Television - DVD

Mystery Science Theater 3000: 20th Anniversary Edition [Limited Edition]

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 27 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

Mystery Science Theater 3000 celebrates its 20th anniversary with a specially packaged DVD set housed in a limited-edition tin box featuring 4 custom lobby cards and a figurine of Crow T. Robot! Features four of the show's most-requested episodes--First Spaceship on Venus (1960), Laserblast (1978), Werewolf (1996), and Future War (1997).

The Emmy-nominated and Peabody Award-winning TV show Mystery Science Theater 3000 became a pop culture landmark in the '90s by poking fun at horrible movies of every genre and time period, and letting us listen in. They made the unwatchable essential viewing.

Bonus Features:
* "The Oral History of MST3K" feature in three parts.
* 2008 Comic-Con MST3K Reunion Panel, featuring Joel Hodgson, Mike Nelson, Jim Mallon, Kevin Murphy, Trace Beaulieu, Frank Conniff, Mary Jo Pehl, Bill Corbett, J. Elvis Weinstein, Paul Chaplin and Bridget Jones-Nelson. Moderated by Patton Oswald.
* Original film trailers.
* "Variations On A Theme Song", featuring all six versions of the theme song.
* Limited-edition version comes in a tin box with 4 lobby cards and a figurine of Crow T. Robot, all exclusive to this set.

Mad Men - Season One

Amazon Price: $27.49 List Price: $49.98 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Lions Gate - Model: LGED22938D Amazon Marketplace: 61 new & used starting at $25.50

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 132 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

The Emmy and strong reviews must reflect how BAD (perhaps MAD) most TV shows are these days 1 out of 5 stars.
0 of 6 people found this review helpful.

We watched 2/3rds of the first season. All of the episodes were slow paced. Often excruciatingly slow paced. The show seems to be (really IS) mostly about smoking (mainly at work), drinking (mainly at work), and extramarital sex (mainly at work). Oh yeah - each and every character (including the children) is unhappy and behaving in a way that will lead them and those around them to greater unhappiness. Unless you are somebody who worked in this kind of environment and are looking for some nostalgia (and even then...), this show will not appeal to you.

THE OPENING CREDITS ALONE ARE ENOUGH TO MAKE ME LOVE THIS SHOW! 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

Four reasons to watch this:
1. Jon Hamm is unbearably sexy.
2. The sets, clothing and other depictions of the era are perfectly done but not overwhelming. They don't take on more importance than the story itself.
3. The characters are complex, human, complicated. No one is a caricature or a cartoon. Everyone, even some minor secretary whose purpose in the show is to have sex with a major character, is shown as complex and human.
4. The story lines are intriguing, compelling, multi-layered.

There are some story lines that don't interest me: I get up and fold laundry or brush my teeth and floss anytime one of the kids are central to a scene. And I'm not interested in the horse-back riding life and intrigues of Betty. But those scenes don't dominate this fabulous show.

Editorial Review:

Studio: Lions Gate Home Ent. Release Date: 07/01/2008 Run time: 616 minutes Rating: Nr

Happy Days - The Complete First Season

Amazon Price: $20.99 List Price: $29.98 By: Paramount - Model: PARD053774D Amazon Marketplace: 81 new & used starting at $14.02

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 91 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Please Come Forth, Fourth Season! 5 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

Being a naive 8-year old in a late-30s body, I tend to forget the business aspect of releasing Happy Days seasons. I know it's about money. That said (if I'm not mistaken), Season Three ranked much, much higher in terms of sales on Amazon's ranking system than Seasons 1 and 2. I thought for sure Season Four would come along in quick fashion. It hasn't... and no explanation, anywhere.

I had the thrill of meeting Henry Winkler at a Hank Zipzer book signing in May (2008). He was as electric, and gracious, as everyone has said he is (although I think he was somewhat cautious around a delirious fan who was neither female or a kid). Whatever the case, one of his handlers (for lack of the right word) said he would not be signing Happy Days merchandise (so much for bringing my Season 1 along), and it got me wondering just what is going on behind the scenes (granted it might simply be for the reason Mr. Winkler was there for the purpose of his book). I also wonder if all of us who are die-hard fans who criticized the DVD releases for lack of obtaining music rights from original episodes, lack of any "extras", and occasional poor print quality have done a disservice to the whole thing. We can't have everything the way we'd like it, but if CBS/Paramount pulls the plug on this, we might never see Happy Days in a home-playable form again in our lifetimes (so, yes, I would take what I can get in this case!).

After watching Season Three, I had forgotten how funny the show was at that point (and wildly electric and live). There is a palpable energy that is unmistakable. Yes, the "film" effect of one-camera/no-audience Seasons 1 and 2 are admirable, but Season 3 is like watching Elvis on Ed Sullivan. Pandemonium. And, Season 4 is probably the last "laugh-out-loud-funny" season of all eleven. Don't get me wrong: HD had many layers, but some of the later seasons are heavy on sentiment (like a video Valium pill for the mind) and high 70s TV drama (who can forget a blind Fonzie shaking his fists at God while crying in a Brando-esque way, "How could you do this to ME? I thought I was your favorite person."). But, even as a little kid I remember thinking, "HD that opens with Ron Howard's Richie in his blue high school letter jacket meant "funny"; HD that opens with Ron Howard's red college jacket meant, well, cleaner and often more schlocky fun." Season 4 is that classic "high school senior" season. No Fonzie black t-shirts here. Just edgy, often risque humor.

This was the height of Fonzie Mania before they felt the weight of little kids. Before episodes were built around Fonzie saying smoking wasn't cool, and eyeglasses were. Before the great Garry Marshall went all P.T. Barnum ("see the Amazing Fonzie Battle with the Woman of Catmandu!). ... Hey, it was the 70s. Everyone gets a free pass there.

I'm just pleading with Paramount (hell, anyone): tell us why the hold up? I'll buy five Season Tens (arguably the only really questionable season, whereas the final Season Eleven was brilliant, I think) if we can just get to the classic Season Four! Let's put it this way: Happy Days Season Four was the #1 show of ALL of American television in that 1976-1977 season (yes, above everything; MASH, All in the Family, you name it). And for great reason!

An answer, please. Somebody. Anybody! I'll be the guy trying to burn his 1984 Happy Days finale ("Passages") to DVD in the hope the tape doesn't unravel after 24 years if you're looking for me.

Please keep it going CBS/Paramount and TV gods that be...

Todd

[...]

Editorial Review:

Set in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in the 1950’s, HAPPY DAYS revolves around Richie Cunningham and his family and friends. A "wholesome" young man, Richie is a Jefferson High School student who would do anything to get a date and he spends plenty of time with his friends at Arnold’s, the local burger joint. Contrasting with his wholesome nature is Arthur Fonzarelli, best known as Fonzie, a rough-around-the-edges motorcycle riding high school dropout famous for his slicked hair, leather jacket, and the catchphrase "aaayyyy!" Fonzie is a regular around the Cunningham house, with Mrs. Cunningham doting on him and Richie turning to him for advice on how to attract girls.

House, M.D. - Season Four

Amazon Price: $32.99 List Price: $59.98 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Universal - Model: MCAD61102110D Amazon Marketplace: 60 new & used starting at $28.70

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 125 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

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

It is the series 4 of House M.D. if you need more IMDd ( http://www.imdb.com/ )is a great source.

A little short...but good 4 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

Like the seasons before it, this is definatly a great show. However because of the writers strike it was sadly cut short a little bit. But its still great.

Just what I asked for. 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

It was exactly what the description says, one of the most interesting seasons in my opinion. Love amazon!

Editorial Review:

Prepare for even more baffling, complex and shocking medical mysteries than ever before as every season four episode of House arrives on DVD! Reunite with the perplexing and prickly Dr. Gregory House (Hugh Laurie in his two-time Golden Globe®-winning role) as he tackles impossible cases while putting a new staff of potential team members – including Kal Penn (Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle), Peter Jacobson (The Starter Wife), and Olivia Wilde (The Black Donnellys) – through the medical wringer with his trademark sarcasm and irreverent bedside manner. Get ready for another dose of one of TV’s most original dramas and what Entertainment Weekly calls “One of the most compelling characters in TV history.”

Heroes: Season 2

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 153 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

Unhappy 1 out of 5 stars.
1 of 3 people found this review helpful.

I never received this order. I have tried to contact the supplier to no avail. Amazon.com is working on my refund.

Half-Season Weirdorama - hope for Season Three 4 out of 5 stars.
0 of 1 people found this review helpful.

Shows such as Heroes, Prison Break, Lost are, to a significant degree, reflections of how many of us perceive the world around us during these uncertain and unsettled times:

- larger portions of our lives are influenced or even controlled by high-level entities or organizations who now have the means to implement their agendas
- things are almost never what they seem because hidden forces are at work
- only very few insiders completely understand and control and set the agendas for these all-controlling entities
- we should consider ourselves lucky if we can figure out the who's and the how's that change our world but we may never get to know the why's
- these hidden and mysterious 'powers that be' plot, plan and act globally

Heroes is a near-perfect reflection or expression for our current fears and paranoias and watching it could therapeutically help vindicate and validate them. Heroes reveals that there's a number of humans possessing near-supernatural powers who live secret lives while appearing as normal, ordinary people to the rest of the world. We are 'in the know' now, rigyht? But, wait, these poor gifted souls have no idea where those powers came from and, up until Season One started, they were hardly aware of each other's existence. And this is only the beginning. What we are watching unfold is a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma - to borrow someone else's words. Someone or something appears to be working secretly to find all these gifted individuals and 'cure' them of their powers but... there's their parents' generation who seem to have their own agenda and there's some organization or maybe one specific individual up to no good (as we understand 'good') and, apparently, working diligently toward the near-extermination of the human species. Or... will we ever know what that REAL agenda is?

The first season was about getting to know the many 'gifted' characters and preventing a small human nuke from erasing the city of New York. There were lots of stories to be told and, by the time it was over, we learned to know and to care about some of the 'heroes'. Season Two was meant to look one onion-layer deeper into their origins and give us a glimpse of what lays underneath while the human species was about to experience mass near-extinction without realizing it. Sadly, the season had to be cut in half and the makers had to do quite a lot of behind the scenes patching, including a complete 180 of the 'extinction' part to save the plot. What we are left and get to watch is a largely unconvincing picture of our heroes trying to live normal lives and trying to understand their purpose while, of course, making sure that the world doesn't end. What we really get to see, and it is so in part because of the abbreviated season, is a not so compelling story often punctuated with heavy accents of weirdness. Add to this the series makers attempts to introduce AND take sides (and occasionally perform summary artistic justice) on some very specific elements from 'real life' - Katrina, the illegal immigration controversy - and we are presented with a mixture that's compelling enough to watch, even though I did have my occasional and unplanned naps while watching, and makes me want to give Heroes a chance to redeem themselves on Season Three.

I understand the problem the writers' strike posed and we should all be forgiving of some flaws in the plot but, and this may be good advice for the ongoing Season Three, perhaps the makers of this overall good show should be careful not to slip into weirdness for weirdness sake. I noticed a tendency of turning 'the cheerleader' into something that begins to resemble more that old 'bearded lady'. The increasingly frequent killing and 'miraculous' reviving of some of the main characters should be avoided or the overall balance may be disturbed and this entire effort could turn into some form of weirdorama.

Technically speaking, the show continues to be first-class. Clearly, gifted professionals were at work putting Heroes together. The acting is consistently good and the characters we knew from Season One do not disappoint. The jury is still out on the couple of new additions but, it seems, the makers are pretty good at killing those who prove themselves not to be up to the standards.

There are a couple of interesting extras. The story of Takezo Kensei is very well done and is providing some useful background that helps understand what Hiro's quest appears to be about. Another 'news report' on the mysterious inventor of the Internet does not seem to be directly related with the events shown on Season Two so, I assume, it was meant as a Season Three teaser.

Oh, and one more weird detail. There seems to be no good reason for this to be a 4-disk set. The first 8 of 11 episodes AND lots of extra are packaged on the first 2 disks. Then... Disk 3 has only 2 episodes and Disk 4 has one episode plus of few more minutes of 'extras'. Was this done so that it could justify a higher retail price?

Overall, I am granting this show 4 stars because I am rounding up the 3.5 I feel it truly deserves and I am rounding the star count up because I hope for a great Season Three rebound which may be happening as I am writing this review but I won't know it until the next 'season' bundle is released next year because I don't watch these shows on TV.

Editorial Review:

Rejoin the epic and suspenseful phenomenon as Heroes: Season 2 arrives on DVD! Experience all the new and exciting twists of the astonishing series in this 4-disc set that includes every gripping Season 2 episode. Plus, see what could have been with exclusive bonus features that reveal the untold stories that never aired and an alternate ending to the season finale, where the fate of humanity takes an ominous turn when Peter fails to catch the vial containing the deadly virus.

Mork & Mindy - The Complete First Season

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 50 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Hilarious 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

I had never seen Mork and Mindy before receiving this DVD set. We invited a few members of the family over and watched the complete season. I'd never heard so much laughter from them. I was nicely impressed by Robin Williams's earlier work.

what a classic 4 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

This show is it for classic comedy who doesnt like Robin Williams,got this free with my pepsi points,would love it if the other seasons were available too.

Robin Williams as Mork - funny even then.. 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

We have all of the DVDs - our only regret is that the Mork show was only on tv for a few seasons. Robin William in his early days - extremely funny from the beginning and Pam Dauber is wonderful as Mindy too!

Editorial Review:

A spin-off from the hit show "Happy Days," MORK & MINDY stars Robin Williams as the lovable alien from the planet Ork. Sent to Earth by his fellow Orkans who see him as a misfit, Mork is assigned to observe the customs of the crazy Earthlings. Landing in a giant eggshell in Boulder, Colorado, Mork is soon befriended by Mindy McConnell (Dawber) a music store clerk, and allowed to stay in the attic of her apartment.

Smallville - The Complete Seventh Season

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 84 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

The low point of the series? 2 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

I've been a longtime follower of Smallville, and every year there's always fans (myself included) who finger the current year as "Jumping the shark". If you browse my profile you'll find my reviews of the older seasons start enthusiastic and become more critical as the years pass. While I won't comment on the currently airing season 8, the trend seems to hold true when you compare season 7 to the six that came before it - they're pure genius compared to this mess.

There's way too much going on this year. Smallville always has great comic book-esque storylines, but lacks development and internal logic within its own world. The writers jump from plot to plot with no pacing, so you get seemingly dramatic life-changing events that are completely forgotten by the next episode. There's a shocking twist involving the new Daily Planet Editor that's cut short right when it gets interesting; the return of Clark's biological mom Lara barely lasts an episode; Bizzaro appears and is promptly defeated - twice; Clark travels through time and space to save his infant self on Krypton in all of five minutes. Sam Jones finally returns as Pete Ross and is wasted in horrible product placement. Supergirl is introduced and barely developed before she's saddled with the amnesia cliche and disappears for most of the season. Why not settle on 2 or 3 storylines and develop them properly? And don't blame the writer's strike, which cuts this season by 2 episodes - the problems were obvious before the strike happened.

Speaking of outside influences, quite a few characters leave the show this year. Kristen Kreuk's sudden departure to film Street Fighter leaves her already weak character a rather anemic farewell - luckily she'll be back briefly in season 8 to tie up loose ends. Another character that I won't spoil dies a noble death, and will be missed. It's Rosenbaum's departure that's the real kicker, though. Not only is Smallville's best actor not coming back, but he's left with an ambiguous and unsatisfying ending. Hardly a great capper to 7 years of amazing work.

There are some things Smallville does right this year - the return of Brainiac and the 'Veritas' storyline bring a sense of continuity that the show has been sorely lacking. But overall, there's a lack of coherency that seasons 5 and 6 tried to have, and the show has no heart now that the Kent parents are gone. Whether or not you need this season depends on if you bought the first six and absolutely want the complete collection.

Editorial Review:

Studio: Warner Home Video Release Date: 09/09/2008 Run time: 900 minutes Rating: Nr

Battlestar Galactica - Season 4.0

Amazon Price: $31.99 List Price: $49.98 Not yet released By: Universal Studios

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 30 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

An Ideal State of Flawed Perfection 5 out of 5 stars.
7 of 8 people found this review helpful.

Battlestar Galactica has, over the last four years, proven to be a new milestone for the very idea of sci-fi television and, outside of "genre" standards, has still shown itself to be one of the strongest shows on television through consistently powerful acting, writing, and directing. Over the seasons, the show has always pushed the envelope when it came to reaching beyond the limitations placed on it by the network and the high level of quality it continued to place on itself. The third season faltered slightly due to all of this growing pressure, as the network forced the show to turn to a story format that didn't suit the overarching plot at all, conflicting with the show's natural evolution. Fortunately, the network took the blame, and for the first time since the show's conception, the writers had full creative control. And how they embraced it.

In turn, the show's fourth season is the perfect realization of Battlestar's miraculously coherent half-planned, half-winging-it plotting style. The ten episodes shown so far are the first large group of episodes since the beginning of the show's second season that can be seen working as a whole, each episode contributing to the core plot, slowly implementing important movements for the main players. The difference here though is that back in the second season, the writers still had to pair each major development with a weekly plot, making easily discernible story chunks. But now, finally at the end, the show has moved far past that phase, ambitiously linking episode to episode by bringing what were previously undercurrents to the foreground, creating the sense of a visual novel with no distractions or fluff. Each moment is even more necessary than ever, as the show has truly become aware of the power of its main narrative, shedding off the structure that other shows have settled on after great ambition. Battlestar dared to go past what was proven to work and has reached its ideal state.

As one might realize, if a show were condensed to its most relevant materials and its excess removed, the viewer is left with very concentrated bursts of development. Luckily, Battlestar's entire cast and crew seem to have been trained for this season through the show's progression, and each episode not only works to hold together the whole, but is a gem of television in its own right. An episode such as "Escape Velocity" shines for handling character growth perfectly through masterful writing and direction, while "Faith" will shine for immaculate performances and gorgeous, revelatory writing most of all. Even an episode like "Sine Qua Non," the only noticeable hiccup this season, still shines for the episode it is, its incongruity tempered by its importance to the full season.

Any viewer of the show can acknowledge the odd notion that, for such a beacon of hope, Battlestar is a dark, challenging, and at times outright depressing show. Season 4 continues dark and heavy, but with a new and refined perception towards the sense of each character, has shown palpable thematic brilliance, each emotional trench, realistically heart-breaking, each rare moment of hope, poignantly uplifting. Just as the characters of the show are flawed and are perfect for all of their faults, so is this fantastic season, in this once-in-a-lifetime show, worth watching unfold.

It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia: Season 3

Amazon Price: $24.99 List Price: $39.98 Usually ships in 24 hours By: TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX HOME ENT - Model: 2252599 Amazon Marketplace: 68 new & used starting at $21.00

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 48 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Best Unknown Show On Television 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

Where would I start with this show? There hasn't been too many shows I've waited for to come on week by week in my life, but this is definitely one of them. Charlie, Mac, Dennis, Dea, and Frank are the funniest combination of people on TV since Seinfeld; and this show is pretty much "Seinfeld on crack". If you like shocking, bizarre humor, please buy this DvD or at least tune in Thursday nights at 10:00pm to FX and watch an episode! Also, you can watch any episode through the website.

http://www.fxnetworks.com/shows/originals/sunny/#/home/

Best show ever!!

Editorial Review:

Disk 1:The Gang Finds a Dumpster BabyThe Gang Gets InvincibleDennis and Dee s Mom is DeadThe Gang Gets Held HostageThe Aluminum Monster vs. Fatty McGooThe Gang Solves the North Korea SituationDisk 2:The Gang Sells OutFrank Sets Sweet Dee On FireSweet Dee s Dating a Retarded PersonMac is a Serial KillerDennis Looks Like a Registered Sex OffenderCommentary withThe Gang Gets Whacked part 1Disk 3:The Gang Gets Whacked part 2Bums: Making a Mess All Over the CityThe Gang Dances Their Asses OffSystem Requirements:Running Time: 450 minutesFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: TELEVISION/SERIES & SEQUELS Rating: NR UPC: 024543525998 Manufacturer No: 2252599

The Big Bang Theory - The Complete First Season

Amazon Price: $18.99 List Price: $29.98 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Warner Brothers - Model: WARD039506D Amazon Marketplace: 53 new & used starting at $17.54

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 64 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

big bang funny 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

i hope to see the season 2 now on dvd because the first its so good men those people are incredible. the sarcasm its good and the combination with technolgy too.

I love this show 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

I saw this show on T.V. and had to have it. Shipping was fast ,product was in perfect condition.

Cleverly Hysterical 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

This is one of the funnies shows to come along in a decade. It's clever humor has me laughing again. In a TV world that is full of "reality" everything and the occasional "safe" formulaic sitcom this show is a stand out. It is fresh and different and the chemistry between the actors is great.

Editorial Review:

University physicists Leonard and Sheldon know whether to use an integral or a differential to solve the area under a curve. But they don’t have a clue about girls. Or dating. Or clothes. Or parties. Or having fun. Or, basically, life. So when a pretty blonde named Penny moves in the apartment across the hall, the guys decide to get an education outside of the classroom. Boys, you have a lot to learn. With series creators Chuck Lorre (Two and a Half Men) and Bill Prady (The Gilmore Girls) concocting the right mix of logic and lunacy and stars Johnny Galecki (Roseanne) and Jim Parsons (Judging Amy) turning geekdom into Phi Beta fun, The Big Bang Theory is big on laughs. And life.