May’s DVD reviews, Part II
<b>Last Action Hero, 1993</b> - If you even vaguely remember it, you get the premise: Kid goes into the movie realm. The problem is the meta-movie can’t sufficiently exaggerate the “movieisms” for the audience to feel they’ve moved from the cartoonish version of “real life” to the supposedly unrealistic movie with the movie, much like when Arnold was elected governator.
<b>Lost: Season 3, Discs 1&2</b> - I’d heard bad things about this season, but there was honestly more story development in the first few episodes this time around than the entire last season in its entirety.
<b>24: Season 6, Discs 1&2</b> - They pretty much gloss over a lot of the lingering threads from last season, but who cares since last season sucked worse than any. They’re finally getting the show back on track.
<b>Extras: Season 2, Discs 1&2</b> - There really is nothing else like this series on tv anywhere, and that alone ought to be reason enough to watch, but if you need more, then two words: Ricky Gervais.
<b>Psyche: Season 1, Disc3</b> - Meh. This show isn’t very good, but I don’t hate it. It painted itself in the corner with an annoying premise, but several of the cast have the potential to make it entertaining anyway.
<b>Planet Terror, 2007</b> - Imagine you could melt down the Die Hard series, everything by George Romero and Tarantino and Rodriguez, then distill it into a formulation of Viagra you take with your eyes. If you can do that, you might have about a tenth of this movie. If you haven’t seen it yet, you better show me the receipt for all the porn you’ve been busy watching to the exclusion of all else instead.
<b>Battlestar Galactica: Season 3: Disc 4, 2006</b> - Possibly the only reasonable excuse outside of porn for not watching <i>Planet Terror</i>.
<b>Wild Palms: Disc 1, 1993</b> - Good premise, lots of plot twists (though you can see many of them coming literally hours in advance), but weak acting and really, really bad direction.
<b>Wizards, 1977</b> - A mish-mash of almost every animation style and technique available at the time, but that’s about the only reason it’s worth watching other than the perpetually prominent nipples of the fairy princess throughout.
<b>Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season 2: Disc 2, 1997</b> - They dole out story developments so slowly in this series that you could honestly watch a given season’s episodes in any order and wouldn’t have any trouble with anything but the lack of acting talent.
<b>Gilmore Girls: Season 7: Disc 2, 2006</b> - More of the same and I’m still not complaining.
<b>Penn & Teller: Bullsh*t!: Season 2: Disc 3, 2004</b> - The key distinction is magicians tell you that they’re going to trick you. Everyone who fails to do so is full of bullshit.
<b>Wit, 2001</b> - Cancer makes Emma Thompson look back at her life only she tells the audience about what she sees while Mike Nicols directs. Not as profound as one would think, but intelligently and inventively staged.
<b>Candid Camera: 5 Decades of Smiles: Disc 9, 1949</b> - By this disc it’s pretty much the end of the series, but there are still a lot of (re)inventive takes on the early pranks. Armchair anthropologists should take notes.
<b>PICKS OF THE LITTER:</b> <i>Battlestar Fracking Galactica</i> is the best fracking show on television, and I’m not just saying that because it’s what Dom spent her honeymoon night watching, but <i>Planet Terror</i> is every other movie on steroids only with balls that haven’t atrophied due to steroids. Also, if you loved the BBC version of <i>The Office</i>, you should check out <i>Extras</i>. And if you haven’t seen <i>The Office</i>, then your life is a pale, lifeless version of Dom’s honeymoon night.
Write a Comment