Background: Pete Best is a musician destined to be known as the guy that could have been a Beatle, having left the band just before they became superstars across the globe. In a sense, he represents all of us in some way or another, missing out on a dream for one reason or another, something we regret for the rest of our lives. In a semi-nod to his story was born a movie called The Rocker, starring Rainn Wilson as Robert "Fish" Fishman, a guy kicked out of a heavy metal band twenty years prior, left to become a bitter man with only his regrets left to sustain him. That said, here is my review of The Rocker: Born To Rock Edition on Blu-ray, the upgraded version marginally worth checking into if you like flimsy comedies with half ready character actors in lead roles.

Movie: The Rocker: Born To Rock Edition is one of those harmless little ...Read the entire review

Background: Over the years, I've seen a lot of my associates worshiping various directors as though they could do no wrong. It didn't matter what examples were presented of critical (or popular) flops, they would press on as though external factors caused the flops and sing the butt-kissing praises of the folks that are in charge of converting money into movies (that hopefully, per the producers and financial backers, convert back into money just in larger amounts). I'm guilty of it too, my own icon being George Lucas, but it reminds me that most directors make a few decent flicks and then might as well be singled out as a horrible human beings that probably beats his puppies, wastes gas by driving hummers to KKK rallies, and even goes so far as to eat the last cookie from the package left on the counter. The latest case in point of this is Howard Deutch, the director of wonderfully appealin...Read the entire review

Background: Whenever I see that a movie has changed titles after being released theatrically, I know something is wrong, just as when all the quotes about how good the movie is come from a slew of sources I had never heard of before. Those were my first clues that a movie originally called "Domestic Import" and now referred to as Nanny Insanity was a dog. The cast was primarily third stringers and the director best known for perfunctory work on television shows over the years so I wasn't expecting a whole lot more than a movie based on the scores of television fodder (such as Fran Drescher's old series). The quick version of this review is that the movie was so poorly constructed it might serve as film school dreck to analyze and ...Read the entire review

Background: In recent years there has been a shakeout of anime companies in part thanks to so many "fans" willing to download bootlegs or buy dirt cheap pirate copies rather than buck up and support the industry. As a result of this behavior, those companies stick with "safe" shows most of the time and dumb down imports to broaden the market. There are some decent shows available however but another trend is to continually repackage said shows in numerous forms to sell them time and again, just think of how many times we've seen "Cowboy Bebop" or the various "Robotech" iterations to name a few. Well, one show that seemed to hold a lot of promise for me was given very high marks by both of the DVD Talk anime experts, a show called Read the entire review

Background: Situation comedies have been around since the dawn of the television medium decades ago. While some have been noticeably better than others, there has been a trend for the writers of such shows to follow very specific formulas in regard to how the characters act to life (and each other) that have changed very little over the years I've been watching them. This said, there are plenty of shows available on DVD that manage to tickle my funny bone, one of them a mainstay on PBS for 15 years called The Red Green Show. I've reviewed episodes and a season set in the past and frankly, not much changed when I was sent a preview copy of The Red Green Show 2001 Season: Collector's Edition the other day so I'll borrow a bit of verbiage from my past review to describe the show itself before giving a look at the individual episodes below.

Series: The show bega...Read the entire review

Background: Dinosaurs have long fascinated modern man, not just for the historical aspects of their existence but the sheer magnitude of how the world evolved from a vastly different place. But for a meteor striking Earth millions of years ago, it is likely that dinosaurs would still rule the world, their reign having already lasted far longer than humans have been dominating the planet. As with anything else, public interest translates into money so it is no surprise that recent shows like Discovery Dinosaur Pack and Prehistoric Park cashed in on this wide scale interest, growing numbers of scientists finding the interest helping to fund their expeditions across the globe. The most modern reason for this continued interest is attributed to the popularity of the Read the entire review

Background: As a fan of adult animation, I remember several years ago when the Sci-Fi Channel showed some balls by airing Tripping The Rift: Season Two; an animated program full of sexual innuendos that always fell just short of what I suspected the writers wanted to do but weren't allowed to do thanks to the forces of evil trying to control what adults could watch. Sadly, the cable channel dropped the show (like many others over the years) when it came time to renew for Tripping The Rift: Season Three and it was only a few weeks ago that the full season was released on DVD, the previous "movie" merely being a placeholder that took four episodes of the season and edited them together in an effort to keep fans placated until this release. I'll bring you up to speed on the show so far since I reviewed the movie and previous season...Read the entire review

Background: Ben 10 was a show that plays on the Cartoon Network in the afternoon and I never saw an episode before catching the first season set. Essentially, there are alien races fighting one another for control of the galaxy. One of them created a device that straps itself to your wrist and proceeds to alter your personal DNA for a short period of time to transform you into a powerful alien lifeform; each of which has specific abilities and weaknesses. Ben is on summer vacation with his grandfather Max and Cousin Gwen when he's walking through the woods of a large forest. Unaware of the alien vessels in the area of space above his head, he sees a meteor in the night sky; a meteor that seems to have a mind of its own as it nearly kills him. Ben investigates the crash site and a device we later learn to be the Omnitrix attaches itself...Read the entire review

Background: For as long as I can remember, I found dinosaurs fascinating (even embracing fictional versions such as Godzilla to this day decades later) and I have not been alone in this interest. Whether the interest has been based in the history of our planet or the sheer thrill of how Hollywood tends to present the matter probably varies for most people but I find movies and television shows based on these creatures tend to come in waves, the last big surge starting with the Jurassic Park series of flicks that were given historical credence by renowned experts like Jack Horner. As scientific knowledge is uncovered, and this is one arena where the pace is glacial at best, our collective understanding of these beasts changes so it tends to be the less dramatic cable documentaries that take the lead in showing folks what advances have been achieved, the Discovery Channel the most prolif...Read the entire review

Background: Having watched movies since the 1960's, I occasionally look back at some of the defining moments when this time of year rolls around. Hollywood is much like any other business in how most companies chase the successes of others as being cheaper and a more reliable manner of increasing their return on investment with fewer risks. Well, back on a premium satellite service my family had years ago, I was introduced to an Americanized version of a Japanese slasher samurai flick that initially seemed to spawn dozens of take offs over the years, providing an almost parody amount of blood in each volume, the show called Shogun Assassin. The series in Japan inspired the Lone Wolf & Cub manga that were also released here in slightly edited form, and today's review is for the AnimEigo Shogun Assassin: 5 Film Collector's Set that bundled the previously released series into ...Read the entire review

Background: When most people think of anime, they seem to concentrate on shows with large robots clashing, humanized animals, supernatural or even science fiction themes but fans know it encompasses a lot more than that too. The trouble is that most media moguls or domestic companies involved with anime tend to play things conservatively, importing shows that already have large followings in order to maximize their profits. One company that has repeatedly bucked these trends is AnimEigo, sometimes referred to as the "Criterion of anime" or more accurately, "the best company for quality anime overlooked by the big boys". Needless to say, when they obtain a license for a show it becomes news all over the globe, their latest bo...Read the entire review

Background: Harlan Ellison is one of the most important contemporary writers of science fiction (though the man despises the term, I feel safe from his repeated claims he'd punch anyone that belittled his work with the term). He has written numerous short stories, teleplays, and scripts over the years, always upset at how his vision is changed by producers, directors, actors, and the corporate suits that pay him quite well to churn out his futurist ideas (a lot better than ditch digging would have paid to be sure). 35 years ago, Harlan envisioned a grand project based on the idea that Earth was in decline, humanity all but certain to destroy itself within a generation due to social strife, the nuclear arms race, the oil embar...Read the entire review

Background: Jewel Kilcher (also known as "Jewel") has been a fixture on the singer/song writer circuit for over ten years now, joining the vast community of talented musicians known by the masses for a few hit songs but adored by fans for a far wider body of work. The lovely lady came out of nowhere to top charts with "Who Will Save Your Soul", the music video playing so often on various channels that it made me wonder if she could retire based on royalties for that one alone but her prolific work ethic has provided some other sweet sounding efforts too (another favorite being "You Were Meant For Me" from the same album). My review today is another in the Sound Stage series shot for broadcast on PBS, the long running program perhaps the only reason I donate to the network these days, with a double dose of concerts provided in the form of Jewel: The Essential Live Songbook. ...Read the entire review

Background: Tori Amos is a popular musician that has taken a different route to success over the years, preferring to build a small but loyal following of devoted fans rather than burnout quickly as is more typically the case in the music world. Tori is very talented and as I pointed out in her polished concert shot several years ago (Tori Amos: Welcome to Sunny Florida), she connects to her audience on a deeper level than most of her peers, sharing stories and anecdotes with them to further generate a rapport. Those of you that admire the singer/songwriter's work have probably stumbled across some of her concert performances as much as I have (some even sold without her permission), a few of them now officially available on DVD in the form of Tori Amos: Live At Montreux<...Read the entire review

Background: Music is one of the genres that is even more narrowly targeted on disc than comedy or porn, our individual tastes often so different that objectivity is thrown out the window in favor of an all or nothing approach by critics such as myself that reading our reviews is a very hit or miss venture. After all, if you think the world of Tori Amos, you're going to enjoy her upcoming release on Blu-ray from early in her career just as those of you that hate her will not care one bit how great the audio sounded. Still, the benefit of a well written review is to learn as much as you can about the extras, the technical quality, and perhaps even the presentation if not agree with the reviewer biases brought into the mix. Such was the case when I selected the Manilow Live! concert in Blu-ray the other day, the concert shot bac...Read the entire review

Background: Hollywood used to focus much of its collective attention making movies where it was always clear who the protagonist was, who the bad guy was, and what was expected of each. With societies growing awareness that life is never that cut and dry, the entertainment industry evolved to embrace the so-called "anti-hero" who was not the moral equivalent of a boy scout, often taking the concept of the morally ambiguous lead too far for my tastes but undoubtedly falling into a formulaic approach where the antagonist (the "villain") always got the best lines. Some of the best examples of this dynamic involve the super powered heroes like Batman, Spiderman, Superman, or other comic book characters most of us grew up with in one form or other, each motivated by a variation of the theme that "with great power comes great responsibility". Needless to say, as with the independent comic book boo...Read the entire review

Background: Saturday morning television has long been directed at children as adults like to sleep in or handle various chores in the Monday through Friday, 9 to 5 world said adults live in. Children being out of school on weekends mean they tend to get in the way of the adults so the mass media companies have encouraged such programming on Saturday's, the trend for decades being that it should be more than just commercials for products and needs to have socially positive messages. Companies like Filmation have long embraced such programming as a means of giving something back as well as allowing them to cater to the needs of their audience, including a lot of animated fare such as Space Sentinels where the kids could learn how to get along with others and contribute to society in a number of ways despite their lack of super abilitie...Read the entire review

Background: One of the most popular television shows to ever come out of England over the years (after Benny Hill and a few comedies in my opinion) has been the ongoing adventures of a character named Doctor Who. He is a time lord capable of moving through the vast dimensions of space and time by means of his almost magical machine, the Tardis, and has been portrayed by a variety of actors since the 1960's when the show began. I was most familiar with the Tom Baker version of the show but several years ago, an updated version of the infamous doctor started the cycle once more, this time using a modern approach that was decidedly darker than the versions I remember from years ago. I admit that I have the boxed sets on my wish lists at various stores but having only watched a handful of episodes, I can say that aside from the nomenclature and British mindset, little remains of the character th...Read the entire review

Background: Every once in awhile a television show comes on that sounds so lame, so goofy, and so strange that I watch it out of morbid curiosity before it fades away into obscurity. For all the "TV on DVD" titles out there on the market, how many thousands more languish in production company vaults, never to see the light of day again? With that in mind, I started watching a quirky little show last season, as much because the premiere was written and directed by Kevin Smith as anything else, soon to be available on DVD as Reaper Season One. Let it be known that if you're a religious zealot or lack a sense of humor, you can skip this review entirely since the subject matter deals with Satan and his wicked ways as he uses his evil powers to manipulate a hapless goofball slacker in an almost charming manner.

Read the entire review

Background: I've been a fan of comic books super heroes for as long as I can remember, collecting them back in the 1960's and beyond as I reveled in their exploits of daring do. More of a DC Comics fan (initially) than Marvel or third party producers, I would go to conventions back when most of us did so for the fun of the material, not as a means of financial enrichment. One of my favorite groups of heroes was always the Legion of Super Heroes, a band of futuristic teenagers that were created in the late 1950's as a spinoff of the popular Superboy series, the group starting off small but growing with time. Well, it took long enough but back in 2006, the CW Network finally decided to release a show about the team, and I now get to review Legion of Super Heroes V3.

Read the entire review

]]> DVD Video https://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/review/35231 Wed, 29 Oct 2008 01:44:58 UTC Recommended

Background: Ben 10 is a show that plays on the Cartoon Network in the afternoon and I never saw an episode before catching the first season set. Essentially, there are alien races fighting one another for control of the galaxy. One of them created a device that straps itself to your wrist and proceeds to alter your personal DNA for a short period of time to transform you into a powerful alien lifeform; each of which has specific abilities and weaknesses. Ben is on summer vacation with his grandfather Max and Cousin Gwen when he's walking through the woods of a large forest. Unaware of the alien vessels in the area of space above his head, he sees a meteor in the night sky; a meteor that seems to have a mind of its own as it nearly kills him. Ben investigates the crash site and a device we later learn to be the Omnitrix attaches itself ...Read the entire review

]]> DVD Video https://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/review/35227 Wed, 29 Oct 2008 01:44:07 UTC Recommended

Background: Tori Amos is a popular musician that has taken a different route to success over the years, preferring to build a small but loyal following of devoted fans rather than burnout quickly as is more typically the case in the music world. Tori is very talented and as I pointed out in her polished concert shot several years ago (Tori Amos: Welcome to Sunny Florida), she connects to her audience on a deeper level than most of her peers, sharing stories and anecdotes with them to further generate a rapport. Those of you that admire the singer/songwriter's work have probably stumbled across some of her concert performances as much as I have (some even sold without her permission), a few of them now officially available on DVD in the form of Tori Amos: Live At Montreux<...Read the entire review

]]> Blu-ray https://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/review/34922 Thu, 02 Oct 2008 18:05:36 UTC Recommended

Background: When I reviewed Heroes S1 earlier this month, I found myself immersed in a whole universe of characters that I grew to appreciate, the slowly unfolding story about people gifted with abilities much to my liking. Having grown up on traditional comic books about super-powered heroes always saving the day, this was to be expected since I'm one of the target market for such shows (as a coworker suggested the other day "a geek") but television has a history of "getting it wrong" when it comes to the topic matter so I was pleasantly surprised to say the least. The show is not about organized groups of such heroes in spandex or from other worlds either, merely people trying to cope with their newfound circumstances and those that would exploit them, the writing somewhat inconsistent but displaying the kind of understanding I wan...Read the entire review

]]> Blu-ray https://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/review/34627 Thu, 11 Sep 2008 21:22:00 UTC Rent It

Background: Is there anyone out there that hasn't heard of Superman? Seriously, aside from the box office success of various movies, a number of television series over the years, the popular series of comic books that started 70 years ago (you heard me correctly!), and other marketed materials, I find it difficult to believe that anyone would not have some understanding of the fictional character, albeit maybe not as much as a reformed comic geek such as myself. The character of Superman began on the pages of Action Comics #1 way back in 1938 as created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Schuster. As the years passed, the story evolved and became more complex but the basics always stayed the same; a baby sent from a technologically advanced race in another galaxy lands in a farm via spaceship; the last of his kind. As the years progress, his adoptive parents, Jonathan and Martha Kent, raise him with the...Read the entire review

]]> DVD Video https://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/review/34624 Thu, 11 Sep 2008 17:19:50 UTC Recommended

Everybody Hates Chris: The Third Season came out recently and having never seen a full episode of the series until I reviewed the second season about a year ago, I was hoping it would be more than a generic family based situation comedy (sit-com). Luckily, it was thanks in large part to the way the show was inspired by the brilliant comedian, Chris Rock. For those of you living underneath a rock the last 15 years, Chris is well known for his time on the Saturday Night Live show as well as a number of films that showed his ability to make people laugh at almost anything. Like a great many comedians over the years, Rock's ability to make light of everyday events, boosting the comedic value by use of embellishments as well as taking things we can all identify with to their logical extremes. ...Read the entire review

]]> DVD Video https://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/review/34594 Mon, 08 Sep 2008 19:29:36 UTC Highly Recommended

Background: Cop shows have been a staple on television since the earliest days of the entertainment mediums existence, each generation providing shows that offer glimpses into how we collectively view many aspects of modern life. While there is a definite rhythm used by most such shows even now, when you boil down each show you usually find all the basic elements no matter how gussied up they may be. Last season, the Hollywood Writer's Strike impacted most shows airing on network TV, truncating even the best of established shows, weakening newfound favorites such as Heroes by forcing plot threads to be altered as a result. This phenomenon did not escape the new shows either, one of them surviving the event thanks to a curious blend of drama, humor, and a single long arc that worked out nicely for the eleven episode season of Life...Read the entire review

]]> DVD Video https://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/review/34597 Mon, 08 Sep 2008 19:29:36 UTC Skip It

Background: One of the reasons I like anime so much more than Saturday morning cartoons is the depth so many of the shows have by comparison, the domestic "product" often little more than extended commercials to sell card games or other toys. Most such shows tend to be repetitive and air during prime kid times, generally considered the worst the genre has to offer by a wide variety of people. The most blatant commercial driven advertisement I have come across in a very long time was sent to me for review today, a DVD called Bakugan Battle Brawlers Vol 1, presumably the first in a line of volumes.

Series: Bakugan Battle Brawlers Vol 1 had the first five episodes of the series, totaling up to 110 minutes of material without any extras for those children that prefer to own their commercials instead of watch them on TV like the rest of the world. The lead character o...Read the entire review

]]> Blu-ray https://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/review/34592 Mon, 08 Sep 2008 15:51:38 UTC Rent It

Background: Saturday Night Live has been the virtual home to comedians for generations now, providing a testing ground for them to explore concepts in skit form, many working much better over the span between commercial breaks than as full fledged movies. That is perhaps the most common saying I've heard over the years when cast members of the occasionally popular show make the transition to the big screen, a pop cultural truism if ever one existed. This is not to say that rare successes haven't appeared from time to time but the odds are surprisingly against those associated with the show that I doubt anyone is surprised when most of those flicks tank. Perhaps less common then, or merely less accessible to our conscious minds, are the times when a boilerplate comedy appears, does a modest box office, but still falls far short of warranting accolades. One such comedy is Baby Mama, th...Read the entire review

]]> DVD Video https://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/review/34521 Tue, 02 Sep 2008 01:24:17 UTC Skip It

Background: Teen comedies are a dime a dozen with the quality of most of them tending towards the low end of the scale. So many of them tend to borrow overly used themes that I tend to avoid them altogether until some of my trusted reviewer buddies review them, essentially allowing them to take the bullet in my stead. Well, every now and then, my turn to get stuck with a clunker comes around as was the case with the letterboxed press screener edition of Foreign Exchange.

The Title page!

Movie: Foreign Exchange is a lightweight story about four high school seniors selected to house foreign exchange students from various parts of the world in their homes during the school year. The four consist of Dave (Ryan Pinkston) as the geeky loser with his vir...Read the entire review

]]> Blu-ray https://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/review/34516 Mon, 01 Sep 2008 22:04:12 UTC Highly Recommended

Background: When I was growing up, most of my peers enjoyed comic books more than television, marveling at the exploits of superheroes such as Superman or The Flash (the Uncanny X-Men did not matter until the upgraded characters were released years later). They saved the world on endless occasions using their gifts to benefit mankind, evolving over time as the public grew increasingly restless for saviors they could identify with, flawed heroes such as those that Marvel Comics were the first to offer in mass quantities. As the comic book medium grew into a collector format though, sales waned significantly, resulting in all sorts of problems when the characters were converted into other formats including television and the movies, typically taking the camp route over ...Read the entire review

]]> Blu-ray https://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/review/34510 Mon, 01 Sep 2008 22:01:07 UTC Rent It

Background: Romantic comedies are a guilty pleasure for many people, perhaps best considered a form of escapism on par with any of the latest science fiction releases or supernatural thrillers you will find churned out by Hollywood. You know the drill, a couple destined for one another go through a variety of trials and tribulations only to wind up together against all odds, riding off into the sunset to live a perfect life together. Reality tells us that relationships involve a whole lot of give & take, amounting to a need for the kind of work ethic most of the world doesn't show in their professional lives, and they are not subject to whimsical desires of the universe. The fantasy that "everything will work out" and "love conquers all obstacles" makes for great sophomoric poetry but it generally results in a level of expectations that few of us can live up to, making the life of realis...Read the entire review

]]> Blu-ray https://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/review/34511 Mon, 01 Sep 2008 22:01:07 UTC Rent It

Background: Anime was once a niche market in the USA, relying heavily on Americanized versions to sell to networks as Saturday morning cartoon fodder or in syndication for youth markets, typically heavily edited to meet incredibly lame standards enforced over here. As the fan base grew for such material, more venues opened and it became more recognized as an entertainment medium for older fans too. To interest teenagers and college age types, the medium started focusing on bringing over more explicit material, as much an effort to employ the shock value for word of mouth advertising as anything. One such title that originated in Japan but was made with an American audience in mind was Afro Samurai Season 1 Director's Cut (blu-ray) as a show that advertised on the cable television station Spike TV, now available for high definition fans everywhere.

Show: ...Read the entire review

]]> DVD Video https://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/review/34432 Tue, 26 Aug 2008 14:53:44 UTC Recommended

Background: Television has a long history of offering up spy shows in my experience, from total parodies like Get Smart to hard edged offerings like La Femme Nikita. The trouble with TV is that the censors typically won't allow producers much leeway in terms of what can safely be displayed on publicly broadcast programming so that drastically limits the kind of tough show that succeeds so well on the big screen, leaving comedic spy spoofs safe ground to roam around. Well, despite a writer strike that crippled many excellent shows last season, a few gems survived their limited seasons, one of which comes out on DVD soon called Chuck: The Complete First Season. A blend of James Bond antics and sitcom sensibilities, I stumbled across the show as it aired on the Sci-Fi Channel, catching all too few episodes until the early...Read the entire review

]]> DVD Video https://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/review/34430 Tue, 26 Aug 2008 14:15:30 UTC Recommended

Background: With all the cable channels pumping out shows these days, there is an ever increasing need to provide niche entertainment to a variety of markets, a quick glance at any comprehensive TV guide showing you just how many hundreds of offerings are out there. While most network shows are so expensive that they are designed to appeal to a broader audience, in effect resulting in the "designed by committee" approach I hate so much, far cheaper cable shows can be targeted to many of us. One of those that I never saw last season is the topic of today's review of Manswers: The Best of Season One, a show guaranteed to weed out the ladies in cable land and give most "real men" a bunch of laughs.

Show: Manswer...Read the entire review

]]> DVD Video https://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/review/34429 Tue, 26 Aug 2008 14:15:30 UTC Recommended

Note: The following is a review for the fourth (and final) season of the Ben 10 series, based substantially on the previous volumes reviewed previously. Reviewing a handful of episodes or season at a time is akin to reviewing individual chapters in a book so doing so without spoilers is virtually impossible in any satisfying manner. Still, I will give a general overview of the season's merits a bit deeper into the review for those that have been keeping up with it, noting that watching this one without the prior volumes would make marginal sense to most people.

Background: As a long term fan of protagonist driven adventures, I tend to appreciate stories that show clear cut good guys as much as the next guy even when I know I might not be able to live up to that kind...Read the entire review

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