I’ve never understood the appeal of “Dungeons & Dragons,” and still don’t after watching the documentary “The Dungeon Masters.” However, its purpose is not to explain the role-playing game, but to show the human side of those who get into it. And I mean really get into it. Keven McAlester’s nicely shot film focuses on […]
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Grimm Love
Made in 2006, “Grimm Love” finally sees release under the “Fangoria FrightFest” banner. It’s not horror, but let’s not nitpick, since the film is surprisingly smart and arty. Buried under layers of mascara, “Felicity” herself, Keri Russell, is college student Katie, studying in Germany so she can work on her thesis about the crimes of […]
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Operation: Endgame
It’s rare, but a couple times a year, I’ll be caught by surprise by a film that went straight to DVD, and wonder how it skipped theaters. “Operation: Endgame” is one of them. With an all-star cast and a rat-a-tat delivery of action and comedy similar to “Smokin’ Aces,” the flick is nothing if not […]
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Street Hawk: The Complete Series
The driving success of “Knight Rider” unwittingly spawned a shows involving high-tech vehicles into the networks’ prime-time lineup of the early ’80s, including “Airwolf,” “Blue Thunder,” “Automan” and “Street Hawk.” None packed quite the punch; “Street Hawk” lasted a mere 13 episodes before being sent to the scrap heap. One can see why, now that […]
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Psych: The Complete Fourth Season
Perhaps the greatest thing about DVD: preserving the tube! Collecting TV shows “? both current faves and lost obscurities “? can be a weekly hobby. USA Network has been delivering several series of quality lately, including “Burn Notice,” “In Plain Sight,” “Royal Pains” and the recent casualty “Monk.” One of its bright spots on the […]
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Touching Evil: The Complete Collection
Admit it: When you hear the words “PBS,” “British” and “mystery,” you think of old men in bowler hats and older women in tweed, solving crimes when not taking time out for tea. And that often may be the case, but not when the cases belong to Detective Inspector Dave Creegan, in “Touching Evil.” From […]
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Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief
Chris Columbus, the director responsible for “Home Alone” and “Mrs. Doubtfire,” has been called a hack, but he enjoyed success with his faithful yet relatively bland adaptations in the first two “Harry Potter” films. He’s in familiar kiddo territory taking on the first adaptation of Rick Riordan’s “Percy Jackson” book series. The result is a […]
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Hunger
Combining elements of “Cube” and “Saw,” the thriller “Hunger” manages to leave audiences wanting more “? not in a way of “wow, I wish that kept going,” but “wow, that never really went anywhere, did it?” Too bad, because of all eight initial “Fangoria FrightFest” offerings, this one has the most intriguing-on-paper premise, with five […]
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Parasomnia
“Parasomnia” is the medical term for “Sleeping Beauty syndrome,” not to mention for “half a good movie.” Laura Baxter (Cherilyn Wilson) is a young woman afflicted with the condition, making her sleep practically all the time. While visiting a friend in the psych ward, art student Danny (Dylan Purcell) happens upon her room, gazes at […]
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How to Make Love to a Woman
From the title, premise and execution, one can assume “How to Make Love to a Woman” wants to be the next “The 40-Year-Old Virgin.” It’s not even close. It is, however, the worst kind of romantic comedy: neither romantic nor funny. And that includes the disc’s 25 minutes of deleted scenes. Josh Meyers, the lookalike […]