Doctor Who: The Complete Third Series

Doctor Who: The Complete Third Series Review

Doctor Who: The Complete Third Series Feature

• The third installment of Doctor Who is full of new thrills, new laughs, new heartbreak and some terrifying new monsters. From the moment the Doctor walks into the life of medical student Martha Jones he changes it forever. In Elizabethan London, they meet William Shakespeare at the Globe Theatre while back in present day London, 76-year-old Professor Lazarus recaptures his youth with consequences

Doctor Who: The Complete Third Series Overview

The third installment of Doctor Who is full of new thrills, new laughs, new heartbreak and some terrifying new monsters. From the moment the Doctor walks into the life of medical student Martha Jones he changes it forever. In Elizabethan London, they meet William Shakespeare at the Globe Theatre while back in present day London, 76-year-old Professor Lazarus recaptures his youth with consequences that threaten Martha's entire family. And, the Doctor's sworn enemies, the Daleks, who have been hiding in 1930's New York, return with a terrifying plan for humanity.

Doctor Who: The Complete Third Series Specifications

Doctor Who fans concerned that the departure of popular companion Rose (Billie Piper) at the end of the second season might spell an end to the venerable UK science fiction series' revival were soon reassured by the program's third series, which is compiled in its entirety in this six-disc set. Not only did Freema Agyeman (as Earth doctor Martha Jones) prove to be more than a worthwhile replacement for Rose, but the quality of the series' 14 episodes maintained--and in many cases surpassed--the blend of wit, excitement and drama brought by head writer Russell T. Jones when he revived the program in 2003. Highlights from the third series include the Christmas special "The Runaway Bride" (starring comedian Catherine Tate as a temporary companion to the Doctor as he mourns the loss of Rose), "Gridlock" (the Face of Boe summons the Doctor and Martha to a future New York City to stop an invasion by his old enemy the Macra), "Human Nature" and "The Family of Blood" (a two-part serial in which the Doctor changes his biological form to escape the clutches of an alien brood who seek his immortality), and the three-part "Utopia," "The Sound of Drums" and "The Last of the Time Lords," which not only revives the Doctor's greatest adversary, The Master (played by Derek Jacobi in "Utopia" and John Simm in "Drums" and "Time Lords") but also revives Jack Harkness (John Barrowman) and introduces his new position with the Torchwood team. Supplemental features are included on each of the six discs in the set; chief among them are commentary by Jones, Tennant, Agyeman, producer Phil Collinson, and members of the writing and production team (in various permutations) on each of the 14 episodes. The Doctor Who Confidential series, which aired on BBC Three and offered behind-the-scenes looks at elements from each episode, is included in its 15-minute "cut down" version (as well as an hour-long episode that covered a live performance of music from the show by the National Orchestra of Wales and hosted by Tennant), as are several video diaries shot by Tennant, who proves as engaging behind the camera as he is on the show. A smattering of deleted scenes, outtakes (mostly featuring Tennant reacting good-naturedly to his own blown lines), BBC promos for all 13 episodes (including the amusing "Vote Saxon" spot, which offers Sharon Osbourne and UK pop stars McFly throwing their support behind the Master's disguise as a human MP in the series' final two episodes), and trailers for other BBC series like Jekyll, Torchwood, and MI-5, round out this terrific set. -- Paul Gaita

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Secondhand Lions (New Line Platinum Series)

Secondhand Lions (New Line Platinum Series) Review

Secondhand Lions (New Line Platinum Series) Feature

• This comedic and touching family film follows the adventures of a shy young boy (Haley Joel Osment) who is sent to spend the summer with his eccentric uncles (Michael Caine, Robert Duvall). At first shocked by his uncles' unconventional behavior that includes ordering African lions through the mail, the boy soon becomes enthralled with unraveling the mystery that has followed the uncles for years.

Secondhand Lions (New Line Platinum Series) Overview

This comedic and touching family film follows the adventures of a shy young boy (Haley Joel Osment) who is sent to spend the summer with his eccentric uncles (Michael Caine, Robert Duvall). At first shocked by his uncles' unconventional behavior that includes ordering African lions through the mail, the boy soon becomes enthralled with unraveling the mystery that has followed the uncles for years. Hearing tales of their exotic adventures involving kidnapped princesses, Arabian sheiks and lost treasure, not only brings him closer to his uncles but also teaches him what it means to believe in something... whether it's true or not.

Secondhand Lions (New Line Platinum Series) Specifications

If you can get past its thick layer of syrup and molasses, Secondhand Lions reveals itself as a thoroughly decent family film that anyone can enjoy. It gets a little sappy sometimes, but there's something to be said for a movie in which Michael Caine and Robert Duvall play eccentric old brothers who take the easy approach to fishing: instead of a peaceful rod and reel, they use 12-gauge shotguns. When 14-year-old Walter (Haley Joel Osment, teetering on puberty) spends an eventful summer with his great-uncles on their vast Texas farmland (he's been dumped there by his delinquent mom, played by Kyra Sedgwick), he soon discovers they've lived lives full of adventure, excitement, passion, and mystery. Either that or they're old-time bank robbers with a long criminal record, and writer-director Tim McCanlies (who invested similar warmth into The Iron Giant) does a nice job of concealing the truth until the very end. Full of enriching lessons and homespun humor, Secondhand Lions has more substance than most family films. If you enjoyed Holes, you'll probably enjoy this movie, too. --Jeff Shannon

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Trigun: The Complete Series Box Set

Trigun: The Complete Series Box Set Review

Trigun: The Complete Series Box Set Feature

• TRIGUN - COMPLETE BOX SET (DVD)

Trigun: The Complete Series Box Set Overview

Vash the Stampede is a wanted man with the habit of turning entire towns into rubble. The price on his head is a fortune, and his path of destruction reaches across the arid wastelands of a desert planet. Unfortunately, most encounters with the spiky-haired gunslinger don't end well for the bounty hunters who catch up with him; someone always gets hurt - and it's never Vash. Oddly enough, for such an infamous fugitive, there's no proof that he's ever taken a life. In fact, he's a pacifist with a doughnut obsession who's more doofus than desperado. There's a whole lot more to him than his reputation lets on - Vash the Stampede definitely ain't your typical outlaw.

Trigun: The Complete Series Box Set Specifications

One of the best-loved series of the '90s, Trigun has lost none of its appeal in the years since its debut. Exactly who and what is Vash the Stampede, a.k.a. "The Humanoid Typhoon"? To bounty hunters, he's the galaxy's most notorious gunslinger with 60 billion Double Dollars on his head. To people in trouble, he's a friend in need. To pretty women, he's a well-intentioned but inept flirt. And to Meryl Stryfe and Millie Thompson of the Bernardelli Insurance Society, he's a walking disaster who's cost the company a fortune. Vash wanders from town to town on a desert planet that looks like the American Old West, unsuccessfully pursuing peace, doughnuts, and "the elusive mayfly known as love." Meryl and Millie follow him, trying to minimize the devastation (and the bills), but Vash's only real friend is gun-totin' preacher Nicholas Wolfwood. Despite their grudging affection, Wolfwood sums up the other characters' thoughts when he tells Vash, "When you're around, things always seem to get a whole lot worse!" Sometimes comic and kooky, sometimes gentle and earnest, Vash reveres life and agonizes over the bloodshed he inadvertently causes. He'd rather eat than demonstrate his amazing marksmanship, yet he's powerful enough to blast a new crater into the Moon. Younger otaku who missed the initial release will enjoy discovering this anime classic. (Rated 13 and older: violence, alcohol and tobacco use) --Charles Solomon

(1. The $,000,000,000 Man, 2. Truth or Mistake, 3. Peacemaker, 4. Love & Peace, 5. Hard Puncher, 6. Lost July, 7. B.D.N., 8. And Between the Wasteland and Sky, 9. Murder Machine, 10. Quick Draw, 11. Escape from Pain, 12. Diablo, 13. Vash the Stampede, 14. Little Arcadia 15. Demon's Eye, 16. Fifth Moon, 17. Rem Saverem, 18. Goodbye for Now, 19. Hang Fire, 20. Flying Ship, 21. Out of Time, 22. Alternative, 23. Paradise, 24. Sin, 25. Live Through, 26. Under the Sky So Blue)

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The 13 Ghosts of Scooby Doo: The Complete Series

The 13 Ghosts of Scooby Doo: The Complete Series Review

The 13 Ghosts of Scooby Doo: The Complete Series Feature

• 13 GHOSTS OF SCOOBY-DOO, THE (DVD MOVIE)

The 13 Ghosts of Scooby Doo: The Complete Series Overview

In The 13 Ghosts of Scooby-Doo, mystery and mayhem prevail when Scooby-Doo and Shaggy accidentally set free a pack of troublemaking spooks. On a trip to Honolulu, Daphne's plane winds up landing in Tibet. While visiting a temple, Scooby and Shaggy are tricked into opening the Chest of Demons, which houses 13 of the most-frightening ghosts and ghouls to ever haunt the earth. The ghosts however, can only be returned to the chest by those who originally released them. To prevent them from wreaking havoc upon the world, the gang embarks on a global quest to recapture them. Scooby-Doo's nephew, Scrappy-Doo, a mischievous boy named Flim-Flam, and warlock Vincent Van Ghoul join the team throughout the season, as they set out to trap the escaped specters.

The 13 Ghosts of Scooby Doo: The Complete Series Specifications

The 13 Ghosts of Scooby-Doo! was a 1985 ABC TV series based on the original Hanna-Barbera Saturday-morning cartoon Scooby-Doo. In this series, Scooby, Shaggy, Daphne, and Scooby's nephew Scrappy are headed for a vacation in Hawaii when a miscalculation lands them in the mountains of Tibet, where they meet preadolescent con artist Flim Flam and warlock Vincent Van Ghoul (a parody of Vincent Price who's voiced by Vincent Price). Scooby and Shaggy have the misfortune of opening a chest of demons that releases 13 dangerous ghosts that only they can recapture. Thus begins a quest that takes the newly formed gang around the world under the direction of Vincent Van Ghoul and his crystal ball. Never far behind are two bumbling ghosts, Weerd and Bogel, whose mission is to foil the gang's every move. From Maldor the Malevolent and his forest-come-to-life to the trance-of-love-wielding gaze of Nicara, the time-speeding Time Slime, and the calliope-playing Professor Fantasmo, each of the ghosts and demons poses their own special challenge for Scooby and his friends, but somehow the gang always manages to work together and contain their target. The characters have a bit of a 1980s look and it does seem a bit strange to be missing Fred and Velma, but Flim Flam adds a different dimension with his crazy schemes that seem destined to backfire, and Vincent Van Ghoul brings a whole new sense of spookiness. Naturally, humor abounds and Shaggy and Scooby can be counted on for their fraidy-cat nerves and their penchant for Scooby snacks. Of special note is the "That's Monstertainment" episode, which parallels the classic movie Frankenstein with Scooby and Shaggy in the leading roles. Bonus features include the "Don't Feed the Animals" episode from the Shaggy and Scooby-Doo Get a Clue series and a preview for the Scooby-Doo First Frights video game. (Ages 7 and older) --Tami Horiuchi

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Buck Rogers In the 25th Century: The Complete Epic Series

Buck Rogers In the 25th Century: The Complete Epic Series Review

Buck Rogers In the 25th Century: The Complete Epic Series Overview

BUCK ROGERS IN THE 25TH CENTURY - DVD Movie

Buck Rogers In the 25th Century: The Complete Epic Series Specifications

With its campy combination of lightweight adventure and Spandex disco chic, Buck Rogers in the 25th Century is a nostalgic throwback to post-Star Wars opportunism. Series co-creator Glen A. Larson was incapable of originality, and former soap star Gil Gerard (in the title role) was a bland incarnation of the comic-strip hero, so the much-anticipated series premiered on September 20, 1979, with serious disadvantages. Although the two-hour pilot "Awakening" had tested successfully as a theatrical release, Gerard and the show's producers could never agree on a stable tone for the series, which presents Capt. William "Buck" Rogers as a jovial space cowboy who is accidentally time-warped from 1987 to 2491. Earth is engaged in interplanetary war following a global holocaust, and Buck's piloting skills make him an ideal starfighter recruit for the Earth Defense Directorate, where his closest colleagues are Dr. Huer (Tim O'Connor), squadron leader Col. Wilma Deering (former model Erin Gray, looking oh-so-foxy), the wisecracking robot Twiki (voiced by cartoon legend Mel Blanc), and a portable computer-brain named Dr. Theopolis, who's carried by Twiki like oversized bling-bling.

The series struggled through an awkward first season, with routine plots elevated by decent special effects and noteworthy guest stars including Jamie Lee Curtis, ill-fated Playboy Playmate Dorothy Stratten (appearing, with her voice dubbed over, less than a year before her tragic murder), Batman alumnus Julie Newmar, Buster Crabbe (veteran of vintage Buck Rogers movie serials), and several others in a show that favored vamps and vixens over credible science fiction. A full-scale overhaul resulted in a disastrous second season, but devoted fans still gravitate to Hawk (Thom Christopher), the charismatic alien "birdman" who was introduced with new characters and a new, space-faring search for lost tribes from Earth (with echoes of Larson's own Battlestar Galactica). Behind-the-scenes squabbles continued, and by mid-season of 1981, NBC pulled the plug on a breezy, still-engaging series that suffered from uneasy chemistry and never realized its full potential. Existing somewhere between Galactica and Lost in Space in the TV sci-fi food chain, this Buck--with a dearth of DVD extras--now functions as a cheesy stroll down memory lane. --Jeff Shannon

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Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman: The Complete Series

Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman: The Complete Series Review

Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman: The Complete Series Feature

• DR. QUINN, MEDICINE WOMAN: THE COMPLETE SERIES DVD (DVD MOVIE)

Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman: The Complete Series Overview

In an age when women were expected to be seen but not heard, Dr. Michaela Mike Quinn (Jane Seymour) is an independent spirit who forsakes her home in genteel Boston for the rough-and-tumble life of the Western frontier. With a new family and mountain man Byron Sully (Joe Lando) by her side, Quinn finds a new set of challenges and rewards in life as a pioneer.

DR. QUINN, MEDICINE WOMAN: THE COMPLETE SERIES brings together all six critically acclaimed seasons and two feature-length movies of this groundbreaking historical drama. This unique collection traces the entire arc of Dr. Quinn s epic story, from her first step out of the stagecoach in Colorado Springs through the extraordinary romance between her and Sully, the expansion of their family, and the dramatic series finale. All 150 episodes feature unforgettable storylines and a rich cast of characters that bring the timeless themes of the Old West into vivid focus for modern viewers.

Acclaimed for both its painstaking historical authenticity and its ongoing contemporary relevance, the Emmy® Award-winning DR. QUINN, MEDICINE WOMAN unites each and every moment of one of television s most celebrated family classics.

Extras: "Jane Seymour: Hollywood's English Rose" episode of the A&E Award-Winning Biography series; Interactive Tour of 19th Century Colorado Springs; Series Awards and Honors; Cast Biographies and Filmographies; Photo Galleries; Cast Commentaries; Exclusive featurettes: "Beginnings" and "Favorites"; Boarding House: Guest Stars; Trivia Quiz

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Passion Talk Series: The Twelve Words Of Christmas

Passion Talk Series: The Twelve Words Of Christmas Review

Passion Talk Series: The Twelve Words Of Christmas Overview

It's the greatest story ever told. Completely unforeseen, yet long awaited was the voice of God breaking through the darkness and four hundred years of silence with the cry of a baby. And not just any baby, the gift of God. God's people, having waited generations for their Creator to reveal Himself, never would have imagined that rescue and redemption would come in the simple, vulnerable form of a child, a baby born under the radar and into the chaos-- announced by twelve words that changed history and brought hope to humanity. That's the message of Christmas, God with us, full of grace and truth. And no one on earth is too far from His love. No one beyond His reach. He's at work in your life, even in the midst of the chaos, and promises to bring you through. Merry Christmas. The Savior is here.

About the series: The Passion Talk Series features hours of compelling content from Passion Founder, Louie Giglio. The collection of talks has been experienced by millions around the world, and each talk tells a meaningful story of God's goodness, grace & love. This series includes five full length talks which will inspire, encourage & speak to God's grace & truth. These messages are being used by small groups, life groups, churches as well as among friends & family members around the world. Many have been impacted by the stories, images and powerful messages captured in each of the talks. The Passion Movement and the messages of founder Louie Giglio have marked the lives of millions of people around the globe, calling people everywhere to live for the glory of God. Focused on the collegiate age group- yet spilling over to people of all ages- Passion exists to united students for spiritual awakening in this generation. From its inception, the movement of Passion has birthed new anthems of worship including countless churches and helping to define the current worship climate and establish artists Chris Tomlin, David Crowder*Band, Charlie Hall, Matt Redman and others.

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Doc Martin: Series 2

Doc Martin: Series 2 Review

Doc Martin: Series 2 Overview

He’s surly, tactless, self-centered, and uptight--but he’s the only doctor in town.

As a hard-charging London surgeon, Martin Ellingham (Martin Clunes, Men Behaving Badly) didn’t need a bedside manner. His patients were unconscious, so he could be as rude and arrogant as he pleased. All that changes when he develops a crippling fear of blood and is forced to give up surgery. Now a GP in a sleepy, picturesque Cornish fishing village, Doc Martin offends everyone in town, including the one person he wants to impress, beautiful teacher Louisa Glasson (Caroline Catz, Murder in Suburbia). Getting her attention proves even more difficult when Louisa’s old flame returns to the village and becomes his new rival.

Martin Clunes shines in this award-winning comic drama set amid eccentric townsfolk and spectacular scenery. As the doctor says, "It’s good to be loathsome."

DVD FEATURES INCLUDE photo gallery and cast filmographies.

Doc Martin: Series 2 Specifications

Throughout the eight episodes comprising the second series of Doc Martin, the cold, severe Doctor Martin Ellingham (Martin Clunes) may not get too much friendlier but he does reveal, in the oddest ways, his affinities for people he truly cares about. As a man who, in the first series, was kicked out of London back to his hometown, Portwenn, a remote Cornish fishing village, Doc Martin is set-up as a bitter medicine man who cures with his brain instead of his heart. In the first episode, "Old Dogs," Martin's confidence is undermined by two cases he solves incorrectly. First, his mother's friend, Mrs. Steel (Margaret Tyzack), grows senile while Martin believes she is fine with tragic results. Weirder is the tale of fisherman Eddie, who continually comes to Martin's office with cuts, bruises, and worse. While Martin searches for clues in this episode as well as in the subsequent few, the gripping medical mysteries are leavened by humor introduced through petty town gossip. Whether in line at the grocery, or walking to work, Martin is accosted by curious townsfolk who probe him and seek his advice, to his chagrin. The show illustrates small-town life, in the tradition of American classics Northern Exposure and Twin Peaks, and in fact shares some of its more bizarre plots with Lynch's.

In this second series, other characters become central to the community's movement, and the quiet, friendly demeanors of others offset Martin's gruffness. "In Loco" focuses on the local primary school, where Martin's crush, the beautiful brunette, Louisa Glasson (Caroline Catz), prepares to interview for a headmaster position while an outbreak of an infectious disease spreads like wildfire through the student population. Teenager Peter (Curtis O'Brien), whose mother burns herself frying fish in the fish 'n' chips shop, attaches himself to Martin as a stand-in father figure. More, the grungy dog pawing his way into Martin's house is the carrier of this dread illness. Throughout the series, one sees Martin attempting to connect to women, children, and animals, with minimal success, minus a few miracles. His jovial receptionist, Pauline Lamb (Katherine Parkinson), shakes her head and occasionally cracks a joke at his attempts. In "Erotomania," Martin even tries to bond with Police Constable Mark Mylow (Stewart Wright), who suffers when he discovers that his fiancé, Julie Mitchell (Angeline Ball), is not who she claims to be. Ultimately, Doc Martin is about the dramas of small-town health, the ways people connect, but more interestingly, the ways people isolate to maintain semblances of privacy in places where there is little. --Trinie Dalton

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2010 World Series: Texas Rangers vs San Francisco Giants

2010 World Series: Texas Rangers vs San Francisco Giants Review

2010 World Series: Texas Rangers vs San Francisco Giants Feature

• MLB-2010 WORLD SERIES (DVD MOVIE)

2010 World Series: Texas Rangers vs San Francisco Giants Overview

The San Francisco Giants Are World Series Champions!


The Giants won their sixth World Series championship by beating the Texas Rangers four games to one in the 2010 World Series. Now you can relive the storybook triumph with the Official 2010 World Series Film on DVD and Blu-ray. It is all here! From the game-winning blasts of Edgar Renteria to the domination of Tim Lincecum: all the drama, game action, behind-the-scenes access and in-depth interviews a Giants fan could want. The Official 2010 World Series Film on DVD and Blu-Ray features an adrenaline-filled feature-length film, highlights from the entire postseason and incisive bonus features.

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Spaced: The Complete Series

Spaced: The Complete Series Review

Spaced: The Complete Series Feature

• Spaced revolves around two idle twentysomething flatmates - immature skateboarding would-be comic artist Tim (Simon Pegg), and moody, responsibility-shy Daisy (Jessica Stevenson), and their self-induced lack of success in employment, relationships and life in general. Together with their oddball assortment of friends and neighbors, Marsha, Brian, Mike and Twist, they exist in a world perched preca

Spaced: The Complete Series Overview

SPACED:COMPLETE SERIES - DVD Movie

Spaced: The Complete Series Specifications

It only takes one episode to become very protective of this 1999 British Comedy Award-winning series that put comedy soul mates Simon Pegg and Jessica Stevenson (now Hynes), as well as Nick Frost, and director Edgar Wright (Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz) on the map. One can only hope a threatened American version is never produced. This is one of those brilliant, off-center, lightning-in-a-bottle creations that gets you so jazzed, you want to turn all your friends on to it. Spaced (actually, Friends might have been a better title; too bad it was taken) stars Pegg and Stevenson as strangers Tim and Daisy, "amiable 20-somethings" who pose as a "professional couple" to rent an apartment. He is a recently-dumped aspiring comic book artist. She is an easily distracted writer. As the series unfolds, their apartment becomes an "island of calm in the ocean of life" as Tim and Daisy form a kind of 21st century family with their similarly misfit friends, including soused landlord Marsha (Julia Deakin), who lives with her teenager daughter (aka "the devil in a A cup," who is heard, but never quite seen), Brian (Mark Heap), an artist who deals in anger, fear, and aggression, Simon's best friend Mark (Frost), a militaristic gun nut, and Daisy's best friend, Twist (Katy Carmichael), a fashion poseur (in the series' penultimate episode, look for a pre-Office Ricky Gervais). Spaced is not so much interested in Tim and Daisy's charade as it is in cramming each episode with pop culture references and obscure in-jokes, and brilliantly realized film and TV homages, ranging from Woody Allen's Manhattan to Pulp Fiction and The Empire Strikes Back (Star Wars, especially, looms large in Tim's slacker universe). As with Arrested Development, Spaced benefits from repeat viewings to catch missed bits of business and gags that fly by at a Simpsons-esque rate. This Complete Series set is everything Spaced's fervent following would demand. Each episode is complemented by the original commentaries as well as newly-recorded gabfests that also feature American friends of the show, including Kevin Smith, Patton Oswalt, Quentin Taratinto, Matt Stone, Diablo Cody, and Bill Hader. There are deleted scenes and outtakes, and, best of all, an hour-long 2007 Q&A with Wright and the cast, in which Pegg allows that, had there been a third series (and we can still dream), it would have provided viewers hoping that Tim and Daisy would ultimately get together with "a moment to make every hair of your body stand on end." You will see such a moment if you "skip to the end" of the essential near two-hour series retrospective. --Donald Liebenson

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Homicide: Life on the Street - The Complete Series (repackaged)

Homicide: Life on the Street - The Complete Series (repackaged) Review

First, I must say my wife and I love and cherish this series. Having never seen the series when it originally aired, and after purchasing the beautiful 'filing cabinet' series set, we poured over each season in order over a several month period one summer. On occasion we could have watched whole seasons in marathon sessions, but forced ourselves to only watch one or two episodes at a time just so we could appreciate and savor it even more.

***SPOILERS FOLLOW***

That said, I can't help but feel the writers of both the series and this closing movie really missed a golden opportunity. Recall the the whole series began with rookie Det. Tim Bayliss' being assigned a case that would haunt and torture him throughout the rest of the series - the murder of a little girl named Adena Watson.

Despite hours of air-time being devoted to the pursuit of this case, culminating in a stunning episode shot entirely in the interrogation room ("The Box"), the characters and viewer never discover the full truth surrounding Adena Watson's murder. As the series progresses Det. Bayliss would periodically be confronted with references and reminders of this painful 'first case'. Doesn't it make perfect sense that the very case that introduced this series to the world, and that left tantalizing bread crumbs throughout the seasons that followed, should be dealt with in the final episode of the series? Or at least been given time in the closing movie that followed?

Adena Watson was the perfect cliff hanger. As each season progressed I just knew that her case was coming back - when? we didn't know. And as the series neared it's end, it became clear that the writers were saving this one for the finale. And why not? It made perfect sense. Closing the Adena Watson case would be the ultimate in 'closure' for this show.

Now, don't get me wrong. I wasn't expecting everything to end with all the loose strands tied up in pretty bows. This wasn't Law & Order after all (a show we also enjoy for it's own merits). Many of Homicide's story lines ended messily. But so do many of the events of real life as well. And that is what made this series gritty and compelling. Nevertheless, of all the haunting cases in the series, this is the one that deserved some measure of 'closure' even if it wasn't going to be neat and clean.

I have to say, while we still look back on the series with fondness, there is a bit of disappointment that this golden opportunity was overlooked. After all, if even the Luther Mahoney story arc saw a measure of 'closure', I believe poor Adena Watson deserved it even more.

4 Stars for the Movie
5 Stars for the Series

Homicide: Life on the Street - The Complete Series (repackaged) Feature

• HOMICIDE-LIFE ON THE STREET

Homicide: Life on the Street - The Complete Series (repackaged) Overview

Considered the most realistic cop drama ever aired, Homicide: Life on the Street gives viewers a unique cops'-eye view of one of the most challenging jobs imaginable.

Created by Writer/Director Tom Fontana (St. Elsewhere, OZ) and Executive Producer Barry Levinson (The Perfect Storm, Oz) and based on David Simon's (The Wire) book Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets, HOMICIDE features TV's most powerful ensemble cast, including Richard Belzer (Law and Order: Special Victims Unit), Emmy®-winner Andre Braugher (Thief, Frequency), Yaphet Kotto (Alien), and Ned Beatty (Deliverance) with guest appearances from James Earl Jones, Robin Williams, Steve Buscemi, Peter Gallagher, Chris Rock, Wilford Brimley, and other star actors.

HOMICIDE garnered two Emmy® Awards, three Peabody Awards, three Television Critics Awards, two Writers Guild Awards, and was named to TV Guide's "The Greatest Episodes in TV History" and "TV's Greatest Characters" lists.

Now, one of television's crowning achievements is available in its entirety on 35 DVDs and includes all 122 episodes spanning seven critically acclaimed seasons, the three Law & Order crossover episodes, and Homicide: The Movie.

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Friday (New Line Platinum Series)

Friday (New Line Platinum Series) Review

Anything can happen on a Friday, right? Well, that's just the thing in "the hood," where Craig (Cube) and Smokey (Tucker) have to pay a drug dealer two hundred dollars by ten o'clock at night. And of course, some weird and silly stuff goes on in the movie. And of course, there's some hilarious stuff from beginning to end.

This is one of those comedy-dramas that really works. Most of the humor really kicks in, and it results in some pretty big laughs, as well as some surprisingly dramatic moments. With the hilarious scenes, I haven't laughed this much since I've seen Pineapple Express. Ice Cube and Chris Tucker make a great duo, and the supporting cast aren't that bad, either. While this movie may not be high-quality comedy/drama, it's still extremely entertaining. Friday is a winner!

Grade: A-

Friday (New Line Platinum Series) Feature

• ICE CUBE/TUCKER/MAC/WITHERSPOO

Friday (New Line Platinum Series) Overview

A youth tries to survive life in L.A.'s hip-hoppin' South Central 'hood. Includes two music videos from the #1 hit soundtrack. Starring Chris Tucker and Ice Cube.

DVD Features:
Deleted Scenes
Interviews
Music Video
Production Notes
Theatrical Trailer

Friday (New Line Platinum Series) Specifications

Friday is the rarest specimen of African American cinema: a 'hood movie refreshingly free of the semiseriousness and moralism of shoot 'em up soaps such as Boyz N the Hood, yet still true to the inner-city experience. Scripted by rapper Ice Cube, Friday is a no-frills tale of a typical day in the life of a pair of African American youth in South Central. Cube plays Craig, a frustrated teen who endures the ultimate humiliation: getting fired on his day off. Then unknown Chris Tucker plays Smokey, a marijuana-worshipping homeboy whose love for the green stuff lands him in predicament after predicament. Sitting on the stoop of Craig's rundown home, the two hilariously confront a kaleidoscopic array of gangbangers, weed dealers, crack heads, prostitutes, scheming girlfriends, and neighborhood bullies--all of whom, it should be noted, come off as sympathetic even as they are being caricatured, a true achievement in the crass, "booty call" environment of '90s African American comedy. --Ethan Brown

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Stargate SG-1: The Complete Series Collection

Stargate SG-1: The Complete Series Collection Review

if you liked the series you'll love this box set. the price we paid was well worth it, 54 DVDs
with all of the SG1 you can handle. plus all of the special features and behind the scenes info. this was definitely one of my best SiFi purchases, enjoy it you will, INDEED.

Stargate SG-1: The Complete Series Collection Overview

Episode Description:
Discs 1- 5: Stargate SG-1 Season 1
Discs 6-10: Starage SG-1 Season 2
Discs 11-15: Stargate SG-1 Season 3
Discs 16-20: Stargate SG-1 Season 4
Discs 21-25: Stargate SG-1 Season 5
Discs 26-30: Stargate SG-1 Season 6
Discs 31-35: Stargate SG-1 Season 7
Discs 36-40: Stargate SG-1 Season 8
Discs 41-45: Stargate SG-1 Season 9
Discs 46-50: Stargate SG-1 Season 10

Disc 51: Bonus Disc 1 includes:

• Ark of Truth Promo
• Continuum Promo
• "Stargate SG-1: The Lowdown (SG-1 Season 7)"
• From Stargate to Atlantis: The Lowdown (SG-1 Season 8 & Atlantis Season 1)
• Behind the Stargate: Secrets Revealed (SG-1 Season 8 & Atlantis Season 1)

Disc 52: Bonus Disc 2 includes:

• "Sci Fi Inside: Stargate SG-1's 200th Episode (SG-1 Season 10)"
• "Behind the Mythology of Stargate SG-1 (SG-1 Seasons 1-10)"
  
• Stargate SG-1: True Science

Disc 53: Bonus Disc 3 includes:
**Season Three

• Timeline to the Future
• Part 1: Legacy of the Gate
• Part II: Secrets of the Gate
• Part III: Beyond the Gate

**Season Four

• SG-1 Video Diary: Teryl Rothery
  
• "Stargate SG-1 Season 5: Gateway to Adventure "
• Stargate SG-1: The 100th Episode

**Season Five:

• SG-1 Video Diary: Don S. Davis

**Season Six:

• SG-1 Directors Series: Smoke and Mirrors"
  
• SG-1 Directors Series: The Changeling
  
• SG-1 Directors Series: Memento
  
• SG-1 Directors Series: Prophecy
  
• SG-1 Video Diary: Richard Dean Anderson Paradise Lost"

Disc 54: Bonus Disc 4 includes:
**Season Seven:

• SG-1 Directors Series: Revisions
  
• SG-1 Directors Series: Heroes
  
• SG-1 Directors Series: Resurrection
  
• "Behind the Scenes: Journey Inside Lost City"
  
• The Storyboard Process
  
• "Bra'tac vs. Ronan: Designing the Fight"
  
• Stargate Magic: Inside the Lab
  
• Richard Dean Anderson: "My Life as a Mime"

**Season Eight:

• Beyond the Gate: A Convention Experience with Amanda Tapping" "Beyond the Gate: A Convention Experience with Michael Shanks" SG-1 Directors Series: Threads
  
• Profile On: Joseph Mallozzi and Paul Mullie
  
• The Last Day of Teal'C
  
• SG-1 Directors Series: Moebius
  
• "Stargate SG-1 Alliance: The Making of The Video Game"

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Superman: The Complete Animated Series

Superman: The Complete Animated Series Review

I remember watching this show as a child and loving it, although not as much as the famous Batman series that allowed this series to come to fruition. I became a comic book fan a couple of years ago, and started to catch these episodes on Toon Disney. They seemed pretty low quality in terms of animation. However, I picked this up because I remembered that there were several episodes worth checking out...

I am happy to say that the animation quality has far exceeded my expectations. Toon Disney apparently edited this show in some way or another. These episodes are pretty solid with the exception of a few stinkers. As I recall, the same could be said about Batman. Although I wouldn't rate this as high as the Batman series, I'd put it in a close second. The voice acting is, quite frankly, inspiring at times. Tim Daly made a great Superman, Clancy Brown practically transformed Lex Luthor... I could go on and on, but I would highly recommend this purchase if you are a fan of DC or Superman at all.

There is some squabble about the packaging and double sided discs. If that's a turn off, you are unfortunately out of luck; no completely single sided packaging exists. I haven't experienced any problems at all. Just be careful! Not something to let your kids handle at all.

Superman: The Complete Animated Series Overview

The creative team behind the Emmy Award-winning "Batman: The Animated Series" chronicles the adventures of Superman, the legendary superhero, as he battles the forces of villainy and continues his quest for "truth, justice and the American way."

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*** Product Information and Prices Stored: Sep 19, 2010 03:46:05

Doc Martin: Series 1

Doc Martin: Series 1 Review

If anyone has read my reviews on this board, it is obvious that I am a great fan of British television programs; however, being in kind of a rut, I decided to try something new to me--the "Doc Martin" series. I am so delighted; it is just what my life needed.

The "Doc Martin" comedy series is a funny delight. Doc Martin is a wonderful character. Martin was a successful surgeon in the "big city" of London. After developing a dislike for blood, he becomes a General Practitioner and the only doctor in a small picturesque seaside town that is filled with rather odd and eccentric people that includes a plumber and his son that just don't seem able to repair any faulty plumbing with disastrous results; his rather surly receptionist that is very incompetent that she and the townsfolk won't "let" him dismiss plus a host of very interesting patents for him to treat that have all kinds of ailments from men growing breasts to the extreme bowel problems to a man that has an imaginary six foot grey squirrel as his best friends that he needs meds for.

Doc Martin has NO "bed side" manners and tends to speak what he is thinking even if it's not too nice. Nevertheless, he is very intuitive solving medical mysteries that are plaguing the little town.

This series is extremely well written and is filled with loads of rather "black" humor that the British can do so well. It is also very well directed. I love it and intend to purchase more of the series

Doc Martin: Series 1 Feature

• Make an appointment with the brilliant but socially awkward and neurotic Doc Martin (Martin Clunes). When Martin develops an aversion to blood, he abandons his career as a celebrated London surgeon and becomes the only doctor in a sleepy small town where his tactless manner soon has the whole town in an uproar. You'll laugh out loud as you watch Martin get to know the town's hysterical mix

Doc Martin: Series 1 Overview

Make an appointment with the brilliant but socially awkward and neurotic Doc Martin (Martin Clunes). When Martin develops an aversion to blood, he abandons his career as a celebrated London surgeon and becomes the only doctor in a sleepy small town where his tactless manner soon has the whole town in an uproar. You'll laugh out loud as you watch Martin get to know the town's hysterical mix of quirky residents and find new ways to put his foot into his mouth! Catch all six episodes of this delightful show's first season. London's Evening Standard has diagnosed this hit British comedy "absolutely bloody hilarious!" EPISODES: Going Bodmin / Gentlemen Prefer / Sh*t Happens / The Portwenn Effect / Of All the Harbours in All the Towns / Haemophobia

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The West Wing: The Complete Series Collection

The West Wing: The Complete Series Collection Review

My boxed set came in all of its original packaging. It was wrapped to prevent it from being damage by the USPS. It was perfect!

The West Wing: The Complete Series Collection Overview

The West Wing ventured where no other TV series had gone before: an extraordinarily intimate look at an American President and the inner workings of the White House. Experience all the crises, triumphs, lofty idealism and hard realities of the acclaimed series in this complete seven-season DVD set. Here, on 45 discs, are all 154 episodes of the series that won 26 Emmys, including 4 for Outstanding Drama Series. Hail to chief - and to the creators and stars of this ground-breaking series.

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Elizabeth (Spotlight Series)

Elizabeth (Spotlight Series) Review

All hail the Queen! All hail Cate Blanchett! To me, she's the new Meryl Streep. I was mesmerized by her performance. I love Queen Elizabeth and I remembering seeing this in the theatre and thinking to myself, "who is this incredible actress with this intense presence?" We all know Queen Elizabeth as a hard ruler. However, in this film, you see her as a person, both cold and passionate, hard and soft, independent yet yearning. You feel the tug and pull within her character and you feel for her predicament. This was a tour de force performance. It's a brilliant start for this amazing actress. It is outrageous that Gwenyth Paltrow won the Best Actress Oscar that year. But then again, we know that the Oscars are very political. Paltrow's performance was good, but not glorious like Cate's Elizabeth.

Elizabeth (Spotlight Series) Overview

Academy Award-winners Cate Blanchett, Geoffrey Rush and Richard Attenborough lead a distinguished cast in Elizabeth - the critically acclaimed epic of the Queen's turbulent and treacherous rise to power! Before the Golden Age, Elizabeth was a passionate and naïve girl who came to reign over a land divided by bloody turmoil. Amidst palace intrigues and attempted assassinations, the young Queen is forced to become a cunning strategist while weighing the counsel of her mysterious advisors, thwarting her devious rivals, and denying her own desires for the good of her country. Relive the majesty and drama of one of history's greatest monarchs in this stunning production that was honored with 7 Academy Award nominations including Best Picture!

Elizabeth (Spotlight Series) Specifications

One of the big Elizabethan-era films of 1998, Shekhar Kapur's Elizabeth serves up a brimming goblet of religious tension, political conspiracy, sex, violence, and war. England in 1554 is in financial and religious turmoil as the ailing Queen "Bloody" Mary attempts to restore Catholicism as the national faith. She has no heir, and her greatest fear--that her Protestant half-sister Elizabeth will assume the throne after her death--is realized. Still, the late Queen Mary has her loyalists. The newly crowned Elizabeth finds herself knee-deep in dethroning schemes while also dodging assassination attempts. Her advisers (including Sir William Cecil, superbly played by Richard Attenborough) beg her to marry any one of her would-be suitors to stabilize England's empire. No matter that she already has a lover. The passionate Robert Dudley (Joseph Fiennes) is married, however, and shows he cannot stand up to the growing strength of the Queen. With the help of her aide Walsingham (Geoffrey Rush), Elizabeth strikes against her enemies before they get to her first. But her rise ultimately entails rejecting love and marriage to redefine herself as the indisputable Virgin Queen.

Cate Blanchett's Oscar-nominated performance as the naive and vibrant princess who becomes the stubborn and knowing queen is both severe and sympathetic. Her ethereal, pale beauty is equal parts fire and ice, her delivery of such lines as "There will be only one mistress here and no master!" expressed with command rather than hysterics. As striking as Blanchett's performance is the film's lavish and dramatic production design. The cold, dark sets paired with the lush costuming show the golden age of England's monarchy emerging from the Middle Ages. Rich velvet brushes over the dank stones while power is achieved at any price, and with such attention to physical detail, Elizabeth fully immerses you into its compelling chronicle of pioneering feminism and revisionist history. --Shannon Gee

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*** Product Information and Prices Stored: Aug 10, 2010 17:44:04

True Blood: The Complete Second Season (HBO Series)

True Blood: The Complete Second Season (HBO Series) Review

Great continuation of the TV version of the Sookie Stackhouse book series. Utilizing Michelle Forbes as Maryann was an awesome idea. It's hard to review the season without plot spoiling, so I'll just say if you enjoyed Season 1, Season 2 is an obvious choice, it's hilarious, campy, silly, gross, graphic, and just plain fun!

True Blood: The Complete Second Season (HBO Series) Overview

When we last checked in with Sookie Stackhouse, the mystery surrounding a Bon Temps serial killer had finally been solved, to the town’sinfinite relief. Sookie is thrilled that her vampire soulmate, Bill Compton, has escaped with his life (or is it death?) after coming to her daylight defense. On other fronts, Sookie’s pal Tara Thornton sets downnew roots with an affluent benefactor, Maryann Forrester; Sam Merlotte resolves to get in shape-shift shape after a forest foray; roguish brother Jason finds new purpose with an anti-vampire sect; and detectiveAndy Bellefleur licks his wounds after being proven wrong about Jason’s guilt. But just as things are settling down, some deadly new twists threaten to ratchet up the saga of Sookie Stackhouse to bloody new heights!

DVD Features:
Audio Commentary
Featurette

True Blood: The Complete Second Season (HBO Series) Specifications

True Blood's second season, with episodes involving a new cast of monsters invading Louisiana swamp town Bon Temps, is notably gorier and more camp than the first season. While thematically the central focus in these 12 exciting episodes still revolves around faith and loyalty, these questions are complicated by displays of pagan ritual and obsession. Though the vampire/human relationship dilemma continues, spearheaded by lovers Sookie Stackhouse (Anna Paquin) and vampire Bill Compton (Stephen Moyer), there is less emphasis on addiction to V, or vampire blood, and more time dedicated to outsiders whose supernatural talents make some episodes feel like superhero battles.

Episode 1, "Nothing but the Blood," sets the gory example with a brutal opening scene in which the local shaman has been eviscerated. While gruesome murders continue throughout the season, we become familiar with a new femme fatale, Maryann Forrester (Michelle Forbes), who hosts bacchanalia, such as the one in episode 4 ("Shake and Fingerpop") that gives Bon Temps a collective hangover. Also developing in this season are relationships between Sookie and Bill's vampire colleagues Eric (Alexander Skarsgård), Eric's master Godric, and a vampire queen who plays Yahtzee throughout episode 11 ("Frenzy"). The ever-increasing vampire interest in Sookie leads to her questioning her own supernatural psychic identity, especially in the final episode ("Beyond Here Lies Nothin'"), a semi-ridiculous, over-the-top segment that is more humorous than scary. Also corny but funny are the episodes featuring Fellowship of the Sun zealots Steve and Sarah Newlin (Michael McMillian and Anna Camp), and Jason Stackhouse's evangelical dedication to them (with Ryan Kwanten as Stackhouse). Perhaps the best episodes are those dedicated to the endangered plights of Sam Merlotte (Sam Trammell), Lafayette (Nelsan Ellis), and Tara (Rutina Wesley). New characters, like Tara's lover, Eggs (Mehcad Brooks), and the young, tempestuous vampire Jessica Hamby (Deborah Ann Woll), also add greatly to an already fabulous cast. Though the extras in this DVD set, "The Vampire Report (Special Edition)" and "Fellowship of the Sun: Reflections of Light," offer lighthearted, pseudo-documentary fun, they feel quaint next to the many wonderful episodes of this horror serial. --Trinie Dalton

Stills from True Blood: The Complete Second Season (click for larger image)

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