The Trades

DVD Review: Reba - Season Six

R.J. Carter — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 00:00:00 -0500

The final season of the country star's sitcom hits DVD with more of a whimper, less of a bang.

DVD Review: Push

R.J. Carter — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 00:00:00 -0500

There was definitely some promise here, but, ultimately, "Push" just doesn't pull you in.

DVD Review: The Monster Squad - The Complete Series

R.J. Carter — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 01:00:00 -0500

Before we learned that "wolfman has nards," and way before we spent a "Night at the Museum," there was the original Monster Squad, fighting crime on Saturday mornings.

DVD Review: Burn Notice: Season Two [Blu-ray]

Robert Bell — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 00:00:00 -0500

Burn Notice is visibly a USA Network series, with an unintentionally ironic Canadian television aesthetic that relies on sarcastic zingers, tight dresses and the occasional explosion to appease a mostly blue-collar demographic.

DVD Review: Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun Li

Robert Bell — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 00:00:00 -0500

Well, the film is a piece of crap, but at least Chun Li randomly starts up a bitch fight in a public washroom through the art of hip-hop dancing.

Contest: CD Giveaway - The Ruse, "Midnight in the City"

Paul Schultz — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 23:59:00 -0500

The Ruse delivers another set of ready-made arena-rock on their fourth album. Enter our contest to win it!

Contest: CD Giveaway - Heartour, "Ate"

Paul Schultz — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 23:59:00 -0500

Heartour are the solo recordings of Jason Young, drummer for The Ruse. Filled with burbles of 80s electronica and They Might Be Giants descendancy, this new album could be yours if you enter our contest!

Contest: Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen Poster, T-Shirt and Comic Book

R.J. Carter — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 23:59:00 -0500

The Decepticons are attacking! Autobot fans, roll out -- and hit the theater in style.

DVD Review: Entourage: The Complete Fifth Season

Alex Keen — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 00:00:00 -0500

Vinny Chase hits rock bottom after the failure of "Medellin". Can he make a comeback? Can "Entourage" follow in his footsteps?

Movie Review: Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen

Jeff Ritter — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 13:00:00 -0500

Michael Bay doesn't seem to get the concept of classic tagline, "More than meets the eye."

Music Review: Leah Renee, "Sampler" EP

Paul Schultz — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 02:00:00 -0500

This sampler of her in-progress debut album is an encouraging preview of things to come as Leah�soulfully nails each song, varying register and volume with enough aplomb to carry the tunes with little manipulation.

DVD Review: Phoebe in Wonderland

R.J. Carter — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 00:00:00 -0500

Daniel Barnz writes and directs this darkly beautiful and moving piece about a disorder that most people believe they understand only because they may be familiar with the more outrageous and overt symptoms.

DVD Review: Reaper - Season Two

R.J. Carter — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 00:00:00 -0500

Don't fear the Reaper: embrace it, and come to appreciate the modernized divine comedy.

Music Review: Brad Cotter, "Right on Time"

R.J. Carter — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 00:00:00 -0500

Strong on replayability, and filled to the edges of the disc with powerful tunes that lodge themselves in your head long after you've stopped listening, Cotter demonstrates why he's still a Nashville Star.

Interview: Brad Cotter: After a Few Years, the Patient Man is Back, Right on Time

R.J. Carter — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 00:00:00 -0500

Brad Cotter's new release, "Right on Time," is making the rounds with country music fans. We snagged a few minutes of Brad's time to chat about the album, Nashville Star experiences, and some intriguing "behind-the-Brad" tidbits of information.

DVD Review: Lost: The Complete Second Season [Blu-ray]

Robert Bell — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 00:00:00 -0500

Logically progressing from a guileless examination of disparate parties brought together by happenstance, proximity and coincidence to band together from the unknown, to a challenging catechism of what to do when confronted with inimical elements and the abyss of the unknown, season two of Lost is probably the most intriguing and intelligent of the series, despite initial viewer response.

DVD Review: Confessions of a Shopaholic

R.J. Carter — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 00:00:00 -0500

Isla Fisher and Hugh Dancy pair up in this cute-but-predictable romcom based off the Sophie Kinsella novel.

Contest: The Code - DVD, T-Shirt, and... What the...?

R.J. Carter — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 23:59:00 -0500

We've given away DVDs and t-shirts before, but this prize package has a little something extra.

Contest: Down Home With The Neelys Cookbook Giveaway

R.J. Carter — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 23:59:00 -0500

Patrick and Gina Neely dish up a southern family cookbook that's sure to spice up your kitchen.

Contest: CD Giveaway - Heather Kropf, "Hestia"

Paul Schultz — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 23:59:00 -0500

Enter our contest to win Heather Kropf's third album, Hestia, 11 helpings of spare, piano-based melancholy.

DVD Review: Inkheart

R.J. Carter — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 00:00:00 -0500

Can a book about a book translate into a film about a book about a book? Not easily, but certainly not for lack of trying.

Music Review: An-ya, "Nightlife (Remixes)" EP

Paul Schultz — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 00:00:00 -0500

Enjoy the "Nightlife" with this Russian doll as An-ya's debut single climbs Billboard's Hot Dance Club Play chart and various producers put their own spin on this Lil' Eddie cover.

Movie Review: The Proposal

Jeff Ritter — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 22:00:00 -0500

Bar none, the funniest romantic comedy I've seen in years.

DVD Review: Lost: The Complete First Season [Blu-ray]

Robert Bell — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 16:00:00 -0500

After five seasons of the hit television exploration of metaphysical angst, stepping back and revisiting the season that started it all provides an interesting context, and even offers a few pleasant reminders of just what it was that was so appealing about the show in the first place.

Television Review: Saving Grace, "We're Already Here"

R.J. Carter — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 01:00:00 -0500

The third season opens with Grace exploring the mysterious connection between herself and a tortured drug user.

DVD Review: Depeche Mode: The Dark Progression Unauthorized

Robert Bell — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 00:00:00 -0500

As a brief look at Depeche Mode's sound progression, and the general evolution of electronic music in the Eighties, this documentary isn�t bad.

DVD Review: Friday the 13th, Part V: A New Beginning [Deluxe Edition]

Robert Bell — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 00:00:00 -0500

Known by many as the worst installment of the �Friday the 13th� franchise, this �redirection� doesn�t hold back on the excess profanity, nudity and brutality made popular in other sequels, leaving one to wonder if pesky things like acting and direction actually matter in the world of slasher horror.

DVD Review: Friday the 13th, Part VI: Jason Lives [Deluxe Edition]

Robert Bell — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 00:00:00 -0500

I personally have a soft spot for this entry, given its awareness of convention and tendency to step in entirely random directions, like the fully-clothed sex scene, repeating shots of hamsters running in a wheel, and second unit direction of a girl�s crotch.

DVD Review: Transformers: The Complete First Season (25th Anniversary Edition)

Jeff Ritter — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 00:00:00 -0500

The "Robots In Disguise" are still fun after all these years.

Movie Review: The Proposal

Paulette Suhr — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 00:00:00 -0500

Betty White and breathtaking Alaska scenery are just two of the reasons to go see Sandra Bullock's surprisingly funny new romantic comedy.

Contest: Nancy Drew Dossier: Lights, Camera, Curses! PC Game

R.J. Carter — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 23:59:00 -0500

Seek the source of sabotage on a cursed Hollywood set with Nancy Drew.

Contest: The Proposal - Theatrical Poster

R.J. Carter — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 23:59:00 -0500

Win this double-sided full-sized theater poster featuring Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds.