Highlander Season 4 (1995)

Directors: Various

Writers: Various

Starring: Adrian Paul, Lisa Howard, Stan Kirsch, Jim Byrnes, Philip Akin & Peter Wingfield

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0103442/episodes#season-4

 We open up this season with Duncan (Adrian Paul) traveling back to his native Scotland to find out who's been robbing the family graves. We get some more background info on Joe Dawson (Jim Byrnes) in episode two. Learn how he lost his legs and how he became a watcher. Kenny (Myles Ferguson), the 800 year old immortal in the ten year old body, returns to stir up some shit. Duncan experiences a "dark quickening" and becomes evil. Joe gets put on trial by the watchers for letting the immortals know about him and befriending Duncan. This was a great cliffhanger for the next season, on Netflix they give the first episode of Season 5 (One Minute To Midnight) as the last episode for Season 4.

 This seasons guest appearances again weren't that high-profile. A lot of people that made there careers in television. It did however pick up in storyline. There were a few episodes that took the spotlight off of Duncan and onto some of the supporting cast. When you're in the middle of a six-season marathon, that's a good thing.

Verdict: * * * *

- Xtoph

Highlander Season 3 (1994)

Directors: Various

Writers: Various

Starring: Adrian Paul, Lisa Howard, Stan Kirsch, Jim Byrnes & Philip Akin

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0103442/episodes#season-3

 The Highlander marathon continues with Season 3. This season Duncan (Adrian Paul) finds a new love interest in Anne Lindsey (Lisa Howard) an ER Doctor. So she's around most of the season. Things start off light with one of Richie's old girlfriends show up claiming he's the father of her baby, and he's dumb enough to fall for it even though immortals can't have children. Also, episodes where Duncan has to babysit newly immortal 18 year olds or comes across an 800 year old in a ten year old body. Things get darker mid-season when Duncan starts having hallucinations and fighting demons that aren't there in "Shadows". By episode 14 we are introduced to Kalas (David Robb), a real bad dude that Duncan has a long-going feud with. Methos (Peter Wingfield), the oldest immortal, also shows up this round. Turns out he's been posing as a watcher. For the season finale, another two-parter, one of the watchers decides to copy all of the watcher files and take them to a news agency to expose all the immortals.

 This season was pretty good, as they all are, no complaints here. Not as many high-profile guest stars. Chandra West from Puppetmaster 3 & 4 was in an episode and so was Brion James form Blade Runner. A lot of good music was featured though. Jim Byrnes who plays Joe Dawson is a blues musician so we got some of his music. His character started a club called "Joe's Place" so more blues was featured in a few episodes.

Verdict: * * * *

- Xtoph

Highlander Season 2 (1993)

Directors: Various

Writers: Various

Starring: Adrian Paul, Alexandra Vandernoot, Stan Kirsch, Jim Byrnes & Philip Akin

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0103442/episodes#season-2

 Season 2 brings us another 22 episodes beginning with "The Watchers", where we are introduced to Joe Dawson (Jim Byrnes) the watcher Duncan (Adrian Paul) becomes friends with and is a mainstay in the series. Later in the series Duncan has to take on a mortal serial killer that likes to kill immortals. Tessa (Alexandra Vandersnoot) & Richie (Stan Kirsch) get shot by a mugger. Duncan moves to a dojo after Tessa's death. Richie takes his first head and Duncan gives him the boot without so much as a handshake. Xavier St. Cloud (Roland Gift) returns and really fucks shit up for Duncan while teaming up with the renegade watcher, Horton (Peter Hudson). Towards the end of the season Richie returns to ask Duncan for help because another immortal is killing humans and framing him for the murders. Then for the two part season finale Horton comes back yet again, this time giving a convicted murderer plastic surgery to look like Tessa in his attempt to kill Duncan.

 This was a pretty wicked season. Had a few cool guest stars as well. Geraint Wyn Davies (of Forever Knight), Traci Lords & Sheena Easton all show up early in the season. Dustin Nguyen (of 21 Jump Street) returns playing a completely different character than he did in Season 1. Wtf? Rowdy Roddy Piper kicks some ass in episode 10, but still should have been used a lot more than they did... And Roland Gift (Fine Young Cannibals) reprises his role as Xavier St. Cloud, one of the greatest villains ever.

Verdict: * * * *

- Xtoph

Edd Byrnes "Kookie: Star of '77 Sunset Strip" - CD - Angled Doors Review

 Originally released in 1959 as a novelty record to coincide with Edd Byrnes popularity on the show "77 Sunset Strip" ('58-'63). This is a rockin' album. It's no wonder this was re-released on cd in 2001. Most of our generation won't know who Edd Byrnes is, which is sad. Go ask your parents, or grandparents. My generation might remember back in the day on the show "Married With Children" Edd appeared on an episode with metal band Anthrax doing a cover of the hit single from this album "Kookie, Kookie (Lend Me Your Comb)". Anyway, this album is a good time. It shouldn't fall through the cracks to be forgotten.

- Xtoph

You Don't Know Jack (2010) Red Box Review

Starring: Al Pacino, Brenda Vaccaro, John Goodman, Susan Sarandon

Director: Barry Levinson

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1132623/

Which would you choose? A quick painless death or slowly withering away on a cold hospital bed. The courts said we didn't have the right to choose. If we were allowed to die, they simply unhooked the machines and let us go. Unable to move, barely having any motor function. Lying there, slowly starving, til your body finally gives out. One man, sought to change that. This is the story. Dr. Jack Kevorkian created a "suicide assist" machine. Where the patient was able to bring about their own death. A doctor couldn't do it, that would be illegal. So he would set up the machine and let the patient do it themselves.

I remember when this was going on in the 90's. The media painted a grisly picture. "Dr. Death" they called him. Like a sadistic serial killer from a slasher flick. Arresting him whenever he tried to help out a patient. All he was doing was trying to protect our civil rights. Let us choose ourselves if we have the right to die. He never asked for any money. What doctor can say that? This film shows the side of Jack that we never got to see. The humanitarian. The sympathetic doctor who only wanted what was best for the individual. It follows the trials up until he finally got seen in the Supreme Court, no longer charged for assisting suicide, but for murder.

Beautifully shot and brilliantly directed. Al Pacino is in top form. I didn't even recognize him. He really became Kevorkian. Not your typical Friday night flick. It's heavy subject matter, but still it is something worth seeing.

Verdict: * * * *

- Xtoph

Hannah Montana: The Movie (2009)

Director: Peter Chelsom
Starring: Miley Cyrus, Billy Ray Cyrus & Emily Osment
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1114677/

 Based on the tv series, Miley Cyrus plays Miley Stewart who is secretly pop-star Hannah Montana. She keeps it a secret because she wants "the best of both worlds", to be a super-star and a normal girl. In the film she let's "Hannah" go to her head and becomes a real bitch. So daddy decides to put her career on hold and take her back to her down home country roots.

 If your a fan of the show you'll dig it. It's got some funy scenes. Her acting like a nut and getting in a fight with has-been Tyra Banks. Other than the the movie sucked. More Taylor Swift... if you've read my blogs you know I hate her, and when she goes back home and her family has a country jam it's fucking Rascall Flats!!! WTF!!! On her show her Aunt was Aunt Dolly. Dolly fucking Parton!!! That's what I had hoped to see, but she was nowhere to be found. Apparently they wrote her out of the script. A real disappointment.

Verdict: * *

- Al B. Damned

Goosebumps "Return Of The Mummy" & "The Scarecrow Walks At Midnight" DVD's

Goosebumps "Return Of The Mummy" DVD

Featured Episodes: Return Of The Mummy, Don't Wake The Mummy & You Can't Scare Me!


Goosebumps "The Scarecrow Walks At Midnight" DVD

Featured Episodes: The Scarecrow Walks At Midnight, Don't Go To Sleep & Calling All Creeps

New pair of Goosebumps DVD's re-releasing old episodes of the show. Good show for kids I guess. I was too old for it when it came out.

On the first disc, "Return of the Mummy" and "Don't Wake the Mummy" were both fun and the Mummy looked kind of cool compared to a lot of the monsters on this show. "You Can't Scare Me!" was lame. The monster sucked and so did the story.

On the second disc, "The Scarecrow Walks At Midnight" is good, but does not compare to the comic adaptation I read of the same story. The comic version had a total old Warren magazine kind of feel. This show was just too watered down for the kiddies. "Don't Go To Sleep" kind of reminded me of a kiddy version of an old episode of "Freddy's Nightmares". Lame story but fun dream-style direction. "Calling All Creeps" was alright too... liked the ending. This was the better disc out of the two.

Neither of the two discs contain any special features whatsoever. Which is kind of lame, but still the price is only Ten bucks, so it ain't too bad.

Verdict: * * *

- Al B. Damned

Dead Like Me: Life After Death - DVD (2009)

Director: Stephen Herek
Starring: Ellen Muth, Callum Blue, Sarah Wynter & Jasmine Guy
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1079444/

 Continuing the canceled television series we pick up with Der Waffle House burning down and Rube is gone for some new douche to play the boss. Weird shit happens and the disfunctionality of the group increases. George also reveals to her sister who she really is.

 Pretty good if you're a fan of the series. If not it's only so-so. The beginning does fill in those not in the know like the beginning of the show did. What sucks most is Laura Harris is replaced by Sarah Wynter as Daisy Adair. The new girl is just ugly and annoying.

 It's got some commentary included with the director and Ellen Muth. Plus a featurette on resurrecting the show.

Verdict: * * * *

- Al B. Damned

Tales From The Darkside - Season 1 - DVD

Tales From The Darkside: The First Season


http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0086814/

 One of the greatest things form my childhood re-released in a DVD set. You get three discs with just about nothing extra. Kind of a disappointment.

 Reading another review it was brought to my attention that on the back of the box it says "Some episodes may be edited from their original network versions. Music has been changed for this home entertainment version." Now it's been some years since I've seen the show... and sometimes things don't live up to the memory, but it seemed off from the start. Seems they did change the music. Lame. Also states that it includes commentary by George A. Romero. Ended up being another letdown. Only on one episode and it's so sparse it seems kind of pointless. I don't understand why Paramount and CBS can't come up with something extra for us.

 Aside from all of that, it's still a great series. Twenty-Four half hour episodes of one of the greatest horror anthology series of my childhood. Still worth what I spent. I was just left wanting more.

Verdict: * * *

Al B. Damned