Category: Reviews (Page 88 of 120)

With 11 days ’til Christmas, a publicist sent to me…

December 14, 2007 /

…The Munsters’ Scary Little Christmas.

What on earth possessed Universal to suddenly release this 1996 made-for-TV flick onto DVD for this holiday season? I mean, it’s not like they haven’t had a decade’s worth of Christmases to get it out there, and it’s not like the popularity of “The Munsters” has suddenly soared. Well, whatever the reason, it’s here now, so let’s take a look at it, shall we?

As you can probably tell from the cover art, that ain’t Fred Gwynne playing Herman Munster. It’s always a dicey proposition when you take iconic TV characters and recast them – sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t – and this wasn’t Universal’s first attempt to bring back “The Munsters.” Only a year earlier, they’d done a TV movie called “Here Come The Munsters” which featured Edward Herrmann as Herman (yes, the patriarch of the Gilmore family once sported green make-up and neck bolts), Veronica Hamel (“Hill Street Blues”) as Lily, Robert Morse (“Mad Men”) as Grandpa, and Christine Taylor (a.k.a. Mrs. Ben Stiller) as the family black sheep, Marilyn. Presumably, it did pretty well, since it quickly spawned a sequel, but for whatever reason, every single role was re-cast. In “Scary Little Christmas,” Herman’s played by Sam McMurray, who tends to pop up on various sitcoms as the boss who thinks he’s way cooler than he actually is (he played Doug’s supervisor on “The King of Queens” and Chandler’s boss on “Friends”); Lily is now portrayed by Ann Magnuson (“Anything But Love”), Grandpa by Sandy Baron (he was Jack Klompus, the retiree on “Seinfeld” who foolishly told Jerry he could keep his pen), and Marilyn by the crazy-hot Elaine Hendrix, who wears spectacularly short skirts…and wears them well.

Personally, I always preferred “The Addams Family” to “The Munsters.” The latter always drifted way too much into slapstick for my tastes…and, as expected, this flick is very much in keeping with that tradition. There are several storylines running throughout which echo classic material from the original series – Eddie’s depressed, Marilyn’s found a new guy, Grandpa’s having trouble getting an experiment to work right – and they’re interspersed with the holiday-themed plots, including a holiday house decorating contest and, most importantly, Grandpa accidentally bringing Santa and two of his elves into his laboratory. As Grandpa tries to get Santa and his elves back to the North Pole in time to make his rounds, the elves are more interested in going to a bar and partying, while a potion error turns Santa into – scout’s honor – a figgy pudding. The highlights include the inspired casting of Mary Woronov (Miss Togar in “Rock and Roll High School”) as the neighbor who desperately wants to beat the Munsters in the decorating contest, the underutilized plot thread of the Munsters’ Christmas party (every Universal monster you can think of makes a cameo at the party, but the funnier bits come earlier on, when they’re receiving their invitations), and, okay, those short skirts of Marilyn’s really were awesome.

It’s a fair bet that fans of the original series will just cry “blasphemy” and take a pass on this flick, and I can’t really blame them, but most kids will really enjoy it…and, yes, even the little kid in me was entertained enough to feel like it was worth my time to have watched it. Of course, the adult in me probably just kept watching because of Elaine Hendrix, but, c’mon, look deep into those gorgeous eyes and tell me you don’t suddenly feel a burst of Christmas spirit yourself.

Yeah, I know, I could’ve made a far more tasteless joke about feeling one’s Yule log stirring. But I do have some standards, you know.

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With 12 days ’til Christmas, a publicist sent to me…

December 13, 2007 /

…Christmastime in South Park.

No surprise here: when the holidays begin to approach, there’s a sudden influx of Christmas-themed DVD releases which arrive for our perusal, so I figured that Premium Hollywood was as good a place to tackle them as any. Now, everyone knows that there’s a real unfortunate tendency for these things to get really, really schmaltzy…but in the case of “Christmastime in South Park,” which features all seven of the series’ Christmas episodes from 1997 through 2004, that’s decidedly not the case.

I haven’t been a dedicated “South Park” viewer since…hmmm, I’d have to say my regular viewings stopped right around the time I first started dating the woman who would become my wife. Coincidence? Nah, not really. My wife would be the first to tell you that she has limited tolerance for the show; she’s laughed at it on occasion, but as intelligent as the show can be, she just can’t handle the gross-out comedy…and given that the first episode on this disc introduces Mr. Hanky the Christmas Poo, it won’t surprise you that I watched this all by my lonesome.

Each of these episodes have their fair share of laughs, but the legitimate classics definitely come toward the beginning, such as Mr. Hankey’s inaugural appearance, the hilarious visit by the guys to experience a Cartman family Christmas which results in a lovely number from Charlie Manson, and “Mr. Hankey’s Christmas Classics,” which takes a cue from the legendary “Star Wars Holiday Special” (complete with the ridiculously obscure “fighting the frizzies” reference) and presents a variety-show-styled visit with the various citizens of South Park.

As the show continued, however, it’s clear that Matt Parker and Trey Stone wanted to keep doing holiday episodes but weren’t exactly sure what was left to parody, so in 2000, they went after…themselves! Yep, they make fun of the original “South Park” short that they’d made as as a digital Christmas card; unfortunately, however, Comedy Central completely misses the boat by not including that short as a special feature. “Red Sleigh Down” is a return to greatness, however. It’s a brilliant send-up of action flicks, with Santa trying to bring Christmas to Iraq, only to get shot down, captured, and tortured. His savior? Why, Jesus Christ, of course! The following year’s special, “It’s Christmas in Canada,” proved comparatively disappointing, unfortunately; as ever, the shots at Canada are spot-on and hilarious, but as a Christmas episode, it’s rather lacking.

The last episode on the disc, “Woodland Critter Christmas,” is another one of those episodes that, as I was watching it, made me remember exactly why I haven’t watched “South Park” regularly in quite some time. Yes, it’s a genius parody of the cuter-than-cute Christmas specials that are chock full of anthropomorphic animals who celebrate the holidays just like people do, but when it turns out that the animals’ religious beliefs lean toward the dark side – there’s a delightful blood orgy sequence – and the plot involves baby cougars learning how to perform an abortion, all I could think was, “Oh, God, my wife wouldn’t have made it more than five minutes into this.”

Not that I didn’t laugh, you understand. But, uh, yeah, I can kinda see why she has a problem with the show.

In closing, here’s that aforementioned first “South Park” Christmas short, complete with Spanish subtitle for no apparent reason:

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Reality used to be a friend of mine…

December 12, 2007 /

…but with the writer’s strike showing no end in sight and the stockpile of scripted programming slipping a little farther away from us each week, I’m less and less enthused about reality television every day. Not that I was ever all that thrilled with it to begin with, but I’ve occasionally managed to find shows within the genre that I found interesting. The thing is, there’s “interesting,” and then there’s “car wreck TV,” where you know you shouldn’t watch but find you just can’t turn away, and the latter category has produced two particularly notable new entries – one on broadcast TV, one on cable – which make me want to throw my hands in the air and yell, “Sweet Jesus, what is wrong with these people?” And while I can’t entirely recommend them as must-see television, I feel as though I have to give them a shout-out of some sort, if only because they’ve successfully provoked that kind of reaction from me.

Crowned: The Mother of All Pageants (The CW, 12/12, 9:00 PM): A show about a mother-daughter beauty pageant? Yeah, it’s not exactly what you’d call testosterone-laden, so if it makes you feel better, we’ll call it a guilty pleasure straight out of the box…but, c’mon, there are some total babes here. Rather than go the “American Idol” route and show the auditions for the pageant, “Crowned” cuts right to the chase and and simply introduces the eleven duos who’ll be competing for the grand prize of $100,000…and, inevitably, matching tiaras for both mom and daughter. The judges for the show are Carson Kressley (“Queer Eye for the Straight Guy”), Shanna Moakler (“Meet the Barkers”) and Cynthia Garrett (“Later with Cynthia Garrett”), and although they all brings something to the table, it shouldn’t be any surprise that Carson’s comments alone make the show worth watching.

As far as the contestants, it’s a mixed bag of professional beauty queens and total amateurs, and it’s somehow unsurprising to find that the amateurs come off as way less obnoxious, mostly because they don’t walk in with that “I’ve won pageants, and these peasants know nothing!” attitude. (To be fair, though, looking at the decidedly eccentric Pamela and Felicia, you sense that they were added to the mix not because they were a breath of fresh air but, rather, because they’d be good for a laugh.) The different personalities of the contestants come into play not just during the competition but within the big house everyone lives in together; there’s much sneering back and forth, from early in the morning (one daughter decides to practice her singing at the crack of dawn) to mealtime (one mother refuses to eat anything but what she’s brought from home). Based on the pre-air screener I checked out, I’m hoping that they tone down the unabashedly melancholy strings which play during the various interview segments. It’s at its worst whenever Melinda and Rachelle appear on the screen. Melinda, you see, had a kidney transplant a few years ago, and she never fails to bring it up as a reason why she’s so excited about doing this pageant; that’s understandable, but the way the show’s producers are trying to kickstart the viewers’ tear ducts is so over the top that it’s laughable.

Watching the sequences where the women choose their team names and select their costumes are entertaining enough, but it’s when they make their individual debuts before the judges that the real fun begins…and by fun, of course, I mean it’s time to yell, “Sweet Jesus, what is wrong with these people?” Probably the funniest moment comes when Carson reveals to one mother-daughter pair that the name they’ve chosen is actually better known as a euphemism for a bodily function…which, based on their absolute deer-in-headlights look, absolutely never occurred to them. There are a few charming moments which inspire legitimate smiles, and at least one instance where you’ll end up in a puddle on the floor when an introduction falls apart to the point where the daughter starts crying on stage, but for the most part, it’s more about the laughs than anything.

Hey, as Shanna Moakler herself has said, “It’s reality TV, it’s not rocket science.”

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External Entertainment, External TV, Reality TV, Reviews

Bullz-Eye’s 2007 Year End TV Review

December 9, 2007 /

Given that the TV season generally runs from September to May, it always feels a little strange doing a year-end wrap-up of the best in television, since you end up bringing in bits and pieces from two separate seasons. Still, between the second half of the 2006 – 2007 season and the first half of the 2007 – 2008 season, we’ve certainly been given plenty of material to work with. Six of our most prolific TV writers have provided their opinions of both the best and the worst that the small screen has had to offer, and while they do occasionally concur on a show, it’s a safe bet that no two people on the Bullz-Eye staff have identical season pass lists on TiVo.

Head over to the homepage by clicking here, but don’t forget to swing back by to offer your own opinions!

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Heroes 2.11 – The End…For Now.

December 3, 2007 /

Tonight’s half-season finale – that’s as good a name for it as any, don’t you think? – was pretty impressive for the most part, providing plenty of reasons to continue tuning in whenever the second half of the season finally emerges.

The intertwined Peter / Adam / Hiro / Nathan / Parkman storylines proved to be the most effective of the episode. I still think it’s ridiculous that Peter wouldn’t give Hiro the benefit of the doubt about Adam, but their battle / discussion played well nonetheless, particularly the way it was capped off by Adam’s line as he swiped his sword back from the unconscious Hiro (“I believe this is mine, carp”). Actually, it was a night of great lines, what with Parkman’s comment after Nathan’s landing (“We don’t talk about that ever again”) and Nathan’s matter-of-fact reaction to Parkman’s revelation that he’d gotten advice from Mama Petrelli (“Listening to my mother has never led to anything good”). The twin-pronged attack from Peter and Adam as they walked down the hallway was pretty bad-ass, and the showdown between Adam and Hiro was well done as well; certainly, Adam’s final fate confirmed conclusively that it’s not wise to fuck with Hiro Nakamura. After those two made their departure, I really couldn’t believe that between Peter, Nathan, and Parkman, none of them noticed the blinking red light in the ventilation shaft. I was thinking that the collection of clips which aired over Nathan’s speech was the kind of thing that should’ve been used as a trailer for the Season 2 DVD, which left me completely blindsided by his assassination. I wasn’t all that shocked to find that Mama was behind her son’s death, given that she’d already “told” Parkman that he’d probably end up having to put a bullet through Peter’s head, but it was still a rough revelation.

As it has been throughout the season, the Micah / Monica subplot remained mostly tangential to everything else going on around it. I’m digging the way they’re finally delving deeper into Micah’s powers, and Nikki was actually pretty kick ass in her big scene saving Monica, but, obviously, the big moment with Nikki’s apparent demise in that huge fireball. I don’t really think she’s dead, but I reckon we’ll find out eventually.

The Mohinder / Molly / Maya / Sylar storyline only played out about halfway how I figured it would; I knew Maya would eventually figure out that Sylar had killed her brother (although, admittedly, it didn’t occur to me that Molly would play into the revelation) and that there’d be a big showdown over it. There were still a few surprises here and there, though. I loved Mohinder’s look after Maya let slip that Sylar didn’t have his powers, even if it totally telegraphed that he was about to do something like, say, grab for a knife. Sylar’s line, “Now look what you made me do,” was brilliant. My favorite part was Elle’s entrance into the fray. Earlier in the episode, she’d gotten that total smackdown from Bob. “When I think about all the hard work I put into raising you…” Ouch. (And, yet, how can you not love the guy after seeing that picture of him in fishing hat and waders, holding up his prize catch?) The battle between her and Sylar was good fun, as was her look when Mohinder assured her that she had indeed been helpful to them. Again, I say it: I love Kristen Bell. And I’m PSYCHED that both she and Bob made it out of the half-season alive.

Ultimately, I was least excited about the HRG / Claire / Wes saga. I’ve just become less and less enamored of Claire this season, and when she went into whiny bitch mode with Wes, I pretty much tuned out. I feel like HRG’s teaming with Bob is gonna prove to be the equivalent of selling one’s soul to the devil, though, so I am interested in seeing how that pans out.

Here’s my closing question: who would you say was the second of the two deaths that we were promised? Was it Maya, since she was pretty much dead after Sylar shot her, only to be brought back via the blood transfusion? Or was it Nikki? I’m leaning toward the former; that’s just the kind of trick you’d expect from the “Heroes” team.

So 2008 will bring us more “Heroes,” or so promised NBC at the end of the episode. Yes, but when in 2008? Well, as long as Sylar’s gonna have his powers back, we’ll be there…whenever it is.

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