Category: Review

“Chuck” Delivers Laughs, Action

Chuck, The Complete First Season
Warner Bros. Television
Starring Zachary Levi, Yvonne Strahovski, Adam Baldwin, and Joshua Gomez
556 minutes (13 episodes on four DVDs)
Release Date: September 09, 2008

If you ever go to see a taping of a sitcom at Warner Bros. in Burbank, Ca, you’re likely to see a row of Nerd Herd cars parked next to one of the massive soundstages on the lot. This is where many of the interior scenes of the new series Chuck are filmed. You’ve probably seen promos for the series and wondered, “What’s it all about?” Continue reading ““Chuck” Delivers Laughs, Action”

“Pinky and the Brain” Are You Thinking What I’m Thinking?

Pinky and the Brain, Volume One
Warner Bros. Animation
Not Rated
471 minutes
Available Now

There’s something so poetically unjust in the fact that The Brain can never get one of his megalomaniacal schemes of world domination to work. He tries so hard, thinks up overly-elaborate plans, and still, like Wile E. Coyote, can never catch that proverbial Road Runner. Whom can we blame for his failings? Continue reading ““Pinky and the Brain” Are You Thinking What I’m Thinking?”

“Reprise” A Smart Indie Film

Reprise
Miramax/ Red Envelope Entertainment
Starring Espen Klouman Høiner, Andres Danielsen Lie, and Viktoria Winge
Directed by Joachim Trier
Rated R for Language, Sexuality, and Brief Nudity
107 minutes
Available Now

The Cast of \"Reprise\"

SUB-TITLE ALERT: The following is a foreign film. Those who do not wish to read while they watch a movie have been warned.

Our lives are not our own. They belong to those around us. Those we affect with our decisions, choices, and actions. Each individual follows their own unique path when it comes to how they live their life. But it is how that life intersects with the lives and choices of others that make humanity interesting. Reprise, Official Selection of Sundance Film Festival, Continue reading ““Reprise” A Smart Indie Film”

“Eli Stone”: Legal Drama, with a Twist of Fantasy

Eli Stone: The Complete First Season
ABC Studios
Starring Jonny Lee Miller, Natasha Henstridge, Matt Letscher, and Victor Garber
Rated TV-PG
559 minutes (13 episodes on four discs)
Release Date: September 02, 2008

For the past four years, Lost has delivered elements of fantasy, the supernatural, and science-fiction to audiences willing to go along for the journey. Viewers have been witness to mysterious island-dwellers, polar bears, and an organization known as the Dharma Initiative. With these types of fantastical elements, Lost has become a success and continues to attract viewers. I would go so far as to say we keep watching because nothing is ever explained and we want to know the answers. In the case of the new series, Eli Stone, Continue reading ““Eli Stone”: Legal Drama, with a Twist of Fantasy”

“Wayside School” Kid-Friendly Wackiness

Wayside School, Season One
Nelvana International/ Paramount DVD
4 hours, 52 minutes (13 episodes on two DVDs)

Todd from \"Wayside School,\" once voiced by Michael Cera

With its vast array of vivid colors, crazy characters, and odd-ball humor, Wayside School has one thing going for it: Continue reading ““Wayside School” Kid-Friendly Wackiness”

“Brian Regan: The Epitome of Hyperbole”: Clean, Entertaining, and Hilarious

Brian Regan: The Epitome of Hyperbole
Comedy Central
Starring Brian Regan
TV-PG
42 minutes
Release Date: September 09, 2008

Epitome (noun) – a person or thing embodying a quality.

Hyperbole (noun) – an exaggerated statement not meant to be taken literally.

That concludes our vocabulary lesson for this review.

In a stand-up comedy environment where vulgarity, obscenity, shock, and racial epithets have become the norm, it’s hard to fathom that there are clean comics working anymore. Stars of family-friendly sitcoms like Bob Saget of Full House and Tim Allen of Home Improvement both have acts that no parent would allow their child to watch on purpose. In the case of stand-up comedian Brain Regan, Continue reading ““Brian Regan: The Epitome of Hyperbole”: Clean, Entertaining, and Hilarious”