DVD Review: Mystery Science Theater 3000 Volume XXX

I am always happy when a new volume of Mystery Science Theater 3000 is released. This show is so much fun to watch. If you are unfamiliar with the series, the premise is simple: a man and some robots are stuck in space and forced by a mad scientist to watch bad movies. To make it through their ordeal, the man and two of the robots poke fun at the films. That’s basically it. It’s like watching people watch Rocky Horror. It sounds like it should be terrible, but it’s totally wonderful. Volume XXX contains four episodes, each on its own disc, as well as bonus material. While previous volumes have included two Joel episodes and two Mike episodes, this one includes only one Joel episode and three Mike episodes. Does that mean we’re running out of Joel episodes?

Disc 1: The Black Scorpion

The Black Scorpion is an early Joel episode (with even just a little bit of an explanation of what’s going on at the beginning of the show). This is when Josh Weinstein was doing the voice of Tom Servo. The Black Scorpion begins with shots of volcanoes and lots of narration, leading the guys to joke: “And then tragedy struck. We ran out of stock footage.” When two characters find a damaged car, one asks, “What could do this to a car out here?” Crow responds, “Well, I’m no insurance adjuster, but a big truck or the neighborhood kids could have.”

The gang applauds every time the two men introduce themselves, and they do it often. When a woman asks the two men how things are in town, Crow answers: “Well, the milling festival is over, ended in a weird steak fight. Found a baby, though. Gave it to a priest. And that pretty much sums up where we are in the movie.” That part cracked me up so much that I had to watch it three or four times. It’s Crow’s delivery of “Found a baby, though. Gave it to a priest” that is so bloody funny.

During one of the breaks, the gang goofs around with subtitles while trying out their Spanish. This episode has a few references to M.A.S.H. and references to Dr. Strangelove Or: How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Love The Bomb.

This DVD includes Stinger Of Death: Making “The Black Scorpion,” which provides some information on some of the creative team behind The Black Scorpion, including Jack Dietz, the producer, and Edward Ludwig, the director. The DVD also includes the film’s theatrical trailer.

Disc 2: Outlaw

Outlaw is one of the first Mike Nelson episodes. Outlaw (also known as Outlaw Of Gor and Gor II) is a terrible science fiction film that stars a very bored Jack Palance. The gang of course does Jack Palance impressions throughout the film, and all of that stuff is great. This is a seriously funny episode (often the worst films make the best episodes). At the beginning of the film, someone says, “Gor is a harsh world, and she breeds harsh people.” Tom Servo adds, “But the rents are reasonable.” Crow says, “Sorry, folks, we simply could not afford to have special effects.” There is a seriously annoying character in the film, and it’s not long before the gang starts chanting, “Kill him.” When a woman kisses this character, the gang jokes, “Mmm, you smell like comic books.”

After the cheapest sword prop is stuck into a bad guy, the guys joke, “A sword, a gel pack, and a stunt man all for a dollar twenty-five.” Not only are the props cheap, but they’re handled poorly. At one point the hero throws a sword at a villain, and it clearly hits him hilt first. So the villain turns the sword around to correct for the mistake, leading Mike to say, “Oh, thank you, I’ll just stab myself here.” And about one of the sets, they joke, “The world’s first successful paper mache village.”

This episode has one of the best break segments of the series. The gang sings a delicious song about breasts that even includes a reference to an old television commercial for Slinky. And there are plenty of pop culture references in the episode, including references to Jesus Christ Superstar, Monty Python And The Holy Grail, Happy Days, Star Trek, They Live, The Who, Supertramp, It’s A Beautiful Day (the gang sings, “White slave in a golden cage”) and Emerson, Lake And Palmer.

This DVD includes three special features. The first, Writer Of Gore: The Novels Of John Norman, is an interview with Richard Curtis, John Norman’s agent/publisher. John Norman is also a teacher, and under his real name has written two works of philosophy. It’s interesting that the rising tide of feminism was to blame for the fall in popularity of the books. The second special feature, Director Of Gor: On Set With John “Bud” Cardos, is an interview with director John “Bud” Cardos. He’s not on a set, as the title seems to suggest. This is a new interview, in which he talks about the sets and the actors and so on. The third special feature, Producer Of Gor: Adventures With Harry Alan Towers, is an interview with Danny Lerner, who was the production manager on Outlaw. He talks about Harry Alan Towers, who also produced Fu Manchu movies, plus Jess Franco’s films. Lerner also talks a bit about certain cast members.

Disc 3: The Projected Man

The Projected Man is a later Mike Nelson episode, featuring Pearl, and with Bill Corbett doing the voice of Crow. The Projected Man is a British film, leading to lots of delightfully bad accents from the gang as well as their repeated use of the word “knickers.” At the beginning when a woman parks her car, Crow jokes, “Ah, parking – what a way to establish character and create tension.” When the woman’s watch spins backward, the gang jokes, “Kcot kcit, kcot kcit.” There’s a character named Mitchell, which allows for references to the film of that name, which MST3K tore apart in an earlier episode. And when one characters says, “Mitchell, I want you to regard what I’m about to say as highly confidential,” the guys quip, “I’m a shemale.”

The Projected Man is a rather dull film, and the gang constantly rips on it for that. When one character gets a bit upset while on the phone, they remark, “The bickering explodes across the screen.” And when scientists demonstrate their work by trying to project a rat from one cage to another, Crow says, “Yes, no more tedious carrying rats across the room.” When Mitchell says, “He was obviously trying to project himself,” Mike adds, “Into a different movie.” There is a little bit of excitement, however, when a cute blonde slips out of her clothes, leading Crow to exclaim, “I declare this movie suddenly great.”

There are pop culture references to Duran Duran, The Beatles, Petula Clark, Charlie Parker, Pete Townshend, and This Is Spinal Tap.

The DVD includes Shock To The System: Creating The Projected Man, a short featurette in which film historian Tom Weaver talks about the film, including how the director was fired and replaced. The theatrical trailer is also included, but it’s full screen so the edges are cut off.

Disc 4: It Lives By Night

It Lives By Night is one of the final episodes of the series, and is a film about a man who begins turning into a bat after being bitten by one. At the beginning, when a woman is shown in bed next to a man who is tossing and turning, Crow quips, “Alanis Morissette – no wonder he’s having a nightmare.” (I appreciate that, because I cannot think of a more irritating singer than Alanis Morissette.) When the man chooses work over pleasure with his wife, Mike responds for the woman, “I’ll hit the snooze button on my biological clock.” When this couple strays from a cave tour and immediately gets into trouble, Mike says, “Finally an excuse to drink my urine.” Later, when a doctor hands a nurse a used needle, the gang jokes, “Here, dump that in the ocean.” When the woman stops the man from leaving the hotel room, she says, “No, the police may be watching,” and Crow adds, “I told them they could.” When the man begins acting like a bat, Crow says, “It’d be a better movie if he had gotten bitten by a cow.” Indeed.

There are lots of Mary Tyler Moore references in this episode, due to the female lead’s resemblance to her. There are also references to Eyes Of Laura Mars, Monty Python’s Flying Circus, Joe Cocker, Olivia Newton-John, Ozzy Osbourne (when a bat is on screen, the gang jokes, “Please, just hide me from Ozzy Osbourne”) and Wings (the gang sings, “Bat on the run”).

This disc includes a trailer for “The Frank,” which has a funny Star Wars reference.

Mystery Science Theater 3000 Volume XXX is scheduled to be released on July 29, 2014 through Shout! Factory.

DVD Review: Shark Collection

Since I was a child I’ve been fascinated with sharks. And judging by the number of films and documentaries about sharks, I know I’m far from alone in this interest. Shark Collection contains three shark documentaries: Shark Girl, Death Beach and Great White Code Red. Each is forty-six minutes long.

Shark Girl

The first of the three documentaries, Shark Girl, is my favorite. It follows Madison Stewart, a young woman in Australia whose passion for sharks has led to activism and her mission to protect them. She herself narrates the opening of the film: “I love sharks. I have never felt fear of them. I would risk life for them.” She talks about her obsession with the Great Barrier Reef, an area she started diving at the age of twelve. She then left school at the age of fourteen with the mission of saving sharks.

The documentary is narrated, and gives us some information on the danger to the Great Barrier Reef: “During little more than Madison’s lifetime, the reef has lost nearly half its coral. And now the very creature that keeps the reef healthy is threatened too.” The narrator is, obviously, referring to the shark, which as an apex predator, helps keep other species in check. The threat to sharks poses, by extension, a threat to the entire marine ecosystem.

There is quite a bit of interesting information and some staggering statistics. “An estimated ninety percent of the world’s sharks have already disappeared.” That’s incredible. I had no idea the problem was that extreme. I also had no idea that people eat shark meat. The information on sharks as food is some of the most interesting material in this film, particularly the study on the mercury content of shark meat. There is some interesting and horrifying footage from China.

There is also a lot of great and beautiful underwater footage. Sharks are fully protected in the Bahamas, and the footage there of Madison feeding the sharks is incredible. The documentary also includes interviews with marine biologists.

Shark Girl was written and directed by Gisela Kaufmann.

Death Beach

Death Beach, the second documentary, is quite a bit different. While the first shows how safe people can be while swimming with sharks, the second opens with this bit of narration: “It’s one of the most dangerous beaches on Earth. Six deaths in five years, and an untold number of sharks. Something has changed here, driving sharks into frenzy.”

This documentary focuses on Second Beach, on the east coast of South Africa. It begins with the story of a sixteen-year-old boy attacked and killed by a shark, with interviews with family members. Fatal attacks are very rare, but all six attacks at this beach were fatal. The documentary follows a shark expert trying to find out what type of shark was behind the attacks and why the sharks are now feeding at this beach.

I could do without the recreations of the attacks. I almost never like recreations in documentaries. I also wish the film didn’t rely so heavily on narration, and instead did more interviews. Still, it’s fairly interesting, particularly the scenes where they learn about the different types of sharks that are in the area, sharks they never expected to find there.  There is also some information on how sharks smell and hear prey.

Great White Code Red

The third documentary, Great White Code Red, focuses on the great white shark and the physical attributes that make it such an interesting fish. A shark expert and a biologist dissect a great white shark, and that is the centerpiece of the film.

They talk about how it’s able to move so quickly. The narrator says: “The great white does not have a single real bone in its entire body. Its rubbery skeleton is formed from a lightweight flexible cartilage which provides the strength of bone without the weight, and allows for extreme agility.” A great white is able to swim up to thirty-five miles per hour.

There is some excellent information, particularly on how the shark senses prey. Because of its lateral line, a great white can hear all along its body. The lateral line is “a small hollow tube which acts like an extension of the ear.” A great white shark’s sensitivity to smell is “ten thousand times greater than a human’s.” They talk about just how a shark’s sense of smell works.

As they discuss each part of the shark, they show it on the specimen that they’re dissecting. The information on the shark’s brain is fascinating, as is the fact that the shark’s giant liver gives the fish buoyancy. There is also some interesting information on seals, mostly in relation to what attracts sharks to them.

While the information is excellent, the style of the film is rather annoying. There is some nonsense at the beginning, as four men with flashlights enter a lab, shining their lights on information on the great white shark. Are we supposed to believe that these men are breaking into the lab to steal something? Then it shows the men donning lab coats in slow motion. The film should dispense with all of that nonsense, and just present the information.

Great White Code Red was written and directed by Benjamin G. Hewitt.

Shark Collection is scheduled to be released on DVD on July 22, 2014 through Inception Media Group. All three films are on a single disc. There are no special features.

Blu-ray/DVD Review: Ginger Snaps (Collector’s Edition)

Ginger Snaps is a truly excellent horror film starring Emily Perkins and Katharine Isabelle as two sisters who are social misfits and best friends. They are going through the normal changes of becoming adults, and the older of the two is going through some more extreme changes as well after being attacked by a werewolf.

Ginger Snaps was originally released in 2000, and now a Collector’s Edition packed with lots of special features is being released through Scream Factory (a division of Shout! Factory). The film opens with a delightfully creepy scene involving a child in a sandbox. The reaction of the other neighborhood children to the mother’s screams is great – they continue with their game of street hockey.

Ginger (Katharine Isabelle) and Brigitte (Emily Perkins) are somewhat obsessed with death, and at the age of eight they had entered a pact to commit suicide together. Now Brigitte is beginning to rethink this: “It’s the idea of everyone staring at me just lying there. I mean, what if they just laugh?” We’re introduced to them through a series of staged suicides, a sequence which ends with the slides being shown in a classroom, to the teacher’s surprise and disgust. The teacher, by the way, is played by the wonderful Peter Keleghan, who played Jim Walcott in the incredible Canadian series The Newsroom (one of the best television series ever made). This film has a really good cast, including Mimi Rogers as the slightly misguided mother to the two girls.

Ginger and Brigitte are late bloomers, and the very moment that Ginger (at almost sixteen) finally begins menstruating (and says, “I just got the curse”), she is attacked by a werewolf. The attack scene is intense and done quite well, and afterwards Ginger begins noticing her body changing. But of course she is confused, because some of the changes might be the normal things that all girls go through. And that leads to a humorous scene with the nurse in which she tells Ginger that the heavy blood flow is normal. Brigitte asks, “What about hair that wasn’t there before, and pain?” The nurse responds, “Comes with the territory.” It’s funny, but oddly sad at the same time, which is something I love about this film.

Ginger and Brigitte kept to themselves, and now that Ginger is changing and becoming interested in boys, Brigitte is even more alone. After Ginger’s first date, she tells Brigitte, “I get this ache, and I thought it was for sex, but it’s to tear everything into fucking pieces.” There is humor to this film, but it’s never silly. It never pokes fun at the world it’s created, and thus it avoids a mistake genre films often make.

Ginger Snaps has everything you could possibly want from a film: a good story, interesting and believable characters, and some really good performances. It just happens that it’s a horror film. But it’s really about the characters and the changes that people go through as they grow up. These are characters that you care about (even Trina, the bully character, is well rounded as we learn a bit more about her). It also has an original and interesting take on the werewolf story.

Special Features

As you might expect, this Collector’s Edition has plenty of bonus material. There are two separate commentary tracks, one by director John Fawcett, the other by writer Karen Walton. John Fawcett talks about the casting, and how the two leads actually already knew each other. He mentions that he was attracted to goth girls when he was in high school. There is some interesting information on how the attack scene was shot, and about what Mimi Rogers brought to the project. He provides good tidbits about the film, like how Lucy Lawless does all the announcements in the high school scenes. Karen Walton talks about the influences on the script and her goals for the film.

Ginger Snaps: Blood, Teeth And Fur is over an hour of interviews with key crew members, such as director John Fawcett, writer Karen Walton, producer Steven Hoban, composer Mike Shields, editor Brett Sullivan and SFX artist Paul Jones. There are also interviews with cast members Emily Perkins (who talks about her character and the similarities to her own feelings while growing up) and Jesse Moss.

Growing Pains: Puberty In Horror Films is a panel discussion about how the female puberty experience is portrayed in horror movies. The panel includes Kristy Jett, Axelle Carolyn, Heidi Honeycutt and Rebekah McKendry. This feature is approximately twenty-seven minutes.

There are twenty-five minutes of deleted scenes, including more stuff with Peter Keleghan, Mimi Rogers and Kris Lemche. You can watch the deleted scenes with commentary by director John Fawcett. He talks about why each scene was cut, but also what he likes about these scenes. You can also watch these scenes with audio commentary by writer Karen Walton. It’s interesting that she felt she had to write a particular scene with Brigitte and Sam because Sam needed more of a story, and Brigitte needed to connect with him, and she tells her feelings about the scene.

Featurette is a five-minute promo reel of behind-the-scenes footage and short interviews with John Fawcett, Katharine Isabelle, Emily Perkins, Kris Lemche, Mimi Rogers, Karen Lee Hall, Karen Walton and Steven Hoban.

There is footage from the auditions of Katharine Isabelle and Emily Perkins (Emily has short hair, which is mentioned in the commentary), as well as footage of rehearsals, most of which is with the two leads. There is also a five-minute feature on The Creation Of The Beast, with behind-the-scenes footage of the werewolf creature. Being John Fawcett is a two-minute bit featuring footage of Katharine and Emily talking about how they auditioned together.

The special features also include two trailers, two television spots, and a photo gallery of production design artwork.

Ginger Snaps was directed by John Fawcett. The Collector’s Edition is scheduled to be released as a Blu-ray and DVD Combo Pack on July 22, 2014 through Scream Factory (a division of Shout! Factory).

DVD Review: Action-Adventure Movie Marathon

Action-Adventure Movie Marathon includes four films on two discs: I Escaped From Devil’s Island, The Final Option, Shake Hands With The Devil, and Treasure Of The Four Crowns. Three of those films are seriously good (one of them, in fact, is an excellent film). The fourth film, well, we’ll come to that one, but perhaps it’s best to think of this set as being three films, with a fourth thrown in as a bonus feature. Interestingly, the films are from different decades, with one from the fifties, one from the seventies, and two from the eighties.

I Escaped From Devil’s Island

I Escaped From Devil’s Island stars Jim Brown and Chris George as prisoners who make a daring escape from Devil’s Island. One thing that sets this film apart from other prison break movies is that it takes place in French Guiana in 1918, just as the war is ending. It opens with an execution scene, but just before the execution takes place, the war ends, with France and its allies victorious. So all death penalty cases are commuted to life sentences of hard labor on Devil’s Island.

The first section of the film takes place at the prison, where there is gambling among the prisoners. And interestingly, there are communist meetings as well. Davert (Chris George) is a pacifist who tries to talk sense to a guard, and gets a beating for his efforts. This film can be surprisingly brutal. And there is some cool shark footage. Escaping from the prison is just the beginning. This movie has lots of interesting developments, including help from lepers and a strange mating ritual that Lebras (Jim Brown) becomes involved in. It’s a seriously enjoyable film, written by Richard L. Adams and directed by William Witney. It was produced by Roger Corman and Gene Corman.

The Final Option

I have long been a fan of Judy Davis’ work, as she is always interesting. And she does not let me down in The Final Option, a movie about espionage, terrorism, and the quest for a peaceful planet. Plus, she looks totally hot in most of her outfits, like that fur jacket she wears in a concert scene. Frankie Leith (Judy Davis) is one of the two leaders of the People’s Lobby, an organization protesting nuclear weapons and aimed at creating peace. Captain Peter Skellen (Lewis Collins) is tasked with infiltrating their organization, getting close to Frankie, and discovering their plans, as it is believed that terrorists within the organization are plotting something big.

It’s a really good film, with lots of excellent scenes, such as an early scene at a military-type training facility. There is also a very impressive shot as Frankie takes Peter to the organization’s headquarters, beginning at one level, rising to another, and involving several actors. There are some surprises, and lots of interesting (and believable) procedural shots. But what’s really wonderful about this film is its characters.

In addition to an excellent and nuanced performance by Judy Davis, The Final Option also features a performance by Ingrid Pitt as Helga, an important woman within the organization. I am always happy to see Ingrid Pitt, and there is something sexy about her, even as she instructs people at a firing range (the targets are peace symbols, which is a humorous touch).

The Final Option was directed by Ian Sharp.

Shake Hands With The Devil

As good as those first two films are, the best film of the four in this collection is Shake Hands With The Devil, starring James Cagney, Don Murray, Dana Wynter, and Glynis Johns. This 1959 film takes place in Dublin in 1921, and a bit of voice over at the beginning tells us that “It was also the year of the black and tans, the army assembled to replace the English regulars who had lost their taste for the suppression of men in search of freedom.” (And don’t worry, that’s the only narration in the film.)

Don Murray plays Kerry O’Shea, a medical student of Irish descent who had been raised in the United States and has no interest in getting involved in the Irish movement as he is against violence. Of course, circumstances force him to become involved, but what is wonderful is that it doesn’t happen quickly or easily. In fact, even after his friend and roommate is shot and killed, he doesn’t immediately join. Instead, he chooses to leave Ireland, though with the help of the movement. By the way, the scene where Sean Lenihan (James Cagney) works to try to save the friend’s life is wonderful, done basically without dialogue.

O’Shea is arrested, and his interrogation scene is done in a really interesting way, from O’Shea’s perspective with a close-up of the officer’s hand as it hits him. Of course, there’s no surer way to politicize someone than to beat him. That’s true of both sides. At one point, O’Shea asks an English prisoner, “Was Captain Fleming anything special to you?” The woman responds, “Not until you killed him.” What a great line.

This film is an intelligent, intriguing drama, offering no easy answers. It features an excellent performance by Cyril Cusack (from Harold And Maude) as Chris Noonan, and a young Richard Harris as Terence O’Brien. There is also a wonderful performance by Glynis Johns as Kitty Brady, a local woman who also finds herself caught up in the events.

Shake Hands With The Devil was directed by Michael Anderson, who also directed 1984 and Logan’s Run.

Treasure Of The Four Crowns

So the only bad film in this set is Treasure Of The Four Crowns. And it is not just bad. It is one of the worst films I’ve ever seen. The film was originally released in 3D, and it is not in 3D here, so you have all sorts of stuff flying directly at the camera which without the 3D effect seems even sillier. Also, this DVD is not in the original aspect ratio, but is rather full screen, which makes for a less enjoyable viewing experience. For example, in the opening crawl (yes, exactly like in Star Wars), because of the full screen aspect, it’s difficult to read a complete line until it reaches the very top of the screen. It seems like less care was taken with this film (perhaps understandably), so it’s rather surprising that this is the only of the four films to have a bonus feature. There is a commentary track on this one. More on that in a bit.

The film opens with a man exploring a castle. Think of the opening of Raiders Of The Lost Ark, then subtract the suspense and the humor, remove all of the fun, and put in some birds and dogs and a less charismatic actor, and you’ll have a good idea of what this is about. Anyway, the film is full of random objects tossed at the camera and lots of pointless explosions. The plot, such as it is, involves this man being asked to break into the castle of a cult leader to steal the crowns. That’s it, really. Apart from the film being just awful and it being presented in the wrong aspect ratio without the 3D effect, the print is also a mess.  It actually seems like the camera crew just never checked the gate, never cleaned the lens. There are black globs all over the place throughout the film (and imagine how many more we’re missing due to the lack of the proper widescreen aspect ratio).

Basically, a film couldn’t possibly go more wrong than this one. And yet, there is a commentary track by a self-described fan of the film, Russell Dyball. He says it’s one of his favorite cult films of the 1980s, and repeatedly says he’s a fan of the film, and eventually I’m convinced that he is. He talks about how 3D is merely a gimmick used to get people to the movie theatre. So true, now as then. During the long opening scene, he says: “Obviously, there’s not a lot of plot going on here. It’s all about the 3D.” Throughout the film he points out problems with the plot and so on, and this is from a fan. He says it’s easy for some people to dismiss this film. It was certainly easy for me to do so.

But, again, the other three films are all worth watching and worth owning on DVD. Just think of the fourth one as a bonus feature that you’ll likely never watch.

Action-Adventure Movie Marathon is scheduled to be released on July 15, 2014 through Shout! Factory.

DVD Review: Sinbad: Make Me Wanna Holla

Sinbad’s new comedy special, Make Me Wanna Holla, is a ninety-minute show shot in Detroit and featuring Sinbad’s special brand of humor, with lots of audience interaction. It opens with some backstage silliness, where he has a conversation with his alter ego, Memphis, who wants to open for him. Sinbad confronts him on being a figment of his imagination, and that’s the funniest part of the pre-show business. Sinbad says to him, “When they say marijuana don’t hurt people, you’re an example that marijuana does hurt you and it does affect the brain.” Memphis responds, “Are you going to bring that up?”

The show then begins with Sinbad as Memphis performing with a good band that includes saxophone, trumpet, and female vocalists. It’s not allowed to go on for long. During the first song, Sinbad as Memphis stops the show. To make the transition from Memphis to Sinbad, he simply takes off his hat. He tosses it into the audience, then immediately tells security to retrieve it, which is great. (And we see the security guy take it back.) Sinbad explains, “They ain’t cheap.”

He then begins by talking about the state of things in Detroit, and racism, but makes a point that it’s more about class now than race. “Rich people hate poor people, whatever color they are.”

He quickly moves into gender relations. It’s territory that’s well covered, of course, but Sinbad puts his own bright spin on it, and his energy helps sell it as well. He mentions how women will lose interest in a man over little details, like his shoes. Men, of course, are different. “Men don’t walk away from nothing. Men do not walk away from any woman. You know how crazy a woman gotta be for us to let her go?”

There is some wonderful stuff about teachers dating students, and he interacts with his audience about it. And when talking about teenagers, he directly addresses a teenager in the audience, putting him on the spot, sure, but in a gentle way. There’s quite a lot of nice stuff on teachers, and he talks to an audience member who teachers at a private school. He asks her what the biggest problem is there, and she says the parents think they own the teachers. “Oh, they think they own you? Because they do.” And then he takes on the persona of a parent: “If I spend forty thousand dollars a year, oh, he’s going to pass. Because the check cleared.”

I love that he makes fun of the kindergarten graduation ceremonies they hold these days. I just learned about those recently because of my niece and nephew, and they’re completely bloody ridiculous. Sinbad says: “When I was coming up, you just went on to first grade, wasn’t nobody talking about it. As a matter of fact, you’re supposed to go. Who flunks kindergarten? Who doesn’t make it? We’re going to have to hold Timmy back.”

He turns to religion near the end, and the band comes back on to do two short religious songs. He then introduces the band, which I suppose is a nice gesture but completely unnecessary, as this is a comedy special and the band played for only a few minutes. Also, this is by far the weakest section of the performance. It’s odd to end on such a weak note. I would have cut all the stuff with the band – at the beginning and end.

But other than that, it’s an enjoyable performance, and I laughed out loud quite a bit. Plus, you can’t help but like the guy. He seems like a genuinely good and decent person, and that comes across well in his comedy, in his subjects, his presentation, and particularly in the way he interacts with audience members. On the back of the DVD it says, “An event for the whole family,” and it’s certainly a show that parents can watch with their children.

Sinbad: Make Me Wanna Holla was released on DVD on June 17, 2014.

Film Review: The Odd Way Home

The Odd Way Home is an unusual character-driven road film starring Rumer Willis as Maya, a young woman with dreams of someday making it big, and Chris Marquette as Duncan, an autistic man who lives with his grandmother.

The film opens with an intense scene of violence in which Maya is yanked out of the bath tub and beaten by her boyfriend. It is shown in shades of grey, the color drained from the scene as an indication of the state of deterioration and despair in that home. She then, understandably, packs her things and leaves, and the contrast of the bright day of that scene also helps give the sense that she’s making the right decision (though she takes a gun and some pills, so clearly she’s not ready to completely move on).

We then meet Duncan, who is spending significant time and energy brushing his teeth (even using professional dental equipment), something he films himself doing. He lives with his grandmother and works in a convenience store, where he has photos of a woman making different expressions, with the corresponding emotions written on the photos – “Angry,” “Sad,” and so on - to help him with his interactions with customers. He also has a passion for drawing maps.

When Maya’s truck breaks down, she sets out on foot, and the first house she comes upon is Duncan’s. She enters in order to use their phone, but finds the only occupant (Duncan’s grandmother) dead, and so helps herself to money, medication, and the truck she finds out back. But as she drives down the road, she discovers that Duncan is in the back, brushing his teeth. He, in fact, lives in the back of the truck. She asks him, “You live in this thing?” He says: “Are you angry? I don’t see angry very well.”

She drives him back home, where she discovers a check made out to Duncan for $3,000, a check from his father. She then takes him and the truck. And at this point the film becomes sort of a strange road movie. I figured she’d just drive him to a bank and have him cash the check so she could take the money. But no, they hit the road. It’s not entirely clear why she chooses to take him as a companion. At one point he leaves her and she gets upset, telling him never to do that again. But what hasn’t been established is what in her character or history makes her connect to this guy so strongly so quickly and makes her feel responsible for him. That, for me, is the film’s major flaw.

There is also some clunky dialogue, as when an ex-boyfriend tells Maya: “The world will embrace you one day, Maya, and I will forever be proud of you.” Maya had left her small-town existence in order to make it as a singer, and so Dave, her ex-boyfriend, has her perform in his bar. But then suddenly she and Duncan are on the road again, without any explanation or farewell to Dave.

But the characters are endearing and interesting enough that the film manages to basically overcome these problems. The movie has a lot of heart, and is centered on the two unusual characters and their developing friendship. And it does not become a film about Maya pursuing her dreams, but rather dealing with her past, as well as Duncan’s past. They visit Duncan’s father, who has a new family and offers them money to basically disappear. Yeah, he’s quite a piece of work, but he’s played well by Bruce Altman. And there is a wonderful moment after Duncan takes his father’s globe and says, “Thank you for the world.” As Duncan and Maya leave, there is just the hint of a smile from Duncan’s father, which is a very nice touch, making him more human.

The film has a good supporting cast, particularly Bruce Altman as Duncan’s father, Veronica Cartwright as Maya’s mother (though she has some bad lines to deliver), and Dave Vescio as a man they encounter along the way. And there is a reference to Being There, when Duncan says that a man keeps calling him Chauncy and asking him to work on his garden.

The Odd Way Home was directed by Rajeev Nirmalakhandan, and was released on DVD on June 24, 2014.

DVD Review: NYPD Blue Season 6

NYPD Blue is one of the best police dramas to ever air on television, due to its good cast, interesting stories which are often allowed to develop over several episodes, and especially its characters and their relationships. Through Shout! Factory, NYPD Blue Season 6 was released for the first time on DVD, with six discs containing all twenty-two episodes. The sixth season saw some changes, mainly in the departure of Jimmy Smits as Bobby Simone and the arrival of Rick Schroder as Danny Sorenson.

Bobby begins having health issues in the first episode of the season, “Top Gum.” In the season’s second episode, “Cop In A Bottle,” Bobby collapses at a crime scene and is taken to the hospital. One thing that makes this show so good is the relationships between characters, and how each character is affected by what happens to the others. It isn’t just about the crime of the week. As Bobby’s condition worsens in “Number And Number,” Andy Sipowicz takes it out on those around him. And then in “Brother’s Keeper,” Bobby’s condition worsens still, while the detectives work on a brutal murder case. The fact that the doctors are still unsure what caused Bobby’s infection affects Andy’s reaction when a suspect vomits on him (leading to a good scene in the station bathroom).

Andy Sipowicz is at the heart of what makes this show so good and enjoyable. He is such an interesting character, with serious strengths and serious flaws, and is played fearlessly by Dennis Franz. He is able to do so much with just a look or a reaction. And the way he relates to each of the other detectives is interesting, and always feels real.

In the sixth episode of the season, he gets a new partner, Danny Sorenson, played by Rick Schroder. It is really interesting to see how this character is developed. I love that nothing is rushed in that regard. In “The Big Bang Theory” we see him dealing with a friend who is becoming unhinged, and we see that Danny himself has some anger issues. (D.B. Sweeney is really good as his friend Joey.) And we get more hints of Danny’s past when his sister shows up in a later episode.

I like that many of the characters, even those in the supporting roles, are believable and feel like fully formed people rather than simply a few characteristics fitting an immediate story purpose. The show can even make you feel for the criminals on occasion, as in “Numb And Number,” when a father stabs a man who was with his daughter. And one of the criminals in “Czech Bouncer” is someone you end up really feeling for. And Danny’s reaction to him is equally moving.

This season features some excellent guest star performances. In “Raging Bulls,” Kevin Dillon plays a rookie cop who gets into trouble. This is one of the season’s most interesting episodes, involving cops shooting other cops during a foot chase. It also brings up some personal stuff involving members of the precinct. (Kevin Dillon reprises the role in a later episode.) And “The Big Bang Theory” features a fantastic guest star performance by Caroline Aaron (an actor I’ve loved in several Woody Allen films). Terrence Howard (here credited as Terrence Dashon Howard) gives a great performance as AJ in “What’s Up, Chuck?” Though I can’t help but laugh when after admitting to a murder he says, “I don’t even deserve that juice,” referring to a drink Diane had taken from him at the beginning of the scene. Dick Miller (an actor I am always happy to see) has a small role in “I’ll Draw You A Map,” and is excellent.

This show is also good at providing details that indicate character without immediately explaining precisely what those details mean. For example, when Danny is agitated about certain things, he tends to grab pens and paperclips and such, and stuff them in his pockets. We see it fairly early in the season, and then again in the penultimate episode. We get a feel for what he’s doing without knowing the specifics, and that’s rather unusual for a television program.

The only major weakness of the series is the music. Usually it’s obnoxious and loud only in the establishing shots. But every once in a while, it intrudes on what would otherwise be a good moment. The most egregious example is at the end of the episode titled “Grime Scene,” when Diane buys a bottle of alcohol. The dramatic music that plays as she makes her purchase is awful. Usually the show is good about not punching a point, but here it fails. And there is one surprisingly weak episode, “Tain’t Misbehavin’” (and no, the incredibly stupid title isn’t all that’s wrong with this one).

Those minor points don’t detract all that much from what is an excellent season, with some exciting storylines that continue through many episodes. And I am looking forward to revisiting Season 7.

NYPD Blue stars Dennis Franz, Rick Schroder, James McDaniel, Kim Delaney, Gordon Clapp, Nicholas Turturro, Andrea Thompson, Bill Brochtrup, Jimmy Smits and Sharon Lawrence.

NYPD Blue Season 6 was released on June 24, 2014 through Shout! Factory. The six-disc set contains no special features.