"Pawn Stars: Volume 3 (2010/History Channel)" Review

Show Synopsis: Venture inside the one family-run pawn shop in Las Vegas, where three generations of men use their sharp-eyed skills to carefully assess the value of items ranging from the obscure to the historic. In PAWN STARS, the rarely tactful and always confrontational Harrison family finds the gems and busts the fakes, all in hopes of making the biggest profit possible.
Review: In the last few years there has been a boom in "reality" television and it seems like about every subject matter available has been made into a reality show. This genre of television has been around for a long time but never really became big until shows like Big Brother and Survivor came onto the scene which those shows in ways spawned off from MTV hits Real World and Road Rules and before those was part of the subject of the film The Running Man (1987). Most the reality shows out now are quite bad but some are entertaining. Pawn stars falls in the entertaining category for me and that is due to the subject matter.

The show follows the daily business of the Gold & Silver Pawn Shop owners as well as Chumlee, but mainly focuses on the items that people bring in that are special or just plain odd. Also you do see fellow experts from different places around the area that come in and help to appraise or authenticate the items. It's really cool to see what some people bring in especially the more historical items because some of them most people would never normally see in their life time. It says on the back of this set that it's 16 fan favorite episodes which is odd because it's actually the first 16 episodes of the 3rd season, honestly they should of just put the other 10 episodes of this season on this set and called it the complete 3rd season like they did previously on the first 2 seasons.

This show is one that I keep finding myself revisiting, so it's not one that alot of people will just watch once and never watch again so it is worth it to buy this set. There has been alot of people who go around saying this show is scripted like alot of those on the Real TV network, but I really don't think this show is. I just think they are more selective with the items that they have on the show and of course they do mic the people because the audio would be shit if they didn't. Overall this is a great show is very entertaining and if your a fan I say pick up this set despite the sets down falls with it not having all the episodes like it should!

-Daniel "Damnation" Lee

Director: The History Channel

Genre: TV/Reality Television

DVD Release Year: 2011

Syndication Years: 2010

Time Length: 5 hrs. 52 mins.

Company: History Channel/New Video

Website: http://www.history.com

"Roseanne: The Complete 1st & 2nd Season Uncut (1988-1990/Mill Creek Ent.)" Review

Show Synopsis: 'Roseanne' is the story of a working class family struggling with life's essential problems: Marriage, Children, Money and Parents in Law. A classic sitcom, the story circles around the Connor family - a family of five (DJ, Darlene, Becky, Roseanne and Dan). The household's mother, Roseanne, is being accompanied in her quest to keep the family together by her sister Jackie and various friends over the years...

Review: Ever so often throughout TV history there has been shows that break ground and do something different than other shows and Roseanne was definitely one of them. The difference that this show had going for it that others did not was a more realistic approach to how life and family life really is instead of trying to sugar coat it like so many shows try to do. You get a rich cast of characters that alot of people will be able to relate to and understand their situation no matter how bad things get. In the first season alot of the jokes were delivered by Roseanne Barr more like if she was doing her stand up and would crack a grin after every joke which eventually changed as the show progressed.

Unlike some shows that I look more back on for nostalgic reasons this one I also look back on because the show is simply great. Even with the sets and clothes being dated the stories and plot lines are not and with a cast of great actors and actresses it makes it that much more likable. When I was younger the only character I didn't care for much was Jackie but now I really like her and she does help the story out. Roseanne and Dan Conner have always been my favorites especially Dan because John Goodman just makes him very likable and he pulls off the wise cracks flawlessly and also shows a very serious side when needed.

The best part about these sets are that you finally get Season 1 in it's uncut form unlike the Anchor Bay setof the first season that came out a few years back. Each episode is about 2 to 3 minutes longer which adds to the show a bit. The picture and audio quality are just as good as the prior sets so for the price of each of these seasons you are getting a great deal since the older sets can be pricey from time to time. If you like this show then I say buy these sets now because you won't be disappointed!

-Daniel "Damnation" Lee

Director: Various

Genre: TV/Comedy/Sitcom

DVD Release Year: 2011

Syndication Years: 1988-1990 (For these 2 seasons)

Time Length: 18 hrs. 37 mins.

Company: Mill Creek Entertainment

Website: http://www.millcreekent.com/

"Phase 7 (2010/Bloody Disgusting Selects)" Review

Synopsis: Coco (Hendler) has just moved to a new apartment with his wife Pipi (Stuart), who’s seven months pregnant. At first, they don’t seem to notice the growing chaos around them, but when authorities quarantine their building after a deadly pandemic breaks out, Coco joins forces with his off-kilter, but well-prepared and stocked next-door neighbor Horacio to defend his refrigerator and keep Pipi safe. Meanwhile, outside the building, Buenos Aires—and the world as the apartment denizens know it, is disappearing. The world is ending; got ammo?

Review: Know the saying never judge a book by it's cover well this is one of those cases because this film has some very badly done artwork that I would normally pass up, but what lurks on the DVD is way better than it would appear. On the back it says Phase 7 is a mixture of "Shaun of the Dead Meets [REC]" which is kinda true in the aspect that it is about a virus breakout and a group of people are quarantined in an apartment building with some humor thrown in, but Phase 7 is actually more than just that and actually touches on some political issues at the same time. Mainly talking about the New World Order which is something that could happen and how Phase 7 is a plan that the N.W.O. would use to regulate the population of the world with a virus.

Also it shows like a few films I have seen before of how humans will be friendly one minute but when they need to be friendly and helpful the most they turn on one another to survive. For the most part this film sticks to being more serious than you would assume due to the comparison on the back, there is some humor thrown in from time to time but it's nothing really like you see in Shaun of the Dead, I guess I am trying to say it's a little more subtle. Now as far as the characters go you really can only count it as having 4 main characters and the rest are supporting cast that get taken out early or just really aren't in the film all that much. You get a younger couple that consists of Pip a pregnant woman who doesn't see the situation as that bad and Coco her naive husband  that quickly changes his view after seeing what is truly happening around him, Horacio a very ready an intelligent neighbor who most look at as very paranoid but turns out to be wise about the situation at hand, and Zanutto a old man ready to defend himself no matter what the cost.

Overall great cast of characters that work great with and against each other perfectly. As far as the pacing goes it stays steady from the start to the finish with the occasional slowdown but not to the point where you will become bored. You do get some character development so you probably will connect with characters in ways that will get you more invovled with the film. One little thing I must point out is that I loved that the character Coco was wearing a S.O.D. shirt for a little bit in the beginning which was awesome in my opinion. Overall this film was great and definitely is better than one would suspect from seeing the DVD artwork, if you want a good outbreak or virus film with a tinge of humor than I say give this one a shot!

-Daniel "Damnation" Lee

Director: Nicolas Goldbart

Genre: Horror/Action

DVD Release Year: 2011

Theatrical Release Year:2010

Time Length: 95 mins.

Company: Bloody Disgusting Selects

Website: www.bloody-disgusting.com/selects

"The Last Circus (2010/Magnolia Home Entertainment)" Review

Review: Insanity is the only way I could possibly begin to describe what this film is, it's been quite sometime since I have laid my eyes on a film that is as crazy as this one is. It starts off with a small circus being raided by military men and them making the clowns and other performers fight along them against the rebels and next thing you know it you see a clown in full clown attire with a sword kicking some ass, how fucking cool is that! Then it slows down a bit to get our main character Javier to start his part of the story, but it goes crazy once again after Javier is tempted by a fellow performer Natalia that is a couple with the abusive and psychotic lead happy clown Sergio.

I can easily say that this is one of my favorite clown themed films to ever be made, I know there is not a ton of them but this one certainly tops most of them. It's kinda hard to really categorize The Last Circus because it has so many layers to it that really prevent it from being stuck in any certain genre. There are elements of horror, action, drama, romance, and even some comedy from time to time, but that is the only really scarce element of the film. Each one of the characters have great actors playing them, each one comes off perfectly as they were meant to be weather it's Javier who is a very shy and kinda timid guy who has a much darker side than anyone would of thought or Sergio who takes on more of the abusive drunk who loves his job as a clown but deals with his own demons which cause him to do things any normal person wouldn't.

Basically you get great characters that work well together in the world that surrounds them, no matter how fucked their world gets. The style and look of the film is great as well, it stays more with a kinda washed out dreary look that works perfectly for a film like this one. I think the best part of the film besides everything else that goes on in it is the ending, it has one of the best endings that any film of this bizarre magnitude should have! Trust me I won't give it off to those who have not experienced this film yet but those who have will know what I am talking about!

Overall this is the best film I have seen this year hands down! I am not fucking kidding when I say this, I am dead serious! If you are looking for something original that takes you onto a journey into madness then this is the perfect film for you to pick up and experience, I say experience because that is exactly what it is! Fuck films like "Tree of Life", go for films like The Last Circus!

Picture: 5/5 Audio:5/5 Special Features: 5/5 Movie: 5/5

-Daniel "Damnation" Lee

Director: Alex De La Iglesia

Genre: Horror/Action/Exploitation/Drama

Blu-Ray/DVD Release Year: 2011

Theatrical Release Year:2010

Time Length: 101 mins.

Company: Magnolia Home Entertainment

Website: www.magpictures.com

"Scream 4 (2011/Blu-ray&DVD/Anchor Bay)" Review

Synopsis: Sidney Prescott, now the author of a self-help book, returns home to Woodsboro on the last stop of her book tour. There she reconnects with Sheriff Dewey and Gale, who are now married, as well as her cousin Jill and her Aunt Kate. Unfortunately, Sidney's appearance also brings about the return of Ghostface, putting Sidney, Gale, and Dewey, along with Jill, her friends, and the whole town of Woodsboro in danger.

Review: When Scream first came out into theaters back in 1996 I passed it up as just another over hyped horror film and waited until it came to VHS to check it out and at the time I wasn't into it but since then I have grown a new found respect for it and what it is, which was a slasher film that took the previously used "self aware" horror theme and made it into something fresh for the slasher sub-genre. It did go on to make 2 sequels before this one which I did not like and now I am faced once again by Ghostface in Scream 4 and how did I like it, well read on to find out!

Well I don't love this film but at the same time I don't hate it, I find it to be alright. Scream 4 does go in a little bit different of a way from the previous films but at the same time it does keep to it's classic formula. Like the other 3 you do get plenty of twists and turns to constantly keep you wondering who is behind the Ghostface mask this time and Wes Craven is great at doing that. There is alot of references to films they consider "torture porn" and as well as poking fun at remakes and reboots which is odd because this film is a reboot to a horror franchise. Also they do point out the facts about horror films like Saw that make a million sequels and how each one gets way more stupid and predictable as it goes along which they portray in the beginning.

Like the previous films in the series I could stand most of the actors in the roles and the characters they portrayed and sat there hoping those characters would just die already. It could of just been bad writing to be honest or my boredom from seeing the same rehashed characters for far too long. Now with that being said not all the cast was bad or stale, I did like to see David Arquette return as Dewey Riley and it was kinda cool to see Rory Culkin (Signs) as Charlie Walker who was a bigger character than I ever would of thought before I saw Scream 4.

The only thing that I go back to and keeps me going beyond my views of it being alright is that it felt too predictable even with it's new set of  twists. One very good thing is that you really only need to see the first film to get what is going on with the returning characters, in ways it acts like the previous 2 never happened which is a good thing. Bottomline is that this is a film that I am not going to bash because of the things I didn't like about it but I can't fully say it was great because of those things I didn't like. Wes Craven you can tell did give it his all when it came to this sequel and I can see that and I will praise him for that, but I can only say try and go into it with an open mind even if you have a bad taste in your mouth from the previous 2 sequels because you may just enjoy because it is entertaining in it's own way.

Picture: 5/5 Audio:5/5 Special Features: 5/5 Movie: 3/5

-Daniel "Damnation" Lee

Director: Wes Craven

Genre: Horror/Slasher/Thriller

Blu-Ray/DVD Release Year: 2011

Theatrical Release Year: 2011

Time Length: 111 mins.

Company: Anchor Bay Entertainment

Website: www.anchorbayent.com

"The Last House On The Left (1972/Blu-ray/MGM)" Review

Synopsis: On the eve of her seventeenth birthday, Mari Collingwood tells her parents that she is going to the concert of underground band Bloodlust in New York with her friend Phyllis Stone. She borrows the family's car and heads with her friend to a dangerous neighborhood in the city. Meanwhile, the sadistic and cruel escapees Krug Stillo and Fred 'Weasel' Podowski are hidden in a hideout with their partners Sadie (Jeramie Rain) and Krug's addicted son Junior Stillo (Marc Sheffler) after killing two guards and one shepherd in their runaway. The two girls seek marijuana near the theater and meet Junior that offers some Colombian grass to them. They go to his apartment and are subdued by the criminals that rape Phyllis. On the next morning, they hide the girls in the trunk of their convertible and head to Canada. However, they have a problem with the car's rod and they stop on the road close to Mari's house..

Review: Like I stated in my review of "The Hills Have Eyes" Wes Craven has always been a hit or miss director and like that film he hit the nail on the head! Last House On The Left was one of the first revenge type of films that I had really ever seen and it truly left and impact on me that has only been matched by one other film and that was I Spit On Your Grave.  The plot of this film in alot of ways is simple, but for a film like Last House On The Left it works perfectly. You basically follow these 2 girls who are killed by a psychotic family of criminals that get what they deserve by the parents of one of the murdered girls. Like I said it's a simple plot but it is quite effective and that could be from the way the film looks as well as how it is shot.

 Like Texas Chainsaw Massacre this film has a very dark and gritty look and feel that is very much in a documentary style that helps it to seem more real and terrifying. The cast really helps this film out as well especially the most notable performance from David Hess (R.I.P.) as the character Krug Stillo who is quite a ruthless killer who seems to have no sympathy. There will be alot of people who will hate this film due to violent content or even just the look of this film, Last House On The Left is definitely not for everyone.

Enough of talking about the film and lets get onto the presentation of this film. Originally this film was shot on Super 16mm which is in the 1.33:1 aspect ratio and blown up to 35mm which really makes this film look worse than it would of if they would of stuck to the original 1.33:1 aspect ratio. The Basket Case blu-ray release is a good example of that it's good to keep a film in it's original aspect ratio no matter how much people would bitch if they had to watch it with black pillars on the sides of their HD TV's. None the less this film looks the best it ever has on any home format. One redeeming factor is that they did keep the original mono soundtrack. Overall it's a good presentation minus the very bad cover they put on this release. You also still get the same special features as they had on the 2008 DVD release which is great if you don't own the DVD release, just wish they were in HD as well.

Picture: 3/5 Audio:4/5 Special Features: 5/5 Movie: 3.5/5

-Daniel "Damnation" Lee

Director: Wes Craven

Genre: Horror/Exploitation

Blu-Ray Release Year: 2011

Theatrical Release Year: 1972

Time Length: 84 mins.

Company: MGM

Website: www.mgm.com

Tech Aspects:
Audio: English Mono DTS-HD Master Audio
Aspect ratio: Widescreen 1.85:1 
Codec: AVC @ 40 MBPS
Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish, French

"Jem and the Holograms: Season One (1985-1987)" Review

Review: Throughout the 80's it seemed like there was more shows made for boys than girls, yes girls had shows like Rainbow Brite, My Little Pony, and Pound Puppies but they had very few shows that went outside the cutesy edge. There really was only 2 that I could think of that stepped outside the cutesy little kid style and that was She-Ra and the show we have here Jem And The Holograms! This show did appeal to the occasional boy which at the time was not me, but I did know a boy or 2 that did actually like and follow Jem. 

 The storyline of this show is simplistic and pretty easy to follow for the most part like alot of kids shows generally are and looking at it now it's decently entertaining. With myself never really watching it as a child I now don't really have a nostalgic feelings towards it so my review may be a bit different than most. The basic plot of this show is about a girl named Jerrica Benton whose father dies and she inherits a record company named Starlight Music and Starlight House, but things aren't as easy as they seem because there is a co-owner who is out to gain total control and is using his rebel girl band The Misfits (nowhere near as cool as the real life punk band of the same name) to do so. Jerrica uses a system called Synergy to turn into mega pop star Jem and her band called The Holograms!

As I said the plot of the story is pretty simplistic which is fine for this show. Personally no matter how hard I tried I couldn't get into it one bit, but honestly it is one of those shows where you will either like it or you don't. It does have a few things going for it but not enough to really make me get into it more than I did, I did like the fact that it is a cartoon that is musically themed and that it in ways has a sci-fi feel to it as well. After watching this season I can definitely tell that who ever was behind Hannah Montana had to of gotten some inspiration from this show, mainly dealing with the girl who tries to hide her pop star lifestyle from the people around her.

The things that I was surprised that I didn't care much for was the animation which is very odd considering it's the same company who did the animation for Transformers and Dragonball Z. I just thought the animation was bad, I know plenty would argue with me on that. Also I found the storyline to be quite stale after a short bit, but that could be because I didn't get into the show. None the less I could see how some people could really enjoy this show and really like it, there is a certain charm to it. Overall like I said before I didn't care for Jem but I certainly can recommend this set to people who are already fans and to those who are wanting a show that can be in it's own way empowering for women!

-Daniel "Damnation" Lee

Director: Ray lee

Genre: Cartoon/Television

DVD Release Year: 2011

Syndication Years: 1985-1987

Time Length: Approx. 10 hrs.

Company: Shout! Factory

Website: www.shoutfactory.com