Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on September 30th, 2009
Written by Adrienne Ambush
Anyone who has tuned into MTV or VH1 in the last 10 years has probably seen at least one music video that is featured in this collection of videos by Brett Ratner, but they probably couldn't place a name or face to the man that is behind the camera--that is, until now.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on September 30th, 2009
“There’s always a story. You just have to find it.”
What happens when you’re a popular murder mystery writer and someone starts to use your stories and ideas to kill people in the real world? At first you become the prime suspect, particularly if you’re found to be completely self centered and annoyingly arrogant. That’s where a pretty good alibi might come in handy. Is playing poker with the Mayor and the Chief of Police good enough? So, you’re no longer a suspect. Now what do you do? You sign on as a consultant for the special crimes squad of the police department, and you help catch the real killer. Only instead of looking for him O.J. style on golf courses and steak houses, you team up with the cops and nab that good for nothing plagiarist. The problem with that is you might just find that you like it. Even worse, it might end up curing that writer’s block you got after killing off your lead character and proverbial golden goose, much to the chagrin of your publisher who also happens to be your ex-wife. Follow any of that? If you did, you now have the set up for one of the better premiere series from last season, Castle.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on September 30th, 2009
Written by Alexis Quinn
Despite the outrageous plotlines and mediocre acting, Ugly Betty is one of those shows you can’t help but watch—it’s so bad it’s almost good. And this season is no different. Even with a primetime budget and well-known cast, the show stays true to its telenovela roots as an adaptation of the Colombian telenovela Betty la fea, mimicking the production value of your everyday soap opera.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on September 29th, 2009
Few television situational comedies have produced the stable of A-list stars that this one did. Every one of these cast members were relatively unknown at the time that Taxi was taking fares on our television sets each week. Not so today. The cast was so remarkable that it is here that I decided to spend much of my review. The episodes were often funny, even more often hilarious. But after all of these years, it is the characters that are most remembered by the fans. Yeah, we all have our favorite moments. Many of them in this release. And, I’ll get to those moments, but first:
Playing the hard-nosed and lecherous dispatcher for The Sunshine Cab Company was Danny DeVito. He spent most of his Taxi days sitting in a cage barking orders and insults with equal frequencies to the crew of drivers in the garage. Each of them had dreams beyond the yellow sedans, and Louie took great pleasure in watching them try and ultimately fail to achieve their dreams. Of course, DeVito went on to star in a boatload of feature films and never looked back.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on September 29th, 2009
I think it’s safe to say that HBO changed the face of television with the arrival of The Sopranos back in 1999. The show raised the bar for television across the board. Before we knew it, many of the cable networks were scrambling to offer up the next show that would generate the same praise from critics and audiences alike. To this day that show has generated more subscribers to a pay network than any other. So we really can’t blame the network’s rival Showtime for trying to have their own Sopranos. And that’s exactly what The Brotherhood is.
The focus of this crime drama centers on two brothers. It’s the classic sibling rivalry story. It’s Cain and Abel; it’s Jacob and Esau. Michael (Isaacs) is the criminal brother and the eldest. In the first season we have Michael returning to Providence after fleeing a hit contract years before. The motivation for Michael is that he wants to regain his power hold on his former territory. Younger brother Tommy (Clarke) has taken a far different path in life. Overcoming his family’s ties to crime, he has become a Rhode Island congressman. Far from a “good guy”, Tommy has his own demons. His marriage to Eileen (Gish) is falling apart, but they continue to put up the expected front for his ambitious political dreams. There is a rather clever moral twist on the two brothers. It is Michael who has the traditional family values, willing to make sacrifices for his family, while it’s Tommy who neglects his family for his own political ends. Now it’s his own wife who is having an affair and has become addicted to drugs, something that can fatally harm his re-election bid. The boys have a mom (Flanagan) that would shame even Livia Soprano. She’s manipulated both brothers toward her own definition of family. Finally there’s sister Mary Kate (O’Malley). Outside of the immediate family is their main nemesis, State Trooper Giggs (Embry). You get the impression they were all real tight as youths, but now Giggs wants to get the legal drop on the entire Caffee family. Talk about bitter. This guy has a ton of baggage, from his own marriage break-up to disgrace on the force. He appears to see the Caffee boys as his ticket to redemption.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Michael Durr on September 24th, 2009
In 1996, the Mighty Morphin moniker was retired from the Power Rangers. Ever since, they have changed their cast, name, & plot every year and have been running for seventeen seasons. The most current incarnation is called Power Rangers: RPM and is being currently broadcast on ABC. In fact, there a couple of new episodes that should air this Friday (9/26). So, let’s catch you up on some of the earlier episodes on this DVD.
Three years before this series got started, a computer virus with intelligence named Venjix took over all of the computers on the Earth. All communication has become useless and worse yet, Venjix has sent an army of droids to take over the planet. The last place for humanity is the city of Corinth. But the people are surrounded by the evil forces and a large force field. Only the RPM Power Rangers can save the day as they protect Corinth from being destroyed.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on September 23rd, 2009
“Mentalist: Someone who uses mental acuity, hypnosis, and/or suggestion. A master manipulator of thoughts and behavior.”
I remember fondly Simon Baker’s last television series, The Guardian. It wasn’t exactly a great or groundbreaking show, but it chugged on somewhat quietly for 5 seasons. It didn’t seem like anyone was really noticing this quality show. So, as much as I like this new series, I think what pleases me most is that in a few weeks The Guardian’s first season will make it to DVD. I’m not sure it would have happened if The Mentalist hadn’t broken out as the number 1 new series last year. And as much as I’d love to tell you more about that earlier series, I’m going to get that chance next month, so stay tuned.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on September 23rd, 2009
It all starts with antique dealer Uncle Lewis. He made a deal with the devil to help His Evilness to distribute cursed and evil objects through his store. Objects included Jack The Ripper’s scalpel. Finally Satan comes to collect Uncle Lewis and his tattered soul, leaving his niece Micki (Robey) to clean up the mess. She and cousin Ryan (Le May) have the unenviable task of tracking down these items and sealing them safely away so they can do no more harm. They were often assisted in their task by Jack (Wiggins) who knew something of the occult. The series ran from 1987 to 1990 and never made more than a ripple in the ratings. The show included Steve Monarque as Johnny Ventura starting in the second season.
The final season of this bizarre series begins with a two part European jaunt episode as Jack ends up in France searching for none other than Satan’s copy of the Bible. Other artifacts in the final year include: a cursed wheelchair, a hearing aid that allows the user to hear other people’s thoughts, a coin that can bring back the dead, a car radio that does double duty as a time machine (must have come from a Delorean), a cross that burns vampires alive, a film reel that can bring the movie’s femme fatale to life, a pen that turns a writer into one of his serial killer characters, an embalmer’s tool that trades one life for another, a necklace that allows one to switch bodies with someone else, and a dog leash that lets its owner merge his dog and wife into a single creature. The series ends with Micki going through a time portal and face to face with the Marquis de Sade. And that’s all folks. Series over.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on September 23rd, 2009
When the later cartoon series ran starting in 1983, the show from time to time spoofed many of the popular films of the time. Over the years everything from Star Trek to Star Wars received the Chipmunk treatment. Collectively these episodes have often been released under the title Chipmunks Go To The Movies and have even appeared with Roger Ebert. One of the best of these spoofs is the hilarious Star Wreck. Actually, the disc comes with three episodes, each spoofing a different film.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on September 23rd, 2009
“This is the Alvin Show, you’re positively gonna love the Alvin Show.
There's Dave Seville, and what is more here's the boy who giggles known as Theodore.
Now you see, on camera three, the brother known as Simon on the family tree.
And here's the star of the show… Alvin”
The hilarity continues with a second release: The Very First Alvin Show. This disc also contains three episodes. The spotlight piece here is the very first Chipmunk adventure ever from the 1961 series The Alvin Show. You’ll be amazed at just how little these guys have changed over the years. The three shows are:
