WWE WrestleMania April 2, 2000 (2000) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I remember watching this one live on PPV. Watching events live is always a more enjoyable experience than watching DVDs and looking back at them. "WrestleMania 2000" has some good stuff, but overall hasn't aged very well.
The Godfather & D'Lo Brown vs. The Big Bossman & Bull Buchanan
---After Godfather and D'Lo enter with an awkward musical performance from Ice-T, the Alabama boys come in and take charge. The Godfather doesn't do a whole lot, which is disappointing. Bossman & Buchanan execute some vicious teamwork, and D'Lo has always been a very good wrestler. An odd choice for a PPV opener, but solid overall.
"6.5 out of 10"
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13-Man Battle Royal for the Hardcore Championship
---For 15 minutes, these guys go at it for the Hardcore title. Once the time limit expires, whoever has the title wins the match. I'm glad to see the 24/7 madness get put aside for tonight. Also, the match is sometimes hilarious to watch, then suddenly a very rough battle. However, the big problem is that it wears thin very quickly --- too many superstars & too many weapons. Mildly amusing, but ultimately dumb and repetitive.
"5.5 out of 10"
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Al Snow & Steve Blackman vs. T&A
---A strange presentation with J.R. and King having some headset issues throughout the match, plus the crowd isn't into it. Who are we supposed to cheer for, anyway? There's an Al Snow mascot gag that's just weird, too. Test & Albert are very powerful wrestlers, and I always enjoyed their tag matches. Not bad, but most didn't seem to care.
"6.0 out of 10"
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Ladder Match for the Tag Team Championships
Edge & Christian vs. The Hardy Boyz vs. The Dudley Boyz (champions)
---Just when people thought the "No Mercy 1999" Ladder match and the "Royal Rumble 2000" Table match couldn't be topped, here this one comes along. I didn't think I'd enjoy this one after over 20 Ladder & TLC Matches since April 1 of 2000. But it actually holds up very well. I think that's because the wrestlers aren't so desperate to top themselves. No crazy spots from before to surpass; just 6 guys performing naturally. Even though I still can't figure out why The Dudleyz wasted 5 minutes to set up tables, this classic is as superb as it was years ago!
"9.0 out of 10"
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Cat Fight with Val Venis as Special Referee
Terri vs. The Kat
---I actually get a huge laugh out of this one. Yeah, it's dumb and unnecessary, but it's not like anybody's taking themselves seriously here. A guilty pleasure meant to give us a good time cooling down from the Ladder Match.
"6.0 out of 10" (stupid yet funny)
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The Radicalz vs. Chyna & Too Cool
---I know Too Cool can wrestle a good tag team contest, and Chyna is as tough as they come. Eddie Guerrero, Perry Saturn, & Dean Malenko need no introduction. But this is basically The Radicalz being embarrassed by the happy-dance tag team, which is a shame. These six competitors were capable of stealing the show if they wanted too, but a lazy showcase that embarasses The Radicalz & hypes up the happy-dance tag team gimmick that annoyed the snot out of me. By the way, The Worm is the worst finishing move EVER!
"5.5 out of 10"
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Two-Falls Match for the Intercontinental/European Championships
Chris Jericho vs. Chris Benoit vs. Kurt Angle ("Euro-Continental" champion)
---First off, the DVD has three alternate commentaries for this match that everyone should listen to. So how's the match? I admire this match more than I love it; what's sad is the unrealized potential. I got the feeling that what I saw was very good, but more of a sign of better things to come. The two falls' finishes come just when a classic is being born. Don't get me wrong, it's a very good battle between three of the best technical performers to ever grace the business. But a quiet crowd and rushed finishes kind of hurt this one. However, it's worth noting that this match made the WWF's "Best of 2000" VHS tape...not the Ladder Match! All three men have had better matches later in their careers, but this is one of the evening's best contests.
"8.0 out of 10"
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Road Dogg & X-Pac vs. Rikishi & Kane
---I respect cool-downs for a main event, but this one doesn't hold up too well. I don't expect a classic, but these four guys give us a very lazy contest. Not terrible, but forgettable at best. Plus, the Pete Rose thing got old after "WM 15".
"5.0 out of 10"
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No DQ Elimination Match for the WWF Championship
A McMahon In Every Corner
Mick Foley (w/ Linda) vs. Big Show (w/ Shane) vs. The Rock (w/ Vince) vs. Triple H (champion - w/ Stephanie)
---It was easier to keep track of the nWo roster than explaining the McMahon Family's storylines. You won't care if you love Elimination Matches, but this was main event didn't live up to the great hype and well-documented history. I can watch either of these 4 guys in one-on-one matches and have a good time. But put 3 or 4 of them in the same ring at a time, you get nothing more than slugfest. The one word to sum this up would be "EPIC"! The main event clocks in at a monstrous 40 minutes before all is said and done. I'm afraid some viewers will get tired of this one, because it goes for a long time. When it gets down to the final two superstars, it gets pretty good. But then there are several run-ins that gave me a shock, but then just made me feel jipped and puzzled. Sorry to say this, but not one of the better "WrestleMania" main events.
"6.5 out of 10"
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I think the PPV is a disappointment, but then watch WWF use the DVD format to show off the goods (unlike today's WWE PPV DVDs):
* Disc 1 has the Triple Call Commentary for the Jericho/Benoit/Angle match, each very good. Angle brags about his success, and whines about getting screwed. Jericho is his usual sarcastic self, and just seems to have fun watching the match. Benoit gives us some background on his overseas travels, keeping things grounded and calm. Again, the Triple Call is an excellent bonus. Disc 1 also has histories on a few of the matches, and a brief behind-the-scenes featurette.
* Disc 2 was amazing for its time, and it's still pretty good. Each of the first 15 WrestleManias gets their own 12-to-14 minute coverage. Some of them are very well covered, while a few are quite the bore. Keep in mind, that there are barely any interviews or non-kayfabe moments. Also, some "WrestleManias" have all matches recapped, while some just focus on the main events. I hope the WWE considers improving upon for future "WrestleMania" DVDs, because I'd love to see this good first-try evolve into greatness.
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I recommend the "WWF WrestleMania 2000" DVD because of two excellent matches, and some very good DVD extras. But if you want just the PPV, get the "WrestleMania Anthology" instead.

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Michael McDonald - A Gathering of Friends (2001) Review

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(More customer reviews)I am a major Michael McDonald fan. I've got most everything he's contributed to. So when I saw this DVD I was excited to get it. While I see what they were going for here, the ultimate product is pretty weak. It's basically concert footage of a "pay tribute to Michael" night. The show consists entirely of pairings of Michael with other singers. In most of these the other singer is the one featured, not Michael and oddly they pick tunes that Michael didn't write either.
Jeff Bridges is the MC and while he's a great actor, this guy should never, never sing in public. He's given the stage for an entire number and that's a sore spot for me because one of my complaints is that this DVD contains too few tracks.
The best part of the DVD is the two tunes that Michael does with the Doobie Brothers. Here, he is finally featured as is his songwriting. But the thing that's totally missing from the DVD is anything from his solo efforts, which to me is, along with his Doobie work, his best stuff. "You Belong To Me" a tune written by Michael and recorded by both Carly Simon and the Doobie Brothers is an exception, but he doesn't sing it!
He struggles through two tunes with Kenny Loggins, who again is a great artist, but the numbers are under-rehearsed.
Adding a final annoyance to the show is Soap-Star-Come-Sax-Player Dave Koz, who steps out in "You Belong To Me" doing his best, in typical Dave Koz fashion, to upstage the other musicians. His body language is as corny as his banal sax playing. Oh, and Dave, the song's over, you can stop playing now. The contrast of Koz's live performance and Dave Sanborn's original on that tune is sad.
Moreover, I'd spend your money on Michael's solo CD's. You'll get so much more Michael for your money.
PS. I'm remaining annoymous on this one because I know several of the musicians in this production.

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Filmed at Los Angeles' Shrine Auditorium, friends and admirers of Michael McDonald came together to pay homage to the man and his music. No stranger to recognition, the five-time Grammy Award winner's particular brand of "blue-eyed soul" produced a series of chart-topping hits. As a member of the Doobie Brothers and a successful solo artist, Michael McDonald's distinctive baritone vocals are instantly recognizable to fans worldwide. Songs: On My Own (with Patti LaBelle), No Love to Be Found (with Wendy Moten), Holy City (with Edwin McCain), All I Need (with Tommy Sims), Ride Like the Wind (with Christopher Cross), She Lay Her Whip Down (with Jeff Bridges), Ya Mo Be There (with James Ingram), Maria (with James Ingram & David Pack), You Belong to Me (with Patti Austin), Heart to Heart (with Kenny Loggins), This Is It (with Kenny Loggins), Minute By Minute (with The Doobie Brothers), Takin' It to the Streets (with The Doobie Brothers).

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Robocop - Prime Directives - Meltdown (2001) Review

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(More customer reviews)In contrast to many other reviewers, I happen to think R2 has an astonishingly inventive script brimming with daring, dark satire. The satire is so dark however, that it challenges a viewer not to be merely "entertained", but enter into a dialogue with the film. I contend that R2 is in the tradition of such apocpalyptic satirical art as CLOCKWORK ORANGE and NAKED LUNCH which serve to warn humankind just where in hell its crazed heart may lead.
Unlike most mainstream Hollywood films, R2 is deeply critical of humanity and its resulting civilization -- starting with the harsh market-driven economy of winners and losers (it is no coincidence that both the drug trade and OCP bow to the same economic models). By depicting a world of such dire human/social affliction coupled with all the high-tech tools required to increase its profit (and anguish), R2 challenges the viewer to separate from this "humanity". Like the best satire, R2 exists to crack our rose-colored glasses, bloody our noses, and tell us what's wrong, so there is precious little "good" to root for in either old or new Detroit. What's at stake in R2 is simply keeping the flood of evil from drowning everything all at once.
The film's sharp satirical touches include: expanding the Reagan-era "privatizing" mania to that of OCP "owning" Detroit as a merciless send-up of free market philosophy; the 12-year old drug kingpin just a few tweaks from today's gun-toting teenaged gangbangers as a potent symbol for a suicidal civilization's nihilistic future; the telethon to "save" Detroit as a chilling parody of the fiscal/civil tensions between Democracy and Capitalism (in which, tellingly, the 12-year old drug dealer purchases Detroit's "freedom"); the designer drug, Nuke, as the corrupted escape-valve for society's traumatized, post-Ritalin citizens (and just wait until human genome research trickles down to the greed of the street); the domestication of Robocop into a platitude-whining ninny as a ridicule of pie-in-the-sky suburban values failing in a battlezone of urban realities (which the suburbanites' defection from the inner-city helped to create); and the Robocop 2 cyborg who sports a criminal mind determined as the best fit for our high-tech future. These and other barbs all serve to criticize society's faith that higher and higher technology will save us from human folly instead of high-tech being correctly seen as just the latest edition of that same human folly.
Yes, the script may superficially suffer from its demanding ambitions with perhaps one-too-many a sub-plot (screenwriter Frank Miller's graphic novel background pushes the envelope here), but R2's postcards-from-hell humor and prescient social criticism are the diamonds wrought from such risk. R2 is a wake-up call for a society increasingly divorced from nature: he who lives like a machine will die like a machine.

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ROBOCOP 2:MELTDOWN - DVD Movie

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