Wings: The Fifth Season

Written by Senora Bicho

I have never been much of a television sitcom fan. There are a handful of shows over my lifetime I have regularly watched and Wings was one of them. I was introduced to and fell in love with Tim Daly as the responsible brother, Joe Hackett, and longed to be as beautiful as his on-again off-again love interest Helen Chappel (Crystal Bernard). Wings is a quirky and fun show that still provides laughs.

The series aired on NBC from 1990 to 1997. It was created and produced by David Angell, Peter Casey and David Lee. This highly successful television trio also wrote for and produced Cheers and was responsible for creating the critically acclaimed and multiple Emmy Award-winning series Fraiser. The comedy of Wings is in the same vein of these other more well-known shows and characters from Cheers even appeared in the early seasons. I actually prefer Wings to these other two programs. The characters are more likeable and I could relate to them much more.

Wings is a comedy based around the people working in a small airport on the island of Nantucket. Joe owns and operates Sandpiper Air. Brian Hackett (Steven Weber) is Joe’s reckless, carefree womanizing brother. Helen runs the lunch counter while dreaming of being a famous cellist. In addition to the three main characters, there is Lowell Mather (Thomas Haden Church) a lovable but dimwitted handyman, Fay Evelyn Schlob Dumbly DeVay Cochran (Rebecca Schull) an ex-stewardess with three dead husbands that works for Joe at the ticket counter and provides lots of motherly advice, Roy Biggins (David Schramm) the obnoxious owner of Sandpiper’s rival airline who drives everyone crazy with his high jinx and insults and Antonio Scarpacci (Tony Shaloub), the sweet Italian immigrant who provides taxi service to and from the airport.

The foundation of the series is the relationship between Joe and Brian. It began with the death of Joe and Brian’s father whose last request was the reuniting of his sons. Six years earlier, Brian ran off with Joe’s fiancé Carol. After Carol leaves him, Brian comes back to the island and Joe eventually forgives him with a job and a place to live.

Season Five provides several key storylines. Farrah Forke (Alex Lambert) joined the cast in Season Four as Brian’s potential love interest and in this season they get serious and move in together. Not surprisingly, they break up before the season is over. Joe has a mental breakdown and in an attempt to have more of a work/life balance makes Brian an equal partner in the airline. Helen gets a rich new love interest who ends up proposing in the season finale, which could be enough to finally get Joe back in the picture.

Several members of this stellar cast have gone on to other things. Shaloub is now best known for his three-time Emmy-winning performance in the USA series Monk. Church left the series after its sixth season to star in Ned and Stacey and became an Oscar winner for his supporting performance in Sideways. Daly has been in several television shows and can now be seen in the Grey’s Anatomy spin-off Private Practice. Weber has been in many TV shows most recently Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip and films including a great performance in the film Sour Grapes that was written and directed by Seinfeld co-creator Larry David. This is a hysterical film and is worth renting if you haven’t seen it. Bernard has been in numerous TV movies mostly shown on the USA network. If you have enjoyed any of these actors in other performances, you should definitely see them shine in Wings.

The DVD set offers no extras, only the 24 original episodes from Season Five. A great cast and excellent writing is what makes Wings such a delight, so get on board and prepare to takeoff for some laughs.

Metalocalypse: Season One

Written by Puño Estupendo

Could you imagine if The Beatles had decided to instill their music with hate and violence instead of love and peace? What if they had gotten so popular that they more or less operated above any law or authority, hated their fans, and you absolutely worshiped them for it? Well, with the invention of the fictitious band Dethklok, creators Tommy Blacha and Brendon Small have taken a similar concept, doubled it, and made their version "blacker than the blackest black times infinity."

This is beyond metal...this is a Metalocalypse!

Under Cartoon Network's [Adult Swim] lineup, fans of this animated metal fest can now enjoy the mayhem of Dethklok in the two-disc Metalocalypse: Season One DVD. Originally seen in 15-minute increments, this set collects all 20 episodes and splatters in quite a few "Easter Eggs" as well. Though there's no rating other than the disclaimer on the box that it may not be suitable for viewers under 17, know that this cartoon is not for the young ones.

Heavily infused with splatter, gore, and some sexual referencing, Blacha and Small have managed to not only tap into the easily parodied world of Metal, but they've pulled it off almost like a tribute. It's very obvious in watching the show that even though it's filled with jokes, these guys make no apologies for their sheer love of the music. If you're a metalhead like me, you don't feel stupid or ashamed for it even when the ridiculous nature of it all punches you in the throat. Metalocalypse doesn't attack the nature of heavy metal; it embraces it and glorifies the clichés.

Keeping with the attitude that runs rampant with metal, most of the humor relies on the need many metalheads have to keep things tough at all times. The band refers to keeping things "brutal" throughout and the machismo runs wild. There are quite a few in-jokes for metal fans, but you don't have to be a head-banger to enjoy the show.

What you “do” need is a liking for cruel and dark humor. People being torn apart, suicides, dead children with maggots in their face, drunk driving, eyes exploding out of their sockets, and an ocean of blood. If reading that list just made you wince, then this DVD is not for you.

At all.

In fact, not only is everything I've just listed used as a joke, but there are many other vile and gory situations all throughout every episode and I loved it. The violence is over the top but it's very essential in keeping with the theme; it works.

And then there's the music. Written and performed by Brendon Small, who voices Dethklok vocalist Nathan Explosion, the songs legitimately throw down. I don't believe I'm alone in thinking this since the Dethklok CD (which was released before the DVD) sold over 300,000 copies in its first week and now I'm hearing rumblings of a tour.

If this sounds like your cup of blood, then go out and buy Metalocalypse: Season One on DVD. Then "go forth and die."

The L Word: The Complete Fourth Season

Written by Senora Bicho

The L Word is a television drama that centers on a tight-knit group of female friends. Similar to Sex and the City, the women experience relationship ups and downs, job issues, and a host of other problems. What makes this show unique is that the women in this group of friends are lesbian and bi-sexual. While the show is overly dramatic, it does tackle real issues and brings subjects to light that are thought-provoking and that deserve to be discussed.

Ilene Chaiken is the creator, writer, and executive producer. Her previous experience includes The Fresh Prince of Bel Air and Barb Wire, not a strong resume by any stretch. The show premiered on Showtime in January 2004. Production has started on Season Five and the season premiere will air in January 2008.

Season Four provided a lot of excitement for the group along with adding a few new faces. Bette (Jennifer Beals) and Tina (Laurel Holloman) are dealing with the aftermath of their breakup and custody of their daughter Angelica. Tina has also started dating a man, which creates some interesting dimensions and hostilities in the group. Shane (Katherine Moennig) left her fiancé at the altar at the end of Season Three and is trying to get her life back on track. She ends up with custody of her brother. This has a dramatic impact on her outlook on life and attitude towards responsibility. One of the most interesting storylines is about Max (Daniela Sea) and her desire to physically transition into a man. The hostility that she faces from her co-workers and family is very disturbing and authentic. Alice (Leisha Hailey) continues to host her radio show while building her Internet site based on “The Chart” and becomes involved with a military officer who ends up being called back to Iraq. Jenny (Mia Kirshner) has published a book about the group that hits a little to close to home for some of the ladies. Kit (Pam Grier) has a relapse with her alcoholism when she encounters some relationship problems.

Cybill Shephard, Marleen Matlin and Janina Gavankar joined the cast in Season Four. Shephard is the Executive Vice Chancellor at the university where Bette starts working. After 23 years of marriage and two children, she realizes she has been living a lie and is really a lesbian. Matlin is an artist at the university and Bette’s new love interest. Both provide good performances and are welcome additions. Gavankar plays Papi, whose conquest totals crash Alice’s website. Alice becomes fascinated with her and sets out on a mission to track her down.

While the DVD cover promised special features, there are none to be found about the show itself. There is an episode of The Tudors and Californication, a message from a couple of the stars on pet rescue, the announcement of some contest winners, biographies, and a photo gallery.

The L Word is a fun and entertaining show that one can easily be sucked into. It is also great to see a show that is based all around strong, independent women that also empowers the gay community. If you have Showtime and enjoy melodramatic television, give it a chance as some of the storylines are intriguing. I can’t recommend purchasing the DVD collection unless you are a die-hard fan of the show and plan on owning every single episode.

My Name is Earl: Season Two

Written by Musgo Del Jefe

One of the most important things for a sitcom is that the premise is simply explained in the credits. In the case of Two And A Half Men, it's all summed up in the show title. In classics like Gilligan's Island or The Brady Bunch we meet all the characters in the opening credits and know the central backstory through the theme song. The same applies to My Name Is Earl. We see Earl scratching a winning lottery ticket and then getting hit by a car. The narration tells us that he was a bad guy and now he's making up for his bad karma by crossing items off his list of things he's done wrong.

The first season of Earl followed a pretty predictable pattern. Some event caused Earl to decide to fix a particular item on his list. The easier the task sounded, the harder it was to solve. Sometimes, solving one problem, lead to having to solve two or three others before the first was righted. Each of the episodes introduced us to fun new characters of Camden County. And we got to know more about main characters Earl Hickey (Jason Lee), Randy Hickey (Ehtan Suplee), Joy Turner (Jaime Pressly) and Darnell Turner aka Crabman (Eddie Steeples). But at the end of each episode, we were usually back where we started.

Season Two starts what will become a much different tact. In "Very Bad Things", Earl wants to fix #183 - "Never Took Joy's Side." Joy wants to get a "disappearing TV" like she saw on the Britney & Kevin TV show. When it won't fit in her trailer, she's unable to return it to the store because she got Fruit Stripe gum on the receipt. This innocuous moment is the catalyst for the next 23 episodes of the 2nd Season. While we'll still follow Earl and his list, this brilliant move creates a new energy that most sitcoms can't come up with in their second seasons. From a writer's point-of-view, you have a built in B-Story for every episode. But it's not that simple.

In "Jump For Joy," Joy's problem returning the TV has turned into her being arrested for stealing a delivery truck. This is her "Third Strike" and she's facing years in prison. This episode's A-Story is all about raising money to bail Joy out of jail. But the offshoot of this will be to start the other ongoing storyline of Catalina (the maid at the motel where Randy and Earl live). Catalina's story will weave in and out of the storylines, while Joy's will be a constant background through the season. This episode clearly defines the relationship between Catalina and Joy with Catalina's quote, "Joy's a butt bag. A bag of butts."

When not featured, Joy's story will be a solid B-Story, like meeting her lawyer (Marlee Matlin) in "Sticks & Stones." Or as a catalyst for Earl's list. Like when he's helping Joy volunteer at a nursing home and he meets #50 - "Kicked The Lead Singer Out Of My Band." As the season progresses, Catalina will go back to Mexico and eventually return to Camden. Joy will get pregnant, further complicating her upcoming trial. The looming trial and pregnancy put this season squarely on her character and give us viewers the feeling of forward progress that wasn't present in the first season.

The show makes great use of guest stars. They are written into the stories very naturally and don't feel forced. This season features fun appearances of Burt Reynolds, Roseanne Barr, Norm MacDonald, Jenny McCarthy, Marlee Matlin's recurring lawyer character, Amy Sedaris, and a memorable performance by Christian Slater as a stoner named Woody.

The two best episodes of the season show how this fresh approach has improved the show. In "Sticks & Stones," Earl sets out to fix #91 - "Made Fun Of Maggie Lester." Maggie is now a bearded lady living in an apartment building with other carnival folks. Earl is reminded of a time that he wouldn't go swimming as a youngster because of his hairy nipples. And he's never jumped off the high dive since then. The B-Story has Joy meeting her lawyer and initially dropping her because she doesn't want a deaf lawyer. In the end, everyone learns not to run away from their problems and it's set to the Cat Stevens' song "If You Want To Sing Out, Sing Out."

Well, if you want to sing out, sing out/ And if you want to be free, be free/ 'Cause there's a million things to be/ You know that there are

Earl, Maggie and her carnival friends, and Joy all learn to face their fears.

In, "Buried Treasure," the usual plot threads are dropped in order to spin a fun tale. This Rashomon-type story is divided into "My Name Is Earl," "My Name Is Joy," "My Name Is Darnell," and "My Name Is Randy" as each fills in part of the story of the "Buried Treasure" from different points of view (even including Dotty the librarian). This self-referential parody gives us insight into the characters through narration that we're not used to and is a fun break from the structured plots of the first half of the season.

The ongoing story arcs make this a very enjoyable season. The DVD has a nice collection of deleted scenes and commentary tracks, giving it extra value for those that have seen the episodes in their original airings. The only complaint here is the replacement of some of the music with some very generic sounding background music. The show's feel is fresh and new still. Like Randy tells Catalina about the list, "Sometimes you're doing one thing and Bam! It's something else." And that "something else" is exactly what makes you want to keep tuning in for the next episode.

DAY WATCH (Unrated)

Written by Puño Estupendo

In 2004 Russian director Timur Bekmambetov surprised the fantasy world with his film Nochnoy dozor, translated for our English senses as Night Watch. The film did surprisingly well over in the U.S. and garnered a lot of attention from the geek community. When was the last time you remember a Russian fantasy/action/horror film making the rounds? Exactly my point, it was quite an accomplishment.

In Night Watch, Bekmambetov created a modern Moscow that was inhabited by a supernatural community broken into two warring factions. Those of Light have battled those of the Dark for longer than any of us have been around and the film's central character was Anton Gorodetsky, a member of the forces of Light. However, if haven't seen it, there's not a whole lot of reason to watch Day Watch, its 2006 sequel, because it starts running right out of the gate and doesn't stop to catch you up on what's been established previously. This is awesome if you have a fantastic memory for Night Watch, but if you don't, you might want to re-watch it first.

At the beginning of Day Watch there is a flashback sequence of the 14th century warlord Tamerlane and his attempt to gain the Chalk Of Fate. Whoever has it can use it to write their own destiny and control the fate of the world. These things are usually a mixed blessing and you know right away that the Chalk is going to play a big part somewhere down the line.

Cut to modern day Moscow and Anton is on patrol with his overly eager trainee Svetlana. A call comes from dispatch and asks them to investigate an attack by a Dark One which throws the viewer right back into Bekmambetov's world established in the previous film. The heavies are reintroduced and Anton's problems pick right back up.

Konstantin Khabensky handles the role of Anton effortlessly and makes you very sympathetic with everything that happens to him. He's definitely a tragic figure but you want him to succeed; you want things to go better for him than they did in Night Watch. It also doesn't hurt that a great ensemble cast surrounds him. Mariya Poroshina's Svetlana flows well with him onscreen and the charisma there helps pull you into the troubles coming their way.

And man, Anton's about to have some major troubles. Bummer for him and his pals, good stuff for you and me.

Now not wanting to give a play-by-play, and as I'm not reviewing Night Watch, I'm just going to lay down the good and the bad here. Day Watch is shot beautifully. It's got style and a really nice cut to it and even though we've seen the look before, that doesn't mean it's not well done. Though a little slower in pace than I'd like at times, the cast keeps you involved. Everyone seems to have an interesting face and they're so not Hollywood. The acting is well done and is what gets you through the slower spots.

Action fans know this: when you get your scenes, you really get your scenes. One of the biggest compliments I can give this film is for the special effects in the action scenes. Now before you can roll your eyes and sarcastically say "Yay, it has awesome special effects," let me explain. What makes the effects take such hold isn't in their quality. It's mostly CGI you've seen a hundred times before and you're not going to be wowed by seeing them for the hundred and first. The cool thing is the originality in which they're used. There's some scenes that I feel pretty safe in saying you haven't seen anything quite like them before. A sports car and a skyscraper. Watch it and tell me that it wasn't cool; I dare you.

Now for the bad. Day Watch suffers from taking a lot for granted with its audience, kind of like old Italian giallo flicks. The plot takes a couple of turns that I found myself scratching my head over, not believing that they would be viable enough for the characters to go with. There's a frame-up, to be exact, but there's really not anything concrete that happens enough to where I thought the characters would act upon it. It's kind of like someone shouting, "You did it!" without any real proof, yet everyone just goes with it and suddenly you're wanted. But for the sake of the movie you just have to let it get past that line of thought. Also, I believed this to be the second movie in what was to be a trilogy, but the ending seemed pretty final. I could be wrong with this guess and, if so, the third movie should prove to be very different from the first two.

If you've seen Night Watch and liked it, then you'll not be hurt by seeing Day Watch at all. It's a fine sequel and has the same impact as Night Watch: it doesn't blow you away but it's definitely worth watching. And if you haven't viewed the first one yet, then do so, and you'll know right away if this is something you should check out. It's cool enough to where I'll happily watch a third if it gets made and I'm guessing my review will probably end up pretty much just like this one.

Twisted Terror Collection

Written by Tío Esqueleto

Not surprisingly, the new releases in the niche DVD market have shifted heavily towards “horror,” “thriller,” and “suspense” over the last few weeks. Many of these titles are making their way to the shelves for the first time, while others are simply finally getting the treatment they’ve always deserved. A perfect example is Warner Brothers Twisted Terror Collection, although I have to believe that a couple of these titles weren’t released, so much as they escaped.

With six titles to offer – The Hand, Someone’s Watching Me!, Eyes of A Stranger, From Beyond The Grave, Deadly Friend, and Dr. Giggles (the latter two being those that escaped), at an average price tag of just under forty bucks, fans of the genre have a lot to get excited about this holiday season. With the exception of Dr. Giggles, the remaining five titles are making their DVD debut. Two of these titles, The Hand and Deadly Friend, have been long-time fan requests via numerous online petitions. Warners is notorious for owning libraries of sought-after, out-of-print, genre films (most notably the harder to find titles in the Hammer Films catalog), with no intention of ever letting them see the light of day, despite evidence that the audience is there and the discs will sell. Whether intentional or not, they picked their six titles in twos. With each film running an average of ninety minutes, they make for great, drive-in style, double bills.

First up are The Hand and From Beyond the Grave. Upon first reading about this collection, these were the two titles I was the most excited for. I’ve signed more than one online petition to see The Hand released, and From Beyond The Grave is a lost AMICUS classic that certainly deserves its due. Both take me back to my childhood, as they were both staples of the after-school/Saturday afternoon horror shows bought in packages, and played in syndication, in the early 1980s.

The Hand (1981) stars Michael Caine as Jon Lansdale, a successful cartoonist (think Prince Valiant meets John Carter of Mars) who loses his hand and his livelihood in a horrific car accident. The hand is never recovered from the scene of the bloody collision, but still manages to make its way back into Lansdale’s life as a creeping, murdering, instrument of revenge. Everybody who angers Jon Lansdale, from his ex-wife, to his fellow teaching faculty (he takes on a job at a university after his ex-wife leaves him for her yoga instructor), to his trampy student lover, all fall victim to his not-so-phantom limb. Lansdale, now an alcoholic (it is fair to say the old boy’s been through a lot), blacks out whenever the murders occur, leaving the audience to wonder if it is really the severed hand, or Lansdale himself, committing the murders. Is it all in his head? You’ll have to watch and see. The Hand is presented in a matted widescreen format, preserving its original theatrical aspect ratio of 1.85:1. It also comes with a commentary track from screenwriter and director, Oliver Stone. Yes, that Oliver Stone.

From Beyond The Grave (1973) is an AMICUS horror anthology that stars the great Peter Cushing as the owner of an antiques shop (aptly titled Temptations LTD.) whose customers often get more than they’ve bargained for. Like every other AMICUS anthology, the film presents moral tales as each customer swindles Cushing out of whatever it is they desire from his shop, only to take it home and unleash a fate far worse than the few extra dollars it would have cost to go the honest route. Four tales make up this particularly fun anthology. From a haunted mirror to an old wooden door that leads to an ancient evil, nothing in Temptation LTD is what it seems, nor is the seemingly kind old man that sold it to you.

Guest stars include such great British character actors as David Warner (The Omen), Donald Pleasence (Raw Meat), and Ian Ogilvy (Witchfinder General); with the rest of the cast supplying enough British charm to fill the Tower of London. While not nearly as flawless and exciting as earlier AMICUS offerings, Tales From The Crypt or Asylum, From Beyond The Grave still delivers when it comes to quaint, British, horror anthologies. Aside from a gorgeous transfer in its original, 1.85:1, aspect ratio, the only other extra is a beautiful original British theatrical trailer.

Next up are two top-notch stalker thrillers. Someone’s Watching Me! (1978) is a made-for-TV movie directed by a young John Carpenter. It is the story of Leigh Michaels (Lauren Hutton), a live-television director who moves from New York to L.A., only to end up the victim of a ruthless stalker killer, watching her through the windows of her high-rise apartment, and torturing her via telephone. While not a completely original idea, it is the cast, and Carpenter’s direction, that really take this thriller above and beyond.

The cast is rather likable. Hutton’s Michaels is a strong, funny, female lead who, while a bit overly quirky at times (she does a lot of talking and laughing to herself for expositional purposes) has the viewer pulling for her with each step closer to fingering the party responsible for her torment. Also in tow are Carpenter’s future wife Adrienne Barbeau as Hutton’s extremely likable and openly gay assistant, Sophie; David Birney as Hutton’s love interest, Paul; and Carpenter staple, Charles Cyphers (Halloween/The Fog/Escape From New York) as the skeptical detective assigned to the case.

Someone’s Watching Me! is presented in a matted, 1.85:1 aspect ratio which worries me as it was made for TV. Regardless, the transfer is great and, who knows, it could very easily have been shot it open matte. The only special feature is a phenomenal little featurette, “John Carpenter: Director On the Rise,” in which Carpenter goes on to explain how it directly influenced the way he shot Halloween (Someone’s Watching Me! was shot prior to Halloween, but aired the following November), his first real dealings within the studio system (he is and was notoriously independent), working with Hutton, and just what a positive experience it was overall. He is very proud of it, and for a little made-for-TV movie, he certainly should be.

Also included, and in the same vein, is Eyes Of A Stranger (1981), a little grittier, lot gorier, thriller where Lauren Tewes (The Love Boat’s Julie McCoy!) plays Jane, a Miami reporter who learns that a man living in the high rise across from hers (sound familiar?) is, in fact, a notorious serial killer/rapist whose been terrorizing the city. A nineteen-year-old Jennifer Jason Leigh plays Tracy, her younger sister who, due to Janet’s neglect, was kidnapped and raped as a child, the trauma leaving her psychosomatically blind and deaf. It doesn’t take long for the killer to learn who she is (after all, she is a television news reporter), and that she is on to him, and targets her helpless sister. Terror ensues as this sleazy thriller comes to a head that is part Rear Window, part Wait Until Dark.

Eyes Of A Stranger is directed by Ken Wiederhorn who is best known within the genre for the Euro-horror, Nazi-zombie classic, Shock Waves, and not much more. The real star behind the scenes here is special make-up effects legend, Tom Savini. This is an obscure blip on a resume that, to name a few, includes Dawn of The Dead, Friday the 13th, and Creepshow, and with no special features (other than a really crisp, uncut, transfer), is ultimately why this disc is to be celebrated.

Last, and certainly least, we come to Deadly Friend, and Dr. Giggles (groan). Not sure how they got included in the first place, but they certainly belong together. Both hail from the horror genre’s nosedive that started right around 1985’s Fright Night (one of the last great ones), and continues right up through, oh, let’s say, Dr. Giggles.

Deadly Friend (1986) is a Wes Craven-directed, Frankenstein story of sorts, about a genius teen scientist (Albert Ingalls himself, Matthew Laborteaux) whose unhealthy love for science and his friend’s next door neighbor Samantha (Kristy Swanson) and a really, really, really lame robot named BB (I can’t begin to stress how very lame!), translate into what has to be one of the worst offerings of the late ‘80s slump.

I’ll make this quick: Lame robot gets shotgun blasted to bits by crazy neighbor (Mama from Throw Mama From The Train) during failed Halloween prank. Genius boy can only save microchip brain, and is inconsolable. Coincidentally days later, neighbor girl is pushed down stairs by sexually abusive, alcoholic father and pronounced dead at hospital. Genius boy, and not-so-genius paperboy friend, drug not-so-genius mom, steal van, steal body from morgue, and insert robot brain chip. Problem solved, right? Wrong! Hybrid human/lame robot brain causes neighbor girl to wreak havoc on those who wronged her (and lame robot), leading to what has to be one of the single greatest scenes in Throw Mama From The Train lady’s short but illustrious career: a beheading (more of an explosion, really) by basketball! See she stole their ball earlier in the film, when it bounced over into her yard – Sweet comeuppance! I’ll leave the rest for you to discover.

Somehow, this is the same man responsible for The Last House On The Left and A Nightmare On Elm Street. I’m still not really sure how that’s possible; I only know it’s true. There are no special features here, only that after 90 minutes the movie ends. Oh yeah, and it is uncut…so you got that going for ya.

Dr. Giggles (1992) – don’t bother.

So, with six titles to choose from, either individually, or doubled up drive-in style, the Twisted Terror Collection offers quite a bit for your hard-earned Halloween buck. While they aren’t six great titles, each and every one of these titles deserves its DVD due for one reason or another, sans Giggles. From the early television works of now-legendary John Carpenter, to lost shockers, to obscure Savini splatter, this collection is more than worth it for the price. Even Deadly Friend was once the subject of countless online petitions for release (I know it’s crazy, but it is true), and here it is, uncut, in all its cult glory.

Now, if we can just get Warners to dip into that Hammer Films library. Vampire Circus, anyone?

The Untouchables: Season 1, Volume 2

Written by Musgo Del Jefe

Can I criticize an artist at the beginning of his career as he just starting to hone his craft? The artist in question is producer Quinn Martin on The Untouchables and the work is the new DVD release of The Untouchables: Season 1, Volume 2, which contains the second half of the 1959-1960 rookie season. Martin would go on to produce The Fugitive, The F.B.I., Barnaby Jones, and The Streets Of San Francisco among other hits. These shows would all be known for a distinctive and unique style. Does The Untouchables carry that same level of quality that I would come to expect from a Quinn Martin production?

The premise of the show is simple to set-up. The series is based on the real-life adventures of Eliot Ness (Robert Stack), a U.S. Treasury Agent who fought crime out of Chicago in the 1930s, and his group of agents called The Untouchables. Eliot's main nemesis is Al Capone (Neville Brand), but the series focuses on all kinds of mob crimes. Unlike the groundbreaking The Fugitive, the stories and quest to put Capone behind bars is not told in chronological order. In fact, a majority of the stories are set after Capone's arrest in 1931. Telling the stories out of order gives the writers more freedom from continuity, but it also disconnects the viewer from any ongoing drama. These standalone stories never gain momentum of a greater cause and it ends up feeling like an anthology show.

Some of the conventions of later Quinn Martin shows are here. There is a general structure that would later become the labeled Act title cards. There's a compelling narration by Walter Winchell that keeps each episode moving along. The typical episode starts with a short scene that will happen later in the show. I've always been confused by this structure - first encountering it in The Flintstones as a child. The narration of the title sequence, giving us the names of the actors and the title of the show sets a serious mood, but Winchell's narration isn't that of a storyteller. It's that of a newsman and makes the episodes too often seem like newsreels.

The episodes typically focus on the gangsters first. There's a moment in each episode where it looks like the bad guys are "untouchable". So often, someone won't testify against The Boss or there isn't enough evidence, etc. I was struck by the sadistic violence of the gangsters. In "The Star Witness," Jim Backus guest stars as an accountant that's going to testify against his boss. In order to bring him out of hiding, the gangsters run down his young dancer daughter in their truck, breaking both of her legs. But it's usually at this point that something breaks in the case, quickly leading to its resolution. In some episodes, that can be the final arrest of the gangster, or in many cases, their death in a bloody shootout.

The biggest downfall in the series is in production values. In The Streets Of San Francisco, the city is a vibrant, brilliant character. This period piece mostly takes place in and around Chicago and yet here are rarely city scenes. Most of the sets are stark interiors, needing little period dressing. Add to that, the procedural aspect of the show. Like many of the Quinn Martin productions, we get little personal background of the characters. Ness is a blank slate that solves crimes - much like his counterparts in The F.B.I. and The Streets Of San Francisco. Many of the stories end up feeling like a combination of Dragnet and the early Superman comic stories and serials.

When the stories even slightly add some humanity, you realize the potential that this series had. In "One Armed Bandits," my favorite episode on this collection, a man is released from prison who Ness had helped put away years earlier. Ness meets the man at the bus station right out of prison and the man talks about wanting to lead an honest life. He is pulled back into forcing slot machines into stores (a plot right out of an early Superman story) in order to protect his daughter, who herself doesn't even know her father is alive. At one point, the man is ordered to execute Ness to stop his investigations. Not only can't he bring himself to do it, but he saves Ness' life by killing another man. The convict is shot and dying, but in a moment of humanity we don't usually see, Ness takes the man to the daughter's wedding. Now satisfied, he dies in Ness' arms. Those little moments of humanity are what make later Quinn Martin shows so precious.

This release is an interesting step in the journey. Later productions would show a maturity that isn't present in all of these episodes. The casts are great, the action is superb, but the development of the QM signature style would put the shows into a different category. The DVD features an episode of The Lucy Show (this series is a Desilu production like The Lucy Show) in which Robert Stack plays his Untouchables' character to perfection. It's a nice addition to an otherwise bare-bones release.

Emmylou Harris: Songbird

Written by Fantasma el Rey

The sweet voice of Emmylou Harris is a country standard and it is represented well in a new box set titled Songbird: Rare Tracks And Forgotten Gems. With the sample disc I received, I got a good sense of a voice that has always grabbed my attention.

Emmylou Harris was born in 1947 to a military family stationed in Birmingham, AL and grew up in the south. While attending the University of North Carolina, she developed a serious liking for the folk music sounds of Bob Dylan and Joan Baez. Thus prompting her to form a duo, leave UNC, move to New York and engulf herself in the Greenwich Village scene. While there, she would make the friends that would help her complete her debut album Gliding Bird. After its release the record label went under, leaving Emmylou with nothing and forcing her to move back to her parents who now lived in Washington D.C.

In D.C. she met members of the Flying Burrito Brothers who would hook her up with the young country rock pioneer Gram Parsons. He had been looking for a female voice to accompany him on his solo records and Emmylou was it. She would tour with him and his band and sing harmony on his two albums G.P. and Grievous Angel, the latter would become his most significant solo album. Although he tragically died soon after its recording, it continuing to have an impact.

Not long after Parsons passed Emmylou signed with Warner Bros/Reprise and recorded numerous albums and singles with the label into the ‘90s. After leaving Warners and moving to Asylum Records, she continued to release new music, refusing to become a nostalgic stage act. Throughout her career Emmylou would perform with many other great voices including Roy Orbison, Neil Young, Rodney Crowell, Dolly Parton and Linda Ronstadt, and let’s not forget Willie Nelson and George Jones. But it was with Parton and Ronstadt that Harris would record the extremely popular Trio and Trio II albums, which produced the hits “To Know Him Is To Love Him” (the Phil Spector Classic) and “Telling Me Lies.” It is from Trio that I first heard Emmylou Harris’ angelic voice for the first time.

Songbird breaks away from being a greatest-hits box and focuses on material that might not have been heard before by most folks. This is great because it turns the focus from just a song’s popularity to her amazing vocals. My sample disc opens with “Beyond The Blue” and is a perfect example of the power of her voice. With lines like “This life is but a dream” she sounds as if she is a mother gently whispering comfort to her fallen child or consoling them after a death in the family.

“Clocks” is a tune that has piano and guitar work sounding like ticking clocks and the plucking of time as it moves along, bringing sunlight to a missing loved one’s face. Again with her humming, Emmylou sounds soothing yet sad and brings chills that make me play this somewhat dark tune over and over again.

Two gems of the disc are “Palms Of Victory” and “Softly And Tenderly,” which feature the trio that first set my ears alight. “Softly” begins with the heart-stopping sound of Emmylou’s voice and nothing else. After 35 seconds in another world, the gentle picking of a banjo slips in to lend a hand along with the soft strumming of a guitar and the slow bowing of a big bass fiddle. On many of the disc’s songs the traditional instruments of the bluegrass sound aid the magic of Emmylou’s voice.

There are songs that take on different country styles like the prairie, western campfire leanings of “All I Left Behind” with its acoustic guitars and lament of things left behind on the lost highway. Another number about the lonesome road is “Highway Of Heartache” with Carl Jackson supplying male vocals. This tunes picks up the pace a bit and has a solid rhythm section with a low yet driving beat that shows Emmylou can move along just fine with something that swings a bit faster.

“Waltz Across Texas Tonight,” “Snowin’ On Raton,” and “Gone” are the songs outside of the Trio set I remember and love the most. “Waltz Across Texas” is a honky-tonk classic putting Emmylou in the company of country outlaw greats. “Gone” gives a wink and a nod to her hero Bob Dylan in its structure and lyrics. With piano, banjo, and electric and acoustic guitars these tunes bring it all together and capture the overall Emmylou Harris sound perfectly.

Her sweet and haunting vocals are soft yet contain a power that can move mountains and cause devils to cry. Even with great instruments and musicians behind her, Emmylou’s voice is what draws you in and holds you until she is done with a song. Her vocals take you wherever she goes, moving from a low whisper and quite hum to a soaring high-end note, held with perfection and marking a word with importance and forcing you to look at it and see it through her beautiful eyes. And yes, I do think that the woman is truly beautiful and it is reflected not only in her voice and good looks but in the way she carries herself in the media and throughout her life. Songbird is a wonderful look at that life and career.

J.J. Cale - Rewind: The Unreleased Recordings

Written by Anonimo

Who is J.J. Cale? Let’s see, only one of the most influential musical figures in American music. Being a fan of music with more of an electronic flair, I would have never known that Cale has had an impact on major artists spanning generations and genres. His songs have been covered by artists such as the likes of Johnny Cash (“Call Me Breeze”), Eric Clapton (“After Midnight” and “Cocaine”), Santana (“The Sensitive Light”), The Band (“Crazy Mama”), Lynyrd Skynyrd (“Bringing It Back” and “Same Old Blues”), and Widespread Panic (“Ride Me High”) just to name a few.

I had the pleasure of being introduced to the music of Cale through his newest album, Rewind: Unreleased Recordings, a treasure of songs, the first three of which (“Guess I Lose,” “Waymore’s Blues,” and “Rollin’”) were my favorites. However, after falling in love with what is known as the “Tulsa Sound,” (a musical style that originated in Tulsa, Oklahoma consisting of a mix of rockabilly, rock 'n' roll, and blues sounds of the late 1950s and early 1960s) I’ve come to love the whole album.

It is a compilation of songs recorded in the ‘70s and early ‘80s, which may be Cale’s most influential years. He seduces us in “Guess I Lose,” whispering the lyrics as if they were sweet nothings into our ears. “My Baby and Me” makes me want to grab a bottle and drink to alleviate my inner turmoil, although I’m not much of a drinker. I could go on, but that would spoil the anticipation of Cale devotees looking forward to his laid-back style and shuffle rhythms.

What will surely be of interest to his fans is the inclusion of covers, a rare occurance. Cale performs Eric Clapton’s “Golden Ring,” Leon Russell’s “My Cricket,” Randy Newman’s “Rollin’,” and the previously mentioned “Waymore’s Blues” by Waylon Jennings. On that last track, Cale makes me realize I’m not the only man with a wandering eye when he sings: “Well I got a good woman/ what’s the matter with me/ What makes wanna love/ every woman I see.”

Bottom line the album is a must-have for all J.J. Cale fans, country-blues listeners, or fans of bands that owe their sound to the influence of his music. I consider myself lucky for the opportunity to have in my hands some of the greatest American music ever written.

Josie and the Pussycats: The Complete Series

Written by Hombre Divertido

Yes, before The Waitresses, The Go-Gos, or The Bangles, there was the all-girl rock and roll group Josie and the Pussycats.

Born in the pages of Archie Comics at the hand of Dan DeCarlo, and brought to the small screen by the legendary Hanna Barbera in a cartoon that combined the adventures of Scooby-Doo, Where Are You? and the music group format of The Archie Show, Josie and her Pussycats made for some good Saturday morning fun. In watching the complete series (16 episodes) recently released on DVD as part of the Hanna-Barbera Classic Collection, it would appear to be an overly used template, but in 1970, it was quite fresh. Hanna-Barbera would repeat it in many forms over the years: The Funky Phantom, Speed Buggy, Jabberjaw, The Great Grape Ape, Fangface, Captain Caveman, and the list goes on. The difference with Josie and the Pussycats was they were a rock group that got involved in adventures.

Josie, the leader of the group, would sing in each episode backed up by dingy comedic vehicle Melody on drums whose singing voice was supplied by future Charlie’s Angel Cheryl Ladd, and Valerie who was the brains of the outfit, working out on two tambourines. She would constantly get the gang out of jams by rewiring machines, robots, etc. Valerie is also credited with being the first regular appearing African-American character on a Saturday morning cartoon show. Also along for the ride were their roadie and Josie’s boyfriend Alan, their manager Alexander, who was voiced by Shaggy himself Casey Kasem, Alexander’s sister Alexandra, and Alexandra’s cat Sebastian.

In each episode Alexandra, who had a crush on Alan making her jealous of Josie, would attempt to get some quality alone time with him for who knows what. Her antics would invariably send the group off in the wrong direction where they would run into some evil character who would take them prisoner. There was rarely a mystery to solve as in Scooby-Doo, Where Are You? which premiered a year earlier.

If anything was lagging in these shows it was the music. Unlike The Archies who played complete songs and had a hit with “Sugar Sugar”, in most of the Josie and the Pussycats episodes we got brief pieces of songs usually played over chase scenes. Nonetheless, the characters were memorable enough for Hanna-Barbera to invest in again. After the conclusion of their one-season run, they were immediately brought back in a new show entitled Josie and The Pussycats in Outer Space that lasted for two seasons (16 episodes).

There is only one extra in this two-disc set, “The Irresistible Charm of Dan DeCarlo: The Man and His Art.” It profiles the creator of Josie and the Pussycats with an in-depth look into the life of this talented artist. This is a well-made documentary that leaves you wanting to know more.

Recommendation: More extras would have been nice, but this is fun stuff to be watched in doses.