I remember going to see the original Stargate movie along with all the other nerds and cine-thrill seekers – I was a freshman at Cal at the time (what seems like 100 years ago) – and though I have yet to revisit the film since, I remember having a helluva time. Androgynous Jaye Davidson as a space-Egyptian? James Spader screaming and running through the desert? Fantastic. It was dumb, it was loud, and it was fun.

You know what? Soul Food ain’t all that bad. It took this writer a while to warm up to the series – its first two DVD releases were short on uniqueness in the story and character departments – but this swan song of the show really clicks. Performances are solid across the board, and even though Soul Food resorts to blanket, on-the-nose point-making every once in a while (what show doesn’t?)

William Conrad has a great boob-tube presence – in many ways, he’s just the robust guy next door, yet somehow he’s also the kind of ass-kicking authority figure we all want in a ballsy, take-no-prisoners crime-fighting force. Yet somehow both Jake and the Fatman and Cannon are both ho-hum shows. The debut DVD releases of both series showcase Conrad’s exceptional skills as a lightning rod for gravitas – call him a pre-Michael Chiklis Michael Chiklis – but for anyone save those who loved them the first time around, these aren’t exactly must-haves.

Consider this quick peek at the first volume of The Fugitive’s latest DVD release a word to the wise more than a line-by-line review. The show itself is great – really exciting; quite confidently performed – but Paramount has really pushed the boundary of their ‘replacement’ policies when it comes to music rights with this release. There has been a heavy fan outrage seeing as every piece of music on this release that isn’t an opening or closing theme is replacement music. As interesting as it is, this is not The Fugitive as fans remember it.

The great thing about Twister is that no matter how much one pays attention to how hideously-written it is, the film never ceases to entertain. Bill Paxton and Helen Hunt attempt to infuse their characters with humanism and earnest emotion, but even they seem resigned to the idea that they’re supposed to look good in tight blue jeans while mother nature’s dramatic exploits from the sky unfold around them

I bet if you concentrate really hard, you can actually hear the sound of copies of Silent Ozu flying off retail shelves: Mom, can I please have this three-disc box set of silent Japanese films? PLEASE? Not likely

For this reinterpretation of the mythos and chameleon-esque public personae of Bob Dylan, director Todd Haynes was able to literally pick and choose his cast from the crème de la crème of Hollywoods old and new. Richard Gere shows up as a Billy the Kid-era Dylan; Christian Bale does an astonishing turn as both troubadour and born-again Dylan; and Hell, even Sonic Youth member Kim Gordon shows up in a cameo role. And don’t even get me started on Cate Blanchett’s legendary – and Oscar-nominated – appearance as Highway 61Dylan: It is truly and without hyperbole one of the greatest screen turns in modern times. And even that might be an understatement.

All right, let’s break this down. Andy Griffith as Matlock is a pretty damned solid figure, even if it sometimes seems like there’s a minimum age requirement of 65 for anybody to get enjoyment out of the series (let’s just say that this first season box set is Rated G in every way, shape and form). Whether the guy’s cases are redundant and plain-jane is irrelevant

Hey kids – wanna watch some teenagers get gored and gutted for about an hour-and-a-half? Well, who doesn’t? This writer has no problem with gore – I really can’t go for more than a month or two without watching Evil Dead II or Dead-Alive – but the nastiness in Carver is just pointless. Teens hike into the woods, stumble across some Mongoloid maniacs: THE END. Boooo-ring.

Craig T. Nelson has been able to be a chameleon of sorts in the character-actor parts he takes, and this writer believes he’s underestimated because of it. Whether he’s the high-and-freaked-out dad in Poltergeist, the sensitive father in The Family Stone or as the eponymous star of Coach: The Third Season, Nelson has proven time and time again that he’s able to ricochet from role to role with the stoic, noble grace of a real star. The only problem with Coach