Martha Marcy May Marlene Blu-ray Review
“Martha Marcy May Marlene” is a creepy psychological thriller. Continue reading
Little Angels: ABC’s, 123’s, and Animals DVD Reviews
“Little Angels” “ABC’s,” “123’s,” and “Animals” are 3 faith based educational animated discs from Fox. The 3 half-hour specials revolve around two children named Alex and Zoe who are being taught by 8 little angels (Michael, Gabriel, Dina, Ariel, Hayley, Charmeine, Uriel, and Hammy). Along with learning about responsibilities, fears, sharing, work and so forth, the two children learn about the letters of the alphabet (by associating them with Bible phrases ala A is for Angel), numbers (by learning to count with Bible related images such as David and Goliath), and Biblical stories involving animals such as Noah’s Ark and Jonah And The Whale.
Let’s be honest here, “Little Angels” is a very niche product. If you are Christian parents that are looking to teach your children valuable life lessons, Bible stories, the alphabet, and numbers, these 3 discs are absolutely perfect for you. With catchy songs and lively characters, these 3 fast paced specials will not only educate children, but entertain them as well. If you are worried that these specials will fail to grab your child’s attention, don’t be. The animators and writers do not stall for time nor do they waste a single frame. All of the specials are very busy, colorful and filled with songs. In other words, they don’t allow time for a child to get bored.
Video/Audio:
All 3 specials are presented in 1.78:1. For the most part, the 2D animation is satisfactory, but it’s not exactly high quality animation here.
As for the Dolby Digital Stereo audio tracks, the music, voice work, and singing all sounded adequate.
Extras:
* Digital copies for all 3 discs.
* Downloadable activity sheets for children on all 3 discs.
* Sing-along songs for “Easy As ABC,” “G-H-I, Me Oh My,” “Q To The R To The S,” “W-X-Y-Z,” “Goliath Didn’t Like Rock Music,” “Joshua, Get Those Trumpets Blowin’,” “Be Sure To Say Thank You,” “All You Can Eat Fish Dinner,” “Adam Gave Them Names,” “Noah Built An Ark,” “Jonah Was Fish Bait,” and “Pomegranates, Penguins.”
*”Little Lessons With Roma Downey”- The executive producer of these discs chats about the messages in the three specials.
J. Edgar Blu-ray Review
While interesting, “J. Edgar” is one of Clint Eastwood’s lesser films. Continue reading
The Rebound Blu-ray and DVD Reviews
“The Rebound” sat on the shelf in the U.S. for a reason. Continue reading
Doctor Who: The Caves Of Androzani- Special Edition and The Android Invasion DVD Reviews
“The Caves Of Androzani” is an emotional swan song for the 5th Doctor.
“The Android Invasion” is a highlight of the 4th Doctor era. Continue reading
My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic- The Friendship Express DVD Review
The popularity of the latest incarnation of “My Little Pony” is baffling. Continue reading
Sid and Nancy Blu-ray Review
“Sid and Nancy” is a tough film to watch. Easy to admire, but an ordeal to sit through, even after all these years of legendary stories of Sid and the Sex Pistols.
Of course, we all know it established Gary Oldman as arguably one of the greatest character actors of all time (who else could be totally convincing as Sid Vicious, Lee Harvey Oswald and Commissioner Gordon in just one career?). And, for awhile, it convinced legions that Alex Cox was a new generation filmmaker to be reckoned with, adding a punk aesthetic with which to connect with a younger audience. While Cox’s career sort of fizzled (and really, wasn’t his best film “Repo Man?” I mean, come on!), Oldman is the sole reason to revisit “Sid and Nancy” at this point. I mean, the guy disappears into his roles. Throughout the film, he are totally convinced he is the troubled Sex Pistols’ replacement bassist (that’s right…Sid never appeared on the only proper Sex Pistols’ album).
Yet, at good as Oldman is (as well as co-star Chloe Webb, equally good as Sid’s partner-in-crime/victim Nancy Spungen), “Sid and Nancy” is not the type of film one is likely to find entertaining. We watch in wonder, and sometimes revulsion at the action on the screen, and the movie itself is often an excruciating ordeal. In fact, it may be the rock music version of “Schindler’s List.”
This is one of those films that you may admire, which isn’t the same as saying you enjoyed it.
Extras:
For the Love of Punk
Junk Love
Trailer
Police Woman Season 2 DVD Review
Are there really that many people pining for season sets of a show like “Police Woman“?
Sure, Angie Dickenson was hot. Okay, really hot, as displayed in this season two set in a retro sort of way. In addition, her sense of smarts portrayed in this horribly-dated 70’s relic does rank it above the T&A jiggle of later TV dreck like “Charlie’s Angels,” which wouldn’t have existed without this show coming first.
Still, this program is far from classic, and the individual episodes suffer from rote writing and direction. Despite her obvious visual assets, sexy Dickenson alone isn’t enough to lift this potboiler-of-a-program beyond mere nostalgic value to those who may have pined for her before she floored everyone in “Dressed to Kill.”
“Police Woman” is simply further evidence that nearly all of the cop shows that were popular in the 70s have not aged well. Some became retro-cool on cable, or through theatrical remakes, but so far, this isn’t one of them. If you have fond memories of this show, it’s probably because you haven’t sat and actually watched an episode in 30 years.
Rebecca Blu-Ray Review
Rebecca may not be one of Alfred Hitchcock’s most infamous films, but it is arguably one of the more important ones in his long career. It was his first American film, and his work earned him the first of six Oscar nominations for Best Director. He didn’t win, though. In fact, it is still unfathomable that the man many consider to be one of the greatest directors of all time never won an directorial Oscar himself.
The movie itself won the 1940 Best Picture Oscar, the only one of Hitch’s 50+ films to do so. Did it deserve such an award? Arguably not, since both The Philadelphia Story and The Grapes of Wrath, released the same year, were far better pictures. Still, the movie is somewhat of a milestone. Without its critical accolades, who knows if Hitch would have been given the opportunity to helm such later classics as Notorious, north by Northwest, Vertigo or Psycho?
The movie itself isn’t bad at all. In fact, it’s extremely enjoyable and worth multiple viewings, especially for Hitchcock fans. This story of a newlywed woman being haunted by her obsessive husband’s previous wife is a good one, and definitely worthy of the Hitchcock treatment. I just don’t think it ranks right up there with his greatest achievements. Then again, I still champion Rope as his best film, a movie hardly anyone seems to appreciate as much as I do.
Blu-Ray extras:
Commentary by critic Richard Schickel
Music & effects track
The Gothic World of Daphne Du Maurier
Making of Rebecca
Screen tests
Radio plays
Hitchcock interviews
Original trailer
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