez, is in a terrible accident, and in her delusional-unconscious state she sees the events around her as a musical production. The entire cast gets to sing, and the results are surprisingly good. It doesn't hurt that this was a well-written episode, indeed.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on September 15th, 2011
"It is with profound praise and gratitude that I welcome you new police officers, proud that you have answered the call to service and today join the ranks of New York's finest."
Guess who else answered the call. Tom Selleck has traded in his bright fire-engine-red Ferrari and Hawaiian sun and surf for a desk job at the New York Police Department. And oh, what a desk job it is. CBS has scored a homerun with its freshmen drama series Blue Bloods. It might just have been the best new show of the 2010-11 season.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on September 14th, 2011
"Within the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit are rapid response teams known as RED CELLS. These nontraditional teams operate outside the bureaucracy of and report solely to the Director of the FBI. "
It started as a back-door pilot last year on an April episode of Criminal Minds called The Flight. We are introduced to the Red Cell Team. The team is headed by one Sam Cooper, played by Forest Whitaker. Sam's talent is that he can really get inside of a killer's head. He has a kind of empathy for the killer and can easily put himself in the killer's shoes. Of course, it takes a mental toll, and he suffers for the skill. Don't confuse empathy for feeling sorry for the killer. Michael Kelly plays his right-hand man John Sims, or as he's affectionately called, Prophet. He's an ex-con who has received a full pardon for his crimes. He dedicated himself to using his insightful abilities to predict behavior for the good guys. Next up is Gina LaSalle, played by Beau Garrett. She's the heart of the team and the brains. Matt Ryan plays Mick Rawson who is an ex-military sharpshooter and one of the coolest behind a long-range rifle. The weak link of the group was not actually in the back-door pilot. Irritating as hell Janeane Garofalo might have single-handedly brought the promising show to its knees and off the schedule after a mere 13 episodes. She plays Beth Griffith, who is just as bleeding-heart and outspoken as the actress who plays her. She's been fired from unit to unit only to settle on this squad. It's obvious that someone on the crew is a huge fan of this idiot and decided she'd make a wonderful addition to the team. They figured we'd love watching her abrasive personality and thin acting skills on a weekly basis. Yeah, how's that working out for ya?
Posted in: Disc Reviews by M. W. Phillips on September 13th, 2011
“One – you can't do it. You just can't. This isn't a personal attack towards you, I'm just saying that no man can do it, it goes against nature. The male was biologically designed to spread his seed. You're gonna piss off the seeds, Matt! It goes against science! You wanna be the guy who goes against science?”
In 1988, director Michael Lehman brought us Heathers, one of the great, all time classic black comedies so ballsy it could never get made our current post 9/11 and Columbine culture. Then something happened to him and began to spit out tepid, careful comedies like Hudson Hawk and The Truth about Cats and Dogs. 40 Days and 40 Nights taps into the abstaining-from-sex-and-keeping-the-reason-from-one's-potential- mate premise Judd Apatow mastered with the far superior 40 Year Old Virgin.
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![40 Days and 40 Nights [Blu-ray] dvd cover art](https://upcomingdiscs.com/ecs_covers/40-days-and-40-nights-blu-ray-large.jpg)
