head_imageHo HO HO!! Welcome back to the 12 Days Of Contests, Day 9 Edition! Today we throw our first HD DVD into the mix... The Deer Hunter, nominated for nine academy awards (winner of five, including best picture in 1978).

So - enter away below by commenting! Contest draw date is Tuesday, Jan. 1st - the same for all of the 12 Days contests.

Last week, I said I’d talk about John Brahm’s The Lodger this time around. I want to hold that off for another week, in order to put in my two cents’ worth on I Am Legend.

So here we are with the third adaptation of Richard Matheson’s classic novel, and the first to actually use the title. There was certainly room for improvement on the other two. The Last Man On Earth (1964) is still the closest to the book, but Matheson himself was sufficiently displeased with what was done with his original script that he had his name replaced in the credits with a pseudonym. The Omega Man (1971) has some great early mood stuff and neat makeup for the creatures, but descends into risibility by the end. So is the third time the charm?

Something strange happened to me this week. I had two particular films arrive that I was to review. Stardust and Underdog. I expected to love one of them and basically tolerate the other. If you’ve read my recent Stardust review, you already know which was which. I expected to love Stardust and ended up hating it. I expected just a lot of silly nonsense from Underdog, and that’s what I got, except I had a great time watching it. The film is far more entertaining even to adults than I ever could have imagined.

The defendant is charged with impersonating a classic movie, Felony murder of 81 minutes of human life, grand larceny (after review of the film’s sales figures this charge has been reduced to petty larceny), and aggravated assault to my intelligence. The court will show that director Victor Garcia did willfully and with malice and forethought create a sequel to an inferior remake of a classic motion picture. The evidence will clearly show that the film lacks any tangible resemblance to the original film and therefore has fraudulently engaged in a plot to lure the original film’s fans to the video store with false promises of quality and entertainment.

head_imageHo! Have you seen the "Baddest Mofo in a Cardigan Sweater" video? Bob Saget is definitely not on Santa's good list. No, I'm not linking to it, so as to protect people's illusions about Bob Saget's family values. But if you search on YouTube, you will find. But - before Saget went bad, there was Full House! Yes, welcome back to the 12 Days Of Contests, Day 8. The TV-on-DVD theme continues, with the eighth season of Full House up for grabs. If you want an idea of what's in store, check out the reviews for Season Four and Season Five. The verdict? Great releases for fans of Saget-humour or masochists. (don't get me started on the twins - shudder)

If I may make a recommendation: check out our TV-on-DVD section for lots of other series on DVD, or if you're seeking Saget-free humour, our comedy section is a good starting point. If you need some instant gratification, we've got 36 comedy trailers ready to go for you too.

The United States is a young nation compared to most places on the Earth. Our history only recently broke the 200 year mark. Sure, there’s plenty of colonial history you can include, but taken all together you still can’t get more than about 500 years out of the deal. That means Indiana Jones or Laura Croft won’t be spending a lot of their time working their way through New Jersey any time soon. So leave it to the likes of director Jon Turteltaub, producer Jerry Bruckheimer, and star Nicholas Cage to bring us a romp through historical places, and yes, American tombs, in search of the ultimate treasure.

In 1959 Rod Serling changed the face of television. This unimposing thin man stepped in front of a camera and told us we were entering a world of shadow… the Twilight Zone. The anthology series ran for 5 years and included some of the best genre tales ever told. We all have our favorites, and my list is too long to go into here. Even years after when Serling himself had passed it never truly died.

Raincheck for the Wii, Sex and Violence don't mix, and Christmas Nights in Japan? - Welcome to the column that promises to have a very merry christmas but still undecided on the new year known as Dare to Play the Game.

Welcome to another edition of Dare to Play the Game. I can safely say this past week, I did zero gaming. Yep, zilch, zero, nada. That's what going up to Ohio and spending seven days in some remote frozen tundra will do for you. I did stop at one Gamestop though. Bought 2 games and 4 dvds (buy 2 get 2 free) for $40 and some change. Final Fantasy XII (Collectors Edition) for PS2, Dead or Alive Ultimate for Xbox were the pickups for games.

TV reporter Jason Behr is the reincarnation of warrior from 500 years ago, charged with protecting a woman (Amanda Brooks, also a reincarnation) whose destiny is to sacrifice herself so that a mystical giant serpent (an Imoogi) can become a dragon. Unfortunately, an evil Imoogi named Buraki wants the power for itself, and summons a giant reptilian army that lays waste to LA in the search for Brooks.

Long before Clint Eastwood was making our day as Dirty Harry or even roaming the badlands without a name for Sergio Leone, he was working the cattle drive on Rawhide. Rawhide was created to take advantage of the huge Western film and television wave that Hollywood had been riding for nearly a decade. With huge ratings for Gunsmoke and Bonanza among others, Rawhide was a bit of an unlikely success. Here the show explored the West on an endless cattle drive to get a few thousand steer to market.