Category: Reviews (Page 102 of 120)

TV DVD QT, Vol. 9

June 24, 2007 /

Dante’s Cove: The Complete Second Season / Noah’s Arc: The Complete Second Season – Oh, my. Well, given that the former airs on Here! and the latter on Logo, it’s no surprise that both of these series are, in fact, gay dramas…not, as you knew I’d say at some point, that there’s anything wrong with that. “Dante’s Cove” actually looked mildly interesting, given its reference to “sexy and supernatural residents,” but even that description couldn’t keep me watching after one male lead mounted another from behind in the kitchen. Dude, this isn’t gay drama; it’s gay softcore. “Noah’s Arc,” thankfully, proved to be a more straightforward relationship drama, albeit one with gay characters, and I’m sure that gay viewers probably really enjoy it. Me, I was out after about the third guy-on-guy French kiss. Given that Bullz-Eye received these sets, I think we have to presume that some publicist somewhere saw our slogan, “The Guys’ Portal to the Web,” and said, “Hey, I got some guys for you…” Uh, no, you don’t.

Everybody Loves Raymond: The Complete Eighth Season – In Season 8, Robert and Amy are now married, which means we continue to get enjoyable guest appearances from Amy’s parents (Fred Willard and Georgia Engel) and brother (Chris Elliot); Katherine Helmond also makes another appearance as Debra’s mother in one episode. But as long as we still get Ray, Debra, Robert, Amy, Frank, and Marie, who cares who guest-stars, right? We referenced this last time, in our “King of Queens” write-up, but you really have to applaud Ray Romano and his crew for maintaining the quality of the “Everybody Loves Raymond” DVD sets even after the show’s gone off the air. There are audio commentaries, deleted scenes, and so forth. Nice work, people.

Hogan’s Heroes: The Sixth and Final Season – In the show’s very last episode, we discover the heretofore-unrevealed historical fact that Colonel Klink was actually in Hitler’s bunker with the Fuhrer and Eva Braun…and he might’ve been saved, but Sergeant Schultz kept claiming that he knew “nussink.” Okay, just kidding. The last episode of “Hogan’s Heroes” isn’t discernibly different from the first episode: Hogan and his boys once again outwit TV’s most loveable Nazis. But…no special features? Why, those schweinhundts!

Mission: Impossible: Season 2 – It sure took Paramount long enough to get around to releasing the second season of this show…not that the delay was spent putting together any extras. (It’s totally devoid of special features.) Frankly, you’d think they would’ve put this out at the same time as Season 1, since this is the beginning of the series’ iconic line-up: Peter Graves, Barbara Bain, Martin Landau, Peter Lupus, and Greg Morris. There’s no explanation as to what happened to Dan Briggs (played by Stephen Hill), the original leader of the M:I team, but as Season 2 opens, the group is led by Jim Phelps (Graves). Maybe he got taken out by one of those self-destructing messages…?

Stargate: Atlantis: Season 2 – Honestly, I have no idea how long this has been sitting around my house. It showed up awhile ago mostly because no-one else wanted it, and my attempts to watch it have proven futile because, well, I never saw the first season. (I believe I had this same problem with a later season of “La Femme Nikita,” if memory serves.) Anyway, fans of the show will love the inordinate amount of special features; I mean, I can’t even get into it, but even *I* have to admire a series set that offers audio commentary on every single episode, not to mention several featurettes.

That ‘70s Show: Season Six – More solid ensemble comedy from a sitcom that never seems to get the respect it deserves…but, then, I say that every time I write up a season of this show. But here are two things that might sell you on Season Six: guest-star stints from Brooke Shields, Allyson Hannigan, Shannon Elizabeth, and Jim Gaffigan, quite a few special features, including three audio commentaries (though, notably, none from any of the show’s stars; they’re all from director David Trainer) and featurettes focusing on Red and Kitty Foreman, a.k.a. Kurtwood Smith and Debra Jo Rupp. Throw in plot arcs involving Kelso getting Elizabeth’s character pregnant, Fez’s marriage of convenience to Eric’s sister, and the constant discussion of the real marriage between Eric and Donna, and you’ve got another fine season of “That ‘70s Show.” Honest.

Actors, Actresses, External Entertainment, External TV, Reviews, TV, TV Action, TV Comedies, TV Dramas, TV DVDs

HBO moves on

June 20, 2007 /

With the series finale of “The Sopranos,” HBO is facing a crossroads. I’m not sure what percentage of the network’s subscribers were mainly (or only) interested in Tony Soprano and his family, but it has to be significant. HBO is aware that they need to quickly develop more good programming if they hope to keep the train going down the tracks.

Their first hour-long effort is “John from Cincinnati” (from “Deadwood” creator David Milch). The series revolves around San Diego family of surfers as they encounter a strange visitor, who acts as if he might be from another planet. In just two episodes, Milch has introduced a bevy of interesting characters and, as far as the language and dialogue goes, the show actually has a very “Deadwood” feel to it. There are a number of familiar faces in the cast, including Rebecca De Mornay (who is excellent as the family’s matriarch), Ed O’Neill, Luis Guzman and Luke Perry.

In the half-hour comedy category, “Flight of the Conchords” follows Jemaine and Bret, two aspiring musicians from New Zealand, as they navigate New York City. It’s a musical of sorts, as the duo occasionally break out into quirky songs that relate to whatever is going on in their life. The premiere was quite funny, especially the song Jemaine sings to a girl at a party. If the Barenaked Ladies had developed a sitcom (and never released “One Week,” which made them too popular) and enlisted Wes Anderson to direct, it might have turned out like this.

So far, so good.

External Entertainment, External TV, Reviews, TV, TV Comedies, TV Dramas

“Ice Road Truckers” are a bunch of bad mother…well, YOU know.

June 17, 2007 /

I’m not really a fan of reality TV. Oh, sure, I can get sucked into it easily enough, but if I take so much as a moment to reflect on what I’m watching, I usually start to feel guilty…and it really kicks in when the show I’m watching involves a camera crew setting up camp at someone’s job. Generally, you feel as though the producers are strutting around behind the scenes, saying, “Well, here’s proof that any job can look interesting if the footage is cut and edited right.” Yeah, but how about we focus more on jobs that are legitimately interesting?

“Ice Road Truckers” fits that bit handily, providing a look at a job that only lasts for two months out of the year…but, damn, what a job it is. The series focuses on six men who haul supplies across frozen lakes in Canada, not so terribly far from the Arctic Circle. If you’re putting two and two together, your eyebrows are probably rising right about now. Yes, they’re truckers, and they’re driving across frozen lakes…and if the temperature is low enough to freeze lakes to the point where sixteen-wheelers can drive across them, you can imagine that the weather outside is decidedly frightful. In a situation like that, however, it’s actually a good thing; I mean, would you want to be on the “road” and suddenly find that it’s starting to warm up…?

Ice road trucking is a lucrative business…so lucrative that, as is mentioned at one point in the first episode, a trucker who can move 50 loads over the course of two months is looking at a $70,000 payday. You quickly learn, however, that you earn your money. If your truck breaks down, you’re looking at a major delay because you can’t be outside for more than a few minutes without finding yourself on the verge of frostbite…and God forbid you should wreck your rig, because if you do so in a manner that blocks the road, you’re also looking at getting your ass beat by the other truckers. Time is money for these people, and they don’t have much of a sense of humor about losing either.

Actually, one of them has a sense of humor: Alex Deboborski is the guy you find yourself rooting for. He’s always ready with a witty comment. Of the other five, Hugh Rowland is the so-called “Polar Bear,” and as a guy who’s become a self-made millionaire from his work in the business, he’s the one to beat; it’s a little strange, though, that when his truck breaks down before he can get even get started, you feel bad for him…and you feel even worse when you hear the smart-ass young buck, Rick Yemm, mouthing off about how he’s kicking Hugh’s ass on the road. Really, the only person of the bunch you don’t have less sympathy for than Rick is T.J. Tilcox, who’s on his first-ever ice road trucking stint and can’t seem to have the camera turned on him without whining about how much he hates the cold and ice. Dude, it’s calling ice road trucking; what did you think you were gonna be in for…?

“Ice Road Truckers” starts a little slow, but after the back story of the industry is laid out for the viewer, the show settles into following the personalities of the individual truckers, the competition of who’s gotten the most loads delivered, and the trials and tribulations they’re all facing on the ice roads. Check the show out on The History Channel starting tonight; it’ll make for nice, cold viewing on those hot summer nights.

BONUS: Wanna win some “Ice Road Truckers” swag, plus a $100 gas card? Head over to Bullz-Eye…specifically, to here…to get in the game!

External Entertainment, External TV, Reviews, TV

DVD Spotlight: Shaw Brothers Classic Collection

June 15, 2007 /

While Bob and Harvey Weinstein have yet to capture that same box office magic they experienced during their impressive stint at Miramax, the brotherly duo can relish in the fact that their upstart DVD label, Dragon Dynasty, is doing just fine. Released with the idea of presenting classic and contemporary Asian cinema to a wider audience, the latest additions to the Dragon Dynasty family feature some of the greatest (and most recognizable) Shaw Brothers movies ever produced. Of course, any true fan of the genre probably owns multiple copies of all four films on DVD, but with their glorious re-release, each film has been remastered and restored, as well as accompanied by brand new special features including interviews with the cast/crew, and audio commentaries by The RZA, director Quentin Tarantino, and film critics Elvis Mitchell, David Chute and Andy Klein.

The first title in the group is certainly the most obvious, as “The 36th Chamber of Shaolin” is widely considered the greatest kung fu movie ever made. Starring Gordon Liu as a student whose village is ravaged by a neighboring clan, the film follows his character as he embarks on a grueling martial arts program through the 35 chambers of the Shaolin Temple. So why the mention of a 36th chamber, you ask? Well, you’ll have to watch the film to find out, but one thing’s for sure: what the movie lacks in plot, it more than makes up for with some of the coolest action sequences of its time.

The other three titles scheduled for release include “King Boxer: Five Fingers of Death” (credited as the movie that started the kung fu avalanche in America), “The One-Armed Swordsman” (best known for introducing one of the most popular characters in Chinese cinema) and “My Young Antie” (a movie that not only featured a kung fu heroine for the first time, but also integrated comedy into the story). While I had never seen any of these three films before they arrived on my doorstep, I was pleasantly surprised to discover just how well they held up to today’s standards of filmmaking. The Shaw Brothers can be likened to Robert Rodriguez in many ways, as they most certainly know how to stretch a budget and produce an entertaining film.

It’s unfortunate that the Weinsteins don’t have current plans to release all four films in a box set, because I can’t imagine anyone that would pass up the chance to purchase them together for a discounted price. Still, for the remastered transfers of the movies alone, there’s not a single self-respecting fan of the genre that won’t at least consider picking these up. The inclusion of audio commentaries by self-proclaimed kung fu fanatics like The RZA, Quentin Tarantino and David Chute certainly helps the case, but it shouldn’t be the main selling point. Then again, if you were never a fan of the late-night kung fu movies that aired on your local cable access channel, but you really enjoyed Tarantino’s two-part homage to the Shaw Brothers catalog of films, this may just be the perfect place to start.

External Movie DVDs, Movie DVDs, Reviews

Feeling blue now that “The Sopranos” is over…

June 11, 2007 /

…and looking for another excuse to have a viewing party at your place?

Look no further.

No, friends, your eyes are not deceiving you. The name of this film is “Cockfight,” and it’s every bit as wonderful as the title would suggest…if, of course, by “wonderful,” you mean “so bad that you can’t look away.”

Please, check out my review – that’s where the above link will send you – but I’ll make a point here that I made there: there’s a new drinking game afoot, my friends, and the rules are simple.

1. Drink every time anyone on the screen utters one of the following words: “cockfight,” “cockfights,” “cockfighter,” or “cockfighting.”
2. Trust me, you don’t need a second rule.

You can offer a prize to whoever’s left standing at the end of the film, if you’d like to entice the invitees who are on the fence, but, ultimately, it’ll be a moot point; you’ll be lucky if anyone makes it to the halfway point without keeling over. If you want to put this game into practice, just click on the box art, and it’ll take you straight to Amazon to order a copy…but, please, for God’s sake, if you actually do have a “Cockfight” party, let me know. Drop me a line at wharris (at) bullz-eye.com. I want details. I’m an old man of 36 who gets a buzz off one glass of wine; I need to live vicariously through you young bucks.

Actors, External Entertainment, External Movie DVDs, External Movies, Movie DVDs, Movies, Reviews

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