P - DVD

Agatha Christie Collection featuring Peter Ustinov as Hercule Poirot (Dead Man's Folly / Murder in Three Acts / Thirteen at Dinner)

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 29 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Nice Collection, but enjoy other Ustinov Poirot films better 4 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

I haven't watched Murder in Three Acts yet but as far as Dead Man's folly:
This was not quite as good as some other Peter Ustinov Poirot movies, specifically Evil Under the Sun and Death on the Nile. Seems like they tried to make some of these using the wrong era and messed them up. I know Agatha Christie wrote for many decades and that Hercule Poirot's career also spanned decades. But they just didn't get some of these right when they converted them to screenplays and set them in the seventies. Having read a lot of the Hercule Poirot books, I think the latest they should have set any of the films was the late fifties. The clues and characters just don't work as well updated.

As far as Thirteen at Dinner:
This too was not as good as other Peter Ustinov Poirots such as Death on the Nile and Evil Under the Sun. The version with David Suchet (Lord Edgeware Dies) is a better version. However, this is collectible, like trivia, because David Suchet plays Japp in this movie. I think they made the mistake of trying to update this to a later time period and it just doesn't have the flavor and charm of the written work.

Editorial Review:

You're in good company with Hercule Poirot (Peter Ustinov), Agatha Christie's impeccable Belgian sleuth who's always at his best at chic soirees where the hospitality is warm...and the corpses are cold. Match wits with the master in this full-course banquet of mystery involving a country-house game of murder turned real (Dead Man's Folly), a move star turned amateur detective (Murder in Three Acts), and a dinner part turned deadly (Thirteen at Dinner). Bon appetit!

Agatha Christie's Poirot - The Classic Collection, Vol. 2

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 10 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Poirot in Perfection. 5 out of 5 stars.
20 of 20 people found this review helpful.

Hercule Poirot is one of the most famous detectives in literary history. Yet, strangely, except for his portrayal by Albert Finney in the star-studded movie version of "Murder on the Orient Express," for a long time there did not seem to be an actor who could convincingly bring to life the clever, dignified little Belgian with his unmistakable egg-shaped head, always perched a little on one side, his stiff, military, slightly upward-twisted moustache, and his excessively neat attire, which had reached the point that "a speck of dust would have caused him more pain than a bullet," as Agatha Christie introduced him through his friend Captain Hastings's voice in their and her own very first adventure, "The Mysterious Affair at Styles" (1920). But leave it to British television to finally find the perfect Poirot in David Suchet, who after having had the dubious honor of playing a rather dumbly arrogant version of Scotland Yard Chief Inspector Japp in some of the 1980s' movies starring Peter Ustinov as Poirot, was finally allowed to move center stage in the Granada/ITV series broadcast from 1989 onwards, which was later continued by A&E and includes 36 shorter episodes based on (almost all of) Christie's Poirot short stories, as well as to date 25 movie-length features released on DVD, based on a number of her most celebrated Poirot novels. (Hopefully due to be transferred to DVD in short order are the episodes broadcast in 2008 -- see listing below --, which leaves as yet to be re-adapted for the small screen, most notably, "Murder on the Orient Express" [1934] and Poirot's final case, "Curtain" [published 1975, but written in the 1940s].)

And the match is spot-on, not only physically but also, and more importantly so, in terms of personality. Suchet shares Poirot's inclination towards pedantry: "I like things to be symmetrical ... If I put two things on the mantelpiece, they have to be exactly evenly spaced," he said in an interview, comparing his real-life persona to that of Poirot. But, he added, unlike his on-screen alter ego, "I don't need the same sized eggs for breakfast!" Although previously not interested in mysteries, his habitually meticulous research allowed him to quickly become familiar with Christie's Belgian sleuth and the workings of his little grey cells -- and to slip so much into Poirot's skin that I, for one, can no longer pick up a Poirot book without instantly hearing Suchet's voice as that of the great little detective.

After bringing together the series's 36 shorter episodes in "The Classic Collection, Volume 1," this box set contains the nine movie-length features originally produced by Granada Films and first broadcast on ITV. Next to Mr. Suchet, Hugh Fraser stars as the detective's indefatigable sidekick Captain Hastings, whom the screenplays, alas, make come across as more of a well-educated but vacuous gentleman than do the written originals narrated from his point of view. (This is virtually my only quibble with the series -- and that although Granada and ITV did so well in debumblifying Sherlock Holmes's friend and chronicler Dr. Watson!) Philip Jackson, on the other hand, gives us an admirably sturdy, down-to-earth incarnation of Chief Inspector Japp, and Pauline Moran virtually inhabits Poirot's epitome of a secretary, Miss Lemon; whose role, like those of Hastings and Japp, is added into a number of episodes not originally featuring them, thankfully without greatly disturbing the stories' narrative flow and setting.

The episodes contained in this set are:

The Mysterious Affair at Styles (written 1920; Granada/ITV 1990)
Peril at End House (written 1932; Granada/ITV 1990)
The ABC Murders (written 1935; Granada/ITV 1992)
Death in the Clouds (written 1935; Granada/ITV 1992)
One, Two, Buckle My Shoe (written 1940; Granada/ ITV 1992)
Hercule Poirot's Christmas (written 1938; Granada/ITV 1995)
Hickory Dickory Dock (written 1955; Granada/ITV 1995)
Murder on the Links (written 1923; Granada/ITV 1996)
Dumb Witness (written 1937; Granada/ITV 1996)

The movie-length features later produced by A&E -- and not contained in this collection but available in separate box sets -- are (to date):

The Murder of Roger Ackroyd (written 1926; A&E 2000)
Lord Edgeware Dies (written 1933; A&E 2000)
Murder in Mesopotamia (written 1936; A&E 2001)
Evil Under the Sun (written 1941; A&E 2002)

Sad Cypress (written 1939; A&E 2003)
Five Little Pigs (written 1941; A&E 2003)
Death on the Nile (written 1937; A&E 2004)
The Hollow (written 1946; A&E 2004)

The Mystery of the Blue Train (written 1928; A&E 2005)
Cards on the Table (written 1936; A&E 2005)
After the Funeral (written 1953; A&E 2005)
Taken at the Flood (written 1948; A&E 2006)

And, last but not least, the 2008 season consists/will consist of:

Appointment with Death (written 1938)
Mrs. McGinty's Dead (written 1952)
Cat Among the Pigeons (written 1959)
Third Girl (written 1966)
Hallowe'en Party (written 1969)

Also recommended:
The Mysterious Affair at Styles: Hercule Poirot's First Case
The Murder of Roger Ackroyd: A Hercule Poirot Mystery (Agatha Christie Collection)
Agatha Christie: Five Complete Hercule Poirot Novels - Murder on the Orient Express / Thirteen at Dinner / The ABC Murders / Cards on the Table / Death on the Nile
Poirot in the Orient (Hercule Poirot)
Hercule Poirot's Casebook
Agatha Christie's Poirot - The Classic Collection
Agatha Christie's Murder on the Orient Express
Death on the Nile

Editorial Review:

As portrayed by DAVID SUCHET, Agatha Christie’s brilliant Belgian sleuth became the most-watched detective in the history of the PBS Mystery! series and a hit all over again on A&E. The incomparable Poirot cracks his most challenging cases in these feature-length episodes.

The Mysteries
The ABC Murders
Death in the Clouds
Dumb Witness
Hercule Poirot’s Christmas
Hickory Dickory Dock
Murder on the Links
The Mysterious Affair at Styles
One, Two, Buckle My Shoe
Peril at End House

INCLUDES BONUS PROGRAM! Agatha Christie’s Garden -- An intimate look at the author’s life at her beloved garden and summer retreat in Devon, with Rosemary & Thyme’s Pam Ferris as your guide.

DVD SPECIAL FEATURES INCLUDE biographies of Agatha Christie and David Suchet, interactive trivia, cast filmographies, and Agatha Christie materials.

Prime Suspect 4

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 11 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Prime Suspect#4 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

More of a wonderful actress. She is not afraid to say what she thinks in a man's world. Her entire series is Good.

More please! 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

Well written, well acted and an engrossing tale. Its not easy to keep the pace up on Mk's 2,3,4 and so forth and sometimes they trade on the initial success, this is not the case here and this well worth the watching.

Two Extraordnarily Intense Stories and One that was Just Good 4 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

I think that the Prime Suspect series of police procedurals are some of the best ones I've ever seen (the Inspector Lynley series is also great but those are a bit different than the PS ones). This particular season has three stories:

"The Lost Child": This is probably the most intense and disturbing. A child is apparently abducted and events conspire to finger a man who had a past record of sexually abusing a child...but did he kidnap this baby? (special warning: there is a scene in which this character is shown in a therapy session discussing his fixation on a young child that some people might find extremely tough to watch) The story ends with a real bang...an extraordinarily tense hostage situation.

"Inner Circles": The former manager of a posh country club is found brutally murdered. The upscale denizens of the club are eager to see the crime blamed on juvenile delinquents from a poor housing estate. Yet Tennison senses that the killers are from somewhere else. This episode features one of the most ice cold villains in the series (right up with George Marlow from the first --the pleasant sociopath).

"Scent of Darkness": This was the one that I didn't think was as strong as the first two (but certainly worthwhile entertainment). A series of killings hauntingly similar to the ones George Marlow committed in PSI are taking place. People are beginning to doubt that Marlow was the real killer. Can Tennison find the truth?

If you are looking for cozy British mysteries where murder comes across as a sort of game, Prime Suspect is not for you. But if you are looking for some very tense and realistic police dramas, this is well-worth watching.

Editorial Review:

Helen Mirren is Detective Chief Inspector Jane Tennison who is promoted to Detective Superintendent. In this Fourth series three two-hour episodes are included: The Lost Child, Inner Circles, The Scent of Darkness.

Picket Fences - Season 1

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 82 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

A very great show 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

When Picket Fences began airing on CBS, I was a "tween"- the show, though, was amazing. I remember Friday nights with my BFF watching this show and loving it. We loved Max and Kenny- and really liked Holly Marie Combs.

I faithfully followed as much as I could considering that CBS kept switching it around from a Fri to a Wed, to even a Tuesday night show- and I remember when it made the TV Guide Save these Shows list.

Years later, my parents began watching The Practice, and when they told me it was by David E Kelley, I gave that a try and loved it. And loved Ally McBeal, also. But I always wished for Picket Fences to come to DVD.

Finally, it did- my brother ordered it immediately for me and we began watching it when the package arrived. Becasue he was a good 6 years younger than I, he had missed out on Picket Fences during it's CBS run.
We sat down and watched the first couple of shows- and for me- it was like welcoming an old friend to my house. And he was rather astonished that such big issues were discussed in this show given it's time period.
But, both of us really enjoyed the viewing on DVD.

This show had so much charming and quirky things going for it- it was an aquired taste- and yes there are things that make so much more sense watching it now as opposed to when I was a tween- but all in all this show is great. We need the rest of the seasons released soon...

Editorial Review:

PICKET FENCES Season 1 is the first season of the critically acclaimed series from creator David E. Kelly ("Ally McBeal", "Boston Legal") starring Tom Skerrit and Kathy Baker, in the story of a sherriff and his family in Rome, Wisconsin, a town where things never seem to be business as usual. This long-awaited fan favorite is available on 6 discs.

Prime Suspect 5

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 14 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

A work of cinematic art 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

I originally watched the series 5 episodes while in London on the BBC. I was enthralled by the depth of the characters and the real life portrayal of the events. Helen Mirren is in a class by herself. "The Street" is one of the best "bad guys" ever created, cocky, bold and brutal. This series may be too realistic for some, it can be a little disturbing at times. Best cop series I have ever seen.

Prime Suspect#6 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 1 people found this review helpful.

Just love Helen Mirren. I have them all. I wish there were more. She is a striving woman in a men's world.

Brilliant! 4 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

I have seen this episode twice and never tire of the
story or the acting..the characterizations are nothing
short of brilliant starting of course with dame helen
mirren..there have been few actresses of this calibre
in the british cinema for ages..the supporting cast are
equally believable and moreso in some cases..e.g. the
black boy Michael did a magnificent job as the criminal
he was portraying. Andlast but not least Daniel Mackintosh was superb as the pyschopathic killer, the
Street..he has quite an acting history for one reasonably
young..one noteaable contrast was his protrayal of the
very young and bewildered pilot in Memphis Belle.

Editorial Review:

Helen Mirren is Detective Chief Inspector Jane Tennison in the fifth of the series Prime Suspect that aired on PBS in January, 1992. Having been demoted and transferred to the north, D.C.I. Tennison finds herself under-used until she gets a case where a 12-year-old-boy confesses to murder.

Planet of the Apes: The Complete TV Series

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 19 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Planet of the Apes TV series 4 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

In a time where " reality " TV seems to be all we get from the networks, remember when they actually made show we watched? This above average series was on only one season, and has series original actor Roddy McDowell in the cast. It's little short lived gems like this I would have assumed would never get a DVD release let along a definative one that looks and sounds so good. If you love "Planet of the Apes" then you must have these lovingly restored from TV episodes.Show the bigs that we will repond if they open up the vaults and treat us ( the public ) with these television obscurities.

Editorial Review:

After their spacecraft travels through a time warp, two astronauts (Ron Harper, James Naughton) from 1981 crash-land back on Earth in the year 3085 - a time when intelligent apes rule and humans have been reduced to servants or pets. Captured by the apes and sentenced to death, they are saved by a curious chimpanzee name Galen (Roddy McDowall). But now all three are on the run, trying to keep one step ahead of the gorilla army led by General Urko (Mark Lenard), who is determined to kill the renegades.

Prime Suspect 6 - The Last Witness

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 18 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

All Helen Mirren Prime Suspect Series which I purchased 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 4 people found this review helpful.

All of them are fantastic - they are in my classic collection and I value them

Prime Suspect 6 4 out of 5 stars.
0 of 6 people found this review helpful.

I really enjoy Helen Mirren movies. I do have a hard time making out the dialogue, but it is well worth viewing.

british detective 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

She is a great actress. She has a tough roll to play as a woman in the series, but she does measure up. Do recommend her cds.

Prime Suspect 6 3 out of 5 stars.
0 of 1 people found this review helpful.

I was dissatisfied with the way I received this movie this movie did not have a wrapper on it which makes you wonder if it was new like it stated. I have not watched it yet because I ordered the whole series and I do not want to watch it out of sequence. When I do I will write another review.For now I am not happy with my order and I am reluctant to accept the rest of my order. I read all the reviews on this company and they were positive but I do not have a positive review. The rest of my order said it was shipped and I have yet to receive the rest of it this has been 2 weeks now since they said it was shipped.

Ann
Milwaukee, Wi. USA

Editorial Review:

It's been thirty years of police work for Detective Superintendent Jane Tennison. She's older, in some ways wiser, still fighting the urge for a cigarette & still fighting the "men only" attitude of the force. Ripe for retirement in the eyes of some. Tennison is still up for a fight, and she'll need all the energy she can muster when she takes on the darker forces of British government in search of a sadistic killer with a guilty past.

Agatha Christie's Poirot: Collector's Set Volume 1

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 11 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Brilliant as usual 5 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

There is something just so lovable about this Belgian detective and his little gray cells. What is incredible about this entire series is the attention to detail on costumes, settings and ensuring that the art-deco feel of parts of England can be recreated. I have always been a great fan of Agatha Christie and, in particular, the character of Hercule Poirot (I have found Miss Marple to be rather annoying). But David Suchet has resulted in a fan following for this character that has little to do with the original character. Each and every little flaw, trait, quirk, is played to great effect. This added to the already-flawless plots of Agatha Christie make this entire series a jewel in the crown.

It's great! 5 out of 5 stars.
2 of 3 people found this review helpful.

Every once in a while, an actor comes along who not only plays the role of Sherlock Holmes, but actually redefines the role. Well, this has now happened with Agatha Christie's detective, Hercule Poirot! In 1989, veteran actor David Suchet (b.1946) was tapped to play Poirot, and the rest, as they say, is history.

This marvelous DVD contains three(!) of the hour-long episodes of the Adventures of Hercule Poirot:

The Disappearance of Mr. Davenheim - Season 2, episode 5 (4 February 1990) - When a wealthy banker walks out his front door and disappears without a trace, leaving everyone baffled. However, when Hercule Poirot suggests that he can solve the mystery without even leaving his flat, Chief Inspector Japp takes him up on his claim. Can the great detective solve such a deep mystery with just his little grey cells?

The Veiled Lady - Season 2, episode 2 (14 January 1990) - When a veiled lady comes to Poirot with a tale of blackmail, he immediately rises to the occasion. However, helping her might just put him on the wrong side of the law!

The Lost Mine - Season 3, episode 3 (21 January 1990) - Poirot's bank is embroiled in a mystery, when a man who coming to sell them a map to a silver mine disappears without a trace. There's foul play involved, but who did what, and why? This is a mystery that only Hercule Poirot can solve!

This is a great DVD, one that I highly recommend to anyone who loves a good mystery, or just loves excellent drama. It's great!

Editorial Review:

Studio: Acorn Media Release Date: 08/13/2002 Run time: 153 minutes Rating: Nr

The Pretender - Seasons 1 - 4

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 16 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Great series 4 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

The Pretender series, which hasn't made it onto our screens here, is great viewing with lots of twists to the story leaving you wandering what is going to come out of the woodwork next. I got a taste of the series through DVDs of an American friend. The only disappointment I have is that the first disc of the first season is not working properly - I have only been able to watch the first two episodes and then had to jump to the next disc ços nothing else worked Missed 5 episodes I think. The other discs so far are ok - currently I'm watching the first disc of the second season. Here's hoping season 3 and 4 are ok.

AWESOME SHOW 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 2 people found this review helpful.

NOT FINISHED WATCHING THIS COLLECTION, YET. IT'S AMAZING WHAT I MISSED WHILE WATCHING IT WHEN ORIGINALLY AIRED. LOOKING FORWARD TO WATCHING IT AGAIN AND AGAIN.

Great box, great story, could've been better format 4 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

This review is about the box contents and not a review of the series itself.

The Pretender Seasons 1-4 DVD box allows the viewer to grasp the full series of this great show if one should buy the end movies The Pretender 2001 and Island of the Haunted as well. The DVD box contains all four seasons in four double-sided DVD discs per season, making the DVD box small enough to not waste any space on the bookshelf.

There are mainly three things that hinder the rating to become 5 stars.

First off, the DVD box is Region 1 only, while most shows and DVDs released today are region free one has to have a Region 1 compatible DVD player or if using software, change the region decoding.

Second, audio and video haven't been improved very much since the show was on TV. While the average The Pretender fan won't mind and will be just as happy to have the whole series on DVDs, the movie enthusiast may be somewhat disappointed that the show is in 4:3 aspect ratio only and normal audio (No DTS or Dolby Surround).

Last, there's no box (though Better Together offer) containing all four seasons and the end movies. If you want the whole series with an ending, order the end movies (The Prender 2001 and Island of the Haunted) as well.

The Pretender - The Complete Third Season

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 26 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

The Pretender-The Complete Season 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

I have truly enjoyed watching the pretender DVDs.

The service and product are excellent.

#3 pretender 4 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

Jared to the rescue for a third season. Jared doesn't get any closer to finding his family but we do get to see a lighter side of Ms Parker, Sydney makes a personal discovery and Brutes continues to be pushed around! Not many questions are answered and lots more are asked!!

Please make it stop! 1 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

Bought this to watch with my wife. Just horrible!! Got a great price on it! I could just sell it, and lose very little money, but my wife likes it!!! Every night I have to watch an episode! The acting is bad enough, but the characters are horrible. I sit there hoping they will kill someone off, but this show is so politically correct that they wouldn't do that. Mr Raines, Miss Parker (played by Andrea Parker), Sydney, and Jarod (young and old) arghh! Only Broots is watchable. Young Jarod isn't even bright. Here's the story line for EVERY episode. Jarod befriends somebody and then throws them under the bus.
The good news is I only have 3 more episodes to finish of the box set. The bad news is I bought 4 seasons!

Editorial Review:

The next installment of this cult-fan favorite! Jarod's suspenseful journey continues as he uses his powers of reason and logic to right wrongs, while searching for his past and the family he lost.