September 2008 Archives

I freely admit I'm a movie freak. I regularly admit that I'll sit through any film once in the hopes of finding some morsel of merit in each piece of celluloid I subject myself to. Even though I had read absolutely terrible reviews about Mike Myers' The Love Guru, I went into it with an open mind. Admittedly, I decided after seeing the trailer several months ago, that I wasn't going to spend money to see this movie in theatrical release but I was more than willing to give it a shot on blu-ray. All my friends said it was a stinker and most of the reviews I read seemed to concur. Still, as a longtime fan of Mike Myers, I remained hopeful.

Season four of Grey's Anatomy saw a few changes both on and off the screen as season four of the series got underway in the follow of 2007. Due to her producing responsibilities on both Grey's and its spinoff Private Practice, series creator Shonda Rhimes assigned the day-to-day showrunning duties to writer and executive producer Krista Vernoff. Season four would also prove to be a real test for the series popularity, as several cast members were not returning for the fourth season. Kate Walsh and her character doctor Addison Montgomery were leaving for Private Practice and it was announced that Isaiah Washington, who played Dr. Preston Burke would not be returning to the show after his contract wasn't renewed.

Check out the fun new show on ABC from executive producer Ashton Kutcher, Opportunity Knocks. Imagine a game show in your own yard. ABC is going across the country and setting up shop on different family's yards. The family is quizzed on how well they know each other as the audience (friends and neighbors) cheer them on. Each family must work together to complete both mental and physical tasks in order to win exciting prizes!

Generally, I'm not a big horror fan. However, I have always appreciated the work of David Carradine. Recently, I reviewed both Kill Bill films in which Carradine does a masterful job in the role of Bill. I had heard several months ago that Lionsgate was releasing a special edition DVD of a 1990 film, Sundown: The Vampire in Retreat but I couldn't recall ever seeing it. However, since the film starred David Carradine and Bruce Campbell (Army of Darkness), I knew I had to give it a look. What a strange, fun move it was!

David Harrison (Jim Metzler) and engineer, is told to go Purgatory, Utah, where an artificial blood manufacturing plant he designed has been constructed. The town's economy is dependent on the plant working, so David's arrival is considered vital. Harrison brings along his wife Sarah (Morgan Brittany) and his two young daughters. As soon as the Harrison's arrive in town, it's pretty clear something strange is going on. All the townspeople wear a lot of sun block and they look at the Harrison's very strangely. After a few choice events, it becomes clear that these people are all vampires.

Fancast will have an exclusive preview of the unedited second premiere of Californication for 48 hours prior to its Showtime airdate on Sunday September 28th. The premiere will be available on Fancast.com from 9/26 - 9/28.

Today, I had the opportunity to watch the season premiere of Chuck, that I missed last night.

Along with An American in Paris, Warner Brothers has recently released Gigi, in a two disc special edition. Released in 1958, the film reunited director Vincent Minnelli with producer Arthur Freed, Alan Jay Lerner and actress Leslie Caron. After the success of An American in Paris, Freed and Minnelli were more than happy to put a new twist on what had proven to be a very successful formula. Once again set in Paris, the screenplay was written by Alan Jay Lerner, who also wrote the music (lyrics) along with his partner Frederick Loewe (music). The film is based on the bestselling novella of the same name by French author Colette, which was first adapted for the screen with Danièle Delorme in 1949.

Directed by Vincente Minnelli, the 1951 film An American in Paris was inspired by the 1928 orchestral composition by George Gershwin. Starring Gene Kelly, Leslie Caron, and Oscar Levant, the script was written by Alan Jay Lerner, who together with Frederick Lowe, created some of the world's most popular and enduring works of musical theatre. Of course, the music in An American in Paris is by George Gershwin, with lyrics by his brother Ira, with additional music by Saul Chaplin, the music director.

I first saw An American in Paris when I was about seven years old and can remember being completely transfixed. I was simply amazed that Gene Kelly could sing and dance so well. It was after seeing An American in Paris that I was introduced to the films of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, Eleanor Powell and the great musicals like My Fair Lady, Meet Me in St Louis, Gigi and countless others; so An American in Paris holds a bit of a special place in my heart and the soundtrack has a permanent place in my CD collection.

As a huge Superman fan it hurts me to say this, but after watching the entire seventh season of Smallville over a two-and-a-half-day period, the series may have officially jumped the shark. I've been a fan of the series from the start, even though Tom Welling and some of his co-stars will likely never be considered among America's greatest thespians. There's little doubt that Clark Kent is a tough character to create storylines for, with the limited budget of a television series and I give the writers and producers a lot of credit for coming up with as many interesting storylines as they have over the years. Unfortunately, they can only do so much, and not even several guest appearances from prominent DC characters could save this season.

Strangely, I never got a chance to watch The Big Bang Theory even once, during its first season on CBS. However, I was excited to watch the first season on DVD for several reasons: I'm a big fan of Johnny Galecki and anything with him in it has a chance for success, the premise of two twenty-something physicists who live across from a blonde waitress/wannabe actress has undeniable comic potential and Sarah Gilbert rejoining Galecki as a recurring character seemed like a good idea. They had such good chemistry as Darlene Connor and David Healy on Roseanne; I was excited to see the two actor's team up again. So, I guess it's safe to say that I popped The Big Bang Theory - The Complete First Season into my DVD player hoping for some pretty solid entertainment.

Created by Josh Schwartz and Chris Fedak, Chuck centers around a computer whiz named Chuck Bartowski (Zachary Levi). In the pilot episode, we learn that Chuck is socially awkward and feels more comfortable interacting with computers than most other people. He works as a computer expert at his local Buy More with his best friend, Morgan Grimes (Joshua Gomez). Chuck's sister Ellie (Sarah Lancaster) a doctor looks out for her brother and wants to help him find a girlfriend. On the night of his birthday party, Chuck receives an e-mail from his former Stanford University roommate, Bryce Larkin (Matthew Bomer), who is now a "rogue" CIA agent. When he opens it, an entire server of sensitive data -- once only available to the United States government -- called the Intersect, is subliminally embedded into his brain by way of a long series of images. Both the National Security Agency and the Central Intelligence Agency want the intelligence returned to them and dispatch agents of their own -- Major John Casey (Adam Baldwin) and Sarah Walker (Yvonne Strahovski) -- to retrieve that data.

It's hard to believe Chucky is twenty years old already! MGM is celebrating the sadistic dolls birthday with Child's Play - Chucky's 20th Birthday Edition, an extras filled DVD release that comes with a nice looking anamorphic widescreen transfer of the 1988 cult horror hit. Fans who recently purchased the box set of the sequels, will undoubtedly find this inexpensive upgrade the perfect companion to that set.

Young Andy Barclay (Alex Vincent) wants nothing more for his sixth birthday then for his mom Karen (Catherine Hicks) to buy him a large-sized, talking "Good Guy" doll. But widowed working mom Karen didn't have enough advanced notice of Andy's birthday wish to save the 100 dolllars needed for a new store-bought doll. Tipped off by her friend Maggie (Dinah Manoff) to a homeless guy whose selling a used "Good Guy" doll out behind the department store where she works, Karen is able to buy her son the toy he covets. Unbeknownst to her, Karen sets in motion a blizzard of demonic horror and violence.

Bringing a popular television series to the big screen has always been a hit or miss proposition. For every successful Addams Family or Star Trek film, there's an equally dreadful adaption of Get Smart or Flipper. Filmmakers are faced with the inevitable question of whether a successful television series will translate well to the big screen. The makers of The Addams Family films created a successful film franchise by using the basic premise of the television series but interjecting some modern twists to give the films a unique feel. The Star Trek films had the benefit of the original cast and a rabid fan base.

Out of the crop of current directors, David Gordon Green is one of the few who makes a point of focusing on the realities of American life. In a time where most directors are trying to outdo themselves with more special effects and impressive CGI animation with each successive film, in movies like George Washington and All the Real Girls, Green continued to explore the concerns of average people, examining how they get through their everyday problems and the mistakes they make and the struggles they endure.

In the 1950's, the relatively new medium of television was all the rage in American homes. Families no longer felt the same desire to trudge to their local cinema, when this new "tube" could beam entertainment to them in the comfort of their own homes. Feeling the pinch, Hollywood movie makers new they had to come up with something new and exciting enough to get Americans away from their television sets and back into the movie houses where they belonged. Hollywood's answer was to make movies even bigger, in the form of Cinerama. Cinerama was so big, it often required three separate projectors and three wraparound screens to fit it all in. That makes it easier to understand the need for the ultra-wide 2.89:1 aspect ratio on this DVD set.

I should preface this review by saying that my initial interest in Transformers grew from the films role in the HD vs. Blu-ray format war. When Paramount released the high-definition version of Transformers exclusively on HD DVD back in 2007, it looked as though HD might be gaining the upper hand. The move also angered Blu-ray enthusiasts that the HD DVD became one of the biggest selling high-definition movies of all time, and it's been a long ten months or so waiting for Paramount finally to issue it in Blu-ray format. Well, the wait is over and the film looks better than ever with a higher video bit rate and a new Dolby TrueHD soundtrack.

CSI: Miami has always been my CSI of choice. Whether it's the sunny Miami locale, or watching Lieutenant Horatio Cane (David Caruso), go off the rails a bit more than some of the criminals he's charged with having to catch week after week, I've been hooked on the series for years. I've read many complaints that CSI: Miami finally went a too far during the sixth season, by adding to much of a soap opera element to the show and indulging David Caruso's well documented ego by allowing Horatio Cane to turn into a deity. While I agree that that the producers of CSI: Miami made some missteps during the sixth season, I think the new plotlines give the series some fresh material to work with in season seven and beyond.

HBO photo: Michael Tackett

I received a copy of Terminal City in the mail sometime in early August. I have to admit that after glancing at the accompanying promotional materials, I had little to no interest in viewing the ten hour mini-series. It was about a woman with cancer, who somehow how ends up with her own reality series. I thought the subject matter was too depressing and I set it aside. Later that day, I decided to give Terminal City a try, because I'm a fan of Gil Bellows (Ally McBeal) who plays the husband of the cancer patient in the series; I'm glad I did, because Terminal City turned out to be one of the most provocative, emotionally gripping dramas about family relationships I've seen in a long time.

Al Pacino is one of the greatest film actors of the last thirty-five years. His performances as Michael Corleone in The Godfather, Frank Serpico in Serpico and Sonny in Dog Day Afternoon are just a few of Pacino's most memorable roles in a celebrated career. With a resume like that, one would think Al Pacino would want to try to avoid any real stinkers. Granted, in the last fifteen years or so, Pacino has done some films that can't begin to match The Godfather and many of his other films, but 88 Minutes can only be described as a dud. After watching this film, I simply can't fathom why Pacino and director Jon Avnet (Fried Green Tomatoes) would agree to take on this project.

The PBS series American Experience has long been known as a program that produces extensive documentaries on the people and events that have helped shape the history of America. The documentaries are fairly extensive, often taking years to complete. Not surprisingly, the series has done several documentaries on different Presidents of the United States. Recently, PBS and Paramount released American Experience - The Presidents Collection, a rather mammoth box set, covering some of the most important Presidents of the 20th century--Theodore Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson, FDR, Truman, The Kennedy's (Joe, John, Robert and Edward), Lyndon Johnson, Richard Nixon, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush--Clocking in at approximately 2100 minutes over 15 discs, there's a massive amount of information contained in the set.

When Quentin Tarantino began shooting Kill Bill, he originally intended to make only one film. However, as he was shooting, it became obvious that he had shot enough footage for two films. Instead of trying to widdle the story down to an acceptable length, Tarantino wisely decided to produce two films that were released six months apart. Whether Tarantino intended to or not, Kill Bill -Volume 2 turned out to be a vastly different film from the first, and served to give the entire Kill Bill saga a truly epic feel.

Blood is a dominant feature in Quentin Tarantino's fourth film, Kill Bill - Volume 1. It oozes, drips, flows, gushes and splatters in deep red to jet black Heads and limbs are removed with reckless abandon as characters are struck down with an emotionless fervor. However, Kill Bill begs the viewer to avert their eyes from the ceaseless bloodshed and turns your stomach with its exaggerated depiction of brutality. While there are some very violent scenes in earlier Tarantino films Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction, nothing compares to the sadistic brutality and carnage on display in Kill Bill - Volume 1.

If you don't know who John Oliver is, you probably should. He's the bespectacled British comedian who serves as a regular correspondent on Comedy Central's The Daily Show, delivering his views on political issues of the day with a deadpan style. His first Comedy Central Special, John Oliver - Terrifying Times, gives the comedian a chance to go solo, trading the green screens of Jon Stewart's studio for the stage at New York's Symphony Space, but his trademark dry wit is the same. Slightly longer and with more naughty words than its original televised incarnation, this hour-long special showcases Oliver's uniquely literate and legitimately funny take on just about every problem facing the world today.

I would never say that Risky Business ranks up there with classics such as Casablanca, Bonnie and Clyde or even Rocky. However, the film that is largely credited with making Tom Cruise a star deserve a place in film history, for so vividly capturing a slice of early 1980's culture. It was 1983, Ronald Reagan was in the White House, America was feeling pretty good about itself and AIDS was still not widely recognized. So, when a young Cruise donned those white crew socks, a pink oxford and his underwear and slid across the floor to Bob Seger's classic, "Old Time Rock And Roll," a scene played out in houses across the world, was born.

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 Burton fan knows, only Burton himself could combine such a dichotomy of emotions and create a motion picture as beloved as The Nightmare Before Christmas. It is a film that quite literally can be enjoyed by anyone, at any time of the year, regardless of whether it falls around Halloween or Christmas; I especially enjoy watching it sometime during the week before Christmas. Well produced, and different from anything with a holiday theme, The Night Before Christmas Collector's Edition deserves a place in every film lover's library.

Christmas specials are a dime a dozen. Between Thanksgiving and Christmas, literally hundreds of movies and specials liter the television landscape to mark the yuletide season. While Halloween is observed, relatively few specials are on television to mark the occasion. Fewer still, have entered the pop culture lexicon. One definite exception is, It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown. Based on the comic strip Peanuts by Charles M. Schulz, the Great Pumpkin was the third Peanuts special produced for television. The first broadcast took place on October 27th, 1966 on the CBS network, scoring a 49 share. To put that in the proper context, in 1966, there were only three networks to choose from, so a 49 share means that almost half the television sets in America were watching It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown that night. The special has continued to air each year since.