Akilahs Blog

Two and a Half Men: The Complete Seasons 1-6 Description:

Studio: Warner Home Video Release Date: 09/01/2009

• Amazon Sales Rank: #7199 in DVD
• Brand: Warner Brothers
• Released on: 2009-09-01
• Rating: Unrated
• Formats: Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Running time: 2980 minutes

Customer Reviews:

Gift
Season Three is missing the episode pamphlet (descriiption of each of the 24 shows per season) inside. I had to send back the entire set of six to get a new episode three and it too had the pamphlet missing. I had opened the shrinkwrap to make sure all dvd’s were there, but this is a gift and how do I explain the pamphlet is missing?

Two and a Half Men Seasons 1-6
Product good but does not come with a season 3 pamplet explaining what episodes are on which of the 4 dvds. Not a huge deal but a bit frustrating if you are searching for specific episode from season 3. This oversight is not explained in the overview either. My supplier RSDVDBargain jumped thru hoops trying to find the pamplet but so far it cant be found. But rest is great quality and enjoy it so far.

Lots of laughs!
We have been laughing our butts off for the past week after getting these, and still only halfway through the second season!

The Official World Series Film Collection Description:

This magnificent DVD Collection elegantly displays the iconic moments, thrilling heroics, triumphant favorites, and breathtaking upsets across seven decades of World Series Films, plus a narrative and pictorial essay on the Fall Classic since its origin in 1903.

This beautifully-packaged, digitally-preserved celebration of the Fall Classic is a timeless treasure that will become the ultimate centerpiece of any baseball fan’s DVD library. Records and seasons change with time, but the legends and lore of the World Series on DVD will last forever.

Fall Classic film highlights showcase extraordinary players including: Stan Musial, Jackie Robinson, Mickey Mantle, Willie Mays, Henry Aaron, Sandy Koufax, Bob Gibson, Brooks Robinson, Tom Seaver, Johnny Bench, Willie Stargell, Derek Jeter, Albert Pujols, and many more. The drama and unforgettable images of baseball are the World Series moments etched in our minds and celebrated from generation to generation. These dynamic events are preserved and commemorated in this one-of-a-kind collection.

DVD FEATURES: 58-Page World Series Pictorial and Retrospective with Foreword by Bob Costas
*DISC 1: 1943 Yankees, 1944 Cardinals, 1945 Tigers, 1946 Cardinals, 1947 Yankees, 1948 Indians (approx 182 min)
*DISC 2 1949-53 Yankees (approx 167 min)
*DISC 3 1954 Giants, 1955 Dodgers, 1956 Yankees (approx 115 min)
*DISC 4 1957 Braves, 1958 Yankees, 1959 Dodgers, 1960 Pirates, 1961 Yankees (approx 182 min)
*DISC 5 1962 Yankees, 1963 Dodgers, 1964 Cardinals (approx 100 min)
*DISC 6 1965 Dodgers, 1966 Orioles, 1967 Cardinals, 1968 Tigers (approx 152 min)
*DISC 7 1969 Mets, 1970 Orioles, 1971 Pirates (approx 116 min)
*DISC 8 1972-74 A’s, 1975-76 Reds (approx 170 min)
*DISC 9 1977-78 Yankees, 1979 Pirates, 1980 Phillies, 1981 Dodgers (approx 166 min)
*DISC 10 1982 Cardinals, 1983 Orioles, 1984 Tigers (approx 107 min)
*DISC 11 1985 Royals, 1986 Mets, 1987 Twins (approx 119 min)
*DISC 12 1988 Dodgers, 1989 A’s, 1990 Reds (approx 177 min)
*DISC 13 1991 Twins, 1992 Blue Jays (approx 139 min)
*DISC 14 1993 Blue Jays, 1995 Braves (approx 132 min)
*DISC 15 1996 Yankees, 1997 Marlins (approx 143 min)
*DISC 16 1998-2000 Yankees (approx 186 min)
*DISC 17 2001 Diamondbacks, 2002 Angels (approx 145 min)
*DISC 18 2003 Marlins, 2004 Red Sox (approx 142 min)
*DISC 19 2005 White Sox, 2006 Cardinals (approx 152 min)
*DISC 20 2007 Red Sox, 2008 Phillies (approx 163 min)

(Click for larger image)

A Message from Jeff Scott, Senior Writer– Major League Baseball Productions, someone who has worked on the World Series MLB Project for the last 20 years.

There was no shortage of storylines in the first World Series film I wrote for Major League Baseball Productions. The year was 1988 and this fellow Orel Hershiser had just completed a regular season in which he threw six consecutive scoreless games - topped off by a 10 inning masterpiece that enabled him to set a new record with 59 straight scoreless innings. He threw another eight scoreless in the LCS against the Mets to extend his mark to 67 straight innings without allowing a run. Did I mention his save in Game Four of the LCS - a shutout in Game Seven of that series and still another in Game Two of the World Series against the A’s (he also went 3-3 with two doubles in that game)? Of course, what most folks remember from that ‘88 Series was the home run a hobbling (Hobbsing?) Kirk Gibson hit to win the opener and set the stage for a Dodger championship. Whew, I thought. This script writes itself. I soon discovered that it doesn’t always work that way - in fact, there have been many years when folks have said that our official World Series Film was better than the real thing.

But regardless of the drama or lack thereof, it’s always baseball — and I have had the pleasure and honor to write the World Series film for more than 20 years. A little background is in order here. The first four decades of World Series films were created as archival programs designed to capture the highlights for posterity. The narration was staccato and to the point - much more play-by-play than storytelling. By the 1970s the film became a blend of archive and entertainment - more story intensive - and come the 1980s these films were offered to the public first on VHS and later DVD. With this latest evolution came a drastic change in production. What once took months to leisurely put together now had to be turned around in less than two weeks to accommodate the film’s distributor. And that’s how it’s been since I first became a part of the process. That first script I wrote back in 1988 was banged out on an IBM Selectric Typewriter (with automatic back space white out.) I would soon move on to a Smith Corona Word Processer - the kind where you had to insert a new piece of paper into the roll for each page you wanted to print. It took close to 45 minutes to print out the 1991 classic which described how John Smoltz and Jack Morris traded darts in an unforgettable Game Seven. The 1993 series was the first one I wrote that included my beloved Phillies. But after enduring the traumatic Game Four and Joe Carter’s blast three days later I can assure you that film is still sitting on my shelf wrapped in its original cellophane. Just because I wrote it doesn’t mean I have to watch it!

There was no World Series film in 1994 - perhaps the darkest October in baseball history. I was still writing for Mel Allen on “This Week in Baseball” that year, and the only time I ever saw him cry was when he read that there would be no World Series that year. The Yankees incredible run that began in 1996 electrified New York City. And it all seemed ready to peak in 2001, for this World Series was very much a part of the healing process after 9-11 - and the Yankees were following the script to a “T.” Miraculous back-to-back comebacks at Yankee Stadium had put the Yankees on the brink of the title — all they had to do was win one more in the desert. But just when everything appeared to be in place for a true Fall Classic classic, Luis Gonzalez hit a little flair over shortstop off the best closer on the planet and the unpredictable world of baseball had thrown us all another curve.

The premiere of the 2004 World Series film in Boston was a raucous delight - the audience was screaming and cheering every moment on the big screen. This was also the year we shifted away from classic voiceover talent (Vin Scully, Ernie Harwell, Curt Chaplin, Len Cariou) and instead called upon actors who lived and died with their teams. Denis Leary voiced that 2004 film and he did a fantastic job. But the truth is, it was almost as much fun listening to the stream of good-natured invective he unleashed in the voiceover booth every time he messed up. Chicago native Michael Clarke Duncan manned the mike the next year, followed by St. Louis fan Billy Bob Thornton. Matt Damon was a pleasure to work with when the Sox won again in 2007. How much he loves his team became apparent halfway through the session when this award-winning actor — who has been in some of this generation’s top films — sat back and said that this might have been the coolest thing he’d ever done. And in 2008 - when I finally got to write a World Series film that had a happy ending (at least for me), Terrence Howard brought just the right tone to the script.

Beyond all these actors and narrators, I have been blessed to work with many talented producers, editors, executive producers, field crews, audio engineers, proofreaders and myriad assistants, associates and coordinators who together form the basis of each and every film. And nothing on a professional level makes me feel better than when the show is finally recorded and mixed and they get to see their hard work brought together by a solid script and crisp narration. The World Series film is the gift we give to baseball fans every year - and I’m just happy to be the one who gets to tie the bow.

Jeff Scott

Senior Writer — Major League Baseball Productions

• Amazon Sales Rank: #22866 in DVD
• Brand: Team Marketing
• Released on: 2009-11-10
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Box set, Color, DVD, Black & White, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 20
• Running time: 2955 minutes

Features

• OFFICIAL WORLD SERIES FILM COLLECTION (DVD MOVIE)

Customer Reviews:

A Piece of History for any Baseball fan
Recently ordered and received “The Official World Series Film Collection,” from Amazon.com for $90 and I must say WOW!

I am a baseball lifer and enjoy traveling down to watch the Pirates play and when I saw this product advertised on MLB Network I thought there was no way this was affordable. Then I pop up here and its $90. So I figured the set got to be great pick up so I picked it up.

Let me continue to say WOW!

The presentation of this box set is a coffee table format. It is really well made and its something that my friends and family over the past few days have marveled over. The foreward has been written by Bob Costas who anyone knows loves the game. Followed in the Coffee Table box is a pictorial essay of the biggest moments in Series history dating from the first WS between Pittsburgh and Boston in 1903 to the Phillies in 2008. Woven in this “scrap book” is the DVDs. One improvement is they put the discs in pockets on top of the pages and its SO much easier to access the discs, in the past box sets released in this format have put discs in the middle of the page in tight spots where you can easily scratch the discs. Not so here.

Overall I give MLB and A&E mad props for this excellent presentation of this box set.

The contents of this box set is self explanatory you have the World Series FILM of every WS from 1943-2008. I emphasize FILM because you will get someone who will buy this THINKING they will get FULL games. These are not full games. These are 30-45 minute films highlighting each World Series from 1943-2008. I find it a treat to watch players such as Mickey Mantle, Bob Gibson, Sandy Koufax, Carlton Fisk, George Brett, Jack Morris, etc in this set.

Now the quality of the DVDs are excellent and there are no bonus features and really who cares about bonus features when you have nearly 50 hours of baseball on DVD. This set gives the baseball diehard an opportunity to relive the greatest moments on baseball’s grandest stage. I rate these on par with the NFL Films Super Bowl Collection as the finest in Sports DVDs because of the great quality.

I watched the 1979 World Series Film between my Buccos and the Baltimore Orioles and watching the build-up of the Series and watching the big plays and big moments are excellent. I am really looking forward to dive into other Series films.

Bottomline: if you miss the opportunity to get this set for $90…you are missing a golden opportunity. I find this set to be priceless for the baseball fan. If you are looking for a holiday gift or a birthday gift for the baseball fan I would almost guarantee you will hit one out of the park with this

Missing footage!!!!
I just got this set and began watching some of the oldest films, which I enjoyed. Since I had the Yankee set of 13 films I skipped those, but just to make sure it was OK I popped in the 1949-1953 disk. While watching the 1953 film I decided to watch Mantle’s grand slam. To my surprise, they showed the bases being loaded, showed Russ Meyer come to the mound and then suddenly went to the next inning. I fast forwarded to the end and lo and behold they didn’t show Billy Martin’s game 6 game and series winning hit, just jumped to the end of the film wrapup.

So I got out my Yankee set and began comparing timings series by series. Well, folks, in order to cram as many as 6 films on a disk A&E, the producer of both sets, heavily edited many of the films. Remember, these are only the ones I can verify, the Yankee victories.

1943 is missing 21 seconds.
1947 has no difference.
1949 is missing 11 seconds.
1950 is missing over 9 minutes.
1951 has no difference.
1952 is missing 21 seconds.
1953 is missing 1 1/2 minutes.
1956 has no difference.
1958 is missing 1/2 minute.
1961 is missing 14 minutes.
1962 is missing almost 16 minutes.

From 1977 on there seems to be nothing missing. But it’s obvious that somebody at A&E made some very arbitrary decisions about what was “interesting” and what wasn’t. I can only assume that other films from the 40’s through the 60’s were similarly chopped. I’m not very happy about this product being advertised as the definitive collection when so much footage is gone. The book is nice, and it’s still valuable to have all of the available Series is one place to the extent they’re there. But I’m not as pleased as I should be.

Finally, all of the films released on DVD
Over the past few years, A&E has released numerous collections of World Series films that have left a few of them out. Most notably, 1955, 1957, 1960, 1971, 1979 and 1995 were never rereleased on DVD. They are finally out in this Book/DVD combo. The book itself, while very short, is a great coffee table book. The 20 discs sit comfortably inside the book. Another huge improvement, especially for those that had the previous World Series film DVDs is that all of the films themselves have chapters so it is easy to navigate between the different games. These are all of the films that were originally released immediately after each World Series, so the 1946 film is in black and white with very little graphics and no interviews while the 2008 film is much longer with interviews, extensive highlights, etc. I would highly recommend this set, even though it is rather pricey.

Amazon.com
The Official Major League Baseball World Series Film Collection is an impressive 20-disc set that assembles all the official World Series highlight films between 1943 and 2008’s Philadelphia Phillies victory. The films themselves–the earliest are black and white and under a half-hour, the most recent well over an hour– are fascinating time capsules of the game, recording many of its greatest players, greatest teams, and greatest moments: the Yankees-Dodgers-Giants intracity rivalry, the St. Louis Cardinals’ “Gas House Gang,” Willie Mays’ catch and Don Larsen’s perfect game, Bill Mazeroski’s and Kirk Gibson’s dramatic home runs, the Mets’ miracles, the Big Red Machine, and the Red Sox’s curse-breaker. They’re packaged in an eye-catching book-sized tome that collects facts and descriptions of the Fall Classic starting in 1903, a list of all winners, a foreword by Bob Costas, and two empty slots to house future films. It’s a great gift for any serious baseball fan. –David Horiuchi

Battlestar Galactica: The Complete Series with Collectible Cylon Description:

Now you can relive every action-packed moment of the epic story that Entertainment Weekly proclaims “Riveting”! Rejoin the fight to save the human race as a small but determined fleet quests for the fabled planet Earth while being hunted by their nemesis, the robot cylons. Presented uninterrupted and in Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound, experience the phenomenon from beginning to end!

• Amazon Sales Rank: #5081 in DVD
• Brand: BATTLESTAR GALACTICA
• Released on: 2009-07-28
• Rating: Unrated
• Aspect ratio: 1.77:1
• Formats: AC-3, Box set, Color, Dolby, DVD, Limited Edition, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: English, Spanish
• Number of discs: 25
• Dimensions: 1.20 pounds
• Running time: 180 minutes

Customer Reviews:

Can’t get past the terrible packaging…
What was Universal thinking…

The blu-rays may be alright, but I’ve never seen something that costs so much money packaged so badly. You get this big ungainly box that won’t fit on most shelves, but I’m thinking “hey, I’ll just take the individual season boxes out and store the big outsized box. But then you discover that you get the dvd’s in these cheap cardboard boxes that are in loose sleeves… and there’s no booklet of any kind with it. I could live without the booklet except THERE’S NO EPISODE LIST. ANYWHERE! What if you want to watch a particular episode. You’ll have to remember or guess what disc it’s on… for all four seasons. And there’s no list of extras, either. Are there extras? Where are they? Does anyone know?

I think this is the most negative review I’ve ever written, but I feel like I’ve been suckered. This set costs a lot of money, and to get so cheap on the packaging is just condescending. I’ve have to think long and hard about ever buying another box set from Universal.

Not quite as good as I expected…
The complete series box set is a *big* box, not something that will fit easily on a shelf. The box is quite sturdy, with each season’s discs packaged in their own sleeve (four in all). These sleeves are cardboard with flip up covers; inside, the discs are nested in a folded cardboard separator.

Some have claimed that this set would include the movie “Caprica”, but it is *not* included. The 25 DVDs in this set are the same DVDs available in the 6 season sets (1, 2.0, 2.5, 3, 4.0, 4.5).

The series was produced in HD, which means a wide-screen presentation; however, it was deliberately shot with a grainy look to give it a ‘gritty’ film quality.

Why get this collection instead of the six season sets? You get a neat Cylon Centurion figurine (and it’s good sized!), but no booklet, a huge box, and inferior internal packaging. I bought the series this way mainly because it was (slightly) cheaper than purchasing the six season sets individually; nevertheless, I’m experiencing a bit of buyer’s remorse.

Exceptional boxed set with seasons one thru four deserving between 4 to 5 stars; packaging bit more problematic for Blu-ray/DVD
THIS REVIEW IS FOR THE BLU-RAY BOXED SET.

Seasons 1-4 deserve anywhere from 5 to 4 stars depending on the season. The extras deserve 4 stars while the packaging deserves 2 for the bigger box 1 for the cardboard sleeves.

Edit: FYI, this includes the mini-series in addition to ALL the seasons of “BG”, “Razor” is included but “Caprica” and “Face of the Enemy” webisodes are not.

During its four season run “Battlestar Galatica” produced some of the best episodes for ANY television series whether it be a mainstream drama or science fiction. While some fans of the series were disappointed with the conclusion quite a bit was hinted at in previous episodes and it doesn’t detract from the quality of the previous ones. The image quality varies from exceptionally good to fair but the show retains the “look” the producers wanted; some shots are meant to be not only extremely grainy but also a bit soft so you’ll forgive the studio and makers for going with their artistic vision. Either way the image looks terrific but don’t expect this to look like a smooth high def show designed to look slick. Detail is sharper regardless of the “look” of the show.

Audio sounds terrific throughout with an active 5.1 lossless soundtrack that highlights the level of detail that went into preparing the show.

The extras for seasons one through three are more or less the same as on the original DVDs the only new extra (aside from the new extras for season four which I’ll address in a minute)to this set is the BD-Live “Battlestar Galatica Card Game”. So far there isn’t anything else on BD-Live (as of the release date) available but I’d also note that the season one Blu-ray and DVD as part of this boxed set includes the deleted scenes from the first season something missing if I recall correctly from the DVD (I sold mine to upgrade to the Blu-ray so can’t look at it).

It appears as if most of the extras are exactly like like the previous sets with one exception the deleted scenes for the first season. I’m going to focus on the extras for the fourth season because most of the special features are ported over from the previous DVD boxed sets. We get extended episodes for “A Disquiet Follows My Soul”, “Islands in a Stream of Stars” and “Daybreak” as well as 13 commentary tracks, David Eick’s Video Diaries and deleted scenes for the fourth season set.There’s also pip’s that allow you to watch behind-the-scenes stuff while watching the show as well as an explanation of some of the jargon used by the characters on the show.

The packaging is a bit more problematic. While the big box is sturdy enough and looks extremely nice, the smaller boxes that hold each season set holds the discs in cardboard sleeves. It will increase the chance that these could get scratched and I am disappointed that Universal didn’t design this set for a more traditional DVD or Blu-ray holder. The good news is that each season comes in its own compact box and they will stand up with other Blu-ray and DVDs on the shelf. I personally think it is nicer in concept than execution and wish it was designed similar to the UK boxed set coming in September but that’s me.

Let’s not forget the toy Cylon that’s on the top of the cardboard boxed set it looks kind of cool but I haven’t opened it to examine yet.

In conclusion there’s good and bad with this set with the good outweighing the bad. “BG” receives a handsome looking Blu-ray transfer with great sound and some terrific extras. A terrific series where Gaius Balter redeems himself and Cavil proves to be everything we believed him to be from the first introduction of his character.
Recommended

Synopsis
Now you can relive every action-packed moment of the epic story that Entertainment Weekly proclaims “Riveting”! Rejoin the fight to save the human race as a small but determined fleet quests for the fabled planet Earth while being hunted by their nemeses, the robot cylons. Presented uninterrupted and in Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound, experience the phenomenon from beginning to end!

House: Seasons 1-5 Product: Buy House: Seasons 1-5 At Amazon! List Price: $299.98 Amazon Price: $148.99 Click Here To See Amazon Sale Price Add to cart to see low price@ Availability: In Stock Usually ships in 24 Hours Free Shipping Available

Compare Prices on House: Seasons 1-5

Get a full dose of TV’s most incorrigible and wickedly funny doctor in every episode from Seasons 1-5 of House M.D. Hugh Laurie can’t be beat in his three-time Primetime Emmy®-nominated role as Dr. Gregory House, a medical genius who’s not so wise when it comes to his personal relationships. Join him and his talented staff as they solve physical maladies that leave everyone else baffled. Co-starring an outstanding ensemble cast, it’s the brilliant series with “smart writing, fascinating stories…” (Josef Adlain, Daily Variety) that has kept audiences addicted from one season to the next!

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1782 in DVD
• Brand: Universal Studios
• Released on: 2009-08-25
• Rating: Unrated
• Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
• Formats: AC-3, Box set, Color, Dolby, DVD, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: English, Spanish
• Number of discs: 26
• Running time: 4830 minutes

Not a good purchase for several reasons
First, House is still in production for at least this current sixth season, so when the series does end you can probably expect a “Complete Series” set with extras not in the individual five season sets that are simply being bundled together here.

Second, buying separately is a better deal. Seasons one through four are easily found for around twenty dollars a season and season five for a little more than that if you are willing to shop around.

It is true that the original Season One was on dual sided discs, but season one is being reissued next month on single-sided discs, so you can easily escape that problem. I was burned by the original dual-sided season one set, so I can advise you avoid it.

I obtain my three star rating as follows:
House as a series is thoroughly entertaining. I could watch Dr. Greg House watch paint dry and feel like it was time well spent, so I give the first five seasons 5/5 stars.
This is not a good deal any way you look at it - as a completist or a bargain hunter, so for value I give it 1/5 stars.
Averaging the two scores together I give this set 3/5 stars.

Save yourself some money….
..and buy the seasons seperately. The seasons all added up are currently $15 less than this boxed set, and this set makes no mention of any special features that buying them seperately doesn’t include.

Soooo, unless you just have to have a boxed set (which the 6th season won’t fit in), I’d just buy them by themselves. (obviously all at once else shipping makes the savings moot)

Let the Buyer Beware
I should say that I bought the boxed set for seasons 1-4 and I bought season five separately, but if the producer is the same for this newest box set, you’d be better off buying the set at a store with a generous return policy.

When I got my set, I was thrilled. Then, as I played through each season, I started to see skipped scenes and freezing and episodes starting in the middle instead of at the beginning. In two cases, I didn’t get to see the resolution of the cases at all.

Because it takes so long to watch all the episodes, by the time I realized there was a problem it was too late to return the set. I notice that the set I bought is no longer being produced; I assume that the manufactor is simply making seasons 1-5 instead.

To pay $100.00 for defective disks is unconscionable. I love the show but certainly wouldn’t recommend this set to anyone.

Electric Cigarettes

Buffy the Vampire Slayer - The Complete Series Seasons 1-7 Product: Buffy the Vampire Slayer - The Complete Series Seasons 1-7 Lowest Price! List Price: $339.86 Amazon Price: $305.99 Click Here To See Amazon Sale Price Add to cart to see low price@ Availability: In Stock Usually ships in 24 Hours Free Shipping Available

Compare Prices on Buffy the Vampire Slayer - The Complete Series Seasons 1-7

• Amazon Sales Rank: #69699 in DVD
• Released on: 2005-04-12
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Box set, Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: English, Spanish
• Number of discs: 39

In my opinion, the finest series in the history of TV
Most serious fans of BUFFY THE VAMPIRE already own all of the individual sets that make up this DVD collection, so I thought I would address this review to those who own none of them and will make up the primary target for this set and focus on two questions. First, how does this set differ from the individual season collections? The answer is that they are identical. This set does not represent a new product in any way, but merely collects all of the seasons in a new, low price. If you don’t own any of the individual seasons, this is an absolutely ideal way to discover the Buffyverse. Second (and for me this is the fun part), what’s this Buffy chick all about?

What sets BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER apart from most other shows, apart from the individual brilliant scripts that graced most of the episodes, is that the show over the course of seven seasons tells a story. What the casual viewer of the show could easily miss is the semi-tragic themes underlying the series: young, happy cheerleader and inevitable prom queen is pulled away by destiny from the life she loves to unwillingly undertake the burden of being her generation’s Chosen One: a super-empowered heroine to fight against the powers of darkness. This is a responsibility she has neither sought nor desired, and one of the persistent themes of the show is that destiny basically dealt Buffy a nasty set of cards. Sure, she has super strength and agility and recuperative powers, but she also knows how she became The Slayer: someone else died. For one becomes the Slayer only by the death of another Slayer, which calls attention to the fact that she, too, is destined to die to make way for another Slayer. As she puts it in one episode, “Every slayer comes with an expiration date.” She goes from a carefree, happy young girl to someone who wonders if she will make it to the age of 25.

Ultimately, however, the show isn’t about a girl with super powers, but about taking responsibility for one’s life, for accepting the cards that life has dealt one and making the most of that. Over the course of seven seasons all of the major characters struggle with this precise issue. All of them continually have to face up to the demands of the moral, and what is unusual for a genre show, they all have to work hard to be better people. More than about fighting vampires, the show is ultimately about the fighting of one’s inner demons, with the external monsters being mere metaphors for that which lies within. As a result, all of the major characters changed dramatically over the course of seven seasons.

A second great theme of the show is that of community. The show actually contains a bit of a lie in the famous opening words that introduced the show in the first season: it says that unto each generation a Slayer is born and that SHE ALONE possesses the strength to fight the vampires and demons. Only, that isn’t at all the case on the show. In fact, Buffy becomes less, not more, effective when she becomes a loner. As Spike, an evil vampire who has killed two Slayers in the past, said at the beginning of Season Two: “A Slayer with family and friends. That sure as hell wasn’t in the brochure.” And it isn’t! Says so right at the beginning of the show. The Intro should read “She and her extensive support network” will fight the demons. And showing that no one understands this better than Spike, in Season Four he attempts to help a demon destroy the Slayer by sowing discord among the Scoobies, as the demon fighting buddies referred to themselves (this was before Sarah Michelle Gellar’s unfortunate forays into the SCOOBY DOO movies). He fails when the four key members respond by forging a stronger bond than ever.

Over the seven seasons, Buffy struggles constantly against her destiny, initially fighting and resisting it, gradually accepting it, frequently resenting it, and eventually embracing it before the magnificent resolution in the final episode. While there is always only one Slayer (though on Buffy, there are two, but that is a different though very interesting story), there are always many potential Slayers. In the final episode of the series, Buffy realizes how they can make all the potential Slayers into actual Slayers, and after they do so they are able to defeat the baddies and save the world from evil, again. In literally the last five seconds of the series, Faith, the other Slayer, asks Buffy what she’s going to do now that she’s no longer the only Slayer. In a beautiful resolution of the central tragedy in the series, a blissful, contented, expectant smile breaks out over Buffy’s face. Her life has been given back to her. The expiration date has been repealed.

Those who have only occasionally dipped into the show will not be able to appreciate how brilliantly written the show is. It is as if every individual writer knew every other line ever written in the show, and the result is a self-consciousness in the series that is highly unusual for TV. At the very end of Season Six, for instance, Buffy’s best friend Willow utters the words, “Bored now,” which is not merely a reference to something she said in Season Three, but brilliantly explains where her character is at that point in the show. The scripts are, in my opinion, simply the best TV has ever seen. They are dramatic, they are believable (astonishing in a show about vampires), they are profoundly emotional, and they are funny. In fact, the show really did manage to be several things at once. I think this ability to stride several fences is one of the reasons why BUFFY, though easily the finest show on television for most of its run, never won or even received an Emmy nomination for Best Show. Should it have been nominated as Best Drama or Best Comedy? (The complete neglect by the extraordinarily conservative Emmys of BUFFY has inspired Salon to create a new TV award, the Buffy, for the most unjustly neglected show on TV, with THE WIRE as the first recipient.)

The writing really was the key. I don’t want to imply that other things weren’t done as well. Though not one of the great casts in TV history, all of the actors did a great job and there were some truly memorable characters, from Buffy to Willow, Xander, Spike, Giles, Cordy, Anya, and Angel (who went on to star in his own spin off). The sets were always first rate and it was one of the few shows on TV to have its own utterly unique look, merely from the lighting and camerawork. Speaking of camerawork, few TV shows have ever taken so much care with the way scenes were shot. There was even their own unique blend of camp. For instance, fighting vampires is tough work, but Buffy inevitably went on patrol wearing some incredibly stylish outfits. My favorite is when she goes to the graveyard in Season Six wearing an ankle length white cashmere duster. I’m sure anyone about to engage in physical combat would decide to wear such an expensive and delicate item. But as good as all of these elements were, it all came in the end back to the writing. The show was brilliantly written on multiple levels. Many of the episodes were astonishingly good, but within them the individual lines were simply astonishing. I have many shows that I love, but in the history of television there are only two that contains dozens of lines that I can recall with ease: MONTY PYTHON and BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER. But apart from the individual episodes and the huge panoply of memorable lines, the seasons were almost always well conceived and executed. And even when individual seasons contained flaws in their, such as Seasons 4 and 7, these were more than made up for by the way they all fit into a larger story.

In the end, no series that I know of had a better story to tell than BUFFY. As much as I loved THE X-FILES, the series was always better on the individual episode level than it was as a whole. Lone episodes of THE X-FILES are as good as any in the history of TV, but the deep back story by the end of the series ended up being more than a little muddled and incomplete. When BUFFY ended, there was a single brilliant and marvelously develop tale of a young girl who was forced to give up her life for the greater good, but who in the end managed to get her life back again. I honestly believe that BUFFY will be the gold standard for television shows in the future. It has raised the bar for what can be done and should be done on television, so in the end Buffy might not have saved the world from the powers of evil; she just might have saved television as well.

Looking forward to a great collection
A friend got me hooked on Buffy earlier this year by loaning me her season-by-season sets (seasons 1-6, still waiting for 7). I was skeptical, and season 1 didn’t do much to move me–clever dialogue, yeah, but the monster-of-the-week format didn’t seem like anything special. But by the third episode of Season 2, I was hooked. I was watching two and three episodes of Buffy a night, watching the characters grow and change in fast-forward.

There are websites that dissect the occasional flaws and inconsistencies of fact, but what I was amazed at was how consistent it was at heart. The characters change and grow, they have good weeks and bad, but they all grow in ways consistent with their characters as we first meet them.

And we come to care about them, deeply–to feel for their pains and losses, to grow frustrated with their weaknesses and blind spots. Yes, the series is full of humor and adventure and scary demons, but ultimately, it is full of these rich and complex characters, their trials, their fears, the dilemmas–big and small–that they must wrestle, and the internal demons they must face.

The first person to review this box says that “this set does not represent a new product in any way, but merely collects all of the seasons in a new, low price.” I’m hoping that that’s not precisely the case. Yes, the discs will hold precisely the content of the seven individual season collections. however, while there is no picture for this collection as I write this, on Amazon’s site in the UK, there are pictures of a nice single vertical box with an embossed seal on the outside and each season in its own CD-sized package. The spines of the season packages stack up to assemble an image of Buffy. While the UK package is a limited edition (10,000 copies), I’m hoping that the US packaging for this complete collection will be equally unique and attractive (and compact). [UPDATE: Unfortunately, this was not the case. I bought this set, and I’m not at all disappointed by the quality of the discs or the series, but I really would have preferred a more compact and unified package for the entire series, and I think Fox Video is being quite stupid by offering that delicious looking package to just 10,000 Brits and not to American fans.]

Great Series - WAIT FOR LIMITED EDITION!
Great series.

BUT DON’T BUY THIS RELEASE! The entire series is being released November 15 for only 199! You’ll get the previously released 7 seasons of Buffy (39 discs), plus a special bonus disc containing a brand new documentary featuring Joss Whedon. Each box will be individually numbered, and will contain a signed letter from Joss Whedon, and a comprehensive book filled with episode listings and memorable Buffy quotes.

Do yourself a favor. Don’t buy this. Just wait. You’ll be glad you did.

Electric Cigarette

Oliver! Description:

OLIVER 30TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION (DVD/WS 2.35/DD5.

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1930 in DVD
• Brand: Sony Pictures Home ENT
• Released on: 1998-08-12
• Rating: G (General Audience)
• Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
• Formats: Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: English, French
• Subtitled in: English, French
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .25 pounds
• Running time: 153 minutes

Features

• ISBN13: 9780767813266
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.

Customer Reviews:

Moody’s Fagin steals classic OLIVER!
Until CHICAGO reenergized the movie musical genre, this musical version of Charles Dickens’ immortal “Oliver Twist” was widely regarded as one of the last of the great movie musicals. Indeed, with its high-energy performances, infectious music, steady direction by Sir Carol Reed and glorious sets, this movie won the 1968 Best Picture Oscar over such formidable competition as THE LION IN WINTER, CHARLEY, and FUNNY GIRL.

Of course, most people are familiar with the classic story of young Oliver Twist, whose mother dies giving him birth and is forced to be raised under the cruel supervision of the English workhouse officials. When he dares beg for more than his meager ration of gruel, the youngster is apprenticed to an undertaker and his extremely nasty family. After escaping this hostile environment, he finds himself taken in by the roguish Fagin, the Artful Dodger(Fagin’s best pupil), and the rest of his band of young pickpockets. In time, however, Oliver will find his home, but not before dealing with the likes of the brutal Bill Sikes with the help of Sike’s sympathetic lover, Nancy, and the kindly Mr. Brownlow.

As musical films go, it is hard to fault the wonderful casting in this film. Mark Lester makes a perfectly, if maybe overly, innocent Oliver, while Jack Wild is a delight as the rascally Artful Dodger. Shanie Wallis is heart-rending as the tragic Nancy. Oliver Reed (Sir Carol’s nephew) is truly scary as the menacing Bill Sikes. Harry Secombe displays a glorious tenor in the comic role of Mr. Bumble, the beadle of the workhouse. However, it is Ron Moody’s fantastic performance of the rascally Fagin that steals this movie. It is not surprising, when you consider that he created the role when the musical was first produced in London. Of course, the character itself has gone quite a change from Dickens’ original, going from the debatably nasty anti-Semitic portrait of the novel to that of a lovable, if sneaky, eccentric. Indeed, Moody’s excellent portrayal would set the tone for almost all future performances of the role to date, including those of such actors as George C. Scott and Richard Dreyfus, among others.

Some Dickens fans may quibble about the liberties taken with the book, from the softening of Fagin to the elimination of Oliver’s evil step-brother Monks from the storyline. And it isn’t a perfect film by any means. (The child singer who dubbed Mark Lester’s songs sounds like she’s in an echo chamber of some sort, which makes Oliver’s singing a jarring contrast to the rest of the cast.) But, as a musical film, it is a wonderful entertainment and superb introduction to the classic story. As a result, this is one musical that I would DEFINITELY recommend.

Consider it a wonderful experience
The movie musical was on its way out by the time ‘Oliver!’ hit theaters in 1968. Happily, this marvelously fun and entertaining film swept the Oscars and earns my vote for the best musical of the 60s (although ‘The Music Man’ ranks a close second). Mark Lester is adorable in the title role and Jack Wild is a kick as the mischievious Artful Dodger. Then there’s Ron Moody recreating his stage role as the villainous (but still likable) Fagin. He’s not exactly the same character created by Charles Dickens but he’s memorable just the same. And Shani Wallis’ Nancy along with Oliver Reed’s Bill Sikes give the film some real dramatic punch. The production design strikingly recreates the feel and flavor of mid-19th century London. And the songs which include ‘Consider Yourself’ and ‘Oom Pah Pah’ are the icing on the cake. Do your family a great favor and add this timeless treat to your DVD collection.

Flawless fun. Truly a classic!
I must say, I’ve never really been a big fan of musicals perse, but four years ago, I caught this delightful rendition of the Charles Dickens classic on the ENCORE movie network and I instantly changed my tune. I love movies, and I have always loved movies, but I never got so much enjoyment out of watching a film in my life until I saw OLIVER!. It’s “freely” adapted from the Dickens novel, and there’s the inclusion of song and dance, but the film still manages to stay fairly close to its source, and the entire production is successful at capturing the mood of 19th-century England, and the spirit of Dickens’ original novel is alive throughout. Those not familiar with the story, OLIVER is the tale of a little orphan boy whose life has been nothing but workhouse servitude. When he finally escapes from his turbulent and unhappy life, he falls in with a band of young thieves led by the incorrigible Fagin(Ron Moody, Oscar-nominated). British child actor Mark Lester is appealing and absolutely adorable in the title role. Jack Wild(Oscar-nominated) is equally winning as his slick sidekick, The Artful Dodger. In fact, Lester and Wild worked so well together in the film that they went on to appear together in the popular 1971 release MELODY. Oliver Reed is appropriately menacing as the brutish Bill Sykes. The film was directed by Reed’s uncle, Carol Reed. Some might say this film compares in comparison to David Lean’s straight-faced 1948 filmization of the Dickens classic. That version of the story is also a confirmed classic, but it’s not nearly as much fun as this one. If you’re a parent and want to introduce your children to the classics, this film is the way to do it!

Amazon.com
Film buffs and critics can argue until their faces turn blue about whether this lavish Dickensian musical deserved the Academy Award for Best Picture of 1968, but the movie speaks for itself on grandly entertaining terms. Adapted from Dickens’s classic novel, it’s one of the most dramatically involving and artistically impressive musicals of the 1960s, directed by Carol Reed with a delightful enthusiasm that would surely have impressed Dickens himself. Mark Lester plays the waifish orphan Oliver Twist, who is befriended by the pickpocketing Artful Dodger (Jack Wild) and recruited into the gang of boy thieves led by Fagin (played to perfection by Ron Moody). The villainous Bill Sikes (Oliver Reed) casts his long shadow over Oliver and his friends, but the young orphan is still able to find loving care in the most desperate of circumstances. Full of memorable melodies and splendid lyrics, Oliver! is a timeless film, prompting even hard-to-please critic Pauline Kael to call it “a superb demonstration of intelligent craftsmanship,” and to further observe that “it’s as if the movie set out to be a tribute to Dickens and his melodramatic art as well as to tell the story of Oliver Twist.” –Jeff Shannon

Judge Dredd Description:

Big-screen superstar Sylvester Stallone powers this nonstop action hit that’s loaded with amazing special effects! In a time when all-powerful and coldly efficient “Judges” act with the supreme authority of both the police force and legal system, Judge Dredd (Stallone) is the most feared law enforcer of them all. But when a former Judge (Armand Assante — HOFFA) hatches a sinister plot to overthrow the government and eliminate the Judges, Dredd is framed for murder! Get ready for an explosive action-adventure thrill ride as Dredd does whatever it takes to restore justice!

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1057 in DVD
• Brand: STALLONE,SYLVESTER
• Released on: 1998-08-19
• Rating: R (Restricted)
• Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
• Formats: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, Letterboxed, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: English, French
• Subtitled in: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 96 minutes

Customer Reviews:

“I am the Law!”
The career of a Hollywood Star goes through various ups and downs. This excellent film came out at a point in Stallone’s career when it was simply his turn to get reviewed harshly by the Hollywood community. He was getting older, his career had drifted considerably, and another Sly action picture was simply going to be a very hard sell. It took a much-underserved whipping when it was released.

As I say, that is a real shame, because Judge Dredd was one of the best comic book adaptations to ever make the cross into film. It perfectly captures the 70’s/80’s British comic book about a futuristic cop who reins supreme, given the power to arrest, judge, and execute wrongdoers in a world gone rampant with crime.

This was a big budget production, and the sets and special effects are magnificent. The story is extremely engaging, and it is packed with great action. The film really doesn’t take a misstep throughout.

What makes the film a real treat are the supporting performances. Stallone himself delivers a perfect-pitch job as the Judge, nicely capturing all the stern dedication of the comic book, and as the film progresses, his character is beautifully and even touchingly rounded out. But I find myself remembering the lesser roles, such as Armand Assante as the arch villain, Rico, a man holding extreme power in his madness. When his temper flairs, everyone jumps back. The old veteran, Max Von Sydow, displays a pro’s commitment in his portrayal of the aging Chief Justice Fargo, holding on to his power simply through a towering dignity. Diane Lane, Jurgen Prochnow, and Joan Chen are on hand to lend superior support, as well as Rob Schneider, who did a great job in giving the movie the touch of comedy needed to truly capture the original comic book. This film even has the great Scott Wilson on board as Pa Angel, a leader of a criminally mutated family that dwells in the “cursed earth.”

Amazon reviews got it completely wrong. Their condescending review was typical of the kinder reviews given when the film was released. There is certainly no need to “lower your expectations” to enjoy this film.

You will do just fine if you come to this picture expecting great things.

–Mykal Banta

Underrated action…
I went to see this movie when it first came out, and I have to say that I never understood why so many people hated it.

All I can think of that that they misread Stallone’s portrayal of Judge Dredd. Stallone is purposely playing Dredd as a comic book character (which, after all, is what Dredd was), and therefore not a role laced with any deep meanings. Although there are some deeper scenes (Dredd speaking of what happened to his best friend, and later, Dredd and Rico meeting in the Janus complex), for the most part, the movie is just one big comic book. The movie is what it is, and what it was intended to be; a fun, action sci-fi comic. To expect anything else is unfair.

There are some good roles here, too. Stallone purposely goes two-dimensional as Dredd, which is perfect (Dredd sees only black and white when it comes to the Law). Rob Schnider was also pretty good, not too annoying, not invisible. I recall my friends and I were impressed with him in this one. Diane Lane is foxy, and Max von Sydow lends credibility as mentor and Chief Judge.

There were some interesting ideas on display here, and the execution of those ideas is handled quite well. Perfect? Well, no, but not bad, either.

The effects are a bit dated. Most are CGI, and while impressive for their day, they are very “videogame-looking” compared to more recent CGI work. Still, if you want a fun sci-fi action picture, this is the one.

Bring on the Sequel!!!
I have to say that I was not familiar with any Judge Dredd comics, games or had had any other contact with the character apart from this movie so I cannot compare the character to other sources. Therefore, coming from someone that did not “know” the Judge prior to the film I have to say that the movie was FANTASTIC!
There are slight hints of Mad Max and Total Recall, so the movie falls into the action/adventure/science fiction type of category, and what a major hit this action-packed movie is!
Sylvester Stallone, Armand Assante, Diane Lane, and Rob Schneider, have truly outdone themselves with their performances, which are outstanding, making this movie one of the best of its kind. The actors’ great talent and chemistry clearly shows, thus providing a film that can be watched over and over again. The plot, the setting, the special effects, the battles and the costumes are all wonderful!
In short, I would definitely line up to watch a sequel!

Amazon.com
Judge Dredd is one of those movies that doesn’t have a brain of its own, so it can only rip off a lot of ingredients from other, better movies. It’s a mishmash of Blade Runner, Total Recall, and The Road Warrior, with a dash of Star Wars tossed in for good measure. As if that weren’t enough, it’s got Sylvester Stallone, who seems to be the only one in the movie who’s in on the game and knows it’s all a sci-fi scam. Like The Fifth Element a few years later, Judge Dredd depicts a futuristic megalopolis packed with crowded vertical overgrowth and rampant commerce, where anarchy reigns supreme. Violent “block wars” are fought by lawless citizens with machine guns, and Judge Dredd (Stallone) is one of the city’s heavily armed policemen, given free rein to judge and execute the perpetrators of violence. But Dredd himself is subjected to judgment and swift justice when his own gun is identified in the murder of a prominent TV reporter, forcing him to do whatever he can to clear his name. Diane Lane plays his partner in crime-fighting and romance, and Rob Schneider provides juvenile comic relief as Dredd’s streetwise sidekick. Impressive special effects are on vivid display, and the movie’s fun for what it’s worth. Lower your expectations and you just might enjoy it. –Jeff Shannon

From The New Yorker
In the third millennium, the world will consist of endless tracts of nothingness dotted with megacities-strongholds crammed with violent, hopeless humanity. In 1995, meanwhile, the director Danny Cannon has made a movie that consists of endless tracts of nothingness dotted with mini-characters-strongmen damned to violent, hopeless inanity. In one of the year’s more predictable casting decisions, Sylvester Stallone plays Judge Dredd, the lawmaker with the most fearsome reputation and the most ridiculous motorbike. He is worshipped by another judge (Diane Lane) and loathed by his brother (Armand Assante). Considering that the movie was adapted from comic books, the least we should expect is a juicy battle between good and evil, but the conflict is, in fact, a matter of fine distinctions between shades of Fascism. Whenever you sit back and try to enjoy the pop wizardry of the special effects, you catch sight of Dredd’s epaulettes and think of Mussolini. -Anthony Lane
Copyright © 2006 The New Yorker

Wiseguy: The Complete First Season Description:

Long before Donnie Brasco brought similar drama to the big screen, Ken Wahl brought charisma, credibility, and chutzpah to his small-screen role as Vincent Terranova, a handsome 30-year-old agent with the FBI s Organized Crime Bureau. As conceived by co-creators Stephen Cannell (of The Rockford Files and The A-Team fame) and Ken Lupo, Wiseguy followed an innovative story-arc structure, allowing Vinnie s deep-cover missions to last only as long as necessary to bring each case to a sensible conclusion. Since copied by countless TV shows, this unique approach to storytelling attracted a devoted following of viewers addicted to the self-contained plots that forced Vinnie, his sourpuss OCB handler Frank McPike (Jonathan Banks), and disabled covert liaison Dan Lifeguard Burroughs (played by double-amputee Jim Byrnes) to achieve their objectives.

• Amazon Sales Rank: #4329 in DVD
• Brand: DIGITAL1STOP
• Released on: 2009-08-25
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Box set, Color, DVD, Full Screen, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 4
• Running time: 960 minutes

Features

• WISEGUY: THE COMPLETE FIRST SEASON - 22 EPISODES (DVD MOVIE)

Customer Reviews:

Here’s the good and the bad with this release…
Having picked up the original WISEGUY releases a few years ago from Ventura Distribution, I was naturally curious to see what Mill Creek has done with the property in the new release (The Complete First Season) that came out this week. If you don’t have the previous sets, I recommend it and give it 4 out of 5 stars on the strength of the material moreso than the set itself. Here’s my initial observations, positives and negatives…

-Price is MUCH more affordable (It’s $9.99 on Amazon for the complete first season, whereas the previous releases were around $40 for each half of the 1st season)
-Release is indeed the entire 1st season (the previous releases split it in half, with one DVD set of Steelgrave, and another DVD set of Profitt)
-”Knights in White Satin” song has still been replaced in the Steelgrave finale (it was replaced with the same instrumental music in the original DVD as well)
-The song originally used in the first part of the Mel Profitt arc as Vinnie and Roger arrive at the yacht party was substituted with generic music on the original release, but in this DVD, that particular song HAS BEEN RESTORED!
-The prints used appear to be the same remastered prints from the original release, but they don’t look as sharp (in fact, they look fuzzier) simply because there is more compression and probably a lower bit rate being used in the disc authoring (they have placed 5 episodes each on Discs 1 and 2, and 6 episodes each on Discs 3 and 4)
-The audio is Mono, compared to the 5.1 soundtracks on the original release
-No extras whatsoever (the originals had audio commentaries, interviews with much of the cast, and some bonus stand-alone episodes from other seasons)
-The discs each come in black envelopes held in place in a snapper case
-Menus are static (originals featured video), but they have a great selection of music from the opening of the “New Blood” episode, and have the episodes listed as part of Vinnie’s “file”
-The series’ pilot was featured in 1 complete part (as originally aired) on the original release, but is split into 2 parts in this DVD set (and it’s a weird break, not at the halfway point but much later). The second part opens immediately without any credits
-Chapters have been added to the episodes (the original Steelgrave set didn’t have any) but the chapter breaks are not at the commercials

While I haven’t watched each episode yet to determine if there are any glitches with the audio/video, my initial observations are that it’s a good set considering you get all of the excellent 22 1st season shows (counting the pilot as 2 parts) for a very low price, and they look good even upconverted on a 46-inch HDTV as I viewed them. However, if you already own the first DVD sets, I see no reason here for an upgrade, unless you want the original song featured in the 1st Mel Profitt episode which is now intact, or unless you want to have the entire first season all contained in 1 box (don’t sell off your original sets, though).

Edited music
I bought this from Best Buy on Tuesday and just watched the Steelgrave arc today(Saturday).
The music is edited! Nights in White Satin has been edited out of the climax and it totally ruins the mood of the scene. Picture quality is average; it looks like an 80’s show. There are no extras included in this set. There are four discs in the set which are packaged in cheap paper sleeves. Discs 1 & 2 are the Steelgrave arc with 5 episodes each. Discs 3 & 4 are the Profitt arc with 6 episodes each.

You have questions, I have predictions.
Here is the deal - the first year of WISEGUY was the best - though there were individual eps later in the next 2 years that were brilliant - none as cohesive as the full first season (with that very bad in between episode being the sole exception) - my guess is that this set collects all the first season eps and does not use the old music - since it’s selling very cheap - that’s a giveaway - another is that they are not TOUTING ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK on the box - which is another dead giveaway. You can still find copies of that ep with KNIGHTS IN WHITE SATIN on the web, ebay, etc - but what a shame not to have it here - what a shame. I suspect they will only do the first season since they never got the music rights for the music arc which was the 2nd season - so - this is a dubious but interesting project and i will be curious to see if there are any extras at all - that said - I hope i’m wrong about all of this - but somehow I don’t think I am. For the record -as much as I loved STEELGRAVE ARC - i think it was the ROGER LACOCOCO MEL PROFIT arc that made this series a classic.

Small Business Phone Systems

Flight of the Intruder Blu-ray Description:

Two pilots go against the rule book in a bid to win the war in Vietnam in this speculative military drama. Lieutenant Jake Grafton (Brad Johnson) is a U.S. Navy pilot stationed aboard an aircraft carrier after the death of his one-time flying partner Morgan McPherson (Christopher Rich), who perished during a recent, ill-advised mission. Lt. Grafton, who has become cynical about the current state of military affairs, is convinced that if the war were left to the soldiers rather than the politicians overseeing the Pentagon, United States victory would be swift and assured. Grafton shares this opinion with Virgil Cole (Willem Dafoe), a supremely confident new pilot under his command, and together they commandeer an A-6 Bomber, known as “The Intruder,” for an unauthorized bombing raid against Hanoi.

• Amazon Sales Rank: #3927 in DVD
• Brand: Lions Gate
• Released on: 2010-04-06
• Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
• Formats: Color, Subtitled, Widescreen
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: English, Spanish
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 114 minutes

Features

• ISBN13: 0031398121688
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.

Customer Reviews:

This is the way it was.
This is the way it really was. I used to fly F4s of the Oriskany back in ‘66. Everyday (and most nights) I’d watch the A6s queueing up for takeoffs and traps. I flew with the best. This movie, even though there are a “few” technical problems, brings me back to those days almost 40 years ago.

I agree with the movie’s major premis - we could have won the war if the politicians kept their noses out of the running of the war.

Ignore all these arm-chair warriors and watch the movie. For the most part, it shows how it really was.

Will get your blood pressure higher if you love aviation
Yeah, yeah… I agree with many other viewers. The movie storyline is not as good as in the book in two areas: 1. the in-depth description of its characters -I guess it’s just too hard a job to explore the complexity of human personalities within 90mn; 2. the ending which, in the book, is a bit more in line with the actual war in Vietnam.

And also, that’s true that the special effects are somewhat dated now…

But boy, being a professional of aviation, living, breathing, dreaming of it every day of my life, I can’t applaude enough to the fact of being able to watch a movie that DOES feature combat aircraft! Just count the number of good action movies that actually show these machines, and I bet you’ll be able to count them on the fingers of, say, 2 hands. That’s just to stay on the optimistic side of things.

Flight of the Intruder is a real cool movie in terms of aircraft footage. You are “behind the wheel”, at times you are literally in control of the aircraft. Your heart pumps faster when this ugly looking -and sounding- SAM detection signal flashes to and screams at the crew. And watch these unforgettable scenes with the A-1 Skyraiders, the famous “Sandys” at the end of the film! The shots, the sounds… Everything contributes to raising the hair of your neck with passion!

The movie itself is pretty well documented too, if only a bit too simplified. Looks like the film was technically supported by both the Navy and the Air Force. The pilots’ jargon is accurate, and so is the overall A-6 bombing philosophy.

And after viewing it, you’ll sit back and start reflecting on it, and I’m pretty sure that you’ll end telling yourself: “These fly-boys in Vietnam… They sure had real guts”. Hats and heads down, ladies and gentlemen, and respect for courage!

This is an excellent movie about the air war over Vietnam.
This movie is a great depiction of the air war in Vietnam in 1972. It has it’s funny moments, it’s serious moments, but all in all, it’s a great action movie with a great plot and storyline. Also, since Willem Dafoe is one of my favorite actors, that was another plus for this film. Danny Glover put in a hell of a performance as the skipper of the air crew, and Brad Johnson and Willem Dafoe put in excellent performances as the pilot/bombardier team. This is a movie worth five stars.

Amazon.com
Time has been kind to Flight of the Intruder, a rousing aviation-action adventure that looks better now than it did to critics who panned it in 1991. Perhaps they were expecting a Tom Clancy-ish blockbuster (producer Mace Neufeld oversaw the Jack Ryan franchise), but director John (Conan the Barbarian) Milius had something potentially more substantial in mind. The first 75 minutes are pure Milius: Macho bluster, male bonding among ill-fated pilots and Naval bombardiers, and a Big Wednesday-like passion for dangerous fun. But Milius’s favorite topics have sharper teeth here: He’s made a scathing anti-Vietnam film that still honors the bravery of soldiers who do their job even when the job itself seems pointless. That’s why ace Brad Johnson (why didn’t he become a huge star?) and maverick bombardier Willem Dafoe plot a renegade mission, bombing a Hanoi arms depot with their low-altitude A-6 Intruder in the movie’s pyrotechnical climax. Fringe benefits abound, including early roles for Tom Sizemore, Ving Rhames, and David Schwimmer in his big-screen debut, three years before Friends and looking like the dweeby grandchild of his Band of Brothers martinet. –Jeff Shannon

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