Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on February 23rd, 2006
Synopsis
Documentary makers Patrick Farrelly and Kate O’Callaghan followed the creation of the liberal Air America Radio, a deliberate attempt to create an alternative to the all-encompassing right wing dominance of the talk radio airwaves. The making of the film took an unexpected turn when the newly born network suddenly fell into serious financial difficulty, and all sorts of stories of impropriety involving its founder circulated.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on February 23rd, 2006
Synopsis
What bothers me about music, aside from the sanitized, overmarketing of a band or artist, is the way that those who play it for its enjoyment are cast aside so rudely and without thought. In Frank Zappa’s outstanding “The Real Frank Zappa Book”, he talks about appearing at a jazz festival with his group the Mothers of Invention, and witnessing the legendary Duke Ellington pleading for a $10 advance on his appearance fee. Quoting Zappa’s response; "We’d been together in one configuration or another ...or about five years at that point, and suddenly EVERYTHING looked utterly hopeless to me. If Duke Ellington had to beg some assistant backstage for ten bucks, what the fuck was I doing with a ten-piece band, trying to play rock and roll - or something that was almost rock and roll?"
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on February 23rd, 2006
Synopsis
What distinguishes Nicolas Cage from other more mainstream actors is that his choices of independent films, providing him the opportunity to take on a wide variety of roles that broaden his range, while periodically taking on the occasional Jerry Bruckheimer production to maintain his box office gravitas and make some money to allow him to work the indie films. It’s a circuitous route that helps to benefit the viewer. Sometimes those lower-level films are hits, while others miss.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on February 23rd, 2006
Synopsis
When he was a teenager, firefighter Tony Comes was sexually abused by a Catholic priest. When he and his family move to their new home, and he discovers that his victimizer lives just down the street, the shock forces him to come to terms with his past, and to seek redress. The documentary follows what happens, detailing, among other things, the way the Church circled its institutional wagons, and the terrible emotional cost to Comes and his family as the court battle drags on.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on February 23rd, 2006
My name's trouble... and you got some of it lady.
I admit, I wasn't even a big fan of The A-Team back in the day. I mean, I was a boy, and Mr. T was cool and all, but the show itself never really grabbed my attention. Even at a young age, the whole thing just felt a little too unbelievable. I mean, if these guys are a group of deserters and felons who are wanted by the government, then how is it that everybody knows who they are? Plus, Mr. T isn't exactly inconspicuous wearing 832 gold ...hains around his neck everywhere he goes. Then, of course, there is the fact that they frequently open fire with fully-automatic weapons in public places (and nobody gets hurt). Apparently the government hasn't made finding The A-Team priority one.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on February 22nd, 2006
Eric Idle, Kohn Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Terry Jones, Michael Palin, and of course Graham Chapman formed Britain’s most famed comedy troupe. The exploits of Monty Python’s Flying Circus were truly “something entirely different”. Their off the wall antics have written an entire chapter in the story of pop culture. There certainly is not near enough space here for me to give the group its just due. So I won’t even try. If you’ve never heard of them, then stop reading, crawl back into the rabbit hole you’ve been living ...n, and open a fresh can of Spam. For the rest of you who just want to know if this particular DVD is worth picking up, the answer, in short, is yes.
This disc is part of a six part series that covers each member of the Monty Python troupe. The series originally aired as part of a PBS tribute. This DVD begins as a fitting tribute to Graham Chapman who passed away in 1989. The remaining five Python members get serious, for the most part, and offer their own fond memories of their fallen comrade. The interviews are insightful and refreshingly quite frank. They not only address the man’s comedic genius but his personal demons as well. Chapman struggled with alcoholism and the ridicule of a flamboyant homosexual lifestyle. Many of Chapman’s and certainly Monty Python’s best moments are here. The task is not an easy one. They have produced hundreds of hours of comedy, and selecting an hour of the best is hardly a simple mission. The choices are very nice ones indeed. Some of my own favorites included in this set are the self-wrestling match and Oscar and His Majesty. More than just a collection of skits, this DVD provides wonderful insight into Chapman, the man. A special treat is a few behind the scenes moments from such great works as “Life of Brian”.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on February 22nd, 2006
The longest running show in prime time doesn’t feature cops, doctors, or lawyers. It’s hard to believe that The Simpsons have existed as long as the Fox network. While the series didn’t really begin until Fox’s second year, the characters were part of The Tracey Ullman Show, which did start the first year of Fox. Who could have guessed that an animated short from an otherwise horrible and doomed variety show would explode into such a phenomenon. The Simpsons have not only dominated the pop culture; they have placed...everything else into context with their show. Like Doonesbury, it could be said that the only thing worse than being made fun of on The Simpsons is not being made fun of on The Simpsons. With that said, you’ll understand my warm feelings and appreciation for this show.
Now let’s talk about this particular release. To say that it is a forced marketing scam would be going easy. This is the kind of gimmick the show itself would have a field day with. Whatever the genius behind the Simpsons might be, it rarely shows in this Valentine themed 4 disc DVD. In each episode, often through flashbacks, we see the love story of Marge and Homer Simpson, and it’s not a pretty sight. The Simpsons are at their best when the characters have society’s foibles to play against. The heart warming stuff just isn’t the peak of Simpsons lore. The highlight of the entire set is the Three Stooges bit using Clinton, Bush, and Carter. Wait for the season sets to arrive to get these episodes.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on February 22nd, 2006
Synopsis
In Spain of the early 70s, Javier Cámara is Alfredo, an unsuccessful door-to-door encyclopedia salesman. His wife, Carmen (Candela Peña), desperately wants a baby, but he refuses because of their dire financial straits. The publishing house he works for decides to move into making sex films, and its remaining door-to-door men must film themselves having sex with their wives or lose their jobs. Carmen sees this as a good opportunity to get pregnant, and convinces Alfredo to give it a try. The...two turn out to be very good at making these films. Bitten by the cinema bug, Alfredo has ambitions of making a feature film in the vein of his idol, Ingmar Bergman. Will his artistic dreams be realized? Will Carmen become a mother? And what to do about Alfredo’s non-existent sperm count?
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on February 21st, 2006
Sex and the City: The Essentials – Mr. Big is a release, which serves no purpose that can’t otherwise be obtained from watching reruns on TBS. True, the series is edited for television, but a show should not have to resort solely to objectionable content to build a relationship with its audience. That’s not to say it can’t, but if you’re interested in trying out Sex and the City, I doubt it’s to see how many breasts, penises, and profane words you can see and hear, respectively, in a half-hour of televi...ion. (You’ll be disappointed because, while for mature audiences, there are far worse shows out there.) No, you’re probably going to watch Sex and the City because you like character-driven comedy that focuses less on jokes and more on social realities. Or, maybe you like HBO’s programming, and you feel this show must be good if they picked it up.
Whatever the reason, chances are, you’re better off buying the entire seasons on DVD, or first trying out the show on TBS before making the decision of building a season-by-season collection. With The Essentials, you get a sparse three episodes with nary a special feature in sight. It’s a pointless waste of time no matter what angle you’re coming from. On the Mr. Big Essentials disc, you will get three episodes detailing different highs and lows in Carrie’s relationship with the title character. Perhaps it will leave you wanting more. If so, then the disc has done its job, but the real challenge which lay ahead for it is getting picked up in the first place. A fan won’t want it, and a curious spectator can find much better ways of sampling the menu.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on February 21st, 2006
Sex and the City Essentials: Breakups is a little introduction type collection into the famed HBO series. Here we get three episodes about the various Breakups in the show. The first episode is entitled Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell and is about Carrie deciding to chose her honesty first. This causes her to lose Aidan in the process. The second episode is entitled I Love a Charade and is about Samantha’s wrath for Richard. The final episode is entitled The Post-It Always Sticks Twice and is about ...he post- Post-it note night out.
Since Sex and the City is aired regularly on TBS, I can’t possibly imagine what HBO is trying to do with these sets. Anyone who is possibly interested in the show, even the smallest amount, can simple turn on their television and watch an episode to see if this comedy is in their ballpark. I could understand if the Essentials discs came with a few rare features about the three episodes on the disc to warrant spending the money. HBO defends this release, according to their website, with Now, old and new Sex and the City fans can relive some of the sexiest, most romantic, emotional and memorable episodes from the series with the Sex and the City Essentials. I think a true fan of the series would know where their favorite episodes are season-wise at this point.
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