Classic TV on DVD – The Carol Burnett Show: Treasures from the Vault, The Lost Episodes & The Carol Burnett Show: Together Again

Posted on January 19, 2016 by Felix Vasquez

For fans that don’t want to pay incredible amounts of money for the complete editions of “The Carol Burnett Show,” but still want to savor in a complete episode of the hit comedy series, DVD’s like “Together Again” exist for you and you alone. Though it’s a little tough to tell what kind of episodes are on these DVD releases and what they feature, these editions are fine snippets of what you’d get if you forked over money for complete season sets. For a primer course, “Together Again” isn’t too shabby for your collection.

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Magic Mike XXL (2015) [Blu-Ray/DVD/Digital]

Posted on October 5, 2015 by Felix Vasquez

After the pop culture explosion that Steven Soderbergh brought to screens with 2012’s “Magic Mike,” director Gregory Jacobs does a bang up job of carrying the torch. “Magic Mike XXL” is a mixed bag that sags in the middle but is overall a very entertaining road film. After three years retired from the erotic dance business, Mike receives word that former boss “Dallas” is dead. Shocked to learn that he is very alive and abandoned his former group of dancers, Mike is inspired to rejoin his old team after a serendipitous airing of the song “Pony” reminds him of his old days.

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Musical Chairs (2014)

Posted on March 21, 2014 by Felix Vasquez

“Cheer Up. You’re Alive.”

While Susan Seidelman’s musical drama is contrived and formulaic, it gets a free pass mainly for being such a charming romance that at least tries to break its predictability. “Musical Chairs” is the celebration of dance, despite physical disabilities, all the while focusing on a couple that find love through their hardships and their passion for the dance floor. It’s very interesting that “Musical Chairs” really dodges the more conventional aspects of films of this ilk, and also seems to strive for more diversity in characters beyond skin color.

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The Powerpuff Girls: Dance Pantsed (2014)

Posted on January 27, 2014 by Felix Vasquez

I’m surprised Cartoon Network decided to remake and bring back the “Powerpuff Girls.” After their infamous statements in 2013 that their cartoons are aimed for boys and boys only, I’m not too sure what the reasoning is behind bringing back their very entertaining series about the three heroic young girls fighting crime in Townsville. I know, it’s all about the dollar at the end. They want money, and will only invest in series that make money. But when they basically told girls to go bake cookies, and stop watching the network last year, “Powerpuff Girls” is an odd show to re-invent and bring back for a new generation. I almost expected “Foster’s Home” or “Johnny Bravo” to be their target remakes.

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Battle of the Year (2013)

Posted on December 12, 2013 by Felix Vasquez

The only thing more shamelessly stupid than the utter self-congratulatory premise behind “Battle of the Year” is the god awful product placements. One thing about these stupid dance movies it that they’re a gold mine for corporations to advertise to an audience that likely can’t afford their crap. So we’re shown images of Braun in the background in the first minutes of the film, Josh Peck has a new Sony Ipad because “It’s the future,” he tells main character Josh Holloway. Then there’s an insert of him renting “Planet B-Boy” on Netflix, menu and all.

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House Party (1990)

Posted on April 1, 2012 by Felix Vasquez

Kid n Play originally began their careers as rap rivals, and you can sense a lot of that rivalry in their performances as Kid and Play in “House Party.” Much of that interplay of two rappers pitted against each other is carried over, even though the film establishes them as best friends. Very often “House Party” involves Kid and Play making a move on the same girl, and competing for attention not only for their friends, but from pretty much everyone they come across. Because of that “House Party” is a bonafide party film that is quite the entertaining guilty pleasure, if you’re willing to re-visit the early nineties. Born from the remnants of the eighties, “House Party” is a film that’s awfully dated but still very fun and equally funny to sit through.

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