Top Gear – Seasons 14 and 15 (DVD)
Far from running out of gas, Top Gear has found a nice cruising speed by the time season 14 and 15 hit the air (both are just now coming out on DVD).
Category: Video Reviews
Invader Zim: Operation Doom (DVD)
We still watch the heck out of the Invader Zim collections that were released last year. So, when we heard that there was a new Invader Zim collection to be released, we were rightfully excited for the prospect. This three-hour compilation is value priced (online preorder prices are pegged at about $13) and contains a number of episodes that were voted on as the best of the show’s run.
Beyblade Metal Fusion: Volume 3 (DVD)
This latest DVD from Vivendi captures 7 episodes from the first season of Beyblade Metal Fusion (episodes 15-21), and gives viewers the opportunity to begin to catch up to where the current story line is at. Volume 3 contains those episodes that were originally aired on American shores from the middle of August all the way out to the beginning of September. This represents a quick turnaround from original English…
Everyday Black Man (DVD)
Everyday Black Man is a movie that looks to break the mold created by thirty-plus years of African-American cinema and really establish a crossover hit with an extremely proficient crew. Moses Stanton (Henry Brown, Baywatch Nights) is the owner of a local neighborhood store, and takes in an individual that looks to have the same feelings regarding racial uplift as ey does (Omari Hardwick, from TV’s Dark Blue). When Moses’…
All-Star Superman (DVD)
I must admit, I have only recently came back to the comic book (and video) mythos of Superman after about 15 years of inactivity. Grant Morrison created a 12-issue mini-series that ran from 2005 and 2008 that represents the basis of the movie here. In this, Lex Luthor creates an elaborate plan to kill Superman, one that increases eir powers dramatically over the course of one year until a point…
Neshoba: Price of Freedom (DVD)
Neshoba county, Mississippi is where the “Mississippi Burning” murders took place back in 1964. For those that are not familiar with the tragedy, a trio of individuals went down to one of the most rural areas in the South, in the hopes that they could go and get a number of African-American voters registered to vote. Rather than allowing that to happen, Edgar Ray Killen and a number of other…
El Superstar: The Unlikely Rise of Juan Frances (DVD)
It is surprising that El Superstar is director Amy French’s first feature film. This mockumentary is cast in the fashion of predecessor films (in spirit) like This Is Spinal Tap or A Mighty Wind. Juan Frances (John French, Amy’s brother) was abandoned by eir real parents in Beverly Hills, but was given a second shot at life through the caring arms of eir nanny (Lupe Ontiveros, As Good As It…
Amarcord (Blu-Ray)
It surprises me that some of the films by storied director Federico Fellini have not been given their time in the sun. The Criterion Collection has presented viewers with a stunningly sharp transfer of Amarcord, eir 1973 film about life in fascist Italy, presenting it on the Blu-Ray format. Amarcord is an interesting movie for those in current (and even then-current) United States, as it provides so many similarities and…
Mojo Bones (DVD)
Mojo Bones may just be the world’s best collection of legendary and otherwise amazing musicians. This hour-long film has twelve different five-minute clips of musicians as diverse as BB King, Little Richard, Otis Redding, The Doors, and Jimi Hendrix. While each of these artists could conceivably have four and five DVD sets full of their live performances (if not deserving more), Mojo Bones gives viewers a little snippet of each.…
The Sign of Four (DVD)
This 1983 version of a Sherlock Holmes tale is helmed by Ian Richardson (BBC’s House of Cards) as the gumshoe. This iteration was part of an aborted six film deal between Sy Weintraub (Tarzan director) and Otto Plaschkes (The Homecoming, Hopscotch), and preceded the ITV Sherlock Holmes series.
Ghost Bird (DVD)
I believe that it is just because ornithology is not my cup of tea, but I cannot recall any movie or documentary about birds that I find myself having to watch again. Ghost Bird is a film for casual fans of documentaries as well as those that wish to use it as a teaching tool. Ghost Bird is a documentary about the Ivory-billed woodpecker, a bird that was thought to…
Max & Ruby: Bunny Tales (DVD)
First off, there is a full hour and a half of Max & Ruby episodes here. This far outstrips many other companies’ offerings in the childrens’ video market. Secondly, the episodes here represent different themes and morals, ensuring that the replay value for this collection is high. Max & Ruby: Bunny Tales is a value-priced collection (with an MSRP of well under $20), and will be one that children continually…
Ice Road Truckers – The Complete Season Four (DVD)
I finally realized I was addicted to realty programming about 10 minutes in the first episode of Ice Road Truckers. The concept for this History channel show is fairly simple: Take a handful of truck drivers, through them up in frozen Alaska and train cameras on them as they haul massive loads up steep mountains with narrow, snow clogged roads and in some very frightening cases, over frozen lakes. The…
Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea – Season Four, Volume Two (DVD Set)
For fans of the sixties Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, the release of this DVD set is both a happy and a sad event. The show finally has its last few episodes brought to the DVD format, but that’s exactly it – there are no more parts of seasons to be released. The show did not lose a step despite being on the air for four seasons; “Nightmare”…
Beverly Hills Chihuahua 2 (Blu-Ray + DVD Combo Pack)
Beverly Hills Chihuahua 2 is the rare example of a sequel (and a direct to video one) being better than the original outing. The voice work is stronger, owing much to the presence of veteran voice actors like Miguel Ferrer (Delgado) and a whole slew of past and present Disney stars (BridgitMendler – Appoline and Emily Osment – Pep). While only a few years removed from the original, the film…
Lance Lopez – Salvation From Sundown (DVD)
Despite having such a nice live performance recorded this year on MIG Music, I must admit I was not too familiar with Lopez’ stuff. Where ey has done some solo albums as well as a stint in Band of Trouble, I feel that ey work here surpasses anything previous captured on disc. This DVD captures Lopez along with Al PahanishJr (drums) and Toni Valdez (bass) for eir Rockpalast date in…
The Andy Williams Collection (DVD Set)
This is the definitive release surrounding the musical side of Andy Williams’ career, with each disc showcasing a different side of the legend. Couple that with a number of great featurettes rounding out the rest of the release, and what viewers will have with this sub-$40 set is something that will do perfectly as a birthday or Easter present.
Stingray – The Complete Series (DVD Set)
Mill Creek knows how to pull series from well beyond the grave and provide viewers with an experience that many of them have not had since the show originally aired. For those that were not alive or watching NBC from 1985 to 1987, Stingray was a Stephen J. Cannell (The Rockford Files, The A-Team) production. Provided further energy through the inclusion of a number of different musical interludes, Stingray is…
ER – The Complete Fourteenth Season (DVD)
By the time the 14th season of E.R. hit the air, the show had long since stopped being water cooler fodder at work the next day, which is a shame because the show had finally hit a comfortable groove. ER proved years ago that it’s not always the actors that make the show. With the exception of maybe Law & Order, no other drama managed to be as successful as…
Transatlantic – Whirlwind Tour 2010: Live At Shepherd’s Bush Empire London (DVD)
A quick note before the review truly begins – there are a number of different releases that fans of Transatlantic can sink their teeth into. While we are reviewing the 2 DVD version, fans of audio can pick up a 3 CD version and those that wish to have both can pick up a bundled package. Saying that, we were lucky enough to have over five hours of footage from…