One of the surprise films of 2005, The Family Stone successfully navigates the often tempestuous waters of big screen family dramas. Quite often these types of family relationship films get lost in a deluge of dialogue, conflict, and argument. And although The Family Stone has plenty of the aforementioned, it hits the audience in manageable doses with well-placed comic relief and an unforgettable cast of eccentric characters. Written and directed by up-and-coming Hollywood ta…
Bambi (DVD) Review
Nominated for three Academy Awards, including Best Music – Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture, Bambi is a true animated classic of the silver screen. Long before the public’s introduction to Aladdin, The Lion King, or Finding Nemo, Walt Disney single-handedly conjured the full-length animated feature film out of nothing and into an enduring, well-respected genre – creating one family classic after another, starting with Snow White (1937) then Pinocchio (1940), Fantasia (…
CSI (Season 2) DVD Review
Recipient of 20 Emmy and 6 Golden Globe nominations, including Best Television Series: Drama, CSI (Crime Scene Investigation) ascended to the number one spot as the highest rated series on television in the Fall of 2000. Created by Anthony Zuiker, the show travels into the backrooms of the criminal investigation process where forensic scientists unravel complex crimes using modern lab technologies. Since it first premiered, CSI has enabled CBS to emerge as the top-rated netwo…
Dawson’s Creek (Season 5) DVD Review
During its six-year run, Dawson’s Creek was nominated for 12 Teen Choice Awards, making it one of the most successful original programs in WB network history. Taking place in the fictional location of Capeside, Massachusetts, the series was actually filmed in the real-life township of Wilmington, North Carolina (however the show’s theme song was written and performed by Paula Cole, who calls Massachusetts home). Creator Kevin Williamson is said to have modeled the characters …
Frasier (DVD) Review
Along with Friends and Seinfeld, Kelsey Grammer’s Cheers spin-off, Frasier, dominated the prime time television landscape during the 1990’s. Grammer plays the role of Dr. Frasier Crane who, fresh off of his divorce from Lilith, moves back to his hometown of Seattle where he lands a gig as a radio psychiatrist. Frasiers father, Marty Crane (John Mahoney), a Seattle cop recently shot in an attempted convenience store robbery is in need of physical therapy. Frasier and his brot…
Futurama (DVD) Review
A brainchild of Simpsons creator Matt Groening, Futurama launched itself into homes across the galaxy in Spring 1999. Employing the same quick wit and visual humor that has made The Simpsons one of the most successful shows in television history, Futurama (despite its early cancellation in August 2003) maintains its own loyal cult following
Set one thousand years in the future, Futurama follows the life of a modern day American pizza delivery boy named Fry who finds himse…
It’s A Wonderful Life (DVD) Review
The quintessential Christmas classic, It’s A Wonderful Life has dominated the holiday TV landscape with its timeless story of love, friendship, and a kind mans exceedingly relevant life. Filmed in 1947, this Frank Capra masterpiece debuted in theaters to what could best be described as a lukewarm reception. Yet it quickly rose in stature following repeated annual television airings in the 1960s, a Christmas tradition that continues to this day. Centered around the life of Ge…
Law And Order (DVD) Review
Nominated for 52 Emmys since its 1990 premiere, including 11 for Outstanding Drama Series, Law & Order is one of the most popular television shows in modern day history. With an additional 4 Golden Globe nominations for Best TV Series (Drama), Law & Order is more than a TV show, it’s a lucrative franchise for host network NBC, spawning popular spin-offs Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (1999), Law & Order: Criminal Intent (2001), and (the now cancelled) Law & Order: Trial By…
Memoirs Of A Geisha (DVD) Review
Nominated for six Academy Awards, and winner of three, Memoirs Of A Geisha holds its own as one of the best films of 2005. Veteran Hollywood screenwriter Robin Swicord does a superb job of adapting Arthur Goldens bestselling novel to the big screen. This film has all the elements of a classic drama jealousy, politics, intrigue, forbidden love, and an abundance of internal and external conflicts of varying types. Viewers in search of a typical Hollywood blockbuster will be …
Oz (Season 2) DVD Review
Recipient of two Emmy nominations and varying critical acclaim, Oz is considered by many to be one of the greatest prison dramas ever devised. Created by former St. Elsewhere writer Tom Fontana, the show was one of a number of highly touted and commercially successful HBO original series created in the 1990s. Initially aired in the summer of 1997, Oz built a strong following of viewers addicted to its vivid depiction of American prison life and hypnotic voyeuristic window int…
Seinfeld (Season 5) DVD Review
The preeminent show of the 1990’s decade, Seinfeld grew from an idea of “a show about nothing” into a sacred pop culture icon, not that there’s anything wrong with that… The show follows the life of comedian Jerry Seinfeld and the exploits of his “short, quirky, bald guy” best friend, George Costanza (Jason Alexander), Jerry’s neurotic neighbor Cosmo Kramer (Michael Richards), and Jerry’s ex-girlfriend Elaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus). Through the years, they’re joined by a lov…
Soap (DVD) Review
Nominated for 17 Emmys in its short four-year run, Soap premiered in the Fall of 1977 as one of the most controversial shows in American television history (and all before a single episode ever aired). The show was opposed by many groups who thought its subject matter would be too mature for a prime-time audience. But Soap never overstepped its bounds, and the show became an instant smash hit with its brilliant and satirical spoofs of classic daytime programming. Sporting an …