“Star Trek”: The Original Series is a cheap option for those non-Trekkies to get a few solid episodes from the three seasons the show aired. Of course, if you are a fan, you already have all of these, even in high-definition for the Blu-ray releases, you get nothing out of this “best of” collection.
Scooby-Doo! Moon Monster Madness isn’t the strongest of the modern animated movie line but it still has some entertainment value and if you have kids, they’ll probably eat every bit of it up. The animation itself isn’t bad either and the voice casting once again is well done.
The Intruders actually isn’t a terrible movie but it should be noted that the target audience in all likelihood is the ‘tween demographic. As a PG-13 flick, it’s pretty light with the bulk of the rating being for “scary” images but remove a couple swear words, this could easily air on LMN or ABC Family with minimal edits. Miranda Cosgrove is decent as a lead actress however she’s not given much to work with.
Something Wicked isn’t a good movie but there’s elements that with some help could’ve made it a fun little B-movie. The performance from lead actress Shantel VanSanten is actually not bad and I hope she receives more opportunities with better material to work with. The DVD released by Arc Entertainment is basic with only a trailer and decent to good video and audio transfers.
Bird People is a slow moving film that will test one’s patience where scenes tend to drag on but the performances are all pretty good and on that front, it at least has some redeeming value, but little else. The DVD released by MPI doesn’t have much to offer with a mere trailer and standard video/audio transfers.
Well intentioned for sure but ultimately Days and Nights, written and directed by Christian Camargo, is a fairly dull film with some OK acting from a nicely put together named cast; despite the talent involved, it just was not an engaging flick. The DVD released by MPI features good video/audio while the bonus material is relatively basic.
Zarra’s Law is a disjointed mess story and a film as a whole, not so much for the cinematography which looked good but feels more like a television series and as a viewer, we’re looking in at episodes 2 or 3. The acting is alright though seeing Tony Sirico as a cop was somewhat jarring after so many years as a mobster on “The Sopranos.” This might be worth a rental but nothing more.
In spite of the admirable performance by Sharon Leal, the material contained in Addicted is clichéd and (mostly) predictable to go along with questionable performances by other cast members and more than a couple cringe-worthy scenes. The DVD released by Lionsgate offers impressive video/audio transfers and a forgettable selection of bonus material.
Frankenstein vs. The Mummy is what it seems to be: a cheap direct-to-video schlock with (at best) so-so performances. This isn’t a great movie by any stretch and the only reason to even see it, and endure the lengthy 115-minute running time, is for those who want to check out B-movie material. The DVD is pretty basic from the menu design to average video/audio transfers.
“Tom & Jerry Show”: Funny Side Up is an OK set for a decent series and is a fine companion for the previous released “Frisky Business” which contained the first 12 episodes. As it stands, for the family this is a fine purchase if you can nab it for under $10.
7 Assassins is not the best martial arts film but the acting I guess isn’t bad and it does have admirable set designs, but the story doesn’t quite gel. That being said, it might be worth a rental if one can find it. The DVD released by Lionsgate is pretty basic with good video/audio transfers but unfortunately no bonus materials were included.
This revival of the “Dallas” wasn’t great but it offered solid entertainment in the form of primetime soap opera storylines and characters. The acting also was fine headed by Patrick Duffy and Josh Henderson with the rest holding their own.
While well intentioned, The Color of Time is basically a student film, by Franco’s pupils, with high level actors filling the roles. The story isn’t that well written and all in all just not that interesting. The DVD released by Anchor Bay is very basic with no features and so-so video and audio transfers.
Lost Legion might have admirable costumes and props but otherwise this is community theater-level of quality when it comes to the performances with more than a few were over-the-top and utterly laughable, though not helped by terrible dialogue. The DVD released by Lionsgate is yet more filler for the studio destined for the $5 dump bin at your local Wal-Mart but even that price is far too much…
One knows what they’re getting with a movie called Gnome Alone: a lot of bad puns, hamfest acting and so-so (at best) make-up effects. While I didn’t care very much for the movie, it does deserve the “MST3K” treatment and the lead actress Kerry Knuppe wasn’t bad considering the material she was given.