The Brady Bunch: The Complete Series (DVD)
When widower Mike Brady (Robert Reed) marries a lovely lady named Carol Ann (Florence Henderson), their two families become one. The six children include Carol’s daughters: Marcia (Maureen McCormick), Jan (Eve Plumb) and Cindy (Susan Olsen), as well as Mike’s sons: Greg (Barry Williams), Peter (Christopher Knight), and Bobby (Mike Lookinland). Together with their dog Tiger and quirky housekeeper Alice (Ann B. Davis), this wild clan became the Brady Bunch! From the debut episode with Mike and Carol tie the knot, to the heartwarming series finale, this series is filled with family fun, outrageous outfits, and loads of sibling rivalry.
Even though the series only lasted five seasons, the blended family became embedded in the cultural zeitgeist. The most recent evidence of this is the Snickers commercial, which adapts the famous episode about Marcia’s broken nose. Though the inherent family antics were amusing, Davis’ Alice was one of the main reasons the otherwise run-of-the-mill comedy is so memorable. She not only kept the house, but also lived there and was basically a member of the family. Her quick wit and comedic timing were indispensable, as was displayed in the one episode in which she actually quit her position. The typical family exploits included family vacations to the Grand Canyon and Hawaii, arguments over the only private bedroom, and regular sibling squabbles.
There are no special features. (Paramount Home Video & CBS DVD)
Carrie / The Rage: Carrie 2 [Double Feature] (Blu-ray)
Carrie: Carrie White (Angela Bettis) is a lonely, awkward teenage girl who just doesn’t fit in. At school, she endures her classmates’ constant ridicule, and at home she suffers endless psychological torture at the hands of her fanatically religious mother (Patricia Clarkson). But Carrie has a secret. She’s been cursed with the terrifying power of telekinesis. And when her tormenters commit an act of unforgivably cruel humiliation at the prom, they’ll soon learn a deadly lesson.
The Rage: Carrie 2: In this sequel, Rachel (Emily Bergl) is a high school misfit who gets caught in the middle of a vicious prank orchestrated by a group of jocks that turns deadly. Once the police bring one of the boys in for questioning, his teammates target Rachel for squealing, and hatch a devious scheme to publicly humiliate her. But messing with Rachel is worse than playing with fire, for when her tempers crossed, it triggers a powder-keg of anger and unleashes horrifying powers that turn a wild teen house party into a wilder mad-house inferno.
The 2002 TV movie is meant to be a more direct adaptation of Stephen King’s novel of the same name. Maintaining the perspective of a police investigation, the narrative is told via interviews by detectives attempting to discover what happened on the fatal prom night. Sue Snell, the gym teacher and others recount their experiences while the omnipotent camera fills in the blanks regarding Carrie’s home life and the vindictive plan against her. This version’s approach loses the intensity of Brian de Palma’s, though it does include more details from the book. The 1999 sequel focuses on another young woman with telekinesis, who a now-adult Sue Snell (Amy Irving reprises her role) attempts to help in order to prevent another tragedy like the one she survived. Her original situation is not as dire as Carrie’s, but the humiliation she faces is equally if not more heinous. The modern update integrates some interesting CGI/make-up effects and constructs an even larger blowout by orchestrating it in a house with large glass windows.
Special features include: commentary by director David Carson; new commentary by director Katt Shea and director of photography Donald Morgan, moderated by filmmaker David DeCoteau; original 1999 commentary by Shea; alternate ending with “before and after” special effect sequence; additional scenes not seen in theatres; and theatrical trailers. (Scream Factory)
Class of 1984 (Blu-ray)
An idealistic and naive music teacher, Andrew Norris (Perry King), has moved into a new community with his pregnant wife, Diane (Merrie Lynn Ross), only to find his new job is an academic abyss. Appalled by the crime-infested school, Norris soon crosses paths with its teenage kingpin, the shrewd and sadistic Peter Stegman (Timothy Van Patten). With Norris setting his sights on reforming Stegman and the young punk declaring war on his teacher, the duo is on a collision course for a fateful showdown.
The director describes the film as prophetic, referring to situations in which kids have brought weapons to school with fatal results. However, this picture goes well beyond that example. Lincoln High has more in common with a prison than another school, in which drug dealing, gang wars, murder and rape are commonplace. Norris does his best to obey and enforce the rules, and seek justice within the system; but when he can’t beat them that way, he retaliates in kind. Every aspect of this picture seems extreme, from the principal’s and police’s indifference to the teacher’s response involving a gun to the number of serious infractions committed by Stegman and his gang. In addition to the actors listed, Michael J. Fox also had a supporting role as a good kid caught in the crossfire.
Special features include: commentary by Mark Lester; new interviews with director Mark Lester, actors Lisa Langlois and Erin Noble, and composer Lalo Schifrin; new career retrospective interview with Perry King; “Blood And Blackboards” featurette; still gallery; TV spots; and original theatrical trailer. (Scream Factory)
Echoes (Blu-ray)
Struggling with horrifying, sleep paralysis-induced visions, young writer Anna (Kate French), retreats with her boyfriend to an isolated yet beautiful glass house in the desert. Hoping that the desert vistas surrounding her will spur her creative juices, she welcomes the opportunity to stay behind when her boyfriend must return to the city for urgent business. However, Anna’s sleep paralysis does not abate, despite the calming environment. And now, her attacks are accompanied by a mysterious figure, caked with dirt as if it was made of sand itself. As the visions intensify, she finds herself on the verge of losing her mind… or being led to uncover a life-threatening secret?
Sleep paralysis is a fascinating subject with great potential in the horror genre that has not been explored very much up to now. However this movie squanders its opportunity to make an impression. The actual instances of Anna’s inability to move and the dreams that accompany them are curious, but the story built around these occurrences is senseless and somewhat dull. In addition, rather than stick to the initial subject all the way through the film, filmmakers decide to switch from a condition in which Anna can’t move at all to one that causes her to sleepwalk and do things she cannot remember in the morning. Attempting to incorporate too many symptoms into Anna’s condition completely weakens this film.
There are no special features. (Anchor Bay Entertainment)
Eddie and the Cruisers / Eddie and the Cruisers II (Blu-ray)
Eddie and the Cruisers: They say rock ‘n’ roll never dies, but one dark night in 1963, Eddie Wilson’s car took a dive off a Jersey bridge with the troubled rock idol at the wheel. His body was never found. Twenty years after the lead singer (Michael Paré) of “Eddie and the Cruisers” disappeared, the band’s songs are hotter than ever. And renewed interest in the band leads TV reporter Maggie Foley (Ellen Barkin) to pursue a tantalizing mystery: what if Eddie is still alive?
Eddie and the Cruisers II: Eddie Lives!: At the height of fame, rock legend Eddie Wilson (Michael Paré) drove his car into the river and disappeared from the limelight. Twenty years later, his band Eddie and the Cruisers is hotter than ever. Posing as a construction worker, Eddie has maintained a quiet life in Canada. But his relentless desire to make music pulls him back to the stage where he forms a new band and an even hotter sound. Meanwhile, to cash in on the revived interest in the band, record executives release an Eddie and the Cruisers “lost tapes” album and promote a worldwide search for the mysterious rocker. As his new band hits centre stage, Eddie finally faces the past — his way.
Though these are two films dealing with the same musician’s disappearance, they basically work independently of each other. The first film is a bit of a mystery as a reporter chases the theory that Eddie is still alive somewhere. After giving an interview for the article, the band’s pianist (Tom Berenger) begins his own hunt for the missing tapes of The Cruisers’ last, unreleased album. Switching between the past and present, audiences learn whatever happened to Eddie’s band mates after his death as they recall some of their more important moments together. Save for Paré, almost none of the actors appear in the sequel outside of flashbacks that simply lift scenes from the first picture. This movie focuses on Eddie’s attempt to reinvent himself without reclaiming the baggage that compelled him to fake his death in the first place. Even more than in the initial picture, Eddie’s temper makes it difficult to like his character. Because the films are so different from one another, it’s likely audiences will like one more than the other though the music stays consistent in both.
There are no special features. (Shout Factory)
For the Boys (Blu-ray)
Big-band singer Dixie Leonard (Bette Midler) is chosen to perform at an overseas USO Christmas show by her uncle, a comedy writer for famed comedian Eddie Sparks (James Caan). Dixie is shuttled to London, where she is thrown on-stage with Eddie, who takes an immediate dislike to her. But her performance is a sensation, and the audience can’t stop howling at Dixie’s smart one-liner comebacks to Eddie. Dixie is catapulted to stardom, and the repartee between Eddie and Dixie becomes the stuff of legend.
Midler and Caan have a terrific chemistry in this picture, whether they’re verbally sparring, performing on stage, or hating or loving each other. The words flow so seamlessly between them, it’s easy to become caught up in their banter regardless of whether it’s all in good fun, or they’re really letting each other have it. The story spans several decades, though the only indication they’ve switched time periods is the characters’ advanced age. Though there is a lot of laughter, this story is primarily about Dixie’s tragic life as she lived through two wars. She talks about WWII being everyone’s “big break” and how the loss she experiences is the price of her success during the turmoil. Midler is as good delivering one-liners as she is relaying her unhappy story. The old woman make-up isn’t great, but Midler’s performance makes up for it.
There are no special features. (Anchor Bay Entertainment)
Frasier: The Complete Series (DVD)
Dr. Frasier Crane (Kelsey Grammar) is a stuffy psychiatrist turned call-in radio host who struggles to follow his own advice. He lives with Martin (John Mahoney), his gruff, ex-cop father, and Daphne (Jane Leeves), their eccentric British housekeeper, who is the love interest of Frasier’s neurotic brother, Dr. Niles Crane (David Hyde Pierce).
It’s hard to believe anyone could have predicted this Cheers spinoff would be as successful as it was, but it became one of TV viewers’ most beloved shows. Each of the personalities brought something different to the show, yet they all complemented each other to create one of the funniest sitcoms. Though the Crane brothers were equally smug, Frasier had benefited from his time spent in the small Chicago bar. Niles, conversely, was so proper he placed a napkin on the local café’s chairs before sitting. Of course neither of the brothers were anything like their streetwise father, who learned to accept his sons would never enjoy a football game. Niles’ crush on Daphne seemed to go on forever, yet when they finally did get together it was almost more fun when he was only secretly pining for her. Nonetheless, years of misunderstandings, ruined dates, fiancés, relatives from England and various men’s clubs kept things interesting right to the end.
Special features include: two episodic commentaries; making-of featurette; “Celebrity Voices”; “Frasier Crane’s Apartment”; “Marching on to Season Two”; “The Mystery of Maris Continues”; “Roz’s Dating Tips”; “The Niles and Daphne Attraction”; “And then there was Eddie”; “The Crane Brother Remember Season Three”; “A conversation with art director Roy Christopher”; “Bulldog Crazy”; “The Mystery of Maris: The Breakup Begins”; “Observations, Analyses and Good-Byes”; and “Frasier Says Farewell.” (Paramount Home Video & CBS DVD)
I Am Steve McQueen (Blu-ray)
Steve McQueen will forever be recognized as one of Hollywood’s most iconic movie stars. His rugged good looks, bad-boy sexuality and searing charisma set him apart as he grew from a small-town rebel to become the highest paid and most sought-after actor of his generation. He was notorious for challenging authority and lived life for himself. Nicknamed the “King of Cool”, McQueen had a volatile yet endearing anti-hero persona was as much a part of who he really was as an individual as the characters he portrayed on-screen. Combining extensive original interviews, including rare interviews with Steve McQueen himself, the best of his major motion pictures and archival footage, the film chronicles McQueen’s extraordinary career while focusing on the correlation between his on-screen and off-screen experiences.
McQueen’s on-screen personality was so large, it’s easy to forget there was an equally larger-than-life man behind the characters. He infused all of his characters with a piece of himself, and if it wasn’t already in the script he’d find a way to insert it. One of the chief examples of this is the unconventional part he took in The Thomas Crown Affair, which he then convinced the director to include a scene in a dune buggy. If there was any doubt going into this documentary that McQueen is the King of Cool, there is none once it’s over. He could do anything and have anyone he wanted, yet when he decided to have a family he put the same effort into being a great father that he did everything else. On top of being a great actor, he was a skilled race car and motorcycle driver (doing most of his own stunts in Bullitt) with a magnificent collection of cars, bikes and planes. The film features archival interviews and footage of McQueen, as well as interviews with his family and friends, and Hollywood admirers such as Gary Oldman, Pierce Brosnan, Randy Couture, Zoe Bell, and Ben Mankiewicz with minimal narration by Robert Downey Jr.
Special features include: “McQueen’s Garage”; “Steve McQueen’s Yucatan”; and trailer. (Shout Factory)
MacGyver: The Complete Series (DVD)
This television series forever changed the way people looked at their junk drawers and introduced “MacGyvering” into the English language. MacGyver (Richard Dean Anderson) is the gun-hating, gadget-building, mullet-having secret agent in classic episodes like “Jack of Lies” and “Blood Brothers.”
MacGyver isn’t just an invention of The Simpsons, though Patty’s and Selma’s affections weren’t the only ones he captured. The handsome improviser was a trained scientist employed by a fictional government agency. He always seemed to get himself into some sticky or life-threatening situation, but would manage to neutralize it or escape using whatever items were at hand – along with his ever-present Swiss army knife and roll of duct tape. As unlikely it seemed most of his inventions would be as successful as depicted, the show’s creators tried to ensure all of his devices were based on real science. In each episode, viewers would also learn a little more about the hero’s background usually in the pre-credit sequence at the start. In the latter half of the show’s seven seasons, storylines would deal more with social issues; though the action adventure series never lost steam.
There are no special features. (Paramount Home Video & CBS DVD)
Manny (DVD)
Manny Pacquiao has overcame insurmountable odds to become one of the most loved and respected athletes of all time. From a starving teenager who fought to feed his family, to a Congressman in the Philippines working tirelessly to improve the lives of his people, to internationally recognized and record-setting boxer, this feature-length documentary explores the many triumphs and tribulations of Filipino boxing sensation Manny Pacquiao.
The timing of this film’s release could not be more targeted with Pacquiao’s much publicised fight against Floyd Mayweather set to happen in less than three weeks. That fight is only briefly incorporated into the narrative, as it appears to have been shot well before this epic battle became a reality. Pacquiao’s story is one of rags to riches, though he has not forgotten from where he came. Though this film is likely a PR tool, there’s also no denying Pacquiao has a big heart. However that same attribute is shown to put a strain on his boxing career as spreads himself too thin before a title fight. This is the fairy tale story of the impoverished boy who started boxing to support his family and became a legend of whom big business took advantage. The positive slant to the film is most obvious when Pacquiao’s transgressions with women and gambling are only mentioned in passing, and then again when he reforms. Still, people like underdog stories and this one will put a lot more people in his corner come May 1.
Special features include: “Manny vs. Mosley”; “Top Rank Gym”; “Manny’s Birthday Party”; and Manny music video. (Anchor Bay Entertainment)
Matlock: The Complete Series (DVD)
Both in the courtroom and out, no one matches the quick wit, Southern charm and killer instincts of legendary attorney Ben Matlock (Andy Griffith). Helping the masterful lawyer solve his most intriguing cases over the years are a crew of clever colleagues, including daughter Leanne (Brynn Thayer), Conrad McMasters (Clarence Gilyard, Jr.), P.I. Cliff Lewis (Daniel Roebuck) and P.I. Jerri Stone (Carol Huston).
Where many actors dream of playing one iconic role, Griffith was lucky enough to play two. The same charm that endeared people to his small town sheriff on The Andy Griffith Show made him a likeable and trustworthy lawyer. Through nine seasons, Matlock worked on countless fascinating cases with the help of his team who chased down leads and helped corner suspects with evidence they couldn’t possibly refute. Near the end of the episode, there was never any doubt that last person on the witness stand was guilty. Premiering in 1986, this was probably one of the earliest crime procedural TV shows along with Murder, She Wrote. One of the odd things about the show that can be fun for audiences to trace is the number of guest actors who appeared more than once in the series playing different roles, or even becoming regulars. Even Griffith’s former co-star Don Knotts would eventually join the cast as the lawyer’s neighbour. Matlock’s standard fee was $100,000, but he was worth every penny.
Special features include: alternate endings for “The Hucksters”; and episodic teasers for select episodes. (Paramount Home Video & CBS DVD)
The Missing (Blu-ray)
When five year-old Oliver Hughes disappears while on holiday in France, it sets off a nearly decade-long search for his whereabouts. His father, Tony (James Nesbitt), is desperate to locate his lost son. With help from a legendary detective (Tchéky Karyo), Tony embarks on an obsessive quest to find his son and those responsible for his disappearance. A gripping puzzle with twists and turns at every stage, Tony’s exhaustive search fractures his relationship with his wife, Emily (Frances O’Connor), and threatens to destroy his life.
This is one of the most engrossing miniseries ever-produced. It’s nearly impossible to stop watching after any one chapter as the story gains complexity and momentum. The two investigations into the boy’s disappearance are told in parallel. The original case remained unsolved for eight years, though his father never stopped looking for him. Returning to the town nearly a decade later, Tony is viewed as a menace until it appears he may actually have found new evidence that reveals a trail never uncovered during the initial investigation. The riveting mystery unfolds gradually, keeping its hooks in audiences right until the end. A brilliant device is used in the final episode to keep viewers on their toes with a conclusion that perfectly fits the rest of the narrative.
There are no special features. (Anchor Bay Entertainment)
Outcast (Blu-ray)
When the heir of the Imperial throne becomes the target of an assassination by his despised older brother, the young prince must flee the kingdom and seek protection. His only hope for survival is a reluctant war-weary crusader named Jacob (Hayden Christensen), who must overcome his own personal demons and rally the assistance of a mythical outlaw known as The White Ghost. Together they must fight side by side in an epic battle to return the prince to his rightful place on the throne.
In spite of his prominence in the movie’s artwork, Nicholas Cage has a limited role in the picture. Even so, he does ensure his character makes a lasting impression. Nonetheless, this is namely Christensen’s vehicle to display his sword-fighting skills and reluctant compassion. The film brings the skill and dedication of the Knights Templar to China as Jacob tries to escape the atrocities he’s committed in northern Africa in the name of the Pope. His skills as an elite warrior are very handy when protecting the deposed emperor from hundreds of pursuing guards. The film is basically a long chase interrupted by several fights. Though unoriginal and forgettable, it’s not wholly unenjoyable.
Special features include: interviews with cast and crew; making-of featurette; and trailer. (Entertainment One)
Vengeance of an Assassin (Blu-ray)
The Assassins’ Code: Stick to the mission. Never take your eyes off the target. Show no mercy. Natee (Dan Chupong) became a killer for one reason — to discover who killed his parents. As he gets closer to uncovering a secret network of power and corruption, he’s double-crossed on a job, making him a target and putting everyone he loves in danger. Betrayed, exposed, and hunted by the deadliest killers in the business, now Natee has a new code. Be faster. Stronger. Hit harder. Survive.
There is very little plot to this narrative. Though Natee is supposed to be driven by the need to find his parents’ killers, that aspect of his mission does not come into play until the last act. The main reason to watch this movie is if you appreciated the incredible action sequences created by director Panna Rittikrai in the Ong Bak series. The film opens with an insane, no-holds-barred game of soccer played in a warehouse as if the players were engaged in a death match. It’s incredibly impressive and memorable. Applying his signature style, Rittikrai shoots most of the action sequences in single, long takes, rarely cutting away from or between the battles. Though there’s an attempt to create a heartfelt story, it never lives up to the extraordinariness of the fight scenes.
There are no special features. (Well Go USA)
