Archive for August, 2008
DVD Review: Deal
DVD Review: The Nightmare Before Christmas Collector’s Edition
The Nightmare Before Christmas is one of those films that seems to get better with each viewing. You begin to see the subtle nuances in the story and really appreciate writer Tim Burton’s ability to create such a captivating tale and director Henry Selick’s ability to bring it to the screen. Intense emotion oozes from each shot and musical performance, while the picture itself has both a dark and lighthearted tone. As any Tim...
DVD Review: One Tree Hill – The Complete Fifth Season
For popular series based on a group of high school kids, things usually go downhill once graduation day approaches. The example I’ll use is the popular ’90′s sitcom Beverly Hills, 90210. Producers dealt with that group’s graduation by having them all attend the fictional California University. While that plot device did work, fans were forced to suspend a certain degree of believability. How likely is it that a group...
Blu-ray Review: Married Life
The snappy animated credits over Doris Day’s recording of “I Can’t Give You Anything But Love,” suggests that Married Life might be a sophisticated comedy about love in the 1950′s. The opening scene tells us that yes, Married Life is about love, but the situation is anything but snappy. It’s Nov. 5, 1949, and in a stylish restaurant in what is presumably New York City, Harry Allen (Chris Cooper) tells his...
Blu-ray Review: Terminator – The Sarah Connor Chronicles [Season One]
Remakes of beloved classic films are often disasters. Undoubtedly the creative forces behind these endeavors start out with the best of intentions. The problem is that when you try to reformat something that so many fans already consider a masterpiece, you’re behind the eight ball before you even shoot the first frame. When I first heard that Josh Friedman (who wrote the screenplay for 2006′s The Black Dahlia), had developed...
DVD Review: Transformers Animated – Season One
Transformers Animated – Season One is the latest in a long line of animated Transformers cartoon, following the disappointment that was Transformers Cybertron. Taking its cues from the Michael Bay movie (The AllSpark, Megatron crash-landed on Earth, big explosions, lots of noise) Transformers Animated has changed pretty much everything about the mythology of the series except for the bare essentials.
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DVD Review: The Wire – The Complete Fifth Season
David Simon, an author and former police reporter, created one of the finest television series I’ve had the pleasure to watch in The Wire. Simon has said that he originally set out to create a police drama loosely based on the experiences of his writing partner Ed Burns, a former homicide detective. Writing against the background of current events, including institutionalized corporate crime at Enron and institutional dysfunction in...
DVD Review: South Park: The Complete Eleventh Season [Uncensored]
It’s truly amazing that South Park is currently in its twelfth season on Comedy Central. As a person who has watched countless hours of television and reviewed many of them here, I have written about long-running shows like Cheers and Frasier. However, South Park is in a class all its own. Brash, crass a patently offensive to some, South Park remains a cutting edge satirical look at pop culture...
DVD Review: Muhammad Ali: Made in Miami
“Cassius Clay was born in Louisville,” says Ferdie Pacheco, “Muhammad Ali was born in Miami.” Produced by Gaspar Gonzalez and Alan Tomlinson, Muhammad Ali: Made in Miami examines the critical role the city of Miami played in the legendary boxer’s life and career. This one hour PBS documentary allows viewers to get to know the young Cassius Clay before he became Muhammad Ali, one of the most beloved sports figures...
Blu-ray Review: Justice League – Season One
I’m not going to beat around the bush; Justice League – Season One is a must have for any true superhero fan. Producer Bruce Timm followed Batman: The Animated Series, Superman: The Animated Series, and Batman Beyond with Justice League. Previously, DC characters had made appearances on different series– Batman met The Creeper, Superman joined forces with Dr. Fate on his series–What...
