February 8, 2006

This week, I've got brief reviews of some of the cult TV discs that have been piling up – everything from flashy space operas to gritty Westerns and classic detective shows. There's a little something here for everyone, no matter what your tastes in televised entertainment.

But first, we'll take a quick look at a few of the new B-movie releases that have come across my desk in the past couple of weeks…

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Roger Corman may have slowed down a bit in recent years, but he's still in there swinging. DINOCROC (2005) may not be one of the best movies he's had a hand in, but it doesn't completely suck, either.

A corporate genetic research laboratory has re-created a prehistoric, raptor-like crocodile which, of course, escapes into the nearby swamp and starts gobbling up random citizens and family pets. The company hires Australian crocodile hunter Costas Mandylor (doing a terrible Aussie accent) to retrieve the rapidly growing monster, all the while assuring the local law (the always-reliable Charles Napier) that there's nothing to worry about.

Not a damned thing new here, and the performances are pretty weak – except for Napier and female lead Jane Longenecker, a cute blonde who reminds me of a young Helen Hunt – but the monster's pretty damned cool, the CGI is decent enough for a movie of this budget, and director Kevin O'Niell does manage to generate some suspense here and there, especially at the climax.

Buena Vista's DVD presents DINOCROC in a flawless 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer and Dolby Digital Stereo sound. Aside from a few random trailers for other flicks from various Disney subsidiaries, there are no extras.

Nothing special, but not a bad choice for an undemanding night's rental if you're a monster movie fan.

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Dark Sky Films sent me an early screener of their upcoming DVD release, THE LOSERS (a/k/a NAM'S ANGELS, 1970) starring William Smith and directed by exploitation veteran Jack Starrett of SLAUGHTER, CLEOPATRA JONES and RACE WITH THE DEVIL fame.

Smith is the leader of a motorcycle gang called The Devil's Advocates, which is recruited by the Army during the height of the Vietnam War to rescue a captured CIA agent from a Communist prison camp in "neutral" Cambodia. The Army gives them Yamaha motorcycles ("This is a broad's bike," whines one of the bikers) which the gang equips with armor and mounted machine guns before setting out on their suicide mission.

It's a lot of fun, a cool hybrid between a biker film and a war movie shot in the Philippines, with some social conscience and really solid performances by the cast, which includes Paul Koslo and Adam Roarke. Alan Caillou's (KINGDOM OF THE SPIDERS) screenplay's not bad either (I've always liked his stuff), playing well off the regular Army's reactions to these pot-smoking, whoring bikers and building smoothly to a great, bloody climax. It's a bit slow in the middle, but never really boring.

Smith is pleasure to watch, always charismatic and convincingly tough. Every time I see him in one of these films, I keep wishing that the studios had listened to Frank Frazetta and cast Smith as Conan; the man would have made a damned impressive axe-swinging barbarian. (He did play Conan's dad, at least.)

Dark Sky's disc presents the film in a decent 1.85:1 widescreen transfer, with anamorphic enhancement. The source print is in good shape with only minor instances of damage or debris. Overall, it looks pretty good for a drive-in movie of this vintage. Sound is 2.0 Dolby mono, and is about as good as it can be.

There's a decent commentary track by stars William Smith and Paul Koslo – Koslo's memory seems to be better than Smith's in regards to this particular film, but there's plenty of decent anecdotes and information here, and it's worth listening to. There's also a photo gallery, some great vintage radio ads, and theatrical trailers for THE LOSERS and Dark Sky's other upcoming oddball biker flick, WEREWOLVES ON WHEELS.An above-average drive-in actioner comes to DVD in a fine presentation.

Recommended.

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Also making it's direct-to DVD debut this month is the sequel to the disastrous theatrical DUNGEONS AND DRAGONS movie, DUNGEONS & DRAGONS: WRATH OF THE DRAGON GOD (2005).

While it's not a "great" movie, it's a vast improvement over the theatrical film, and a genuine and respectful attempt to adapt the conventions of the role playing game into a live action movie, unlike the first one, which just seemed intent on ripping off other fantasy franchises. Monsters and character classes act as their game counterparts do, spells are recognizable and handled correctly. Wizards of the Coast, the company that now produces the game, was much more involved in the production of this one, and it shows.

All the elements of a good D&D campaign are present in the screenplay by Brian Rudnick and Robert Kimmel, and the talented cast of unknowns play their roles straight and without any self-parody. No Wayans brothers in this one, thank God. The story and direction could have been stronger, but hey, a group of adventurers actually go into a dungeon on a quest. That's all I ask of a D&D film, and at least this one (unlike the first) delivers that.

The CGI effects aren't LORD OF THE RINGS quality, but neither are they embarrassing. In fact, some of the designs are actually quite effective, especially the White Dragon. The location work in Lithuania is also particularly nice, with authentic-looking medieval locations and some very picturesque woodlands (it makes a nice change from the now-familiar New Zealand backdrops of LOTR and XENA.)

Gamers will have fun identifying which spells and skills the characters are employing (they are not all "spelled out" for the audience, which I found refreshing) while fans of fantasy films in general will appreciate the solid production values, costume design and well-choreographed action sequences. In fact, the movie had a small budget, but doesn't look particularly cheap.

The DVD looks and sounds great – Warners provides a rock solid 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer with a healthy Dolby 5.1 Surround sound mix. For extras, there's a commentary track featuring a bunch of D&D experts and players, an informative behind-the-scenes "Making of" featurette, and an interview with D&D creator Gary Gygax.

As I said before, it's not a great film, but the story – while familiar – holds together well, the performances are generally pretty good, and it's entertaining. And don't misunderstand me – while those familiar with the game will get the most out of it, it's not necessary to be a D&D player to enjoy the movie.

D&D gamers will definitely want to check it out, while for fantasy film fans, it's at least worth a rental.

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When I reviewed the first season set of Sci-Fi Channel's new BATTLESTAR GALACTICA series, I begrudgingly admitted that it was a good show, despite my nostalgic affection for the Seventies' original. Well, the first half of the second season is now available on DVD as BATTLESTAR GALACTICA Season 2.0 (2005)… and the show's gotten even better.

With Commander Adama (Edward James Olmos) temporarily out of action after an assassination attempt by the Cylons, command of the Galactica and the rag-tag fleet falls to alcoholic Colonel Tigh (Michael Hogan), who immediately clashes with civilian President Rosalyn (Mary McDonnell). Tension runs at a high level through all of these episodes with an almost unrelenting paranoia and plot twists aplenty. The series is more soap opera than space opera, but it's pretty damned good soap – with uniformly solid performances from an excellent cast.

I continue to be pleased at the producers' incorporation of elements from the 1978 series – the recurring role for Richard Hatch (the 70s' Apollo), the discovery of a second surviving battlestar, the Pegasus, the occasional use of the original theme music, etc. There's even a couple of notable cult guest stars in this batch of episodes: the Warrior Princess herself, Lucy Lawless (XENA), as a news reporter and Michelle Forbes (STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION's Ensign Ro) as Admiral Cain.

Universal repeats the fine job they did on the first volume, with solid, flawless transfers of the Second Season's first ten episodes on three single-sided discs (no "flippers," thank God!). The 1.78:1 widescreen transfers, as one might expect from a brand-new show, are perfect, with no debris or digital artifacts. The Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround soundtracks are rich and robust. Universal has included a handful of deleted scenes and commentaries on every episode (originally from online podcasts) by Executive Producer Ronald Moore.This set gets my highest recommendation.

One of the best shows on television in a slick, affordable package.

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I just finished up watching the three volumes of ADV's FARSCAPE Starburst Editions for Season 2, (Sci-Fi Channel's biggest pre-GALACTICA hit) and, I have to say, the series really hit its stride with these episodes.

Among the many offbeat and fascinating events of the series' second year are: the introduction of a new villain, Scorpius (Wayne Pygram); the addition of a new regular cast member, a gray-skinned nymph named Chiana (Gigli Hedley); a sub-plot about the living starship giving birth to a heavily-armed offspring; a series-shaking three-part epic called "Liars, Guns and Money," which has enough plot and action for several feature films; and, finally, the main character, Earth astronaut John Crichton (Ben Browder), slowly – and quite reasonably – going insane.

The production values and special effects – already among the best seen on television – only get better as the second season progresses, and the writing takes on a sharp edge that embraces the absurd without ever making it seem anything but real and serious. Characterizations deepen, cast relationships get more maddeningly confusing (and therefore more realistic), and the Henson shop keeps coming up with cooler and cooler Muppets.

When ADV first released FARSCAPE on DVD a few years back, the whole "TV-on-DVD" fad hadn't really taken off yet. Now that the marketplace has evolved, ADV has re-launched the series with these new "Starburst" Editions. Each volume includes seven episodes across two discs, with on-screen liner notes and trivia for each episode. There are also cast and/or crew commentary tracks on many episodes, and a slew of video featurettes and interviews with the people behind the show.

Each episode is presented full-frame, and the transfers are damned near perfect. Sound is offered in both Dolby stereo and a more robust 5.1 surround mix. Overall, the presentation is great, but I have to mention again that in most of the first and second season sets, I encountered serious playback issues. In each set, there was always one episode that would freeze in midplay, pixelate, and reboot to the beginning of the episode or chapter. This is a frequent problem with dual-layer double-sided discs, such as the ones used in these sets and most of Universal's TV collections. Fortunately, ADV has addressed the problem, and starting with the third season sets, they're switching to single-sided discs.

It's a great show, and ADV is maintaining the high standards of the first season releases. Recommended.

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In the late Nineties, CBS attempted to adapt a classic Hollywood Western into a weekly television series. The attempt only ran for two short seasons, but did attract a loyal fanbase. Now, THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN Season 1 (1998) is available on DVD from Sony/MGM.

The show starred Michael Biehn (THE TERMINATOR, NAVY SEALS) as the unofficial leader of seven hired guns fighting injustice in the Old West. The titular septet included familiar faces like Ron Perlman (HELLBOY), Eric Close (WITHOUT A TRACE) and Dale Midkiff (anybody else remember TIME TRAX?). The only surviving star of the legendary 1960 movie version, Robert Vaughn (BULLITT), even shows up in a recurring guest role as the territorial circuit judge that hires the Seven to enforce the law in a town without a sheriff.

The episodes are okay, the writers quickly running through all the standard Western plots, while adding in a little annoying political correctness. No stereotyped Mexican banditos here, folks, and every whore is really a liberated lady making her way the best she can in a man's world. Despite that unfortunate 90's lapse, the show is still worth watching. The cast is uniformly good, and the Seven have a great chemistry. Clearly, they're having a good time playing cowboy, and that enthusiasm comes across. Ron Perlman is particularly interesting as the spiritually conflicted gunman who constantly attempts to reconcile his violent nature with his faith, while Michael Biehn is a suitably stoic and hard-bitten leader.

MGM has released the ten episodes of THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN's first season on two double-sided DVDs, packaged in a pair of slim cases that fit snugly inside a cardboard box. The episodes are presented full-frame, with Dolby Stereo Surround sound. Picture quality is mostly good, although some shots are inexplicably grainy. There are no extras on the set, aside from a few trailers for other MGM/Sony/Columbia/Tristar Western titles.

If you're a fan of the show or a TV Western fan needing a fix, the set's worth picking up.

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It may be a stretch to call this a "cult" television show, as it was a huge mainstream hit in its day (running from 1974 to 1980 with eight TV movies in the 90's) and has been a syndication mainstay ever since, but considering the dearth of private eye shows on the tube nowadays, THE ROCKFORD FILES Season 1 (1974-5) is certainly a "genre" show, and that qualifies it for review here. Plus, it's my column, and I'm a huge fan, so stop bitching.

Simply put, THE ROCKFORD FILES was the best, most realistic private eye show in the history of television. Grounded by James Garner's incomparable charm and some extraordinary writing (mostly by a young Stephen J. Cannell), the FILES chronicled the decidedly non-glamorous life of Jim Rockford, an ex-con (he was innocent) turned private investigator in Los Angeles.

Rockford was one of the first TV eyes who didn't wear a Brooks Brothers suit and operate out of a fancy office. Instead, he worked out of (and lived) in an old mobile home on the beach, and constantly had to deal with overdue bills, collection agents, deadbeat clients and his overprotective father, Rocky (Noah Berry). It was a welcome return to reality in a genre that had become as much fantasy as any sci-fi adventure.

The good news is that the series is finally on DVD. The bad news is that Universal hasn't really put an awful lot of effort into the presentation. The original TV movie that kicked off the series, "Backlash of the Hunter," is not included in this first season set, and neither are there any real extras to speak of.

The only Bonus Material provided is a very brief interview segment with Garner, in which he reminisces about the series in a very general way. You find out that he enjoyed playing the character, liked his co-stars, and had fun driving Rockford's gold Thunderbird… and that's it. It would have been nice if they'd actually assembled a retrospective documentary, interviewing other surviving cast members and some of the writers, directors, etc. Maybe they could have sprung for a commentary on an episode or two?

Picture quality is good, considering the show's vintage. There's some grain evident in the full-frame image, and a fair amount of dirt and debris, but overall, it looks better than the worn syndicated TV prints that have been airing in recent years. Audio-wise, there's a solid, if unimpressive, Dolby mono track.

Despite the less-than-stellar presentation, however, I highly recommend this set. James Garner and the regular supporting players are a joy in their roles, and the writing is among some of the best to ever grace a network television series.

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