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matt_zimmerAlso reviews for the latest shocking episode of Lost (there will be MAJOR spoilers) in that review so don't read it unless you've seen the episode), the latest episode of V, Jim Henson's The Song Of The Cloud Forest And Other Earth Stories, and Disney's Donald In Mathmagic Land.
Lost "The Candidate"
Last chance to skip this review.
Well, THIS was a bloodbath. They not only killed off Sayid and Lapidus but they offed Sun and Jin one episode after their touching reunion. Supposedly this was all to show what an evil guy the Man in Black actually is but it doesn't make me feel any better about it. I knew some deaths were coming and I feel better knowing who they are now and I can try to watch the rest of the series unspoiled.
The Sideways stuff was interesting but I was a little disappointed they went back to only focusing on one or two characters. The fact that Jack DIDN'T fix Locke leads me to question why Desmond ran over Locke in the first place.
I'm glad Sayid got to redeem himself somewhat but I'd feel better about it if they hadn't completely set up the character as hopeless a few episodes before. Claire IS hopeless and I don't like to think of her and Sayid in the same boat. Sun and Jin's deaths were handled magnificently and I'm glad that they died holding each other. VERY romantic and devastating.
Pretty great episode. ****1/2.
V "Hearts and Minds"
I liked this episode too. I wasn't shocked about Rehka Shamar being a Cylon, er, I mean V because she's played a similar role in the past. I like that they have Erica heading up the Fifth Column task force with her because you know that will lead to some juiciness.
LOVED Lisa protecting Tyler and getting her legs broken for her troubles. I think she's make a good Fifth Column member.
Father Jack is an idiot for trusting Chad Decker. In my mind the entire thing was his fault and I just thank Heavens that the Vs didn't bother using LIVE humans to frame the Resistance.
Good episode. ****.
The Adventures Of Brisco County, Jr.: The Complete Series
I've heard this called the greatest single-season series of all time and it's REALLY hard to argue with that statement. I mean, there have been some GREAT short-lived series (Firefly anyone?) but almost all of them were canceled mid-way into when they started to get interesting. Brisco Country Jr. is 28 episodes long, has a couple of neat story arcs and doesn't insult the audience by ending on a cliffhanger to try to get the network to renew it. The two part season finale High Treason works perfectly well as a series finale and I have YET to see any big-name producers make a drama with sci-fi elements try to simply tell a good story without feeling the need to string the audience along.
The Adventures of Brisco County Jr. is a Western set in the 1890s with some science fiction elements, co-created by Carlton Cuse, one of the masterminds behind Lost. It stars the irreplaceable Bruce Campbell as Brisco County Jr, the son of a famous lawman who was gunned down by the notorious John Bly Gang. It owes a great deal to old movie serials that end on cliffhangers. Amazingly almost NONE of the episodes themselves end on a cliffhanger (except the first part of High Treason) so you never lose patience with the series. The cliffhangers (all of them brilliant) occur in the midway point of each episode. The nature of DVD (no commercials) blunts their impact somewhat but when this originally aired I was on the edge of my seat at each episode's halfway point.
The series also stars the late Julius Carry as Lord Bowler, Brisco's rival turned partner and Christian Clemenson (Boston Legal) as the lawyer Socrates Poole. Guest stars include Kelly Rutherford as Brisco's love interest/con-artist/ballroom singer Dixie Cousins, the SERIOUSLY scary Billy Drago as John Bly (the series' Big Bad), John Astin (The Addams Family) as the mad inventor Albert Wickwire, and the awesome John-Pyper Ferguson in his scene-stealing turn as outlaw Pete Hutter. The cast gels magnificently and every single character is memorable (with perhaps the exception of Bad Luck Betty).
Bruce Campbell is absolutely PERFECT as Brisco County Jr., a Harvard Educated lawyer, and the fastest gun in the west who is always looking for the next big thing. One of the most famous hallmarks of the series was Brisco and the rest of the cast discovering inventions, and concepts that were "The Coming Thing" in the upcoming 20th Century. As such, this is pretty much the only Western you will ever see with pop-culture references, puns and jokes. Don't let the story arc of the MacGuffin called The Orb scare you away. Although it's never satisfactorily explained it's almost besides the point. Besides, it runs it's course two-thirds of the way through the series.
It's family friendly too and a great show for kids. Remember when Fox used to air that kind of programming? Yeah, I barely do either. Fox has turned into a hard-core porn channel so gradually I barely noticed.
This is probably the greatest short-lived series of all time. The theme song is awesome (SO awesome in fact, they stole it for NBC's coverage of the Olympics). Everything about this show is great and I highly recommend getting the DVDs. *****.
Pilot: Awesome first episode that upon a rewatch is so great because you realize that every single main character is present (with the exception of Whip Morgan) for the first and only time. Pete Hutter is such a hilarious character ("No one touches my piece!") that it's easy to see why they kept bringing him back despite apparently killing him off numerous times. Billy Drago is mad-scary as John Bly. Lord Bowler's first scene is awesome too and sets up his relationship with Brisco perfectly. R. Lee Ermey plays Brisco Sr. and the episode is chock full of cameos from various actors for different classic westerns. The series recognized it's roots and I think it was a brilliant tribute. *****.
Socrates' Sister: Like most second episodes, this doesn't quite live up to the pilot. I was kind of hoping Jack Randolph would surprise us and turn out to be innocent but at this point in the series they weren't really going for plot twists like that. ***1/2.
The Orb Scholar: I love that they pulled the Christ parallels story in the third freaking episode. Bowler singing to Brisco as Brisco lies near-death is one of the most defining moments for the character and the unique friendship/rivalry they share. ****1/2.
No Man's Land: I love Professor Wickwire. The episode is pretty good too. Look for Denise Crosby (Star Trek: The Next Generation) as the sheriff. ****.
Brisco In Jalisco: Kelly Rutherford is really an unsung hero on this show. She plays Dixie as a brassy broad out of a 1940s movie. I absolutely LOVE her voice. I liked this episode especially how crazy the Mexican President was. Also great to see Pete Hutter again. ****.
Riverboat: I liked this episode a lot. I loved seeing a pre 24 Xander Berkeley and we get the first hint that Socrates may have a gambling addiction. ****.
Pirates!: This episode is a bit weak. It's full of cliches and VERY predictable. Look for Robert O'Reilly (Gowron in Star Trek) as the artist Pirate. **1/2.
Senior Spirit: It was cool to see Brisco Sr. again as a ghost, I guess, but the episode didn't really work for me. John Bly is ALWAYS welcome but Jason Marsden (in one of his earlier roles) like most kids on this show is pretty annoying. ***.
Brisco For The Defense: I've always loved this episode. Partly because of it's unpredictability (I kept going back and forth on the actual killer's identity), partly because it reminds us that Brisco is a lawyer, and mostly because it's a look at the "Coming Thing" in proving crime: fingerprints. Awesome. ****1/2.
Showdown: Utah Johnny Montana is the best name I've EVER heard for a cowboy (especially since he shortened it from Utah Johnny Cougar Montana because he thought it was pretentious.) Great, and funny episode. ****.
Deep In The Heart Of Dixie: Another pretty cool idea in the first audio recording and the fall-out it has on law trials. Lord Bowler has some pretty great moments here too. Socrates subplot with his secretary was pretty funny too. ****.
Crystal Hawks: Sheena Easton is SO hot and makes a neat guest appearance. This is nowhere NEAR as awesome as Brisco's time on the run in High Treason but it's close. I can see why Carlton Cuse used M.C. Gainey as Mr. Friendly on Lost. Despite his fierce appearance the actor has the capacity to play thoughtful and contemplative, here in his role as Big Smith. This is also the only episode of the entire series (with the exception of the cliffhanger of High Treason Part One) to have an unhappy ending. ****.
Steel Horses: How many Westerns have you seen with a motorcycle gang in them? I love the idea that Brisco and Bowler keep accidentally destroying these valuable prototypes and Wickwire saves their fannies by rebuilding them with HUGE improvements. LOVED Bowler being upset at having to sit in the sidecar too. ****.
Mail Order Brides: Passable episode that I liked for one reason: the start of the runnning gag of Lord Bowler being outraged that he is referred to as Brisco's "faithful companion". Snarls Bowler "If anything, he's MY faithful companion!" ***1/2.
A.K.A. Kansas: Good episode. Christopher Rich does a good guest turn as Dixie's smarmy ex-husband and the real Kansas turns out to be one mean fella. ****.
Bounty Hunters Convention: Agatha Christie's Ten Little Indians, Brisco-style. Spiffy mystery and I loved the resolution. Also great was Brisco, Bowler, and Socrates riding along the beach shore during the end credits. ****1/2.
Fountain Of Youth: I loved this episode, both for it's unpredictability and the fact that it answered a ton of questions about why John Bly want to steal the Orb (he's actually from the future and wants to use it to rule the world). ****1/2.
Hard Rock: First appearances of Whip Morgan and the hilarious Aaron Viva (who is completely modeled after a middle-aged Elvis Presley). I also love the idea of this being the first instance of organized crime in the West but ironically Wild Card accidentally retconned this idea with it's Godfather parody. ****.
The Brooklyn Dodgers: Look! An appearance by a pre-babe Mercedes McNab! I kind of don't like this episode because of how annoying her older brother is. They keep almost winning and he keeps messing everything up because he's such an idiot. He's worse than Tyler on V. ***.
Bye Bly: Bowler's death scene made me cry SO hard and this episodes completely rocks the entire way through. I love the idea of a naked time traveler (DS9's Melanie Smith sans Cardassian make-up) and this episode was a fitting send-off to both John Bly and the Orbs. They were even smart enough to explain the Brisco from the future scene a few episodes ago. A perfect episode. *****.
Ned Zed: This episode is clearly a nod to the framing structure of The Princess Bride. It's also completely hilarious. Casey Siemaszko is probably the funniest member of Bly's gang and I loved his steel armor. Loved the character of Frenchy Bearpaux and the mid-episode cliffhanger is one of the best the show has ever done. ****.
Stagecoach: Pete Hutter! He has been gone for too long an absense in my book. Pretty great episode. Look for Aries Spears (Mad TV) as the young Eddie Murphy stand-in. ****.
Wild Card: Mixed feelings about the episode. Technically it's good, by it REALLY made me annoyed with Whip Morgan (Jeff Philips) which is a bad thing to do with a new character in his second appearance. I like that this episode brought Brisco and Dixie together for good though. ***1/2.
And Baby Makes Three: Love, love LOVE this episode. One of Pete Hutter's better deaths and James Hong kicks butt. We also FINALLY learn what really happened with Brisco's mother's death. Sad that this is Dixie's last appearance on the series though. But James Hong rocks! ****1/2.
Bad Luck Betty: The Psycho parody stuff (with Herman's Head's Jane Sibbet as the Norman Bates stand-in) was awesome but the episode falters whenever Bad Luck Betty is on-screen (which unfortunately is a LOT). I can't remember a more annoying character to ever appear on the show and she unfortunately sullies what SHOULD have been a good episode. ***.
High Treason: Part One: I cannot think of a more fitting way for the series to go out on. I loved Pete Hutter's explanation for how he survived the Chinese throwing star ("that's the thing about Chinese throwing stars: an hour later and you're alive again") and the cliffhanger was shocking. Brisco and Bowler, gulp, are DEAD?!?! *****.
High Treason: Part Two: An almost perfect episode that while is obviously only meant to be a season finale (see Lord Bowler's hiatus joke) was smart enough to structure itself as a perfect series finale too in case the series didn't get picked up (it didn't). Only problem with the episode it that there are too many football and Zeppellin jokes and puns. Normally that's not a problem on this show but the Zeppellin stuff was especially corny. I'm still giving the episode a perfect grade though. *****.
Brisco's Book Of Coming Things:
A wonder special feature. With the death of Julius Carry in 2008 I'd bet that this is going to be the last new Brisco related thing we'll ever see. So I cherish it. I just wish they had included Duncan's doughnuts. Overall: *****.
Rocket: Detailing the rocket seen in the pilot. *****.
Inner Space Suit: Brisco notes how important it is to be respectful of science, lest it be misused. *****.
Day Glasses: Viva Aaron Viva! *****.
Hamburger: I wouldn't want to call them "cow pies" either. *****.
Ride Thru Dining: A bit of a stretch actually. ****.
Denim: This was definitely a Coming Thing. *****.
Machinery Gun: Ned Zed is boss. *****.
Steel Horses: I love how jealous Comet gets of the motorcycles. *****.
Sushi: I think it's hilarious that Brisco suspects it's a scam. Has he ever been proven wrong about that? *****.
Lighter Than Air Ship: Lighter on the puns than the actual episode was. *****.
The History Of Brisco County: A wonderful retrospective with interviews from Bruce Campbell, Carlton Cuse, Kelly Rutherford, Christian Clemenson, and Julius Carry (two years before his death). I disagree with Cuse that the show was never wrapped up satisfactorily. The last episode was just great. To quote Lord Bowler "God bless America." And Kelly Rutherford still looks like a million bucks. ****1/2.
Tools Of The Trade:
Various short featurettes about the series. Overall: ****1/2.
Horses: This was all about the horse wrangling on the series. I had no idea Comet was actually four different horses. ****.
Gun: Vintage interview of Bruce Campbell demonstrating his gunslinging abilities. One of the things I love about this show is that even though it has a VERY old-school feeling to it, it was just recent enough to have some archival footage that is still in great shape. They didn't used to do that much before DVD but 1993 was close enough to that invention's introduction that they were able to save stuff like this in brilliant picture. ****1/2.
Charm: Kelly Rutherford sighing and giggling over Bruce Campbell's charms. Delightful. ****1/2.
Season 2: I really would have liked to have seen a season two and the concept of Brisco marrying Dixie and becoming sheriff of a small town sounds really neat. I agree that if Brisco hadn't been canceled after that first season that it could have developed a huge following. *****.
The Orb: The writers admitting they actually had no (or at least little) idea what the Orb actually was. Hilarious. Don't do this to us on Lost, Carlton. ****1/2.
A Reading From The Book Of Bruce: Bruce Campbell reads the chapter on Brisco from his book If Chins Could Kill: Confessions Of a B Movie Actor. Great stuff. ****1/2.
A Brisco County Writers Room: A featurette reuniting the main writers of Brisco who spend the entire time playfully insulting each other. ***1/2.
DVD Menu: Static. Frankly, the series deserved (and I expected) better. **1/2.
X-Men: Volume Five
This is probably the weakest group of episodes of the show since the first volume. Not a heck of a lot of awesomeness and The Phalanx Covenant is worse than I remembered. The end of the show also gave us a new animation style which I think is a mixed bag. The expressions on the characters in the new streamlined designs are better but the animation is still clunky enough that it doesn't make much of a difference. You see the amount of money put into shows like Batman: The Animated Series and Gargoyles and compare it to this and it doesn't look so hot. About the closest it comes to is Gargoyles: The Goliath Chronicles.
Best episodes on the set are The two part Phalanx Covenant (which while not as good as I remembered is still one of the better episodes on the set), Old Soldiers (guest starring Captain America), the completely awesome Descent (detailing the history of Mr. Sinister), and the touching series finale (Graduation Day). Worst episodes are the terrible Jubilee's Fairytale Theater, and the dumb Hidden Agendas. Volume Overall: ***1/2.
The Phalanx Covenant: Part 1: I love Warlock (and am glad that the series never got around to killing him off) and am tickled by the homages to Star Trek: The Next Generation's Borg. The phrase "You will be assimilated" is used MANY times and they even gave us a "Resistance is futile". ****.
The Phalanx Covenant: Part 2: I love how dire things get in this episode (as well as the team-up with Beast, Warlock and Mr. Sinister) but the ending is a little too pat for my taste. ***1/2. Two Part Average: ****.
A Deal With The Devil: Why is it that NO-ONE ever listens to Wolverine? True, the dude imagines enemies where there are none but he's right about a quarter of the time and that's a high enough batting average to at least give his misgivings serious consderation. ***.
No Mutant Is An Island: I can't figure out where in the show's continuity this episode takes place. I think it would have been better for the series if Jean's ressurrection had been shown on screen. Instead she just shows up a few episodes after The Pheonix Saga with no explantion. This episode tries to give us one, but in my mind this only pointed out that she was alive and not how they rescued her. ***.
Longshot: Considering how awesome Mojovision was this episode is nothing but a disappointment. I liked Jubilee's crush on Longshot though. **1/2.
Bloodlines: I've always liked this episode because it gave us revelations about Nightcrawler, Rogue, and Mystique. But considering how intermingled the cast is in relativity it's kind of weird to realize that Rogue and Mystique are related to Logan in some way since other franchises have explored romances with Wolverine and Rogue and Wolverin and Mystique. Great final shot thought. ***1/2.
Storm Front: Part 1: Not bad but this is one of the most worthless cliffhangers ever. ***.
Storm Front: Part 2: Storm's denial at how horrible her betrothed is makes it REALLY hard to be sympathetic to her once the truth is revealed. It's like everyone knew how crummy he was before her and she had to actually witness his butt-munchery before she believed it. **1/2. Two Part Average: ***.
Jubilee's Fairytale Theater: I think the show was going for an amusing and campy episode in the vein of Have Yourself a Morlock Little X-Mas but unlike that episode, this ep has ZERO charms and is simply terrible. One of the worst episodes of the series. 0.
The Fifth Horseman: Am I the only one who had the feeling that this show could have run for an additional five seasons and still not run out of ideas? I'm only saddened that Apocalypse's return had zero repercussions since the show was canceled only a few episodes later. ***1/2.
Old Soldiers: MUCH better than I remembered it. I love episodes like this that focus on the past and even though it's not as good as Descent it's pretty cool to see Logan team up with Captain America to take down the Red Skull. ****1/2.
Descent: Best episode on the set. This reminds me a bit of Batman: The Animated Series' Showdown in the fact that it's a one off episode that takes place almost completely in the past with none of the main characters. Except this episode had even bigger nerve as it spent the ENTIRE episode in the ninteenth century (save the last 30 seconds) instead of having a wrap-around story to tie it together with present happenings. Sinister's origin is just great too. *****.
Hidden Agendas: Obnoxious episode with take the civil rights analogy and hits you over the head with it hammily. *1/2.
Graduation Day: Tearful series finale which has Magneto deciding to join the side of angels and Xavier saying goodbye to his students (including the welcome return of Morph). Not as good as Spider-Man: The Animated Series' final episode, but close. ****.
DVD Menus: Similar to the first four volumes. ***.
Jim Henson's The Song Of The Cloud Forest And Other Earth Stories
The Song Of The Cloud Forest:
This special (originally aired on the Jim Henson Hour) is a psychedelic and trippy mix of Puppety and computer animation. It's about a golden frog, which learns that it's almost extinct both trying to attract a mate and trying to be watchful of a couple of misguided "uprights" (played by Muppeteers Jerry Nelson and Fran Brill) who want to capture him to protect the species. The puppets are all bright and colorful and a lot of them have very wild designs. It's directed by Jim Henson. The message about protecting endangeed species and their environments is a very good one for kids to have and it's laid out in a very family friendly manner (closer to the kid-friendly Fraggle Rock than the at times somewhat blue Dinosaurs). There aren't a great many funny gags in the special (it's a mostly serious affair) with the exception of a rockin' robin which has migrated to the rainforest during the winter months. The songs are all pretty nice and I think it's a pretty darn good special. ****.
Animal Show With Stinky & Jake - Owl And Frog:
This show (originally aired on FoxKids as part of the Fox "Cubhouse") is pretty neat. It tells kids about different animals and even has some interesting facts that I did not know, like the fact that frogs are nocturnal and hibernate during the winter. ***1/2.
Animal Show With Stinky & Jake - Kangaroo & Frog:
This episode deals with animals that hop. ***1/2.
Fraggle Rock - River Of Life:
An absolutely dynamite episode of Fraggle Rock. Doc has to choose between a boatload of money and continuing to poison the Fraggles (and Gorg's) drinking supply. The big player in this episode is Boober who has to find a way to save the sick Fraggles who have been poisoned and Doc's conscience Sprocket who knows exactly how much more dire the situation is than an oblivious Doc. Boober of course, saves the day, Doc learns his lesson, and all of the Fraggles get better but not without a thorough explanation of the delicate balances of the enviroment and how pollution effects creatures that cannot defend themselves against it. After the oil spill on the gulf coast I think this DVD's release couldn't have come at a better time. *****.
DVD Menu: Beautiful. ****1/2.
Jim Henson's Labyrinth
Really cool Jim Henson fantasy film with a cool concept and bizarre characters.
The film features Jennifer Connelly in one of her earlier screen roles as a girl named Sarah who wishes the Goblin King (David Bowie) would take away her baby brother. Sarah starts off the movie as a melodramatic drama queen and becomes a young woman by the end. The scene with Sarah and the Goblin King at the ball was a great metaphor for her growing up.
I liked the Goblin King because as a villain he wasn't ESPECIALLY cruel despite what he told Sarah at the end.
Hoggle the dwarf is a strange one because I think he is the first puppet character Henson has ever done that is pretty much completely unlikable. It was wierd that they made him the second banana in the movie.
I am delighted to see Gates McFadden (Star Trek: The Next Generation's Dr. Crusher) credited here as Cheryl McFadden as the dance and puppet coordinator. I forgot she used to work for Henson.
I love Sir Didymus. SO cute and hilarious.
If I had any beefs about the movie, it's with the very end with the party in Sarah's room with all of the puppets. It only seems so jarring because she had JUST said a wistful goodbye to all of them in her mirror and it negated that scene dramatically. Other than that this is one of Henson's best films. ****1/2.
Donald In Mathmagic Land
A VERY cool vintage Wonderful World of Disney cartoon which finds Donald Duck in a land of math guided by a spirit into learning how mathmatics is connected to music, games, nature and secret societies. I had never seen this before but now I'm glad I did. It's obviously made for television style animation but it hold up pretty well and some of the animation/live-action special effects are pretty spiffy. ****.
Wonderful World Of Disney Opening: The opening of the series from the seventies. ****1/2.
DVD Menu: Pretty good considering there are only two screens (main menu and scene selection). I like the numbers everywhere. ***.
Lost "The Candidate"
Last chance to skip this review.
Well, THIS was a bloodbath. They not only killed off Sayid and Lapidus but they offed Sun and Jin one episode after their touching reunion. Supposedly this was all to show what an evil guy the Man in Black actually is but it doesn't make me feel any better about it. I knew some deaths were coming and I feel better knowing who they are now and I can try to watch the rest of the series unspoiled.
The Sideways stuff was interesting but I was a little disappointed they went back to only focusing on one or two characters. The fact that Jack DIDN'T fix Locke leads me to question why Desmond ran over Locke in the first place.
I'm glad Sayid got to redeem himself somewhat but I'd feel better about it if they hadn't completely set up the character as hopeless a few episodes before. Claire IS hopeless and I don't like to think of her and Sayid in the same boat. Sun and Jin's deaths were handled magnificently and I'm glad that they died holding each other. VERY romantic and devastating.
Pretty great episode. ****1/2.
V "Hearts and Minds"
I liked this episode too. I wasn't shocked about Rehka Shamar being a Cylon, er, I mean V because she's played a similar role in the past. I like that they have Erica heading up the Fifth Column task force with her because you know that will lead to some juiciness.
LOVED Lisa protecting Tyler and getting her legs broken for her troubles. I think she's make a good Fifth Column member.
Father Jack is an idiot for trusting Chad Decker. In my mind the entire thing was his fault and I just thank Heavens that the Vs didn't bother using LIVE humans to frame the Resistance.
Good episode. ****.
The Adventures Of Brisco County, Jr.: The Complete Series
I've heard this called the greatest single-season series of all time and it's REALLY hard to argue with that statement. I mean, there have been some GREAT short-lived series (Firefly anyone?) but almost all of them were canceled mid-way into when they started to get interesting. Brisco Country Jr. is 28 episodes long, has a couple of neat story arcs and doesn't insult the audience by ending on a cliffhanger to try to get the network to renew it. The two part season finale High Treason works perfectly well as a series finale and I have YET to see any big-name producers make a drama with sci-fi elements try to simply tell a good story without feeling the need to string the audience along.
The Adventures of Brisco County Jr. is a Western set in the 1890s with some science fiction elements, co-created by Carlton Cuse, one of the masterminds behind Lost. It stars the irreplaceable Bruce Campbell as Brisco County Jr, the son of a famous lawman who was gunned down by the notorious John Bly Gang. It owes a great deal to old movie serials that end on cliffhangers. Amazingly almost NONE of the episodes themselves end on a cliffhanger (except the first part of High Treason) so you never lose patience with the series. The cliffhangers (all of them brilliant) occur in the midway point of each episode. The nature of DVD (no commercials) blunts their impact somewhat but when this originally aired I was on the edge of my seat at each episode's halfway point.
The series also stars the late Julius Carry as Lord Bowler, Brisco's rival turned partner and Christian Clemenson (Boston Legal) as the lawyer Socrates Poole. Guest stars include Kelly Rutherford as Brisco's love interest/con-artist/ballroom singer Dixie Cousins, the SERIOUSLY scary Billy Drago as John Bly (the series' Big Bad), John Astin (The Addams Family) as the mad inventor Albert Wickwire, and the awesome John-Pyper Ferguson in his scene-stealing turn as outlaw Pete Hutter. The cast gels magnificently and every single character is memorable (with perhaps the exception of Bad Luck Betty).
Bruce Campbell is absolutely PERFECT as Brisco County Jr., a Harvard Educated lawyer, and the fastest gun in the west who is always looking for the next big thing. One of the most famous hallmarks of the series was Brisco and the rest of the cast discovering inventions, and concepts that were "The Coming Thing" in the upcoming 20th Century. As such, this is pretty much the only Western you will ever see with pop-culture references, puns and jokes. Don't let the story arc of the MacGuffin called The Orb scare you away. Although it's never satisfactorily explained it's almost besides the point. Besides, it runs it's course two-thirds of the way through the series.
It's family friendly too and a great show for kids. Remember when Fox used to air that kind of programming? Yeah, I barely do either. Fox has turned into a hard-core porn channel so gradually I barely noticed.
This is probably the greatest short-lived series of all time. The theme song is awesome (SO awesome in fact, they stole it for NBC's coverage of the Olympics). Everything about this show is great and I highly recommend getting the DVDs. *****.
Pilot: Awesome first episode that upon a rewatch is so great because you realize that every single main character is present (with the exception of Whip Morgan) for the first and only time. Pete Hutter is such a hilarious character ("No one touches my piece!") that it's easy to see why they kept bringing him back despite apparently killing him off numerous times. Billy Drago is mad-scary as John Bly. Lord Bowler's first scene is awesome too and sets up his relationship with Brisco perfectly. R. Lee Ermey plays Brisco Sr. and the episode is chock full of cameos from various actors for different classic westerns. The series recognized it's roots and I think it was a brilliant tribute. *****.
Socrates' Sister: Like most second episodes, this doesn't quite live up to the pilot. I was kind of hoping Jack Randolph would surprise us and turn out to be innocent but at this point in the series they weren't really going for plot twists like that. ***1/2.
The Orb Scholar: I love that they pulled the Christ parallels story in the third freaking episode. Bowler singing to Brisco as Brisco lies near-death is one of the most defining moments for the character and the unique friendship/rivalry they share. ****1/2.
No Man's Land: I love Professor Wickwire. The episode is pretty good too. Look for Denise Crosby (Star Trek: The Next Generation) as the sheriff. ****.
Brisco In Jalisco: Kelly Rutherford is really an unsung hero on this show. She plays Dixie as a brassy broad out of a 1940s movie. I absolutely LOVE her voice. I liked this episode especially how crazy the Mexican President was. Also great to see Pete Hutter again. ****.
Riverboat: I liked this episode a lot. I loved seeing a pre 24 Xander Berkeley and we get the first hint that Socrates may have a gambling addiction. ****.
Pirates!: This episode is a bit weak. It's full of cliches and VERY predictable. Look for Robert O'Reilly (Gowron in Star Trek) as the artist Pirate. **1/2.
Senior Spirit: It was cool to see Brisco Sr. again as a ghost, I guess, but the episode didn't really work for me. John Bly is ALWAYS welcome but Jason Marsden (in one of his earlier roles) like most kids on this show is pretty annoying. ***.
Brisco For The Defense: I've always loved this episode. Partly because of it's unpredictability (I kept going back and forth on the actual killer's identity), partly because it reminds us that Brisco is a lawyer, and mostly because it's a look at the "Coming Thing" in proving crime: fingerprints. Awesome. ****1/2.
Showdown: Utah Johnny Montana is the best name I've EVER heard for a cowboy (especially since he shortened it from Utah Johnny Cougar Montana because he thought it was pretentious.) Great, and funny episode. ****.
Deep In The Heart Of Dixie: Another pretty cool idea in the first audio recording and the fall-out it has on law trials. Lord Bowler has some pretty great moments here too. Socrates subplot with his secretary was pretty funny too. ****.
Crystal Hawks: Sheena Easton is SO hot and makes a neat guest appearance. This is nowhere NEAR as awesome as Brisco's time on the run in High Treason but it's close. I can see why Carlton Cuse used M.C. Gainey as Mr. Friendly on Lost. Despite his fierce appearance the actor has the capacity to play thoughtful and contemplative, here in his role as Big Smith. This is also the only episode of the entire series (with the exception of the cliffhanger of High Treason Part One) to have an unhappy ending. ****.
Steel Horses: How many Westerns have you seen with a motorcycle gang in them? I love the idea that Brisco and Bowler keep accidentally destroying these valuable prototypes and Wickwire saves their fannies by rebuilding them with HUGE improvements. LOVED Bowler being upset at having to sit in the sidecar too. ****.
Mail Order Brides: Passable episode that I liked for one reason: the start of the runnning gag of Lord Bowler being outraged that he is referred to as Brisco's "faithful companion". Snarls Bowler "If anything, he's MY faithful companion!" ***1/2.
A.K.A. Kansas: Good episode. Christopher Rich does a good guest turn as Dixie's smarmy ex-husband and the real Kansas turns out to be one mean fella. ****.
Bounty Hunters Convention: Agatha Christie's Ten Little Indians, Brisco-style. Spiffy mystery and I loved the resolution. Also great was Brisco, Bowler, and Socrates riding along the beach shore during the end credits. ****1/2.
Fountain Of Youth: I loved this episode, both for it's unpredictability and the fact that it answered a ton of questions about why John Bly want to steal the Orb (he's actually from the future and wants to use it to rule the world). ****1/2.
Hard Rock: First appearances of Whip Morgan and the hilarious Aaron Viva (who is completely modeled after a middle-aged Elvis Presley). I also love the idea of this being the first instance of organized crime in the West but ironically Wild Card accidentally retconned this idea with it's Godfather parody. ****.
The Brooklyn Dodgers: Look! An appearance by a pre-babe Mercedes McNab! I kind of don't like this episode because of how annoying her older brother is. They keep almost winning and he keeps messing everything up because he's such an idiot. He's worse than Tyler on V. ***.
Bye Bly: Bowler's death scene made me cry SO hard and this episodes completely rocks the entire way through. I love the idea of a naked time traveler (DS9's Melanie Smith sans Cardassian make-up) and this episode was a fitting send-off to both John Bly and the Orbs. They were even smart enough to explain the Brisco from the future scene a few episodes ago. A perfect episode. *****.
Ned Zed: This episode is clearly a nod to the framing structure of The Princess Bride. It's also completely hilarious. Casey Siemaszko is probably the funniest member of Bly's gang and I loved his steel armor. Loved the character of Frenchy Bearpaux and the mid-episode cliffhanger is one of the best the show has ever done. ****.
Stagecoach: Pete Hutter! He has been gone for too long an absense in my book. Pretty great episode. Look for Aries Spears (Mad TV) as the young Eddie Murphy stand-in. ****.
Wild Card: Mixed feelings about the episode. Technically it's good, by it REALLY made me annoyed with Whip Morgan (Jeff Philips) which is a bad thing to do with a new character in his second appearance. I like that this episode brought Brisco and Dixie together for good though. ***1/2.
And Baby Makes Three: Love, love LOVE this episode. One of Pete Hutter's better deaths and James Hong kicks butt. We also FINALLY learn what really happened with Brisco's mother's death. Sad that this is Dixie's last appearance on the series though. But James Hong rocks! ****1/2.
Bad Luck Betty: The Psycho parody stuff (with Herman's Head's Jane Sibbet as the Norman Bates stand-in) was awesome but the episode falters whenever Bad Luck Betty is on-screen (which unfortunately is a LOT). I can't remember a more annoying character to ever appear on the show and she unfortunately sullies what SHOULD have been a good episode. ***.
High Treason: Part One: I cannot think of a more fitting way for the series to go out on. I loved Pete Hutter's explanation for how he survived the Chinese throwing star ("that's the thing about Chinese throwing stars: an hour later and you're alive again") and the cliffhanger was shocking. Brisco and Bowler, gulp, are DEAD?!?! *****.
High Treason: Part Two: An almost perfect episode that while is obviously only meant to be a season finale (see Lord Bowler's hiatus joke) was smart enough to structure itself as a perfect series finale too in case the series didn't get picked up (it didn't). Only problem with the episode it that there are too many football and Zeppellin jokes and puns. Normally that's not a problem on this show but the Zeppellin stuff was especially corny. I'm still giving the episode a perfect grade though. *****.
Brisco's Book Of Coming Things:
A wonder special feature. With the death of Julius Carry in 2008 I'd bet that this is going to be the last new Brisco related thing we'll ever see. So I cherish it. I just wish they had included Duncan's doughnuts. Overall: *****.
Rocket: Detailing the rocket seen in the pilot. *****.
Inner Space Suit: Brisco notes how important it is to be respectful of science, lest it be misused. *****.
Day Glasses: Viva Aaron Viva! *****.
Hamburger: I wouldn't want to call them "cow pies" either. *****.
Ride Thru Dining: A bit of a stretch actually. ****.
Denim: This was definitely a Coming Thing. *****.
Machinery Gun: Ned Zed is boss. *****.
Steel Horses: I love how jealous Comet gets of the motorcycles. *****.
Sushi: I think it's hilarious that Brisco suspects it's a scam. Has he ever been proven wrong about that? *****.
Lighter Than Air Ship: Lighter on the puns than the actual episode was. *****.
The History Of Brisco County: A wonderful retrospective with interviews from Bruce Campbell, Carlton Cuse, Kelly Rutherford, Christian Clemenson, and Julius Carry (two years before his death). I disagree with Cuse that the show was never wrapped up satisfactorily. The last episode was just great. To quote Lord Bowler "God bless America." And Kelly Rutherford still looks like a million bucks. ****1/2.
Tools Of The Trade:
Various short featurettes about the series. Overall: ****1/2.
Horses: This was all about the horse wrangling on the series. I had no idea Comet was actually four different horses. ****.
Gun: Vintage interview of Bruce Campbell demonstrating his gunslinging abilities. One of the things I love about this show is that even though it has a VERY old-school feeling to it, it was just recent enough to have some archival footage that is still in great shape. They didn't used to do that much before DVD but 1993 was close enough to that invention's introduction that they were able to save stuff like this in brilliant picture. ****1/2.
Charm: Kelly Rutherford sighing and giggling over Bruce Campbell's charms. Delightful. ****1/2.
Season 2: I really would have liked to have seen a season two and the concept of Brisco marrying Dixie and becoming sheriff of a small town sounds really neat. I agree that if Brisco hadn't been canceled after that first season that it could have developed a huge following. *****.
The Orb: The writers admitting they actually had no (or at least little) idea what the Orb actually was. Hilarious. Don't do this to us on Lost, Carlton. ****1/2.
A Reading From The Book Of Bruce: Bruce Campbell reads the chapter on Brisco from his book If Chins Could Kill: Confessions Of a B Movie Actor. Great stuff. ****1/2.
A Brisco County Writers Room: A featurette reuniting the main writers of Brisco who spend the entire time playfully insulting each other. ***1/2.
DVD Menu: Static. Frankly, the series deserved (and I expected) better. **1/2.
X-Men: Volume Five
This is probably the weakest group of episodes of the show since the first volume. Not a heck of a lot of awesomeness and The Phalanx Covenant is worse than I remembered. The end of the show also gave us a new animation style which I think is a mixed bag. The expressions on the characters in the new streamlined designs are better but the animation is still clunky enough that it doesn't make much of a difference. You see the amount of money put into shows like Batman: The Animated Series and Gargoyles and compare it to this and it doesn't look so hot. About the closest it comes to is Gargoyles: The Goliath Chronicles.
Best episodes on the set are The two part Phalanx Covenant (which while not as good as I remembered is still one of the better episodes on the set), Old Soldiers (guest starring Captain America), the completely awesome Descent (detailing the history of Mr. Sinister), and the touching series finale (Graduation Day). Worst episodes are the terrible Jubilee's Fairytale Theater, and the dumb Hidden Agendas. Volume Overall: ***1/2.
The Phalanx Covenant: Part 1: I love Warlock (and am glad that the series never got around to killing him off) and am tickled by the homages to Star Trek: The Next Generation's Borg. The phrase "You will be assimilated" is used MANY times and they even gave us a "Resistance is futile". ****.
The Phalanx Covenant: Part 2: I love how dire things get in this episode (as well as the team-up with Beast, Warlock and Mr. Sinister) but the ending is a little too pat for my taste. ***1/2. Two Part Average: ****.
A Deal With The Devil: Why is it that NO-ONE ever listens to Wolverine? True, the dude imagines enemies where there are none but he's right about a quarter of the time and that's a high enough batting average to at least give his misgivings serious consderation. ***.
No Mutant Is An Island: I can't figure out where in the show's continuity this episode takes place. I think it would have been better for the series if Jean's ressurrection had been shown on screen. Instead she just shows up a few episodes after The Pheonix Saga with no explantion. This episode tries to give us one, but in my mind this only pointed out that she was alive and not how they rescued her. ***.
Longshot: Considering how awesome Mojovision was this episode is nothing but a disappointment. I liked Jubilee's crush on Longshot though. **1/2.
Bloodlines: I've always liked this episode because it gave us revelations about Nightcrawler, Rogue, and Mystique. But considering how intermingled the cast is in relativity it's kind of weird to realize that Rogue and Mystique are related to Logan in some way since other franchises have explored romances with Wolverine and Rogue and Wolverin and Mystique. Great final shot thought. ***1/2.
Storm Front: Part 1: Not bad but this is one of the most worthless cliffhangers ever. ***.
Storm Front: Part 2: Storm's denial at how horrible her betrothed is makes it REALLY hard to be sympathetic to her once the truth is revealed. It's like everyone knew how crummy he was before her and she had to actually witness his butt-munchery before she believed it. **1/2. Two Part Average: ***.
Jubilee's Fairytale Theater: I think the show was going for an amusing and campy episode in the vein of Have Yourself a Morlock Little X-Mas but unlike that episode, this ep has ZERO charms and is simply terrible. One of the worst episodes of the series. 0.
The Fifth Horseman: Am I the only one who had the feeling that this show could have run for an additional five seasons and still not run out of ideas? I'm only saddened that Apocalypse's return had zero repercussions since the show was canceled only a few episodes later. ***1/2.
Old Soldiers: MUCH better than I remembered it. I love episodes like this that focus on the past and even though it's not as good as Descent it's pretty cool to see Logan team up with Captain America to take down the Red Skull. ****1/2.
Descent: Best episode on the set. This reminds me a bit of Batman: The Animated Series' Showdown in the fact that it's a one off episode that takes place almost completely in the past with none of the main characters. Except this episode had even bigger nerve as it spent the ENTIRE episode in the ninteenth century (save the last 30 seconds) instead of having a wrap-around story to tie it together with present happenings. Sinister's origin is just great too. *****.
Hidden Agendas: Obnoxious episode with take the civil rights analogy and hits you over the head with it hammily. *1/2.
Graduation Day: Tearful series finale which has Magneto deciding to join the side of angels and Xavier saying goodbye to his students (including the welcome return of Morph). Not as good as Spider-Man: The Animated Series' final episode, but close. ****.
DVD Menus: Similar to the first four volumes. ***.
Jim Henson's The Song Of The Cloud Forest And Other Earth Stories
The Song Of The Cloud Forest:
This special (originally aired on the Jim Henson Hour) is a psychedelic and trippy mix of Puppety and computer animation. It's about a golden frog, which learns that it's almost extinct both trying to attract a mate and trying to be watchful of a couple of misguided "uprights" (played by Muppeteers Jerry Nelson and Fran Brill) who want to capture him to protect the species. The puppets are all bright and colorful and a lot of them have very wild designs. It's directed by Jim Henson. The message about protecting endangeed species and their environments is a very good one for kids to have and it's laid out in a very family friendly manner (closer to the kid-friendly Fraggle Rock than the at times somewhat blue Dinosaurs). There aren't a great many funny gags in the special (it's a mostly serious affair) with the exception of a rockin' robin which has migrated to the rainforest during the winter months. The songs are all pretty nice and I think it's a pretty darn good special. ****.
Animal Show With Stinky & Jake - Owl And Frog:
This show (originally aired on FoxKids as part of the Fox "Cubhouse") is pretty neat. It tells kids about different animals and even has some interesting facts that I did not know, like the fact that frogs are nocturnal and hibernate during the winter. ***1/2.
Animal Show With Stinky & Jake - Kangaroo & Frog:
This episode deals with animals that hop. ***1/2.
Fraggle Rock - River Of Life:
An absolutely dynamite episode of Fraggle Rock. Doc has to choose between a boatload of money and continuing to poison the Fraggles (and Gorg's) drinking supply. The big player in this episode is Boober who has to find a way to save the sick Fraggles who have been poisoned and Doc's conscience Sprocket who knows exactly how much more dire the situation is than an oblivious Doc. Boober of course, saves the day, Doc learns his lesson, and all of the Fraggles get better but not without a thorough explanation of the delicate balances of the enviroment and how pollution effects creatures that cannot defend themselves against it. After the oil spill on the gulf coast I think this DVD's release couldn't have come at a better time. *****.
DVD Menu: Beautiful. ****1/2.
Jim Henson's Labyrinth
Really cool Jim Henson fantasy film with a cool concept and bizarre characters.
The film features Jennifer Connelly in one of her earlier screen roles as a girl named Sarah who wishes the Goblin King (David Bowie) would take away her baby brother. Sarah starts off the movie as a melodramatic drama queen and becomes a young woman by the end. The scene with Sarah and the Goblin King at the ball was a great metaphor for her growing up.
I liked the Goblin King because as a villain he wasn't ESPECIALLY cruel despite what he told Sarah at the end.
Hoggle the dwarf is a strange one because I think he is the first puppet character Henson has ever done that is pretty much completely unlikable. It was wierd that they made him the second banana in the movie.
I am delighted to see Gates McFadden (Star Trek: The Next Generation's Dr. Crusher) credited here as Cheryl McFadden as the dance and puppet coordinator. I forgot she used to work for Henson.
I love Sir Didymus. SO cute and hilarious.
If I had any beefs about the movie, it's with the very end with the party in Sarah's room with all of the puppets. It only seems so jarring because she had JUST said a wistful goodbye to all of them in her mirror and it negated that scene dramatically. Other than that this is one of Henson's best films. ****1/2.
Donald In Mathmagic Land
A VERY cool vintage Wonderful World of Disney cartoon which finds Donald Duck in a land of math guided by a spirit into learning how mathmatics is connected to music, games, nature and secret societies. I had never seen this before but now I'm glad I did. It's obviously made for television style animation but it hold up pretty well and some of the animation/live-action special effects are pretty spiffy. ****.
Wonderful World Of Disney Opening: The opening of the series from the seventies. ****1/2.
DVD Menu: Pretty good considering there are only two screens (main menu and scene selection). I like the numbers everywhere. ***.
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no subject
Date: 2010-05-10 03:23 am (UTC)I'm still skeptical that Lapidus died. No body during the montage sequence and the survivors didn't bother asking aloud about him, neither. I think it's slightly possible that he was swept out of the doorway after getting knocked out. Otherwise, it'd have been a pointless death to me.
Sun and Jin's death was done well but part of couldn't help but hate Jin for staying behind when Ji Yeon was still alive with her grandmother. We all know how couples end up on the show but really...it sorta convinces me that Walt, Aaron, and Ji Yeon are destined to return the Island years later after the show finishes.
I've concluded that Desmond ran over Locke so he'd get close to dying and get flashes of the other timeline, he did murmur "Push the button" and "I wish you had believed me" as Jack waited for him to wake up. It's sort of the opposite choice of pairing the 815 passengers with their one true love.
V
This show is getting really good just as the season is about to end. I hope it gets renewed...
no subject
Date: 2010-05-10 04:26 am (UTC)Ah, I guess, you're right. Jin never knew his daughter versus staying with the love of his life after 3 years of not seeing her.
True, it seems like mirrors are a third way to see the other timeline.
V: I'll hold you to it. Still have to watch the second season of Dollhouse. I hope not too many sharks were jumped. ;) Heroes could have been fixed after Volume 2 and the Writers' Strike if they replaced Kring as showrunner, which they did with V, replace the showrunner and implicitly it seems to show with the better episodes in the backhalf of the season. I wonder though if there is a definitive plan for V or if they only had the generic premise similar to how Heroes started.
no subject
Date: 2010-05-10 02:31 pm (UTC)V: Dollhouse's second season was good as was the ending. If V manages to be HALF that satisfying I'll be happy.
no subject
Date: 2010-05-10 04:16 am (UTC)I would have made the exact same choice Jin did. There was no guarantee of him getting off the island anyways (I'm sure that factored into his decision) and the woman he loved was scared and dying. He couldn't let her die alone, no matter how much he loved his daughter.
Yeah, that's my theory too but I liked the crazier one I had (with all three elements of different theories) a week ago. It would have been SO cool if they had used all three of those ideas as it actually would have completely justified Sideways Desmond's actions. As it stands, if that was the ONLY reason he smacked into Locke, there was probably a better (not to mention a non-illegal) way to do it.
Doc Jensen's columns were interesting this week. Here is the recap, in which Doc acknowledges that this was an episode bigger than his conspiracy theory nonsense. It's actually quite a fitting tribute to Sun, Jin and Sayid. Like you, he doesn't think Lapidus is dead.
http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20313460_20366684,00.html
However it's MY opinion that the next column is the money column. In it Doc says he's talked to Darlton and that they have confirmed that Hurley's ghosts are NOT the Man in Black messing with him as he thought (and I seriously doubted). He then gives a run-down of the four types of spirits we've seen on the show. And he does it all in a single page! (As well as giving a spoiler free pledge.)
http://popwatch.ew.com/2010/05/08/lost-analysis-doc-jensen-whispers/?ew%5FpackageID=20313460
V: I only want the show to get renewed for one more season and for the show to pull a Dollhouse and have a premature cancellation force a definitive ending. Otherwise I have a feeling we'd be strung along for years like we were on Heroes.
no subject
Date: 2010-05-10 04:37 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-05-10 02:28 pm (UTC)