Dragonlance - Dragons of Autumn Twilight - Buy from Amazon
The first book of the hugely popular Dragonlance series is coming to DVD on this direct-to-DVD release. Fans of D&D should rejoice, but not for long.

This film has a huge cast and a lot of them will be recognizable to genre fans: Michael Rosenbaum from Smallville, Lucy Lawless from Xena, Michelle Trachtenberg from Buffy, and Kiefer Sutherland from The Lost Boys. However, while these people are well known, many are not experienced voice artists, and it shows. Not that I can blame some of these actors for phoning in their roles, as the dialogue they were given would have been hard for the most experienced voice actor to pull off. (More than once I felt like the characters were trying to explain the rules of the game and this sounded very unnatural.) Bad dialogue aside, the writing has other problems as well. The filmmakers were obviously going for an epic feel, but it never quite got there and it feels like a pale imitation of other films in the same genre. Too many characters and not enough time to explore their personalities left them feeling two-dimensional. Two-dimensional characters meant I couldn't become emotionally involved in the plot, which hurt the adventure.

Which brings is to the animation; it was nearly universally bad. The hand animation was stiff, not fluid, while the digital animation was cheap looking. And combined, they were even worse. At times it felt like I was watching the old Dungeons & Dragons cartoon from the 1980s, and not in a good way, combined with pre-Toy Story CG. Had the writing been better, this could have been enough to ruin the movie for me. As it is, it's just one more knock against the film.

As for the extras, there are two short pieces: Original test animation and initial character designs. Combined they run roughly 4 minutes and it is hard to call them selling points.

Dragonlance is one of the best fictional lines from Dungeons and Dragons and there is little doubt that fans of the game or the novels were eagerly awaiting this release. It saddens me to say it wasn't worth the wait. There's very little here that works, and the combined effect is worth no more than a rental, and that's only for fans of the source material. All others can safely skip this release.

Oswald's Ghost - Buy from Amazon
A documentary look at the assassination of JFK and the scars left on the American psyche that persist today.

I hate conspiracy theories; they drive me nuts. Their attractiveness to others is based on a well understood psychological flaw in the way humans process information. If we can predict what will happen next, we can react before events can occur, which is a great advantage evolutionarily speaking. So we look for patterns and our brains have evolved to be really good at finding them, even when they don't exist. Add in the common fallacy that the cause must be as great as the outcome, and we can see why the Kennedy assassination is the mother lode of all conspiracy theories (perhaps only outdone by the "moon landing hoax").

This documentary does an excellent job at dissecting the conspiracy theories involved here, the players, the true believers, etc. If you want to know the hows and the whys of the birth of the conspiracy theories, this is a great place to start. If you are looking for in-depth information on what happened that day, you will likely be disappointed here as the movie just don't focus on that part of the story.

Extras on the DVD include three additional pieces. The first is a nine-minute rant by someone who obviously has done a lot of research but his only real skill the ability to talk for nine minutes without breathing. The Zapruder Film and Beyond is a 22-minute piece on the famous film named after the person who filmed it. Finally, there's an interview with the director, Robert Stone, which is an excellent piece. It runs just over 15 minutes and explains a lot of the issues critics had with the movie; I particularly like how he says he didn't want to add to the debate, but to talk about the debate and how this was a new angle to look at the events.

Oswald's Ghost is rather dry and academic, which is what I'm looking for in this type of documentary. It gives the facts and presents them in a clear and concise fashion. If you are looking for flash, look elsewhere. But those interested in the history, this DVD is worth checking out.

Sabrina the Teenage Witch - The Third Season - Buy from Amazon
It's amazing this show lasted as long as it did. Practically every single season brought about serious changes in the cast. Usually shows can't survive changes like that, but this one lasted right till season seven.

Season two has Sabrina trying to pass her tests to become a licensed witch and the season ended with her passing her tests. However, season three starts off with her finding out that until she figures out the family secret, she's not allowed to use her license, which sets up this seasons overall story arc. Many episodes feature guest stars as relatives filling in a big Rebus puzzle. (At least I think that's what they are called.) It takes a long time for the puzzle to be really filled in, and the big reveal isn't until the season finale in Hawaii. (In fact, it takes until the second-to-last episode of the season for her to figure out the Spellman family secret is about the Spellman family. On a side note, I particularly liked Melissa Joan Hart's delivery when she figured out how little she had learned over the year.) In additional to this running storyline, there are plenty of good single episodes including the Halloween episode, which is probably the best of the season.

On a side note, I figure about half the episodes deal with some moral lesson (gambling, addiction, judging people by their appearance, etc.). However, this lessons don't interfere with the story, and are usual so superfluous that they are easily ignored. Had they been more heavy handed, or even more effective, I would have found the show too preachy to enjoy.

As for the extras, there are none. In fact, there are no subtitles either, but at least there's a play all button on each of the 4-discs and proper chapter placements (including chapter starts at the beginning and the end of the credits).

Season three is arguably the best season in Sabrina the Teenage Witch's seven year run. It is either this season or season two. (I think Donald Faison's recurring character from the previous season puts it over the top, but it is close.) I'm disappointed there are no extras, but not surprised, and this 4-disc set is still worth checking out for fans of the show. However, for most, a rental will be enough.

Sci-Fi Essential - Buy from Amazon: Alien Siege and Manticore
A couple of TV movies from the Sci-Fi channel that came out a while ago on DVD but the screeners arrived late and I couldn't get to them until this week.

Alien Siege - Buy from Amazon
This might be the worst movie I've ever reviewed. That's reviewed, not watched, cause I just couldn't get through the movie. It's just, just so bad. So, so bad.

The movie is about some aliens who come to Earth and need our blood to survive, so they need to kill 8 million of us to get the blood they need to find the cure to blah, blah, blah. Really? They need to kill us to get the blood? Cause I'm pretty sure we can donate blood and it doesn't kill us. For that matter, why can't an advanced alien species clone our blood? But this is not a movie that cares about details like that, and if the rest of the movie was merely adequate, neither would I. But there's really no redeeming quality here. The writing, the directing, the acting, the special effects, and the action scenes are all terrible.

There is an audio commentary track with the director and several stars. I was disappointed that is wasn't just 90 minutes of, 'We are so sorry.'

This movie fails on every level, even the so-bad-it's-good level. I couldn't recommend watching it for free, I certainly can't recommend paying money to see it.

Manticore - Buy from Amazon
A reporter and cameraman embedded in Iraq hear word of possible WMD in a town nearby. In the meantime, a group of Iraqis are trying to summon an ancient monster that will repeal the invaders and help the leader become the new king of Babylon. When the reporter and her cameraman go missing, the military is sent in to rescue them, but instead come face to face with the manticore. It's not as bad as it sounds.

Starring a lot of people that fans of the Sci-Fi channel might recognize (Chase Masterson from Deep Space Nine, Robert Beltran from Voyager, Heather Donahue from Blair Witch, etc.), the acting in the movie is surprisingly good compared to the average Sci-Fi original movie and worlds ahead of the above film. The writing is functionable, if a little dependent on clichés and even the cheesy special effects don't hurt the movie too much. (The worst part of the special effects is clearly the Manticore itself, which is a shame. You shouldn't giggle when the vicious monster appears.)

There are no extras on this DVD. Alien Siege gets an audio commentary track, but this gets nothing. Go figure.

Manticore is a piece of B-Movie filmmaking, but it is better than it should be. It's not good enough to warrant owning, but fans of the genre should give it a rental.

Super Comet - After the Impact - Buy from Amazon
A documentary that tries to balance the educational aspect and the entertainment aspect by not only having scientists explain how a massive comet impact the Earth would effect us, but by having dramatizations of several groups of people adapting to the change.

They should have stuck with the scientists.

It's clear that the strength of this DVD is the real-world implications of a direct hit by a massive comet, and not just in terms of pure physics, but also in terms of sociology. Evacuating huge cities, how survivors would react, and other such topics are dealt with in addition to such topics as the impact, the EMP pulse, tidal wave, etc. When dealing with these subjects, the program shines. Many of the special effects shots are also effective (they are not Hollywood blockbuster caliber, but they work well enough.)

On the other hand, the movie also follows four different groups in four different places and how they cope with the disaster. This was the weakest part of the show. I suppose some might need the human drama to be drawn into the science, but I found it distracting for the most part. Another issue is just the structure of the show. Since it first aired on TV, there are obvious commercial breaks every 10 minutes that are usually followed by a recap. Watching it on DVD, it almost feels like it was made for people with really short attention spans.

On a side note, 800 times Little Boy, the nuclear bomb dropped on Hiroshima is merely 10 megatons, and there's no way that would move a comet that size. I'm not convinced they would even bother to use such as small bomb. 8,000 times sure, but not just 800. Also, a lot of heat travels through radiation in the form of infrared rays that travel at the speed of light. This means if you can see the giant fireball, it is too late and you will be cooked before you can register what you saw. You certainly won't be able to close a bomb shelter door in time to save yourself. Just a couple of things that bugged me with the show.

Sadly, there are no extras, there are not even any subtitles.

Overall this is an interesting enough program to be worth checking out, but there's not enough replay value to be worth picking up. In fact, if you've seen it on TV when it first aired, you probably won't be interested in even renting it.

The Ten - Buy from Amazon
Paul Rudd hosts this anthology movie that presents ten vignettes about the ten commandments, each one focusing on someone breaking one of the rules.

When this film was released it earned weak reviews and never found an audience during its theatrical run, so I didn't have high hopes for the movie when I checked it out on DVD. However, the humor just clicked with me and I found most of the skits hilarious. However, since the skits average just nine minutes long it is nearly impossible to give a review of the skits without spoiling them so get ready for a lot of white text...

The skits that worked outnumbered the ones that didn't by a 4 to 1 margin, with most having serious replay value. The best of the best were (in no particular order), Thou Shall Not Take the Lord's Name in Vain, which is a love story between a librarian and Jesus. I especially loved the Spanish voiceover, which I won't spoil for anyone. Thou Shall Honor the Sabbath and Keep it Holy is about a group of men who like to get naked on Sundays and listen to Roberta Flack. I have found that nudity, especially non-sexual inappropriate nudity is a great source of humor, and that is certainly true here, also this bit ends with one of the best songs I've heard in a while. Also topping the list is the animated Thou Shall Not Bear False Witness Against Thy Neighbor, which is a a great homage to Fritz the Cat. While those three are fantastic, almost all of the skits have serious replay value. The only two exceptions were Thou Shall Have No Other God Before Me and Thou Shall Not Murder, which were two of the first three skits. It was a slow start, but the film hits its stride and ends on a high.

The extras on the DVD are better than I thought they would be considering its short theatrical stay and include and audio commentary track with Paul Rudd, Ken Marino, David Wain, David's parents, and is complete with a Jazz accompaniment. Excellent track with very little in the way of dead spots and a lot of interesting information. I especially liked the perspective from David's parents, Nina and Norman. Next up are deleted & extended scenes mixed with some outtakes. There are an hour's worth of clips here, but sadly no play all button. There's a seven-minute interview from the SXSW film festival, a three-minute episode of Wainy Days, and five-minute making-of featurette. All three are worth checking out, but the replay value isn't that high.

Like most anthology movies, The Ten was hit and miss. However, unlike most critics, I thought the hits outnumbered the misses by a considerable margin and combined with the extras, the DVD is easily worth picking up.

Undead or Alive - Buy from Amazon
A direct-to-DVD horror comedy western involving zombies. Right away you know this movie isn't going to win any awards, but it is better than it has any right to be.

The film is a horror comedy, but it is heavily tilted to the comedy side. There are no real scares and the mood is kept very light. (The jokes even get goofy at times, especially the opening with Brian Posehn.) There is enough gore to earn the horror label, but not enough to really satisfy any gorehound, while the zombie effects help the overall effectiveness. As for being a Western, I never once believed the characters belonged in the west; they felt too modern in the way they acted and talked. So each part of the film doesn't work as well as it should, but combined it hits the level of low expectation theater. It's the kind of movie that you can pop in your DVD player on a Saturday afternoon and kill 90 minutes with.

As for the extras, they are better than expected with an audio commentary track and two making-of featurettes. The audio commentary track features the director, Glasgow Phillips, and the three leading actors, Chris Kattan, James Denton, and Navi Rawat. The track keeps the mood of the movie and is more lighthearted entertainment than it is informational; in fact, it helps the mood of the movie and I enjoyed the picture a lot more with the audio commentary than without. The first making-of featurette, From South Park to the Wild Wild West, is just over 14 minutes and deals with the usual making-of subjects. Geronimonsters: The Zombies That Walked the West runs just under 12 minutes and focuses on the creation of the zombies for the movie. Both are worth checking out.

Granted, Undead or Alive is certainly an exercise in low expectations theater, but not every movie needs to be Oscar quality to be enjoyed. It's goofy, it doesn't take itself seriously, and I found it fun. I am in the minority here and I am recommending renting above buying, but there will be more than a few who check it out who will consider it a guilty pleasure.

White Noise 2: The Light - Buy from Amazon: DVD
Nathan Fillion is cursed. There is not other way to explain how he can keep starring in high quality movies that bomb at the box office, or in this film's case, never make it to theaters at all.

(By the way, while this movie was also released on HD-DVD, I only have the movie on Standard Definition DVD so I can't compare the two.)

This film is a sequel White Noise, which was release early in 2005 and was completely eviscerated by critics but became a surprise hit. Those who saw that movie and were completely turned off, don't need to worry as White Noise 2 is a sequel in name only and has only the thinnest thread connecting it to its predecessor.

This time around the film stars Nathan Fillion as Abe Dale, a man whose wife and child are brutally murdered in front of him by a man who then promptly shoots himself. Unable to cope, he tries to kill himself only to be brought back, but not before going through a Near Death Experience. While recovering, he notices white auras around certain people, people who die shortly thereafter. Nathan Fillion does an excellent job playing this character, who has to deal with these astonishing and perplexing developments and he does it in a way that most real people would. He's not a movie character hero, but he still feels like someone who could be pushed into taking action when the situation demanded and that's a hard balance to maintain. Katee Sackhoff also turns in a great performance and the mood the maintained throughout the film. (Although personally I preferred the early scenes of Abe trying to figure out what was going on over the later scenes when the supernatural aspects become more overt.

Extras on the DVD are mixed; there's no audio commentary track and one of the three featurettes is less than effective, but the overall package is still better than most direct-to-DVD releases get. The meatiest extra is the collection of deleted scenes. There are a dozen deleted scenes running more than 30 minutes (or roughly a third of the length of the final movie). There are only a few that could have been left in the movie, but most make interesting supplemental viewing. Of the three featurettes, Journey into Madness is the best; it runs six minutes long and is hosted by Barbara Copp, a production assistant, and Nathan Fillion, who take you on a tour of an allegedly haunted Mental Asylum. The Making of White Noise 2 is more effective than most making-of features considering it runs just 9 minutes long. It has a better sense of humor than most, which is generally thanks to Fillion. The final featurette, Exploring Near-Death Experience tries to convince the viewer that N.D.E. are real. Right away it is defined as a lucid experience that happened at a time of imminent death. "And yet, at a time of unconsciousness, people are having these vivid, lucid experiences." I have vivid, lucid experience while I'm unconscious all of the time. They are called dreams. There is a very mundane explanation for these experiences and trying to convince me there's something paranormal here just doesn't fly. In fact, it hurts the effectiveness of the movie.

White Noise 2: The Light is a movie that is superior to the original in nearly every way. This direct-to-DVD release is easily worth picking up, even with a collection of extras that are only adequate. If there was an audio commentary with the director and the two leads, I could have been a lot more enthusiastic about my recommendation.