R - DVD

Robot Chicken: Season Three

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 8 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Odd defect 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

The 5 star rating is for the show itself, but I'm on my second copy of this DVD set and I'm experiencing the same weird defect. The subtitles pop up at the beginning of each skit for about 10 seconds or so and then disappear. Otherwise the discs play normally. I haven't seen anything reported about this online, and I can't imagine it's isolated to the 2 copies I got. So it's back to Best Buy to try out a 3rd copy.

Strong Buy for those in their 30s 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

With the third outing of Seth Green's Robot Chicken, once again a collection of random stop-action toy skits lasting about thirty seconds a piece, the animation is even more smooth and the funny ideas keep coming. They continue to plumb and parody ideas mostly from 80s toys with a few more modern references, so it helps if you know the period (MASK is a pretty obscure reference, as well as the non-lion Voltron). Yes, that is Stan Lee and the Micro Machines guy. At about ten minutes an episode, it's great TV for the ADD generation in small doses, and works well when you can see them together and pause at a few scenes.

Editorial Review:

Studio: Warner Home Video Release Date: 10/07/2008 Run time: 221 minutes Rating: Nr

Robot Chicken: Star Wars

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 38 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Robot Chicken: Star Wars Review 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

Robot Chicken was pretty funny and the only handicap is that it is was too short...Funny situations, exploring some really extreme what if scenarios from the Star Wars Saga. I think that Seth really did great work and I loved the doll animations.

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

i bought this as a gift for my boyfriend (he asked for it), but he loved it

It has to be seen ! 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

This, and the Family Guy, take off of Star Wars just have to be seen, they are a hoot !

funny 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

I just saw Robot Chicken's *second* Star Wars parody tonight. Forgot they did another one and just came across it and it blew my mind. Guess the first one was so successful they had to do another and it compares to the first Robot Chicken Star Wars like the second Star Wars movie compares to the first one. It's better. I'd say WAY better. So, see this first one and then be sure to watch the second one. Is there anything more ripe for parody than Star Wars movies?! (Except U.S. presidential politics of coarse). The sheer absurdity of the mostly poorly made Star Wars films combined with the fact that people still have an interest and still love them -or at least the originals, and know them scene by scene makes for a unique creative opportunity. The result of the Robot Chicken crew's hard work couldn't be better. Parody as art. Thumbs up. (And way better than Family Guy's effort ;-) You probably don't need to buy it. They play 'em on Cartoon Network over and over, but hey, it's your money.

Editorial Review:

Studio: Warner Home Video Release Date: 07/22/2008 Run time: 23 minutes

Rome - The Complete Second Season

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 215 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

They Came, They Saw, They Conquered... 5 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

Ah,it is with sweet sadness we view this sumptuous last season of Rome, the most lavishly produced and finely detailed series ever presented on TV. So much more story to tell that won't be, with a cast of historical and fictional characters in one of the most exciting and complex societies imaginable, full of intrigue, passion, violence, and humor. Like the Romans themselves the shows were chock-a-block with seeing, coming and conquering, and the delicious acting and witty scripts are to be savored. We could wish for more, but at least we have these.

The final season centers on the aftermath of Julius Caesar's assassination/murder and the struggle between Brutus, Marc Antony and Octavian within the power vacuum thus created. James Purefoy's Antony emerges here in all his marvelous contradictions: beloved and often brilliant soldier, careless and licentious hedonist, and finally debauched yet pitiful lover in doomed alliance with Cleopatra.

We also have the delicious final battle of wills and scheming between Atia and Sevilia, the rise of the precociously brilliant Octavian, adroit and ruthless, prudish and depraved. And we have the pursuit and destruction of Caesar's assassins culminating in the epic battle of Phillipa, and the redemptive and, in the end, nobel and courageous death of the tormented and conflicted Brutus.

All of the above is history as presented, again, from the perspective of the Mutt and Jeff of the Roman world, Vorenus and Pullo, the legionaire everymen that allow us to see the underside of Roman history where the common people lived real lives amidst the gutters and and gangsters, shopkeepers and slaves, brothels and bakeries. Kevin McKidd and Ray Stevenson are a marvelous duo as the prudish and sternly middle-class Vorenus and the lusty, devil-may-care, yet loyal and true Pullo.

I won't cite all the other actors but suffice it to say they are all splendid. The final season seems a bit rushed and crowded in the final episodes, no doubt because they knew of their cancellation and wanted to wrap up the series as best they could. I noted storylines that were ready for expansion, and it seemed obvious that the great drama of Antony and Cleopatra versus Ocatavian had to be truncated. While possibly a little too neat, at least they were allowed to bring the series to a finality (unlike the great Deadwood series, for example).

Yes, I am sure Rome was an expensive proposition for HBO to continue. And I guess it never found the vast audience needed to justify HBO's budget. But, oh, what a shame! Something this beautifully done deserved a better fate. At any rate, we have these DVD boxed sets, which, by the way, are the most handsomely produced and packaged sets I own. Well worth the purchase and viewing by anyone who loves quality.

Editorial Review:

Studio: Hbo Home Video Release Date: 05/06/2008

Reba - Season 5

Amazon Price: $19.99 List Price: $29.98 Not yet released By: 20th Century Fox

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 9 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

so excited 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 2 people found this review helpful.

cannot wait. hope 6 is close behind. im upset we have to wait till january! everyone is right, my family watches them over and over and they never get old. there is an unbelievable chemistry developed by the crew. hope to see a 2 hr reunion.

Yes!!! 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 2 people found this review helpful.

I've been waiting forever for this! I have seasons 1-4 memorized, I've watched them all like 10 times or more!
As long as they get Season 6 on DVD too, I'll be even happier!
Can't wait till January!

FINALLY!!! 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 2 people found this review helpful.

I AM SO HAPPY SEASON 5 IS HERE!! I HAVE BEEN WAITING SOOO LONG AND I WAS STARTING TO GET CONCERNED!! SEASON 6 I HOPE WILL FOLLOW SHORTLY!! YAY!!!

ONE OF THE GREATS! 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 2 people found this review helpful.

I was one of those people who REFUSED to watch REBA when it originally aired on the WB. And when the CW brought it back from cancellation for a sixth season I was disappointed. Flash forward to this year and my buddy Jim got me hooked on a repeat of REBA on LIFETIME. It was so funny. So when the show was priced to sell at 14.99 per season on Amazon, I bought my buddy all 4 seasons. We just finished season 4. It is one of the funniest, wholesomest shows of this decade. Great family viewing. Can't wait for Season 5. And to the fans of the show when it originally aired: YOU WERE RIGHT!

Rome - The Complete First Season

Amazon Price: $39.49 List Price: $59.98 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Warner Brothers - Model: HBOD92848D Amazon Marketplace: 67 new & used starting at $34.95

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 333 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

I enjoyed it. 3 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

3.5 stars. Unlike a lot of reviews here, I didn't have a problem with the sex in this series. I thought it was realistic for the time. I did think the soap opera-ish stuff bordered on overkill-though the history books can and does support such a notion. I found the timeline whacky. Julius Ceasar's motivation elusive. Vorenus and Pollo's mancrush disturbing and the Cleopatra detour confusing. Still, I was reasonable entertained. Go figure.

Love it! 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

I'm not one to watch most things more than once, this HBO series is an exception.

Too Much Like A Soap Opera 3 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

After reading all the positive reviews, Rome didn't measure up to my expectations.

Excessive planning, scheming, and dialogue with a lack of action,
makes Rome feel more like a big budget soap opera.

Not bad for a mini-series, but not up to par with movies like
Gladiator, Braveheart, Ben Hur, Kingdom of Heaven, etc.

On a positive note...the casting is much better than most
Hollywood movies of the same genre. Cleopatra is not only cute,
but actually appears to be egyptian.(Unlike Elizabeth Taylor)

Overall not bad, but I don't plan on purchasing Season 2 unless
I find it for a bargain price at a garage sale.

Editorial Review:

Studio: Hbo Home Video Release Date: 05/06/2008

Rescue Me - The Complete Fourth Season

Amazon Price: $35.99 List Price: $49.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Sony - Model: COLD21263D Amazon Marketplace: 67 new & used starting at $21.24

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

Editorial Review:

Is firefighter and "heroic S.O.B." Tommy Gavin (Denis Leary) becoming, as one character so delicately puts it, "pussified?" As the fourth season begins, Tommy is listening to Dr. Laura and watching Oprah. He awkwardly and clumsily avoids the aggressive crazy-hot volunteer woman firefighter (Jennifer Esposito) who saved his life in the beach-house fire of which he has no memory; an act that has left him, shall we say, with a limp hose. In time, he will proclaim to be "back to the old me," but this season, he engages in behavior that would give even the old Tommy pause, and puts audience empathy for this deeply flawed character to the supreme test. In one of this season's most wrenching developments, Tommy and his estranged wife, Janet (Andrea Roth), are living together platonically to care for her new baby, whose paternity is in question. But, failing to bond with the infant, Janet sinks to the depths of post-partum depression, driving Tommy to think the unthinkable, and to do the unforgivable. Elsewhere, dim, but good-hearted Sean (Steven Pasquale) struggles to make a go of his rocky marriage to the unstable Maggie (Tatum O'Neal), Chief Jerry (Jack McGee) fails his post heart attack stress test and is relegated to a desk job, the firehouse makes a play for a new probie (Larenz Tate) who might change the basketball team's fortunes, and Tommy finds himself even further alienated from his rebellious and contemptuous daughter (Natalie Distler), who is living with a rock musician. Along with Esposito, Gina Gershon joins the ranks of series hotties as a bar pickup with some sexual kinks. But the one who really lights our fire is Amy Sedaris as the bipolar daughter of the new chief (Jerry Adler), who insists Tommy take her out. Rescue Me doesn't just tear the basic cable envelope, it incinerates it. Unlike other long-running shows, Rescue Me stays true to its gritty muse, with no attempt to make difficult characters more likeable. The edges remain sharp and the humor charred black (the series is not above--or beneath--cheap Anna Nicole Smith jokes in the wake of a shocking tragedy that rocks the firehouse). While perhaps not as consistent or compelling as previous seasons, No. 4 contains indelible moments, such as Tommy and Janet's visit to a marriage counselor, who, after hearing their tortured history, thinks he's being punk'd, and a Gavin family intervention ("We got enough drunks here to start our own AA meeting," Maggie observes). The bountiful bonus features, including nearly a half hour's worth of deleted scenes, a season overview and a featurette about real firefighters, add extra spark to this set. --Donald Liebenson

Route 66 - The Complete Second Season

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 6 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

On the road for another exciting season 5 out of 5 stars.
17 of 17 people found this review helpful.

The five-star rating is for the series itself, thanks in large part to the exceptionally realistic storylines from Stirling Silliphant and guest scriptwriters. The on-screen chemistry between Martin Milner as Tod Stiles and George Maharis as Buz Murdock is superb as they criss-cross America working odd jobs in search of themselves and helping others find their purpose in life. Great show from television's golden age. Highly recommended.

The episodes featured in the second season (1961-1962) include:

"A Month of Sundays" -- Buz falls for starlet Arlene Sims (Anne Francis), unaware that she has a terminal illness.

"Blue Murder" -- Tod and Buz attempt to recapture a wild horse which has apparently killed its new owner.

"Good Night, Sweet Blues" -- A dying jazz singer (Ethel Waters) enlists Tod and Buz to search out and reunite her old combo.

"Birdcage on My Foot" -- Tod and Buz try to help a heroin junkie (Robert Duvall) kick the habit.

"First Class Mouliak" -- When a young woman is found dead, the chief suspect (Robert Redford) is the son of Tod and Buz's employer.

"Once to Every Man" -- Tod seems ready to finally settle down and tie the knot with the daughter of a shipyard owner (Janice Rule).

"The Mud Nest" -- After discovering a family that resembles him in a small Maryland town, Buz goes to Baltimore to search for the woman who may be his mother.

"A Bridge Across Five Days" -- The boys try to help a woman recently released from a mental hospital adjust to life in the outside world.

"Mon Petit Chou" -- Tod becomes enamored of a lounge singer, but finds an obstacle in her intensely jealous manager (Lee Marvin).

"Some of the People, Some of the Time" -- Tod and Buz work for a fraudulent beauty contest promoter and become hucksters in the process.

"The Thin White Line" -- Tod goes on a one-man rampage through Philadelphia after inadvertently drinking a beer spiked with a powerful hallucinogenic drug.

"And the Cat Jumped Over the Moon" -- A social worker (Milt Kamen) who is a former mentor of Buz is killed playing a dare game with a gang leader (Martin Sheen).

"Burning for Burning" -- Tod and Buz work for a wealthy family with a dead son. When their daughter-in-law pays a visit with their grandchild, the family treats her with open hostility.

"To Walk with the Serpent" -- The F.B.I. wants Tod and Buz to infiltrate a neo-Nazi group.

"A Long Piece of Mischief" -- A rodeo clown nurses a love for a trick rider while fending off sadistic cowboys.

"1800 Days to Justice" -- An ex-con (John Ericson) who was framed takes over a small Texas town and holds a kangaroo court to pass judgment on the real culprit (DeForest Kelly).

"A City of Wheels" -- Working in a veterans hospital brings Tod and Buz into the life of an embittered invalid.

"How Much a Pound Is Albatross?" -- Free-spirited motorcycle rider Vicki Russell (Julie Newmar) arrives in Tucson and turns it - and the lives of Tod and Buz - upside down.

"Aren't You Surprised to See Me?" -- A religious fanatic with a biological weapon kidnaps Buz and threatens to kill him, unless the entire city of Dallas abstains from sin for 24 hours.

"You Never Had It So Good" -- As part of a power play, a female executive promotes day-laborer Buz to a high administrative position.

"Shoulder the Sky, My Lad" --Tod and Buz come to the aid of a young Jewish boy, who has a crisis of faith after his father is killed in a mugging.

"Blues for the Left Foot" -- Tod helps a dancer - his first love - get a tryout with a major television network.

"Go Read the River" -- Tod finds that his new employer, a designer of speedboat engines, is an exceptionally driven and desolate man.

"Even Stones Have Eyes" -- Buz contemplates taking his own life after a construction accident leaves him without his sight.

"Love is a Skinny Kid" --A young woman (Tuesday Weld) stirs up a small Texas community by arriving in town wearing a frightful mask, which she refuses to remove.

"Kiss the Maiden, All Forlorn" -- An international fugitive (Douglas Fairbanks, Jr.) risks recapture by returning to the U.S. to visit his daughter.

"Two on the House" -- A young boy pretends to be the target of kidnappers in order to get attention from his business-obsessed father.

"There I Am - There I Always Am" -- Buz attempts to rescue a young woman who gets her foot stuck in the rocks of a Southern California beach, with the high tide coming in.

"Between Hello and Goodbye" -- Tod becomes involved with a reckless blonde and her reserved brunette sister.

"A Feat of Strength" -- Tod helps introduce a legitimate Hungarian wrestler (Jack Warden) to the American version of the sport.

"Hell is Empty, All the Devils Are Here" -- Tod's employer (Peter Graves) is an animal trainer plotting revenge against the man he believes responsible for his wife's death.

"From an Enchantress Fleeing" -- Tod goes in search of a henpecked runaway husband.

Roxbury Entertainment's mastering of the series to DVD remains to be seen. Whether the series will be digitised to wide screen format -- as was the case in Season 1/Volume 2 - remains merely a guess.

Editorial Review:

Studio: Infinity Resources Inc Release Date: 11/04/2008

Rome - The Complete First Two Seasons

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 51 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

lavish production! 4 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

This show took my breath away and I just had to have it on DVD. A whole new world -- a world of blood and iron, of blazing sun and sinister shadow, of larger-than-life TRUE historical characters living and dying as human beings. All created and filmed in loving detail so that I felt I had really found a time warp to get back to one of my favorite historical periods. When I recommended this show to my friend, he said he didn't trust it because it ended after only two seasons -- but each season ended with a logical full stop in history so it made sense. No make-believe, no false drawing-out of the story to fill empty episodes like so many other TV series. When it's over, it's over -- except now I can enjoy it again with my DVDs. Whew! what a ride!

Super Rome 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

I bought the two seasons of Rome and have loved every last minute of it. Wonderful information available on screen along with audio commentaries and many extra documentaries. TV at its very best.

Ordering Both Seasons from Amazon is Most Likely a Bootleg 3 out of 5 stars.
0 of 1 people found this review helpful.

DVD's and case are made of good quality material. All DVD's are viewable, but are similar to the 'Complete 1-6' of the Sopranos...unauthorized boxset with bootleg DVDs. The actual DVDs have Chinese writing on them...and a small logo on the back is burned off (on every disc).

Note that some players have issues with these. Better off buying both seasons seperately.

Editorial Review:

Studio: Hbo Home Video Release Date: 08/07/2007

The Rockford Files: Season Six

Amazon Price: $29.99 List Price: $39.98 Not yet released By: Universal Studios

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 4 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

A Good Friend Says Goodbye 5 out of 5 stars.
4 of 4 people found this review helpful.

If ever a star had that certain something which put him in the same category as those shining ones from the 1930's and 1940's, it was James Garner. He had a fine film career, to be sure, but it was his laconic charm as Jim Rockford on television with which he will always be most identified. He was an ex-con given a full pardon when it was discovered he was innocent after all. Working as a P.I. and parking his gold Firebird in front of his trailor on the L.A. beach, Rockford could never quite shake the ex-con tag, nor could he shake his old cellmate, Evelyn "Angel" Martin.

Stuart Margolin was Angel, always looking for the easy buck, and getting his old buddy Jimmy into trouble with him. Neither Rockford or the viewing audience could stay mad at Angel for long, however, because in Margolin's hands, Angel was really a stand-up guy at heart and you had to admire his enthusiasm. Noah Beery, Jr. portrayed Rockford's lovable dad, Rocky, with equal aplomb.

Rocky was an easygoing retired trucker who loved to fish, and passed on the hobby to Jim. Between the car chases, cons, and mad scrambles to stay out of jail were simple moments of life we all recognized from our own. It was that down to earth formula, coupled with Garner's charm and some excellent writing from Juanita Bartlett which kept Jim Rockford coming into our homes week after week for years. Rockford would only work on closed cases in an effort to avoid the cops which, of course, never quite worked out.

Joe Santos was Rockford's often exasperated police pal, Dennis Becker. He was the buffer between Rockford and Becker's superiors, who in season 6 was James Luisi as Lt. Chapman. He hated Rockford and wanted any excuse to pull his P.I. license. Becker was a pal, but could only do so much for Jim as he had to stay out of hot water himself. He had a wife and kids to support, and for some strange reason, that sometimes took priority over helping his old buddy Jim out of a complicated jam. Beth was gone by this season, but Rita Moreno lit up the small screen as Rita Capkovic.

Season 6 only had 12 episodes, but some really fine ones, and some terrific guest stars. Rockford got to go to Hawaii in one installment. In a way, looking back, as someone has already mentioned, it was sort of the changing of the guard type of season. Tom Selleck would reprise his role of Lance White, the detective so perfect it drove Rockford nuts! Larry Manetti would guest star on an episode as well. They would make Magnum P.I. a television staple the following year, and by the end of its long run, Joe Santos would star on that classic also.

Season 6 episodes are: PARADISE COVE (MARIETTE HARTLEY) -- LIONS,TIGERS, MONKEYS AND DOGS (LAUREN BACALL--2 PARTER) -- ONLY ROCK AND ROLL WILL NEVER DIE (MARCIA STRASSMAN--2 PARTER) -- LOVE IS THE WORD -- NICE GUYS FINISH DEAD (TOM SELLECK) -- THE HAWAIIN HEADACHE -- THE NO-FAULT AFFAIR -- THE BIG CHEESE -- JUST A COUPLE OF GUYS -- DEADLOCK IN PARMA

It was only from December of 1979 through January of 1980 that we got to enjoy Mike Post's Rockford Files theme song, which only began after we'd heard one of those crazy messages on Jim's answering machine. It had only been a couple of years since Garner had finally gotten his Emmy Award for his fine portrayal of the affable Rockford. There is comfort food, and comfort television, and Rockford certainly falls into that category. A really fine television show worthy of its fan base.

Rob and Big: The Complete Third Season

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 4 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Recommended Collection 5 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

this is another good season to pick up of rob and big... no disappointment here.

the one thing i noticed is the atmosphere of the commentary was different from the first and second season... i can't really pinpoint why. the intro was only played once on the dvd (at least the version i received) there were many things that i wasn't aware of about the show that were also revealed in the commentary as well. there wasn't as much bonus features only the footage and deleted scenes.

overall, it's still a must have purchase: all the episodes, commentary (this time adding big zeus, bam bam, and drama), best/worse/unused footage, and over an hour of deleted scenes.

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

Funniest show ever! They never stop coming up with the most hilarious stuff to do! Love it!

Rob and Big are AWESOME 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

There is no way anyone can not love this show. Rob and Big are the perfect example of what real friendship is! They are friendly, funny, and caring! This show ROCKS!

Editorial Review:

Studio: Paramount Home Video Release Date: 09/23/2008 Run time: 300 minutes Rating: Nr