Posts Tagged ‘Warner Archive Collection’

DVD Review: The Bowery Boys – Volume One

Posted: 11 March, 2013 in Movies/TV
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DVD Review: The Bowery Boys – Volume One

Article first published as DVD Review: The Bowery Boys – Volume One on Blogcritics.

In all the annals of classic comedy, there is perhaps no greater resonating sound to perk up the ears of a truly knowledgeable film aficionado than that of The Bowery Boys. Or The East Side Kids. Or the Little Tough Guys. Oh, and the Dead End Kids, too. You see, over the course of 21 years, this ever-altering-yet-constant group of youthful (later to become not-so-youthful-in-age, but in spirit) male actors managed to make a whopping 88 (officially) feature-length films as well as three Saturday Matinee Serials for a total of four different studios. Though several of the faces (and names) changed throughout that 21-year period (23 if you count their stage work), the true constants of the formula(s) usually relied on the talents of leads Leo Gorcey, Huntz Hall, Bobby Jordan, and Gabriel Dell to deliver the goods. (more…)

Police Academy: The Animated Series, Volume One DVD Review: From Caddish to Kiddie

Posted: 15 January, 2013 in Movies/TV, TV
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Police Academy: The Animated Series, Volume One DVD Review: From Caddish to Kiddie

It never fails to amuse me how something so decidedly adult in nature can sometimes turn into a franchise aimed solely at children. In Japan, the epic Godzilla character was conceived as a serious science-fiction look at the horrors of America’s nuclear bombing of Hiroshima. A few years and several sequels down the line, Godzilla had somehow malformed into a heroic favorite with the kiddies. Several decades down the line, America itself was treated to similar-but-altogether different mutation. The popular Police Academy series started in 1984 with an R-rated comedy strictly for adults, complete with nudity, drug use, public acts of fellatio (always a plus in my book), and more. Four years later, in 1988, Ruby-Spears and Warner Bros. inexplicably turned the franchise into a weekday afternoon cartoon. Read the rest of this entry »

*DVD Review* Sealab 2020: The Complete Series

Posted: 4 July, 2012 in Movies/TV, TV
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DVD Review: Sealab 2020 – The Complete Series

Article first published as DVD Review: Sealab 2020 – The Complete Series on Blogcritics.

You know, one really has to wonder where our advanced society would be today without the diligent pioneering efforts of animators William Hanna and Joseph Barbara. Why, without shows like The Flintstones, we might not have foot-powered cars made out of wood and stone. Were it not for The Jetsons, we wouldn’t be flying jet-cars and being waited on by robotic maids. And, if Hanna-Barbara not have given us the lesser-known animated cult classic, Sealab 2020, there stands an excellent chance that manned undersea scientific compounds would still be a figment of some sci-fi writer’s imagination. (more…)

*DVD Reviews* Half a Hero / The Great Diamond Robbery

Posted: 14 June, 2012 in Movies/TV
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DVD Reviews: Half a Hero & The Great Diamond Robbery

Article first published as DVD Reviews: Half a Hero & The Great Diamond Robbery on Blogcritics.

Although his passion for clowns has always kinda creeped me out, the late Red Skelton has nevertheless always been one of my favorite comedians. In fact, my grandparents told me that they — and their reasoning behind this action shall always elude me — once took me to a live performance of his in Reno (or possibly Vegas) when I was but an infant, to wit the comic made it a special point to come over and say a few words to me. Sure, I’ll never know what he said, but it’s the thought that counts, right? That strange warmhearted feeling I get juts thinking about that absent memory also appears whenever I see Red Skelton on film or TV — so I was very excited to see the Warner Archive Collection releasing two very little known films of his to DVD-R. (more…)

DVD Reviews: S.O.B. and Skin Deep (1989)

Posted: 1 May, 2012 in Movies/TV
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DVD Reviews: S.O.B. and Skin Deep (1989)

Article first published as DVD Reviews: S.O.B. and Skin Deep (1989) on Blogcritics.

The late Blake Edwards’ career as a director was a very hit-and-miss affair. While he was in his prime in the ’60s with such classics as The Party and Breakfast at Tiffany’s (a film I have never been able to see the appeal of), his projects definitely started to skid on the Hollywood road once the mid ’80s rolled around — as he cranked out cringe-worthy titles like the appropriately titled A Fine Mess and Blind Date (heh, remember that one?). Recently, the folks at the Warner Brothers have dug into their collection of discontinued releases to add to their Archive Collection, and the titles reviewed here include a hit and a miss — in my opinion, at least. (more…)

*DVD Review* Living in a Big Way

Posted: 17 April, 2012 in Movies/TV
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DVD Review: Living in a Big Way

Article first published as DVD Review: Living in a Big Way on Blogcritics.

You just never know which movie you sign on to be the director of will be your last. Gregory La Cava was a former animator who started out working in Hollywood with Woody Woodpecker producer Walter Lantz during World War I, and went on to direct one of the greatest comedies of the 1930s, My Man Godfrey. Six projects later, in 1947, La Cava found himself helming a semi-musical post-World War II comedy starring the legendary Gene Kelly — an assignment that would prove to be his last credited directorial contribution to the industry, as Living in a Big Way (which he also co-wrote) wound up all-but killing his career. (more…)

*Blu-ray Review* The Sky’s the Limit (1943)

Posted: 10 April, 2012 in Movies/TV
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Blu-ray Review: The Sky’s the Limit (1943)

Article first published as DVD Review: The Sky’s the Limit (1943) on Blogcritics.

Of all the times one might have heard the late legendary crooner Frank Sinatra sing the lounge favorite “One for My Baby (and One More for the Road),” it’s highly possible to not even think about who Johnny Mercer and Harold Arlen actually wrote the song for. Turns out the barroom ballad was really written for Fred Astaire — and the film the tune was written specifically for was 1943’s wartime musical comedy/drama The Sky’s the Limit, which co-starred the talents of former child performer Joan Leslie, regular jokester Robert Benchley, and future onscreen tough guy Robert Ryan. Here, Astaire stars as Fred Atwell — the ace of the Flying Tigers squad, serving the United States of America during World War II by shooting down enemy planes aplenty. (more…)

*DVD Review* The Slams

Posted: 28 March, 2012 in Movies/TV
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DVD Review: The Slams

Article first published as DVD Review: The Slams on Blogcritics.

In all the annals of exploitation filmdom, there is perhaps no greater guilty pleasure than the blaxploitation era of the ‘70s. And 1973’s urban drama The Slams — as produced by Roger Corman’s brother, Gene — is certainly no exception. Big bad Jim Brown stars here as Curtis Hook, who, as the film opens, is the low man on the totem pole in a plan to snatch $1.5 million in cold hard cash from the mob — with a suitcase of cocaine thrown in for good measure. Hook isn’t going to settle for an even split, however, and promptly takes out the competition once the job is complete — stashing the moolah away in a deserted amusement park by the sea, and disposing of the deadly drug by dumping it into the water below before being pinched by the man and sent to The Slams. (more…)

*DVD Review* Vision Quest (2011 Warner Archive Release)

Posted: 14 February, 2012 in Movies/TV
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DVD Review: Vision Quest (2011 Warner Archive Release)

Article first published as DVD Review: Vision Quest (2011 Warner Archive Release) on Blogcritics.

When your parents give you a name like Louden Swain, you had better learn to man up. Vision Quest finds a high school wrestler named Loudon Swain (Matthew Modine) at that important crossroads in life. He’s determined to do something meaningful (or at least interesting enough to talk about) with his existence (this was back in 1985, before guys his age started posting pictures of their abs on Facebook), so he decides to drop a few pounds and go toe-to-toe (or whatever they call it in wrestling) against a rival high school’s best student. Ambition or just another dumb kid being plain ol’ stupid? You decide. (more…)

*DVD Review* The Centurions: The Original Miniseries

Posted: 5 February, 2012 in Movies/TV, TV
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DVD Review: The Centurions – The Original Miniseries

Article first published as DVD Review: The Centurions – The Original Miniseries on Blogcritics.

Once again, the folks at Warner Brothers have enabled many Generation X-ers to relive their youth by issuing another classic Saturday Morning Cartoon to DVD-R via their exclusive Warner Archive Collection lineup. In this instance, the animated series in question is The Centurions: The Original Miniseries — also known as Centurions: Power X Treme — a five-part series that was produced by American animators Joe Ruby and Ken Spears, who also produced Chuck Norris’ Karate Kommandos, the animated Police Academy series, and several shows loosely based off of popular video games of the time, such as Dragon’s Lair. (more…)

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