Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on February 26th, 2005
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Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on February 25th, 2005
I’m always a sucker for con men movies, movies about the grift, or general films about robbers who are smart and get money from dumb people. If they’re too stupid to know what to do with the cash, send it over here, Daddy needs it. Sometimes there are new and interesting wrinkles that usually crash and burn, but sometimes work out quite well in the end.
Matchstick Men tells the story of Roy (Nicolas Cage, Adaptation) and Frank (Sam Rockwell, Confessions of a Dangerous Mind), two men wh... have been conning people for a few years, Roy being the veteran of the bunch, one who doesn’t like to take many big risks. Roy appears to suffer from various neuroses, and is a bit of an obsessive compulsive, who takes medication to help curb his tics. In the midst of a panic attack caused by a lack of pills, Frank sets Roy up with a psychiatrist who can prescribe the desired pills, but would still like to find out more about Roy’s life. In the midst of the discussions, Roy tells the psychiatrist that he had a daughter with an ex-wife who left him. The psychiatrist decides to make contact with her, and introduces Roy to his daughter Angela (Alison Lohman, Big Fish). Roy meets Angela and she stays with him for a short while, and they eventually develop a bond, so much so that he decides to show her some of the tricks of his trade. She finds herself involved in a job Roy and Frank are pulling to rob almost $100,000 cash from Chuck (Bruce McGill, The Sum of All Fears), leading up to a wild and wacky ending.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on February 25th, 2005
In the midst of Hollywood rehashing old TV shows from the 70s and 80s, they’ve been working on a big screen version of The Dukes of Hazzard. I will repeat that because I think that it bears repeating. Somebody in Hollywood greenlit a movie with Stifler and Johnny Knoxville as Bo and Luke Duke, and Jessica Simpson as their cousin Daisy, as they taunt and evade Boss Hogg played by, wait for it….Burt Reynolds. Someone should be brought up on charges for this, because that sound you’re hearing is Hollywood scrapin... the bottom of the barrel of ideas.
That’s not to say that perhaps they aren’t trying to capitalize on a potentially big crowd. I mean, the show was a staple on CBS TV for 7 seasons, running for almost 150 episodes. You can’t do much better than that with 2 good looking guys, a good looking girl and the requisite pile of car tricks each episode. It was Southern boys acting like Southern boys, having fun and staying close to their family. Warner brothers has put the entire second season (23 episodes) out on 4 flipper discs. Quite a few well known names of the South appeared through the years on the show. Among those recognizable are Nascar driver Cale Yarborough (it was 1980, keep that in mind) along with musicians Mel Tillis, The Oak Ridge Boys and Loretta Lynn.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on February 25th, 2005
Every now and again a show comes along that on the surface probably isn’t that great. Still, something about it endears itself to you, and you might never completely understand it yourself. The Greatest American Hero is one of those shows. Created by the same man who created James Rockford, Stephen Cannell, The Greatest American Hero was a welcome change to the run of hero shows that preceded it. Robert Culp is pure genius as “by the book” FBI agent Bill Maxwell. Connie Sellecca delivers a little more than scenery or...sidekick value. William Katt is a nice fit for the quirky teacher turned superhero. Of course, who could forget the hit theme song “Believe it or Not”? It’s amusing to find Ralph Hinkley asking his students not to call him Mr. H. When John Hinkley shot President Reagan, the show’s producers decided to limit the character’s name references to Mr. H. Later the last name would be changed to Henley.
Synopsis
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on February 25th, 2005
There’s gotta be some reason why Charmed has stuck around for as long as it has. What started as a show created by Aaron Spelling, starring Shannon Doherty (Beverly Hills 90210) and goddess to internet pervs everywhere in Alyssa Milano (Embrace of the Vampire) has been a staple in the WB lineup for its 7th season now. Even though the show did have to change out Doherty several seasons ago, replacing her with Rose McGowan, the adventures of the Halliwell sisters are still going strong.
T...e folks at Paramount have finally started putting this show out on DVD, and the first season has recently arrived. All 22 episodes from the first season are available on a six-disc set, which examines the clairvoyance of Phoebe (Milano), the telekinetic powers of Prue (Doherty), and the freezing powers of Piper (Holly Marie Combs, Picket Fences). Phoebe returns to San Francisco to stay with her sisters, the more free-spirited of the three, while Prue is the dominant one and Piper is the shy one. Those familiar with the show now will find the dynamic between the three completely different than what it first was, and it’s fun to watch, as the girls try to get a better handle of their newfound powers, and they eventually embrace them in a fight against various demons and other black magic antagonists.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on February 25th, 2005
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Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on February 24th, 2005
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Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on February 23rd, 2005
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Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on February 22nd, 2005
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Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on February 22nd, 2005
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