Chonda Pierce Did I Say That Out Loud?

LOL good & obviously aimed for the girls
A MAN REVIEWING CHONDA PIERCE FIRST. Saints preserve us! Chonda will be man-bashing me in her next stand-up routine, for being the 1st Amazon reviewer of "Did I Say That Out Loud?" This DVD was my wife's gift from her girl-friend, and I watched too. Have to admit she had me laughing-out-loud at times, snickering more, also smiling, and catching a few of her man-shots aimed at the gents because most of her live audience was the girls-of all ages.

Chonda is a Christian Phyllis Diller. She makes fun of herself, a fast-paced self-bashing comedienne who often laughs along with her audience, like the late Red Skelton. Leave it to a man to compare Chonda to a male. Sorry girls. She loves to use the line "In't tha-at pree-cious?" No topic is sacred while performing at World Outreach Church, Murfreesburo, TN, her claimed hometown.

Her stand-up routine is followed with a question & answer session proving her impromptu comedy is at peak performance. Then, by audience...

Love, Love, Love
I was a little nervous since on ordering this since I had a partial act of Chondra's while channel surfing and stopping on a religous channel. She cracked me up and had the preacher wide eyed on the parts I did catch. On ordering the DVD, she had some new material and was still hilarious. I showed this to my christian friend and jewish friend and bot were rolling off the coach with laughter. At the end, they both thanked me for sharing the DVD with them.

Funny Girl
Chonda is funny. It is a blessing to see her with so much sadness in her history to be able to keep a sense of humor and praise the Lord every chance she gets.

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Drury Outdoors Longbeard Madness 15

The Best Long Beard Madness yet!
The Drury's best turkey hunting video by far! All the hunts are up close and personal and the bow hunts are stellar!

Drury - Longbeard 15 DVD
Too much music in background. Been hunting a lot of times, but never heard music.



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Kourtney & Khloe Take Miami

Good DVD Release
Kourtney & Khloe Take Miami Season One DVD features all 8 episodes of the first season. Every episode is on the first disc along with the special features. It includes deleted scenes and bonus interviews. Also, it includes the extended version of the first episode that only aired once. The second disc features Keeping Up With The Kardashians: The Wedding special along with deleted scenes from the episode. Promos for Keeping Up With The Kardashians seasons 1 and 2 are on the DVD before the menu. The DVD also includes an ad inside for the second season along with an episode list with summaries of each episode. The only bad things about this release is that it is censored and the theme song is changed. It features just instrumental music instead of "I'm In Miami Trick". Overall, it is a good DVD release, but could be improved.

GOOD DVDS
This A great dvd it includes all eight epidodes plus the hour and a half movie,it has two discs.
i have been a fan of them since 2008 they are very entertaining and fun
Great quality,except they are the same cheap cases so yoou may wanna have a backup case if you dont like the one included,but i bought when it first came out at a very good price reccomend it to any fan of Kardashians or collector

What Can I Say, I LOVE The Kardashians!
I can't keep up with them and I can't take Miami, but I can live vicariously through them by watching their shows :-)

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Gnomes & Trolls

Gnomes & Trolls
This review is based on how much my grandson enjoyed the movie, which makes sense, because it is a movie for children. He is 5 years old and I came across it on our tv's pay-per-view. As soon as he got a glimpse of it, he went on about how "this is the movie I wanted to see." Don't know where he saw it, but well, he watched it OVER and OVER again. I had to "buy" the movie 3 times. Don't know if you know how it works, but when you "buy" a movie on tv, you can watch it for 24 hours. Okay, so the last time he watched it (lastnight), I watched his facial expressions, and he was smiling and laughing, and even after having watched it so many times, he still enjoyed it. As soon as he came home from school yesterday, he asked to see it again. That's why I decided that I needed to buy it, because it wasn't going to be in pay-per-view forever. For little boys, I'm sure they will love it!

A Fairly Lackluster CGI Affair
Let me start out this review with a very important disclosure: Gnomes and Trolls doesn't do anything wrong; so much as it simply doesn't bring anything memorable to the equation. I open with what should, by all facts and circumstances, should be the conclusion of this report because you are surely perusing reviews so as to determine if this film is worth your (and maybe your family's) time. In that line of thinking you can certainly do worse than to pick this DVD up (especially if you're going to rent it) but it should be said that you could do much better as well. That said, let's take a look at the facts shall we?

Gnomes & Trolls is actually a Swedish film that came out back in 2009 called Gnomes and Trolls: The Secret Chamber. It was then brought over to the Region 1 market in 2010. Here it gets a little bit confusing because right as The Secret Chamber was coming out over here, a sequel was released in Sweden called the Gnomes and Trolls: The Forest Trial. Don't...

Lifeless
A pretty dull affair. We watched it with our 5 year old boy and he did not have the reaction of the boy mentioned in the other review. Not sure why but there is something seriously lacking in this movie. The animation is sub-par by today's standards and the character's vague and unsympathetic. Not very well done.

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Garfield (The Movie / Tale of Two Kitties (Double Feature)

Fun
A bit hit in My house :)And 2 movies in one pack is always a high priority :) Loved it.

Garfield
Garfield : The Movie is a little more violent then Garfield: Tale of Two Kitties. It was bought for a 2 year old who is crazy about Garfield. She loves Tale of Two Kitties, but became upset over Odie's treatment in The Movie.

great value
my son loves both of these movies so I was really happy to find both of them together for a great price

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Soap : Season 2

SOAP - finally the trial gets resolved! SEASON TWO!
SOAP was amazing when it aired, and it still has a lot going for it. The slapstick scenes are impeccable, the comedy is brilliant and sharp, and the heartwrenching scenes are so well done! It's the story of two sisters and their respective families - Jessica Tate and Mary Campbell. In true soap opera form in this second season someone is convicted of murder wrongly, everyone seems to have an affair, several people have near nervous breakdowns, somebody gets kidnapped by aliens, impossible love rears its head several times, and somebody forgets who they are! This doesn't even BEGIN to cover all that happens!

SOAP moved at lightning speed doing what most soap operas take years to develop. I watched it back in the days it was on, and I was afraid it would not hold up well. Guess what? It does! SOAP was funny because of the characters not topical discussions. Sure there are plenty of 70s touches - the costumes, the way the show looks, but it's still funny and moving. The ensemble was...

The best SOAP season FINALLY on DVD!
Most Soap fans will probably agree that the show's second season ranks as its best. Not only do we get the full cast returning from season one, but there's John Byner as lovestruck Detective Donahue, and Donnely Rhodes as Chester's partner-in-crime, Dutch. Billy Tate finally gets a chance to shine. And Chuck and Bob's "mindreading" act has to be one of the most inspired bits of nonsense ever dreamed up by the writers in 4 years of...well, inspired nonsense.

But...I don't want to give away too much. You just have to see for yourself the sidesplitting, often absurb moments...and the occasional heart-tugging ones. Robert Guillame picked up an Emmy. But my favorite actor, and character, is still Richard Mulligan's Burt Campbell.

Confused? You won't be, after watching the 20-minute featurette, "Creators Come Clean." Witness Soap creators Susan Harris, Tony Thomas, and the impossibly chatty Paul Witt wax nostalgic about casting the landmark...

even better than the first season!
The second season of SOAP picks up the story right after the cliffhanger ending of season one. Jessica Tate (Katherine Helmond) has been convicted of murdering Peter, and now is about to be sent to prison. But as we know, she is innocent. Her husband Chester (Robert Mandan) confesses his guilt and Jessica is a free woman.

This season has many many plots going at once (much more than season one which mainly focused on establishing the relationships and the dominating storyline of Peter's murder and the subsequent trial).

Chester's incarceration and escape from prison sets up the main story for season two. He hides out in the Tate cellar with fellow escapee Dutch (Donnelly Rhodes) who later becomes the unlikely love interest of Eunice (Jennifer Salt). Corrine's (Diana Canova) marriage to `fallen priest' Timothy Flotski ( Sal Viscuso) and Danny's (Ted Wass) marriage to Mob boss' daughter Elaine (Dinah Manoff) are the 2 big weddings of the season.

A...

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Soap : Season 1

NOTE - 4 Episodes are Edited - Inexcusable for DVD
As soon as this set came out, I posted below, enthusiastic about receiving complete, unedited episodes, even to the point of excusing the absence of extras.

I was wrong. As discussed by others below and on the Yahoo Soap Group, a comparison of the DVD episodes with the complete, unedited episodes on the Columbia House videotapes shows that 4 DVD episodes are edited:

Episode 2 - Edits out Jody singing "There's Nothing Like a Dame" and the tune the Godfather hums after Danny leaves the sauna.

Episodes 16 and 17 are the syndicated versions, each missing 2 and 1/2 minutes from the complete episodes.

Episode 19 deletes the "On the last episode on Soap" intro.

It should be noted that the company issuing Soap on DVD, Columbia TriStar, also puts out Sanford and Son on DVD, and that a second season DVD episode of Sanford and Son, "Blood is thicker than Junk" incredibly edits out 2 and 1/2 minutes which appear on the syndicated version.

All of this,...

Excellent Show That Deserves a Better DVD
What can I say about this groundbreaking hit TV show from 1977 that other reviewers haven't already said? This is an excellent, hilarious soap opera spoof that focuses on two familes whose only link is the matriachs, Jessica and Mary, two sisters. Well, Jessica is also sleeping with Mary's stepson, so I guess there are more links. Several funny storylines are woven together in this first season, culiminating with a classic murder mystery that stretches for twelve of the 25 episodes.

This is definitely a five star TV show, but the DVD production is severely lacking. Not only are a couple of episodes edited, as previously reported, but there are no extras to speak of (unless you count movie trailers). I can easily recommend this collection to purchase, just due to the excellent episodes of this series that you will get. However, Soap deserved more effort from Columbia House, and one can only hope they release season two with complete, unedited episodes. Knowing their history,...

Television's Landmark Comedy
At long last, "Soap" comes to DVD. An avid fan of the show since it originally aired in the 70's, I own the series on VHS but am estatic about the DVD release for a few reasons. Not only do I look forward to selecting which episodes to watch over and over again, ANY extras will just be icing on this delicious cake. But beyond that, having Season One on DVD means that there's a commitment to releasing future seasons of this quinti-sensational laugh-riot-of-a-comedy. Now I know what my friends are getting for Christmas this year!

Ruthlessly funny and irreverent, SOAP was like a breath of fresh air when it first made its network appearance 25 years ago. My best friend and I would literally watch each episode together - eithe rin person or on the phone, mostly to share the immediacy of the funniest gags we'd ever scene, but also to ensure one of us would remember all the lines the next day. With a cast of characters that quite honestly DEFINED the word CHARACTERS "Soap" ranks as...

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Ally McBeal: Season 2

The "Vonda what's her name's" show...
If you enjoy bad musicals, this may be the sitcom/dramedy for you. The loud vocals are pervasive, even during much of the characters' conversations. The only reason I can think of that this howling woman screeches throughout a wittily written series is that she is member of the cast or crew's relative. While the choice of songs is generally appropriate, for me the chosen vocalist ruins otherwise fondly remembered music and the volume of her shrieking often drowns out the clever dialogue. The "Vonda whatever her name is" show would be a more honest title.

The complete season 2!
The menus and navigating is a little awkward, but its the best we've got so I can't complain: I'm thrilled to see Ally again just as the episodes aired in good quality and with music in tact.

Don't worry if you don't have a Region 2 DVD Player: You can Use VLC Player to watch any Region DVDs on a PC or Mac set to any region. Google: VLC Media Player software, its a free download.

****UPDATE 11/2011:
It seems Amazon has once again combined many reviews on various formats of this DVD into one. The above review I did a few years ago was for the Region 2 version of Ally which was the only Ally McBeal Season 2 DVD that contained the original music. This new version of the DVD that Amazon has put my review on is for the new Region 1 US Canada version that finally has the original music.

quirky and funny
just love to watch it. some great laughs. One episode has Barry White performing. It's worth it just to see this one where he sings and they all do the famous Cage dance.

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Soap : Season 4

Shabby presentation of a classic
While it's true the once-brilliant "Soap" suffers major, terminal creative problems in its fourth and final season (why is Burt suddenly the sanest member of the family?), it bests practically every comedy on the air today with its daring mix of comedy, drama, romance, suspense, and pathos. Season Four offers up plenty of memorable TV moments, if fewer than the previous three seasons, including Burt's crisis of faith, El Puerco and his Juans' hilarious introduction to the family, Chester's touching and too-late realization that he loves Jessica, Dutch and Eunice's tacky wedding, and Mary's struggle to maintain her sanity amidst some veritable insanity. No show today even comes close to "Soap" even in this, its weakest season.

What Sony has done to the fourth season is appalling and a mystery. While its presentations of Seasons One through Three were technically unremarkable, much of that due to so-so source materials, at least the episodes remained intact and were...

What a disappointment
I have to admit, I was very disappointed in this installment of Soap DVDs. Granted, I didn't expect extras, since they didn't really do any after season 1, but it seems like they could have tried harder for the last one.

Granted, it's been 25 years since they first aired, but I don't remember them dropping the "In the last episode of Soap..." openings in the 4th season, but they only include that on the season's first episode.

Also, I know they were probably filmed as half-hours, but the last portion of the season orginally aired in hour blocks and it seems they should have presented them that way on the DVD.

I was already annoyed that seasons 2 and 3 didn't include the retrospectives that they aired before each new season started. especially season 3's which also served as Benson's exit. However, leaving out the great season 4 one with Jessica in heaven telling everything to Bea Arthur is unforgiveable.

Since the last season was messed up...

These questions WON'T be answered in the next episode of Soap...
It's pretty much universally acknowledged that Soap's final season was not its best. I think a large part of the blame can be attributed to the additon of several new writers to the staff. The brilliant Susan Harris was still at the wheel, but must have lost some control over the other writers. Characters we've grown to know and love seem to have changed for the worse. Two of the best-loved ones (played by, arguably, the show's best comic actors), Jessica and Burt, suddenly became less sympathetic. And Danny Dallas was certainly never that bright, but he seems to have undergone a lobotomy by the fourth season. Dutch and Eunice became increasingly irritating, Billy and the Major were neglected; and of course the loss of Diana Canova as Corinne didn't help matters.

And let me join in the chorus of Soap fans unhappy with the DVD presentation of this, the FINAL Soap set we'll ever see. A retrospective segment would seem essential, considering the way the show ended. We...

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Rookie of the Year & Sandlot

What I wanted
It was exactly what I wanted. Was fast and easy and got here right on time. Bought it at a great price too.

Perfect gift for your baseball lover
We purchased this set for my 10 year old nephew who is just starting to play little league baseball. He loves the movies. Great price for 2 DVDs that you're happy to watch as a family!

lids difficult
lids are VERY difficult to get on "straight", sometimes taking six or seven "tries" to get them lined up with the jar threads and sealed properly--also are made of very flimsy plastic------yet another example of "YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR"

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Sci-Fi Collector's Set V.5

Who cut the cheese?
Only Lifepod was marginaly worth watching. If the other reviewer thought these films were great, then I WANT SOME OF WHAT HE'S SMOKING. You will grow old watching and waiting for these films to arrive...I would not recomend buying these films unless you are looking for something to put you to sleep.

Sci Fi movies with gret action.
This SCI FI collection, is far the best action in on pack of 4. Once you watch you will see robots that think, life on a pod with a serial killer and more.

I won't tell you the rest but if theirs action and explosions than a must to watch.

Double sided, with great colour.



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Soap : Season 3

Bubbly and entertaining improved over last 2 sets
Continuing to break new ground, Soap dived right into a number of new issues for this comedy series. The plot lines continued to be "out there" as Burt (Richard Mulligan) is abducted by aliens and tries to escape. On Earth Burt has been replaced by an alien who acts even stranger than before. The only one to notice is, of course, his wife Mary. Benson (Robert Guillaume who would soon star in his own spin-off playing his popular character) saves Billy (Jimmy Baio) from a cult and finally Jodie the first gay character portrayed positively on TV finds out he has a baby daughter from an affair Jodie had with a woman. In other words, all's wrong in the world of Soap which is exactly as it should be.

Improving on the first two sets Soap: The Complete Third Season looks positively robust by comparison to the first two sets. With better clarity, image quality, sharper and better color reproduction, this set shows that Columbia Tristar spend the bulk of the marketing funds to make...

Burt burt burt
Season three became even more loony then the second season and also more poignant. Absolutely hilarious storylines with Burt dominated the season for the highlights (anyone remember dancing alien Burt???) Richard Mulligan managed to show a fantastic range of human emotion when called upon to do so.

Billy Crystal's comedic escapades took a back seat this season to showcase his dramatic acting abilities. In this season, he went from being the comedian to a true comedic actor with serious acting chops tackling, for the day, the tough issue of gay parent rights... wait... isn't congress not supporting gay marriage???

Even racial undertones were tackled this season with Danny and Polly. As ever, inspired lunacy ensued in this wonderful season that became even more socially and politically charged while maintaining great comic foils. Who can forget Chester sobbing at the door after being kick out of the house "Please Please Jessica... BAW HAW HAW..." and Dutch...

Soap: Season Three
After starting off with two uproarious seasons, "Soap" continued to bring in the laughs with the third season. However after the first few episodes of season three, the show lost one of their main cast members. Robert Guillaume, who stole scene after scene in the first two seasons as Benson, left "Soap" to star in his own spin-off series titled (appropriately enough) "Benson". Certainly it was great to see Guillaume get his own show (and deservedly so), but in the process "Soap" lost a little of its comic touch without him. Nevertheless, the show for the most part continued to be very funny throughout season three. I just thought that the first two seasons were much funnier. Most of the other regular cast members returned, and two of the actors were honored with Emmy Awards for their work. Richard Mulligan and Cathryn Damon (as Burt and Mary Campbell) won lead acting Emmys in 1980 for their roles on the show. It was nice that "Soap" got a little bit of Emmy recognition in the four...

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Jade Warrior

Great Finnish Fantasy Movie
Jade Warrior, inspired by the myth and majesty of the Kalevala, tells the tale of a love-struck hero fighting against the restrictions of modern life and searching for love beyond time and place. In the course of his journey to be reunited with his love, he re-discovers his true origin, his skill as a warrior, and his unique destiny. Based on the Finnish national epic Kalevala, the film traverses modern day Finland and ancient China, where the battle against evil is underway. It's an epic love story about the battle between good and evil. It's a great combination of fantasy and kung fu.

Jade Warrior is an imaginative, visually impressive motion picture, which was completed by creating special effects never before witnessed in Finnish cinema. The effects include skillful fighting scenes, breathtakingly beautiful scenery as well as magnificent crowd scenes. However, this is not an action film, wu xia or otherwise - this is a fantasy-drama, with a couple of action sequences...

This is an epic film that is rich in allegory
Jade Soturi, is the film's name in Finnish. This is a truly remarkable film that has an imaginative original story that is inspired by the Finnis national epic known as The Kalevala. The link between the Finnish Kalevala and the Eastern Chinese/Tibetan is the legendary object known as "The Sampo" which is a prominent motif in the Finnish oral epic and there is also a Tibetan Buddhist concept of the same name. This film explores that link between those cultures. The acting is quite sublime and the story is more so. The story are several nice twists and turns to it that I won't ruin be mentioning in this review. If you want to watch a film that is free of Hollywood cliches than this is one that you will certainly enjoy.

Unique and intelligent addition to the martial arts genre
This film is for the more sophisticated fan of martial and foreign cinema. It deals with past life regression, alchemy, fantasy, swordplay and crossing cultures. I found it to be creative and intriguing. It is a little slow. It is not for the old school chopsocky fan. It also weaves a tasteful love story into the plot so you can watch it with your girlfriend. Requires attention span and a stronger mind to appreciate.

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Party Down: Season 1

Hold On To Your Ass...
....because you might just laugh it off. Party Down is quite possibly the funniest thing I have ever seen. Not for the squeamish; frequently raunchy, always hysterical. Every cast member shines.

Where the Veronica Mars support cast ended up...
...which is not a bad thing by any means. It takes a couple of episodes to get the gist of the short,punchy episodes (similar to Arrested Development in this way) but after a few shows, you will be hooked. A great motley bunch of characters, and if you love Jane Lynch in Glee, check out the other more manic side to her personality in this show. This is a tad like Clerks for the catering industry, but each show is so full of cameos from huge actors, it is impossible not to love it. Another great series from Rob Thomas, whose work is completely underrated in America.

Genius
On the basis of the critical acclaim it's received, I recently purchased, sight unseen, this Starz comedy series about a catering company staffed by actor wannabes and has-beens. Conclusion: in terms of intensity and frequency of LOL situations and lines, it's probably the funniest sit-com I've seen since The Office (way better in that respect than 30 Rock, which I also dig). It's a shame that it's on Starz because so few people will see it, but it's available on DVD and I encourage you to take a look.

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LeapFrog: Word Caper

Another Great Video from LeapFrog -- Code word caper
The other reviews are right. If you like the Talking Words Factory, you should like this follow-on video.

In this episode, children are taught about long vowel sounds, 'silent E", blended letters (such as sh and th), as well as blended vowels (the old when two vowels go walking the first one does the talking).

In addition, children are shown how vowels are forced to say their names when E's are added to their ends. Fat becomes long-A fate, for example.

Worth the money, for sure. [Certainly my 2.5 year-old would not know his letters and their sounds without these videos.]

You learn something new every day
You DO learn something new every day, and this DVD will give you a few days worth.

While visiting the Complex Words Complex with their Dad and the Professor, Leap, Lily and Tad accidentally cause Mr. Websley to lose his voice in the Silent E Machine, and have to solve a word puzzle to get it back for him.

This DVD teaches three lessons in an easy and fun way that will have kids singing along and actually enjoying an educational program.

First of all, we learn about the silent E, visually depicted by a semi-transparent letter E with band-aids across its mouth. Next, we learn about the sounds CH, SH and TH, and finally, how to pronounce words where two vowels come together.

Of course, given the complexities of the English language, these simple rules don’t work in all cases, but your kids will easily grasp the basic concepts.

My one problem is in the opening sequence, where it sounds as if the Professor is incorrectly singing...

Excellent DVD Teaching Blends, Vowel Teams, and Silent 'E'
My son has every Leapfrog DVD and they're all *excellent*. Code Word Caper is no different, showing children long vowel sounds, how the silent "e" changes a word, vowel blends, etc.

This DVD explains how that although there are 26 letters in the alphabet, there are far more sounds than just 26.

Through an engaging caper at the Complex Word Complex, Tad, Leap and Lily learn about A, E, I, O, U and sometimes Y. At the Silent E Machine, it's explained that the silent "e" makes the first vowel say it's "name". For example, cap and cape, pet and Pete, hid and hide, hope and hope, cut and cute, dim and dime, not and note. There's a fun song reinforcing this principle with lots of examples.

Then, at the Ch-Sh-Th Sound Machine, the youngsters are shown how to make blends and how they sound, e.g., chin, chat, ship, shop, thin, and think. Using another fun song, children are shown how consonant combos form blends: "First you take a letter C then you add a letter...

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Living for the Day After Tomorrow: Complete Collection

Looking for a great anime with impact?
If you are reading this, you're probably like me. I've been looking for unusual anime experiences; I've gone through the first few tiers of anime, so when I bought this set I wasn't absolutely sure how I would like it. However, this DVD set was very surprising in its relaxed introspective unfolding of the plot. I will tell you that the 2 protagonists pictured on the cover emerge to find their lives exchanged. I watched the 12 episodes in one day and I still haven't understood it all. In other words, it will bear repeated viewing.

The character designs are attractive and the background scenery impressed me as rather "Karin"-esque; by this I mean sort of water-colory, but it is all very nicely done and didn't detract from the story. In fact I was blown away by some scenes, the quality was that good. Have you seen "Kamichu"? It was that good.

The music is excellent. I'm constantly surprised at how good anime music is. This is no exception. I usually buy the...

Asatte no Houkou
Karada is mature young girl who lives alone with her older brother. She has a happy life, but she hates being treated like a child and wants to be all grown up. Shoko is a stoic and practical young woman who has just returned to Japan after living overseas. After running into each other one night at a local shrine, they exchange ages.

This is a very character driven show. And the characters are well driven. Upon suddenly finding their ages switched, Karada and Shoko very reasonably try to hide what has happened and search for a solution. But also very reasonably, they can't keep this up for long, with Karada's worried brother and Shoko's limited pocketbook. It was interesting at how realistically the situation was handled. I've seen the adult-becomes-a-kid thing in anime before, but normally either the character doesn't change his retinue at all or he hides his situation and no one really notices. But Living for the Day After Tomorrow asks the question "If this impossible...



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Tom and Jerry Tales: The Complete First Season

Great gift
I bought this as a present for my 12 year old nephew. He loved it, watched it all the way through that night, and laughed the whole time.

LOVE
MY BOYS LOVE TOM AND JERRY. THEY WATCH IT EVERYDAY. THEY CAN'T GET ENOUGH OF THE CAT AND MOUSE GAMES THEY PLAY

Tom & Jerry
one of my favorite show, brings back a lot of memories, thank you so much for having it available to me.

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Dojin Work Complete

another funny/awkward otaku piece
Doujin work is a really curious series. Coming in the vein of an "inside otaku life" story-line (similar to OreImo, Nogizaka Haruka no Himitsu, or Princess Jellyfish), Doujin Work takes a humorous look at the inside workings of exactly that: doujin work. Doujin are, for reference, fan or amateur created works in the style of or drawing on anime and manga. Mostly these take the form of manga and art books. From doujin circles to Comiket, from gathering "data" to the process of production, Doujin Work gives funny little snapshots of this process. Each episode is short, at around 12 minutes (half-episodes).

To be sure, the show itself isn't particularly high quality and the plot lines can be a little trite. For that reason, I wouldn't broadly suggest this for viewers who have only a passing interest in anime. For anime fans, most will likely agree that it isn't the highest quality show, but that there is still something fun and quirky about the subject matter. For fans of...





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War Eagle, Arkansas

A must see...
I will leave the wordy reviews to those more qualified than myself, but I will say that this is one of the best movies I have seen in years. It accurately captures the beauty and spirit of Arkansas and her people, and the performance by Dan McCabe as "Wheels" is... well, I'll just say if he's not at least nominated for an Oscar, life isn't fair. His depiction of a young man whose body is afflicted with CP but who has no problems whatsoever with his mouth is the highlight of the movie. As I understand it, this is a true story, with the two principal characters now grown and living in Little Rock, which makes it even more moving without ever becoming touchy feely. Be sure and see the film and then come visit us where it was filmed on location in northwest Arkansas; you'll be glad you did.

"Sausages or pepperoni?"
This is one of the best movies I have seen in a long time. I just happened onto it on television and am so glad I decided to watch it. It's a little indy film, based on a true story, of two young men that have been friends their whole lives.

Enoch (played by Luke Grimes) is handsome, a great baseball player, and has a terrible disabling stutter. Wheels (played by Dan McCabe) has cerebral palsy, is in a wheelchair, and lives life to the fullest. I fell in love with Wheels.

This is a coming-of-age story, a story of friendship, young love, family, obligations, jealousy, life in a small town.

The film won many indy awards but really should have been recognized for more. Both McCabe and Grimes gave Oscar-worthy performances.

The story, the acting, the cinematography were all superb. It also has some wonderful performances by Brian Dennehy, Mare Winningham, Mary Kay Place, and James McDaniel.

Watch for this movie on TV, or better...

Indie Drama That Will Test & Reward Your Patience
A story of friendship that will try & reward your patience. The story is set in a small Arkansas town and is based on a true story. The main characters (Luke Grimes, Dan McCabe & Misti Traya) are older teens going through coming-of-age experiences that most viewers will find familiar and will ring true for that stage of life. These 3 talented, young actors give solid performances that are supported by such accomplished pro's as Brian Dennehy, Mare Winningham, James McDaniel & Mary Kay Place). The story-line seemed a bit choppy for my taste, but the scenery, mood of the film, & main plot line (meaningful friendship) outweighed that minor flaw. I think it bears mentioning that the pace of the film is slooow but perseverance will be rewarded.

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The Oregon Trail - 6 DVD Set!

A Milder version of wagon Train
I was very pleasantly surprised by this set as I don't recall ever seeing it before so I took a chance on it. This is about a man who stars his journey as a member of a wagon train only to become the leader towards the end and it plays just like wagon train except of course without the familier charactors in volved.
I am however confused about why the story begins with the main character starting his journey with a new wife and a father just to see them disappear after the first episode with no explaination about where they went, leaving only the three children to continue in the series. Other than this I did enjoy it.

Vanishing Wife
Loved the Pilot episode but then when the next episode started for no explainable reason the wife and father were both "GONE" . Both characters are missed, especially the wife who was played by the beautiful Blair Brown. Without her the series just wasn't the same and the episodes are pretty boring which shows why the series was cancelled so quickly.

Rod heads west
'The Oregon Trail' had the potential to be a great series, but only ran for 14 episodes, guess it was a little too late for a western to make it big on TV? Nothing wrong with the 14 episodes made though, and nice to have one of the great Rod Taylor's series put out on DVD! The rugged Australian fits well into the western landscape, and his charming/tough guy personality is always a winner, and, one get the feeling that if you ran into trouble on the trail, Rod's the man you'd want on your side. Yes, the wife was ditched after the pilot episode, but I imagine they figured there would be more scope for story lines if the leader was single?
4 stars for a good effort, took one off for a not quite crisp enough picture, looks to be taked from 16mm prints, surely they still had 35mm masters? Now, if someone would only release the 26 episodes of Rod Taylor's greatest series, 'HONG KONG'!

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Nana Uncut Box Set 4

Nana great music and acting!
NANA is a story about two girls with the same name who randomly meet while going to pursue their dreams of making it big in Tokyo. The NANA most folks know best is the singer who dreams of having her band - The Black Stones - sign with a major label and rock out in front of sell-out crowds. Her friend, Hachi (their nickname in the story for the non-singer Nana) dreams of finding her perfect soul mate and love in the big city. There is more to the adventures of these two ladies but their friendship is the glue that holds the tale together. The music is VERY GOOD - it stands alone which is unique for some anime shows - and I recommend this series for anyone who likes strong characterizations, good writing and excellent music that fits in the storylines!

Great show.
For $24.99 it's a good price to buy. Fro some odd reason this show has pricy box sets. It is a great show for women because it deals a lot about relationships with friends and lovers. It's a great show if you have a gal pal to watch it with. I don't know why they can't just condense the series into one box set but I guess this is a way they can make some money. Each box set can range from $30 to $50 so to be at a reasonable price of $24.99 is boss. I would highly recommend this series to anyone who like adult relationship drama and bonds between friends. Such a great show.

The Genuine Article
To the point, NANA provides such a riveting story and character development that supersedes all predecessors in the genre. The characters all possess a unique personality that can be easily differentiated from one another despite the abundant cast count. The relationships that form/break and how these situations unfold provide the story with depth and has influence on the overall mentality of the character affected directly such such events. The writers did a wonderful job coinciding all the affiliates within the anime to mesh and have significant influences upon eachother. NANA is a fresh of breathe air w/o the unnecessary over dramatization (like chobits) and keeps the viewer engaged till the end.

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ESPN Films 30 for 30: No Crossover: The Trial of Allen Iverson

Thought-provoking
I bought this film for my high-school students and they found it completely gripping. Most had not been aware of the complexity of Alan Iverson's childhood and youth and many have similar family stories to his. they also appreciated James' interchange with his African-American cameraman, and the lack of a tidy ending ot the story. Very egood film; highly recommended.

AI at 17. Was he shafted? Was he lucky? Check out this documentary...
Great footage, research, and organization.

I really enjoyed Steve James and his look at a controversial incident that occurred over 15 years ago in Hampton, VA. His personal reflections & use of interviews with his Mom in this piece was phenomenal. James does a great job to show both sides of the situation! I believe people who love AI will enjoy this. People who don't like AI will also enjoy.

This is an excellent filmmaker . I learned little about Allen Iverson the person
This director made the spellbindingingly great HOOP DREAMS documentary . High points for me were , Allen getting his High School education (and the uplifting story about that) and the fact that Mr. Iverson made good and got some happy and got to be a pro athlete . All great stuff . I wanted to know about Allen Iverson the human being and man . The focus of this 30 "films by" 30 filmmakers was FAR too narrow and negative for me . Tell me the man's story for goodness sake . One incident does not a film made nor is a life defined by . Very disappointing film to me . I now know ONLY a few tiny aspects of a GREAT athlete's life and humanity . Bummer + a missed opportunity by the director....Benstarbuck

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Gone With the Wind (The Scarlett Edition)

Near-Perfect Edition of Hollywood Classic...
It seems like a 'new, improved' edition of "Gone With the Wind" has appeared every couple of years, offering the 'ultimate' in picture and sound reproduction, and extras. It can become expensive keeping up, and frustrating (much like buying a classic Disney DVD, when you know a more complete "Special Edition" will soon render your "First Time on Video" copy obsolete), but the new GWTW Four-Disc Collector's Edition most assuredly deserves a place in your collection.

First off, the picture and sound quality is astonishing. Warner's Ultra-Resolution process, which 'locks' the three Technicolor strips into exact alignment, provides a clarity and 'crispness' to the images that even the 1939 original print couldn't achieve. You'll honestly believe your TV is picking up HD, whether you're HD-ready, or not! This carries over to the Dolby Digital-remastered sound, as well. All of the tell-tale hiss and scratchiness of the opening credit title music, still discernable in the last...

"And you, miss, are no lady!"
As with the "Wizard of OZ" BD set, the GWTW set is elaborated -- and made "spendier" -- with the addition of material that might not be absolutely necessary for one's enjoyment. The box is covered in red velvet flocking (green would have been more appropriate and amusing -- qv, Carol Burnett). There's a CD "sampler" of Max Steiner's score, running a measly 45 minutes. Given that Max took excessive scoring to the max (Bette Davis had some pointedly unkind things to say about it), a "sampler" could have filled two CDs, and still not have exhausted the music (though the music might exhaust you). *

As with "OZ", there's a 52-page hard-backed book that's largely content-free, plus reproductions of some of the watercolor set-design paintings (in their own little envelope), and various memoranda sent to and from David O. Selznick. I was expecting a reproduction of Gerald O'Hara's pocket watch, but it likely would have been of even poorer quality than the kiddie watch in the "OZ"...

Technical Consideration for "Bewildered in Iowa"
I do hope you'll return and revise your rating to a '5' once you digest this information:

Gone With the Wind was never released in a Widescreen version on DVD because it was never released in a Widescreen version on film. In fact, when it was released (1939), there were NO "Widescreen" movies at all -- becaues no one had yet thought about formatting movies in that way.

Through the 1940s and into the 1950s, essentially ALL movies were in the 3:4 format that we now consider to be "regular". My understanding is that those proportions originally were adopted by the film industry to roughly correspond with the proportions of viewable area for the "live" theaters extant when the film industry started. Similarly, when television arrived in the late 40s/early 50s, its screen format was determined by copying the 3:4 screen proportions of films made up to that time. By the mid-1950s, the film industry became concerned about losing its audience to TV, so various...

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American Experience: Earth Days

Every day is Earth Day -- A timely bit of history, that shows how change can happen, without being preachy
Earth Days, by celebrated documentary filmmaker Robert Stone, begins with a powerful montage of United States presidents, beginning with John F. Kennedy, proclaiming the urgency of the mission to clean up our air and address our dependency on dwindling energy sources. Our future as a nation depended on it.

Of course, as we know, the urgency has not diminished (especially in the wake of the recent oil spill disaster) but the clarity of the vision has. This is signaled in the film as the final president in the series, George W. Bush, expressed nothing more than the need to reduce our dependency on foreign sources of oil. Even Ronald Reagan spoke with much greater force on the subject than that. In part, as this film shows, the clarity of the mission diminished as the clarity of our air increased. It was the success of early environmental pioneers like JFK's Secretary of the Interior, Stewart Udall and California Congressman Pete McCloskey, in the face of very obvious...

Getting Back to Basics
I remember when I was in grade school we would do a special project on Earth Day, or plant a tree, or something symbolic like that - but after that bell rang, I didn't have a clue what Earth Day was. And I was perfectly content to keep it that way. This held true until I received the preview from WGBH. My immediate thought upon looking at the cover was, "Earth Day...this will be fun", but I was so wrong. I learned SO much from this episode. In school we spent very little time learning about the 60's-80's - we would highlight some stuff about the presidents and then move on. This episode taught me more than my 4 years of high school did about this time period.

The very beginning and the very ending of a movie or tv show can really make it or break it - and this one definitely did it for me. The opening of the episode showed clips from every president since Kennedy making speeches about Earth Day. I found this so interesting because I hadn't seen or heard half of them make...

Superabundance
Earth Days is a comprehensive history of the evolution of the environmental movement in America, told from the point of view of nine individuals who participated in the early stages and the inception of an annual Earth Day (1970). The documentary opens with compelling films, many taken from early TV commercials and news stories, illustrating how Americans became enamored with the automobile and with conspicuous consumption, the two forces that heavily contributed to the global environmental and energy crises. Former Interior Secretary Stewart Udall describes the uphill political struggle to convince presidents, congress, economists, and businessmen of the need to become more cognizant of the heavy toll taken by ordinary business beliefs and practices. Astronaut Rusty Schweickart describes the impact of the space program in building the understanding of humanity's dependence upon a very beautiful but very damaged planet. Others, including Earth Day organizer Denis Hayes and...

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The Donna Reed Show: Family Favorites

four classic "Donna Reed" episodes
Now here's a nicely-priced "sampler" disc or handy Christmas stocking-stuffer! Fans of THE DONNA REED SHOW will love the four choice episodes spotlighted on this "Family Favourites" DVD.

THE DONNA REED SHOW ran between 1958-1966 on ABC, starring Donna Reed as the ultimate embodiment of the "perfect American housewife", Donna Stone. Donna is the wife of successful pediatrician Dr. Alex Stone (Carl Betz), and the loving mother of Jeff (Paul Petersen) and Mary (Shelley Fabares). THE DONNA REED SHOW was an unqualified ratings smash for the network. Other stations tried to topple it (most notably CBS with "The Betty Hutton Show" in 1959), but the winning formula of no-nonsense Donna and her charming adventures couldn't have been bettered. The show also provided the ideal launch pad for future "teen idols" Petersen and Fabares.

Episodes:

"Pardon My Gloves" (Season One, Episode #2) - Donna has been cast in a local production of "A Doll's House", but...

Fun, funny fantastic!!!!!
Love love love it!!!!! I love the moments that Donna reed and Carl ,Shelley and Paul bring the memories of my childhood watching them way back in 70's. although it was in reruns I've never skipped a beat. Donna and Carl WE MISS YOU!!

Yesteryears
I love to watch movies that were popular when I was growing up. The Donna Reed DVD's remind me of the way it was back in that time frame. Not only do I watch these old movies but my sister loves them as much as I do. I would recommend them to anyone.........Sunshine, Durham, NC

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The Rolling Stones - Rare and Unseen

No Performance - only interviews!
A little bit disappointed after I receive my copy. It's indeed a NTSC and region o which is for US standard.
But the whole dvd, after I finished watching, there's no performance, only the interviews! I thought it's gonna includes some performances which we didn't get to see from a concert or a tour dvd. But it's all interviews from early years until recently. Since Kylie has so many TV show and performances in Europe which American fans never seen before. I saw a lot of them on youtube. The dvd cover is also a performance not a interview!

don't waste your money
at least it was cheap. i read a great review of this somewhere but apparently that person hadn't actually seen the movie otherwise they would have known that 42 minutes into it the 'editor' (a term i use very loosely) cut back in 5 minutes of footage that had already been shown. aside from that, the interviews are random, the editing is incoherent, and the whole disc is a waste of 64 minutes. i threw it away as soon as i finished it as there's no one that i dislike enough to subject them to this waste of time and $12.

Good dvd
It is in the dvd that I knew more of who Richard is. He is a man to be praised for. Such a man of God and of integrity.

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Happily N'Ever After 1 & 2

My girls LOVE it!!
2 great movies in one --- and even as adults, my husband and myself sat down with our girls and watched it one evening for movie night and were impressed!!! It's like a "hip" version to the princess shows!!! :)

Love these movies!
Bought these movies because they are a twist on the classic fairy tales, and I love that kind of thing... and it turns out, my niece and nephew enjoy them too! We have watched them both numerous times, and I love how I always find something new to like in them each time. Definitely worth buying, and loved that it was both movies in one package, that way it takes up less room on the shelves!

dvd
Fun Dvd, grand kids liked it. Would reccomend to others. It was something different than we had watched before, good for kids.

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The Slammin' Salmon

Very Funny Movie
First off: Don't buy it on Blu-Ray. There is no reason to, and you can save a few bucks if you just buy it on regular DVD. The movie itself is very entertaining. It has a breezy tone that is great. The characters are all funny, especially Nuts. Broken Lizard movies hinge on the chemistry of the actors, and where they faltered with "Club Dread", they succeeded with "The Slammin' Salmon". All the actors work well together, with major props going to Michael Clarke Duncan. He was much funnier than I was expecting, and had some of the best lines. I highly recommend this movie if you are looking for an entertaining, light-hearted comedy.

Super Funny
I'm not familiar with the Broken Lizard troupe, but this movie was a great and humorous surprise. Michael Clark Duncan is hilarious as Slammin' Cleon Salmon. While this movie will never be considered one of the great cinematic masterpieces of all time, it is a dang funny movie with a hilarious cast. This is the perfect move to watch with a group of slightly drunk friends on a Friday night. If the movie is lacking anything, it would be a weak link. This is comedy at its best.

Slammin' Salmon ROCKS
If you love the Broken Lizard gang (Super Troopers, Beerfest) and you have been in the service industry, you will LOVE this movie. Bring "Waiting" into the Broken Lizard gang, and you have one hell of a funny movie. Don't even think about it...Just buy it!

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Best of Travel: Australia & New Zealand (Two-Discs Edition) [Blu-ray]

Feels like it's selling something
The video was short, of poor quality, and I felt like the narrator was selling a product the entire length. I have personally been to New Zealand (both islands), and this bluray did not do it justice at all.

Best of Travel: Australia & New Zealand
This Rudy Maxa travel series disc has outstanding beautiful pictures. After watching it you will want to visit Australia and New Zealand right now! The various places tantalize your every sense and desire while showing some very exciting things to do while visiting Australia and New Zealand. This disc should not be missed.

A good intro to Australia and NZ, but incomplete
I found the scenery breathtaking on this DVD, and Rudy Maxa's presentation professional and modest. I definitely recommend this disc, but it feels somewhat incomplete. Indeed, I have seen DVD box sets that contain more episodes of Rudy Maxa's travels down under, and they should have added a second disk or provided separate discs for the New Zealand and Australia episodes on the Blu-ray version.

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Dallas: The Complete Thirteenth Season

Possibly My Favorite Season of the Entire Show
This to me was actually one of my favorite, if not my favorite seasons. I thoroughly enjoyed it all the way through. I know ratings dipped after Linda Gray's departure, but for me she was not the show and I loved what was there. This season had an exciting hip new main title, which now included George Kennedy and Cathy Podewell, as well as newcomers Kimberly Foster, Sasha Mitchell, and Lesley Anne Down. I neglected to mention in my last review that Charlene Tilton also returned to the main title last season and continued here as well. This season was powered by a timely storyline about a Ewing Oil Tanker crash, Bobby's marriage to April, JR's tumultuous marriage with his second wife, and the arrival of the grown son he never knew he had, James. Jessica Montfort also returns to cause trouble, and Clayton and Ellie end up involved in a scheme which will bring Dusty Farlow back later. What is exciting about this year is the setup-you have some classic members of the Ewing family...

Almost Goodbye
I had a memory that this season was really bad, but it is far stronger than some of the latter seasons and keeps the flag flying for the great series quite well. Of course there is a gap with Linda Gray missing and a few too many new characters, but the invention of JR's long lost son is a stroke of genius and Sasha Mitchell's playing of him is a suitable mix of scheming sexuality and charm. Also introducing a vixen is a good idea, a few too many good girls floating around, we needed an Abby Ewing type to boil the pot a bit. In all, not a bad season, though as with season twelve, the standard of the prints vary enormously and none are of the standard of some of the early seasons of the show. One more season and a couple of telemovies and the collection will be complete. Best scene in the season; Barbara Bel Geddes (in one of her last great moments) giving Larry Hagman the letter from Jock. She is so missed and the last season was much poorer without her.
PS I wonder whatever...

Best of the series.
I love Dallas,this is one of the best episodes and I can't wait for the next season to come out.Larry Hagman is just great as well all the other actors

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Minority Report [Blu-ray]

Superior blu-ray experience
This is a review of the BD version of the film. I am sure most reading know the atory, so I won't get into all of that, though it must be said it is a chliing. exciting, and brilliant vision of the future down to its details. I have seen a couple of reviews that note the issue of "grain" on the image. Here's the deal with that...the grain is supposed to be there. The most common misconception about bluray is that it offers a more enhanced and retouched version of a film. High Definition lets you see the film as it was intended by the filmmakers. Mostb SD DVD has been treated with something called Digital Noise Reduction (DNR). This wipes the image so that it is smooth and waxy. It also distorts the colors, textures, and the original artistic vision. Bluray provides deeper colors, blacks, eliminates edge enhancement, halos, and other issues. Minority Report is intended and was shot to have a gritty feel, hence the grain. This is how the film is supposed to look. It has a...

Critics say this is five stars. For once they're right!
I probably would have waited until Minority Report hit the rental stands if it weren't for all the five-star ratings critics have been giving this movie. After being digitally assaulted by the current crop of high-budget special effects films like Spiderman and Attack of the Clones, I was already weary of acting and storyline taking a backseat to gee-whiz computer graphics. I underestimated Spielberg's ability.

So what is the plot exactly? Well, dear reader, take comfort in knowing I will not spoil the movie for you. In the year 2054, Americans are subjected to Gap clothing stores (that scan your retina and hard-sell khakis by your name) as well as USA Today newspapers with animated front page covers that update in real-time. Tom Cruise is John Anderton, Washington D.C.'s top-cop in the experimental pre-crime unit that seeks out and eliminates would-be murderers through the use of precognitive beings that are able to sense murders shortly before they happen. The premise sounds...

Minority Report - A great Sci-Fi flick!
This is a movie that I was unfortunately unable to see at the theaters and regretted it then and even more so now, seeing how great a movie it is. You can normally expect a Steven Spielberg film to contain; stunning imagery, intense suspense and an overly enthralling film, which he delivers perfectly in this film. Minority Report is an absolutely riveting film that will have you going from the moment the film starts to the very last second. Tom Cruise's more recent films really haven't really lived up to expectations, not so in this film. He seems to be completely in his stride with this role. He performs brilliantly in this film. Nods to Max Von Sydow as well. If you're into action/mystery films with a good dose of Science Fiction tossed in for good measure, this is your film. Minority Report is a must for your DVD collection!

The premise:

It is the year 2054 and the film takes place in Washington D. C. For the past several years, murder is all but a thing of the past...

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Lord Save Us From Your Followers

Long Overdue and Much Appreciated
This is information that most Christians need to know to be true salt and light to everyone around them. The message of Love, Compassion, Non-Judgment, Inclusiveness, and Hope is what everyone needs to hear. I recommend it for the Secular viewer, the Christian viewer, and anyone who is more interested in making this country into a nation of people who honestly care about each other regardless of their creed, race, sexual orientation, politics, or opinions. Let's allow love to create the world we all want to live in!

Must See for every Church leader in the U.S.
Bono and Campolo in the same movie... what's not to love?!? This movie is a must-watch for all Church leaders. Regardless of whether you agree with its conclusions, it will challenge you to look at ministry in a different light.

Join the Conversation NOW!
Filmmaker Dan Merchant has unwittingly turned modern day prophet as he allows all followers of Christ (or followers of no one at all) to enter the crucial discussion (not argument) concerning "Why is the Gospel of love dividing America?" With a cutting wit and poignant insight Dan allows voices of all social, political and theological bent a turn at airing their individual perspective on all things religious. In the end, the film (and book) opens the opportunity for each one of us to join this badly needed internal and public conversation with the Grace and respect of Christ intact.
Buy 2 now, give one to a friend and let the conversation begin.

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Genshiken 2 Premium Collection

Excellent series and a very nice dvd collection
In a day when thin-pak and stack-pak collections of anime series are the norm, it is nice to see a high quality chipboard boxed set release from Media Blasters. The artbox that these 3 DVDs come in is very nice and sturdy and the artwork looks great. Genshiken 2 picks up where the first series left off (I'd definitely recommend picking up the original series first, or read the first 3 or 4 volumes of the manga, well read the whole thing because its amazing). This series is perfect for anyone who has ever belonged to a college anime club, or almost any anime fan for that matter. Overall I gave this DVD set 5 stars because it is an amazing series and a nicely put together collection.





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Whispering Smith: The Complete TV Series

The Show That Waited Forever To Be Aired!
Yep, this was an obscure western series from 1959-60, but it waited until late in the 1960-61 season when it finally made its debut, because of one problem after another. First, Guy Mitchell, the singer-actor who played George Romack, broke his shoulder falling from a horse, therby halting production for several weeks, enabling Audie Murphy to do a movie. Sam Buffington, who played Smith and Romack's boss Capt. John Richards comitted suicide in May 1960, guess he wasn't happy doing the series. When Whispering Smith did make it to the air in May 1961, it was met with low ratings, critical dismissal, and lambasted by politicians in a Senate subcommittee on TV violence, so this show met its demise in September 1961, leaving five episodes unaired.
But now, its all here in this 3-DVD collection from TMG, the quality is quite good, similar their earlier releases of other classic shows like Riverbaot, The Tall Man, etc. under license from NBC Universal, and Audie Murphy excels in the...

Audie Murphy
I took a chance on purchasing this set. I love Audie Murphy movies. I do not remember this series, but was not disappointed. The stories & content are great. Some of the episodes did lack clarity for the picture. Overall pleased with the set and was glad of my purchase. If you truly like Audie Murphy you will like this series and Guy Mitchell as his side kick was a treat. You will also find a young Robert Redford & Richard Chamberlin just a couple of guest stars that made a big name for themselves in later years.

What a surprise!
Although I'm a big Audie Murphy fan, this TV series caught me by complete surprise, as I was only aware of his movies. This was an intelligently-written show, and even the less-rewarding episodes are well-done, with Murphy showing both intelligence and bravery in his role. Those who dismiss Murphy as a real-life hero that managed to have a decent film career are missing the point. Murphy was a superb actor who was unfortunately quite pigeon-holed into playing the hero, but there are subtleties in his many performances that show he could hold his own with many of the more-famous stars of the day. And as one who personally know (or knew) many of Murphy's co-stars, I can state that all of them felt he was an excellent actor who seldom received the recognition he should have. "Whispering Smith" is different from many westerns of the era because the title character is a detective who uses his brains as much as his brawn, and it's very surprising that series had trouble due to its...

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Perry Mason: Season Five, Vol. 1

Times Change, but Perry Remains
The fifth season of this venerable series, first aired in 1961, gradually begins to reflect the cultural changes since its premiere in the late fifties. In an anticipation of the Perry Mason returns series of the eighties, Perry now has an occasional assistant, a young law student whom he once successfully defended (just like William R. Moses' Ken Malansky). More traveling is going on, reflecting the wider world opening to Americans with the presidency of John F. Kennedy. Lt. Tragg is seen less and less often, usually replaced by Wesley Lau's Lt. "Andy" Anderson. Hamilton Burger is also seen only occasionally (fallout from William Talman's arrest on morals charges a couple of years earlier), and other prosecutors go up against Perry with the same zeal and the same results. To us males who entered our teens in the sixties, the cars are one of the obvious tipoffs to the period. One of Perry's clients tools around in a '61 Chevy, and Paul Drake's ride is a '61 T-Bird (presumably...

The Case of the Perplexing Plots
This is really a very disappointing first half of the 5th Season (1961-1962). Despite this DVD having one of my all time favorite episodes ("The Case of the Posthumous Painter") it has numerous flaws. First, Ray Collins (Lt Tragg) makes only cameo appearances, no doubt due to his ill health. He is replaced by Wesley Lau (Lt Andy Anderson) in the Case of the Malicious Mariner, just 2 weeks after having been the defendent in the Case of the Impatient Partner. Figure that! Then there is Karl Held in a recurring role as David Gideon who was introduced in an episode in a previous season. The screenwriters just don't seem to know what to do with him, sometimes he is just hanging around, some times using Perry's law library, sometimes coming up with a remarkable suggestion ("thermacouple") to solve a problem regarding the age of a picture. Mostly, he just stops the normal flow of a scene and the interactions between Perry, Della, Paul, etc. That is probably why his tenure was so short...

Episodes less seen
OK, now we're getting into the episodes that most of us haven't seen as often. I think with most syndicated shows (especially shows that were syndicated a long time ago), the syndication package is mostly made up of the first four seasons, and later episodes are shown much less often. I've loved the previous seasons, but I've seen most of the episodes many times before, and these seem less familiar. I don't think they are plotted as well as the earlier episodes, but the fact that I've seen them less often makes them feel a lot fresher.

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Otogi Zoshi: Collection of Ages, Volumes One - Six

Ancient legends and urban ones, and a beautiful love story
A while ago I told myself to stop buying so many things (read: anime) online, but I'm really glad I caved in and bought Otogi Zoshi. It's one of the best anime I've seen in a while, despite some flaws.

The story is divided into two arcs, the Heian arc and the modern day Tokyo arc. In the first arc the capital, Heian-kyo, faces hard times: there is famine and disease, and the politicians and rulers in general care more about their own power and the luxury it brings than anything else. A young samurai, Minamoto no Raikou (based on a real historical figure, as I've just found out, check wiki for Minamoto no Yorimitsu), is sent on the mission to find the stolen magatama, a strange...object, which is supposed to bring peace and prosperity, but he too has fallen victim to the disease. So his younger sister, Hikaru, has set out in his stead, pretending to be Raikou.

The Heian arc, I think, is my favorite. There might be some silly parts, and a bit of anime-style drama...

One of the best historical anime series
The Heian arc of this series is one of the best I've seen. If only it had been produced in the era of widescreen HD. Maybe one day we'll see a feature version, a la Evangelion, but in the meantime this is the anime series to see. It really looks great and has a powerful story and memorable characters. I didn't like the modern era portion as well, but it's interesting to see how the two sets of characters are paralleled. I give the Heian arc five stars and the Tokyo arc three.

BTW, this set DOES include 12 discs as stated in the Amazon description. Half the discs have extras, including somewhat academic discussions of the material. I found them interesting and well worth watching.

Half in the past, half in the present
Sometime in the early years of the Heian era of Japan (794 to 1185), Heian-kyou, the capitol city, is suffering from famine and widespread disease. Unable to contend with the deterioration of the city's condition, the Imperial Court decides to send Minamoto no Raiko, a famous samurai, to find the Magatama, a legendary gem said to hold the power to save the world. Unfortunately, Raiko himself has fallen to disease. Instead his younger sister Hikaru takes his place, dressing as a man and posing as her brother. The first 13 episodes cover this storyline, then the scene fast-forwards to modern day Tokyo where we meet the reincarnations of all our favorite characters.

The first arc is interesting in a historical aspect - several of the characters and legends are based on actual Japanese lore - but surprisingly (for me), I liked the second arc better. The first arc was entertaining enough, but it relied a little too much on its source material and failed to add much originality...

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Mist - Sheepdog Tales: Helping Paw

totally awesome!
Absolutely love the entire series! It is amazing to me how they have made such great movies in this style of storytelling. True talent and completely clean family entertainment.

A good quality family program
My kids fell in love with Mist when we were living abroad. We have a Border Collie ourselves and so they love to watch the collies run and chase sheep and "talk" to each other.

Not a thing to worry about with this show, just simple, clean, wholesome fun.

Mist sheepdog tales: helping paws
This is a very good movie. Very funny. The voices fit the animals who ever made up these movie did a super job.

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Cheech & Chong's Hey Watch This!

Great Look Back With New Twists
If you are a casual or even huge Cheech & Chong fan, you will find something that you will enjoy in this DVD. For the casual fan, you will see all of the classic C&C bits, but for the hardcore fan, you will get so much more. Old faves are flipped in new ways, updated for the times, making them even more hilarious than the first time around, & various characters that the duo have performed as make appearances throughout as well. Also, you get a bit of Shelby Chong's performance & bits of Tommy Chong doing solo bits about pot (duh) & being incarcerated for selling bongs (see the documentary "a/k/a Tommy Chong" for more information). The production quality is top notch, & the program flows so well, interweaving between stage bits & backstage or character bits.

Even better, this show was shot in my hometown (San Antonio TX) at a theatre (The Majestic Theatre) that I have been to many times. I have even been on the outside balcony area that the two end up on trying to smoke a...

a "Live' DVD that makes you wish you were there!
In other reviews of "live" shows from comedy to Rock I usually say that my acid test is if I saw the show is it a good representation and if I didn't am I mad at myself for missing it...and I am furious that I didn't catch these guys on this tour because I think I'd still be laughing. I picked up the blu-ray and the production values are top notch. Its also a unique way to present a live show with many inserted bits (I do not want to give them away) that while not giving the viewer the exact live feel maybe improve it to almost movie level...in fact this is more a concert movie than a documentary of a show....and that's not a bad thing..it means more laughs!!

There are also plentiful bonus features that I believe make this worthwhile to purchase. If you are a fan that goes back to their initial films and "records man" ...ooops , then this will be a lovely trip back.

Too bad Dave's not here to enjoy this pure GEM . . . . .
I just wish that Dave was here so that he could watch these two guys together again, doing what they do BEST. And that is, making us all laugh 'til we cry. Hey man, what a trip. EXCELLENT! That truly sums it all up in just one word. EXCELLENT! Five STARS all the way. You just have to watch the totally hilarious skit in which the two guys dress up like an old married couple, and go to a sleezy theater to see a porn movie together. OMG! I honestly had to stop the DVD twice during that particular skit, just to catch my breath again. I was laughing so hard I couldn't even breath right. I honestly have NOT laughed that hard in years and years. It was so great to see the boys back together again, especially after so many years of being apart. Believe me everyone, if you are a TRUE (and I mean a TRUE) Cheech & Chong fan, then you'll not only order this DVD from NetFlix, you'll also order it through Amazon, so that you can own this DVD for yourself. OMG, it was great! Totally awesome...

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Naruto Shippuden: Box Set 2

Sakura and Team Guy fans will definitely enjoy this latest volume! Definitely recommended!
Since 1999, "Naruto" created by Masashi Kishimoto ("Karakuri") has been one of the most popular anime and manga series in Japan and has easily become a favorite best selling anime/manga series among fans all over the world.

For the anime series, since 2002, "Naruto" lasted until 2007 with a total of 220 episodes. The series would follow the adventures of a boy named Naruto Uzamaki, who may not be the brightest ninja from the Konoha Village but he makes it up with heart and also tremendous power as the killer beast known as the nine-tailed fox has been sealed within him.

Earlier in the series, the anime series focused on Naruto and his team members Sasuke Uchida and Sakura Haruno as they would go on adventures and learn to become a team and also honing their ninja abilities. The series would then begin to introduce other young ninjas from the village who Naruto would be paired up with and the young ninjas would take on rival clans to helping people in need. But...

Special Edition for Box Set # 2
This set will include collectible Mininja Figurine..
From what I have gathered from websites this set will include episodes 14 - 26.

This limited edition includes a collectible mininja of Deidara and an exclusive art card. The regular one will not..

Uncut and Original. A few other sites i have been to says the length of this volume is 325 Minutes

SAKURA KICKS A**!!
For fans of Sakura Haruno and even for those who may not yet be, this DVD set is an absolute MUST HAVE!

Yes, this is Naruto Uzimaki's show and most of the big battles are rightfully his, but the main battle chronicled in Volume 2 of Naruto Shippuden is Sakura's, and it's as big and intense as ANY of Naruto's fights. Seriously! I read the manga version of these episodes about a year ago and have been itching ever since to see it in anime. I suppose I could log onto the NS video website and see these episodes, but I'd rather not spoil the thrill of seeing them on high def DVD.

Here's a brief rundown. Naruto and Kakashi, I believe, are going after Gaara's assailants while Sakura and Granny Chiyo remain behind to face another rogue ninja, Chiyo's grandson, Sasori. Sasori's mastery of the puppet-based jutsus puts Kankuro's to shame. Sasori's only rival in this respect is his grandmother. With Chiyo's wisdom and Sakura's young, strong body and healing skills,...

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The Drawn Together Movie: The Movie!

What Happened?
I'm a big fan of the Drawn Together series. I own all three dvd seasons as well. So when I heard there was a movie coming out I was stoked. I'm very sad to say though that the movie is just completely terrible. My wife and I both hated it. To make matters worse they had to change their animation for budget reasons so the movie looks like a glorified internet flash cartoon. That might not bother some,and I know that was the best they could do, but it bugged me the whole way through.

Lastly...I figured that if the story wasn't that great there would at least be great jokes throughout that saved the film. Well there wasn't. I actually didn't laugh much at anything. Somehow it even managed to not be funny. After it was over we were both literally depressed at how bad it was.

That's just our opinion though. Hopefully there's more people that like it. Once more I loved the series. Literally every episode was great. But...I don't know what happened to the...

A near failure
There really isn't much there can be said for this movie. The story begins with Foxxy going to solve a mystery about why they can suddenly say the F word and other words normally censored by the network so it can be shown on television. The problem stems from the fact that anyone who owns the DVD's of any of the seasons views everything uncensored, so the point is actually pretty lame. From then on the jokes barely got even a laugh out of me because we have either seen them before or it simply wasn't funny. Seriously, a giant robot out to kill the Drawn Together gang and an evil villain representing a cheap knock off of Two Face from Batman attempting to erase them for being offensive. Then Captain Hero spends almost the whole movie carrying around a dead corpse of a woman that he keeps defiling and having sex with. This joke, because the lines are pretty much all the same and continues relentlessly all the way into the end of the movie, just gets so old so fast and almost made...

Average at best
I was a fan of the series, and I actually was a little disappointed when it was taken of the air.

It's a okay movie and nothing more, if you have seen drawn together you know what you're getting (extremely offensive and disturbing entertainment.) And I'm fine with that, the problem was that the jokes wasn't that funny, and nothing really happens. Overall a mediocre movie.

If you're not a fan I'd stay away, If you however are a fan with money to burn,
you could do a lot worse than purchasing this movie.

SGH

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Country's Family Reunion at the Ryman Vol. 1, 2, 3, & 4

Great Set of Country Family Reunion
This is a great DVD Set for the Country Family Reunion series with all the old country singers and couple newer ones..Great humor and story telling and you learn the personal side to these artists as well as tributes to the ones who have passed. Great for family entertainment. I bought this set for my Dad for Fathers day and he loved it.





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Sticky & Sweet Tour [Blu-ray]

Madonna:Queen of the World
I love this tour,i don't think she's tries to hard, like the one review said.If u like Madgr you'll luv this

Worst Madonna Tour Ever
This tour is nothing more than an absolute disaster. I have no doubt that if fans had known that this show would be so poor before they bought tickets, I bet many people would have opted to skip it. Madonna tries way too hard this time to be "hip" and "cool" with sleazy costumes and dance moves, and it just looks embarassing - nobody wants to see a 50-something doing that stuff. Even worse, the setlist is terrible - filled with songs from her forgettable album "Hard Candy" and any of the older songs that she sings are butchered and remixed to the point where they are unrecognizeable. I don't know about you, but I hate remixes and I definitely hate remixes that make the song sound completely different from the original. Lastly, the "choreography" is lazy and cheesy and just a lot of bump and grind that anyone could do.

I find it funny that Madonna's two best tours - Blonde Ambition and Re-Invention STILL have not been released properly on DVD. If they ever get...

COULD BE BETTER
I buy this 10 day previous to my trip back to the south, but it arrive so late, one week late than my departure, so it remain in my friend house, maybe when I'll come back to state I'll got it.

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