A New Day in the Old Town [HD]

if you havent seen FRINGE before, then I envy you!
This review covers my sentiments for SEASON 1 and SEASON 2. Its a good series in season 1 from pilot to episode 6 or 7......and then STRAP YOURSELF IN cuz its going to get way way way better from that point on.

Think LOST in SEASON 1. Thats Fringe. nothing to do with the story lines But with the excitement and anticipation each episode brings. Well mostly each episode. Yes sometimes they'll do an episode that doesnt advance the story line of the SERIES - which drives me nuts btw - but even in those few episodes, the story you will see in that episode will be greatly entertaining and leave you wanting more.

DO NOT start watching this at 11pm if you have an early morning. There is no way you will start and not watch at least three episodes. maybe if you are strong willed you might be able to just watch one or two among the first 6 episodes of season 1. But DO NOT TRY it with starting your viewing late in the evening with an episode that is after 6 of season 1...

And Your New LOST Substitute Is...
For many avid TV watches, the series finale of LOST in May of 2010 tore a hole in their silver-screen world that one could drive a truck through. Shows like "V" and "Flashforward" have been heavily advertised as ABC's "new alternatives" to LOST, but neither has even remotely captured the imagination of the viewing audience. Fortunately, FOX has found a gem (once again from mastermind creator JJ Abrams) with "Fringe", the only network-TV show on the airwaves right now that can be deemed a worthy successor to "the Island".

Though the first half of "Fringe: Season One" was quite slow (almost to the point of boring), it really picked up the pace down the home stretch and, by the season one finale, was absolutely incredible. This second season doesn't backpedal whatsoever, continuing to provide entertaining, mind-bending fiction week after week.

For a basic season summary, all three of the primary characters have their own unique storylines that play out in tangent...

Where the heck have I been? What a hell of a SciFi series-Warning Possible Spoilers in my praises.
Have been playing catchup for the past week and half having just discovered this show. Just as well, I couldnt keep the suspense from kiling me episode to episode so a two seasons in a row dose has done me good.

The Grass is not always greener on the other side. That is because John Nobles Prof.Walter Bishop has put the other side, in this case an alternate Earth Universe populated by, well us, living out our lives in a mirror image of our own, though with some major or minor differences, in danger when his grief at loosing his son caused him to break the laws of physics to save his sons alternate also dying of a seemingly incurable disease, when his doppelganger failed to notice that he had found the cure and our Walter Bishop, watching thru what you might call Universe-ision, a device that allowed him to look in on events on the other side nailed the cure and then he opened a portal to that side and took his doubles son and brought him back to our side and saved his...

Click to Editorial Reviews

RWBY

RWBY
Rwby's Pros out way it's cons and it's only getting better.
Overview,

Music:Top notch, Jeff Williams delivers and even if you despise everything else it's soundtrack is incredible.

Action: Monty Oum's bread and butter and it shows. Excellent fight choreography and clearly Monty and the laws of physics had a falling out at some point because Rule of Cool is in full effect and it's all the better for it.

Story: So far, nothing we haven't seen before, school for fighting monsters, creatures of darkness, If you are into any type of fiction then you've seen the premise. That said, it's way to early to be certain of where it may go and with multiple seasons confirmed there is ample time for them to subvert there premise or introduce more original plots. Also, it needs to be said that even if they don't do that, not having an original premise is NOT automatically a bad thing. If it's executed well that's all that matters.

Animation: Needs...

Awesome for what it is
Rwby seems to get a lot of attention from individuals who are fans of either Rooster Teeth or those who enjoy anime. The action sequences are amazing which isn't surprising given Monty Oum's involvement. The music for the series or at least the released songs are in my opinion the best music Rooster Teeth has released. The show gets a lot of crap for the animation style or the character portrayal. Personally neither of those bother me though. The animation style is sub par by most individual's standards but the show isn't going for realistic or high tech displays. It is made in a very rounded and cartoonish style but its still high quality of that style. I think some people tend to forget that shows and especially animation carry a level of art or how they want to be seen to the table and this shows style simply isn't for everyone. The character portrayal issues I can get behind a bit more. The dialogue can be cheesy at times and some of the characters seem rather flat but I can get...

rwby review
RWBY is a good but flawed series. The good is... almost everything about it. The diologue is entertaining, the character designs are eye catching and distinctive, the music is great. The flaw is in the animation. If you can see past that, this series is definitely worth checking out.

Click to Editorial Reviews

Revolution: The Complete First Season

Best New Show of the 2012-13 Season
My wife and I totally enjoyed this show. I'm just waiting until the electrical grids in the whole world are shut down. I hope what happens after that occurs in NOT like what happens on this show. But it wouldn't surprise me if it did happen just like this to something close to it.
I think the writers have done a fantastic job of keeping the continuing story lines interesting and the action is very exciting and well done. The characters are intriguing and the acting is sufficient and some better than others, but all in all I think it all works well together. I hope it has enough fan base to keep going for a few more seasons.

Revolution season finale
As a fan of the series I have watched the writing and acting improve steadily from the beginning and the finale was not a disappointment. It killed off a core member of the group and opened up the possibility of several new story lines for the next season.

Amazing storyline! Excellent cast! Blu-ray set has perfect video and audio! A+++
This show is so much better than you can anticipate it being. It has everything you want and need in a hit tv show. The cast gel perfectly together and the scenery is absolutely stunning. The blu-ray set looks and sounds amazing on tv. For the price and entertainment, it's a must own set!

Click to Editorial Reviews

I AM

Beautiful Message!
After reading the negative reviews on here I decided to write my own in case you are wondering what you'd get out of this movie.
If you are looking for proof that the ONLY way to survive in this planet is by killing eachother, stepping over people and ignoring social issues and calling those who don't crazy, then no, this movie is not for you.
If you have an open heart and know deep in your core that there is evidence all around that what we are doing is NOT working, that we are ALL suffering because we are living life like brainwashed robots, then this movie might be of interst to you... This movie is about the basics, about how we can all tap into our most effortless human instincts and feelings of love, compassion, co-operation etc, and how those are more powerful than you even realize.

What can possibly be wrong with that message???? And why do we need a discussion on who is a real scientist for this?? If someone treats you poorly your whole life and you are...

Life Changing!!
I saw Tom's interview on Oprah and immediately looked for theatre showings. This documentary is life changing. As Tom notes in the film, "nature takes only what it needs". The giant redwood doesn't take all the nutrients from the soil, only what it needs. The lion doesn't kill every gazelle, only what it needs. The whole idea of living beyond ones needs is carried to the ultimate destruction of the host by cancer cells to the body and mankind to the planet. I loved his story of how a herd of deer determine when and where to move to water or to feed. True democracy in action. Community, community, community!! After the movie was over, everyone in the theatre stayed to watch the credits. As the lights came up and the film ended, big hugs erupted as people were leaving. Thank you, Tom, for a life-changing inspirational and educational experience.

BTW, I traveled a thousand miles to see this movie. Wish it had a wider distribution. John, New Mexico

Everyone Must Watch
I was honored to watch this movie for a company meeting. I was not informed previous to watching what the movie was about. It was kept a secret. But after watching I realized that it was great. Tom was able to get interviews with some very pertinent individuals in the neurology, science, religious, medical fields. This movie gives great examples on how "I am the problem, and I am the solution". Especially in this day there are so many people blaming other's. We can only change ourselves. It is a great movie and a must watch for everyone!

Click to Editorial Reviews

Dexter: The Third Season

Another killer season
"Dexter" never disappoints! As a big fan of the show, I was concerned how Season 3 would play out now that one of my favorite characters, James Doakes, is out of the picture. I never should have worried, because the third season of "Dexter" was just as fabulous as the first two. This season mainly focuses on Dexter's (Michael C. Hall) personal relationships. He's working through some major issues with his deceased father, Harry (James Remar), and his relationship with Rita (Julie Benz) takes a surprising turn when she announces that she's pregnant with Dexter's child. All of these emotions cause Dexter to turn to an unlikely person...Assistant District Attorney Miguel Prado (Jimmy Smits), who takes a liking to Dexter and makes it his personal mission to become Dexter's BFF. No one is more surprised by this than Dexter, who discovers that he has more in common with Miguel than he possibly imagined. For the first time in his life, Dexter has a friend whom he can rely on and share (some)...

A Different Kind of CSI
I finally took advantage of getting what I pay for with my cable company. Prior to Season 3 of Dexter, I watched the first two seasons on DVD (Season One & Season Two). I used to send all this money to my cable company for subscribing to Showtime, and Dexter was never part of my regular TV viewing until 2008. Color me stupid. What was I missing out on?...Only the absolute best show on TV.

How good is it? Let's put it this way...I'm actually glad that I hadn't seen this until DVD, because my wife and I were able to watch the first two seasons in weeks versus like 3 months PER regular season on Showtime. We often watched three episodes in one night on the DVD sets. Alas, I couldn't wait for Season 3's release on DVD, so it was one episode of Dexter, one week at a time for Season 3.

So certainly one of the good things about...

Dexter, Part 3
Dexter is, hands down, the most brilliantly written television series I have ever watched. The pacing is downright perfection, the story telling and weaving is an absolute powerhouse of entertainment. Plus, the dialogue is nothing short of utterly amazing.

The cast is something that award shows lust for. Michael C. Hall was always brilliant on Six Feet Under - The Complete Series Gift Set. Since episode one he has proven that he can make a totally different character (than the interally conflicted gay brother who owns a funeral home w/his family.) He truly is an actor in the caliber of DeNiro or Nicholson, in my opinion.

The rest of the cast is amazing too. Jennifer Carpenter Quarantine (+ BD Live) [Blu-ray] is often called the weak link (by my wife and almost every woman I know for some reason,) however I disagree,...

Click to Editorial Reviews

And the Moonbeams Kissed the Sea

Cerebral crime procedural featuring lots of literary references and scenic Oxford
Note: Amazon first made Series 3&4 available via streaming (free for Prime members) several months ago, and another fan of the series made it known to me that Series One and Two are now available via streaming (free for Prime members).

Kevin Whately, the consummate actor who portrayed Chief Inspector Morse's (John Thaw) long-suffering Detective Sergeant Lewis on "Inspector Morse", is now Detective Inspector Lewis in "Inspector Lewis", a high quality investigative drama set in the academic town of Oxford, England.

Having watched all of the Inspector Morse episodes, I can see the evolution of Lewis' character (brilliantly portrayed by Kevin Whately) from a diligent albeit lowly sergeant under the guidance of the amazing Chief Inspector Morse (John Thaw) to a confident, outspoken, yet still down to earth DI who now has his own underling in the form of the intellectual, gifted DS Hathaway (Lawrence Fox).

Season 2 of Inspector Lewis is quite an engaging...

Excellent British Mysteries!
If you love a good mystery with interesting characters and lots of twisty plots then these are for you. These are only bested by Misummer Murder Mysteries. I love the wonderful stories, beautiful English landscapes, lilting accents and intriguing whodunits. Only for the true mystery fan!

I Still Miss Morse but Lewis Fills the Void Very Well
In my opinion nobody does mystery and crime better than the British. Lewis is right up there with the best of them: Lynley, Havers, Wexler, Morse, Daziel & Pasco, etc, etc. etc. Lewis and Hathaway are a thoroughly enjoyable and a less acerbic team than were Inspector Morse and the then Sergeant Lewis but the stories are intelligent and almost as twisty as they were in Morse's day. I enjoy the compassion and humor between Lewis and Hathaway and the two make a good team. I look forward to every episode and hope the series continues for a long time to come.

Click to Editorial Reviews

Thomas & Friends: Wobbly Wheels & Whistles [HD]

Thomas and Friends
This was send to our great grandaughter in Florida and it came on time and was exactly what was expected.

Good for train loving todlers
My son really like Bash Dash and Ferdinand so this one was perfect. It streamed without a problem to an Ipad during a long road trip too.

Surprise!
I ordered this because my little boy loves Thomas, but we were very pleasantly surprised to find a sweet little story played by a "live" actor woven between the cartoon episodes. My son loved it!

Click to Editorial Reviews

Shield, the - Season 1 / Shield, the - Season 2 / Shield, the - Season 3 / Shield, the - Season 4 / Shield, the - Season 5 / Shield, the - Season 6 / Shield, the - Season 7 - Set

Dark, gritty, and powerful
I recently finished all 7 seasons of The Shield. This series has to be in my top 5 TV series of all time.

The show is very character driven. Each one usually has a typical "cop show" subplot, but the broad arcs are about the characters. Make no mistake, this is a very dark show. I would find my moods affected by watching it often times. I like how "real" the characters are. Even the moral centers of the show do bad things and have human failings. In my view a large part of the series is a meditation on morality. Vic Mackey does some horrible things but is also in many ways a good and sometimes even heroic character. It embraces the shades of gray that real people are made up of.

If you have any attraction to action dramas then watch this show. After the first episode you will know if you like it or not. As a testament to how much I liked the series, after I finished it I went online and watched the videos F/X hosted of conversations with the cast and...

Hate the packaging, love the series
I am a fan of The Shield and I am guessing that you are at least familiar with it or you wouldn't be looking at the box set. Since you are here to decide to buy the box set or not, I want to warn you that they have created something that looks like a picture book which has the discs squeezed between the pages. The problem is that every time you take a disc out or put it in, the disc is scraping across the surface of the cardboard pages in which it is sandwiched. The book is nice looking so I did give it 3 stars for that reason and of course the series itself is as the other reviewers have mentioned well worth your time if you like the cop genre. If this is the only DVD series you own, it would look nice on your coffee table, but if you have a DVD case it is awkward because of the shape and size of the box. I suppose they create these cardboard box set holders to save money or to get you to buy the series in the boxes that you get with individual seasons. I had the same problem...

Cool format although removing the dics can be a challenge


Click to Editorial Reviews

Masterpiece Mystery: Endeavour Series 1

these are fabulous!!
i watched all of the Inspector Morse episodes and also read the novels. little was i expecting that he would be resurrected for uk tv as a much younger man, at the start of his career. and i certainly wasn't expecting to like it as much or more than the original series! but indeed i do. this is absolutely first rate in every single episode. shaun evans is wonderful as morse.

a smart decision they made was to make his mentor, detective Thursday, every bit as fascinating as Morse. this part is played by one of my very favorite actors from THE THICK OF IT, roger allam. allam played peter on that show and his deadpan humor was priceless. they couldn't have picked a better actor for Morse's mentor. i enjoy Thursday much more than i ever enjoyed lewis as morse's partner.

much like the uk show GEORGE GENTLY, this show also benefits by being set back in time, the sixties i believe.

each mystery is very complex and morse brings to it all of his erudite...

Beware - May Not Be the Original UK Edition
PBS edits 10-15 minutes out of each episode that they show on "Masterpiece Mystery." I am hesitant to purchase any version of "Endeavour Series 1" that does not say 'Original UK Edition' on the front of the DVD. Beware! You sure don't want to buy the edited versions! These programs are so fabulous, there isn't a single gratuitous instant in them that isn't required to fully understand the story. Caveat emptor!

Box says full UK-length edition and includes Pilot episode
I love this Endeavour series. This Series 1 includes the Pilot episode. There are five episodes on this release: the Pilot episode, Girl, Fugue, Rocket and Home.

The box cover says that it is the full UK-length edition. English subtitles are included.

We learn a little bit about Morse's personal life in this series. The newspaper reporter, Dorothea Frazil, is played by Abigail Thaw, who is John Thaw's real life daughter. John Thaw, of course, was the original Morse. Great series. Shaun Evans is fun to watch. Looking forward to many more episodes.

Click to Editorial Reviews

A Royal Affair [HD]

Entertaining royal palace drama
"A Royal Affaire" (2012 release from Denmark; 137 min.) brings the true story of Caroline Mathilda (played by Alicia Vikander), the English teenage princess who married King Christian VII of Denmark (played by Mikkel F

Episode 1 [HD]

A Rogue Cop Returns: Four More Episodes Of An Edgy And Unpredictable Crime Serial
After a hugely successful run in its first six hours, BBC's "Luther" returns for another go with four more episodes. Some have contended that "Luther" is unlike any other show on TV, and I'm not entirely sure that I would agree with this assessment. While "Luther" can certainly be wild and unpredictable, it is not breaking the mold of many other rogue cop hero shows that have populated the modern TV landscape. As the titular Detective John Luther, Idris Elba brings much passion, conviction, and gusto to the standard role of a cop who must sometimes cross the line to do what's right. But to the program's credit, Elba can be extremely erratic as well and does push the notion of a "good" cop to an uncomfortable, and at times, violent level. It is this anything-may-happen feel that livens up even the most standard of cases. By the end of Season One, Luther had become absolutely unhinged and Elba had served up a performance that would be nominated for both an Emmy and a Golden Globe...

A Rogue Cop Returns: Four More Episodes Of An Edgy And Unpredictable Crime Serial
After a hugely successful run in its first six hours, BBC's "Luther" returns for another go with four more episodes. Some have contended that "Luther" is unlike any other show on TV, and I'm not entirely sure that I would agree with this assessment. While "Luther" can certainly be wild and unpredictable, it is not breaking the mold of many other rogue cop hero shows that have populated the modern TV landscape. As the titular Detective John Luther, Idris Elba brings much passion, conviction, and gusto to the standard role of a cop who must sometimes cross the line to do what's right. But to the program's credit, Elba can be extremely erratic as well and does push the notion of a "good" cop to an uncomfortable, and at times, violent level. It is this anything-may-happen feel that livens up even the most standard of cases. By the end of Season One, Luther had become absolutely unhinged and Elba had served up a performance that would be nominated for both an Emmy and a Golden Globe...

Like that old Woody Allen joke in reverse
You know the old joke about the women complaining about the food at a restaurant in the Catskills? "This food is terrible," says one. "Yes," agrees her companion, "and the portions are so small."

Luther is like that joke in reverse. "This show is so great, but the portions are too small."

Do four episodes really constitute a season? I was left wanting more after the six episodes of the first season. What am I going to do until Season 3?

The lead character is an intriguing mix of deeply flawed humanity and world weariness -- a hero for our times. While I wish there had been more of his unlikely ally crazy Alice in this season, the finale holds out the hope that she will reappear in Season 3. I can hardly wait.

More, more!

Click to Editorial Reviews

Coefficient Of Drag

A Terrific Ending to one of the best TV Shows of all Time
One thing about "The Shield" is how well the show holds up on multiple viewings. It's probably because of the attention to detail and the numerous story arcs going on in any single episode. This continues to be the case in the 7th and final season of the show.

Season 7 finds Det. Vic Mackey, at the end of the line. Season 6 finished with Vic walking out on his last chance to keep his job with the LAPD and making a deal with former police Captain, now wannabe-Mayor Aciveda to take down the crooked developer who has been bankrolling Aciveda's political career. Meanwhile, Vic's strike team is beginning to come apart at the seams, all of their former bad deeds are bubbling to the surface, and on top of that Vic's ex-wife and daughter are terrified of him. Vic's a dirty cop with a perverted sense of justice. He thinks that if he can nail this crooked developer AND take down the Armenian mob, it will make up for all the horrible things he has done.

The season...

A fitting end, full of suprises,complications and just desserts
The Shield's final season is uncompromising as old ghosts continue to complicate lives in farmington. Every moment of this season remains focused on the impending end, and long time viewers are rewarded as the major plot points come to a head and pay off. This was not a quickie rush job to end the story, every member of the cast moves with deliberate and in some cases desperate urgency.
The season is topped off by one of the most satsifying endings I have seen in a television show. It's a credit to the writers and actors involved that I can pity a character I despised an episode earlier, or that a complex character like Vic Mackey can charm his way through a horrific dialogue.
If you've been watching the Shield, don't miss the final season.

The end
Warning, spoilers ahead:

In the seventh, and final, season of FX's The Shield, everyone gets just about what they deserve to one degree or another. Whether it be crooked cop Vic Mackey (Michael Chiklis), who is working overtime to save himself along with working every angle and playing every side he can in the process, or his ex-partner Shane (Walton Goggins), whose plan to take out Vic and Ronnie (David Rees Snell) goes awry, and when he is discovered, amounts to one of the absolute best scenes and moments in the show's entire history as he goes on the run with his pregnant wife Mara (Michele Hicks). In between all that, Vic's shaky alliance with Aceveda (Benito Martinez) hits a bump as he plays the Armenians, Mexicans, Salvadorans, and the Feds all against each other, as well as seeking immunity with the help of a shady agent (Laurie Holden), which leads to a powerful moment of Vic's admition of all the things he's done over the years in the season's penultimate...

Click to Editorial Reviews

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince

dvd details
Since I had to look elsewhere for DVD details (to decide whether to buy the 2-disc or one-disc film), I thought I'd post here:

1-Disc Wide screen and Full Screen DVD

*Includes both a wide screen and full screen version of the film.
*No special features
*RRP $28.98
2-Disc Digital Copy Special Edition DVD

*Widescreen version only
*Additional scenes (6:31)
*Close-Up with the Cast and Crew of Harry Potter special. Matthew Lewis ("Neville Longbottom") and Alfred Enoch ("Dean Thomas") lead us on an entertaining look at the cast of Harry Potter as they explore their interests away from acting and spend a day on set with the production team (28:30)
*J.K. Rowling: A Year in the Life: A fascinating and intimate look into the life of J.K. Rowling over the last year of writing "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows." (49:32)
*One Minute Drills: The cast has 60 seconds to describe their character's personality, history,...

So sad, so... very... sad.
First. please let me say that I adore (nay, worship) the Harry Potter stories. So, being a gen-you-wine "Potter-Head" I was first in line to see Half-Blood Prince.

It was an interesting movie. Nice special effects.
Disjointed enough however that one MUST have seen all the previous movies and/or read the books to follow the plot.

...Most importantly, it bears little resemblance to the Harry Potter books!!!

Really. I can forgive replacing the actions of one character with another character, to save time, I can even forgive eliminating whole chapters for the sake of brevity, but to change scenes, edit whole parts, and invent whole chapters???

Beware, below, there be SPOILERS! Don't read if you haven't watched!
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Some examples of lost scenes:

-Dumbledore confronting the Dursley's? Gone.
-The invention of a fight at the...

Don't Buy This Edition. Great Film, but Not the Extended Version!
Warner Brothers is trying to fool us again - calling this an "Ultimate Edition" when it is NOT the extended version of the film. It comes with behind the scenes extras and commentaries, but the movie itself is the same! I expect this is because they decided after the first 2 Ultimate Editions that they would wait and re-release all 8 movies at once in another Ultimate Edition, but this time a Box Set with extended versions of all films - to entice everyone to buy all the movies yet again. Hold off for now and watch your DVD copies - next year we can all buy the REAL Ultimate Editions!

Click to Editorial Reviews

$ellebrity [HD]

An insightful look into paparazzi culture
I didn't particularly have much sympathy for celebrities chased by photographers before watching this - after all, they chase fame, get paid millions and then whine about being recognized in public. But the documentary clearly shows the much darker side of celebrity worship, and how they are literally hounded every hour of the day in a way that simply breaks any measure of privacy, civility or reasonableness.

Thousands of photographers are simply feeding an online library of celebrities looking happy, sad, drunk, angry and crazy, and these images are then resorted by media outlets to tell a soap opera version of their lives. Between the editing and Photoshop work, it's pretty clear that what is being sold as reality is just simply another fictional story running rampantly out of control.

There are some excellent interviews with high profile figures and an interesting backstory into the original paparazzi. There's also some viewpoints from PR and media analysts...

Best take on paparrazzi
Great insight on what celebrity life is really like. We all see glamour when we open a gossip magazine but we don't realize what celebrity life is really all about. Director Kevin Mazur takes us into an indepth reality of what it takes to be a photographer, a paparrazi and a celebrity. Every angle was hit straight on in this film.

Excellent
Highly reccomend! An excellent look at life in the bubble and the complete intrustion of privacy that consumers disregard each time they buy a tabloid....yet with the full knowledge that it is the price to pay for fame.

Click to Editorial Reviews

Barbie: Princess Charm School

There is hope!
After increasingly disappointing installments in the Barbie movies line (they had been going down since Mermaid Tale) Barbie has given us a glimmer of light. Princess Charm School (originally dubbed "Princess Prep School" but later changed to the more toddler-friendly "Charm") brings back so many of the wonderful, whimsical elements we've grown to love about Barbie. Blair is not a movie star, uber trendy and loaded with cash & fashion. She is not an overly preppy teen whose biggest flaw is that her dress isn't up-to-date. She is a very down-to-earth girl who works hard to keep her family afloat. She has problems that, with the help of a very likeable character, she works through.

Friendship, forgiveness, kindness, family bond, never giving up, discovering your own talents, and overcoming your own obstacles are all celebrated. The animation (Barbie's face in particular) shows great improvement. For the first time since the Three Musketeers, our heroine doesn't look like an...

Barbie Movies are getting better
After a rough patch of less than stellar animation and storytelling (diamond castle, fairy secret), Princess Charm School looks to have been given better production values. My 8 year old says this is definitely her favorite of the Barbie movies so far (though she misses the movies with songs a lot).

The story theme is simple: every girl has the potential to be a princess. Blair, an ordinary waitress at a pastry shop in a thinly disguised inner city NY type of location, wins a yearly lottery to attend a prestigious "Princess Academy". There, she deals with rivalry and class difficulties while befriending fellow 'outcasts' in her dorm. Her main rival, Delancy, and Delancy's mother provide the strife and adversity for Blair as she tries to fit in. The girls learn that there is a long lost princess and Blair fits the description - but she can claim the title only if she can beat Delancy and her avaricious mother to the throne on coronation day.

Unlike previous...

Not for the sensitive child
My five year old daughter is particular about what she watches. Of the previous Barbie movies, she only liked the Mermaid movie and Fashion Fairy Tale. The last Barbie movie, the one where there were fairies did not appeal to her, but it had nothing to scare her. This new movie, Charm School, starts out pleasant, but when Blair gets home from work, and we discover her mother is sickly, and needs care, my daughter got concerned. And then when Blair actually leaves her sick mother and her younger sister to go to a school where she must live, she got upset. My daughter is dealing with going to kindergarten and being separated from me for the first time, so I think this hit too close to her current personal experiences. Then when Blair gets to the charm school, she isn't treated kindly by most of the other girls, and again, this upset my daughter. The "villain" of the show is a mother who wants her daughter to become the princess, and she is very unkind to Blair, says and does mean...

Click to Editorial Reviews

Dirty Dancing (20th Anniversary Edition) [Blu-ray]

The best movie from the 80s
In Dirty Dancing, Jennifer Grey stars as Frances "Baby" Houseman, a girl who goes on vacation to the Catskills with her father, mother and sister in the summer of 1963. She meets the handsome dance instructor Johnny Castle (Patrick Swayze), who works at the lodge where they're staying, and is smitten with him. When she volunteers to fill in for Johnny's dance partner, Baby experiences love and life firsthand from the free-spirited Johnny.

The DVD version of this movie is terrific. The clarity is amazing, the sound is crisp & clear and the bonuses are wonderful. With the bonus features, you get commentary from the movie's creator, a behind-the-scenes featurette (with no audio), the videos for "She's Like the Wind," "I've Had the Time of My Life" & "Hungry Eyes," biographies about the cast & crew (Jennifer Grey, Patrick Swayze, Cynthia Rhodes, Jerry Orbach, Jack Weston, the director, the producer, the writer and the choreographer), a...

If you own the Collectors, do you want this one? Read on.
I give this movie and the DVD package 4 stars. The music was powerful and the love story between Jennifer Grey and Patrick Swayze was a powerful one and the acting performances by all involved were completely believable.

Now for the DVD itself. If you own the Collectors Edition and you're wondering whether or not you would want this version there should be only one thing to take into account....how good is your home theatre system?

If you have a 5.1-7.1 home theatre system then I would highly recommend buying this version, the DTS:ES 6.1 discreet audio track is more visceral than the Dolby Digital 5.1EX track and with almost twice the bit rate you're getting nearly twice the information. This means that you're listening to something that's more accurately reproducing the original studio masters of the audio with less compression than the Dolby track.

If you already own the collectors edition and you're watching your DVDs through either just your...

THE TIME OF YOUR LIFE
It is awfully hard not to get swept up into the nostalgic heat and sentiment of this unabashedly, and well-done, teen romance. It is, by turns, sexy, funny, melodramatic, jamming (what with that soundtrack chock full of some of the best pop hits of the 60s mixed with a few great new songs) and campy. Yet the overriding feeling of melancholy and wistfulness, portrayed with real talent by Jennifer Grey, as the perfect Baby, transforms this movie into something lasting, something to really love. Cynthia Rhodes is absolutely riveting -- as usual -- in the second female lead; she is a spectacular dancer and electrifying whenever she is on the screen. The aching feeling of first true love/lust/whatever, here directed at hunky Patrick Swayze, who is by the way an excellent dancer, comes to full flower at a Poconos resort. As all manner of soapy subplots move through their predictable paces, we are treated to the transformation of our young heroine and any number of delightful...

Click to Editorial Reviews

Thomas and Friends: Go Go Thomas! [HD]

Short but Sweet
All aboard for another Thomas adventure in Thomas & Friends: Go Go Thomas. Quite honestly, whenever a new Thomas DVD arrives I wonder if this will be the time my son grows tired of it. Nope! He can watch Thomas all day and never grow tired of it! I don’t know what it is about that little blue engine but my son has adored him for years.

This Thomas DVD is a little shorter than most we have with five episodes. The Thomas episodes go by quickly so my son was a little disappointed when it was over so fast in just under an hour. I on the other hand think it’s the perfect length! Sometimes I need my kids to keep busy longer than a regular TV show that’s thirty minutes but shorter then a two hour movie. That makes this Thomas DVD my new favorite!

In the “Welcome Stafford” episode a new train is introduced. My son has already added it to his birthday list! His favorite episode was “Race to the Rescue” because aside from trains,...

Loved it
Kept my 2yos attention during a rv trip which made that particular hour an easy one for travel. He loved it

Good for the Fully Animated Series
The movie was ok. It is the fully animated series, if that is your thing. The baby prefers the "toy model" series of thomas. This series does showcase a number of thomas' friends.

Click to Editorial Reviews

A Princess For Christmas

Magical Christmas Fairy-tale for the Whole Family
Usually I do not see the new seasonal movies that air on Hallmark channel (or any "cable" network) until the following year when - and if they release to DVD. In 2011, this film was released in the U.K. and Canada, and was one I REALLY wanted to see; it was my one "guilty pleasure" buy. It looked so sweet and because it starred Katie McGrath from "Merlin." Turns out despite the fact that I shouldn't have bought it, it was well worth it.

Christmas should be a time of joy and family traditions but this Christmas should especially be a happy one, and Jules Daly (McGrath) is determined to give that to her niece and nephew. Since her sister and brother-in-law died the year prior, Jules has been trying her best to make a new home for these kids who she now looks on as her own but... Milo (Travis Turner) is a teenager who doesn't want his aunt to assert a parental authority in any part of his life while young Maddie is a seven-year-old who probably won't even remember her parents...

A Modern Day Christmas Fairy Tale
Jules works in an antique shop and serves as legal guardian for her precocious 7-year-old niece and troubled teenage nephew, whose parents have died. When the movie opens with Jules losing her job, the nephew stealing from a store, and the niece running off the nanny, I wasn't sure this was the kind of holiday "cheer" I needed. But a knock comes at the door and there is the mysterious man whom we have seen watching her earlier in the day. We learn that Jules' deceased sister had married into nobility, but because she was without title, her father-in-law had disowned the couple. Now, supposedly near death, he wants to know his grandchildren and has sent the butler to fetch them to Castlebury Hall. Jules struggles with the decision of whether or not to go, but upon the arrival of the tickets for the trip in a rather timely manner, she takes that as a sign that they are to go.
At the castle it appears that the old gentleman, the duke, is not as near death's door as had been implied...

How much I loved this movie A Princess for Christmas
I loved this movie so much the first time I saw it on Hallmark Channel last year! These are the things I loved most about them: Jules thinking of her late sister and brother-in-law's children Milo and Maddie to take them to Castleberry to meet their paternal grandfather and their uncle. Maddie softening her grandfather's heart by giving him a hug when she first meets him, giving her grandfather the Christmas tree decoration that once belonged to his brother that follows to the whole family decorating the Christmas tree, and Maddie dancing with her grandfather at the Christmas Eve ball that shows both of them are having a most wonderful Christmas. My favorite scenes with Milo are when he and his uncle Aston are spending time together (kinda in a father-son bonding) when Aston helps Milo learn to let go of his anger by giving Milo an archery lesson talking about growing up Aston had plenty in common with Milo by both of them have gotten into plenty of fights. The most moving part of...

Click to Editorial Reviews

Carrie [Blu-ray]

I highly recommend that people watch this film with an open mind.
Tonight, I watched the screening of the new film adaptation of Stephen King's novel, "CARRIE". At first I was somewhat disappointed that it wasn't as faithful to the Stephen King novel as I hoped it would have been, but that's to be expected when you've been a devoted fan of the novel for almost ten years. After watching it on the big screen tonight, I can confidentially say that it definitely stands on its own as a solid film. My only disappointment is the running time of the theatrical version. The pacing is good and quick, but it felt as though it could have been longer to properly flesh out the characters and the story. I just hope they release an extended version on DVD and Blu-ray sometime down the track.

Chloe Grace Moretz (Carrie White) and Julianne Moore (Margaret White) give a solid performance and make their leading characters their own. Director Kimberly Pierce does an excellent job focusing on the mother and daughter relationship, as well as the bullying aspect...

Carrie (2013) on Blu-ray
Carrie is the fourth installment of Carrie on film (Carrie (1976), The Rage: Carrie 2 (1999) and the 2002 Carrie TV Movie remake). It is a reimagining of the classic 1974 Stephen King novel of the same name. In my opinion, it is the most appropriate version for modern audiences and the second best of the film adaptations (after the groundbreaking 1976 release which was the first horror film to use a twist ending that is now considered cliché by some). The 2013 version of Carrie is focused more on drama than horror. You get a Blu-ray, DVD, and a Digital Copy in this release. As a bonus, Carrie comes in collectible lenticular packaging (lenticular refers to an animated surface that produces a 3D optical effect to make it look like the picture is moving). Supplements include an alternate ending, deleted scenes, featurettes and an audio commentary.

Video Resolution/Codec: 1080p/AVC MPEG-4 | Theatrical Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Audio Formats: English DTS-HD Master Audio...

A Fantastic Adaptation of Stephen King's Original Classic!!!
Ever since I was a kid, Carrie has been one of my favorite horror movies and I was psyched for the remake. Chloe Moretz was absolutely the perfect choice to play Carrie. She should win an Award! The makers of this film claim it's truer to the book, but it seemed more like a tribute to the original movie. There were a few things from the book that they added that weren't in the original like Sue's pregnancy, Chris's dad being a lawyer and the rain of stones. (I think most truest version is the 2002 TV remake with Angela Bettis) I loved Chloe's facial expressions during the Prom massacre. She looked psychotic and was enjoying getting her 'revenge' on her classmates.

Carrie White is a shy misunderstood teen who constantly gets bullied by Chris Hargensen and her group. When Carrie gets her first period in the gym locker room, all the girls laugh and mock her. Sue Snell feels bad about this and asks her boyfriend, Tommy Ross to take Carrie to prom. When Chris drops pigs blood on...

Click to Editorial Reviews

The Mighty Boosh Special Edition DVD (Seasons 1-3)

A Must Have For Mighty Boosh Fans
The Mighty Boosh is one of the most creative and fun shows ever made. The writing is hilarious and imaginative, the sets and costumes are delightful, and the songs are funny and catchy. It's truly original, and there just isn't anything else like it.

This is a nifty box set and a must have for fans of TMB. It contains all of the episodes from seasons 1-3 and hours of special features with a lot of good behind the scenes/making of stuff, deleted scenes, outtakes, and Sweet-- a short film written by James Pilkington that stars Julian and Noel. This set also includes art work and stickers. STICKERS! Enough said. Love them.

The Boosh will NOT Disappoint!!
I've got all 3 series of The Mighty Boosh and was lucky to have met them in San Diego and in LA recently. Their Live Show is indescribable but the DVD shows don't do the airing of shows currently being shown on Adult Swim (they cut too much out!!). I cannot wait for this special edition set to arrive. Every true Boosh fan should have this in their Boosh Collection! Once the Collection arrives I can loan my Series 1,2 & 3 to turn more friends and family on to the Boosh. Can't wait until they return to the US for a LIVE Tour!! Don't miss getting in on the Boosh Bandwagon. They're sure to be a HUGE hit for years to come in the States. Incredibly funny and entertaining. The Extras, Outtakes and music on the DVDs is EPIC!! Long Live the Boosh!

Old Gregg Lives!!!!!
Words cannot describe how creative and "laugh-out-loud" funny these guys and these shows are... I have all three seasons and am WAITING for the "LIVE DVD" to come out in U.S. format.... The Monty Python for a new generation...

Click to Editorial Reviews

Psych: The Complete Third Season

Gentlemen, please don't be ridiculous
"Psych" is one of those lucky shows that -- like a fine wine -- seems to get better as it ages. Not that you should stick it in a cellar and forget about it for fifty years, though. The third season of this quirky comedy/mystery show is definitely worth seeing at least a few times -- James Roday and Dule Hill continue to be absolutely hilarious as the faux psychic and his frazzled friend, and their cases continue to get even weirder.

"Psych" may be breaking up when Gus is given a choice by his boss -- his pharmaceutical job, or the agency. To prove their worth, Shawn offers to investigate the company VP's haunted house... and Gus soon finds that there's more than meets the eye to this haunting. Meanwhile Shawn's mother (Cybill Shepherd) drops in for work, stirring up some old skeletons for our favorite faux psychic.

Among the cases Gus and Shawn take on: a vanishing body at the high school reunion, a treasure map, the implosion of Henry's greatest case, roller...

One of the best reasons to own a TV
'Psych' is perhaps the primary example of what can happen when intelligent people stop obsessing over Gritty Angst and start having fun. This show has always been terrific and wittily unique, but its third season finds new ways to turn convention on its head, which makes for some extremely satisfying television. Plus, it gets bonus points for being seriously re-watchable.
Recommended to everyone, but especially to the people who think there's no way the concept of a fake psychic could stay interesting this long. I am so very ready for Season 4.

I love these guys!
This is one of my favorite shows. It's lighthearted & there's no graphic corpses....you can safely pick this show to watch while you're eating dinner, if you are so inclined, without seeing maggots or an autopsy (I no longer watch CSI, Criminal Intent, or even NCIS anywhere near the dinner hour). My favorite is when they run away screaming like girls & the many fake names that Gus gets (Knick Knack, the candystriper, & Methuselah Hunnicut). All of the characters are wonderful. This is a fun show you can watch with the family. I love it!

Click to Editorial Reviews

The Smurfs and the Magic Flute

Enjoyable Movie, but this is the UK Dub and Characters' Names Have Been Changed!
The Smurfs and the Magic Flute was directed by the Smurfs creator Peyo and was released to theaters in 1976 in Belgium, and 1979 in the United Kingdom. In 1981, NBC aired The Smurfs from Hanna-Barbera and it was an instant success. An English dubbed version of The Smurfs and the Magic Flute came out to theaters in the USA in 1983. Despite being disliked by critics, the move was a box-office success. Over the years it has been only available on VHS, but never on DVD, until now.

The movie centers on a young squire, Johan, and his goofy sidekick, Peewit, (Peyo created the characters in 1952 and then created the Smurfs in 1958). Peewit gets a hold of a flute that has only six holes. Whoever is playing the flute can control other people by making them dance.

A stranger, Matthew McCreep, steels the flute from Peewit and uses the flute to rob people. The King sends Johan and Peewit to retrieve the flute or their kingdom may fall. They fail at their first attempt to get...

Smurfs
Certainly worth a look for any Smurffan, or animation buff. Catchy little story line, okay animation, but what do you want from 1983? Although I was upset that Gargamel and Azreial were not in it. Watch it! Why not? It's only 75 mins.

Smurfs and magic Flute
I first saw this video when i was about 7 years old, and have been trying to find it ever since, even though I am now 23!!.. this is definatly the best smurfs video ever, and the songs are sooo catchy!! i could watch this over and over again and not get bored, it is just great!

Click to Editorial Reviews

Workaholics: Season Three

Funny
It's funny. I like it a lot. It's telling me I need to type thirteen more words, now I have.

No release date?
I'm reviewing the show not the blu-ray since, at the time of this writing, there's no release date yet.
I've watched every episode of this series multiple times. I own the first two seasons on blu-ray and usually keep newer episodes saved on my DVR until space gets low. This show ranks right up there with the likes of "It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia", "Community", and "The Office". Not that this show is necessarily the SAME as those series. I mean as far as how much it makes me literally laugh out loud. Obnoxiously out loud...with no apology for doing so!

Some people may consider the humor as being low brow and juvenile. That may be true, but the writing is smart, quick witted and just plain hilarious. The cast is perfect from the main characters to the supporting ones. Montez may well be my favorite "secondary" character on television. It might be easy to suggest that one must be on something to get this. Not true. I like getting weird with these guys no matter...

raw, funny
Not for the faint of hearted. This show explores the difficulties in maintaining a fulltime job while also being a full time party animal.
Throughout the series, these best friends use marijuana, LSD, mushrooms and a lot of alcohol to get themselves into and sometimes out of a lot of trouble.
The humor is a mix of 90s pop culture, slapstick and some original types of geek/obscure and confusing references and intentional mispronounciations. (FYI = fweye, etc)
The protagonists seem to always be on a path to self destruction, while maintaining a healthy friendship and being oblivious to real world happenings.
This is by far the funniest show I've seen, but would be cautious to recommend it to everyone. The pilot starts with a vulgar "sexting" prank and it only gets worse (or better).

Click to Editorial Reviews

Batman: The Animated Series, Volume 4 (DC Comics Classic Collection)

The New Batman Adventures
These episodes were produced two years after the original Batman: Animated series ended, and were made for the KidsWB Saturday morning block, which was still relatively new at that time. What's notable about these episodes is that the character designs have been totally revamped, and this was when the "DC animated universe" really began, as Batman stories would often cross-over with the Superman series and vice-versa.

The real shame about The New Batman Adventures is that KidsWB basically stopped production after 24 episodes, so we don't get to see the new revamps as much as we'd like (ex. Riddler, unfortunately, only shows up in minor cameos). A host of new villains and femme fatales appear, including Calendar Girl, Roxy Rocket, and the (dreaded) Farmer Brown and his mutant farm animals. Etrigan and The Creeper make their first animated appearances, but only get an episode each (Etrigan was later fleshed out in Justice League). Most telling is that certain plot threads...

From The New Batman Adventures!
New adventures await you and the Gotham Knights in Batman: The Animated Series, Volume Four - The New Batman Adventures! Revamped from the dark deco days of the original series with a simpler yet stylized new look, the New Batman Adventures featured the Gotham Knights: Batman & Robin, Batgirl and Nightwing in some of their most memorable episodes. Introducing the voices of Mathew Valencia as Tim Drake, the new Robin and Tara Charendoff-Strong (replacing Melissa Gilbert-Brinkman) as Barbara Gordon/Batgirl, this 4-disc (521 min.) set contains all 24 episodes from the series which include classics "You Scratch My Back", "Old Wounds" and fan-favorite "Over the Edge". Other highlights include "Legends of the Dark Knight" which acknowledges the works of Bill Finger, Dick Sprang and Frank Miller. Not to mention "Never Fear" featuring the most horrific version of the Scarecrow (chillingly voiced by Jeffrey Combs) ever animated. The New Batman Adventures not only refined the designs of the...

Batman Ends
The episodes compiled in this fourth collection of the animated Batman series is from the Kids WB New Batman Adventures, which hit Saturday mornings a while after the classic Batman: The Animated Series was over with. Most of the voice cast was retained (including Kevin Conroy as the Dark Knight), but the animation underwent a complete overhaul, which would be seen on the animated Superman series as well as the current Justice League Unlimited. The animation transformation isn't for everyone, but it works for the most part, and the storytelling is still top notch. In the episodes collected here, we learn why Dick Grayson quit being Robin and became Nightwing, and we also see the origin of the new Robin, Tim Drake. DC character the Creeper makes his animated debut, and there's a delicious new, and horrifying, twist and look to the Scarecrow (voiced by Jeffrey Combs). The "World's Finest" episodes are here as well, which is the first (of many) cross overs with Batman and Superman...

Click to Editorial Reviews

Ancient Aliens Collector's Edition

Ancient Aliens, Collector's Edition -
Contains seasons one through four. Seasons 3 & 4 have subtitle options in English or Spanish; seasons 1 & 2 have none. Season-4 has three discs and ten episodes unlike Amazon Instant Video which shows fifteen episodes for Season-4. The remaining five episodes will be the first episodes on the Season-5 DVD according the H2 web site from A&E.

Only Season-1 has any bonus material identified. It is an extra episode call Chariots, Gods, & Beyond. See customer images. This is also available on the Season-1 DVD set. Other than the seasons are boxed as a set of four, I see no appreciable difference in content between owning the collector’s edition versus owning the seasons separately.

What is in this product more than the individual seasons?
I have purchased the first 4 seasons of this show for less than half of the price of this collectors edition so I would like to know what is on the disks that would make this worth the extra money. Is season 5 in this package? At the this time I have seen no extra details of what is offered.

As far as content I have particularily enjoyed seasons 1 - 3 with season 4 being a stretch and I stopped watching season 5. I will buy 5 when it comes out. Obviously none of the other reviewers have purchased this particular package either.

The camera work is excellent and the questions the writers bring out are ones that I have asked over the years without getting a reply that has satisfied me. Plus, I had no idea that most of these ancient wonders even existed! Whether there were ancient aliens or not the theories expounded on by these shows make more sense than anything I have seen/heard to date. This includes the explanations for religious stories which never made...

Great show! Great price!
I ordered this as a gift for a friend! It arrived 2 days after ordered and in perfect condition. This show is one of my favorite. my friend was very happy to receive it.

Click to Editorial Reviews

Dial M for Murder [HD]

A Perfect Murder?....NOT!
This review refers to "Dial M For Murder",DVD,Warner Bros...

Aren't we lucky that cell phones weren't around in the 50's. Then Grace Kelly would never have had to leave her bed, to answer that potentialy fatal phone call in the living room.No matter how often you view this very suspense filled, thriller from Hitch, you still want to shout out to Grace Kelly."Look Out Grace...there's a murderer behind you!" That's one of the things I love about Hitch films. The connection to the characters, the need to help them. You practically want to get up and put those scissors in her hand, so she can protect herself from evil. Dial M has many of those moments, and is a superb classic that stands up to many repeat viewings.

Ray Milland has discovered his wife (Kelly) is having a love affair with Robert Cummings. Also she is the rich one in the family and he decides her time is up. He ropes in and hires a guy whose lifestyle makes for an easy blackmail mark. He's going to pay...

A suspenseful masterpiece
Former tennis pro Tony Wendice found out many months ago that his wife Margot was in love with another man, Mark Halliday, an American author of crime novels. After many weeks of planning, Tony sets in motion the perfect plan to kill his wife. The only problem is, as Halliday unknowningly remarks, there's no such thing as a perfect murder, and when something goes wrong, Tony has to quickly formulate another plan to do away with his wife.

This is a classic of suspense from director Alfred Hitchcock, based upon a very successful stage play. All the actors - Ray Milland, Grace Kelly, Robert Cummings and John Williams - all give fine performances, but Milland's as Tony Wendice is a standout. You're instantly won over by his conniving charm, and I admit to following his plan with a tiny bit of satisfaction. He's never over-the-top, remaining perfectly cool and collected even when things go awry. Hitchcock's directorial style also keeps the viewer confined to the apartment,...

Superior Hitchcock with an enchanting Grace Kelly
This is a fine example of the kind of mystery that little old ladies from Pasadena (or Russell Square) adore. Perhaps Arsenic and Old Lace (1944) starring Cary Grant might be comparable in its genteel and bloodless ability to glue us to the screen.

This is certainly one of Hitchcock's best, but most of the credit must go to a devilishly clever play written by Frederick Knott from which he adapted the screenplay. (He also wrote the play upon which Wait Until Dark (1967) starring Audrey Hepburn was based.) Hitchcock does a good job in not tinkering unnecessarily with the material. He also has the exquisitely beautiful Grace Kelly to play the part of Margot Wendice.

Ray Milland plays, with a kind of high-toned Brit panache, her diabolical husband, Tony Wendice, a one-time tennis star who married mostly for security. John Williams is the prim and proper Chief Inspector Hubbard. He lends to the part a bit of Sherlock Holmesian flair. One especially liked his taking a moment to...

Click to Editorial Reviews

The Best Man Holiday

I laughed ...I cried ...I laughed some more!
Bring your tissues ...The "Best Man Holiday" was way more than I expected it to be. This is the best movie of the year, in my opinion, but I don't think it's really appropriate for children so don't let the "Holiday" part fool you. This is a very underrated cast of actors and actresses because these people have been in the game for a while now, but they still are not as respected as they should be for the superb thespians that they are. All of the original stars from the first movie have returned, and this one was even better than the first. I saw "The Best Man" fifteen years ago, and I loved it then, so this sequel was long overdue. Stars include: Taye Diggs (Harper), Terrance Howard (Quentin), Morris Chestnut (Lance), Harold Perrineau, Jr (Julian), Nia Long (Jordan), Regina Hall (Candace), Monica Calhoun (Mia), Sanaa Lathan (Robin), Melissa DeSousa (Shelby), and new cast member Eddie Cibrian (Brian). This movie had a deeper story that was way more serious than the first film. It's...

Best Holiday Movie of the YEAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This movie captures your attention from start to finish and is better than the first movie. A must see and I have already pre- ordered it.

Awesome Holiday Movie!
This was the BEST holiday movie I've ever seen!!! It captures all of your emotions, very funny, sad and happy.

Click to Editorial Reviews

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Ultimate Showdown

Episode Listing
This 2 Disc DVD set contains the final 12 episodes (really 13 24-Minute Episodes) from Season 1 of the new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles TV series. This is DVD release 3 of 3 of the first season episodes. Amazon doesn't always do a good job on their DVD episode listings so here are the episodes that are included in this DVD set:

1. I, Monster
2. The Alien Agenda
3. The Pulverizer
4. TCRI
5. Cockroach Terminator
6. Baxter's Gambit
7. Enemy of My Enemy
8. Karai's Vendetta
9. The Pulverizer Returns!
10. Parasitica
11. Operation: Break Out
12. Showdown, Parts 1 and 2 (Season Finale)

Note: The "I, Monster" episode that was excluded from the "Enter Shredder" DVD is included in this DVD set. The 312 Minute running time indicates that the DVD Set contains 13 24-Minute Episodes so Showdown Parts 1 and 2 count as a single episode in the DVD episode count.

Here are Amazon links to all of the Season 1...

Amazing Show
Update: The 2nd Season starts October 12th, 11 a.m.!!

The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles by Nick (2012) is an amazing show. I never watched any of the other previous versions. But, I can't believe how fantastic this show is. Almost all of the story lines are very well written. And the characters themselves are well developed and I love them all. One of the angles that I think that makes this show fun and interesting is the angle with Donnie and April. If anyone has watched this show, you can tell that Donnie has the cutest crush on April and I think he actually loves her. I've calculated it, and Donnie (one of the turtles) has to come to April's rescue about 25% out of all of the episodes in season 1. And, just to let you know how much the fans love Donnie and April, checkout youtube - there are about 11,000 videos dedicated to Donnie and April. I know that they are coming out with season 2. I just hope that the writers DO NOT change this on-going theme with Donnie...

Season One ends with a bang!
"Ultimate Showdown" serves up the last 12 episodes of TMNT's first season. It's a series that a lot of people wanted to hate (including me, since I grew up watching the 1987 animated series)...but fortunately, it's a ton of fun and probably the best TMNT series to date, even after just a few dozen episodes. The terrific action, humor, new characters and cinematic feel are easy standouts, as well as the voice acting and nods to the 1987 series. Unlike "Rise of the Turtles" and "Enter Shredder" (the first two Season One "volume" releases), this doubles the episode count on two discs for only about $5 more. I'd have given it five stars for the fun factor, but Nickelodeon's continued practice of avoiding season sets is just irritating. With any luck, we'll get a complete Season One release---and hopefully on Blu-ray---in the near future.

Other than that mild annoyance, "Ultimate Showdown" is unquestionably worth buying. These 12 episodes feel bigger in scope and...

Click to Editorial Reviews

The Quiet Man (60th Anniversary Special Edition) [Blu-ray]

Wonderful Film - Be Careful Which DVD Edition You Get
*****5 stars for the film

Haunted by an incident that happened in the ring, American boxer Sean Thornton (John Wayne) returns to his Irish birthplace, seeking only his roots and a quiet, peaceful life.

He soon falls in love with the beautiful, tempestuous Mary Kate (Maureen O'Hara). She is equally taken with him, but won't marry without the consent of her stubborn, blustering brother, Will (Victor McLaglen), who disapproves the match.

With the help of a well-intentioned scheme arranged by their friends, Mary Kate gets her brother's permission and Sean and she wed. Relationships spoil soon after, however, when Will refuses to pay the rightful dowry. Sean doesn't care, but Mary Kate is outraged and wants Sean to have it out with Will.

Time and again Sean backs down - determined not to use his fists - his inner tension building the whole while. But eventually he will have to decide between losing his wife's love and respect and facing his...

Crushing disappointment
I will not, as some feel necessary, go over the story/characters/performances of this film. Suffice to say, this is one the most enjoyable films ever made, blarney or not.

Rather, what I would like to briefly comment on is the utterly pathetic transfer of this classic film to DVD. It states quite clearly on the back of the cover that this film has been digitally remastered. I took that to mean both video and audio. WRONG. The picture quality of this DVD is shocking, one of the worst I have ever seen. Believe me when I say this -- the VHS version I purchased in 1991 has a better video clarity than this. At times it's actually difficult to make out the actors features. The company behind this, ARTISAN I believe they are called, should be ashamed. I have a copy of the recently released and remastered CASABLANCA DVD. That film was made in 1942, yet it looks as if it was just made, such is the sharpness of the video. The Quiet Man deserved the same treatment, but didn't get it...

Terrible DVD Transfer
i hate giving a classic a 1 star rating. the movie is nothing less than 5. but the dvd transfer is pathetic. i've seen better 2nd generation VHS to DVD transfers than this. what was the distributor thinking when they allowed this to be distributed to the public?? did they even bother to review the final product before its release? there's no excuse for this with todays movie restoration technology. hopefully we will see this movie re-released by a company who cares about art.

Click to Editorial Reviews

Porco Rosso

Miyazaki's Autobiography---Even a Pig Can Fly
From a fan and student of Miyazaki-san:

"Porco Rosso" is the master's most autobiographical work, for once he was not trying to impart any moral or environmental lessons to children or young girls or the Japanese society, as most of his other works did---but a heartfelt fantasy projection of himself (being an independent agent neither belonging to your typical Japanese Anime Industry or the Hollywood/Disney American Culture juggernaut, as symbolized by the brash American Pilot-Fighter, Curtis).

It's also a celebration of his fellow frustrated romantic and idealistic adults (many tired Japanese salary men and animators) who have not completely surrendered their youthful dreams to the MAN/military industry.

Set in Post WWI Europe, where Fascism was on the rise, the Continental world it captured was a last breath of fantastic and natural freedom before a long darkness set in...

The genius stroke here is by turning the protagonist into a PIG, a whimsical yet literal mockery...

Beyond charming
I am a fanatic for the works of Miyazaki, and this is my favorite among his works. There is no heavy-handed message other than his dislike of Fascism; there are no cute or bizarre animals other than the hero, and cute is just not the word for him; there are adventure, derring-do, light-hearted fight scenes, strong female figures, comic villains, romance, great achievements, a touch of magic, and the typically fanatical Miyazaki attention to detail. This is an atypical light adventure film and is suitable for children from 9 to 99. It's charming, fun, and simply wonderful. Please, buy it.

I can only hope that Amazon will package this in a 3-pack with Nausicaa in the Valley of Wind and My Neighbor Totoro, all due (actually LONG overdue) for simultaneous release. (The official date of release is now Feb. 22, and it will be released with Nausicaa and The Cat Returns; Totoro is not currently scheduled. This is mistifying, as The Cat Returns is actually a sequel to another...

A Quite Different, But Still Magnificent, Studio Ghibli Anime
During the first few minutes of "Porco Rosso", I was thinking, 'okay, this is.....different. It's good but I don't think it's exactly gonna be "Spirited Away" or "Naussicaa"'. I should have known better. It IS different, it's not "Spirited Away" or any other Ghibli movie before or since, but it is, in its own bizarre way, just as good. Studio Ghibli seems to be incapable of delivering anything short of true excellence.

The title character is a grumpy bipedal pig who flies a World War I-era airplane in the Mediterranean in the years between the two world wars. Once human, Porco has adopted an air of disinterested apathy to cover his feelings, but he finds himself drawn to a group of people in Italy after his plane is shot down by a rival pilot, rendering Porco unable to make a living protecting transport and passenger ships from pirates - some of the most gloriously incompetent pirates imaginable, by the way. "Porco Rosso' is suitable viewing for the kiddies but may...

Click to Editorial Reviews

Smokey and the Bandit (Special Edition)

When Burt was cool and Sally was hot!
What can I say about this super cool movie that none of the other reviewers have not already said? It is one of the funniest flicks ever, it is a celebration of cool things from the 70's (and there were not too many) like CB radios, weird/wild looking cars, tight jeans and Coors beer. The story involves a pair of Truckers (Burt Renolds and Jerry Reed)and their dog Fred, who take a bet from an obnoxious Father/Son Texas oil millionaire team that they can deliver an 18 wheeler full of beer about halfway across the USA in 24hrs. They hook-up with the original runaway bride Sally Field along the way, she does the impossible before your eyes and changes out of a wedding dress into the tightest jeans ever to grace the silver screen inside a Trans Am! The jeans are so tight she might as well be naked!! It's great! They are chased by jilted groom Junior and his Daddy Texas Sheriff Buford T. Justice played by the great Jackie Gleason. The Great One plays the best southern sheriff ever as he...

CB Radio chase across the Bible Belt
When originally released in 1977, SMOKEY AND THE BANDIT was second only to STAR WARS as the year's internationally top grossing film. With a simple plot and film locations around Atlanta, Georgia doubling as other states, this film fast moving fun. This film stands out among the other Burt Reynolds films (Like WW AND THE DIXIE DANCE KINGS) which were traditionally filled with car chases, country music and just plain showing-off. Though this was not his first major motion picture, Jerry (Hubbard) Reed plays his part perfectly as Burt's Bandit-Blocker bootlegging partner. SMOKEY AND THE BANDIT jump-started Sally Field's career and finally broke the typecast that she could be nothing more than television's Flying Nun. Jackie Gleason is ideal as Texas Sheriff Buford T. Justice, whose character, a man with old-fashioned southern values, chases Reynolds, Field, and Reed from Texas to Georgia. Jerry Reed wrote and sang most of the vocals in the sound track. If the theme song, East...

Jackie Gleason Is The Reason
Smokey and the Bandit is a dramatic comedy based on various folk legends surrounding the questionable "real-life" exploits of bandit Bo Darville and southern sheriff Buford T. Justice. Smokey (Jackie Gleason) gives a powerful performance as Justice who relentlessly pursues a new Trans Am driven by the Bandit (Burt Reynolds) and a runaway bride (Sally Field), as well as his singing buddy Cledus (Jerry Reed) who drives a semi truck full of Coors.

Click to Editorial Reviews

Serpent's Lair

Finally...
SG-1 is crazy good, and Season 2 was arguably the best season so far. As with many TV adaptations, the sophomore year is when a series tends to truly expand its horizons from the original, and this is certainly true with Stargate SG-1. Season Two lays the groundwork for many of the key storylines of the series, so it is a must for any viewer. I've been awaiting this since the first box set, especially with the Region 2 DVD's being up to Season Four.

I cannot stress to anyone enough who has not watched the TV series that it is superb. If you would have asked me over a year ago about SG-1, I would have dismissed it easily as a cheesy Made-In-Canada (don't fret, I'm Canadian) Sci-Fi series. True, a lot of that would have been from my bias from the movie, and that it starred Patty and Selma's hero MacGyver ;-), but after only seeing a few shows, I became quickly hooked. I was blown away by the unbelievable chemistry of the cast, the great story writing, and the quality of the...

A must have for all Stargate fans
Although it has taken a long time for them to be released, these DVD's have definitely been worth the wait. Stargate SG-1 is one of the best sci-fi shows that has been around in years, taking an original and interesting premise (originally introduced in the Stargate movie, although expanded and changed a little) and weaving it into a detailed and complex storyline that continues to entertain.
The second season sees Stargate SG-1 really come into it's own, finding it's feet after a mostly hit-and-miss first year. Among other things, we see the introduction of some new characters (both good and bad) this season, which adds a whole new dimension to the show and sets up some brilliant story arcs. The mythology behind the Stargate is explored a little deeper as well, allowing for some interesting discoveries and character development.
Featuring such memorable episodes as The Serpent's Lair, A Matter Of Time, Holiday, 1969 and The Fifth Race, this is a collection that I will be...

Finally, we get some answers!
Stargate SG-1 has been among the highest rated and most viewed sci-fi shows on televison. On Showtime, on Sci-fi, or on some local channel like FOX, millions of viewers have tuned in each week to follow the adventures of sci-fi greatest heros. They're not great because they have advanced technology or they're futuristic. They're great, because they are ordinary and they exist now, and deal with today's problems. This is a convention that sci-fi fans have not seen properly utilized in a long time. In Stargate SG-1, the environments, the conflicts, are as new and exciting to the characters as they are to the audience. This fact, combined with great story telling, numerous extensive story arcs, and an awesome cast, provides for a powerful and original series.

However, for people like me, who were unfortunate enough to get hooked on the series pretty late after the premier date (try a season and a half too late) many questions remain unanswered, especially on the...

Click to Editorial Reviews

Ephraim's Rescue

Truly inspirational
I saw this movie in the theater and was thoroughly inspired with the remarkable story of Ephraim Hanks. It's a timeless pioneer tale of a young man with supreme faith in God and sincere desires to do what is right. I highly recommend this movie.

Emotionally Gripping, True Motion Picture about Miracles, Survival, and Love
NOTE: This is a review of three life and history changing motion pictures By TC Christensen - "Ephraim's Rescue," "Greater Love," and "The Bridge."
By Darrell Stoddard, darrellstoddard@gmail.com

Ephraim's Rescue is one of the most emotionally gripping motion pictures ever made - A Heart Rending, True, film about Miracles, Survival, and Love experienced in one of the epic migrations of mankind.

The healing miracles performed by Ephraim Hanks were equal to the miracles recorded in the scriptures. He fulfilled his gift of healing to save handcart pioneers as they experienced terrible suffering and death when they were caught in an early snowstorm.

I write this review as an observer even though I played a part in Ephraim's Rescue and with my daughter had a small part in the motion picture 17 Miracles. It was a transcendent experience just to be in the film, and it was so "real" that I nearly froze to death. If you liked the film 17 Miracles, You will...

Great Movie
If you prefer to watch movies that leave you wanting to be better and do good things with your life, this is a must watch.

Click to Editorial Reviews

TCM Greatest Classic Legends: Cary Grant (Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House / My Favorite Wife / Night and Day / The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer)

Three hits and a near-miss in an economical set
This is a set of four DVD's starring Cary Grant packed onto one hub in an economical set from TCM.

MY FAVORITE WIFE (1940) has Nick Arden (Cary Grant) remarrying immediately after his first wife, Ellen Wagstaff Arden (Irene Dunne) was declared dead, seven years to the day she was lost at sea. But Cary can't consummate the new marriage because Ellen comes back and keeps getting in the way, even posing as an old family friend to reacquaint herself with her children. What's worse, Ellen was shipwrecked on an uncharted island with hunky "Adam" (Randolph Scott) for all those years. Cary has to contend with his jealousy and the moral and legal complications of having two wives and not quite knowing what to do with either. A very funny comedy of errors that holds interest all the way through. The attempted 1962 remake of this movie, SOMETHING'S GOTTA GIVE, halted production when Marilyn Monroe died but was remade in 1963 as MOVE OVER, DARLING with James Garner and Doris...

great movies
'The Bachelor and the Bobby Soxer' is one of my favorite movies of all time, and Cary Grant one of my favorite actors. To have all these movies in one collection is absolutely wonderful. "Mr. Blandings.." and "My Favorite Wife" are hilarious!!

This is when Movies were entertaining and not trash.
We love all the classic films that were made when Hollywood made great entertainment. Today all we seem to be offered in movies is nudity, lots of cussing, sex, drugs, gangs, extreme violence and remakes. Thank goodness for DVD's, we have built quite a collection since nothing on TV these days is worth our time.

Click to Editorial Reviews

The Universe: 7 Wonders of the Solar System [Blu-ray 3D]

You'll hate yourself in the morning
I wanted to like this, I really did. I like science. I especially like physics and astronomy. And, as a relatively new 3D owner, I'm still pretty tolerant.

Here's what the product info doesn't tell you. This is not an IMAX movie, or any other feature. It's one of those History Channel science shows. There are short segments on each of the "7 Wonders of the Solar System". The science is pretty simplistic. (The Sun is Hot, the Earth is Pretty, Saturn has Rings). The places where we come back from commercial and they recap what has been in the previous part of the show and what's coming up after the next commercial break comprise more than 10% of the content. They might have improved it by at least editing this as if we were going watch it commercial free.

The 3D quality? Very poor. The primary 3D is an animated frame that shadowboxes the edges of the 2D content. By animated I mean drawn, not moving - it's pretty stationary. The poor little animated...

3D Review by a 3D Connoisseur
My ratings are based mainly on the QUALITY OF THE 3D, not the video content.

Not counting the repeating graphics, There are about 14 out of screen effects that extend about 10% of the way, from the screen to the viewer. Another 3 around 25%. For 10 seconds stars fly OOS around 50% and one makes it to 70%. Rocks OOS around 25% for 10 seconds, leafs blow by up to 25% for 15 seconds, a satellite graphic, swings out to 40% and a dolphin's nose extends to over 35%. 18 times the same simplistic space ship council extends 10% and at least 8 times a graphic overlay floats at 20%.

Some short segments were so flat they didn't appear to be in 3D at all.
Excess parallax easily visible in a few scenes.
And yes, as other reviews have said, the graphics add a cheese factor.
Repeating graphics and some repeating scenes.

*** If your not interested in the subject matter, don't buy it just for the 3D ***

MY 3D RATING = POOR to FAIR
(poor,...

"7 Wonders" is Wonderful
This 3D Blu-Ray exceeded my expectations. I was expecting the same episode that originally aired on The History Channel, probably with some gimmicky 3D effects added in (yes, I bought it anyway, hoping that I was wrong). However, I was surprised to see (what I believe to be) some new, 3D interview footage and some new narration recorded specifically for this release. The 3D effects are very good. Seeing tiny Mercury eclipse the giant Sun in 3D is breathtaking as are some of the beautiful images of the rings of Saturn. Sure, most of it is CG, but that's fine because it looks really great. The only poor CG has to do with the spacecraft in which you are supposedly touring the solar system. Really, my only complaint is that there is some substantial crosstalk in many scenes, mostly when you see an object against the blackness of space. If that weren't true, I would have given this release 5 stars instead of 4.

My 2-year-old son is showing a lot of interest in...

Click to Editorial Reviews

The Family Stone (Full Screen Edition)

Excellent and Real!
OK, this film was a bit misleading in its promotion. This film is NOT a comedy. It has comedic elements but the film is a drama. The film is perfect in its execution. It is far from the cheesy Christmas films of old. It harkens back to films like "Home for the Holidays" with Holly Hunter (a classic in its own right for both Hunter and Robert Downey Jr's performances). The familial angst, the liberal meeting the conservative, the desire for love, family protecting family, it's all here. Sarah Jessica Parker shines in a very different role for her. You feel her painful shyness at dinner when she is so misunderstood in her intentions that she ends up in the car crying.

Not all aspects of the film are to be applauded but the underlying story of the "family stone" which could be the ring requested from the matriarch of the family, the last name of the family of course or the matriarch herself are amazing. Very touching moment at the end, if a bit unrealistic, where they...

One of the best movies I've seen in a while
I was compelled to write a review for this item after reading some of the very misleading reviews below. While this movie might not be everyones cup of tea I think it's perfect for this day and age because it addresses every kind of person you can ever have in your family. They have the gay brother, the mother with cancer, the pot smoking brother, the pregnant sister with a family, the stuffy uptight business man brother, the sarcastic sister looking for love, and of course the father just trying to hold his family together. Some of the issues they address and have in the movie are, I am sure, issues that people have every day - they just put it out there. Plus it makes you laugh, makes you cry, makes you feel uncomfortable when they talk about "sensitive issues" - but that's life! I think this movie did an absolutely fabulous job of pulling it all together and whether some people agree or not, the ending does put a smile on your face - at least it did for me. GREAT MOVIE!

Better than the average genre entry
This sort of movie has been done to death, one would think - look at names that are listed in preceding reviews - and while Family Stone fails to provide an earthshattering new insight into the set piece, I think it's a cut above average.

For one thing, the family itself is only slightly disfunctional in its relationships among one another, a distinct relief. For example, the gay son is loved and accepted, as is his partner. There are hints that the mother may have been too clinging but, all in all, the now-adult children of Mr. and Mrs. Stone, magnificently portrayed by Diane Keaton, seem to be handling their lives with aplomb and success.

The Family Stone rolls out its disfunction when a newcomer attempts to join the family. The catalyst for this family gathering is Christmas, probably the worst of holidays for families in general because Chritmas is also the annual festival of dashed expectations, at first material and quickly psychological. A scene late in...

Click to Editorial Reviews