NEW MOVIES AND ELECTRONICS YOU NEED: 09/02/08

Tuesday, September 02, 2008

PARTY OF FIVE SEASON 3 NOW AVAILABLE

PARTY OF FIVE SEASON 3 NOW AVAILABLE ONLINE

HERE IS THE SUMMARY FOR THE SHOW PARTY OF FIVE SEASON 3 FROM IMDB

Five siblings are left to fend their own way in the world when their parents are killed by a drunk driver. The series revolves around the struggles of raising each other and the struggles of life in general. Written by {arei@ccs.neu.edu}

HERE IS A REVIEW OF PARTY OF FIVE SEASON 3 FROM DVDTALK

Party of Five: The Complete Third Season:

Dorky, annoying, entertaining and addictive: it was sometime during the second season, I think, when my future wife happened upon Party of Five, a show that exemplifies all the above adjectives like no other. It's the lesser of Beverly Hills 90210, I thought then, usually shutting down mentally or leaving the room when it came on. Then, in Season Three, Bailey got drunk.

It was during the youngest Salinger's birthday party, and Bailey was blasted, dressed as a clown, punching people out - possibly one of the ten best moments in TV history. Now that classic scene and many others are all back for fans and faithful to relive - no more advertisement riddled reruns on the CW, just Char, Bay, O, Jule, Griffin and the rest. At first I thought it would seem funny and quaint looking back on the Salingers a decade later, and it is; it's so much more, too. But even before the joy of experiencing their glorious messes all over again, the old questions immediately popped back up; why can't they ever say each other's full names? And more importantly, why do they talk like that?

For those who never watched, the Party in question is the five Salinger kids, the orphaned San Francisco brood that lose their restaurateur parents to a car accident. Eldest son Charlie (Matthew Fox) is just old enough to keep the restaurant going while shepherding his siblings through life and avoiding protective custody battles. Lucky thing too, because all of them, including Charlie, are the most narcissistic, oblivious and self-centered kids you've ever met, constantly creating problems for themselves because they refuse to budge one inch from their own little needs, or to stop yammering for a second in order to hear what their friends or relatives are saying. Of course in that sense it's all very realistic, as most kids are like that - even ones of junior college age like second-oldest son Bailey (Scott Wolf).

Despite the unreal nature of their circumstance, the Party of Five kids' problems are very real. A few tent-pole dramatic arcs prop up the series (Bailey's alcoholism, Kirsten's PHD depression debacle, and in later seasons a cancer scare) but mostly the concerns are: who has a boyfriend, who has been dumped, who hates school, who has a worthless but beguiling boyfriend (Neve Campbell's screen-love Jeremy London) who can barely talk (Owen) and the like. It's all just a step above (or below depending on your opinion) daytime Soap Opera fare, but writ large and in earnest for the teenybopper set. Which is not to say the PO5 appeal isn't more broadly based. From Bailey's Bozo-boozing to when the Moby song Porcelain began tolling the series' death-knell, PO5 was an Event on my couch, with the clarion guitar-jangle of the theme song giving reason - for another week - to jump up and cheer (usually with beer in hand - it's that kind of show).

At times intensely annoying, and then endearing, each character's pull is still strong, though now on DVD you can plow through three episodes a night or more, it doesn't mean you won't be just as compelled to hasten through each messy melodrama, relishing the absurd levels of self-absorption that seem so silly from the couch, but on a primitive, teenage level, ring absolutely true. If only they ... didn't have to TALK ... like that. You know? But ... really ... you don't know! That's the best I can do in typeface to mimic the inappropriately halting, gasping/grasping speech-patterns, full of inexplicable updrafts and odd emphases that each and every actor managed to perfect, for what purpose we may never know, other than to add another maddening level of push-pull compulsion to the show.

Looking at the Season 3 box, it's easy to intuit the PO5 target audience - two nominally dreamy guys (plus London, not on box) and four teenage girls stare out at you. Teenage girls are meant to identify with girly struggles while dreamingly gazing at Wolf and Fox. Viewing boyfriends fare much better with Campbell, Jennifer Love Hewitt and Paula Devicq, (and a manly plotline here and there) but ultimately PO5 is a girl's show with strong guilty-pleasure-appeal for the gents. Often silly, with a huge 'talk back at the screen' component, PO5 in intimate scale runs circles around 90210. If you like your teeny bathos frothy, irritating, lunatic and lovable, Party of Five is absolutely for you. By Season Three Party of Five is running on full steam, confident and crazy, so rent or grab this set (depending on your fandom level) and start popping the PO5 pill. You'll be glad - and feel guilty - that you did.

The DVD

Video:
All 25(!) episodes from Season 3 are presented in fullscreen, 1.33:1 ratio. Packaging indicates the episodes were mastered in high definition, though their appearance does not measure up to TV releases of more recent vintage. One would think source material from 1996 could stand up, but I found the images to be a bit grainy, and sub-par as far as compression goes, with hints of wateriness (not all parts of the image tracking equally) that is disappointing. I'm sure some of it can be accounted for by my less than state-of-the-art setup, (1080p LCD and standard DVD player with S-Video cable) but the look of these episodes doesn't compare with plenty of other DVDs from older sources.

Sound:
No complaints in the audio department, with English Dolby Digital Stereo Audio delivering each strangled soliloquy with delightful clarity.

Extras:
In much the same way the continued absence of The Night Gallery: Season Two makes TV on DVD fans wonder, PO5 fans will ask, what up wit' da extras? What we get are two Minisodes, that is, four-minute long excerpts from an episode of Silver Spoons and The Facts of Life, respectively, and three other standard TV on DVD Previews. That's it. Also curious to me are the menus. Episode Selections are available, as are chapter stops for each episode, but menus for those chapter stops are not available. And why present navigation menus in widescreen format when the show is in fullscreen? It's the details that separate a quality product from a money-grubbing rush-job.

Final Thoughts:
Party of Five: The Complete Third Season slaps ya with almost 20 solid hours of Salinger clan drama (that's 25 complete episodes - ahh the good old days). From teenage angst to serious adult problems, it's all there in uber-irritating, but oh-so-delicious fashion. If you enjoy your drama on the 'melo' side, with lots of broken and re-broken hearts and young beautiful kids acting in tragically fun, self-centered ways, then Party of Five is for you. A substandard mastering job, lack of extras, and a few other minor complaints make this a troubling package, save for the divinity that is the show itself, so collectors; proceed with caution. On the other hand, reliving the PO5 experience for me is every bit as entertaining as it was the first time - and no commercials! Recommended.

SCORPION KING 2 NOW AVAILABLE

SCORPION KING 2 NOW AVAILABLE ONLINE

SO FAR THERE IS NO INFO ON THIS MOVIE EXCEPT IT COMES OUT LATER THIS MONTH HERE IT IS THOUGH. IT IS THE SEQUEL TO SCORPION KING WITH THE ROCK.

HERE IS A REVIEW FOR THE MOVIE THE SCORPION KING 2

The Product:
Back when MTV was a media maverick, not a purposeful pop culture shill, the fledgling format was turning out supposed soon to be auteurs. From Bob Giraldi ("Beat It") to Steve Baron ("Billy Jean"), Mary Lambert ("Like a Virgin") to Jean Baptiste Mondino ("The Boys of Summer"), these newfound visionaries were prophesized to electrify the dying art of filmmaking with their outsized visual acumen. Perhaps the most celebrated of all was early pioneer Russell Mulcahy. The Australian director, known for his eye popping work with such artists as Elton John, Duran Duran, The Buggles, and Billy Idol came to define the music video format, and was pegged for instant filmmaking stardom. But after Highlander, and the Denzel Washington vehicle Ricochet, Mulcahy's fortunes faded. Now, twenty five years after he first hit the big time, he's been reduced to making prequels of prequels - in this case, the unnecessary backstory for already overwrought The Scorpion King. While competently helmed, it's indicative of the entire Mummy franchise - fast, unfocused, and mythologically lazy - and how far the once mighty have indeed fallen.

The Plot:
As a young man, future leader Mathayus looses his warrior father to the ruthless plotting of corrupt General Sargon. Vowing revenge, he discovers that the powerful leader is under the influence of the black arts. As a result, he must seek the fabled Sword of Damocles from the Underworld in order to defeat him. Joined by his lifelong friend (and wannabe fighter) Layla, as well as a Greek poet and guide named Baldo, they head off to find the Labyrinth, defeat the Minotaur, and enter the domain from which no man has returned alive. Aided by a band of rogues, they confront the evil Queen, whose been working with Sargon all along. It will take more than a magic weapon to defeat this kind of wickedness. Mathayus will have to use every bit of his Black Scorpion training to take on this formidable foe.

The DVD:
In the lingo of the business known as show, prequels are the place where once viable franchises go to die. And since that's almost always the case, what are we to make of a movie that prologues an already established preamble? When The Mummy Returns was released in theaters back in 2001, series founder Stephen Sommers was already plotting a split off sequel, the story of how Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson's man-arthropod "Scorpion King" came to be. While a moderate hit, 2002's similarly titled film failed to ignite much permanent passion. Now, six years later, we are treated to a well timed tie-in to the third (and most unwelcome) Mummy update, and all one can ask is "Why?" It's not as if audiences have been clamoring for more trips into our bumbling b-movie past - especially one which offers no recognizable stars and a scattered approach to legend. Now, the last thing anyone expects from these movies is true mythos, but the blending of Greek and Middle Eastern heritage here is sketchy and stupid at best.

So is the hiring of human muscle drone Randy Couture as a lead. The former UFC fighter, built like a fleshy fireplug and about as animate, offers nothing in the way of menace or meaning as our diabolical general turned killer king. Taking a page out of the flex before finesse school of acting, our star seems to stumble when required to do anything except battle. Not that his young co-star Michael Copon is much better. Clearly learning his craft from the 'head down and glower' school of emotion, our hero is hindered by little onscreen magnetism and even less likeability. Mathayus - at least at this stage in his life - is a whiny little cuss, complaining about everything before finally getting around to raising his sword. One imagines he was more effective as the Blue Time Force Ranger during the Power Rangers phenomenon. In fact, the overall level of performance here is pretty pathetic. No one really stands out, and attempted sequences of shared feelings fall flatter than Couture's nose. From a talent level alone, The Scorpion King 2 barely rises above the level of a bad Sci-Fi Channel schlocker - and you know how hard those movies suck.

That just leaves Mulcahy to save the day, right? After all, he breathed some manner of life into the otherwise forgettable Shadow, and recently righted a somewhat slipshod Resident Evil series (he helmed Extinction). Sadly, our former MTV luminary has dulled over the decades. The look here is all flat and made of medium shots, perfectly suited for the old fashioned notion of home theater viewing. Scope is scuttled in favor of fake sets (the Underworld looks like leftovers from another '80s goof, Krull) and the limited F/X runs the gamut from bad stop motion (the Minotaur is laughable) to some even lamer CGI (how to avoid showing a massive monster attack? Turn the beast invisible!). You can sense Mulcahy trying, hoping to avoid the stench of pure "will work for food" folly. It doesn't work. For most involved, this was clearly a proposed paycheck, not some attempt at art. And since there was an equally unsatisfying Mummy movie in theaters to share the backlash, everyone goes away happy - everyone except the audience, that is. The Scorpion King 2: Rise of a Warrior is not awful, just below average - and within the framework of this uneven franchise, that's bad news indeed.

The Video:
Offered in what can best be described as a "pseudo big screen" transfer, the 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen image is decent, if not definitive. The range of color stays firmly in the sun and sand drenched dynamic, and details are well defined - that is, when the F/X aren't required to shine. Overall, the picture quality here is good, if not great. One thing's for sure - you certainly won't be pulling this DVD out of the collection to show off your high end system.

The Audio:
Backed by a solid Dolby Digital 5.1 mix, the sonic situation here is fine. The dialogue is easily discernible, and the pompous score settles solidly between the speakers. While you won't actually call the presentation 'immersive', the aural aspects of The Scorpion King 2 are very good indeed.

The Extras: The less said about these overinflated EPKs, the better. "Making of The Scorpion King 2: Rise of a Warrior" provides the typical backstage material, positioned to sell this slop as something that it's not (i.e. good!). Elsewhere, "Fight Like an Akkadian: Black Scorpion Training Camp", "Becoming Sargon: One on One with Randy Couture", "On Set with the Beautiful Leading Ladies", "Creating a New World", and "Visual Effects" (now there's an unnecessary bit of production pimping) are all contractually obligated offerings, minor documents of a production that has 'half-assed' written all over it.

Final Thoughts:
While the best advice for any film in this series sans the first would be Skip It, The Scorpion King 2: Rise of a Warrior is going to be given the benefit of the marketing doubt. Many won't find the film the least bit involving, but some may still see Sommers (and his excessive offspring) as viable entertainment. Therefore, a rating of Rent It seems to be in order. This way, the curious as well as the confirmed can experience this uneven mess without spending too much of their hard earned cash. But be warned - as with most movies founded on previously successful (or semi-successful) elements, the law of diminishing cinematic returns definitely applies here. Besides, Russell Mulcahy deserves better. Sadly, his present can't account for his formidable, formative past. Here's hoping he refuses the phone call when The Scorpion King 3: Birth of a Fighting Fetus is proposed.

HERE IS THE DIRECT DOWNLOAD FOR THE MOVIE SCORPION KING 2.