Overview: This all-star supergroup was brought together to play a charity concert at the historic Wintershall Estate in Surrey in aid of the charity HASTE (Heart And Stroke Trust Endeavour).

Blu ray Verdict: Known as Band du Lac, this stunning supergroup amassed at the historic Wintershall Estate in Surrey, England to play a benefit concert for HASTE – the Heart and Stroke Trust Endeavour.

Directing from the seated safety of his piano, Gary Brooker (Procol Harum) orchestrates this sublime all-star charity concert with a dignified calm. Featuring performances by Eric Clapton, Katie Melua, Roger Taylor, Ringo Starr, and The Drifters, amongst others, songs sung live include: Eric Clapton ("Lay Down Sally," "Cocaine," "Willy and the Hand Jive"), Ringo Starr ("Act Naturally," "Photograph," "With a Little Help from my Friends"), Katie Melua ("Crawling up a Hill," "My Aphrodisiac is You," "The Closet Thing to Crazy"), and 'A Whiter Shade Of Pale' featuring Gary Brooker himself.

With the mainstay of this supergroup consisting of the aforementioned Brooker, guitarists Andy Fairweather Low and Mike Rutherford, keyboardist Paul Carrack, and drummer Henry Spinnetti, these so-called guests flowed effortlessly in and out on the night; although it has to be said that Clapton's moments in the spotlight are by far the strongest musical highlights.

If you are looking for extras, well, you'll be left a little sad as there is only a 10 minute interview segment entitled 'The Road to Wintershall.' Documenting the way the show was formulated and had eventually come together, there are no interviews or soundcheck clips.

As for more info on some of the other songs sung on this glorious night, well, we have: 'Tequila', 'Over My Shoulder,' 'How Long' (Paul Carrack), 'Lay My Burden Down' (Andy Fairweather Low), 'Say It's Not True,' 'Those Were The Days,' 'I Want To Break Free' (Roger Taylor),' 'Under The Boardwalk,' 'Stand By Me' (The Drifters), and finally any and all on 'I Can't Dance.' This is a Full Screen Presentation (1.33:1) enhanced for 16x9 TVs.

Overview: Houdini meets whodunit in these intriguing tales of magic and mystery starring comedian Alan Davies and Ab Fab alum Julia Sawahla! When a new TV crime series recruits Jonathan's specialist skills, he is reunited with his ex-girlfriend and old sparring partner, Carla Borrego (Sawahla). Carla is pushy and an equally determined amateur detective, and she has no intention of playing Watson to this dishevelled, laid-back Sherlock.

DVD Verdict: Now, the big deal here, straight off the bat, is the missing episode 'Satan's Chimney' (2001) that introduced us to Julia Sawalha's character. I seem to recall, back in the UK, it was classified as a Christmas special, and so isn't on this fourth season box-set. Which is a shame because the moment these two come together in the first epsiode, you know there has been a prior meeting, one that caused some disturbance between them, but here it is glossed over quickly. That is a shame, and so all I can hope, as there have been other specials recorded through the years, 'Black Canary' (1998) and 'The Grinning Man' (2008) is that they all come to light one day in their own little box-set.

Also, did you know that 'Jonathan Creek' is actually a real place in Kentucky?! Writer David Renwick and his wife drove through it whilst on holiday, and he stored the name away for future reference! Just thought I'd impart that nugget of wonderment ... before heading into these 6 new episodes.

'The Coonskin Cap' is the first episode here and after a slow start, we get introduced to the attempted murder scene; which kinda becomes obvious as to whodunnit, if your brain has half the chance to get in gear! Our unconventional hero investigates the puzzling murder of a policewoman, with the only clue to her bizarre death being reports of a stranger in a coonskin hat at the scene of the crime. Look out for a fully-naked man, junk flying in this episode too! 'Angel Hair' features British comedian Jack Dee in a very serious role as the husband of a much younger, and more successful pop star. This features an ingenious plot that I spent half an hour on pause trying to figure out and yet couldn't ie: the mystery of how a girl can grow back a full head of hair that only two days ago was hacked off by a kidnapper!

'The Tailor's Dummy' is one of those episodes where you can guess the killer just 3 minutes in; but as for why they did what they did, that's the true mystery here. This one stars British comedian Maureen Lipman, who spins her dramtic yarn nicely, giving us a plausible answer to a situation that was trying our little grey cells the whole way through! I men, how can a man physically transform himself into another person, right in front of someone's eyes? Oh, and look out for a neat how-you-too-can-do-it card trick at the 31st minute mark!

'The Seer of the Sands' has a very scenic beginning to it not to mention a street magic reveal - very funny and very interesting! It tells the tale of a ‘ghost hunter' trying to communicate with his lover from ‘the other side' after a fatal boat accident. Another good mystery but if you put your mind to it, you could almost get there yourself. Look out for a horrible, simply horrible snake trick gone wrong at the end though!

In 'The Chequered Box' an interesting plot unfolds where a senior police officer is filmed standing next to a hanged woman, but claims not to have seen the body! This was a wonderfully interesting plot, and yes, watching it unfold you kinda know how it was achieved, but why is (once again) the motive that matters here. And finally, in 'Gorgons Wood,' the question quickly arises: How did a priceless porcelain of the mystic monk Sikoto-no go missing from the small-town museum in Gorgons Wood? I mean, the theft took place, despite the fact that the Japanese figurine was surrounded by security guards. This is another brain teaser, an interesting lark, to say the least. As for how the culprit did it, well, I don't see it myself (too noisy, me thinks!), but still, full marks for a job well done, Mr. Renwick. It's just a damn shame the series had to end as it is, epsiode in episode out one of England's finest whodunnit's and why that was created in the latter years. This is a Full Screen Presentation (1.77:1) enhanced for 16x9 TVs and comes with the Special Features of:
"Hot Stuff" Music Video
Deleted Scenes
Video Profiles

Overview: When Luke, a highly successful businessman, is viciously attacked and his fiancée is raped and murdered, he pledges to use every last dollar he has to train himself in deadly hand to hand combat and use it against any wrong doers who dare to cross his path. But little does he know that his own attackers are highly connected to an underworld crime family who has close ties to corrupt police and, unbeknownst to him, are also looking for him!

DVD: Shot on location in Australia, something that is plainly obvious from the moment that the first actor speaks his grunted words, 'Vigilante' stars Robert Diaz ('Tempted') as Luke, a man who sees his future with the woman he just proposed to viciously taken away from him by a trio of hard-nosed, and yet dumb-as-a-box-of-rocks thugs.

Produced by Diaz also, the film basically tells the tale of one mans revenge against this unknown to him trio of killers, led by Alex (Kazuya Wright). Having also been beaten to near death in the attack, Luke commits to rehab within the hospital and along with his fitness guru there, gets himself into good shape enough to leave. But, knowing he has vengeance rushing through his body for all this bad, he simply goes out, drinks and gets into barbarian-style bar fights, losing them all - badly!

And so with the help of the hospital fitness guy, himself a martial arts expert/trainer (of course) on the side, he builds up his knowledge of all things combat, and sets about - masked - putting right were wrong once stood. Now, this is all well and good, but most of the guys he fights in his search for this trio all know forms of martial arts - high kicks here, swing kicks there. How does every thug suddenly know kung-fu in this day and age?!

Anyway, along the way he meets the pretty CSI: Miami-looking female cop named Pauline (Lexie Symon) that has taken on his case, beds her, slaps her at one stage, but still cannot let his anger subside for this trio of thugs. Lots of fight club scenes play out, an unexpected death occurs around the 75th minute, and the ending is, well, not to give it away, but bloody brutal, to say the least!

All in all, it's a good ride, an evolutionary story well told. Even the little detour towards the end that even me, an avid movie watcher didn't see coming was well done. And aside from the opening cheese of marking his first 'kills' with a gasoline-induced flaming 'V' around them, well, it's bloody good fun all round. Just be careful if the kids are in the room as the 'C-word' comes out a few times!

Oh yeah, one last thing ... keep watching till after the main credits at the end as a small vignette is played out that is, given what happened earlier in the movie, well deserved! This is a Widescreen Presentation (1.85:1) enhanced for 16x9 TVs, and comes with the Special Features of:

Director's Commentary
Behind-The-Scenes Featurette
Biographies
Interactive Menus
Scene Selection
Trailers
Optional Spanish Subtitles

Overview: An ancient stone amulet and calendar disc has the power to stop time. Passed from generation to generation, these magical artifacts end up in the hands of an 18-year-old half Shoshoni Indian named Justin, who chooses to use his power to make the world a better place. But on the other side of the equation is the power-seeking philanthropist, Michael Romano, who seeks to indulge in the riches of the world.

DVD: Having just (literally) watched 'Justin Time' I have to say, first off, what a great little adventure movie this was. And then to hear that there was once a movement to get it picked up as a TV series, well that just made so much sense - given the ending, of course. But, they claim that due to the economic downturn that didn't happen, so they decided to keep it as a stand-alone movie.

The story is about a Native American boy (a very un-native looking Chris Laird) that is orphaned as a young child and his father leaves him an amulet. One that has been passed from father to son for generations. His uncle gives him this amulet on his birthday, but we soon discover that a) someone else out there is after it (for global domination!) and b) that he himself once connected to its power can stop time - albeit for just 60 seconds at a time!

But, with two other pieces to this puzzle supposedly scattered around the US (although they suddenly all show up in the same town, of course!) there are a few other groups of people anxious to gather them all together - to experience what the amulet and its other pieces can really do when put together!

Anyhoo, the story fires along nicely, doesn't have any slow pacing, some cheesy sentences for sure, but for the most part the acting of the main character is A+. That said, the background cast seem to get the slapstick B-movie lines, and yet seemingly have been told to huff and chuckle their way through them regardless.

Moving on, and we get to two very important cast members - the stunningly beautiful daughter of the billionaire looking to become master of the universe, Algelic Romano (Shareece Pfeiffer) and Justin's best buddy, Harvey (Alyx Gaudio). Both are capable second and third in command when it comes to keeping the story alive, delivering their lines wonderfully.

As for what to expect throughout the movie, and without giving anything away, well, Justin does a wicked near spot on rendition of Captain Jack (Depp style), one of Matthew McConaughey too, Harvey dresses like a girl (and by God, even looks like a girl in the scene!), and we even get a faux U2 riff kick into the snowboarding scenes!!

All in all this is well worth the money to invest in. Clean cut, family fun with an adventurous edge, and with the additional bonus of the Melrose Placesque Shareece Pfeiffer to boot, 'Justin Time' SHOULD have been a Disney Channel TV series ... so, shame on them! This is a Widescreen Presentation (1.85:1) enhanced for 16x9 TVs, and comes with the Special Features of:

Interactive Menus
Scene Selection
Trailers
Optional Spanish Subtitles

Overview: Experience the unexpected moments in this heartfelt drama that has won the acclaim of fans and critics all across America. Go inside the inspiring lives of five amazing military families with the third season of ARMY WIVES.

DVD: 'Army Wives' is one of the best shows out there anywhere - and the best show that realistically conveys life on a military base since "Call to Glory." I was an Army dependent for over 20 years and am an Army Veteran. The only aspect that I found slightly off was the closeness of the lower enlisted wives with the upper officers' wives. However, it has been over 10 years since my father retired, so things may have changed. That being said, the show really dipicts the everyday life on an Army post exceptionally well.

Anyway, as you can tell from my gushing above, I absolutely fell in love with this show from episode one. We always hear and see stuff about the soldiers, but we never really see what they have behind them: their families. This show really gives us insight in to the military life. Of course, some things are going to be over the top, but that is what makes the show great. I would recommend this show to anyone who wants to watch a heart felt, woman powered, family oriented, full of emotion, militray style show that can make you empathize with people you have never met.

In season three, it is a new year of challanges for the Army Wives as Denise and Frank fight to save their marriage and Claudia Joy discovers a life-changing personal truth of her own! Newly promoted Joan wrestles with a major decision that affects her husband and new baby, while Roland imagines what his life would be like had he taken a different path. Pamela questions Chase's family commitment after he returns from capture and Roxy encounters unexpected new responsibilities as Trevor explores a new job in the army.

OK, so it's also obvious that I own the first two seasons and have watched the third on Lifetime in it's fullest majestry before this box-set came out, but still, wow, I love the show to bits (can you tell!). It is a great show and this season was just as good as the first two seasons. It is however a few episodes shorter than the last. This seasons finale has to be one of the biggest cliff hangers that I've seen and I can't wait until April for the new season to start. I originally got hooked on this show because of my boyfriend and have watched it religiously ever since. I now have got my mother and my brother-in-law hooked on this show as well.

FYI: 'Army Wives' will kick-off its 18-episode fourth season on Sunday, April 11th, Lifetime has just announced. This is a Widescreen Presentation (1.78:1) enhanced for 16x9 TVs and comes with the Special Features of:

Bloopers
Deleted Scenes,
Webisodes - Featuring Joan and Roland Burton and Jeremy Sherwood
'Army Wives' Gives Back - Lifetime and the Army Wives team up to surprise deserving military families
Stationed In The South - The Cast and Crew of 'Army Wives' take us behind the scenes in the historical city of Charleston, South Carolina, and show us how the city's scenic landscape is integrated into the show.

Overview: Newly single dad Gary Brooks (Mohr) is an uncomplicated guy trying to find his way in an increasingly complicated world. Gary's doing the best he can to raise his two kids with ex-wife Allison (Paula Marshall), while just beginning to stick his toe back into the dating pool after fifteen years of marriage - just in time for Allison to drop a major bombshell on him!

DVD:' Gary Unmarried,' a sitcom created by Ed Yeager, which premiered on CBS back in late 2008, is a funny half hour comedy that focuses on a recently divorced couple (Jay Mohr and Paula Marshall) sharing custody of their kids while each starting new relationships.

And so it's for these known-to-us-all now out-there-alone reasons he has difficulty adjusting to life without Allison. And matters are not helped by his seemingly unfriendly relationship with her, although, as we progress through this first season, it's obvious that their love still burns a small ember within them both.

Anyway, despite their acrimonious relationship and constant flinging of cracks at each other (which both come out even stevens on comedic wise), Gary and Allison do makes this better for their kids per episode. And lessons are learnt by all, including the parents!

In the pilot episode, and a few more that follow on from there, Gary starts dating a young divorced mom, Vanessa Flood (Jamie King), while Allison reveals that she's engaged to their former marriage counselor, Dr. Walter Krandall (Ed Begley, Jr.). And, as much as Allison's romance with the much older Dr. continues to flourish, out of nowhere script wise, Vanessa breaks up with Gary because of his inability to quit worrying about Allison - and we never see her again!

So come, one and all and experience all twenty laugh-out-loud episodes in this 3-Disc Collection of comedic, well-timed wonderment! This is a Widescreen Presentation (1.78:1) enhanced for 16x9 TVs and comes with the Special Features of:

Gary Unhinged: Bloopers from Season One
Tuesday On The Set With Jay - Spend a day on the set of 'Gary Unmarried' with Jay Mohr
Planet Begley - Cast member Ed Begley Jr. brings his eco-friendly expertise to the set of 'Gary Unmarried'
The Chemistry Of Comedy - Join the Cast and Crew for an all-access tour of 'Gary Unmarried'

Overview: 'Dante’s Inferno: An Animated Epic' will take you on a harrowing trip through Hell as Dante braves the forces of evil, slaying demons and monsters of extraordinary imagination, all to save his love Beatrice, from the clutches of Hell’s master - Lucifer.

DVD: 'Dante's Inferno' is an incredible animated film! One of the best animated movies I've seen in a very long time, and I watch a lot! I've heard a lot of praise and some critism for this movie... sure are NOT anime fans, if you dont like this masterpiece!

This is a beautiful film to behold, with a story that is exciting, moving, at times ferocious, and deeply layered. It has the story of the game, so any logic faults lie in the game story itself, but all in all, the story is wonderful. A knight searches for the soul of the woman he loves... and what we perciece as a hero at first, gradually unfolds until we realize Dante is really a bad person, not the atypcial hero we think from the begining.

Everyone should check this out. It's really good for an animated film!! One of the best I've seen in a long time, and I'm not even a big video game fan!

'Dante's Inferno' is also made me think. About evil, morality, the nature of god, all that stuff. It is thoughtful and intelligent, with a story that makes sense. A lot of the animes you watch make no sense whats so ever, but this made perfect sense all the way through. There was a bit too much fighting, and it seemed to move a bit too breakneck fast for me. But I was watching every moment in anticipation.

This film is interesting because it's all about point of view. Dante is in his own hell. Beatrice is in her hell, and even the devil has a point of view here. He feels betrayed by God. He thinks god is the true evil, because it made him, then punished the devil... but God made evil knowing it would rebel. It made me think quite a bit, which rarely anything does now-a-days.

An AWESOME film! A bit gory for my tastes, but it was very moving, exciting, and just plain COOL! [AM] This is a Widescreen Presentation (1.78:1) enhanced for 16x9 TVs, and comes with the Special Features of:

EA Game Trailer
Animatics

Overview: Clyde Shelton (Gerard Butler) is an upstanding family man whose wife and daughter are brutally murdered during a home invasion. When the killers are caught, Nick Rice (Jamie Foxx), a hotshot young Philadelphia prosecutor, is assigned to the case. Over his objections, Nick is forced by his boss to offer one of the suspects a light sentence in exchange for testifying against his accomplice. Fast forward ten years. The man who got away with murder is found dead and Clyde Shelton admits his guilt. Then he issues a warning to Nick: Either fix the flawed justice system, or key players in the trial will die.

DVD: 'Law Abiding Citizen' is a smart new suspense thriller of that have no doubt. Directed by F. Gary Gray, the film stars Gerard Butler as Clyde Shelton, a father whose wife and daughter are killed while he is tied up. When lawyer Nick Russo (Jamie Foxx) works out a plea bargain with the 'real' killer who testifies against his accomplice, Shelton feels like the legal system wronged his family.

Ten years later, Shelton returns to seek revenge against the man he blamed for his family's death. Law Abiding Citizen is not your typical man seeks revenge thriller. Shelton has much greater plans than taking out one man. Instead, he intends to punish everyone involved in what he believes is a corrupt and bureaucratic legal system.

When Nick and his cohorts discover that Clyde is more than just a wronged man, and that his background is designing and developing killing machines, they realize they are in trouble. Clyde begins to systematically kill everyone he blames for the death of his wife and daughter. Unwilling to break the law and kill Clyde in cold blood, Nick struggles to figure out how Clyde is killing from prison and how to outsmart his intelligent nemesis.

The anti-hero does terrible things that ultimately do have to be stopped but there is still a part of me that thinks of the old joke, "What do you call 10,000 lawyers at the bottom of the ocean?". I would have preferred the ending to have gone a little differently, I don't want to spoil it for those who haven't watched it, but I think Butler's character wouldn't have been stopped quite like he was.

'Law Abiding Citizen' is a brilliant and intelligent action film with a clever and original concept. The audience is perplexed by a difficulty in deciding which side of the story to be on. Initially, your natural reaction is to root for the emotional revenge of a man who lost his wife and daughter. However, as the story carries on, Clyde takes on more of a villainous role and Foxx's character comes forward as the film's protagonist. [NAT] This is a Widescreen Presentation (2.40:1) enhanced for 16x9 TVs, and comes with the Special Features of:

Audio Commentary Featuring Producers Lucas Foster and Alan Siegal
The Justice System; Law In Black and White - Behind the Scenes with Director F. Gary Gray, Producer Lucas Foster and Actors Gerard Butler and Jamie Foxx
Preliminary Arguments - The Visual Effects of Law Abiding Citizen
The Verdict - Winning Trailer Mash-up!

Overview: This stunning collection of Doctor Who specials--The Next Doctor, Planet of the Dead, The Waters of Mars and The End of Time, Part One & Two--is a must own for all Doctor Who fans. The four imaginative, action-packed specials are the farewell to star David Tennant, and Russell T Davies, the mastermind behind the rebirth of the modern Doctor Who.

DVD Verdict: Let me just say from the off, I just love(d) David Tennant as Dr. Who. His sense of humor keeps things on the light side so the series doesn't get as dark as Torchwood. He comes across as intelligent and funny at the same time, which is hard when a person is really intelligent (mostly they just come across as puffed-up or boring, depending). I'll be sad to see him go, but I'm glad that he did this last set of episodes for the delight of (us) Dr. Who watchers.

The final goodbye vignettes with the Doctor and all of his recent companions before the final regeneration marked a touching end to a great chapter in this show's very long history, and was a great finale for the writer/producers' long journey resurrecting this show from the clutches of Fox and getting it rightfully back into the hands of the BBC.

In "The Next Doctor" (2008), the Tenth Doctor (Tennant) finds himself in London circa 1851 on Christmas Eve. Within moments of landing the TARDIS, he's confronted with a man who presents himself as "The Doctor" (David Morrissey). Now, the series has always been willing to play around with the concept of The Doctor encountering past versions of himself, but on this occasion something isn't quite right. The would-be Doctor of 1851 seems to have a bad case of amnesia and just can't seem to recall pivotal facts.

In "The Waters of Mars" (2009), something has gone horribly wrong in 2059 at the first human colony on Mars (named Bowie Base One). It turns out that an old nemesis-race of the Doctor, the Ice Warriors, left a little present behind for anyone who might dare venture to Mars in their absence: a virus. Two members of the Mars colony, headed by Adelaide Brooke (Lindsay Duncan), contract an illness causing their bodies to overflow with water; in response, the Doctor sets out to find the cause and cure for what ails them.

In "Planet of the Dead" (2009), after a daring burglary of an ancient golden goblet, Christina de Souza (Michelle Ryan) hops a bus to escape the scene, only to find an amusing seatmate in The Doctor, who's been tracking an anomaly. Unfortunately for everyone on board that bus, they drive right into an invisible portal (a.k.a. the anomaly) and end up on a desert planet with seemingly no hope of passing back through until they can repair the bus from its collision.

In "The End of Time: Parts 1 & 2" (2009/2010), David Tennant makes his final curtain call as the legendary traveler of time and space in this spectacular two-part special to once again face off against The Master, a fellow Time Lord bent on controlling everything. This special is almost a reunion of sorts for the show, as many faces who've come and gone return for cameo bits here and there; it really is the "event" of the set. This is a Widescreen Presentation (1.78:1) enhanced for 16x9 TVs and comes with the Movie titles of:

Disc 1: The Next Doctor
Disc 2: Planet of the Dead
Disc 3: The Waters of Mars
Discs 4-5: The End of Time, Parts One and Two
Doctor Who Confidential
Doctor Who at the Proms
Deleted scenes with introduction from Russell T. Davies
David Tennant Video Diaries: The Final Days
Doctor Who BBC Christmas idents
Audio commentaries
Doctor Who at Comic-Con

Overview: Robert Preston made his musical debut - both live and on film - as "Professor" Harold Hill, the upbeat charlatan who promises to teach a small-town boys band by the "think system." But it's the part Preston was born to play and the one for which he will always be best remembered in this classic film.

Blu-ray: I first saw this wonderful Meredith Willson musical as a child, and have loved it ever since. It's one of America's answers to a Puccini opera (which I also find sublime). (Another might be "Guys and Dolls".) The blu-ray has a lovely extra, an introduction on the musical hosted by Shirley Jones (who was actually pregnant during the filming of the movie)!

One disappointment is that they morphed my favorite song from the Broadway show - the great "My White Knight" - into the mediocre "Being In Love." I have no idea why they did that, other than possibly they felt it fit better with the dialog, though if the latter played on Broadway for 1375 performances, I don't know why they couldn't have fit it into the movie. I can't imagine that it was out of Shirley Jones' range. Just a bad choice, I guess.

Also somewhat disappointing is that the movie version of my other favorite song from this show - "Till There Was You" (covered famously by the Beatles) - is inferior to the Broadway version, which has it as a lovely duet with Robert Preston, while the movie has Shirley Jones singing it alone.

On the plus side, the Barbershop quartet songs, and especially the Buffalo Bills' duet with Shirley Jones ("Lida Rose" and "Will I Ever Tell You?"), are top notch. I LOVE it when two melodies are woven together richly and seamlessly, and Willson does it in this musical several times. It's a subtle but genuine tour de force.

A bit of trivia: one of my favorite bands from the late 1960s, Spanky and Our Gang, recorded their own, delightful version of "Ya Got Trouble". So, between them and The Beatles, you know that Meredith Willson came up with some memorable tunes and lyrics here.

I can't end this review without also mentioning the stellar performance by Pert Kelton in the role of the widow Paroo. Her acting, voice, and intonations are perfect, which makes it understandable why she played the role both on stage and in the film. The way she sighs and looks off into the distance after one of her encounters with the spell-binding Professor Harold Hill is unforgettable.

If you're a music-lover, you can't regret owning this blu-ray. But for the CD, don't buy the movie soundtrack, but get the Broadway version. It also stars the incomparable Robert Preston, but features a flawless performance by Barbara Cook, singing the role of Marian (Madam Librarian) Paroo. [HK] This is a Widescreen Presentation (1.85:1) enhanced for 16x9 TVs and comes with the Special Features of:

Introduction by Shirley Jones
Right Here in River City Vintage Featurette
Trailer

"Iowa Stubborn" Movie Clip

Overview: Ellen Page (Juno) scores huge laughs as Bliss Cavendar, a small-town teenager with a big dream; to find her own path in the world. Tired of following in her family’s footsteps of compliance and conformity, Bliss discovers a way to put her life on the fast track...literally.

DVD Verdict: Contact sport and girls, yet the men in this movie hardly play a diminished role. For the ladies there is no pandering, or fainting, or feigning but the women display all the machismo of male athletics without all of the overly serious attitudes which are so much connected with big money. Instead, they compete for the fun and pride of it without any apology. They wear their bruises and sweat like medals.

In short the story that this movie superbly and entertainingly tells is the new one that says women are every bit as competitive and competent as men and without the nurturing that men receive, such as in this culture boys are nurtured to go into contacts sports, and when they get hurt not cry. Notice, "every bit as" not "more than". Women don't have to be more than, they can, however, expect to be equal and this movie depicts that winesomely.

The relational conflict between the main character and her mother reflects this gender bias on an even different level and takes it one step further - into the arena of healing, respect, and understanding. Good for you Drew Barrymore for making this movie your directorial debut!

The icing on the cake is when the girl found then lost boy, and boy was that good! When all things were put into perspective, the boy was simply a distraction - pleasant as that was and no apologies given for pleasure either - how refreshing. The girl needed to lose the boy so that she could find her own mojo. Bottom line, the girl can get a new boy.

And, let's be honest here, Ellen Page absolutely throws herself into every role she has had. She can be a horrifying, vengeful 14 year old (Hard Candy), an unhappy conservative young student (Smart People) or, of course Juno, the lovable pregnant 16 year old. Each she does convincingly. If Ellen Page is in a movie, there is at least one reason to see it!

The only true comparison to formula in this movie - because this story took sterotypes and turned them on their ear - is the male sports movie. This time, the girl and the girls get what the men in aforementioned formula sports stories got. Bravo and Bravo! A superb story and an outstanding sports movie. [DLL] This is a Widescreen presentation (1.85:1) enhanced for 16x9 TVs and comes with the Special Features of:

Alternate Opening
8 Deleted/Extended Scenes

Overview: When a tireless and charismatic novelty seeker tricks his buddy into lying to his fiancée so they can celebrate his last days of bachelorhood in proper style, it won’t just be the devil to pay!

DVD Verdict: Of course the film can't capture all the elements of the book that made it so much fun, but that's true with just about every book-to-movie adaptations. The tales from book are all tailored in to one event to make this movie flow which I didn't mind at all, instead of watching a bunch of short stories.

This movie is about Tucker and his friend's adventure to celebrate a bachelor party with a hidden agenda. The dialect of this film was hilarious to me, I was crying laughing and on the verge of peeing my pants. There are very funny one liners though out.

Regardless if you're offended by him or you support him, believe the stories or not... you have to admit, Tucker Max has a talent to tell a story. Again, if you've read the book or know who Tucker Max is you already know what you're in for, if not, well it's not exactly the most PC movie. Be prepared for crude jokes about women-I'm a girl and completely loved it regardless.

I recommend this movie and the book to college kids. It's just a guy writing about all of the shenanigans he got into in his early 20's. This is a Widescreen presentation (1.85:1) enhanced for 16x9 TVs and comes with the Special Features of:

17 Deleted Scenes

Overview: Soul Power is a stunning documentary about the legendary, three day music festival, co-created by musician Hugh Masekela and producer Stewart Levine, in Zaire that accompanied “The Rumble in The Jungle,” the epic, Don King-promoted boxing match that pitted Muhammad Ali against George Foreman.

Blu-ray Verdict: In 1974 Muhammad Ali was scheduled to fight George Foreman in Zaire to to regain the Heavyweight title. The promoter of the fight was the always-colorful Don King. In conjunction with the fight a large concert was planned featuring American and African and Latin pop stars. A few weeks before, Foreman cut himself and the fight had to be postponed. But there was money to be made on the concert so - with private financing from some Liberians - the concert went on. This film is a documentary on the staging of the concert. It's making its DVD debut now.

If you are looking for a "Woodstock" experience or even "Wattstax", you might be disappointed. Less than 40% of the screen time is devoted to musical performances. In fact, except for an opening number by James Brown, there is no music footage for the first 33 minutes of this 93-minute film. There is a lot of the planning - especially when the "money man" has some issues - and setting up the stage. And there is Ali talking about the race issue in the US (in his trademark rhymes).

When we get to the concert, things kick in with some incredible - and sometimes unusual - performances. Bill Withers plays a solo acoustic guitar in a strong vocal performance. Miriam Makeba explains her "Click Song". The Fania All Stars (with Celia Cruz) and the Crusaders do their thing and B.B. King does his "Thrill is Gone" for the umpteenth time. Surprisingly the performers are never identified until the closing credits! Some of the performers are not known in the US and, even those that are (Withers, for example) will be new to younger viewers.

No performer gets more than one song - except Brown, who gets two. Bonus features include a commentary track by the Director and Festival Producer and 42 minutes of Deleted Scenes. These scenes include five minutes of rehearsals (mostly Cruz) and one performance by Sister Sledge (who do not perform in the released film). And then there is the best three minutes on the whole disc: James Brown, in a hot and SWEATY performance of "Try Me". Why this was deleted is a mystery to me but it's a classic moment and captured in amazing close-ups. [SR] This is a Widescreen presentation (2.35:1) enhanced for 16x9 TVs and comes with the Special Features of:

Commentary with Director Jeffrey Levy-Hinte and Music/Festival Producer Stewart Levine
Deleted Scenes

Overview: With stolen top-secret technology, terrorists have created a next-generation Universal Soldier - an elite fighter genetically altered into a programmable killing machine. With this "UniSol" (Former UFC Heavyweight Champion Andrei "The Pitbull" Arlovski) leading the way, they seize the crippled Chernobyl nuclear reactor, threatening to unleash a lethal radioactive cloud.

Blu-ray Verdict: The plot of 'Universal Soldier: Regeneration' is simple (of course) but effective. The action is outstanding, ultra violent and rarely stops. And it's not old school action either. There's a taste of the Bourne series in some of these shoot-outs.

The plot, as it goes, ia about a small terrorist group who seize the Chernobyl nuclear reactor, threatening to release a toxic cloud. A military squad is sent in--and decimated by a new and more lethal "UniSol" (played by former UFC Heavyweight Champion Andrei "The Pit Bull" Arlovski). Desperate, the American military forces the decommissioned UniSol Luc Devereaux (Jean-Claude Van Damme) to revert back to a killing machine - even though the consequences to his damaged psyche could be severe… and dangerous.

Granted, both Dolph Lundgren and Jean-Claude Van Damme aren't really on screen as much as one of their typical films but it really, really works. Indeed, the acting all around is solid. My only complaint is the lack of budget/simple setting of the film. The action though, as mentioned is what makes this movie and there are some really good fight scenes. If you like violent action films with good realistic fighting choreography definitely check this one out. Big marks for Director Hyams. Can't wait to see what he does next! This is a Widescreen presentation (2.35:1) enhanced for 16x9 TVs and comes with the Special Features of:

Dolph Lundgren and Director Commentary
Behind the Lines Featurette
movieIQ and BD-Live connect you to real-time information on the cast, music, trivia and more while watching the movie!

Overview: Now, Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment celebrates this historic milestone when “The Simpsons” Season 20 Blu-ray and DVD collection arrives January 12, marking the show’s first time ever in high-definition. Series creator Matt Groening has added his own special touch by drawing all-new menus for both the Blu-ray and DVD, creating another keepsake memento for “The Simpsons” fans.

Blu ray Verdict: OK, getting this out first, every season of The Simpsons previously released on DVD has included lots of special features: little featurettes, deleted scenes, audio commentary for every episode, etc. So, quite a disappointment to discover that this set has absolutely NO extras, unless you want to count a promo for a Simpsons 20th Anniversary show that aired on Fox on January 10!

Anyway, moving on and as of early 2009, The Simpsons shifted to HD to keep up with the times. The change was easily visible for two reasons. For starters the opening sequence changed and began to include longer and longer couch gag sequences. However, the most important change is in the show's traditional dynamic.

The Simpsons, despite being a cartoon, started as anything but. It may have featured very sketchy character designs in its opening days, but it was socially intelligent and culturally apt. As the years went on, the animators fine-tuned the appearance of America's favorite yellow family and the characters acquired a set look that carried it through 19 and a half seasons. There was never too much character detail, but it worked because the character-driven stories (at least in the first 10 seasons) helped you look past the simplistic designs.

As the show's quality decreased in an effort to prolong its legacy (assuming you trust Mr. Scully), more detail was given to the characters, the voices changed a little, and the entire village of Springfield received a touch-up.

And so, on this Blu-ray set, these season 20 episodes look fantastic. It may feel like Fox substituted cosmetic quality for writing quality, but at least they got what they paid for. The colors are richer; the details are unsurpassed by past seasons. If all you want from a classic cartoon series is enriched animation, then this is the set for you.

My top 3 fav episodes are: "Mypods and Boomsticks" - Remember the "American Dad!" episode where Stan though the neighbors were terrorists? Yes? Classic? Yes! Also, Lisa gets a portable mp3 playing device; "Wedding for Disaster" - Mix in the "Saw" movie franchise and Sideshow Bob and what do you get? Well, you get this. Which is pretty good! And finally, "Four Great Women and a Manicure" - Another anthology episode. This one is better than most, and features a great take on Ayn "What a hot guy!" Rand. The lowest-rated episode in the show's history, but one I rather liked! This is a Widescreen Presentation (1.78:1) enhanced for 16x9 TVs and comes with the Special Features of:

Featurette - "The 20th Anniversary Special Sneak Peek by Morgan Spurlock"

Overview: Clive Owen delivers a critically acclaimed performance in THE BOYS ARE BACK, the heartwarming and uplifting drama about a man who is suddenly thrust into the role of single parent.

DVD: "The Boys Are Back" is a film inspired by a true story and where films about life after a deceased parent is nothing new, what makes this film so special is the connection between father and two sons that he has never been close with because of his commitment of being one of the best sports writers out there. Always traveling to major sports competitions, he has always trusted his son with his wife.

But it's when the character of Joe is forced to take on the role of father, you can feel that wall between him and his son. He knows that he hasn't been much of a father but he's trying. But when his son Harry from a previous marriage comes to stay with them, this is when we see Joe start to learn about himself. Things he was not conscious about. He's only thought about his young son Artie with his current wife, its when he sees his son Harry, a son that he has not really been too close with, you realize that Harry has missed out on having a father and now Harry is learning first hand that even though he had this new family in Australia, he has always made decisions that would benefit himself and never realizing how his children were feeling.

It's a real-eye opening story that you don't really see too often in a film. As mentioned, Clive Owens does a great job with his performance as Joe but credit also goes to the children played by George McKay and Nicholas McNaulty. Also, the characters of Barbara played by Julia Blake. Blake plays a good grandmother but having lost her daughter to cancer, she wants to make sure that her only living connection with her daughter, which is her grandson, is taken care of. And Julia has a hard time trusting Joe who has made some bad decisions.

Another actress that deserves credit is model Emma Booth who plays the character Laura. A woman who takes care of Artie when Joe is gone and a single parent who has chemistry with Joe but doesn't know where there relationship/friendship is going. Is she just his babysitter or does Joe really care about her? [DAA] This is a Widescreen Presentation (1.85:1) enhanced for 16x9 TVs and comes with the Special Features of:

THE BOYS ARE BACK: A Photographic Journey With Optional Commentary By Director Scott Hicks
A Father And Two Sons - On Set

www.miramax.com

Overview: A companion piece to 'Paris, je t'aime,' this valentine to New York cleverly blends nearly a dozen love stories, each presented by a different filmmaker. From Central Park to Brooklyn and Queens, each tale features the Big Apple as a central character.

DVD: Eleven directors and no fewer than 16 screenwriters contributed to this questionable showing. I mean, I like the idea of the film more than the film itself; the batting average with the Paris project was a good deal higher. Nonetheless “New York, I Love You” provides some compensatory satisfactions, thanks mostly to the actors, as they make the most of a series of pencil sketches.

And so, to take just a handful and explore: In Jiang Wen's amusing portion, two fast-talking thieves (Andy Garcia and Hayden Christensen) vie for the same babe. In Mira Nair's earnest one, a young Hasidic bride (Natalie Portman) pines for the Jain (Irrfan Khan) who sells her diamonds. Portman also directs a segment in which a little girl (Taylor Geare) and a man (Carlos Acosta) spend a day in the park.

In Shunji Iwai's, a film composer (Orlando Bloom) confides on the phone to a woman he's never met. And in Brett Ratner's, a fresh-faced 17-year-old (Anton Yelchin) escorts his prom date: a girl in a wheelchair (Olivia Thirlby), the daughter of a gruff old pharmacist (James Caan).

And, weaving it all together, sort of, is Randy Balsmeyer's meandering study of a video artist (Emilie Ohana) who bops around the city with her camera. This isn't a realistic portrait of Big Apple romance. This is a valentine from a band of fervid international suitors. If nothing else, this underwhelming effort proves that a director needs to understand the city before he or she can claim to love it. This is a Widescreen Presentation (1.85:1) enhanced for 16x9 TVs and comes with the Special Features of:

Bonus Segments
5 Director Interviews
Theatrical Trailer

Overview: In You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown, the Peanuts gang perform the various comedy sketches from the original live-action musical. Charlie Brown's friends each describe him.

DVD Verdict: I fell in love with"You're A Good Man Charlie Brown!" when the local theatre did the stage version. I found out soon after that there was an animated version on video. The show is amazing. With cute and funny songs like "The Kite" and "The Book Report," to touching and sweet songs like "The Baseball Game" and "Happiness," "You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown!" should have a place in everyone's heart.

I actually own the CD soundtrack from the 60's play (with Gary Burghoff from "M*A*S*H* as Charlie Brown). I used to sing with the songs all the time. The highlights are the main title, and anything done by Snoopy. "Queen Lucy" and "Oh Give Me a Home" are funny points. All in all, this is one of the best Peanuts cartoons that have ever been made.

And, again, for the record, this isn't a plot-driven cartoon like all the others. And, in truth, hearing the peanuts gang belt out heartfelt tunes like they were in a junior high talent show just might not feel right - like it just didn't seem to fit their characters or something.

But, each to their own and if you allow it to be, you will love this musical created just for diehard Peanuts fans. This is a Full Screen presentation (1.33:1) enhanced for 16x9 TVs and comes with an all-new featurette: Animating a Charlie Brown Musical.

Overview: Judi Dench, Imelda Staunton, Francesca Annis and Julia McKenzie star in this two-part sequel to the Emmy-winning BBC/PBS drama, Cranford. Miss Matty's house is full of life and bustle. Her dream of having a child in the house has been realized in the birth of Tilly, daughter of her maid Martha and carpenter Jem.

DVD Verdict: This is not really a sequel (though some story arcs from the original do get developed here), but a 2-part special that is inspired in part by Cranford, and also two other stories by author Elizabeth Gaskell, i.e. "The Moorland Cottage", and also "The Cage at Cranford", see Three Tales of Cranford: Cranford, The Cage at Cranford, and The Moorland Cottage.

Besides the familiar and beloved cast of the original Cranford such as Miss Matty (Dame Judi Dench), Miss Pole (Imelda Staunton), Mrs Forrester (Julia McKenzie), Miss Tomkinson (Deborah Findlay), etc. several new characters are introduced, such as Lady Glenmire (played by Celia Imrie), and the conjuror Signor Brunoni(Tim Curry).

The first part is set in summer 1844 - it has been two years since dear Miss Matty (Dame Judi Dench in another luminous portrayal) lost her beloved sister Deborah, and a year since Sophy Hutton married Dr Harrison (these two characters are no longer in this show). Miss Matty seems content with the presence of her brother Peter (Nicholas Le Prevost) who is home from India, and helps look after Tilly, the baby of her maid Martha and carpenter Jem Hearne.

The continuity from the original Cranford is seen in the railway project which still looms menacingly over the town. Things are also made more exciting with the arrival of Mr. Buxton, a wealthy widower who lives with his ward Erminia (Michelle Dockery) and his son William (Tom Hiddleston who is quite the eye candy).

Life in Cranford is always full of surprises and when Lady Ludlow's long absent son Septimus (Rory Kinnear) arrives, things take unexpected turns, precipitated by a tragedy in the family. The old tensions are there - especially between those that are against the railroad project and those ,like Captain Brown and young William who feel that modernization is essential to Cranford's long-term survival. Miss Matty, in her usual subtle fashion, gets involved in some of these village proceedings, with some rather startling results.

The second part is set later in the year 1844, October up till Christmas - Miss Matty and her friends are predictably excited at the visit of Lady Glenmire (Celia Imrie) but when Mrs Jamieson (Barbara Flynn) feels no one amongst her peers is of suitably high rank to meet her, she and Lady Glenmire get snubbed by Matty and company and it is left to Lady Glenmire to set things right in a most memorable way.

Matty also faces some challenges that involves a falling out amongst her circle of friends,a serious romance between William and a young woman deemed unsuitable by his father (which has Matty pondering the wisdom of her 'involvement' in bringing the pair together), and more tragedy on the horizon, affecting the citizens of Cranford.

A fair note of warning - this particular installment in the Cranford franchise is much more subdued than the original and there's quite a fair bit of tragedy - there's death (involving a couple of familiar characters who were also in the original), grief, tension, family drama, imperiled friendships, the age-old battle between those opposed to change and those who embrace the challenges of modernization, etc., but there's also romance and lighthearted moments.

However, I can understand how this particular follow-up might disappoint purists who loved the original and how well it adhered to Gaskell's novel. Personally, I loved the original Cranford and thought it was a superior production, and though I like RTC, the plot is not as engaging as the original. As for the production qualities - they are excellent. [ZH] This is a Widescreen presentation (1.78:1) enhanced for 16x9 TVs.

Overview: Oscar©-winner Judi Dench (Notes on a Scandal, Casino Royale) heads a stellar cast including Michael Gambon (Dumbledore in the Harry Potter films), Eileen Atkins (Cold Mountain, Gosford Park), Imelda Staunton (Vera Drake) and more in this witty and poignant story which follows the small absurdities and major tragedies in the lives of the people of Cranford.

DVD Verdict: Cranford aka the Cranford Chronicles, based on Elizabeth Gaskell's story is a stellar production. It is a lush period drama and is very authentic in its portrayal of people living in a little hamlet called Cranford. The sets are beautiful as are the costumes, and of course the production is elevated to a level of excellence by its impeccable casting. Writer Heidi Thomas does a wonderful job of adapting Elizabeth Gaskell's story [purportedly based on Gaskell's own hometown] and though liberties are taken, the stellar cast more than makes up for whatever deficiencies there may be in the faithfulness of the adaptation.

Dame Eileen Atkins [Miss Deborah Jenkins] and Dame Judi Dench [Miss Matty Jenkins] portray two spinster sisters in 1842 who live in the little town of Cranford. Far from being a quiet little hamlet, this little town hums with activity and village gossips, especially a Miss Pole [Imelda Staunton]who flits around from one hearsay to another, avidly passing on any little nuggets of gossip to the other inhabitants.

Cranford is set aflutter by the arrival of a new doctor, Dr Harrison [Simon Woods] who is young, handsome, single and very much into trying new methods of treatment, to the initial consternation of the townspeople. Dr Harrison finds himself attracted to a beautiful local lass, Sophy [Kimberly Nixon] though he inadvertently attracts the romantic affections of other single women in Cranford. But the story does not merely focus on romance, as there are other more serious themes underlying the series.

For one, there is talk of a railroad being built that would go through Cranford, and disrupt the idyllic life in the village, giving rise to the inevitable battle between modernization and the desire for things to remain unchanged. The local rich lady, Lady Ludlow portrayed by Francesca Annis is very much opposed to change, and not only opposes the railroad but also any form of societal change, such as literacy amongst the lower classes [she refuses to hire a maid who is literate, saying the girl's parents did her a disservice by teaching her to read].

There is also the theme of lost love, death and grief. Miss Matty Jenkins[ Judi Dench] finds herself recounting the tale of her lost love [played by Michael Gambon]. This is what makes Cranford such an engaging viewing experience - the absurd [the story of the cat swallowing an antique lace and how the lace is retrieved] is interlaced with tales of poignancy and everything unfolds leisurely. It is a tale that we wish will never end, and hope to revisit again and again. [ZH] This is a Widescreen presentation (1.78:1) enhanced for 16x9 TVs and comes with the Special Features of:

The Making of Cranford
Cranford in Detail

www.bbcamericashop.com

Overview: 'Top Gear' takes extraordinary and ordinary cars to the limit and beyond to find out if they're as good as manufacturers claim. Full of extreme stunts, challenges, celebrity appearances and weekly features, 'Top Gear' is far more than a car show, you'll find no boring stats or impenetrable conversations about camshafts here.

DVD Verdict: Hosts Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May love themselves a fast, sleek, beautifully styled automobile. They rarely agree on which car fits all those descriptions, but that's half the fun. Watching them charge headlong into the producer-assigned "challenges" to push a given vehicle past its recognized abilities usually results in a large amount of fun.

Maybe they're forcing outdated Italian race cars to prove their merit long after their glory days, or perhaps they're attempting to outfox a pack of hounds in a sports utility vehicle. Whatever the task, they tend to offer some amusing color commentary after the fact.

Even if 'Top Gear' has begun to tilt slightly further towards being a comedy show with cars than a car show with comedy, it's still wildly entertaining. In its eleventh season, ''Top Gear has made a noticeable effort to cut back on huge events like the cross-desert rally of the previous season, and in exchange features a single mission-per-episode format.

If you follow the show regularly you'd know that that means every episode of the season is now essentially the same with no two or three episode arcs to break it up. With a simple six-episode season there's not much need to break it up, so the omission of that multi-episode mission doesn't negatively affect 'Top Gear's eleventh season all that much.

As in every series of 'Top Gear', a guest is brought on for every episode to try their luck at "Star in a Reasonably-Priced Car". This season's guests include Michael Parkinson, Will Young, Mark Wahlberg, Harry Enfield, Kevin McCloud, Boris Johnson and (amusingly) Sir Tom Jones. It's always sad when a star comes on the show and fails miserably, because Clarkson then attempts to give them some commendation like "Well, Sir Jones," after he did rather poorly on his lap, "I think we can say you have the highest time on the board by anyone who's ever sang in Vegas." He was the only one on the board with that distinction.

The season may be longer, but it, like series 11, doesn't have one big moment to define it. Its final episode, the Vietnam Special lacks any real pizzazz due to the rather clumsy vehicles chosen for it (motor scooters). It's hard to get excited about a challenge where the team's maximum speed is about 30 mph. But at least this series had a special, I guess.

And, if you remember back from 'Top Gear 10,' the Botswana Special (which is a lot of fun) has been included in this set in its Director's Cut incarnation. It's just as fun, so if you haven't seen it in awhile the jokes still get laughs. A few extended scenes and commentaries for the Botswana and Vietnam specials comprise the rest of the extras, with some deleted scenes and a photo gallery bringing up the rear. They may talk about cars somewhat, but it's really an excuse to deliver some funny automotive one-liners. This is a Widescreen presentation (1.78:1) enhanced for 16x9 TVs.

www.bbcamerica.com

Overview: 21-year-old Emma Woodhouse has very little to worry about. She is beautiful, clever, rich, with a comfortable home and some of the best blessings of existence. More than anything, she loves playing matchmaker to her friends and family, so when young, pretty, naive and socially inferior Harriet arrives, Emma decides to indulge her passion.

DVD Verdict: It says something for the enduring qualities of Jane Austen's famous romantic comedy "Emma" that it gets redone every few years for television or the movies. The latest (2009) BBC version reproduces, more or less faithfully, Jane Austen's novel at a length of four hours, framed by excellent production values, featuring superb period sets, costumes, and carriages.

As the story has it, the rich, handsome, and clever Emma Woodhouse imagines herself to be the able matchmaker of the village of Highbury, a role she takes on against the advice of her older and wiser good friend Mr. Knightley. Unfortunately, Emma succeeds mostly in tangling several lives, including her own. Along with some excellent comedy, this story is a coming-of-age experience for the young Emma, in classic Jane Austen style.

Romola Garai is a good fit as Emma, if rather more expressive than some of her film predecessors. Michael Gambon is a superb Mr. Woodhouse, with all the quirks of the original. Johnny Lee Miller at first glance is a bit young for the 16 year age difference with Emma, but he and Romola Garai work around to some genuine chemistry on screen. The supportig cast is good to excellent, especially Blake Ritson as the Reverend Elton and Rupert Evans as Frank Churchill.

"Emma" is very highly recommended to fans of Jane Austen and of PBS Masterpiece Classics. [DST] This is a Widescreen presentation (1.78:1) enhanced for 16x9 TVs and comes with the Special Features of:

Emma's Locations
Emma's Costumes
Emma's Music
Emma's Mr Woodhouse: Interview with Michael Gambon

www.bbcamericashop.com

Overview: Crushin' on JONAS? Get ready to experience the lovable antics of three of the world's most famous musicians with 7 specially selected episodes of the hit Disney Channel Original Series in I HEART JONAS.

DVD Verdict: In much the same vein as "Hannah Montana," the Disney Channel TV series "JONAS" is supposed to give fans a taste of what everyday life might be like for a pop superstar. Or in this case, a trio of brothers who have become international sensations.

So, indeed, what are they really like on a day to day basis?

Well, first off, being that this show is trying to show the three guys to be as 'normal,' and as 'everyday like you and me' as possible, they live in a refurbished fire house and slide down their respective poles for meals! Hmmmm, sorry, but that's just as far from normal as posible!

As for the brothers themselves, Kevin is the clown, Joe the sucker, and Nick the (at all times, seemingly) angst-ridden one. As for the actual episodes, well, most of them (on this disc) have to do with the growing attraction that Joe and his childhood friend and current JONAS fashion designer Stella (Chelsea Staub) have for each other.

Weirdly though, and just like the first DVD release, "Rockin´ the House," this one features seven episodes from Season 1 - but in a jumbled order! This is a Full Screen Presentation (1.33:1) enhanced for 16x9 TVs and comes with the Special Features of:

Fan-Bonus - Three (3) Trading Cards with magnetic backing, one for each brother: Kevin, Joe, and Nick.

www.DisneyDVD.com

Overview: Partnered with hardened, veteran colleagues, a rookie cop (McKenzie) tries to make a difference in the not so glamorous parts of Southern California, where he quickly learns that the reality of being out in the field is nothing like his preparation at the Academy.

DVD Verdict: As we all know by now, 'Southland' was an excellent, excellent show, and although NBC dropped the ball by cancelling it, TNT has purchased all the shows and started showing them on Tuesday nights at 10 p.m. this January.

Trying to step into the gritty shoes of the first show that most people are going to think of when they see it, “The Shield,” can be a tough hill to climb. Of course, no one can say “Southland” is as good as Shawn Ryan’s brilliant program yet, but it’s been cut from a similar cloth, complete with censored profanity, as if you’re watching a movie on network TV.

For those that haven't seen any of these episodes, and don't want too much given away, ... well, the pilot episode follows an investigation into a random shooting of a guy who just happened to get off the bus at the wrong place at the wrong time. There’s also a story involving a missing girl. What we see as the episode progresses and the cops attempt to bring down the bad-guys isn’t a CSI-like analysis of a standard police investigation but rather, a glimpse at everyday life for a bunch of cops working in a dangerous neighborhood.

Only the 7 aired episodes are included here on this sparse 2-disc set, while the remaining 6 float about waiting to be broadcast - on TNT, we can all but hope! Why didn't they just wait and put all 13 episodes on this release? Marketing, only one can guess, but that simply means all the remaining, unaired episodes suddenly become the Second Season, I guess!

Anyway, 'Southland' was/is a GREAT show and it was a dumb/stupid decision to have it dumped from NBC ... but, in reflection, look what's happening over there at that station as we speak! Nuff said! This is a Widescreen Presentation (1.78:1) enhanced for 16x9 TVs and comes with the Special Features of:

Seven episodes on two discs
Southland: Redefining the Cop Drama: producers and cast reveal the story behind creating a new series about the LAPD

Overview: 'Becker' centers on the life of Dr. John Becker, a cantankerous, yet dedicated and talented physician, who, in spite of his constant rants, has a decent heart underneath the sarcasm.

DVD Verdict: This is one of the funniest and best played TV shows, especially with Reggie (actress Terry Farrell) and Bob (Saverio Guerra)in the show. It is also Ted Danson's best acting in a movie or a TV show (better than in Cheers). It is a shame the show hasn't been on more TV stations and more often.

I bought all the episodes of the show and I enjoy it watching it almost every day. The more I watch it the more I like it. The last episodes were less funnier because of the mediocre actor who replaced Bob in the show. All other episodes are great with all actors playing great. Linda (actress Shawnee Smith) and Margaret (Hattie Winston) are also better funnier than in any other shows or movies they have played.

This program has the same political issues and work, family and friends that never get old or stale. It is a true ensemble show. As I watch it I always find something to laugh at. I often wish I could go to a doctor like John Becker on the sitcom. And I wish I could hang out with friends at a diner like Reggie's. No matter how grumpy and political incorrect Becker seems to be he is a good doctor, and he will do everything he can to diagnose and cure a patient's illness.

And so, as mentioned above, with other characters like Becker's best friend and blind newsstand owner Jake, supermodel to crappy cafe owner Reggie, more beauty than brains Linda, and Margret being the only one who's somewhat normal, this is just the right formula for the perfect comedic TV half hour. Pick this up as this is a show you will laugh at hundred times over, no matter how often you watch it! This is a Widescreen Presentation (1.85:1) enhanced for 16x9 TVs.

Overview: 'Girlfriends' is a sophisticated comedy series that invites viewers into the lives of three professional African American women living in Los Angeles who are struggling with the weighty issues of life - men, love, money -- and more men. 'Girlfriends' returns for its triumphant final year, providing an open, honest exploration of the hot-button issues about family, friends, relationships and life facing women today.

DVD Verdict: This was one of UPN networks best shows - witty, funny and full of characters. From the staunch character played by Ms. Tracee Ellis Ross to the modern day free spirit Persia White. Affluent African Americans portrayed as never before in a natural and real-life setting. I applaud producer Kelsey Grammer of Cheers, and Frasier fame for a good script, well developed characters and just enough modern day problems and situations to make this show worth taking a look at.

The actresses and actors are well known within the African American community and accomplished in their own right. Basically you have a sitcom that follows traditional lines but with a hint of Ebonics thrown in to be enjoyable to all. The women are beautiful and strong American women and the fine portrayal of an affluent African American man by actors such as Reggie Hayes is a welcome treat for viewers like myself who are so tired of seeing African Americans portrayed as pimps and hookers. Great work from a great cast and again good stuff Mr Grammer, one of the funniest men on TV today.

But, sad to say, but this Season 8 of 'Girlfriends' was the final season of this groundbreaking comedy/drama. Even though I had a feeling Season 8 would be the last I thought for sure 'Girlfriends' would have received a proper send-off. No fantasy wedding for Joan and the rest of the characters were left hanging with no sense of resolution. Tracee Ellis Ross was such a gem throughtout the entire series, I could relate to her and her many relationship woes. Season 8 is short but definitely worth purchasing - as are Seasons 1-7. Enjoy! This is a Widescreen Presentation (1.85:1) enhanced for 16x9 TVs.

Overview: Being the wife or girlfriend of a pro-football player might sound like a glamorous and stress-free existence, but Melanie Barnett (Tia Mowry) is about to discover the truth. Melanie’s boyfriend, Derwin, is the new third-string wide receiver for the San Diego Sabers. While Derwin worries about the plays on the field, Melanie learns about the power plays that NFL wives use to get their men the best agents, managers, endorsements, and merchandising deals.

DVD Verdict: I love this show! I'm a huge fan. I love the story line, excellent writers, captivating acting! I'm glad they show it on BET, however, myself and ALL of my peers would love to see new episodes! We all agree that we relate to the characters because they are in our age group and experience what we experience; similar to what the show "Soul Food" did for my colleagues who are a little bit more "mature" than myself.

Does anyone one know how we can get this show back on the air?! Who do we need to beg?! I'm so happy that the second season is finally now on DVD so that you can all rush out and buy it! I can honestly say that I KNOW for a FACT that this DVD set is going to make huge sales!

I love Melanie and Derwin. The drama and realism is great. I am so sad they took it off the air. I would consider getting HBO or Showtime if they showed it. They need to put this show back on air it gave a lot of young actors a chance as well as it was one of the few diverse shows on television!

After watching just one episode, I was hooked (not in a bad way)! Please bring our show back, ladies night is not the same without it! Our boyfriends and husbands even watch it. It's so much I have to say about this show because it's truly a favorite of mine and all of my friends. This is a Widescreen Presentation (1.85:1) enhanced for 16x9 TVs.

Overview: The Invention of Lying imagines a world in which everyone unfailingly tells the truth; they don't even know what fiction is. Every thought, however humiliating or harsh, tumbles out unvarnished. Then one day, a desperate unemployed writer named Mark (Gervais) concocts a lie--and in a world where everyone is unfailingly honest, a lie is believed with total and absolute gullibility!

DVD Verdict: This film plays out like a British reality TV show. It just feels a bit off, but bear with it. That is part of its charm. Around 37 minutes into it (if memory serves), "WHAM!", it follows true reality and goes completely off script. That's all I can tell you. But here's why you really need to see this movie:

It's pure genius! The whole of it has a rather laid back feel, and the pacing is more a nice leisurely stroll through the park on a warm Autumn day than a Jason Bourne movie or the latest Transformers (both of which I enjoyed, but have nothing more to do with this review). This film draws you in slowly. For some of you it may seem a bit dry and boring, even pedantic at first - stay with it!

This is the evolution of personal existence. This is real life as it happens. We go through our days performing our daily rituals and fulfilling our self-imposed duties and then we see something shiny and we pick it up, and suddenly the world starts to find color. This shiny new thing could be a relationship, or a new hobby, a passion for something we did not believe we could have before - or in this case - lying.

One of the funniest scene in the movie is when Bellison is forced to invent religion on the spot, including commandments written on pizza boxes. However, the film falls (somewhat) flat after this scene, because Gervais - rather than playing his bold heresy for all it's worth - retreats to the insipid love triangle between Bellison, the lovely Anna McDoogles (Jennifer Garner) and the loathsome Brad Kessler (Rob Lowe).

The point of this film is (naturally) to entertain us, but just underneath is a series of layered messages and thoughts to ponder on our own lives and the society we live in. In much the same way foreign films tend to attract a certain demographic, this film, feeling a lot like a film foreign to Americans (in pace and structure) is meant to attract people who want to THINK while they are being entertained, rather than wait for glimpses of Megan Fox in a wet bikini (and who doesn't want to do that?).

This is truly a film worth owning, and it is a film worth watching a few times (spaced apart by a few months). It gets under your skin and stays with you--and it will without a doubt upset more than a few knee-jerk religionists, but that is the other half of the fun.

The movie is interesting, enjoyable and slow-paced enough to simultaneously allow the slow-to-catch-on to get the joke, but also allow those a bit faster on the up-take to digest the meaning of the joke while enjoying the film. Not at all a first date movie, but if you want to evaluate the relationship quality of your current romantic prospect, this is a MUST SEE. [DW] This is a Widescreen Presentation (1.85:1) and comes with the Special Features of:

Prequel: The Dawn of Lying: Documenting a monumental occasion in history
A Truly "Honest" Making-of Featurette: cast members share their admiration for a comedic genius
Meet Karl Pilkington: Ricky's best buddy and cohost of The Ricky Gervais Show chronicles his travels to the U.S.
Ricky and Matt's video podcasts: over 10 minutes of insider coverage
Additional Scenes
More Laughter: Corpsing and Outtakes

Overview: 'Legends of Laughter: Abbott & Costello' is a brand new special collector's set that includes extremely rare bloopers from film and TV; full episodes of The Abbott & Costello (Radio) Show, a 1943 World War II PSA; the feature films Africa Screams (1949) and Jack and the Beanstalk (1952); more than 20 classic movie trailers, and all 14 TV episodes hosted by the duo of the Colgate Comedy Hour (1951-54).

DVD Verdict: My goodness, you get a huge amount of wonderment on this 6-disc DVD collection ... and for a massive 25 hours too! I guess you could say that this new collection is for the Abbot and Costello fan who thinks they've seen it all! For this extensive collection of feature films, classic television programs, radio shows, movie trailers, and rare bloopers is a hilarious reminder of just how funny the beloved comedy duo really was.

Bud Abbott and Lou Costello performed together as Abbott and Costello, an American comedy duo whose work in radio, film and television made them the most popular comedy team during the 1940s and 50s. Thanks to the endurance of their most popular and influential routine, "Who's on First?" — whose rapid-fire word play and comprehension confusion set the preponderant framework for most of their best-known routines — the team is, as a result, featured in the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum!

The highlights on this truly fantastic 'Legends of Laughter: Abbott & Costello' box-set include 17 episodes of The Abbot and Costello radio show, 14 episodes of The Colgate Comedy Hour that were hosted by the duo, the 1943 WWII PSA "The Autobiography of a Jeep," 2 feature-length movies in 'Africa Screams' and 'Jack and the Beanstalk,' 20 classic trailers, and numerous bloopers from film and television!

Special guest appearances include Marlene Dietrich, Errol Flynn, Lucille Ball, Lon Chaney, Jr., Jane Russell, Veronica Lake, Louis Armstrong, Dorothy Lamour, Peter Lorre, and amongst a whole host of so many other famous names from back in the day, Victor Borge, Peggy Lee, The Andrews Sisters, Rhonda Fleming and both Mel Blanc and Shemp Howard (Three Stooges). This is a Full Screen presentation (1.33:1) enhanced for 16x9 TVs.

Overview: How do you save humanity when the only thing that's real is you? From the director of TERMINATOR 3 comes a jaw-dropping psychological thriller starring the ultimate action hero, Bruce Willis. In the not-so-distant future, where people experience life through perfect surrogates controlled from the safety of their own homes, murder is a thing of the past. But when a college student linked to the creator of these replicants is killed, one FBI agent must re-enter reality and risk his life to unravel the mystery.

Blu ray Verdict: It's kind of depressing to constantly have so many sci-fi films in the multiplexes (and then immediately all out on DVD soon thereafter) and never a good one. Take this latest example of average, middling mediocrity. The idea is always a good hook. This time humans have abandoned their daily lives to robots called surrogates.

The surrogates live the person's life while the person is hooked into a machine in the comfort of their own home and interact with the world through their surrogate. Why is this cool idea forced upon us in the plot structure of a police procedural/murder mystery, with evil corporate machinations/anti-technology groups trying to sabotage the surrogacy program and Bruce Willis running around jumping, kicking butt Die-Hard style with car chases, helicopter crashes, explosions/action sequences ripped righ out of Terminator 3 which itself was ripped out of Terminator 2 which was ripped out of The Terminator.

In case that diatribe made no sense, I was saying there is nothing original in this movie and it's a rehash of earlier ideas and stories as well as all the trappings of your typical big-budget commercial spectacle. It's really terrible to see the director, a once promising Jonathan Mostow, actually rip off action scenes from his own movies, films still fresh in the mind. Radha Mitchell's character in this movie is jumping on cars like the TX in Terminator 3 and so is Bruce Willis.

I suppose this is enjoyable dreck on some level and there is plenty of humor involved when it comes to what a world like this would be like. Consumer commodity madness at it's worst. But it's been done to death in far more ambitious and intellectual films such as Blade Runner.[DV] This is a Widescreen Presentation (2.40:1) enhanced for 16x9 TVs and comes with the Special Features of:

Deleted Scenes
Exclusive To Blu-ray: A More Perfect You: The Science Of Surrogate
Exclusive To Blu-ray: Breaking The Frame: A Graphic Novel Comes To Life
'I Will Not Bow' - Music Video By Breaking Benjamin
Feature Audio Commentary By Director Jonathan Mostow

www.BVHE.com

Overview: Filmed during a three night stint at the O2 Arena in London in Autumn 2009, The Final Tour DVD, with a run time of 137 minutes, celebrates the 50th anniversary of Cliff And The Shadows’ first collaboration.

DVD Verdict: With his backing group The Shadows, Cliff Richard dominated the British popular music scene in the late 1950s and early 1960s, before and during The Beatles' first year in the charts in 1963.

After a tour with The Drifters, the group renamed themselves The Shadows, with Brian Marvin (who "americanised" his name to Hank B. Marvin) and Bruce Welch (both on guitar) being added, Jet Harris replacing Ian Samwell on bass guitar and Tony Meehan replacing Terry Smart on drums.

Cliff and the Shadows appeared in several movies, beginning with Serious Charge in 1959 and, more successfully, Expresso Bongo in the same year. Cliff decided to buy out his own movie contract in order to retain control over the content of his movies. This was followed by a string of hit movies including The Young Ones and Summer Holiday.

'Cliff & The Shadows - The Final Reunion' was filmed during a three night stint at the O2 Arena in London, England in Autumn 2009 Celebrating the 50th anniversary of Cliff And The Shadows’ first collaboration, the sold-out crowd are up and baying early, but Cliff has other ideas for them: "Please sit down – you’ll only get tired,” he implores them, a smile spread across his face.

But then, as the opening chords of "We Say Yeah" are heard, several hundred fans bounce immediately to their feet regardless! And, as we progress, judging from the whoops with which the crowd lovingly sing along, it was the pop side of Richard that most of his fans had come to see. Well, that and some very smoothly orchestrated dance moves with Hank Marvin and Bruce Welch - on their trademark triangular dance!

The huge 41-song set - one primarily devoted to early Cliff and the Shadows - contains such musical gems as their #1 hits “Living Doll,” “It’s All In The Game,” “Bachelor Boy,” and “Apache,” as well as a 30-minute bonus feature with interviews and behind-the-scenes footage.

Now, this so-called (probable) Final Tour performance was incredible, it has to be said, and save for when the audience calming down, restraining themselves for "Sea Cruise" adorning sailor hats, one and all, the noise from the sold-out crowd was continual. And so, if you like this kind of thing, and I most certainly do/did, this is a must have for your collection, trust me! This is a Widescreen Presentation (1.85:1) enhanced for 16x9 TVs.

Overview: As if juggling three wives weren't tricky enough, Season Three of Emmy®- and Golden Globe®-nominated 'Big Love' finds modern polygamist Bill Henrickson (Bill Paxton) tackling problems outside his three-house suburban home. Bill a practicing polygamist who lives in suburban Salt Lake City with his three wives and seven children. An independent businessman who runs a growing chain of hardware stores, Bill faces a myriad of challenges in meeting the emotional, romantic and financial needs of his wives Barb (Jeanne Tripplehorn), Nicki (Chloe Sevigny) and Margene (Ginnifer Goodwin).

DVD Verdict: I keep watching this show every season even though I find these characters infuriating! Most infuriating is the effect this lifestyle has on their children. It's not so bad when they are young but when they become teens, any decisions they want to make about their own futures and lifestyles are stomped on because they have to follow in these polygamous footsteps. Talk about being in a straight jacket for life!

Salt Lake City businessman Bill Henrickson (Bill Paxton) is our polygamist in chief and he usually drives me absolute bats. Servicing this guy, in any sense of the word, is a full time job for every other character. One must be a huge egomaniac to occupy this position. Anything less than having full egomania and you would be forced to find yourself insufferable.

When I am about to hurl something through my tv screen at his his head, I do remember though that he was brought up on an outlaw Mormon compound with a guru head and totally insane parents. Compared to them he is a model of decorum and the placid lifestyle. His entire business will collapse if he is discovered to be an outlaw polygamous Mormon. No one who is not one of these will patronize his business. So everyone faces complete financial ruin on a daily basis too.

Barb (Jeanne Tripplehorn) is his original wife. This means all of her children are legitimate but she has two other houses attached to her house with two other wives and their children. This is not what she signed on for and she has lost her entire family of mother, sister and sister's children as a result of her husband's outlaw election. Nicki (Chloë Sevigny), and Margene (Ginnifer Goodwin) are the other two wives. Their children are illegitimate and can not be seen in public with their father as it would blow their cover.

In this third season, Bill, incredibly enough, starts dating a fourth woman whom he wants to make his fourth wife. Bill doesn't believe in affairs or pre-marital sex. No, it is marriage or nothing for him. This fourth recruitment of a wife particularly infuriated me and I was grousing at the set, "Why can't you go out and have an affair like a normal person?"

This "moralist" also is trying to get in on the casino gambling business and out of his other consumer products business. Reason? No one in the gambling business cares how he leads his life and if they discover his lifestyle, nothing bad will happen financially.

This is another series, like WEEDS, which I would love to grade down. However, if I have watched three full seasons, got so engrossed that I felt like throwing something through the tv set, then I suspect I must be enjoying it. HBO has done it to me again, I'm afraid, hooked me in for the duration with these outlaw Mormons. [CI] This is a Widescreen presentation (1.85:1) enhanced for 16x9 TVs and comes with the Special Features of:

"Three Past Midnight” – three mini-episodes that show the reactions of several of the characters to news that a polygamist compound in Kansas has been raided and state troopers have taken children into custody. The three pieces are titled “Margene and Nicki,” “Bill and Barb” and “Ben and Sarah.”
"Their Stories So Far” – vignettes that allow viewers to catch up to what’s going on in Salt Lake City as several of the characters provide their point of views on past storylines.

Overview: Rush's Working Men is the first-ever "greatest hits" live performance DVD compilation from the legendary rock trio. Inspired by the classic "Working Man" from Rush's first album and culled from their three most recently filmed DVD releases - Rush in Rio, R30 and Snakes & Arrows Live - Working Men features dynamic live versions of Rush's best known songs.

DVD Verdict: As we should all know by now, Rush is a Canadian rock band originally formed in August 1968, in the Willowdale neighbourhood of Toronto, Ontario, and is composed of bassist, keyboardist, and lead vocalist Geddy Lee, guitarist Alex Lifeson, and drummer and lyricist Neil Peart.

'Rush - Working Men' contains excellent performances from all of this trio of musical wonders ... trouble is, all, bar one, is already available on other DVDs, so beware! That one exception is the "One Little Victory" clip from the 'R30' show in Frankfort, Germany, which has recently been made available, in its entirety, on Blu-ray.

Hence, I'm not too certain why they decided to release this disc, other than just to promote their other concert vids. However, if you don't want to buy those vids individually, this DVD does not fall short in terms of quality by any means.

The complete track listing is: Limelight, The Spirit of Radio, 2112, Freewill, Dreamline, Far Cry, Subdivisions, One Little Victory (previously unreleased), Closer to the Heart, Tom Sawyer, Working Man, and YYZ .

So, if you're a casual fan, check it out. If you're hardcore, on the other hand, you may want to pass it over - as you've probably seen and heard all this before, in truth. This is a Widescreen Presentation (2.35:1) enhanced for 16x9 TVs.

Overview: A dalliance with an Arkansas cutie leads J.R. to the wrong end of a shotgun, 10 years of hard labor, a prison break and the altar. And that’s just the start of 26 episodes of commotion and emotion that also include a tell-all movie that threatens to unveil every low-down trick J.R. ever pulled and a rival oil man scheming to destroy the Ewing empire, taking the clan from Southfork all the way to Austria and Russia!

DVD Verdict: This season sets out to entertain and to elicit laughter at times as you are drawn into all the action and drama. Co-Executive producer Larry Hagman ordered an action-packed season 12 and that "every episode contain a healthy dose of action, that is, someone getting shot at, a fight, anything the viewers can get a charge out of."

One of my favorite story-lines of the entire series is the fabulous Range War in this season with all the firepower and fireworks at Southfork with George Kennedy playing Carter Mckay as the Ewings' new nemesis and neighbor from Hell. It's about time we had some strong action and high drama focused at Southfork when the ranch is threatened and with the Ewings being in danger, instead of Ewing Oil being much of the focus up until this season.

'Lovejoy' and 'Deadwood' actor Ian McShane stars as Sue Ellen's new beau who is also her screenwriter for her movie (this plot provides flashbacks of some great DALLAS scenes of earlier seasons). One thing that doesn't make much sense is Sue Ellen going through all the trouble to buy a studio and make her movie but not do what she intended with the movie...unless she has too much money to burn at this point.

There's a good and unique end-of-episode freezeframe of JR, Bobby and Cliff standing united together against their foe Carter Mckay after he pushes Bobby and threatens him for beating up his son Tommy who had beaten up April.

Audrey Landers makes a welcome return as Afton Cooper and it's nice to see her and Cliff together again, and Cliff meets Afton's daughter but Afton is reticent over whether or not Cliff is her daughter Pamela Rebecca's father.

For a TV show entering its twelfth year the new characters this season are not bad - in fact to me they're good (except for Cally's annoying brothers) and George Kennedy and Ian McShane are both TV and movie veterans. Cathy Podewell as Cally is also good, and the country accent she puts on is convincing. Although the final three seasons of the series may not be outstanding like the early seasons for some, I find they are worth watching as they have many good and entertaining story-lines which are better than some of the junk on TV nowadays.

Fact: Over its 14 seasons, Dallas garnered 17 Emmy® nominations and four wins, 14 Golden Globe® nominations and one win, and was the #1 or #2 rated network series for five consecutive seasons. [CT] This is a Full Screen presentation (1.33:1) enhanced for 16x9 TVs

www.wbshop.com

Overview: 'Magnolia' chronicles such diverse occurrences as a suicide turned homicide by a quirk of timing; a motivational speaker motivated by rage; and a quiz kid rendered stupid by a lightning strike. Besides Cruise, look for more great acting from Philip Seymour Hoffman, William H. Macy, Jason Robards, Philip Baker Hall and Julianne Moore.

Blu-ray Verdict: There are a few different catagories of film. For example, a film such as, say, 'STAR WARS', or 'E.T.', maybe, is almost universally lauded as an enjoyable, if somewhat unchallenging, film to watch. Then, you have films like 'MY OWN PRIVATE IDAHO' or 'MEMENTO', films that march to a beat all their own and demand that the audience pay close attention.

This is the category that 'MAGNOLIA' falls under. This is not a fun romp to injest on a random Tuesday evening. This film demands your attention from the first moment, and doesn't let go until after the end of the haunting closing title song by the amazing Aimee Mann. The flow and ebb of this film is akin to a heartbeat, with natural pauses, natural progressions, natural rhythms.

The story and plot have been regurgitated ad nauseum, so no need to do a book report on it here. However, the plot is so interwoven into the actions and choices of the characters in this film that it's almost secondary. As you go through this day-in-the-life of all characters involved, and start to see how they are all connected, each revelation heart-breakingly and expertly built upon the next, untill, by the end of the film, we're left with the 2 new lovers, closing on the hope that they will not only overcome the heartache and betrayal of their earlier lives, but maybe avoid those self-same mistakes in their future.

There's one other factor that goes into watching this film that, while not taking away from it, is absolutely essential in understanding and appreciating it, and that's a certain level of experience and understanding with the lonliness that the film exudes like sweat. Let's face it, and not to be too rude or cliche, but if a person to young to have experienced loss and betrayal, or a twenty or thirty-something person who married the first person they ever met and wrangles 3 or 4 kids while trying to keep a family together and listening to the local easy listening radio station in the mini-van with the soccer sticker on the side watches this film, there will be an immediate and visceral reaction of disdain for the film.

The issues in this film hit home the most with people who've lived a life a little outside the norm. The issues in this film are not swept under the rug, they are right there in your face, laid bare and ugly, and for some people that's just too much for them to face if they've never taken the time to face those issues in their own lives.

I'm not saying the film can't be appreciated by people I've described above; I'm merely offering my input on why some people have such a strange hatred of the film. All in all, I find this film beautiful, heartbreakingly real, and true. [JU] This is a Widescreen presentation (2.35:1) enhanced for 16x9 TVs and comes with the Special Features of:

'Magnolia' Video Diary - Covers the Blossoming of a Modern-Day Masterwork.
Frank T.J. Mackey Seminar
Seduce and Destory Infomercial
Aimee Mann 'Save Me' Music Video
Theatrical Trailer
TV Spots

Overview: Steven Luisi (Tom Berenger), a once prominent criminal defense attorney is attempting to come back to the profession after a struggle with drug addiction and a family tragedy. Steven stumbles into a complex, high profile murder case. While trying to solve the case Steven teams up with an ex-athlete turned gang member, Richard "Beanz" Allen ( “Sticky Fingaz” Jones).

DVD Verdict: This movie is actually better than I initially gave it credit for - judging a book by its cover, so to speak! Busta Rhymes is powerful and scary in his undertaken role as Bowen (a vicious Gang leader and drug dealer), and the direction, the photography and the other main actors (including the always up for it Tom Berenger) are intense and gritty too.

The movie is directed by Jeff Celentano ('Primary Suspect') and actually managed a limited theatrical run back in early December '09. 'Breaking Point' features some (overly) fancy framing and arty points of view, and that works sometimes, but you question them come the halfway mark of the film.

With a script by Vince Campanella, drawing on his experiences as a trial lawyer, 'Breaking Point' seems to have been sitting around too long as a script, whilst the rest of the world got on with business. And yes, for those who will watch it with teenagers and such, please be aware there are scenes of Crack smoking, throat slitting, and even (I kid you not) infant hurling! This is a Widescreen Presentation (2.35:1) and comes with the Special Features of:

Audio Commentary with director Jeff Celentano and actor Busta Rhymes
Behind-The-Scenes Featurette - with Busta Rhymes and Sticky Fingaz
Deleted Scenes
Stills Gallery

Deleted Scene #1

Deleted Scene #2

Overview: U.S. Marshal Carrie Stetko (Kate Beckinsale) is the only law-enforcement officer assigned to Antarctica. On the verge of shipping out before the really bad weather hits, Carrie is confronted with a mysterious murder that sounds like a riddle: how'd a lone corpse find its way to the middle of an ice field, as though dropped from a great height? And what's this have to do with the prologue about a Soviet fighter jet crashing some decades earlier?

DVD Verdict: "Whiteout" is an implausible but enjoyable thriller set at the South Pole. In its opening sequence, set in 1957, a Soviet cargo plane carrying a mysterious cargo goes down somewhere in Antarctica. In the present, the Amundsen-Scott Scientific Station at the South Pole is preparing to rotate out its summer crew and batten down for the winter darkness, just ahead of an approaching storm. US Marshal Carrie Stetko (Kate Beckinsale) is preparing to depart, along with her doctor friend (a grizzled but amiable Tom Skerrit).

The discovery of a body on the ice triggers an investigation that leads in short order to an old Soviet scientific station, another dead body, a killer, and the Soviet cargo plane, minus its mysterious cargo. Stetko is assisted in her investigation by the doctor, an aircraft pilot (Columbus Short) and a UN Security Officer (Gabriel Macht). The group, almost inevitably, becomes trapped in an evacuated station with the killer or killers.

Stetko, traumatized by betrayal in a previous assignment told in flashback, finds she can't trust anyone in her present. The action sequences inside and outside the station work well, moving the audience quickly past some plot holes and cold weather implausibilities to a twisty ending. "Whiteout" isn't going to win any awards, but manages to be moderately entertaining. Canada does indeed stand in for the Antarctic with some stunning exteriors. [DST] This is a Widescreen Presentation (2.35:1) and comes with the Special Features of:

Two (2) Deleted Scenes

Overview: Lance Clayton (Robin Williams) is a man who has learned to settle. He dreams of being a rich and famous writer, but has only managed to make it as an unpopular high school poetry teacher. His only son Kyle won’t give him the time of day and his girlfriend doesn’t want to get serious — or even acknowledge publicly that they are dating ... until the accident!

DVD Verdict: As a huge Robin Williams fan, especially of his darker work, I was very eager to see 'World's Greatest Dad.' When it was over, I was very happy I had been sent it for review and had not spent any money renting it or, God-forbid, purchasing it!

I mean, not that the movie is bad, per say, just not great and probably not something I'd ever have the hankering to pull out and watch over again. Sure, I found the storyline of the film to be rather alluring, but not altogether enduring. It was hard for me to find much to like in any of the characters really.

To be perfectly honest, I found the most interesting of them to be the old woman who hoards newspapers because she's afraid to throw anything away; as she's convinced that if she does, something terrible will happen.

Williams' character, Lance, has some admirable qualities, but I found it hard to get past his actions after the death of his son. Using it to garner attention for himself seems pretty ghastly to me. But, he does tell the truth in the end, so I guess there is a lesson to be learnt!

The language is VERY raunchy and very dark, but at times it seems like it was added in a manner to fill time. Like, they'd run out of dialogue and yet still had the camera rolling! Anyway, I would certainly reccomend renting it before purchasing as it seems destined to be the type of movie you either love or hate. [AG] This is a Widescreen presentation (1.85:1) enhanced for 16x9 TVs and comes with the Special Features of:

Behind the Scenes
Outtakes
Deleted Scenes
HDNet: A Look at 'World's Greatest Dad'
I Hope I Become a Ghost - Music Video by The Deadly Syndrome
Commentary with writer and director Bobcat Goldthwait

Overview: Warner Home Video (WHV) brings six heartwarming, made-for-television films from The Waltons franchise, one of the top award-winning series of all time, to DVD for the first time on January 26, 2010.

DVD Verdict: Wow, this new DVD collection is simply, well wonderful to behold! Especially for me as I have watched this made-for-TV movie, 'A Waltons Thanksgiving Reunion' (1993) - which I taped from TV so often it wore out the tape! - so many times now; in grainy, flappy VHS viewings!

Anyway, this particular movie, my personal favorite of the bunch was set in 1962, just about the time of John F. Kennedys death, where John Boy is a successful TV anchorman and gets engaged. The second movie I cherished watcing also was 'A Walton Wedding,' where John Boy gets married and Jason Walton expects the birth of his daughter, Patsy Kline Walton during the wedding.

The last movie that I myself wanted to personally see from this collection was called 'A Waltons Easter.' It was set in 1969, when man walks on the moon and John Boy is expecting his first child. And then there's three (3) movie wonderful movies in this collection too - 'A Wedding on Walton’s Mountain,' 'Mother’s Day on Walton’s Mountain,' and 'A Day for Thanks on Walton’s Mountain.'

All these films originally aired between 1982 and 1997 on CBS, and starred most of the original cast of the show, including Ralph Waite (John Walton Sr.), Michael Learned (Olivia Walton), Ellen Corby (Grandma Esther Walton), Jon Walmsley (Jason Walton), Judy Norton Taylor (Mary Ellen Walton), Mary Beth McDonough (Erin Walton), Eric Scott (Ben Walton), David W. Harper (Jim-Bob Walton), and Kami Cotler (Elizabeth Walton).

These are wonderful movies, if you love The Waltons, but even if you didn't/don't, well, come on in, put them on one by one and I'm sure come the final movie you'll be wishing you'd been a fan a long, long time ago ... like I have always been. This is a Full Screen presentation (1.33:1) enhanced for 16x9 TVs and comes with the Movie titles of:

Disc 1: A Wedding on Walton's Mountain, Mother's Day on Walton's Mountain
Disc 2: A Day for Thanks on Walton's Mountain (Dolby 1.0), A Walton Thanksgiving Reunion
Disc 3: A Walton Wedding, A Walton Easter

www.waltons.com

Overview: Scientist Eric Norris (Richard Hatch, “Battlestar Galatica”) discovers his body is host to a parasite from another world. With the shocking revelation that this microscopic intruder also carries his DNA, Norris confronts the possibility that he might “give birth” to a new son to replace the one lost in a tragic accident years earlier. But will this birth represent a new fusion of human and alien – or spell doom for the entire human race?

DVD: Boasting a wonderful “who’s who” cast of sci-fi favorites: Koenig, Hatch, Erick Avari (“Heroes,” The Mummy, Independence Day), Marina Sirtis (“Star Trek: The Next Generation”), Richard Herd (“V”), Gary Graham (“Alien Nation”), and Alan Ruck (“Spin City,” Twister, The Happening), 'Inalienable' (the brainchild of Koenig) tells a great, thought-provoking (albeit highly cautionary) tale of what our futures might hold!

The notion of human-alien miscegenation, and the prospect of what kind of offspring would come from such an unholy union, is nothing new in movieland, but 'Inalienable' gives it a new spin by handling it as a legal drama, pitting government vs. individual in a fight to determine just who said offspring would belong to.

Our main character here is Richard Hatch who stars as Dr. Eric Norris, a scientist who's continuing with his research despite being guilt-ridden over the death of his wife and son in a car crash. When a friend brings him a meteorlike object that he found in the desert and asks Norris to check it out, he doesn't give it much thought - until he wakes up pregnant (yep, you read it right!), having been invaded by the alien life form that had been on board the meteor.

What follows are lots of lawyer and courtroom scenes, ownership verbal spats and so forth, but nothing like you've ever quite witnessed before on, say, 'Law & Order' or 'Boston Legal,' trust me! This is a Widescreen Presentation (1.85:1) enhanced for 16x9 TVs, but (annoyingly) does not come with any Special Features!

Overview: A modern-day adaptation of Jack London s classic follows Ryann (Ariel Gade) a 9-year old girl visiting her grandfather (Christopher Lloyd) in Montana. When a wild hybrid wolf/dog shows up injured on the back porch one night, Ryann wants to take him back to Boston as a pet, but her grandfather knows the animal will eventually have to return to the wild.

DVD: 'Call of the Wild: 3D' stakes its claim to being that rare breed of adventure series that parents and kids can enjoy together. Adapted by White Fang screenwriter David Fallon this exciting ongoing saga shows us just how a wolf dog can forever change a young child's life!

This third story tells the tale of when a wild hybrid wolf/dog shows up injured on the back porch one night, Ryan wants to take him back to Boston as a pet, but her grandfather knows the animal will eventually have to return to the wild.

To help his granddaughter understand, he begins to read her Jack London's "Call of the Wild" each night ... but Ryan has ideas of her own, and helps a local boy train the magnificent animal to become a sled dog leader.

Along the way she faces many obstacles including a bully, a stranger she isn't comfortable around, and her own nature as she learns to let go of the materialistic part of her in favor of the practical necessities for winning.

Classic literature combined with human challenges helps a girl learn to embrace nature and enjoy simple living. This is a Widescreen Presentation (1.85:1) enhanced for 16x9 TVs and comes with the Special Features of:

Deleted Scenes
Call of the Wild game
Behind-the-Scenes Featurette
Audio Commentary

Overview: The legend continues... With new allies and old enemies, Robin Hood returns for a third series full of thrilling adventures as Robin and his gang continue to outwit the dastardly Sheriff and his forces. As the series begins, the outlaws are in disarray. Marian is dead and Robin has split up the gang and launched a solo mission to avenge her and kill Gisborne. It is only the intervention of the mysterious Tuck that stops Robin joining Marian in an early grave.

DVD Verdict: When writer/director Minghella made the decision to kill off Maid Marian (Lucy Griffiths) at the end of S2, he also dealt a fatal blow to this series. RH began as a children's show but it was the Marian-Robin-Guy triangle that soon attracted the serious fangirls. Marian was the conscience of the series, and through her alter-ego, The Night Watchman, she helped those who needed it the most; she stood up for what she loved-her father, her home, her feckless Robin.

She had the nerve to cross the corrupt authority of the sheriff and stood up to her sadistic suitor, Sir Guy of Gisborne (Richard Armitage). Even Guy recognized her goodness and thought by marrying her, she would make him a better person. She died, while defending her king and her country, by the hand of a man who genuinely loved her but whom she provoked into a jealous rage. Oh, to turn back the hands of time.

Too bad RH S3 couldn't have been Lady Marian Gisborne using her new found position to benefit the people of Nottingham; Sir Guy becoming a loving humane husband and father (whatever happened to his illegitimate son from early S1?) and staunchly defending the Magna Carta for instance; and who knows, maybe Robin going rogue (Crusade induced PTSS perhaps?). Instead the final S3 is a wounded, Grendal-like thing with no memory of its past, no hope for its future and the principals casually dropping in and out when apparently they don't have anything else to do.

A camply villainous Toby Stephens drops in briefly as the evil Prince John. Sir Guy receives a very nasty sister, Isabella (Lara Pulver), interesting new hair extensions, too much eyeliner and a new Goth wardrobe. Widower Robin (Jonas Armstrong) gets buff and quickly gets rather nasty new girlfriend, Kate. The poor viewer gets an astonishing back story to justify introducing Archer, an amalgam of Guy and Robin. Heavens to Betsy!!

Reasons to own S3: Ep. 9, probably the best written of the entire three seasons, finds the grief-stricken Guy jailed with a perky young miss named Meg (Holliday Grainger) who thinks there might be some good in him yet. Her interest is piqued after he tenderly picks some squirming creatures out of her black bread!

In Ep. 6, the too-tightly wound Guy finally snaps and engages in a vicious sword/knife fight with Sheriff (Keith Allen) that is a heart pounding, nail biter. And to watch the beautiful Gisborne in full fury with flashing eyes and flying tresses whenever one wishes is certainly worth any price. [JJ] This is a Widescreen presentation (1.78:1) enhanced for 16x9 TVs and comes with the Special Features of:

A Legend Reborn
A New Look (Costume Featurette)
Trebuchet: Creating Chaos
Character Profiles
Video Diaries

www.BBCAmerica.com

Overview: Rob Zombie's 'HALLOWEEN II' picks up at the exact moment that 2007's box-office smash, Halloween stopped and follows the aftermath of Michael Myers's (Tyler Mane) murderous rampage through the eyes of heroine Laurie Strode (Scout Taylor Compton).

DVD: The original 'Halloween II' (1981) opens exactly like the new Rob Zombie version, with the seemingly indestructible Michael Myers' last intended victim, Laurie Strode (then played iconically by Jamie Lee Curtis and now played fearlessly by Scout Taylor Compton) wandering blood-soaked away from the house of horrors; gun clenched tightly in hand.

But, to say that Zombie faithfully follows the path all the way through would be like saying circus peanuts are the exact same as 'circus' peanuts! For a start, our old friend Dr. Loomis (back then the brilliant Donald Pleasence, and now the understated Malcolm McDowell) is still in pursuit of his patient, Myers, but here he is only in pursuit of the almighty dollar!

Anyway, not to give too much away, as aside from buckets of blood, head removals, slicing-and-dicing exploits, and knife-weiding moments of pure, overkill craziness, this Zombiefied sequel is actually very good - as a stand alone project, perhaps.

Sure it's naturally the next stage of the story, but come the ending, well, and again, not to give anything away (but Zombie does reveal it in the audio commmentary, so be careful!), but there will have to be some major changes made to the casting for Part 3!!

Anyway, Michael Myers (played with foreboding allure by a thickly-bearded Tyler Mane - and yes, we get to see his face for a huge chunk of the movie this time!) is perfect for the role of the hulking drifter of a killing machine, but its the internal roles that bring this film together. As Laurie, Scout Taylor Compton is trying to pick up the pieces of her life with fellow survivor Annie (the original films' Danielle Harris), and her father the Sheriff (the always fantastic, Brad Dourif), while Dr. Loomis (Malcolm McDowell) profits off of Michael's rampage.

But, just when you think the movie is dying somewhat, Myers seemingly randomly killing for killings sake, Loomis reveals the familial link with Laurie and Myers within his new best-selling tell-all book; and yes, then, once and for all, all hell doth breakth loose!

The (Rob) Zombie-inspired dream sequences that feature Myers' dead mother (Sheri Moon Zombie) and a young Michael himself (Chase Vanek) - with a white horse - are, well, sorry, overdrawn, annoying, and pointless! Sure we understand they don't exist and that their voices are just those already filling his mind, but they appear so often its redundant.

Finally, and just so we're all clear (and remember, no spoilers here, as promised), in the original final scene after the battle Laurie sees Michael's fiery body emerge from the flames, before finally collapsing. The next morning, Laurie is transferred to another hospital. In the final scene, it shows Laurie with a calm, serene look, indicating that her mind is at ease. Nope, that sure as frick doesn't happen here! Well, I guess it does in one visual sense or another, but (as Zombie himself points out in the audio commentary), what's done is done and his version is final!! This is a Widescreen Presentation (2.35:1) enhanced for 16x9 TVs and comes with the Special Features of:

Commentary with Writer/Director Rob Zombie
Deleted and Alternate Scenes
Blooper Reel
Audition Footage
Make-Up Test Footage
Uncle Seymour Coffins' Stand-Up Routines
Captain Clegg and the Night Creatures Music Videos

Overview: Look who’s checked in at County General: Dr. Victor Clemente arrives with a motor mouth, a load of talent and a questionable past. Imposing, no-nonsense Eve Spellman takes charge (and almost takes over) as the new nurse manager. And hunky paramedic Tony Gates proves he’s more than a guy on the make.

DVD Verdict: 'ER' had some ups and downs it's last five seasons, and this was the lowest point. Why? I can sum 90% of it up in one word: Africa! After leaving the show in the season 11 finale, it was announced that Noah Wyle would return for several episodes in season 12. That sounded great ... at first. Then the episodes aired and it was more of Dr. Carter in Africa. The writer's already made their points with this storyline in season 10. The Africa episodes in season 12 simply don't add anything to the story, and are just more of the same. Granted, none of these Africa episodes are as bad as "Makemba" from season 10, but they still consume too much of season 12.

Anyway, now for the other 10% of the problems! There is an episode in the first half of the season callled "Dream House" and it is probably the worst non-Africa episode of the series. It focuses on Abby and Neela treating a baby Monkey. There were other occasions where animals were treated in the ER, but this case takes up too much time and lacks effective exectution. Also, the season premiere was weak!

Now, for what I did like: Kristen Johnston and John Leguizamo all have good recurring roles, and James Woods is excellent in an episode where he plays a former teacher of Abby's, who has ALS. Woods received a well deserved emmy nomination for this role. There is an excellent storyline where Kovac treats a woman who emerges from a coma after several years, and on a personal note he and Abby's relationship was rekindled.

There are some other good patient storylines - like when an Islamic girl is the victim of an honor killing, and, horribly, when a child is used as a human shield by her abductor, etc. - and Scott Grimes becomes a regular cast member. Which I wasn't happy about at first, but starting with the season finale and continuing through the remainder of the series, Dr. Archie Morris became (in my opinion) one of the best characters of the series.

One last thing I want to discuss is the season finale, '21 Guns.' This is a polarizing episode among ER fans. It caused many to tune out for good, while causing others to wait at the edge of their seat for the season 13 premiere. I was somewhere in the middle. After twelve seasons, the show had already done so much gunplay in the hospital that this finale pushed believeability. However, it was an intense way of pushing some tired old storylines out of the way (Sam's ex-boyfriend) while paving the way for a strong start to season 13 (and some fresh storylines) ... I guess! Whichever it is, I shall leave you to your own thoughts on the subject. [NB] This is a Widescreen presentation (1.78:1) enhanced for 16x9 TVs and comes with the Special Features of:

Outpatient Outtakes: Unaired Scenes

Overview: John Wayne leads his Special Forces troops against the enemy in this first Hollywood treatment of the Vietnam War. It's rugged battle action all the way. David Janssen and Jim Hutton co-star.

Blu ray Verdict: The story itself is a simple one: American soldiers are trying their best to crush the purveyors of horrific Communism and thus save the vulnerable South Vietnamese people from eternal, unfathomable atrocities which were generally associated with the North Vietnamese rulers and Vietcong soldiers during this time period. This Herculean task was to be accomplished, in this case, through superior tactics, by the employment of superior American weaponry, and, through the patriotic intestinal fortitude of John Wayne's sterling leadership. Of course, this microcosm of the war was allegedly representative of what we were supposedly doing all over South Vietnam.

What you will NOT see in this film, which most later movies exploited, is drug use by American soldiers, prostitution for the troops offered by Vietnamese women who were trying to survive their circumstances, or any of the other common, supplementary, and graphic appurtenances to the typical lengthy war. Other than Jim Hutton's little humorous Black Market escapades, it's mostly shooting and body counts. Here, the viewer can expect a very straightforward presentation of battle, tenoned with the occasional swatch of personal anguish.

"The Green Berets" is the antithesis to the more self-loathing, later-period, movies like "Apocalypse Now," (1979) and "The Deer Hunter," (1978). And it's probably accurate to say that each of these three flicks were reflective of the American public's general sentiment (in hindsight of Vietnam, regarding the latter two) at the time of their respective releases. I feel certain that both LBJ and Nixon would have wished for the production of a lot more movies like "The Green Berets".

I based this review on my view of the film AFTER having separated it from period politics. It's well-done in terms of cinematography, is supported by a quality filmscore (composed and effected by Miklos Rozsa), bulging with notable stars of the era (Jim Hutton, Mike Henry, Jack Soo), albeit I've never been a huge fan of David Janssen. I've always been turned off by his eternal despondence and grimness throughout his film career, ergo "The Fugitive" television series. In the end, one can't escape the propaganda feel of this film. Even at the time of its initial release I recall thinking that it was pretty stiff, and wreaking somewhat of Ozzie and Harriet-ness.

"The Green Berets" was filmed at Fort Benning, Georgia and if you look closely, you can spot that they utilized caucasians as some of the Vietcong soldiers. I do think that it was a fine performance by John Wayne, even though I'm not exactly rabid on The Duke as some folks are. Still, one cannot deny that he was perfect in the role. The film was co-directed by Ray Kellogg, John Wayne, and Mervyn LeRoy, the latter being uncredited.

To summarize, I still enjoy seeing this film occasionally but about the only accurate part of it was the portrayal of the media's rising cynicism in regard to our continuing role in Vietnam. [PWC] This is a Full Screen Presentation (1.77:1) enhanced for 16x9 TVs and comes with the Special Features of:

Vintage Featurette - The Moviemakers: The Making of 'The Green Berets'
Theatrical Trailer

www.warnerblu.com

Overview: In 'Pandorum,' Dennis Quaid and Ben Foster join Cam Gigandet, Cung Le, newcomer Antje Traue, and director Christian Alvart ('Antibodies') to tell the terrifying story of two crew members stranded on a spacecraft who quickly – and horrifically – realize they are not alone.

DVD: I have to say, and yes, I will be the first to admit that I assumed this would be bumpf, but 'Pandorum' was REALLY a pretty decent flick. It was by no means a perfect movie, but probably one of the top Sci-Fi films I have seen in the past 5 years, for sure! The basic premise was very well thought out and well executed and without giving anything away, as there are twists and turns here, what reveals itself along the way is dynamite viewing.

The main character (played by Ben Foster) awakens to find he is on a space vessel, and yet cannot quite recall why ... or who he is! So, once shaved, his Commander breaks free of his own cryogenic stasis (the always great, Dennis Quaid) and together they begin to hunt for clues - aboard what quickly turns out to be a ridiculously large space ship!

The problem is that being in stasis for so long causes severe disorientation, so as the two officers slowly remember who they are, their jobs, their mission, one quickly figures out who the other one actually is, and the other quickly figures out that he himself is nuttier than a bag of peanuts!

Along the way they discover a few more passengers, realize there are huge problems with the ship and the crew, and that running around all over the ship are a new race of, well, alien creatures! The internal ship life support is failing, other officers cannot be found, and yet the killing on the ship continues.

But, are they aliens? Mutated humans? Mirages? As the small crew try to run for their lives and solve the mystery, they begin to realize that the cargo they're hauling may have been sent into space for the good of all mankind after all ... but that something bad happened along the way!

Heavily reminiscent of both 'Pitch Black' and Danny Boyle's brilliant 'Sunshine,' where a small crew facing desperate odds, in the backdrop of a sci-fi setting, set to it to right a massive wrong, there are lots of plot twists to keep you entertained along the way. Not too scary, some nice close-up snarls and such, and a pretty well-rounded movie. Rent this sucker today!! [MM] This is a Widescreen Presentation (1.85:1) enhanced for 16x9 TVs and comes with the Special Features of:

The World of Elysium: Behind-the-Scenes Featurette
What Happened to Nadia’s Team
Flight Team Training Video
Audio Commentary with Director Christian Alvart and Producer Jeremy Bolt
Deleted & Alternate Scenes
Still Galleries
Theatrical Trailer
Sneak Peeks

Overview: Semi-retired policeman Henry Crabbe (Richard Griffiths, The History Boys, Harry Potter) would rather be cooking than catching criminals. Unluckily for him, he happens to be good at both. His boss, Assistant Chief Constable Fisher (Malcolm Sinclair, Casino Royale) doesn’t want to lose him, and his accountant wife, Margaret (Maggie Steed, Shine on Harvey Moon), worries his new career as a restaurateur won’t be financially viable.

DVD: Back for another wonderful turn, Detective Inspector Henry Crabbe (Richard Griffiths) still wants retirement from police investigation in favor of his restaurant, 'Pie In The Sky.' But, as was the same situation back in the very first season, his Police Chief boss, played brilliantly as always by Malcolm Sinclair, keeps using his trusty old friend for this and that along the way.

In episode 1, 'Hard Cheese,' Crabbe's police adventures get underway when he is asked to look into crime spree of disappearing woman's underwear! Now, if you think just 20 mins in that the peeping tom culprit is obvious, well, think again! This episode contains a HUGE red herring ... which would go quite nicely with the cheese, actually! In episode 2, 'Brown Bread,' a (seemingly) lifeless man is discovered in Crabbe's restaurant bathroom - and then the next minute he's gone! Not wanting the adverse publicity, Crabbe sets forth to investigate the mysterious death and disappearing act. A slow start here eventually does pay off ... just!

In episode 3, 'Policemans Daughter,' Fisher's own daughter runs away and he asks Crabbe to find her. Basically here, she has run away to join a local vagrant/homeless band of very merry folks ... camped in a field, owned by the potatoe supplier to Crabbe! Small world, isn't it! In episode 4, 'The One That Got Away,' sure there is some beautiful British countryside on view, but the whole tale is told so slowly! A missing persons case turns into a murder inquiry, but Crabbe is on the case to delve into this fishy case!

In episode 5, 'Dead Right,' the kitchen staff increase Crabbe's chicken coop egg production - with a change of music - while he himself looks into threatening notes to a professional medium. This is true run-of-the-mill stuff and 15 mins in you think you've nailed the culprit on the head ... and yet, again, there's that red herring! In episode 6, 'Black Pudding,' yet another slow, tedious start finally pays off halfway through when our very own beloved actor Denis Folwell takes the reins. This one involves senility, some (possible) memoirs, a greedy nephew, and in-house kitchen squabbling too!

In episode 7, 'Swan In His Pride,' Fisher forces Crabbe away from his home life to investigate the drowning of a female police officer ... while the restaurant kitchen drowns from burst water pipes! It always seems to be raining in this epsiode and yes, this time we've got ourselves a real murder/mystery for Crabbe to solve - just the way we like 'em! In episode 8, 'The Mile Bunch,' we get a little more caper-infused as Crabbe's assigned to search for some elderly ladies who are running a scam on some hotels! Now, do have your pen and paper ready for this one as what is revealed isn't just the semi-twist ending, but a wonderful secret to a fantastic bread & butter pudding recipe!

In episode 9, 'Mystery Of Pikey,' the plot opens with an actual pike, shifts gears to a person, and then ends up back to the fishy pike - and is done very, very nicely! Sure there are a few red herrings, but in an episode like this you'd expect them, wouldn't ya! And finally, in episode 10, 'Lemon Twist,' Fisher, Cambridge, and Crabbe have a seminar weekend away JUST as his restaurant gets a rave newspaper review; bringing mass hysteria customer wise down to fill all their tables! But, as we know, success has it's ups and downs as the group not only get robbed at the convention (by a couple that are 100% oh so obvious culprits!), but the ever-engaging wife, Margaret (Maggie Steed) is placed in a horrible situation of a busy restaurant ... and how to deal with it, monetarily! This is a Widescreen Presentation (1.85:1) enhanced for 16x9 TVs and comes with the Special Features of:

Biography of Richard Griffiths
Cast Filmographies.

Overview: Past and present meet with explosive results in this British drama series called "a bit of Doctor Who fantasy, hints of a Da Vinci Code riddle, and even elements of CSI" (The Times, U.K.). Led by the fiery Dr. Gillian Magwilde (Julie Graham, At Home with the Braithwaites), an intrepid team of archaeologists finds mud, blood, and death-defying adventure when they start digging.

DVD: Filmed in 2008, and set in the historical city of Bath (UK), this 6-episode series blends modern forensics (ala 'CSI') with historical mysteries (ala what could've been) for some very exciting moments of television viewing.

The Wessex Univ Archaeological Department renegades - led by the fiery Dr. Gillian Magwilde (Julie Graham), and including her faithful longtime pillar, Hugh Bonneville, her ex-lover, Adrian Lester, and the newbie to the pack, Gugu Mbatha-Raw (last seen in the new Doctor Who series) - are calle dupon each episode to unearth the mysteries behind several not-quite-possibly-correct historical revealments.

And so, cutting to the chase, I'll be honest ... I can't and won't give away what each of these six episodes feature as their historical adventures (or, at least what they truly turned into, one and all), as that would spoil the mysteries, one and all! But, let it be known that each one is eyebrow-raisingly interesting, thought-provoking, and yet all end with a magnificent (trust me!) historical find (that would blow all past historical finds out of the water immediately!) ... and yet, sadly, every single find is ... (SEMI-SPOILER) ... destroyed or stolen before our intrepid team can bath in the glory of another hunt well done!

In episode 1, 'Army of God,' we find a once-fought battle including the Knights Templar is unearthed (literally), but were they carrying a (VERY) precious cargo? A Christian relic, should I say? In episode 2, 'Warriors,' bones are discoverede washed up/revealed in the Bristol Channel - bodies with no hands. Shackles are also found suggesting slaves, but the facts lead elsewhere. In episode 3, 'The Eternal Fire,' Celtic 1st Century relics are found under the Baths in the city of the same name (in the Pump Room). Archaeologist science meets imagination here as all roads lead to a true Warrior Queen.

Episode 4, 'The Cradle of Civilisation,' provides us some Babylonian artifacts that are stolen from Iraq by a journalist, but are they cursed? And has that curce now come to kill those that seek these artifacts? In episode 5, 'The Lines of War' a WWI tank is found in France with six body remains within ... and some bullets! And, well, this one leads us (incredibly) to something that they claim could have stopped the war at that time in a heartbeat - The Maid of Orleans herself! In the final episode, we get to wrap up Dr. Magwilde's endless seach for the Gleam. In 'Follow the Gleam,' Gillian not only gets closer in her (personal) quest for Excalibur, but an Arthurian discovery is brought to the fore in the shape (all pun intended!) of the infamous Round Table!

I have to admit that I knew nothing of this series, and I'm from the bloody UK, and so dived in without a care, and yet very excited to do so. What I unearthed was a show that delved a little too deeply into the fantasy world of what-if, and always came out the other end with 100% exactly what they had hoped to (by no small miracle) find ... and then lose! The in-between CSI stuff was good, very interesting and the trur historical bumpf along the way was a trip back to my history lessons in school for sure!

There is very little use of cell phones, even in the most dire of siuations - like home invasions, trapped in coffins, etc. - and as much as they do run into some vicious murderers, nobody seems to tell the police and get them arrested thereafter! And trust me, one of the death scenes in the first episode was, well, both unexpected and right bloody gory!

Some episodes, like episode 3 (based around Valentine's Day) are labored, telling us backstory that we didn't really care about in the first place! Others, such as episode 4 tell a very interesting tale, one that couldn't be, of course, but makes you wonder, for sure! Episode 5 is quite interesing also, set in WWI, and features some nicely done flashbacks. And, my favorite line from the entire series is spoken in the final episode when Hugh Bonneville (Dolly) is fighting a bad guy and screams at him, 'Don't mess with me. I'm an Archaeologist!' Classic. This is a Widescreen Presentation (1.85:1) enhanced for 16x9 TVs and comes with the Special Features of:

Behind-The-Scenes segments for each episode.

Overview: Hilary Duff delivers the most unexpected performance of her career as Greta, a rebellious 17 year old ‘exiled’ for the summer to a sleepy Jersey shore community where she immediately informs her grandparents of her plans to kill herself by the time she turns 18. But before Greta can cross suicide off her ‘to-do’ list, she’ll begin an interracial romance with a young cook from a troubled background confront a tragic family secret and maybe even discover the promising young woman beneath her sarcastic shell.

DVD: For those who have doubted Hilary Duff's dramatic talent up until now, "According to Greta" should put those fears to rest. Duff turns in an unquestionably strong performance of a complicated character that will come as a surprise to those primarily familiar with her more tween/teen-oriented work such as the "Lizzie McGuire" TV series, "A Cinderella Story," and the "Cheaper by the Dozen" films. What the audience has borne witness to here is her genuine maturity as an actress and the possible paradigm shift in her career to more serious dramatic fare in the future.

Duff plays the title character of Greta, a 17 year old girl who has been "exiled" to her grandparents' home in New Jersey for the summer, given her mother's own inability to control her daughter and preference for saving her troubled marriage. Greta has decided to end her life once she turns 18, currently reflecting upon which method of death would be most desirable. Simultaneously, she has created a "bucket list" of sorts of things to experience in the final year of her life.

The news of Greta's plans come as a surprise to her grandparents, especially her grandmother, played by veteran actress Ellen Burstyn. The Golden Globe- and Oscar-nominated Burstyn turns in a fine performance as Greta's "Grammy" Katherine, who is determined to give her granddaughter structure and discipline, and perhaps even aide in finding value in life.

Another surprise performance is given by actor Evan Ross, who plays Julie, a restaurant line cook with a shady past, who is committed to living as responsible and ethical a life as possible. Next to Duff's substantive performance, Ross' own poised and balanced performance will likely be a highlight of the film for viewers.

In the movie, Greta and Julie become co-workers and eventually strike up a romance, one that comes off naturally, even in scenes of interpersonal character unease. But Greta's hardened attitude about life, her sharp hurtful words, and manipulative actions towards Julie, as well as her grandparents, threaten to drive those closest to Greta away, even as they all labor to help her see life's gifts.

Standing behind inter-relational tensions, is a haunting secret from the past. Will the recognition of this painful experience finally push Greta to take her life? Or can her grandparents and Julie - or more pointedly, can she herself -- help transform her great pains into a realization for the sanctity of life? Check out the movie and find out for yourself. [LS] This is a Widescreen Presentation (1.85:1) enhanced for 16x9 TVs.

www.AccordingToGreta.com

Overview: Nick and some friends head to the racetrack for the weekend to watch a car race. , when the terrifying accident flies into the audience at 180 mph. People will splatter and be ripped apart, one girl gets her head knocked off by a flying tire, massive explosions, and eventually the entire stadium collapses onto the rest of the audience. Then Nick discovers it was just a vision that's about to happen, and he gets himself and about 12 other people ejected from the stadium. Then the fun really starts to kick in ...!

DVD: I know why "The Final Destination" was released in 3-D. It's to distract you from the fact that you're being told the exact same story all over again, only with new characters and a plot stripped so bare that the word "simple" hardly begins to describe it. What started as a clever and frightening idea back in 2000 has grown tiresome and derivative, and while it isn't quite campy, it definitely takes itself less seriously.

In "The Final Destination," the fourth in the series, an equally hapless group of young people find themselves in a frantic struggle against Death. When attending a racecar event with his friends, the burdened Nick O'Bannon (Bobby Campo) suddenly and inexplicably has a premonition that a car accident will kill many people in the arena, himself included. Panicked, he causes a fuss and gets himself and his friends kicked out of the arena, along with a select group of people. Lo and behold, there's an accident, and many people are killed.

That should be the end of it, but hold on - it now seems that Death is going through the accident survivors one by one and picking them off. Nick foresees every event, naturally, although he can't quite make out who the event is intended for. That changes when he remembers his initial vision; through a process too inconsequential to describe, he determines the order in which each survivor will die.

It now becomes a matter of Nick breaking the chain and stopping Death in its tracks. But how? His supportive but rattled girlfriend, Lori (Shantel VanSanten) doesn't seem to know, and neither do his callous friend, Hunt (Nick Zano), and his skeptical girlfriend, Janet (Haley Webb). Maybe George Lanter, the race track security guard (Mykelti Williamson), will be able to help Nick figure something out. But they had better hurry; the list of survivors is dwindling fast, and Nick and his friends are next.

So, let's tell it like it truly is here - the actors in this movie weren't hired to play human beings; they were hired to mindlessly stand in a scene and wait for their cue to die a horrible death. Think of it in terms of Sid from the original "Toy Story": He saw toys not as prized possessions but as worthless objects, and he liked to destroy them just for the fun of it.

Destruction, I admit, can be fun, especially in a horror film. But when all you have at your disposal are drones that have absolutely no life to them, there's no sense of fun or entertainment. There's only a sense of emptiness ... sorry! [CP] This is a Widescreen Presentation (2.40:1) enhanced for 16x9 TVs and comes with the Special Features of:

Body Count: The Deaths of FD4
Deleted Scenes
Pre Visualization and Storyboards
Digital Copy: 2-D Feature Only On Disc

www.NewLine.com

Overview: Reminiscent of the 2001 Dos Palmas incident, Linwood’s trip to paradise with his wife is suddenly shattered when guerillas take control of a secluded five-star resort asking for a substantial ransom. The guerilla leaders begin murdering hostages as the clock ticks away, forcing Joe to use his expert skills to save the hostages from certain death.

DVD: Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear! By the time the opening credits had finished rolling I had a pretty good idea that this movie would be a dissapointment! If you are incredibly naive and completely unfamiliar with combat tactics, incursion or recon manuevers, and plain common sense then you might find this movie entertaining.

For most viewers this will be an insult to their intelligence. I'm no jarhead or ex-military but this director is a flat out idiot. Next time get some technical advisors for God's sake! Ten minutes of reviewing Internet clips from war torn areas of the world would give the lay person a better sense of combat realism than this director was able to muster up. What an idiot!

I mean, I was initialy just disappointed that John Cena wasn't coming back for the sequel, but when I heard it was Ted DiBiase filling his shoes, I was extremely skeptical ... and boy, did this movie not disappoint my very own fears! Don't waste your time watching this garbage. [TM] This is a Widescreen Presentation (2.35:1) enhanced for 16x9 TVs and comes with the Special Features of:

Behind-the-scenes footage of climactic fight scenes
Making of terrorist siege sequence
Profile of Ted DiBiase including interviews with Ted DiBiase Sr. and brother Brett
Inside look at Thailand film shoot
Deleted and extended scenes

Overview: A long time ago, in a Cineplex not too far away, one of the greatest movies was unleashed upon the universe. It’s a dark time for the rebellion but the future has never been brighter for “Family Guy” and Star Wars fans when “Family Guy: Something, Something, Something, Dark Side” arrives exclusively on DVD and Blu ray!

DVD: I love "Family Guy" and really enjoyed "Blue Harvest." "Something... Dark Side" is another solid, well done spoof of a classic film. However, the writers missed a lot of comic opportunities. The jokes are either quite clever or pretty lame. I got the feeling that "Robot Chicken" used a lot of the best bits in their SW: Episode 2 parody.

The good news is "Dark Side" looks fantastic. Particularly the Hoth battle & asteroid field sequence. Unfortunately, as with "Blue Harvest" the editors let the special effects & John Williams music do much of the work and too much of the dialogue is a word for word copy of the "Empire" script.

Simply put, this comic parody needed more jokes! As for the characters: Peter Griffin is pretty annoying the whole film as Han Solo. Lois doesn't have much to do as Princess Leia. Seth Green is excellent as Chris aka Luke Skywalker. Stewie is hysterical in everything. Can't wait until the "Jedi" parody when they include Vader & The Emperor in more scenes.

Best bits: The Cookie Snow Monster, Dack taking on the entire Empire himself, Wildest Police Chase through the Asteroid field, Stewie & the Emperor on "Richard Marx," the Meg Cave monster, Dog the Bounty Hunter, Han tortured by a Paula Cole song, the Stewie/Chris duel, "C'mon, join the darkside dude." the Storm Troopers misfire "Have we ever hit anything with these?" "Tom Selleck!" and some more I can't remember.

I get the feeling "Jedi" aka "We've Got A Bad Feeling" should be even better. Since that movie was the weakest of the original trilogy and had the Ewoks, which are a comic goldmine. Seth and co. should just limit their reliance on special effects and put the comedy first. We don't need to see a shot for shot re-enacment of the asteroid field chase. Everyone's seen the original a thousand times.

Copying the effects & music that closely just makes you wish you were watching the actual "Empire Strikes Back" instead. [MP] This is a Full Screen Presentation (1.33:1) enhanced for 16x9 TVs and comes with the Special Features of:

Digital Copy
Audio Commentary
Deleted Scenes
Behind-The-Scenes Featurette – “The Dark Side of Poster Art”
Animatics
Pop-Up Video

Overview: It's, like, Shakespeare, man! This good-natured and likeable update of The Taming of the Shrew takes the basics of Shakespeare's farce about a surly wench and the man who tries to win her and transfers it to modern-day Padua High School.

DVD: For all its hip dialogue and contemporary ideologies, "10 Things I Hate About You" uses a plot so ancient that the very thought of it conjures up images of studio executives passing out scripts made of papyrus scrolls. Amazingly enough, thanks to a few smart touches and a competent cast, the film retains an undeniable charm that is felt throughout most of the movie.

The chemistry between Julia Stiles and Heath Ledger is the high point of the film. Their romance is genuine and effective and at times I wished that their characters would head out for the horizon instead of staying locked down to the conventions of the story, which remains frustratingly faithful to the traditional boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy gets girl formula.

Simultaneously, the screenwriters have also found time to incorporate an assembly line of scenes found in almost every other high school romantic comedy including an obligatory party sequence and an emotional climax at the prom. The only moment of pure originality finds Ledger's character dancing across the bleachers of the school's football stadium whilst professing his love for the Stiles character.

All of this is allegedly based on William Shakespeare's "The Taming of the Shrew", but it is more or less used as a crutch and a platform for a series of not-so-subtle winks at the camera. For example, most of the action takes place at the fictitious Padua High School and the two leads are named Patrick Verona and Katarina Stratford. The whole effect feels contrived and the picture would have been better off without it.

Nevertheless, we still have Stiles and Ledger at the center and complimenting their performances is a breezy soundtrack and a few praiseworthy supporting players, including Allison Janney as a horny high school counselor and Daryl "Chill" Mitchell as a passionate English teacher who raps the words of Shakespeare to great effect. Imagine if the writers had taken a cue from the Mitchell character and turned the project into a Shakespeare-inspired rap musical. That would have been interesting! [JRW] This is a Widescreen Presentation (1.77:1) enhanced for 16x9 TVs and comes with the Special Features of:

10 Things I Love About '10 Things I Hate About You' 10 Years Later – Ten years after the film’s initial debut, we’ll sit with the director Gil Junger, and writers Kirsten Smith and Karen Lutz to reflect and hear the story about how this classic teen comedy came to be. Through these interviews and never-before-seen behind the scenes footage, original cast interviews, deleted scenes, original screen test and personal photos from the writers’ scrap books we will tell the remarkable story of this smash hit and why everyone loves '10 Things I Hate About You.'
I Want You To Want Me: The 10 Things I Hate About You Screen Tests — Viewers are invited into the casting office for an insiders look at the screen tests that won actors Heath Ledger, Julia Styles, Larisa Oleynik and Susan May Pratt their classic roles. This featurette includes an introduction by director Gil Junger and writers Kirsten Smith and Karen Lutz.
Audio Commentary with co-writers Karen Lutz and Kirsten Smith, and stars Andrew Keegan, David Krumholtz, Larisa Oleynik and Susan May Pratt.

Overview: Give a cheer for TV’s hottest, funniest and most talked-about new series when “Glee” Season 1: Road To Sectionals debuts on DVD December 29 from Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment. Filled with beloved characters and sensational musical numbers, “Glee” Season 1: Road To Sectionals is an electrifying, pitch-perfect winner.

DVD: When I first heard of Glee, about a group of outsider high school students who find something to care about as they take part in glee club, I thought for sure it was going to be a "high school musical" type sap-fest, and that I'd hate it. Still, we happened to catch the second episode on television and after that we were hooked. We caught up, and kept watching and now we can't wait until the second part of the first season this spring.

My early teenaged kids purchased and listen to the music on their ipods, and love to sing along. In spite of my early reservations and expectations, I found the show taking me back to my own high school days when I played minor roles in a few community musical theater shows and loved it even though I instinctively knew it wouldn't win me any popularity contests among my fellow students.

There's an infectious joy to the musical numbers, and the story has the poignancy mixed with darkly hilarious viciousness and acts of deception between rivals that my wife and I had come to love in Desperate Housewives, just never quite as dark. It's funny and touching, and always entertaining.

Jane Lynch is perfect as Sue Sylvester, the ambitious and arrogant "cheerio" coach you can't help but love to hate. Lea Michele brings a brilliant mixture of insecurity and overconfidence to the role of the lead glee club singer. All of the actors are extremely talented.

At bottom, it's intelligently written high school soap opera, played by extremely talented actors and performers. There's nothing profound here, but it doesn't try to be. Still, there's an intriguing social edge to this show, as the students deal with issues such as homophobia and racism, handicaps, gender roles, teenage promiscuity and pregnancy, drugs, bullying, infidelity, intolerance, and gossip, but the writers avoid the usual cliches and platitudes that often tend to surround these issues.

The show manages to raise awareness and provoke thought without raising the red flag of "political correctness." It's a lot of fun to watch, and demonstrates that every once in a while primetime television can still manage to surprise and delight. [NA] This is a Widescreen Presentation (1.77:1) enhanced for 16x9 TVs and comes with the Special Features of:

Director’s Cut of the Pilot Episode
Exclusive Behind-The-Scenes Featurettes
Audition Videos from the Talented Cast and the Hit Music Topping the Charts at iTunes - Queen’s “Somebody To Love,” Heart’s “Alone,” Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’,” Céline Dion’s “Taking Chances,” Rihanna’s “Take A Bow,” Carrie Underwood’s “Last Name,” Jazmine Sullivan’s “Bust Your Windows,” Kanye West’s “Gold Digger” and REO Speedwagon’s “Can’t Fight This Feeling.”

Overview: Joel Reynolds (Jason Bateman) is sitting pretty. With a beautiful wife, a comfortable home and the almost finalized acquisition by General Mills of the culinary extracts business he has built with his loyal lieutenant Brian (J.K. Simmons), Joel seems to have it all. Except his wife is about as interested in him as she is in her career (supermarket coupon design), his employees want a piece of the pie and the sweet young thing with designs on him (Mila Kunis) is really a wily con-artist!

Blu-ray: "Extract, directed by Mike Judge (King of the Hill), is about Joel (Jason Bateman) who runs an extract factory. He has his regular ups and downs just like anyone, but when one of his workers loses his testicle in a freak accident things start to go from bad to worse. The next thing that happens to him is a con-woman named Cindy (Mila Kunis) begins work for him. Cindy convinces the testicleless employee to file a lawsuit against the company.

Also, his wife hasn't wanted to have sex with him for months, and he takes some bad advice from his friend, Dean (Ben Affleck), and hires a pool guy to seduce his wife so that he can guiltlessly have an affair with Cindy, and before he knows it the pool guy is coming over everyday and has fallen in love with his wife. Then the employees decide that they should get a piece of the pie of his company, since he is thinking of selling it to a prospective buyer, and decide to go on strike.

"Extract" is like one of those bad months where one thing after another keeps happening to Joel. Joel is a nice guy, who has always tried to be good to people and do the right thing. He knows all of his employees names. He can't even bring himself to yell at the pool guy for continuing to visit his wife at his house. "Extract" is a pleasant little film that just keeps moving along with one amusing ill event after another. We wonder where this is all leading, because it looks like fate is against Joel.

He is about to lose everything, his wife, his business, et cetera. But then there's a turning point where he realizes that Cindy is probably not as innocent as she seems. And as gently as misfortune had swelled over him, it then begins to subside, and all begins to fall back into place as before. This film washes gently over one as mildly and pleasantly as does Joel's kindly demeanor. [EC] This is a Widescreen Presentation (1.85:1) enhanced for 16x9 TVs and comes with the Special Features of:

Mike Judge’s Secret Recipe — What are the ingredients of a classic Mike Judge film? Go straight to the factory floor to uncover the writer and director’s secrets. From shooting in a real working factory to the unique cast of characters and situations, Mike Judge always seems to have the right recipe.
Extended Scenes — 5 scenes featuring extended portions with Joel, Dean and Brad that didn’t make the final cut of the film.
Deleted Scene — Straight from the factory floor, watch this exclusive deleted scene where Dean explains his rather abrupt departure from Willie’s party the night before and finds out Joel got punched in the face.

Overview: Drop Dead Rock' is a no holds barred, rock and roll comedy. A down and out, rock n' roll band, Hindenburg, kidnap their favorite British rock star, Spazz-O, and hold him hostage. The problem is, Spazz-O's ex-porn star wife Holly Everest (Playboy lingerie model Chelsey Parks) and his back-stabbing manager, Dave Donovan (Adam Ant), can't wait to get their hands on his fortune, and have hired a hitman to do him in'.

DVD Verdict: Admittedly, you'd have to be either a huge fan of either Debbie Harry or (like me) Adam Ant to even contemplate renting this movie, let alone buying it. But if you ARE said biased fan, you're gonna love this!

'Drop Dead Rock' is a bizarre tale of a downright awful band who can't get started in the music industry. So, they kidnap a British rock star (as you do!), who they can force to listen to their music and get them fixed up with a record contract. Of course the kidnapping all goes wrong and leads to all kinds of crazy chaos.

Sure, I mean, it's plainly just weird in parts, but very funny in some other parts! And I really liked the guy who plays "Spazz-O". Indeed, I was entertained through the whole thing.

Adam Ant is very amusing as a band-manager-type, and Deborah Harry is absolutely fabulous as the sharp, sexy, mean head of a record company who is also attending Alcoholics Anonymous sessions. 'DDR' is very colorful, very loud and very camp. It's funny, stupid and a tad, er, gruesome in parts. Watch it for Adam Ant being evil, and Debbie Harry showing her stockings and suspenders for sure! This is a Widescreen presentation (1.85:1) enhanced for 16x9 TVs.

Overview: Perry Mason is an attorney who specializes in defending seemingly indefensible cases. With the aid of his secretary Della Street and investigator Paul Drake, he often finds that by digging deeply into the facts, startling facts can be revealed. Often relying on his outstanding courtroom skills, he often tricks or traps people into unwittingly admitting their guilt.

DVD Verdict: These twelve TV films from 1961 are mostly stories based on the characters created by Erle Stanley Gardner. The books are more complete and informative and tell stories about life that is not experienced by most people. The books can tell you why certain things are done, the films only show you what happened. The books tell you about "ropers", rough or smooth shadows, and how to evade surveillance and avoid leaving a back trail.

Some may question the legality and ethics of Perry Mason's tactics but most stories were written before the modern legal rules of the 1960s. The backgrounds tell about life in Los Angeles. It is difficult to film a scene at night but easy to describe it in a book. The seeming reality of these stories is due in part to characters who don't look like Hollywood actors.

Wintry Wife; Angry Dead Man; Blind Man's Bluff; Barefaced Witness; Difficult Detour; Cowardly Lion; Torrid Tapestry; Violent Vest; Misguided Missile; Duplicate Daughter (1960); Grumbling Grandfather; and Guilty Clients

The theme music is typical for that era. Note the style of clothing and culture; ladies wore white gloves. People seldom lock their doors. The prices date these films. One advantage is seeing the many automobiles from the late 1950s. How many can you identify? Note the slimness of people then, and the familiarity with pistols. Smoking was very common [a tobacco sponsor].

Watch how the actors express their emotions by their facial expressions. The camera sharpness and quality is excellent on these films. There is nothing like these dramatic stories on today's broadcast TV. When was the last time you saw a trial lawyer as a hero?

These stories often use the misinterpretation of circumstantial evidence to provide dramatic effects. The courtroom scenes are usually the Preliminary Hearings. A story adapted from a Gardner novel has the year. [AO] This is a Full Screen Presentation (1.33:1) enhanced for 16x9 TVs.

Overview: Dr. Richard Kimble is accused to be the murder of his wife. The night before his execution, he escapes. The only chance to prove his innocence is to find the man who killed hi wife. Kimble, persecuted by the Lt. Gerard, risks his life several times when he shows his identity to help other people out of trouble.

DVD Verdict: This 4-Disc set contains a great selection of episodes from what is (in my opinion) the very best television drama series that ever aired on American TV screens: "The Fugitive", starring David Janssen as falsely-convicted Dr. Richard Kimble and co-starring London-born actor Barry Morse, who seemingly was born to play the part of Kimble's chief adversary, Indiana Police Lieutenant Philip Gerard.

When I first received this volume and started looking over the episode descriptions on the inside cover of the DVD case, I kept saying to myself over and over: "Oh, that's right, THAT great episode is included in this set too! Excellent!"

And while I consider myself to be a (very) big fan of "The Fugitive" and also fairly well-schooled in the episodes and their themes, etc., I will readily acknowledge that I'm not as much of an "expert" on this brilliant TV series as some other people I have encountered in my walk of life. Indeed, after a chat with a few of them it seems I had simply not remembered that so many (other) truly good episodes of this series would be occupying this DVD collection.

By "truly good episodes", I'm talking about the following "Fugitive" shows, which rank among my own personal favorites from this DVD volume (or from any season of "The Fugitive", for that matter):

"Wife Killer", co-starring Bill Raisch as the elusive one-armed man. This episode serves as a great roller-coaster ride, with Kimble chasing down (and catching) the one-armed man ("Fred Johnson") thanks to a car accident which results in Johnson nearly dying.

"Ill Wind" features another of the many instances in the series which has Lt. Gerard hot on the heels of Dr. Kimble, with Gerard actually recapturing his prey here, only to lose him again in the end. This time, Mother Nature plays a big part in allowing Kimble to regain his freedom, as a hurricane forces the hunter and the hunted to take shelter in a rickety barn in southern Texas.

Sure there are some things in "Ill Wind" that seem a bit on the implausible and far-fetched side, such as when Dr. Kimble saves the life of his pursuer not just once - but twice!

But the script (written by Al Ward) is a finely-tuned one, as it skillfully brings Kimble and Gerard together and allows for Kimble's ultimate re-escape from the law in a way that, in the end, doesn't throw credibility completely out the window. This is truly an exceptional installment in the 4-year lifespan of "The Fugitive". Don't miss it.

BTW, the haunting ballad (entitled "The Running Man") that is sung by Tim McIntire throughout "Ill Wind" is completely intact on the DVD, which is very good news indeed. [DVP] This is a Full Screen Presentation (1.33:1) enhanced for 16x9 TVs.

Overview: This sitcom followed the life of a group of cabbies in New York. The group, employees of the Sunshine Cab Company, was made up a motley crew including Bobby (Jeff Conaway), a frustrated actor, Tony (Tony Danza), a struggling boxer, Louie (Danny DeVito), the tyranical dispatcher, and Reverend Jim (Christopher Lloyd), a spacey ex-hippie. The classic ensemble sitcom was hailed by critics and audiences alike after premiering on ABC Sept. 12, 1978.

DVD Verdict: This final season has some great episodes, but it nearly ends with a major atrocity for us "Taxi" fans. Remember the episode where Iggy buys Mario's and all the cabbies help him bring in customers, and he and Alex sits at the piano and everyone sings and has a great time? Well, the entire piano playing and singing was edited out. Absolutely no music or singing was viewed or heard. I was looking forward to seeing this complete episode again and they ruined it by that catastrophic editing.

That's just one disappointment. Another is the two part episode of "A Taxi Celebration". The picture quality and sound quality is very bad compared to the rest of the episodes. Luckily, they look fine on the original episodes but what a disappointment, nonetheless.

To me, the least appealing episodes were "Travel's with my Dad" Which is about Tony and his dad, "Sugar Ray Nardo" with Elaine's son wanting to try boxing and Elaine being way too overprotective. And "Love Un-American Style" was about Latka and Simka arranging for all the cabbies to meet someone who may be a good match for them. "Arnie Meets the Kids" is rather pathetic because Arnie is pathetic because Elaine is much too beautiful to be with such a balding doofus like him. It's kinda funny, but Arnie and Elaine? No way.

Now, the best episodes which is really like opening a great can of worms because all the other episodes are fabulous classic episodes. But, if I still have to pick some absolute favorites for this final season, it is definately "Sceneskies From a Marriage" where Latka has sex with another cabbie to stay warm and Simka knows just by looking at him that he "did it with another woman" so their minister tells Simka that she is suppose to be unfaithful to Latka to save their marriage. What an excellent interpretation of an extremely warped religion. Man, then there's "Crime and Punishment", "Alex Gets Burned by an Old Flame", "Louie and the Blind Girl", "A Grand Gesture", and well, all the others. [RS] This is a Full Screen Presentation (1.33:1) enhanced for 16x9 TVs.

Overview: In a world where rich snobs never mix with minimum wage slobs, can a romance between a regular guy from Flatbush and a 5th Avenue rich girl even make it past the front door?

DVD: Joseph Cross ('Milk') plays Henry O'Shea, a man on his way to a nursing degree ... that is, until his dad’s sudden death forces him to take a job as a Manhattan doorman! Yep, hardly the newest twist in the near-comedic black comedy book, but one handled very nicely (thankfully, as it turns out) by Cross.

And with his thoughts elsewhere, but his feet firmly grounded in his job and his duties therein, sure things seems good for now ... that is until Henry uses his CPR training to save not only the resident blatantly-gay couple's dog, but also the boyfriend of a pretty young rich gal, named Scarlett Dowling (Sarah Roemer, 'Disturbia').

Side note: This secondary save is due to her having snorted too much coke during her 21st birthday party and had a seizure thereafter! Yep, black comedy, what did I tell ya!!

Anyhoo, of course suddenly (ergo, instantly) Henry is a hero to everyone in the building, well, except Mrs. Dowling (the still beautiful, Mimi Rogers), who is horrified to discover that her daughter has become smitten with this common doorman. So, she does exactly what is expected of her in these types of movies and fires him ... of course!

Sure the tale unwinds as you would fully expect from there on in, but 'Falling Up' isn't half bad, honestly! Once the plot seeds have been sown, strewn and we get to make it past the halfway mark, the remainder of the flick is, well, charming, to be frank!

Oh, and a shout out to the supporting cast ... the always-on-mark Joe Pantoliano (as Henry's rough-edged boss George) and the lovely Annette O'Toole (as his ditzy mom) are perfect, and the BEAUTIFUL Rachael Leigh Cook ('She's All That') simply takes up air time (unfortunately) as a dog walker - and Henry's matchmaking sister. Also, please know that Mark Mothersbaugh, co-founder of the seminal 1980s new wave band Devo, wrote the original music! Cool beans, ... yeah, I know! This is a Widescreen Presentation (1.85:1) enhanced for 16x9 TVs and comes with the Special Features of:

A Behind-The-Scenes Featurette.