Family Guy, Volume Seven

Written by Fumo Verde

To be honest here, I have just gotten into this show a little over nine months ago, before then I tried but it never seemed to click. It took a few episodes, along with the Trix Rabbit pulling some Bruce Lee moves to get some cereal, to get to really see the genius behind the drawings. I’m not yet a regular viewer so getting a chance to review this three-disc set was an offer I couldn’t pass up. I have to admit there are still times when I find myself wondering about the joke that just passed over my head, but there are those rare moments that send me into a roar with tears pouring out of my eyes while my stomach hurts from laughing so hard I can’t breath.

Such was the episode where Chris met the cute girl at the vet. Two scenes stick out for me right off the bat. One is where Peter tries to cheer Chris up since his girl dumped him by buying him a frog. Instead of putting holes in the shoebox Peter put them in the frog, hence it was dead and this is where I lost it. The dead frog drops out of the box and Peter attempts to pick it up and throw it out the window without touching it with his hands. Using the box and its lid, he scoops and scoops yet the limp dead frog just won’t go back in the box. I, like others, have tried to get rid of a dead something while keeping it as far from our bodies as possible. The second scene in this same episode that got me howling happens as Peter and Chris sit in an out door café. Peter states, “I don’t know where your blind date is Chris. She answered the ad,” while Stewie enters dressed like a teenage girl. His reaction is a quick, “Oh no,” as he slips off the way he came. My sides are still aching from that one.

Fans who have already seen the episodes will be looking for the extras, like the deleted scenes of the Jewish Waltons or how Lois teaches Chris about the birds and the bees with the help of a turkey and a turkey baster. The visual made Brian’s mouth drop while Stewie wonders why the baster has to go into the dirty turkey. Again, some scenes I got and others went over my head. Another special feature is where the director speaks along with some of the crew. Three shows offer this: “Love Basically,” “Long John Peter,” and “The Man with Two Brians.” Other special features are the song “Take Me Out to Place Tonight” and how it came to be, and Frank Sinatra, Jr. even tells his part of this story.

For the true fans you will not be disappointed because even a clownshoe such as I, found myself laughing more often than not and repeating these little stories to others, like people did to me before I started watching. Some will say this show steals from The Simpsons, another show I never got into, but from what I have seen from both shows The Simpsons brushes up to the line, but Family Guy goes over that line and sometimes beyond. Seth MacFarlane is a genius and the team he has put together are true professionals. This chemistry brings out one of the smartest shows on television right now, and for a guy like me who is just getting into it, I’m glad I gave it another chance.

ER - The Complete Eleventh Season

Written by Senora Bicho

ER ended its 15-year run in April 2009. I was a huge fan from the initial episode but lost interest after several key characters left the show. It just wasn’t the same without George Clooney, Anthony Edwards, and Eriq La Salle. Season 11 aired from 2004-1005 and saw a drop in the ratings from #8 to #16. While not stellar in the ratings, it did offer pivotal storylines, great acting, and intense drama.

Abby Lockheart (Maura Tierney) is forced to make the transition from nurse to doctor quickly after earning her M.D. at the end of Season 10. Neela Kaur Rasgotra (Parminder Nagra) is also a new graduate. She turned down an internship at the hospital due to an identity crisis. Dr. Susan Lewis (Sherry Stringfield) recently promoted to Chief of Emergency Medicine convinces her to come back. Dr. John Carter (Noah Wyle) and his girlfriend Kem (Thandie Newton) are struggling to stay together after the death of their baby. Dr. Luka Kova? (Goran Visnjic) chases after girlfriend Nurse Samantha Taggart (Linda Cardellini) and her son who is on the run from her ex-husband. He manages to talk her into coming back and they eventually move in together. This season provides plenty of ups and downs for all of the characters along with challenging and profoundly influential patients.

In addition to all of the drama, there are some major casting changes. Shane West from Once and Again and A Walk to Remember joins the cast as Dr. Ray Barnett, an intern by day and rock star by night. Dr. Michael Gallant (Sharif Atkins) who left the series after three seasons for a tour of duty in Iraq makes a short return. Dr. Elizabeth Corday (Alex Kingston) and Dr. Jing-Mei Chen (Ming-Na) leave the show after eight and six seasons, respectively. The biggest and most impactful change is the farewell of original cast member Wyle in the finale.

The season had a number of well-known guest stars. Ray Liotta won an Emmy for his role as Charlie Metcalf in “Time of Death,” a unique and enthralling episode that involves no side plots and takes place in real time. Gorgeous Mädchen Amick appears in ten episodes as a love interest for Carter. Red Buttons reprises his role for the fifth and final time as Jules 'Ruby' Rubadoux in “Ruby Redux” while Danny Glover begins his recurring role as Charlie Pratt Sr., Dr. Greg Pratt’s (Mekhi Phifer) estranged father. In the fascinating and creative “Alone in a Crowd,” Cynthia Nixon plays a stroke victim that can still think clearly but is unable to communicate.

The DVD collection includes all 22 episodes. The only extra feature is deleted scenes labeled as “Outpatient Outtakes,” available altogether or per episode.

Watching Season 11 rekindled my appreciation of the series and makes other medical dramas, such as Grey’s Anatomy, pale in comparison. If you were ever a fan of the show and missed out on all this season has to offer when it originally aired, I suggest you fake an injury and spend sometime in the ER.

THRILLA IN MANILA

Written by Hombre Divertido

In the twentieth century there was no single title in sports more coveted than that of Heavyweight Champion of the World, and two of the greatest fighters to hold that title were Smokin’ Joe Frazier and Muhammad Ali. These amazing athletes fought a trilogy of fights that are arguably three of the best of all time. The third was titled the Thrilla in Manila and is chronicled in a Time Life Entertainment single-disc release that hit shelves on June 2nd.

With Mixed Martial Arts rapidly growing in popularity, boxing slowly continues to lose fans as the stars of the sport become harder and harder to market simply due to a lack of recognition. Though MMA is producing stars, it has yet to produce a rivalry that even comes close to that of Ali/Frazier.

This 110-minute documentary covers the history between these two great men, but the title is misleading as this is Frazier’s story. Though certainly informative and entertaining, the story certainly paints Frazier as the victim, and Ali as the bully. Input from Ali in the form of footage, interviews, or comments from anyone in his camp are sorely lacking, with the exception of Ali’s corner man and former boxing analyst Ferdie Pacheco. Unfortunately, Pacheco’s comments are so poorly communicated that they actually add weight to the case made by Frazier, his family, and supporters. When watching this endeavor, one cannot help but question some of the allegations simply due to a lack of an even perspective.

Perspective is not the only thing lacking from this documentary. Producers attempts to give the final product an urban feel worthy of the era and the streets from whence Joe Frazier stems result in what simply appears to be poor production value. Footage from the first two fights, that were included when the documentary aired on HBO, are now replaced with still photos, and the overall feel of the documentary is that of something thrown together to reap profit for those in need. The bonus material adds to the hodgepodge as the numerous additions, though informative from a boxing and human interest perspective, have little or nothing to do with the Thrilla in Manila.

The absence of Howard Cosell’s involvement, not only in this legendary fight, but also in boxing of the era, and in the careers of Ali and Frazier may be the most significant absence.

Joe Frazier was a great fighter and a classy, all-business champion, who certainly may have deserved better than he got. Muhammad Ali too was a great fighter and champion, but was also a sports-marketing genius who was well ahead of his time. Many things can be said about Ali’s antics outside of the ring as well as his religious and political choices, but few could argue that he did more to make the business of boxing successful than anyone in history.

Recommendation: These two men were amazing athletes who did indeed participate in one of the most legendary battles in the history of pugilism. The Thrilla in Manila certainly provides insight into this historic event, and is a worthwhile investment of time for both fan and non-fan alike, but it may leave you with a bad taste in your mouth as you long for not only the other side of the story, but an impartial perspective as well.

Eastbound & Down - The Complete First Season

Written by Musgo Del Jefe

Ben Best, Jody Hill, and Danny McBride have managed to do something that doesn't happen often enough with TV shows: they've pleasantly surprised me. The creators of the relatively unknown Foot Fist Way put together what is essentially a film divided into six episodes for HBO. In fact, the episodes are only numbered, instead of titled, lending itself to more continuous storytelling. Each episode picks up right at the end of the previous one.

The first episode covers quite a bit of ground in the first three minutes. But that's part of its brilliance. Danny McBride plays Kenny Powers. The Kenny Powers story follows just enough of some real-life characters that viewers can fill in the details. Kenny is in large part former Atlanta Brave John Rocker and bits of other baseball and sports jerks (including a nice homage to the Kenny Rogers incident with a cameraman in Texas). Kenny's career tops out at the very beginning with his 100-mph fastball as he helps his team clinch the World Series. What transpires over the next couple minutes of the opening montage is his fall from grace in the baseball world until he is with Seattle (the horror!) and can't throw out of the 80s. Eventually we see him stooping to moving in with his brother and subbing at the local high school.

The title of the series, Eastbound & Down brings to mind the Smokey and the Bandit films. But more importantly, it doesn't have anything to do with baseball or teaching Physical Education at the high school. I think that naming it anything to do with sports would have needlessly painted this story into a corner. The title tells you nothing and allows the characters to go in any direction without the viewer feeling cheated. The pilot episode is the weakest of the six episodes. Even with the simple set-up montage, there are lots of stories to introduce and it feels like they are cramming a lot of information into each scene. The story has to introduce Kenny, his brother, his high-school girlfriend who now works at the high school, the principal (who's engaged to his old girlfriend), Stevie (a teacher who idolizes Kenny), and other North Carolina friends. The characters are all cliche to begin. The story starts off all about Kenny (who's all about himself) and the supporting cast seems very thinly drawn.

At least until the writers hit their stride in the second episode. So many things happen in this episode that set in motion events that will lead us straight into Season Two (announced in April). The first is one of my favorite storytelling devices in recent memory. Kenny likes to listen to the book-on-tape of the book he wrote during his playing days, "I'm F---ing In, You're F---ing Out". This device serves to show how shallow and self-absorbed Kenny is but it also serves as a kind of narration for the episodes. The viewer can contrast the "old Kenny" against the "new Kenny".

The first two episodes continue to build up the foul-mouthed and self-centered personality. The Kenny Powers of the first episode and a half borders on unlikable. But then something starts to turn. Kenny is still in love with his high-school sweetheart April. His character being completely adolescent makes this seem even more like a teenage crush. And somehow it's endearing. Kenny is oblivious to the fact that she's engaged to his boss, the principal. But there's one thing that can always redeem a jerk. A bigger jerk. And that jerk is played by Will Ferrell as Ashley Schaefer, the owner of Schaefer Motors (the biggest car lot in town). Ferrell is made for this role because it requires overacting to the hilt. Ashley treats Kenny as a commodity and Kenny doesn't understand this either. In the second episode, Kenny refuses to throw a fastball at Schaefer Motors for Ashley. This self-doubt at his abilities and his comeback makes him vulnerable too.

The third episode marks what should be the second act of the film and it really feels like the story is taking over. Kenny has found the beginning of an unlikely friendship with Stevie and Kenny has started his training for his "comeback". Unfortunately the training involves a poorly edited video by Stevie and a healthy dose of steroids for Kenny. The fourth episode branches the story out just a bit further. We see more of the supporting cast here, including a good deal of April and her fiance, Terrance (the principal). They are having a BBQ that Kenny finds a way to get himself invited to. The BBQ ends up being the fulcrum of the series. All the relationships change in the course of this episode. Stevie becomes more and more like Kenny. Kenny and April have a "premature" start to their relationship. And Terrance and April will split partially because of this. But once again, despite his arrogance and terrible treatment of others, Kenny can get his feelings hurt so easily over April. These vulnerable moments are climaxed with Kenny out of gas in the middle of a lake on his jet ski. The episode ends with the end of his book-on-tape representing Kenny's total loss of confidence - the one thing he never seemed to lack.

The third act starts a new book-on-tape. After Kenny's "moment of clarity" in the previous episode, things start to turn around. Once again, it's the Will Ferrell character, Ashley Schaeffer who gets it rolling. The same guy that started to break Kenny down will be indirectly responsible for building him back up. Ashley sets up a pitching/batting contest with Kenny's nemesis from his playing days. Kenny is able to survive the showdown in a clever nod to The Natural, get the girl and by winning the girl, get his fastball back. Now our hero, you'll actually feel yourself rooting for this jerk by the fifth episode, has everything back again. In the sixth episode, he's on his way back to the major leagues. But unlike other TV shows, Kenny doesn't learn any lessons from his fall. In fact, Kenny comes full circle to the character we knew at the beginning. The season ends as Kenny leaves with April to pursue his dream. Or does he?

I found lots to like in this first season. The six-episode arc works well for the first time around and I'm glad it wasn't 12-15 episodes. There's a flow to the story in essentially three hours of show. Kenny is portrayed as a character with no redeeming qualities. And yet we see them through the show. Kenny doesn't seem to deserve redemption and yet the viewer can't help but cheer for it to happen. The writing here is above par for the type of show that it appears to be on the surface. It's easy to create an arrogant jerk; it's much harder to make us like the arrogant jerk. The closest I can come to this in current pop culture is either Curb Your Enthusiasm or the British version of The Office. By the time The Office came to America, Michael Scott became much less of a jerk and more of a likable buffoon. Kudos also to HBO for sticking with this beyond the essentially weak pilot episode.

The DVD release contains enough bonuses to make up for the unusually short season. There are the usual "Making Of" shorts, including "Stevie's Dark Secret" - a deleted scene that's disturbing and a must-see; commercials for Schaeffer Motors; and audio commentaries by the creators for three episodes.

I look forward to the return of Kenny in Season Two. They've created a fun ensemble of characters with lots of directions to go. And Kenny is still not a redeemed character. But we love him for it. As he says, "I'm a bulletproof tiger, man."

Tom and Jerry - Chuck Jones Collection

Written by Musgo Del Jefe

Tom and Jerry - Chuck Jones Collection is another case of pop culture perfect timing. Tom and Jerry, created in 1940, already had 114 shorts (and seven Oscars for Best Short Subject) under their belt from creators Hanna-Barbera when MGM closed their animation studios in 1957. From 1960 - 1962, a Czech-based company picked up the series for only 13 shorts. The director, Gene Deitch hadn't seen many of the previous cartoons and didn't have an understanding of the series. After the bizarre episodes from Eastern Europe, MGM was looking for another studio to take over their beloved franchise.

Chuck Jones started with Warner Bros. Animation in the mid-1930s working with Tex Avery (who would do some of his own best work at MGM from 1942 to 1952). His first stint as a director was "The Night Watchman" featuring a cat that would later become Sniffles the Mouse. Chuck and his team would work on some of the best known cartoons for characters like Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, and his own characters - realizing his best work from the late '40s through the early '50s. He's best regarded for his work on the Coyote and Road Runner cartoons in this period. But much like MGM, Warner Bros. was forced to cut their Animation Department in 1962.

MGM wanted someone to take over the Tom and Jerry cartoons, and Chuck Jones had just started his Sib Tower 12 Productions. He brought with him most of the key members of his team from Warner Bros. including brilliant writer and director Michael Maltese and genius set designer Maurice Noble among others. The 34 shorts they would produce between 1963 and 1967 are included on this newly remastered two-disc set.

In many ways, the Tom and Jerry cartoons on this set represent a continuation of the creative work that was going on at the end of the Warner-era. But they also show the transformation that would lead to The Phantom Tollbooth, How The Grinch Stole Christmas (1966), and Horton Hears A Who! (1970). Tom and Jerry have survived the decades because of their adaptability. There are many types of stories that can come out of the cat-and-mouse dynamic. Chuck Jones keeps the stories fresh by continually changing the settings and plots. With no set rules, Tom can be the aggressor or the victim in the chase. Jerry can be the one being chased or he can just get in the way of Tom trying to chase another animal. Chuck's experiences from Warner Bros. color the characterizations and stories here - many feel like extensions of the Road Runner and Coyote shorts he did earlier. But there are also traces of Bugs Bunny ("The Cat Above, The Mouse Below" is essentially a retelling of the Bugs Bunny short with the opera singer, "Long-Haired Hare"), Sylvester and Tweety, the Tasmanian Devil, and even the Speedy Gonzales shorts.

Here are a few of the highlights:

"Is There A Doctor In The Mouse" - This familiar retelling of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde that quickly devolves into a Road Runner and Coyote type of episode. This theme is very common for the first few shorts. Tom is usually trying to set a trap for Jerry that ends up backfiring on him. This short is remarkable in that you start to see facial expression on Tom that will make him look more and more like The Grinch as the series progresses. I love the clever use of sizes here. The Jekyll and Hyde bit lets Jones use all the different combinations of big/small cats and big/small mice.

Some of these shorts will feel repetitive. Both "Pent House Mouse" and "Bad Day at Cat Rock" take place on a construction site. "Ah Sweet Mouse - Story Of Life" and "Tom-ic Energy" both are set in a high rise building. Remember, these were theatrical shorts, so they were not being viewed like we are seeing them today. The moviegoer may not see every MGM film release and would miss some of these or see them over the span of months.

"Snowbody Loves Me" - This is the first short where I realized the quality of the music in these shorts. Being made for the theaters, the music is worthy of both the swinging time of the mid-'60s and of the MGM films that it would be playing in front of. This short is set in the snow with a frozen Jerry wanting cheese inside the warm house. And the reversal with Tom. When we see Tom going down the chimney, it is a direct antecedent of what will be The Grinch's trip down a chimney a few years later.

"The Brothers Carry-Mouse Off" - About a third of the way through the shorts and Jerry starts to get a little more malicious in these episodes. This has the feel of the later Speedy Gonzales and Daffy Duck shorts at Warners. But what really comes to mind are the "Itchy and Scratchy" shorts from "The Simpsons". Here, Tom gets deformed, flattened, and elongated throughout. That's almost a trademark of these Tom and Jerry cartoons from Chuck Jones, the characters are almost always getting deformed by explosions or heavy things falling on them.

"I'm Just Wild About Jerry" - I consider this the high point of the shorts on these discs. In six and a half minutes, Jones and Maltese tell a complete story that surprises and delights. The cartoon has a city setting with beautiful backgrounds by Maurice Noble and a properly film noir-ish jazzy soundtrack. At the end of a chase behind the credits, Tom is drawn out onto the train tracks and hit by a train. The short continues with each getting the better of each other. Even Jerry takes his lumps from Tom. Just when you think you know how the gags are going, then they start to have them backfire on the characters and blow themselves up. The long chase continues through a department store and eventually back into the city ending on a train track again with a train approaching. But this time, Jerry switches the track and the train avoids the cat. It's a simple twist and yet the story feels complete. Rarely do short subject cartoons have the pure physical humor of this short along with the classic storytelling and heart at the end.

"The Year Of The Mouse" - Here's the complete reversal of the series. In this and the following "The Cat's Me-Ouch", Tom will be the one terrorized by Jerry. Tom easily becomes a sympathetic character. In the first, Jerry works with another mouse to continually hurt Tom. In the second, Jerry gets a "tiny" dog who, like the Tasmanian Devil, will eat up Tom for multiple shorts.

The last third of the shorts start to show a lack of budget. There are two episodes "Matinee Mouse" and "Shutter Bugged Cat" that recycle footage from old Hanna-Barbera shorts. Three of the later shorts are set in space (a nod I'm sure to the Apollo missions) but their plots are all similar - including robot versions of both cat and mouse - and there is exact footage shared in all three.

"Cannery Rodent" is the last of the shorts to actually be directed by Chuck Jones. It's also the last in the series to really play with the conventions of the cat-and-mouse story. Set at a cannery, Tom ends up dealing with a very angry purple shark (the same shark will later be blue during "Surf-Bored Cat"). The episode has nice pacing as Tom has to balance chasing Jerry with being chased himself by the shark. It surprisingly ends with Jerry stepping in to save Tom from the shark. Both Tom and Jerry break the fourth wall by looking at the camera in the last sequence as both debate their good deeds towards each other versus ultimately going back to being enemies. There is only one answer to that question, but it's fun again to see Chuck Jones deal with it in a unique manner.

Money for such theatrical animation would run out again at MGM and Chuck Jones was already moving in a different direction creatively. These 34 shorts are a fun document of those times. And a worthy addition to any basic animation collection. There are two new special features on the disc. Both are great insights into the times and the creative mind of Chuck Jones - "Tom and Jerry . . . and Chuck" and "Chuck Jones: Memories Of A Childhood"

Stargate Atlantis: The Complete Fifth Season

Written by Pirata Hermosa

While the final season of Stargate Atlantis may have come to a conclusion, the final story has not been written for the crew of Earth’s most famous and mythical city, Atlantis. Having reached the all-important fifth season where the show can reach its full syndication potential, it can now be spun off into films released on DVD as to take advantage of a fanbase now forced to pay for something that they once received for free.

The Sci-Fi Channel, which originally aired the series, has always been known for cutting shows too soon, but after watching the final season, they may have done it just at the right time. The show may have survived a change in command from Dr. Elizabeth Weir (Michelle Morgan) to Colonel Samantha Carter (Amanda Tapping), and the loss of Dr. Carson Beckett (Paul McGillion) and his replacement by Dr. Jennifer Keller (Jewell Staite), but season five starts with a change in command once again.

Richard Woolsey (Robert Picardo), who was once a major opponent of the Stargate project, has now taken over for the Colonel after only one year of command. It is surprising that a show can withstand so many character changes, but it’s a sign that the other various behind-the-scenes issues might be affecting the show.

Two other indications that the show may have run its course show up in the episodes “Inquisition” and “Remnants.” “Inquisition” is nothing more than a typical clip show. The Atlantis team is abducted by a council that puts them on trial for everything that they have done during their five-year stay in the Pegasus galaxy. Not only is this type of episode incredibly boring, but it’s been done many times before. “Remnants” is almost as bad as a clip show, but without the clips. This is the equally boring performance-review episode where Woolsey must justify all of his command decisions to some appointed overseer who will evaluate him and decide whether or not he is fit to command. It is somewhat ironic, since Woolsey is the one who evaluated the original Stargate team, SG-1, in the previous TV series. Thankfully, there is a secondary storyline that is more interesting than the main plot.

Even with a few weak episodes mixed in with the regular season, the episodes still work. After seeing a group of characters evolve over five seasons, they become familiar. The characters grow and just their basic interactions with one another are fascinating and entertaining. It’s good that the cast and crew knew that this was going to be the final season. Unlike many other cancelled shows, Atlantis was given plenty of time to tie up a lot of storylines.

The love triangle between Dr. Rodney McKay (David Hewlett), Dr. Jennifer Keller, and Ronon Dax (Jason Momoa) is resolved in “Brainstorm,” an episode where the two doctors return to Earth for a conference on global warming presented by Rodney’s rival Malcolm Tunney (Dave Foley). Of course, things go horribly wrong, bringing the two closer and resulting in Jennifer making a last-minute confession of her feelings.

In “Prodigal,” Michael Kenmore (Connor Trinneer) invades the city of Atlantis in his final attempt at capturing Teyla Emmagan’s (Rachel Luttrell) son in order to use his human/wraith hybrid blood to change the evolution of the wraith. While originally a single-episode character, Michael transformed into a reoccurring villain that Teyla deals with in a very conclusive way.

In the series finale, “Enemy at the Gate,” the biggest loose thread is tied up. Todd the Wraith (Christopher Heyerdahl), who has had a strange parasitic relationship with the Atlantis crew over the last couple of seasons, appears with a new proposition and request for assistance. Originally, the plan is to stop his mutinous crew from increasing their power using stolen Z.P.M.s, but it quickly turns into a race for the survival of Earth as its location is revealed and a newly modified wraith hive ship races to destroy it.

Most of the threads have been tied up by the end of the series, but Todd is still alive, Lieutenant Aiden Ford (Rainbow Francks) is still on the loose and hooked on the wraith enzyme, and somebody has to make a decision on what to do with Atlantis. There are plenty of options for the story to continue in future feature films, but for a new Stargate TV series you only need to wait until the fall when Stargate Universe is expected to premiere.

The DVD has 20 episodes on five discs and contains the following Special Features:

Audio Commentary by Directors, Producers, and Stars - It’s always nice to learn about the creative artistry that goes into filming an episode.

Mission Directive Featurettes - There are many of these for season five, but my favorite one is “The Life and Death of Michael Kenmore.” It’s an overview on the character of Michael from his birth to his final moments, discussing his character evolution and why he is likeable even though he ultimately becomes a villain. I also enjoyed the featurette on “Brainstorm,” because the very entertaining Martin Gero hosts it. He also wrote and directed the episode.

Deleted Scenes - I’m not a big fan of deleted scenes because they are generally pretty dry, and not completely finished. On this DVD set they are all clumped together on a couple of the discs and it’s difficult to remember where they actually fit into the episodes. I’d rather they put them after the ending credits of each individual episode so you’d at least remember what context they were originally created for.

Photo & Design Galleries - Lots of still photos from episodes and general designs used in the series.

INKHEART (Blu-ray)

Written by Senora Bicho

Silvertongues are those who have the amazing ability to read a book out loud and have the characters come to life. Mo Folchart (Brendan Fraser) was unaware that he had this amazing ability when he began reading to his baby daughter. Twelve years later, Mo, a book buyer, is visiting an old bookshop and finds a book that he has long been searching for, Inkheart. When leaving the store, Mo in intercepted by Dustfinger (Paul Bettany) who is seeking his help and warns him that people are looking for him to make him read out loud. Mo takes his daughter Meggie (Eliza Bennett) to eccentric great-aunt Elinor’s (Helen Mirren) home in an attempt to elude his captors.

The hooligans don’t take long in tracking them and taking them prisoner. While jailed, Mo explains his gift to Meggie and Elinor. He tells them how he brought the captors to life by reading Inkheart aloud and that when they came out, Meggie’s mother, Teresa (Sienna Guillory), went in. One of the villains, Capricorn (Andy Serkis), intends to keep Mo enslaved so he bring to life anything that he desires. Dustfinger helps Mo, Meggie, and Elinor escape so that Mo can put him back into the book to return to his family. The adventure continues as the group tries to stop Capricorn and save Teresa.

Based on Cornelia Funke’s bestseller, Inkheart is a surprisingly fun action adventure that offers an original story and interesting characters. The movie includes a great cast with Fraser, Bettany, Mirren, and the always-good Jim Broadbent leading the way. Young Bennett is also delightful and holds her own while working with these acting greats.

The video is presented in 1080p High Definition with an aspect ration of 2.4:1. The film uses a limited color palette frequent use of blacks, particularly with the bad guys, that blend together in low light situations. Textures seen in the foreground are clear, but their sharpness falls away in the background. The establishing shots in the mountains become a blur of colors. One problem comes from the poor choice by the costumer to give Fraser a corduroy jacket. When it stays on screen too long in the same shot and position, it causes a slight bit of aliasing.

The audio defaults to Dolby Digital English 5.1, but is also available as Dolby TrueHD English 5.1 as well. It is mixed rather low, and requires the volume cranked up to hear the dialogue. There is minimal surround, mainly just music with a little bit of ambiance, such as the whispers from the books. The front speakers do a good job of placement, such as a train passing by or characters shooting flames on different sides of a hallway. The subwoofer stands out during the Shadow’s appearance at the climactic battle.

The special feature offering is a bit sparse but what is included is worth watching. “A Story from the Cast and Crew” introduces the game “Tell Me a Story” that viewers can later play with friends and family. Funke starts the game by providing the first sentence of a story, the members of the cast and crew then each adds a sentence to complete the tale. “From Imagination to the Page: How Writers Write” gives Funke the opportunity to discuss the inspiration behind Inkheart. “Eliza Read to Us” is a passage from the book not in the movie read by Bennett and illustrated by Funke. There are also deleted scenes. A second disc offers a digital copy and a DVD version.

This is one of the best family films that I have seen in a long time. After making the huge mistake of taking my nephew to The Taking of Pelham 123, it was nice to watch a wholesome movie that provides exciting action with no blood, gore or cursing. It is sentimental without being overly sappy and has a story that will entertain children and adults. If you didn’t get a chance to see it while it was in theaters, make a date with your family to enjoy it now.

THE BIBLE UNEARTHED

Written by Fumo Verde

As one who doesn’t believe in a god you would think I was sitting here with pen in hand taking notes and gearing up to trash whatever was presented to me on this DVD. Well, you’re wrong, and I’ll tell you why with one simple word, truth. This archeological documentary isn’t trying to prove that what is written in the Bible is pure fact; it actually investigates how this book came to be and the history behind it.

Biblical archeologists and scholars piece together artifacts along with the written word not to defame the book but to get a clearer understanding. Like Homer’s Iliad or the writings of Tacitus the Roman historian, the Bible has historical facts, but how much is true and how much is embellished is hard to decipher. Israel Finkelstein and Neil Silberman roam through the past from Megiddo to Jerusalem to the museums of today to seek artifacts that help put this mysterious puzzle together. Along with others scholars who have studied the people of the past, they assist in unearthing the stories that have come together and created the text know as the Bible.

Piecing together the past is like wandering through a dark cave with a cheap lighter, but with each spark the writing on the walls begins to tell the story. The journey begins with the most important biblical site in Israel, Megiddo, which is still being excavated today. Here, Finkelstein checks the written record with the record written in stone. Layers of rocks hide a city built upon a city which was built upon another city and so forth. Beneath all the dirt and rock are artifacts such as tools, pottery, and clay tablets with the primitive form of writing. These objects tell the tale of life and how it was lived at the time period for each successive city. This is where fact and the embellishments there of, collide.

One example of this collision would be the journey of Abraham from the city of Haram to Canaan. There is no question to the fact that Abraham parted from his people and ended up in Canaan, but is it plausible he came out of Mesopotamia? To research this, Neil Silberman transverses history by reading the clay tablets, which along with the artifacts mentioned before, bring into existence a broader view of what actually was happening. From what records show migration at the time of Abraham came out of Canaan and into Mesopotamia.

Another example of this collision is Moses and the Exodus. It is true that Egypt conquered the people of Israel for it was recorded on a large stone tablet with all of Egypt’s other conquests of the time, but it is the only mentioning of the Israelites in the whole of Egypt’s written history. This is odd because Egypt only mentions Israel once where the Bible mentions Egypt about seven hundred times. Though the Bible’s timeline or what scholars consider to be the biblical timeline, may be off by a century this doesn’t mean the exodus didn’t occur, but here is where embellishments comes into play. The biblical account says 600,000 weapon-bearing men left Egypt and if you include women and children and older men, scholars translate this to being about two million people. At this time Egypt only had three and a half million people in country, so one would think two million of them just leaving would result in a huge down turn economically and socially, disrupting the Egyptian Empire drastically. Yet there is no evidence outside of the Bible to show this. Scholars know a lot about this time period and so to not even see a blip on the radar from any other cultures written record is very odd.

This DVD isn’t to prove or disprove the Bible or to mock any religious belief, but what it does do is reminds us all that any story, no matter how old or how new can be flavored by the historian who is writing it. This is a great documentary for those truly interested on the history of the Bible for it separates the known facts about the Bible from the embellished tales like the walls of Jericho. Yes, there was a Jericho, and the Israelites did take over the city, but at the time it happened Jericho had no walls and the people, afraid of the oncoming Israeli army fled the city days before it was captured. As the old saying goes, the winners write the history.

MORNING LIGHT

Written by Hombre Divertido

Morning Light fails to shine as bright as it should.

This documentary from Walt Disney Pictures chronicles the story of the high-tech sloop Morning Light and the fifteen young people (19 to 22 years old) vying for the opportunity to be one of the eleven crewmembers chosen to race against professionals in the 2225-mile Transpac Yacht Race from California to Hawaii.

The brain child of Roy Disney, a thirty-year fan and participant in the Transpac, has a reality television feel to it, but the editing forces the 98 minutes to play out with the shakiness of a land lubber trying to get his sea legs. The direction simply seems unclear as we jump far too rapidly from each of the fifteen participants and their various activities prior to the start of the race. Once the race begins, the focus is certainly more clear, unfortunately it is too centered on the race itself and the aspect of sailing that will only appeal to those with experience, and not enough time is spent on the people, which is where the real story is.

Morning Light does manage to create some excitement related to whether our intrepid crew will win the race, and the customary family reception will yield an emotional response from the majority of most audiences.

Luckily, this new release that hit shelves on June 16th contains enough bonus material to make the entire product worth owning. “Stories from the Sea” with host Jason Earles is mildly informative, and Earles certainly displays talent and demeanor beyond his years.

The key piece of bonus material is “Morning Light: Making the Cut” as aired on ESPN. This special contains everything that the feature documentary is lacking as it delves deeper into our story, picking up the plight of the initial thirty people chosen to compete for the eleven spots. We are introduced to the competitors, and are flies on the wall as they are put through their paces and eventually whittled down to the fifteen found in the movie. The producers, editors, and director, behind “Making the Cut” display a far superior knowledge of what makes such an endeavor successful, by focusing on the people and the dynamic that goes with such an intensely competitive situation.

Recommendation: Though you will see some repetitive footage, watching “Morning Light: Making the Cut” prior to the feature will make for a complete story that is enjoyable for both experienced sailor and novice alike. All the material found in the release make up a complete story that will be enjoyable for the whole family.

Friday the 13th Part 3 3-D (Blu-ray)

Written by Tío Esqueleto

Released earlier in the year as a Deluxe Edition DVD, Paramount’s Friday the 13th Part 3 now makes its debut on Blu-ray, tying in with New Line’s home-video release of Friday the 13th (2009).

This installment centers around Chris and her friends as they make there way to her family’s cabin at where else, but Crystal Lake. Throw in some sex, some drugs, some really bad decisions combine with Jason Voorhees, his first use of the now-iconic hockey mask, (literally) eye-popping 3-D, and you’ve got Friday the 13th Part 3. While it isn’t necessarily the best in the series, it does have its merits.

The review of the Deluxe Edition DVD can be found here.

The third installment in the franchise literally comes at us this time, not only in 1080p high definition, but also in its original 3-D presentation. The 2-D version that most of us are familiar with is also on hand but it’s this special feature that, to me, trumps all others in the franchise. But before we visit this third dimension in terror, let’s discuss its more familiar incarnation.

The standard 2-D version, while still inherent with grain, is a drastic improvement on the previous Deluxe Edition DVD released earlier in the year. Again, the grain is part of the film and to ‘scrub’ this grain away would also result in losing detail. Add to that the trappings of a low-budget production taking place entirely at night, and you’ve got a film that isn’t ever going to look like the more polished studio releases of the day. Making matters worse, it was released in the early ‘80s when nobody gave a shit about film preservation, focusing more on the future of video. But I digress since who in the hell is going to watch this version when they can watch the real thing in 3-D?!!

The 3-D on the Deluxe Edition DVD was a failed attempt for anyone without a large, preferably HD-viewing area. I watched it on a standard TV and it looked awful, giving me mostly a headache if not actual nausea. It has to do more with the size of the viewing area than anything else. With that said, watching the Blu-ray experience on a true HD television is a dream come true (yes, I’ve actually dreamed about seeing this in 3-D someday).

It’s one thing to watch popcorn and juggled apples coming at you, but it’s definitely something to write home about when you’ve got eyeballs, legs, and even a doobie in your lap. Every trick works, even the ones you didn’t notice the first time around (the antenna on the TV, the knitting needle through the mouth, blood dripping from the rafters). And when things aren’t being directly projected at the screen, you can sit back and marvel at the fact that every scene has been carefully constructed for maximum effect. Technical supervisor Martin Jay Sadoff makes sure there is always a foreground and a background present, resulting in the deep focus necessary to pull of the effect. Being an extreme enthusiast of the 3-D format, I find this title to be one of the very best examples in that every shot exploits the process perfectly.

As for the Audio portion of this release, we are given an upgrade of 5.1 Dolby TrueHD lossless audio that unfortunately, like the recent Blu-ray of Part 2, suffers in the sound FX department. Don’t worry, the dialogue and now-classic score sound great, especially when compared with the original English mono, but I can’t help but think more should have been done with the rear channels. This of course is the same soundtrack it had in the theaters and I usually wouldn’t want it any other way but in this instance, it would have been nice to have the sound be just as alive as the picture. It’s 3-D so throw some shit at my ears too! Whatever. I could seriously watch this thing without sound and still be in total awe. For purists, there is also its original English mono soundtrack, along with Spanish and French mono.

Now those that scooped up the previous Deluxe Edition DVD probably did so just to see the film in 3-D. And I’m pretty sure, unless you already had an HD monitor, this was more than a disappointment seeing that ‘Presented in 3-D’ was its only special feature. The Blu-ray makes up for it this time out by adding a nice little round of extras that, while being somewhat brief, only sweeten the pot. Along with its original trailer there is also: “Fresh Cuts:3-D Terror” (12:42) discussing the making of the film and the 3-D process, “Legacy of the Mask” (9:33) which details the origins of the iconic hockey mask, “Slasher Films: Going for the Jugular” (7:09) which has some of the most embarrassingly pretentious remarks about the genre ever made, and “Lost Tales from Camp Blood – Part 3” which in keeping precedence with the other parts, I scanned through (fan-made and I’m pretty sure my dead cat could do a better job).

Looks like a no-brainer folks. Trust me, if I could find a way to make my text jump out and throttle you into making this purchase, I would. We’ve waited 25 years to see this film the way it was intended and now we finally can thanks to the advances in technology. Hopefully the success of this 3-D release will usher in the rest of the early ‘80s titles that sit in the shadows, handicapped by weak 2-D transfers. In fact, the only thing that might possibly trump 3-D Jason is 3-D Bruce (Jaws III).

Holding breath now...