Enemy at the Door: Series 1

Historical drama that gets to the heart of civilians caught up in war.
"Enemy at the Door" begins in June, 1940, as the English Channel island, Guernsey, received the undesired but expected arrival of German soldiers. The occupying force was established as a doorway into England. It was a political and psychological ploy to gain advantage over the British, who as yet were victorious with the air war over the Channel.

The first few episodes well establish the main characters, the struggle between the nationalities, as well as the sentiments of the individuals involved. Many island locals have mixed feelings about the need for assisting in any way with the occupation force. Some must walk the fine line between helping the Nazi command and looking out for the needs of the island's inhabitants during the occupation. A young rich local, Peter Porteous (Richard Heffer), leans on the defiant side of the line. Island doctor, Philip Martel (Branard Horsfall), reluctantly takes a role on the local committee to work with the enemy command in hopes it...

A Good Addition to the Shelf
"Enemy at the Door," a British television series, was made in the late 1970's, once again for Britain's independent - privately owned - television stations (ITV). It ran for two seasons on ITV, from 1978-1980, and was broadcast in the U.S. on public television. It combines two highly popular genres, period drama and World War II history. Its series 1 now reaches us in a four DVD box set, comprising 13 episodes, running approximately 663 minutes, with special features including historical background. Unfortunately, it does not include subtitles that would be most welcome in a series of this nature, with such varied accents; still, it is possible to follow the action well enough. (Series 2, not yet released, comprises another 13 episodes.)

The series deals with the British Channel Islands that were invaded and occupied by the Nazi German army in June, 1940: Germany thought they would be a good jumping-off point for its planned invasion of the British Isles themselves. We...

Untold story of World War II
This is a fairly well written and acted series regarding the Nazi occupation of the Channel Islands during World War II. A part of the historical record, mostly forgotten, of a Nazi occupation of British territory that is largely overlooked. I found the series of interest and
look forward to viewing the secord set in the hope that all the character issues, etc. will be resolved.

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Marley and Me (Single-Disc Edition)

Stayed Faithful to the Book
'Marley & Me' is a great adaptation of the novel by Josh Grogan. It kept all the emotional elements as well as the fun. Jennifer Aniston and Owen Wilson had amazing chemistry together in this heartfelt film. It is more than just a dog movie, surpassing hit dog films such as 'Beethoven,' '101 Dalmations,' and 'Homeward Bound.' This film concentrates on the family and how a dog affected the lives of this family for both good and bad. It's a good representation of a young couple and how they evolve as they have children and move on in life. Along with it, is shows the life cycle of a dog, which is something that rarely gets shown honestly in films. It shows the good, the bad, and the painfully tragic elements of having a dog. The end of the film is very true to the book and I'm glad because it is probably the most important part of the story and it's nice to see it portrayed honestly for fans of the book.
Overall, I think viewers will enjoy this film. Jennifer Aniston is...

Bad Dog Edition for the Fans!
There are quite a bit of extras on the "Bad Dog Edition" that fans of this film will no doubt enjoy exploring.

There is a collection of 19 deleted scenes with optional commentary by director David Frankel. We see John and Jenny go house hunting in Boca Raton. There is more footage of them choosing to adopt Marley. Naturally, there is more of Marley's antics as well.

"Finding Marley" takes a look at the 22 dogs used in the film. One dog in particular had the most screen time. We see how his trainer got him to do various things and it is amazing to see how well trained he is.

"On the Set with Marley: Dog of all Trades" is an "interview" with the dog that played Marley including on the set footage provided by a camera located on the pooch's head.

"Breaking the Golden Rule" features the cast and crew talking about how Marley & Me is not a dog film per se but about the Grogan family. The cast speaks admiringly of each other and, of course, the...

Good if you're looking for something different...but put the kids to bed first.
There is a lot of controversy about this movie....it seems like people either love it or hate it. I'm in between....

I did not see Marley and Me in the theaters but being a dog-lover since I was born, I was interested and borrowed the DVD from my boss a few days ago as my mother wanted to see it as well.

For all you who have heard from lots of angry parents claiming "false advertising" and "deceiving trailers", I'd like to confirm that yes, that is somewhat true. If I had young brothers or sisters or children of my own, who wanted to see a cute and funny family dog movie, "Marely and Me" is not the movie that comes to mind here.

This for two reasons:

One, the movie's focus is on the marriage of a new couple and their struggles through a married life. It doesn't soley focus on the dog, he more so takes a backseat in most of the film, apart from the first hour or so. Children will adore the puppy Marley in the beginning, but their attention...

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The Wiggles Present: Dorothy the Dinosaur

Dorothy the Dinosaur
This video features Dorothy as she reviews her "memory album". It is full of songs and dances as she visits the doctor, takes a dance class and has friends over for tea, ect. Wags, Henry and Captain Feathersword all appear but the traditional wiggles singers do not. This video is a favorite of my three year old daughter and was a great purchase for us.

If you love Dorothy...
If you love the Wiggles characters, especially Dorothy the Dinosaur, this "best of" collection from the first version of the Australian TV series, Dorothy the Dinosaur, is a must have. Fun to watch, hung together with a cute surrounding story, well-paced, and with interesting guest characters. As always, the music is well done and the sets are bright and colorful. Fun for both the younger (toddler) and older (preschool/kindergarten) kids.

Dorothy the Dinosaur
I bought this movie for my munchkins after they recived "The Best of the Wiggles" DVD from Grandma and nearly drove me crazy with the CONSTANT watching (I'm talking about back-to-back-to-back watching for 2 weeks). Having never seen the Wiggles before I was very impressed with the type of songs and dancing that they had. I thought the Dorothy movie would provide a nice variety for us. When I ordered it I thought that is was part of the Dorothy the Dinosaur show but it is really flashbacks to the show. While not what I had expected it was still a cute movie. Dorothy and Wags look through a picture book of Dorothy's and remember all the fun they had. The songs are more "classical" in nature than the rest of the songs the Wiggles sing. My 5 and 4 yr. olds (both girls) like to dance along with Dorothy, who shows them how to do the footwork on a few songs. My 3 yr. old (boy) and 18 mo. old (girl) try to sing along but otherwise are happy to watch Dorothy do all the dancing! Even though it...

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The Butterfly Effect 3: Revelations (After Dark Horrorfest III)

Not the Best of the Series, But Surprisingly Entertaining
The time-travelling thriller series continues with "The Butterfly Effect 3: Revelations" starring Chris Carmack as Sam, who as a "psychic" helps the local police capture the criminals of unsolved cases. The fact is, Sam can travel back to the time the crime is committed and he reports everything that is necessary for the police to arrest the culprit. Very few people know of his special ability, though, and his sister Jenna (Rachel Miner), who assists his time travel, is one of them.

But there is one rule Sam must observe - he may watch, but he should never interfere. But of course he does break the rule when Elizabeth Brown (Sarah Habel) asks him to jump back to 10 years ago. And Elizabeth is the sister of Rebecca Brown (Mia Serafino), Sam's dead girlfriend.

The third installment of the "Butterfly Effect" franchise may not be as impressive as the first one, but still "The Butterfly Effect 3: Revelations" is surprisingly well-plotted and entertaining. Though the...

Not completely awful, but still.
The Butterfly Effect 3: Revelations (Seth Grossman, 2009)

There's a Butterfly Effect 3? I wasn't even aware there had been a Butterfly Effect 2. (Turns out, after I did five seconds of research, it was a straight-to-video 2006 release.) In any case, a number of After Dark Horrorfest viewers (those who actually went to the theater to see the usually-awful movies After Dark distributes) said Revelations was their favorite of the ADHF flicks from '09, so I decided I'd watch that one before those no one talked about. (I do admit I watched the two everyone hated first...) And while it's not as good as the original, which was no great shakes but watchable, it's surprisingly not half bad. And the lack of Ashton Kutcher on the screen helps immensely.

Plot: if you've seen one Butterfly Effect movie, you know what's going to happen. Guy is capable of jumping around in time. Guy messes around with his own timeline and causes unexpected changes in his present, which change...

Reading so many bad reviews, I have to disagree..
I happen to like the first one, and suprisingly, liked the second one. I'm not going to go to great lengths to convince you that the 3rd in the series is a good watch, but give it a chance. Maybe not purchase it before seeing it, like I did...but I wasn't disappointed.

Let's just say that if you liked the storyline of the first one, give it a chance. I actually liked the 3rd one more than the 2nd. It's kind of like Butterfly Effect meets Saw. There's much more gore in this one than both BE previous.

It's at least worth a rent....at least!

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There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly... and More Stories That Sing

A FAV around our house
We own every Scholastic Video in the series & we think this is one of the best! These "stories that sing" are very catchy. My kids love to run around the coffee table (their form of dancing) to "There Was an Old Lady..." I admit when I first watched from afar the second story "Antarctic Antics", I thought the illustrations were kinda boring, just because I am not a huge fan of penguins...but since my kids request this one ALL the time, I have since grown to LOVE it. You are walked thru the life of a penguin. It is educational, but very entertaining with very funny lyrics like..."Antarctica, you'd better bring your partika" I find myself singing this often :) Lots of talented singers to be enjoyed (including singer from the Mavericks.) We love the bonus stories also (only on the DVD version.) Favorite author Lois Ehlert's "Waiting for Wings" is FABULOUS, I mean truly FABULOUS!!! This one is a winner.

Not up to Scholastic Video Collection Standards
Let me start out by saying we have a few DVDs from the Scholastic Video Collection and my family really likes them, especially "Chicka-Chicka Boom Boom" and "Where the Wild Things Are."

I really did not like this DVD and was disappointed with it. The main story was not too bad but the first read through was half sung and half read. After the reading of the story, there was the Cyndi Lauper version which was really bad. I don't know if it was the tempo, her accent or what but no one was going to be singing along. I guess I went blindly into this DVD because I like the other Scholastic Videos so much. I was thinking that my girls (2 and 4) might find some cool songs to sing. Sorry, no such thing here. As for the "and more stories that sing" part, that was completely off. The whole Antarctic Antics was sung but you are not going to be singing along with it, especially the part where they sing about penguin regurgitation.

I don't write a lot of reviews but I had to...

No age info. on the front cover
I bought this DVD (and others from the same collection) as alternatives to the ubiquitous Disney ... So far I have only seen this one. My only complaint is that there was no info regarding age on the front cover. I bought it for my six-year-old... and I think she would have enjoyed it a lot more at 3 or 4. At 6, I am not sure if she will want to watch it more than a couple of times.

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Red Sands

A very uneven film. A mixed bag.
I think this project was very promising... and as my title says, it succeeds in some places while failing in others. Here's the story in 25 words or less: a group of soldiers in Afghanistan break an old statue and release a Djinn (an old spirit who hates humans). So they break the antique and go spend a few nights in a abandoned Afghan house in the middle of nowhere where they must secure the area. And the Djinn attacks...

Now, here are the good and bad things.

BAD - Most of the special effects are horrible... the Djinn at the end is laughable. Simply laughable. In my point of view, the producers/director made the big mistake of saving money at the end of the film (where in fact, they should deliver the goods). That's too bad.

GOOD - Tension. The screenplay does a nice job managing the tension between the men. The dialogs are great and some characters are believable (although some other characters are too stupid for us to create any empathy). And too...

Soldiers fight more then the Taliban
Soldiers fight more then the Taliban in this film. Oops we woke up a demon and now we must pay in odd and spooky ways. This is a very original tail with a good cast and odd setting. The female Afghanistan is very pretty and creepy as the woman who is put in the middle of this mess or is she more then that? There is some nice gore effects but the demon it's self is pretty iffy CGI, but you can not have everything. The acting is good and the fast pace will keep you locked in and trying to figure out how are boy's are going to get out alive. A movie with a fresh story that is worth a look.

A bit campy
Wasn't what I expexcted. Needs a better plot. Special effects weren't bad though.May be if our real service members act more approprate they won't have such problems.

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My Very First Treasury of 50 Storybook Classics: Preschool Stories (Scholastic Storybook Treasures)

Gentle entertainment for preschoolers and older toddlers
Why must children's videos scream at them? Hyperkinetic television conditions kids to expect fireworks from all of their entertainment, so that even the creators of the good stuff (Little Einsteins, Team Umi Zoomi and even the later versions of Dora the Explorer) believe everything must be BIGGER to compete. Scholastic classic stories provide a gentle, welcome respite from the usual kids' DVD. These are perfect for wind down time before naps or bedtime, or for in the car. The storylines are deceptively simple enough for preschoolers, but provide the substance and depth to condition children to appreciate literature over the flash and twaddle that constitutes junk food TV.

Helped teach my son to read
My four-year-old son just started reading, and when people ask me if I taught him, I say, "No! The Scholastic DVDs did!" (Much like the Leap Frog DVDs taught him his letters when he was 21 months old.) We went to the library and got the corresponding books with each DVD. He watches them over and over and OVER. He asks what words are, and then he learns them. And while most of these books he has memorized by now, he can read other books because of the skills he has learned. I would say age two is too young to be able to appreciate most of the stories. Put them away until age three or four and then try again.

Great Value
I am a preschool teacher and love this DVD set! I first read the book to the children, then show them the DVD. This helps the children that need the visual reinforcement. They get so excited seeing the story that they are familiar with on the screen! 50 stories...most classics...great value.

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Strictly Sexual

Sweet, Sexy, Funny, Heartbreaking.
This was playing in limited release in Los Angeles and New York to qualify for awards, so I got to see a screening of it, and I am so glad i can now get it on DVD. the whole audience was crying and laughing, and for good reason. It's the MOST ROMANTIC movie i have seen in years without being sappy. You have to watch it to understand. absolutely the best VALENTINE'S DAY gift ever. the only thing i didn't like so much in the film was the hand/held camera work, which on a big screen makes me a bit dizzy. (okay, so maybe i am dizzy already, haha). But the acting & writing was GREAT.

What a Gem!
A friend recommended this movie highly and I was highly skeptical - but she kept pestering me to see it - and wow, was I suprised... This is a true indie gem - it's a great movie - the emotional intelligence and depth is at the level of top Oscar winning films! A film that I loved that it reminded me of was "Closer" though "Strictly Sexual" is much lighter and funnier - but just as affecting... I can't believe that this movie was not in the theaters - it's so good...

LOVE STORY that makes you LAUGH and CRY
Best love story since "The Notebook". Also very funny. At first you think it's sort of like "Sex & The City", which is kind of is as far as the women are the main characters, but it goes from being ha-ha funny to man-that-happened-to-me-too! type of funny. if you want to have the girls over for a good cry, rent this. or you can watch it with your boyrfriend, the movie has a good job of showing the men's point of view on things. Loved it!!!!

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Charlie Chaplin - 2 DVD COLLECTOR'S EMBOSSED TIN SET!

NICE TIN, but...
I found the previous reviews of this item lacking, to say the least, so hopefully this one will help any potential buyers out there.

If you're a collector, as I am, you will be pleased with the embossed tin that this 2-DVD set comes in. It is made of good quality metal and will be a nice addition to your DVD collection.

Inside the tin are 2 DVDs in regular-size keep cases that are housed in a cardboard slip case that matches the design of the tin.

Disc one contains "Shoulder Arms" (45 mins), "The Champion" (20 mins) and "The Kid" (60 mins). Video quality is actually very decent, although I'm sure no remastering was done. As for the audio... well, it sounds like someone put an old vinyl album of ragtime piano on a turntable and let it play along as the videos were being transferred. The music is not bad at all (Scott Joplin maybe? I'm not sure.), but it is complete with the pops and scratches inherent to vinyl. And if the music follows the action...

Lousy.
When the selling point of a set of films is the box they come in, that's not a good sign. These prints are lousy, and often simply copied from official sources, meaning this is basically a pirated set. Speng the money to get the real thing - you won't be disappointed. (Kino company for the Keystone, Essanay, and Mutual Films, and the Chaplin Family Trust for the rest.)

Buyer beware
A comment that was left following my review of The Kid (2 Disc Special Edition) reminded readers what set I was reviewing, because Amazon has reviews for certain films showing up with unrelated editions. This eight DVD box set is an example of a collection that includes a poor quality edition of The Kid, and an uneven collection of other material. Many of the reviews appearing with this collection at the time I wrote this were for a completely different collection of 57 films, and with the rest of the reviews, I can't tell what collection they are reviewing.

With over 50 titles, it's hard to be an expert on which ones are presented in the best way in which set, but if you are looking to build a Chaplin collection, start off with his better known feature films. This particular collection includes only two films that were well known enough that the compilers chose to list them on the front cover. The rest...

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The Fugitive: Season Two, Vol. 2

Dear CBS
-- UPDATE, 6 July 2009 --

Dear CBS,

I'm very disappointed with your release of Season 2 of THE FUGITIVE, and I'd like to tell you why.

The issue is the music. Yes, I know that you've heard this before, and you might believe that you've already addressed this issue and put it behind you.

But you'd be wrong. The music is still being screwed up.

I happen to think that THE FUGITIVE is one of the finest dramatic series ever produced for American television. Perhaps THE finest. So I was overjoyed when I first heard that CBS was going to release this series on DVD.

And Season One was great. Well, almost great. It would have been perfect if a few instances of background music on radios and jukeboxes hadn't been needlessly replaced in the episodes GARDEN HOUSE and WHERE THE ACTION IS.

But beginning with your release of Season 2 Volume 1, all of that changed. The music was horrible. Absolutely horrible...

The Fugitive still not 100%
I wanted to wait a little while before I reviewed the latest release of The Fugitive Season Two volume Two due to I have very mixed emotions regarding the release of The Fugitive on DVD and Paramount/CBS treatment of this classic series.
The series itself, deserves nothing less than 5 stars! I was born in 1970 and never seen the show until A&E showed the series in the 1990's. From the first episode, I was hooked and The Fugitive became, and remains to this day, my favorite TV show. I was thrilled the day CBS/Paramount announced the release of the show on DVD format! Back then, CBS/Paramount really did put classic TV on a pedestal. The first two releases of The Fugitive are outstanding! There are some minor music changes on the first two volumes, but they are barely noticeable. The changes are in background incidental music such as juke box and radio music. While this still was unpleasant to me, it is still as I said, barely noticeable and very minute. But when CBS/Paramount...

CBS/Paramount has seen the light? We've been hoodwinked and bamboozled by CBS/Paramount!
Finally bowing to the wishes of the consumer, CBS/Paramount has announced that they will be issuing replacement discs for The Fugitive - Season Two, Vol. 1, restoring most of the original music. Just go to <[...]> for replacement instructions. Also this release, The Fugitive: Season Two, Vol. 2, will be identical to Season one with most of the original music intact!

This is wonderful news the American consumer! I guess the squeaky wheel does get the grease!

Update: 03/05/09

Wow, that was fast! I received my replacement unit today and it is a complete replacement; keep-case, discs, insert, the whole works. Just finished watching episode one. It's not perfect but what a difference! Here's hoping everyone takes advantage of this program and gets a quick turn-around. Mine was a mere 16 days. Happy...

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Cadillac Records

5 Stars for the music- 3 stars for the story- Cadillac Records
So it averages out to 4 stars then.
The music is just great with many key blues performances from Muddy Waters, Little Walter, Etta James, Howlin'Wolf and Willie Dixon recreated. The story is a blend of fiction and fact and one wonders why the half truths and lies had to find their way into the story. Just a few of the "mistruths":
-There were 2 Chess Brothers, not just one and both had a strong involvement in the company.
- Len Chess died 2 months after he sold his company not just after stepping foot outside the door.
-Etta James did not record "I'd Rather Go Blind" in Chicago although she did record her composition for the Chess label.
-Etta had already been a star for 5 years prior to joining Chess.
-Len Chess did actually serve as a session musician if the situation demanded it.
-The Chess company recorded many other musicians and styles during their career.
-Whether Chess ever dated Etta James is debatable. She had a boyfriend who was...

Cadillac Records
An outstanding new book, Ted Gioia's "Delta Blues" (2008) tells the story of "The Life and Times of the Mississippi Masters who Revolutionized American Music." Much of Gioia's book is devoted to the blues singers who left the Delta in the late 1940s and relocated to other American cities, including Chicago. With Gioia's book fresh in my mind, I was eager to see "Cadillac Records", a new movie which tells of transplanted blues, early rock and roll, and Chicago -- and of the association of many great blues artists with Chess Records and Leonard Chess. The movie offers compelling portraits of Muddy Waters and Howling Wolf, of the Mississippi Delta, together with Little Walter, Willie Dixon, Chuck Berry, guitarist Hubert Sumlin, and Etta James together with its portrait of Leonard Chess. The movie is directed by Darnell Martin.

Gioia writes: "Like Muddy Waters, the Chess brothers were outsiders trying to establish themselves in Chicago." ("Delta Blues, p. 216). Leonard and...

Sex, Guns, Rythmn & Blues, and Payola
Cadillac Records is the story of Chess Records opened by Leonard Chess in Chicago in the late 40's, and which quickly became a successful and influential record label (would Rock `n' Roll have existed without Chess?)

The movie is narrated by Willie Dixon (Cedric The Entertainer) and he tells of Chess' (Adrian Brody) beginnings with a bar and a club on the south side of Chicago. The main players in the movies are Muddy Waters (Jeffery Wright) and Little Walter (a standout performance by Columbus Short) who are respectively the best guitar and harp players in Chicago. Chess discovers them when they crash his club and show up the band that is playing. Through the fortuitous burning down of his club Chess opens Chess Records and seeks out Waters, records him, and starts touring him in the south. Chess insures radio airplay with a little payola and Waters career takes off and so does Chess Records. When the money comes rolling in Chess pays Waters with new Cadillac's. New...

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The Seduction of Dr. Fugazzi

A Truly Unique, Original, Intelligent Gem
I'm not sure how to really describe or categorize "Dr. Fugazzi" because in many subtle and not-so subtle ways this film almost takes a perverse pleasure in defying categorization. My husband and I were first eager to see this film at Cannes because we heard that Faye Dunaway was in it, and naturally being huge Dunaway fans, we were anticipating an interesting performance from the legendary actress. Well as it turns out, Dunaway is not really the driving force in this film... I mean don't get me wrong, Dunaway does a phenomenal job in the movie, portraying the enigmatic and elusive "Detective Rowland", a character who may or may not be entirely what she seems. But then again, playing with reality is what this film is all about... that is to say, none of the characters are really what they appear to be; and the beautiful surface reality of the film cleverly toys with the more sinister and ghastly Truth about the main character "Dr. Anna Fugazzi", portrayed skillfully by the hauntingly...

PIECE OF JUNK
Too bad there isn't a button for zero stars. Why Faye Dunaway was in this garbage is beyond comprehension (Dunaway's probably wondering that now herself), avoid this movie at all costs. Like another reviewer stated, save your money and watch it on YouTube...at least for a good hearty laugh!

A Train Wreck
The apparent concepts behind this film appear to be somewhat compelling - head doctor from a conservative background hides a psychotic, unhinged personality within, even from herself. But once the "raw, leaked footage" from this train wreck of a film made it onto YouTube back in 2007 (when it was actually produced), it was clear that it was sloppily directed, woodenly acted (especially the writer-director-star, October Kingsley), and even its attempts to titillate seemed embarrassing and unappealing even to kink afficionados. (A lengthy and pointless scene of "broom-rape" pushed eagerly onto YouTube proved to be neither titillating, repulsive, or even convincing. It looked like bad college improv playing out forever without a teacher to yell, "cut".)

The other bizarre element is the figure of Faye Dunaway amidst all of this, playing a detective investigating a murder. Why she felt it necessary to join this production is a mystery, perhaps to be solved in retrospect...

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Pokemon: Giratina & The Sky Warrior

Steady Improvement
Note: This review is based off of seeing the movie on TV, when it was shown on Cartoon Network. As such, I can't comment on DVD features, only the movie itself.

The latest Pokemon movie continues a trend of steady improvement that the Pokemon movies have been showing for the past four or five. This movie, the eleventh, chronicles Ash, Dawn, and Brock's adventures with the legendary Pokemon Shaymin.

The story covers the existence of a Reverse World where the legendary Pokemon Giratina lives, and its connections to the real world. The villain seeks to exploit Giratina and those connections, theoretically for noble purposes; realistically out of sheer madness. The heroes and Shaymin get caught up in the mayhem. The story is not on its surface incredibly complicated, which is a plus considering the intended audience, but there are also some wider themes present if one is looking for them.

Visually, it's mostly standard anime fare; however, there are plenty...

Awesome!
I'm a 41 year old anime fan and I loved this movie. I have watched it 3 times with my 12 year old son already and we both really loved it. The animation and graphics are awesome. I would recommend this movie for everyone whether you're an anime fan or pokemon fan.

One of the best Pokemon movies yet
I bought this dvd for my son who is 7 and who loves Pokemon. He's seen several other Pokemon dvd's (#'s 1-3 and 10). This is the eleventh in the series and he likes it the most - much more than the others. I've watched it with him and, from what I know of Pokemon, it follows an interesting storyline of Ash and his friends who are swept into the "reverse world" where Giratina lives. There is a new Pokemon introduced in this movie - Shaymin. She joins Ash's group or helps propel them into this latest adventure. There are a lot of other Pokemon who make appearances including Regigigas. There is some conflict and fighting that goes on but nothing too stunning or graphic. There are some themes involved such as teamwork, environmentalism, friendship, compassion, and challenging powerful misdirected characters. In one part Giratina is captured and is hurt, which generally isn't a good scene for youngsters, but with his friends help they help him escape and heal. Overall, I think it...

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Long Live The Queen

RUDE CRUDE AND KIND OF REFRESHING!
With all the "PC" nonsense in this world today, it's nice to see a comedian who doesn't walk on egg shells or pull any punches. Lampanelli is like a female Don Rickles who isn't a racist, but enjoys poking fun at the differences in all of us. While I didn't find this particular show to be one of the funniest I've seen, I did enjoy that fact that every race was given equal time with insults! Lisa Lampanelli may not be the funniest comedian, but at least she is telling everyone to lighten up and laugh at ourselves!

We loved it
Saw it for the frist time on HBO , we laughed the whole night watching it thank you again thank you

Buy now.
Lisa rocks. That's all. Buy this DVD now. One of the funniest people out there!
Though on a side note, comedy DVDs are a tough buy. It's hard to want to rewatch after watching a couple times, as you already know all the jokes.

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Jim Gaffigan: King Baby

absolute awesomeness
Mortal men might be ashamed at their pudginess, laziness, and gastronomical obsession, but not Jim Gaffigan. Instead, Gaffigan uses these characteristics as punchlines that have surely earned him hundreds of dollars as he travels the country to inform the masses how much of a pig he is, and how they pretty much are too. Fresh off his widely successful Beyond the Pale DVD, released in 2006, Jim Gaffigan has decided to once again grace us with his shockingly pale presence in his newest DVD, King Baby.

Filmed during a stint in Austin, Texas, King Baby is perhaps best used as a pedagogical tool. In it we learn the wonders of meat, the absurdities of camping, and the sheer genius of the escalator and snooze bar. Of course, this is not all as there are many other topics discussed to both gladden the heart and inform the mind.

Most known for his "Hot Pockets" bit, Gaffigan spends most of his time on stage talking about food in ways both memorable and ethereal...

If anyone can make jokes based around bowling, hot pockets and bacon, and make people laugh continuousl Gaffigan is the King!
If anyone can make jokes about bacon, being lazy, playing bowling and hot pockets for long period of time and make people laugh, Jim Gaffigan can definitely make it happen!

With the success of Gaffigan's Comedy Central DVD "Beyond the Pale", Gaffigan returns with "King Baby". From the starting menu of the DVD featuring two young kids pigging out on BBQ ribs, you know that you're going to be in for a fun time.

Filmed in Austin which capped off his sold-out 2008 stand-up tour, Gaffigan is on fire as his routine consists of going out bowling, being lazy, going camping, his bedroom, ketchup, waffle house and of course, being known for his comedy routine about bacon and much, much more.

Featuring 30 minutes of extra footage not see in the "Comedy Central" special, Gaffigan's comedy at best is comedy that doesn't have to get explicit. He literally talks about everyday things that people think about and makes it funny. From getting a disease by putting...

Another Gaffigan masterpiece
If you've ever seen a Jim Gaffigan special, this is more of the same without being the same. I now own this special, and beyond the pale and I can't personally pick a favorite between the two. Highly recommended for stand-up comedy buffs everywhere.

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The Chronicles of Riddick (Unrated Director's Cut) [Blu-ray]

Sometimes Bad Is Really, Really Good
My mind hasn't been boggled in a while -> The very first StarWars did me in, and then various parts of The Lord of the Ring years later. Other than that I'm not one who stares at the screen in awe of special effects. In fact, the bore me very quickly. What I likes about the original Riddick film, Pitch Black, was that, outside of the Alien knockoff monsters, there was very little in the way of large scale special effects. In many ways, it was an intimate thriller rather than a vast drama.

So I really wasn't prepared for what appeared on this screen as the film unrolled. It sneaks up on you as it opens with Riddick's attempted capture by Toombs, a bounty hunter. The irritated (and very hairy) Riddick sets out to find out who put the bounty on his head and discovers that he is being recruited to stop the conquest of space by the Necromongers. These latter are truly the knights of total badness. Their goal is entropy - the total destruction of life and rebirth onto...

You keep what you kill
Even if I have to apologize to my Friends and Favorites, and my family, I have to admit that I really liked this movie. It's a Sci-Fi movie with a "Mad Maxx" appeal that, while changing many things, left Riddick from `Pitch Black' to be just Riddick. They did not change his attitude or soften him up or bring him out of his original character, which was very pleasing to `Pitch Black' fans like myself.

First off, let me say that when playing the DVD, the first selection to come up is Convert or Fight, and no explanation of the choices. This confused me at first, so I will mention off the bat that they are simply different menu formats, that each menu has the very same options, simply different background visuals. Select either one and continue with the movie.

Chronicles Of Riddick takes place after Riddick's escape from the planet of monsters on Pitch Black, starting out with his recapture after being in hiding for many years. Now we are going to get a glimpse...

Critics and boring people SHOULD NOT SEE IT
The Chronicles of Riddick is the continuing story of Riddick (Vin Diesel), the bald-headed, night seeing convict who escaped from prison and was ultimately so tough that he could beat up aliens with just a knife. Given that the first movie was called Pitch Black, Riddick's peculiar eyes lent him a particular advantage - both against his captors and the aliens that inhabited the planet.

On the surface, one could summarize Pitch Black as an Aliens knockoff. But it was so much more than that. Just as Aliens was more than about soldiers blowing up aliens, Pitch Black was about how people hide behind who they really are and that people don't change - they just reveal their true natures. The movie was also noteworthy for being a science fiction film that portrayed Muslim beliefs in a positive light and as the dominant religion.

Keeping those elements in mind, the Chronicles of Riddick (TCOR) is the logical extension of the first movie, even though it doesn't involve many aliens or all...

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Milk

The Gay Struggle Personified
Gus Van Sant has always been an excellent if somewhat eclectic director. Although I have enjoyed his previous efforts, I was somewhat apprehensive when I heard he was undertaking a film biography of Harvey Milk. A gay figure of this importance, I thought, should be handled by someone a little more mainstream. Like many gay people, I am weary of gay-themed films that reach no one beyond a gay audience, and the message I would want to emerge from a film about Harvey Milk should be heard by everyone.

As if reading my mind, Mr. Van Sant has fashioned a film that is accessible to all, while approaching his subject with sharp focus and a singleness of purpose that is at once definitive and topical. A stunning achievement, MILK manages to make its point without ever being preachy or trite, while remaining as true to the facts as any film bio could ever hope to be.

The film opens with snippets of gay history that many young gay people, let alone a straight audience,...

A story that will teach tolerance
The movie portrays a brave man.The movie "Milk" showed that any man who stands by his principles, will always leave a lesson to be learned.

The advances that the Gay communities of California have made in the past 30 years started with the Harvey Milk story.I have been a San Francisco Police officer for 24 years.I am proud to have known a few very brave S.F.P.D. officers who happen to have been gay.

In this state,the advances made for gay people for their civil rights and equal rights,begin with the Milk story.

I was in the movie and I played a real police officer at a homicide scene.The murder of Robert Hillsbough. The hates crimes committed against gays in this city back in the 1970's were over the top.
I was honored to have, done my simple scene with Sean Penn.

I was honored to have been a member of that cast.Check out the cast on the web [...]

I know the damages that Dan White caused our city,and my Department.
It...

Excellent
Allow me to agree with at least one other reviewer that everyone should see this, especially those who think being gay is so far out of the mainstream that, as my father in law once said, "The Lord allowed AIDS to happen."

Harvey Milk. A man of whom I know little. I lived on the other side of the world when he died, in a city in which it was not unusual to run into eunuchs. I'd heard of him since, in reference to gayness, but never associated any importance to him. Then I saw that Sean Penn was playing Milk, so I told my spouse that we need to see it.

Milk, it seemed, lived a pretty conventional lifestyle, working for an insurance company in New York. According to the script, anyway, in 1970 he met a flame and they headed to the west coast. Despite local resistance, they set up shop in the Castro district of San Francisco (after "The Haight" had become riddled with crime, homelessness and the like). Milk then decided it was time to get politically active...

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Illegal Use of Joe Zopp

Hometown Movie without a Hometown!
Illegal use of Joe Zopp is no Clerks nor is it an El Mariachi which were both made with budgets under $50,000 dollars. It takes place in the pseudonymous town of "Purewater." There are not any landmarks which are honestly depicted. The motel, the street names and the businesses are not promoted, even the protagonist changes his name to "Pseudonym. Why is this important in a narrative film? It is vital for an independent film to gather steam on it's way to snowballing into a cult classic and for a hometown film to pick up fans there must be places that fans can visit if only to feel a part of "their" film and that is what a film like "Clerks" gives and "Illegal use of Joe Zopp" cheats the prospective fan out of knowing. I use "Clerks" as an example since it is an independent film which uses actors from the area as does this film. Clerks takes place mostly inside the "Quick Stop Deli" and the R.S.T. video store in the town of Leonardo New Jersey which are all actual places still in...

Can I s**t on a tortilla and call it a taco?
Illegal Use of Joe Zopp is one of the most enjoyable films I've watched in the last year. Combining the best humor of the Coen Brothers with the best twisted plots of, well, the Coen Brothers--without, somehow, limiting itself to a Coen Brothers imitation--Joe Zopp manages to be clearly inspired by great works and, at the same time, completely original.

Joe Zopp is a brilliant young man who, tired of his treatment at the hands of the small town he grew up in, runs away and becomes a street performer in Ohio. Eight years pass, and one day he runs into an old acquaintance who tells him that everyone in his old town thinks that he has been killed in a freak train accident. Naturally, Zopp returns to his town incognito (using the pseudonym Gary Pseudonym) to discover who has orchestrated his fake death and prove his aliveness.

Where the plot goes from there is something else entirely: bizarre all-women suburban neighborhood committees (the P.O.W.s), a cranky hotel...



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The Ezra Jack Keats Collection

A great alternative to current children's programming!
I just purchased this collection for my daughter, and I am not disappointed! We already owned the Ezra Jack Keat's Neighborhood story collection, and I remember seeing several of the stories themselves once or twice when I was a child, so I knew about what to expect, but after watching them through, I am even more pleased with them. The artwork comes directly from the book- there is no alteration or "interpretation"- and is very soothing to watch. The narration and the music composed for the pieces are both calming as well. There is an option to "read along" on screen, and there are even spanish versions of two of the stories (The Snowy Day and Whistle for Willie).

My daughter is 3 1/2 and it seems that most programming for people her age is either loud (why does everyone yell in children's shows these days?), exciting and even obnoxious, or dumbed down to a ridiculous extent. This collection is neither. It is artistic, thoughtful and calming. Perfect for before...

I which more of his books were on DVD
My kids are five years old and they love Ezra Jack Keats. I saw the DVD and my children were excited. They watched for the mail everyday. When the DVD came they ran upstairs to play it. We have all the books except for one on the DVD. They read his books over and over again. Since the DVD, they read them two and three times a day. The artwork makes it so real for them. I am really glad I purchased the DVD, only which I saw it in the begining of the school year when they starting reading his books. They love his books.

A Classic Children's Collection
Ezra Jack Keats writes wonderful stories for ALL children (and grownups who love children). I bought the collection for my granddaughter and even before she saw the video, she was thrilled to pieces to have the DVD because she had "Snowy Day" in her book collection. After I watched "Snowy Day" with her, she was told by her Dad that she had to come eat. She was devastated. She wanted to watch "Whistle for Willie" and everything else on the menu. I was very sad to have to back up her Daddy's orders because I knew how badly she felt, and I wanted to watch the others too!! Thank you, Ezra Jack Keats, for wonderful stories.

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Escape to Witch Mountain Special Edition

Escape to Your Childhood!
Growing up as a child in the 1970's I remember watching THE WONDERFUL WORLD OF DISNEY every Sunday evening at 7pm. I of course enjoyed the cartoons but also enjoyed the many live action Dinsey movies such as THE SHAGGY DOG, THE SHAGGY D.A., POLLYANNA, THE WHIZ KIDS movies and of course the WITCH MOUNTAIN movies. I remember looking forward to ESCAPE TO WITCH MOUNTAIN and would make it a point to never miss this movie when it aired.

The story is about a brother and sister, Tony & Tia, who along with their alien family tried to migrate to Earth but crashed upon arriving. Tony and Tia then try to locate their family with the assistance of a widower while trying to avoid a rich villan who wants to use the kids Extra Sensory Powers (ESP) to further his greedy goals. As a child I actually found this movie to be very scary. I actually feared for Tony and Tia. Now as an adult it has lost the scary aspect. That comes with age I guess. It is still a good watch though...

Universal Themes Make for Timeless Appeal
To coincide with the new Witch Mountain film being released to theaters, Disney is re-releasing "Escape to Witch Mountain" (1975) as a special edition loaded with well-done extras.

The story is about Tony (Ike Eisenmann) and his younger sister, Tia (Kim Richards), two orphans who have recently lost their foster parents as well. While getting used to their new home, an orphanage (run by Disney favorite Reta Shaw), the children draw the attention of an attorney, Lucas Deranian (Donald Pleasence), whose life is saved because of the children's esp powers. Deranian's boss, Aristotle Bolt (Ray Milland) is an evil (and wealthy man) fascinated with paranormal powers. He pretends to be the children's uncle so that he can take custody of them and use them for his own gain. Meanwhile, Tia's star case (a metal purse) reveals a map to Witch Mountain, providing clues to their origins. Once Tony & Tia discover Bolt's plot to exploit them, they escape his mansion and with the help of a...

Superb and timeless.
I like Escape To Witch Mountain better than any other Disney film. It's probably in the top 5 best kid-movies ever made for that matter. I'm now 36, but was 7 when I first saw it. I probably had a crush on Kim Richards back then but I clearly remember seeing the movie at the theater and loving it.

Looking at the dvd now.. the direction by John Hough is crisp and the effects, though not digital, have loads of SOUL, creativity and charm. When a car full of bad guys wrecks.. the fact that they show the 4 occupants safely getting out of the car is a nice touch (after all kids are watching this).. and that (and lots of other things in this movie) speak to the innocence that still actually existed for those of us lucky to be kids in the 1970s... there was still a common-respect in large parts of society.. kids could be kids .. and all the in-your-face junk that permeates much of the world of kids today was years away...

Back on the subject at hand...I watched the DVD (which is nicely...

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Ghost Hunters: Season 4, Part 2

Interesting.....in a hokey sort of way....[insert loud music here]
Ghost Hunters is a was a good show, but it is saddled with loud horrible music. The music [insert loud keyboard sound here] drowns out anything the viewer might hear. The music also incorporates odd sounds so if you COULD hear something, you can't tell if it's the ghost sounds or the music [insert loud "bang" here]. I personally do not need the music[fade the music here]. In fact, I get frustrated, not scared because of the music [insert more insidental music here]. One thing that "Most Haunted" and "Paranormal State" do is use the music in the history portions of thier shows and keep it to a minimum to none on the actual ghost part so you can hear with the crew what is going on. With "Ghost Hunters" the music tends to make the viewer feel as if they are really not to be included on the hunt that you, the viewer are an outsider looking in on the clique as they hunt and you will find out when they are good and ready to let you in on the haunting. That's a cheat to the fan, really. On...

great season, but...
This is a great DVD if you're a fan of the show, but I found the music to be too much of a distraction. It made it hard to hear the actual sounds and voices. I wish they'd forget about adding scary music and just go with what is actually being heard and happening at the time of filming.

GOOFY FUN
For those of you who don't know, the founders of this ghost hunters group are plumbers by day and paranormal investigators by night. Even though this sounds funny, they are quite serious about their ghost hunting and their day job has helped them to debunk, more than often than not, claims of ghostly invasions. That being said, this TV series is, to me anyhow, a lot of entertaining fun. Once in awhile it is genuinely creepy. I watch for the great locations and the interaction of the crew with each other. Two of my favorites are Steve and Tango. Steve has phobias about spiders, flying, and just about anything you can imagine....except ghosts. Tango on the other hand will enter into a dark crawl space that squirms with insects...or even might eat one, if the money that Steve offers is right. Personally I think Tango sells himself cheap but this is the kind of stuff that makes this show fun. They have investigated famous lighthouses, inns, ships in previous shows and in this...

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The Venture Bros.: Season Three

The hippest show on TV
The Venture Bros. is without a doubt my favorite TV show, and has been for a while. There is so much to enjoy about this show it's hard to know where to start. The writers (Jackson Publick and Doc Hammer, also the voices of many of the characters) have taken the Jonny Quest concept and warped it beyond recognition into a tremendously enjoyable viewing experience. One thing I love about this show is Doc and Jackson's absolute refusal to dumb down the material in any way, shape or form. If you don't get a joke or a reference, you just have to rewind the DVD and watch again, or go online, or watch earlier shows (shows often refer back to tiny details in past shows, which you're expected to just know). Sometimes the jokes come from so far out of left field I end up shaking my head in amazement, as with an episode where two Men In Black-style government agents identify themselves as lepidopterists (as opposed to philatelists -- it'll make sense in context). Season 3 offers the same...

More than Expected
While you might expect a lot of laughs and a great time while watching Season 3, you might NOT expect the level of F-bombs, S-bombs, and full-frontal nudity included in the home version. This is as uncensored as it gets.

Having said that, this is a must-own set. The show truly hit its stride in Season 3, and the Blu-ray release does not disappoint. No stretched images, everything is crystal clear, and there's a Dolby True-HD soundtrack (curiously not mentioned on the box art specs). The entire season of the Blu-ray version is on a single disc, so you can sit back and watch the whole thing without changing discs.

The bonus CD soundtrack is excellent too.

Go Team Venture
The third season of The Venture Brothers is a big departure from the earlier seasons, and so too, this DVD set. It is pared down, including just the episodes (with/without commentary) and a few deleted scene storyboards. I was a little disappointed that there are no behind the scenes or interview bonus features as there are on the season one and two DVDs.

But that is not to say that I don't enjoy the set: as always, the packaging is hilarious in all its retro details and artwork (this season features an Atari theme).

All in all, I would welcome more bonuses, but the show is so good by itself, I hardly need more than that.

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Hallmark Movie Pack, Vol. 1

Bargain deal on Hallmark collection.
This is a really good idea, it has 6 movies that are sold separately. They are movies that have been shown on Hallmark specials on broadcast TV, or on the Hallmark Channel. The 6 movies are: THICKER THAN WATER; ORDINARY MIRACLES; THE COLT; FIELDER'S CHOICE; A CHRISTMAS VISITOR; ANGEL IN THE FAMILY > these movies are fun, family friendly, and quality productions.

The names of movies are on here rate 5 stars
thanks to the next reviewer here are the 6 names of movies
The 6 movies are: THICKER THAN WATER; ORDINARY MIRACLES; THE COLT; FIELDER'S CHOICE; A CHRISTMAS VISITOR; ANGEL IN THE FAMILY >

all fine movies
chfancier" fancier of fine movies"

Two great movies for the price
Both of these movies are worth owning. If you like the hallmark movies, these are true to form for them. I love Lindsey Wagner anyway. Good family movies for the kids to watch and enjoy and of course, they have great messages of family values.

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Samantha Brown's Passport to Great Weekends: Collection 1

Sunshine in a Bottle
She's back! The lovable, witty, and energetic Samantha Brown returns in a fun, adventurous trek around the world in "Season one: Passport to Great Weekends."

Brown's personality is nothing if not lovely and zany and out of control. Her zest for life and that smile! are what drive this collection of trips around the globe to the tip of the peak. In season one, the world's most favorite travel guide host invites us to beautiful locales that one cannot pass up--and you do not even have to leave your sofa. But these videos would not be as fun as they are without experiencing at least one of the cities recommended here.

Brown takes us to such places like Orlando, Florida, where the heat is not the only thing that sizzles in the air. Did you see that wine taster?

In San Francisco, Brown helps the viewer find inexpensive ways to enjoy the City by the Bay, and one of the most beautiful cities in the country.

In New Hampshire, Samantha returns home...

Fabulous!
Samantha Brown is fabulous and perfect. She always knows how to make you laugh. I can not wait for the rest of her stuff to come out on DVD. I have One iPod already full of her and I had to buy another for music! She is definitely a must watch! One of the best if not the best host you could ever have on a show.

Childish Sense of Humor
I have a big sense of humor but I can't enjoy her humor this time. this DVD, she has a sense of humor like a 6 year old boy.
Like she said in Austin that she has bats coming out of her butt and she stood in a way that it did look like that! This does not belong in a travel show.
Sure, humor is great, but this was very childish. I'll stick to Rick Steves thank you!

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RV Education 101: Drive Your Motorhome Like a Pro

Have an RV? buy this DVD.
This is a wonderful DVD to help you become aware of the
how and why of driving your RV.

I though this might help me park a little better and more
accurately, but this DVD was much more.

Really, if you're driving a 20 ton vehicle that costs as
much as a house, you should really know something about it.

Glad I bought this disc
My wife and I would love to drive a motorhome, but are hesitant about driving something so big. This disc is very helpful in showing that the average person can do it, and do it safely.

No substitute for behind-the-wheel training, of course, but I'm glad I bought it.

I disagree with the reviewer who said this is just a promotion for other products. There are 3 or 4 *quick* mentions of other products in this hour-long disc, but it's no big deal.

MAde me more comfortable with my Motorhome
Just upgraded from a travel trailer to a 35' motorhome and while I used my trailer extensively driving the motorhome is a very different experience. The tips for operating the motorhome safely and enjoying the experience are invaluable

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Howard the Duck

The 80's film that all is required to hate, apparently, but still has a special edition dvd!
This is a review for the 2009 American dvd special edition release.

This is one of the most well known, whether you've seen it or not, films of all time. 23 Years ago George Lucas was one of the hottest producer/writer/directors in Hollywood thanks to his involvement with the original Star Wars trilogy and Indiana Jones. Everything he touched turned to gold. He started his own sound and effects companies that revolutionised the business and the method in which films are made, and he still does that today. Then came the infamous Howard The Duck. Even when it was announced some were unsure why Lucas would gravitate to such an offbeat concept(originally an equally offbeat and satirical Marvel comic). Then, the reports of the budget and reshoots(which thanks to this edition, you find out was due to the limitations of the original Howard puppet) had the skeptics reeling even more. Every writer would make sure to note the huge budget of the film, as if it was relevant to...

Just to counter all the negative reviews...the Duck is what it is.
I understand why someone who is looking for a great film would be disappointed. Howard the Duck is no Saving Private Ryan or English Patient. Thankfully not all films are or we'd be really bored. What Howard The Duck IS is entertaining. It's a guy in a duck suit...so what? It's pretty funny and refreshingly enjoyable to watch. It is a well made B-movie...so if you look at it on that level then it's a lot of fun. And it's not helpful to compare the film which is aimed at a young audience to the comic which was very adult. Two different things entirely...really, if there were enough fans of the comic (and I'm one) then there would be a new, adult version of Howard. I don't see that happening. So enjoy the film for what it is. I hope the DVD does it justice.

All Hail Howard the Duck!!!
(...)Howard the Duck is all of this and more. I first saw this movie in theaters and loved it. Lea Thompson and the rest of her band The Cheery Bombs are sexy, and the theme song is real catchy!

The special effects are up to par with the technology at the time, and the comedy is right on the nose. I mean c'mon those Dark Overlords were pretty cool looking. Anyone who claims to hate this movie is obviously an 80's hater. (...) This film defines great 80's cinema and I could never understand the backlash. Many great movies have bombed at the theaters only to become favorite classics (the original Blues Brothers and It's a Wonderful Life come to mind).

(...)I will defend this movie until my dying day. Howard the Duck is a great movie from the greatest decade of the 20th Century. Hail Howard!!!

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Wonder Woman 2009 (Two-Disc Special Edition)

Wondering About Wonder Woman?
Warner Bros. Premiere have been putting out DC Universe animated features revolving around the Detective Comics characters. First came Superman: Doomsday based on the record selling comic book story in which Superman is actually killed, second came Justice League: The New Frontier based on award winning graphic novel's about the earliest beginnings of the Justice League, then Batman: Gotham Knight was animated with strong anime influence and told several stories set between the two latest live action films (Batman Begins and The Dark Knight). Now we can finally experience the animated DC Universe depiction of Wonder Woman's origin.

The plot is about the amazon princess Diana, on the secluded Island Themyscira, first meeting Steve Trevor, a pilot who crash lands on the island of no men. After fighting in a tournament against fellow competing amazons for the right to escort Trevor back to 'man's world' Diana dons the Wonder Woman outfit for her first time and heads on her...

Both pleasing and problematic.
Created in 1941 by American scientist William Marston (with assists from his wife Elizabeth and their polyamourous lover Olive Byrne), Diana of Themyscira, Wonder Woman, has become one of the most famous heroes in comics. She is usually counted among the "Big Three" of DC, her owners, alongside Superman and Batman. This is, however, illusory in many respects; the character has never received even a fraction of the popular or creator attention of her alleged compeers (having, for example, to settle for a supporting role in Bruce Timm's own DC Animated Universe when the others got series of their own). This is the first new solo Wonder Woman project in any medium apart from comics in more than thirty years.

As mentioned, Timm and co. have worked with the character before, on "Justice League Unlimited", an exercise which was frankly a disastrous adaptation of the character. Stripped of her personality and most of the important parts of her origin, with her villains and...

5 Stars On Blue Spandex
This straight to DVD feature is the fourth in DC Universe/Warner Premiere's new line of animated features. They have released Superman: Doomsday, Justice League: New Frontier and Batman: Gotham Knight. Now we can experience Wonder Woman, a feature that finally gives DC's third biggest icon the attention and, for the most part, the portrayal she deserves.

The plot is an origin story about the amazon princess Diana and how a crash landed pilot named Steve Trevor and a run in with God Of War Ares finds her coming of age while proving herself to her mother and fellow amazons and becoming the Wonder Woman we all know and love. The story is well enough written, working hard to serve the spectacularly animated battle scenes. My only issue is that it doesn't serve the character's as much as it could and certain key moments end up getting brushed over as a result. Despite these issues and some weak plot points it is still entertaining and action packed from beginning to very end,...

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South Park: The Complete Twelfth Season

South Park Season 12 On DVD
I was in fourth grade when south park came out back in 1997, now here we are heading into 2009 and the creator's of the show Matt Stone and Trey Parker are still coming up with stories based in immature humor but paired with intelligent and witty story premises very relevant to today's pop culture. The twelfth season contains the following fourteen classic episodes as well as some special features that previous sets have been lacking.

Britney's New Look - Rather than mock the mess Britney Spears was, this episode mocks those of us who put her there and those trying to take her place.

Tonsil Trouble - Cartman ends up with aids, and he's hiv positive that he wants to find a cure.

Major Boobage- Kenny gets high off cat urine and lives the 'heavy metal' lifestyle.

Canada Goes On Strike- I'm canadian and love that they used us to mock the writer's strike of last year.

Eek, A Penis!- Mrs. Garrison comes full circle. Or is that Mr...

"Eek!!!"
I've said it before and I'll say it again: after twelve seasons, you'd figure that an animated comedy would have gone stale (I'm looking at you Simpsons, no I'm not afraid to say it). With South Park though, you'd be wrong. The twelfth season of Comedy Central's bread & butter series finds Stan, Kyle, Cartman, Kenny, and the rest of the town's citizens in more insane situations. "Britney's New Look" finds creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker putting their own spin on the train wreck that is Britney Spears, and also has no shame in pointing the finger at who helped make her who she is today, all the while having some insane fun doing it as the boys attempt to help her out. "Tonsil Trouble" gives Cartman a taste of his own medicine, "Major Boobage" finds Kenny with a strange drug problem while paying tribute to the animated classic Heavy Metal (right down to the animation style), and "Eek, a Penis!" finds Mrs. Garrison wishing to be a man again (and features one of the most hilarious...

Mix bag that starts slow but pulls up at the end
It's easy to write satire. It's difficult to write funny satire. Disc 1 with 5 episodes was not particularly funny. There was satire (Canada on strike spoofing the Writer's strike), social commentary (the role of the paparazzi in chasing stories of train wreck celebs, like Britney), but nothing that was laugh inducing. Perhaps the issues were just sad and sometimes stupidity just makes one angry.

It's not til disk two that I begin to find myself smiling and occasionally chuckling over scenes/dialogs in "Super Phun Thyme" and "The Breast Cancer Show Ever".

Then disc 3 with Pandemic I & II about Peruvian pan flute bands and their links to giant destructive Guinea Pigs, the aftermath of the Presidential election amd why Obama and McCain really wants to get into the White House manages to come together for some laugh out loud comedy. The last two episodes skewers the fads of "High School Musical 3", and "Twilight" while at the same time making some pointed...

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Private (Italian Version)

What a Gem
Tinto Brass presents 5 short stories and each one gets hotter. Each one has a different story line and location but definitly knows how to keep your interest. The last story in addition to blowing my mind with the beauty of the girl, has a twist at the end. The girl is super hot and the background music from the store dressing room stayed with me a long time. One of Tinto's best!

Not quite so critical!
I am really not that critical. Either I find a DVD entertaining, or I do not. So, I have to disagree with the previous reviewer; I found Private to be quite entertaining.

Now, granted there was no plot development, or even character development. I can only assume the previous reviewer was not familar with the Tinto Brass genre. There is no prentension of a stellar acting performance and/or a script that would evoke critical thought. Tinto Brass' movies are sexually laced, and by design whimsical. Within minutes after the introduction end you can expect to see a nude female in a risque scene, which is typical of a Tinto Brass movie. That is exactly what I was expecting from Private, and that is exactly what I received.

I was a bit perturbed by the previous reviewer comment that the characters resembled residents of a homeless shelter. I thought it was in poor taste to imply that the unfortunately downtrodden homeless are also unattractive. The...

Fantastic!
Sensual, fun, and very erotic. Brass went a bit more over the top in this one...well worth seeing for those who love comedy and great nude shots of beautiful women.

That negative reviewer must be blind.

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Richard Petty - 7 Wins at the Daytona 500

Great DVD
This DVD is excellent. the old footage of the race was cool. My husband and his dad love it.

Richard Petty race car fans !
If anyone enjoys watching a car race then this is the DVD for you ! Plenty of excitment and joy !

Richard Petty 7 Wins at the Daytona 500
This a must have for Richard Petty fans. I have been a fan for over 41 years and most of the earlier wins I was unable to see. This has the actual TV broadcasts of his wins at Daytona and the trip down memory lane is priceless.

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The Three Stooges Collection, Vol. 5: 1946-1948

COMETH THE SHEMP
There was only one Curly, of course - but the vastly underrated Shemp Howard was surely the next best thing, and a class act all the way. Not many fans know that Shemp took a 50% salary cut from his successful solo career to help out his kid brother, Moe. He'd been earning twice as much for years as a busy freelance character actor, in memorable cameo bits supporting W.C. Fields, Abbott & Costello, Olsen & Johnson - and just about everyone else in Hollywood. (And frankly, having a much easier go of it. Unfortunately for posterity, the 52 year-old Shemp was already past his prime as a knockabout comic by the time he gamely returned to the team in 1947.)

But game he was, luckily for us. Shemp was blessed with an unforgettable, once-in-a-lifetime face that was a gift from the comedy gods. Displaying the seasoned comic instincts of a veteran clown, Shemp came equipped with a wonderful natural delivery, perfect ensemble timing, and a hilarious arsenal of quirky sounds, twitches...

A beginning and an end
While this collection of shorts fails to measure up to the ones that preceded them, this is an important point in the career of The Three Stooges.

The shorts on this volume represent the height of Curly's sad demise - by 1946, he was very ill and ultimately never returned to the act on a full-time basis after suffering a stroke during the filming of Half Wits Holiday. These final Curly shorts are among the worst of his Stooge years but for very understandable reasons. He had a brief cameo in 1947's Hold That Lion, which is featured on this set.

When Curly couldn't continue as a member of the team, Shemp returned and would stay with them until his own death in 1955. Shemp is criminally underrated by the average fan. He wasn't Curly, but Shemp was a very gifted comic in his own right. Curly and Shemp were two very different comics but both excelled at their type of comedy. Give Shemp a shot.

Shemp; The return of the original third stooge
Most people don't realize that Shemp Howard (Moe's older brother)was the "first" third stooge with Moe & Larry. He quit to strike out on his own right before the Stooges started making their famous short films.

Moe then got his younger brother Jerome to join them. He shaved his head and called himself Curly. He spoke in a high falsetto voice because his normal voice sounded too much like Moe.

Curly frequently forgot his lines and that's where his famous "woo woo woo" came from. He would blurt that out when he forgot his lines and then ad lib it!

While not as funny as Shemp's "ee bee bee bee", it still made him famous.

After Curly's demise, Moe called up Shemp and he returned. His style of humor was legendary. He had done some work with Abbott and Costello. He was so much funnier than them that Costello saw to it that most of Shemp's work ended up on the cutting room floor.

Curly did a nice job filling in for Shemp but it was great...

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JAG: Judge Advocate General- The Eighth Season

NCIS/JAG Episodes
Season Eight was when two episodes (Ice Queen 8-20 and Meltdown 8-21) included the soon-to-be spun-off NCIS staff. Gibbs, Ducky, Abby and Tony in addition to Director Morrow (seasons one and two). There were also two special agents who did not make the NCIS series.

A bit of trivia, Patrick Labyorteaux and Mark Harmon both starred in Summer School in 1987. A classic film that can be enjoyed by all.

Jag- Best of the Best
I was lucky enough to catch the first few episodes of Jag was became totally hooked. The depth of the characters
and their interaction was fanomominal! ! !If any network
wanted to cash in they should try to put this show back
together with the original characters. I watched every episode and never got enough. It would be great to see
Harm & Mac finally married & carry it on from there. The subtle looks, body language & total loyality of the cast to each other was awesomely done and very realistic. I loved every episode for a different reason. It was the
"BEST OF THE BEST' when it comes to T.V. shows.

J.A.G.
As a retired personnel from the Navy, I find the show to be very true.
From the salutes to action onboard Naval warships, it was almost being back in the Navy.
I did not watch the show while on TV but I watch/record reruns on USA network at 0800, Mon-Fri...I first saw the show on USA 2 yrs ago and was caught hook, line and sinker ever since...You can also see reruns on the Sleuth channel early an mid mornings.
Great show, I have Seasons 1-7 and will pickup Season 8 when it becomes available.

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WWE: No Way Out 2009

Average 1st Hour, Solid 2nd Hour, Excellent 3rd Hour
"No Way Out 2009" can divided up into its three individual hours.
The first one features the "SmackDown" Elimination Chamber Match
The second hour includes a No Holds Barred Match and an ECW Title contest.
The third hour has an HBK/JBL grudge match and the "RAW" Elimination Chamber Match.

I'll give you the short version first:
---HOUR #1
I think the "SmackDown" Elimination Chamber Match for the WWE Championship is solid overall, but really drags in a few spots.

---HOUR #2
I liked all three matches that occurred at this point: The No Holds Barred Match (Randy Orton v. Shane McMahon), ECW Title Match (Jack Swagger v. Finlay), and the JBL/HBK All-or-Nothing contest.

---HOUR #3
The main event was one of my favorite matches of the year ("RAW" Elimination Chamber Match for the World Heavyweight Championship).

Bottom line - This DVD is well worth a purchase...

A Phenomenal PPV
OK, now recently I've fallen out of love with WWE. Over the years I've just become bored of wrestling as a whole and really haven't had my interests enlightened by the product until this PPV and the build up to it. Well this pay per view was just immense and easily the best way to start 2009.

WWE Championship - Triple H vs Jeff Hardy vs Edge (C) vs Vladimir Koslov vs Big Show vs The Undertaker - Smackdown Elimination Chamber: What a way to open a PPV with some of the biggest stars in the business fighting for one of the most prestigious prizes in the company. A great opener that the crowd seemed to appreciate.

Rany Orton vs Shane McMahon - No Holds Barred: The show stealing match of the night that did everything we expected. Shane's return to the ring in years was bound to be heart stopping and having Randy Orton in the mix, it was undoubtful this would be remembered for years to come.

ECW Championship - Jack Swagger (C) vs. Finlay: No Comment. The ECW...

It had the less predictable Chamber matches
WWE Championship Elimination Chamber: Jeff Hardy and Edge start things, go at it for awhile and Edge is eliminated after he goes for the Spear and is rolled up by Hardy. Koslov then comes in and dominates Hardy for awhile. Big show then comes in.

Then Triple H and then the Undertaker. Taker eliminates Kozlov with a Last Ride of the turnbuckle. HHH hits a Pedigree on Show and Hardy then hits a Swanton Bomb on Show and HHH covers him to eliminate the Big Show. Hardy, HHH and the Undertaker are then the last 3 men. Hardy gets tombstoned though, leaving Undertaker and HHH. Taker hits a Tombstone on HHH but HHH gets his foot on the rope. HHH then hits the Pedigree but Taker kicks out. Triple eventually reverses the Last Ride into a Pedigree for the win.

I would be impressed by Triple H now being a 13 time World champ if he wasn't greedy as hell. I mean Hardy only got to be champ for a month so HHH can go on to push himself to the title once again. The title has...

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Gustafer Yellowgold's Mellow Fever

Took time to grow on me, but now I love it
I admit, I bought this for two reasons: 1) the cover - I liked it. 2) because Gustafer lives in Minnesota, where my partner grew up and her family is from. Not a lot of Minnesota in the media. I saw it in a store, so I didn't read any reviews or description. I just bought it on the spur of the moment. When I brought it home, I popped it in the DVD player, and, well, I found myself sort of disappointed.

It was nice enough, but all of the songs sort of sounded alike. And the "music videos" were VERY laid back. There's not much true animation to them. Most of it shows still pictures where the characters move from one part of the frame to the next in a still picture jump. I'm not sure if that makes sense. It's like, Gustafer is in the upper right hand corner. Then the image changes a few seconds later, and he's in the center. Another few seconds, and he appears in the left hand side of the shot. The other type of motion that is prevalent is the camera panning over...

Lovely and charming
I saw them perform this album live. My 3-year old loved it. My 9 year old son, thought it was "OK".

The DVD is lovely and has great pacing for the pre-K and K kids. I really like the alt/soft-rock style, but even if you don't, it won't grate on your ears like almost all kids music does.

And as a small bonus, you don't have to worry about having to buy cereals, snacks, toys, and backpacks with these characters on them the next time you're at target.

Ingenious!
This is simply the best children's project I've seen. Our whole family loves it.

Am so astounded by the DVD's beauty and charm ... and was blown away by the songs' orchestral arrangements and the "leftoverture" at the end of the DVD, which sort of recapitulates/quotes all of its excellent, inventive melodies from start to finish. ''

Also the illustrations are really, really excellent -- witty, well-wrought, and handmade. Not LIKE Schoolhouse Rock, but of that quality.

''Gustafer Yellowgold is just better than a lot of the kids stuff, both corporate and indie: more heartfelt, and appealingly odd in a way kids get. I think it will eventually be considered a classic kids' project like Where The Sidewalk Ends, or Yellow Submarine, or The Point.

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Growing Green Babies

Helpful pointers
There were lots of helpful pointers in this DVD. If you're trying to find easy ways to "go green" with your baby and your family, I recommend this DVD.

Good information, some is outdated.
Growing Green Babies did have a lot of great information and I would recommend this to any mother that is concerned with her newborn baby's well being. It talked a lot about formaldehyde in baby furniture made with particle board, wooden toys, the importance of organic foods (and which conventional foods you can get away with buying and eating) as well as non-toxic cleaning and the importance of organic cotton in baby clothing. I did notice that the video touched on playing classical music to your belly, and as a psychology student I know that the Mozart effect has since been disproved. That was the only inaccuracy that I found in the video. I am glad that I did purchase this movie, as I am now 1000 times more afraid to buy anything non-organic for my baby. It is amazing what harmful products corporations get away with selling.

Lots of great information
My husband and I bought this DVD when we found out we were expecting our first. There is a lot of great information in this DVD. They talk about everything from nutrition to preparing the home for baby. Both my husband and I found the DVD helpful. We are even thinking about passing it along to our parents to help them understand some of our choices. For example, limiting plastic toys in our home due to the harmful chemicals they may contain. Sometimes information comes best from a third party!

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The Very Best of Dog Whisperer with Cesar Millan

HUGE TRAINING HELP
Even thought I have had dogs all my life, this video has shown me that I am causing many of my dogs' behavior problems in public. I had seen several of his shows, but this tape really struck home with me. I can now answer our front door without my visitors being barked at and jumped on.DVD is 108 minutes of some of the best cases so it can easily be watched in one viewing.

It works!
Prior to knowing about Cesar Millan, I adopted a dog with a troubled past. It was necessary to go to a specialized trainer because the dog had some behavior concerns. We worked hard and now 5 years later i have a great dog who brings a lot of happiness to my life. When I watch Millan's videos I am struck by the fact that he teaches the same techniques & philosophy I learned those 5 years ago and THEY WORK!!!
Structure and balance in my relationship with the dog were key.
Calm-assertive mentality is very important.

Dog Problems Solved
Cesar is the master of helping people learn to relate to their dogs. My neighbors all think my puppy is amazingly well trained, but Cesar makes it simple - his methods and a little patience are all it takes.

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Bakugan, Vols. 1-3

Son loves it
My son was saying (now 3) Bakugon before any of us ever heard of it, he was the first to fall in love with it. Although, it took us about a month to figure out what he was saying (whats Ba-U-On?). He isn't the type to get hooked on cartoons and is easily board of the same one, but we have watched Bakugan many times and he still enjoys it at times. Bakugon is a card game where the kids throw down gate cards and activate Dragons (or other beings) and have them brawl. The loser loses their Bakugon for the rest of the game, until a bad player comes along and sends the Bakugons to the Doom Dimension (remember the glass/realm superman was sent too?) forever.

Great gift for a boy!
I got this DVD as a birthday gift for my son's Bakugan theme party. He loves it so much that he's been watching it day and night. Product arrived quickly and in perfect condition.

Six year old loves this!
This was a birthday gift for my grandson! He seems to love it. It was a great gift for a little boy!

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