I remember Cannon well. It was one of those shows that I would watch every week. I suppose I am getting older because I rarely think of it anymore, but when it turned up on my desk I was all ready to get reviewing. The 70s put out some pretty okay television and in the earlier part of the decade that included Cannon. While detective and cop shows can largely be the same, I always viewed Cannon as an overly chubby Robin Hood. Sure he drove a fly car (and wrecked it equally as much as he drove it) and lived well, but he always made sure to charge his rich clients a little bit more, just so he could give the poor ones a deal.

Cannon was a complete loner. He didn’t have a sidekick or a partner. Hell, he didn’t even have a secretary. This guy did it all alone. He might have had a weight problem and wanted to work it alone, but like my granddaddy always said, “If you want it done right do it yourself…” I guess Frank wanted it done right. Say what you will, he did it right enough to make it for about five successful seasons.

Release Information:
Cannon was a fan favorite back in the first season, or at least it was for me. I think the thing that initially attracted me to Cannon, was the action. I was a rough kid and liked rough, action shows. My parents always seemed to like the guest stars that appeared on the show. It seemed that the first season brought out all the popular stars of the early 1970s.

This DVD release marks the first time that Cannon has been on DVD. This first season, volume one set includes twelve episodes from the initial season. Paramount, in conjunction with CBS, will be release this first box set on July 8, 2008. You should be able to pick this set up at most stores that sell DVD box sets. You can find this on Amazon for pre-order to be shipped on July 8, for $25.99.

The Cannon: Season One, Vol. 1 Plot
Frank Cannon is a man that likes to eat out and solve crimes. I suppose that we are both alike in that way. The main difference being that I don’t really solve crimes. Cannon (William Conrad) is a hefty guy that is joked at about his weight, but he equally jokes back. He spends more time commanding the screen and solving the problems that he sets out to solve though. Don’t let this guy fool you, because he is able to knock someone out when it comes right down to it.

This is a show that rests on the plots more than the character developments. That is alright though because the only real main character here is Cannon. His presence certainly commands authority and is able to hold itself on screen. It’s obvious that Conrad can give the audience what is necessary for the character. If a lesser actor would have been used with this lack of development there might have been trouble. However, with Conrad the strength of Cannon shines through.

There are plenty of things that feel unrealistic here, but that’s the beauty of television. Sure, Cannon is able to get on the telephone and know you’re at the hospital when he hears the tiny squeak of a gurney’s wheel roll by, but that’s what makes things interesting. Action fans will enjoy the bumbling criminals in these episodes. Quite a few people get shot or maimed on this show. Even Cannon ends up with his fair share of bruises and non-fatal gunshots.

The eleven episodes are spread out onto four discs with information about each episode being listed alongside the title.

Disc One
“Pilot”: Here we find Cannon waiting around in a small town doing nothing but waiting to hear about a speeding charge. However, once Cannon begins to investigate the murder of an old friend’s wife, the town is more than happy to see him go. This pilot has Vera Miles (Psycho) as a guest star.

“The Salinas Jackpot”: Tom Skerritt (Bonneville) guest stars in this episode that has Cannon tracking a couple of killer clowns that have robbed a rodeo.

“Death Chain”: Sorrell Booke (Dukes of Hazzard) stars in this mystery about a man who spies his mistress being kidnapped. Eventually, it’s discovered that she is dead and Cannon is hired to prove the man didn’t do it.

Disc Two
“Call Unicorn”: Wayne Rogers (MASH) is the man of the hour in this episode. Cannon battles a hijacking ring while posing as a trucker.

“Country Blues”: This episode stars Joan Van Ark (Knots Landing) and Mark Hamill (Star Wars IV). The plot deals with a country singer who meets a fiery end in a plane crash. Cannon, being the crime ace that he is, suspects foul play.

“Scream of Silence”: Cannon is on the lookout for a boy that managed to escape his kidnappers. The problem is that the boy is in shock and cannot speak.

Disc Three
“Fool’s Gold”: Vic Tayback (Alice) stars in this episode that has Cannon traveling to a small town to search for a cool and stolen $900,000.

“Girl in the Electric Coffin”: It’s Kim Hunter’s (A Streetcar Named Desire) turn in the guest seat as Cannon tries to find out why his friend, who was following the band, The Electric Coffin, was murdered.

“Dead Pigeon”: Cannon is on the lookout for a crooked lawyer when a cop is found unconscious near a dead man that was killed by his gun.

Disc Four
“A Lonely Place to Die”: Harold Gould (Rhoda) stars as a mobster that Cannon has known for years. When Cannon was a cop, this mobster eluded capture. Now he is being looked at as a suspect in a new murder.

“No Pockets in a Shroud”: Learning about the “Millionaire Hermit” Cannon begins to investigate a missing person’s case involving one of the Hermit’s relatives.

“Stone, Cold Dead”: The last episode in this four disc set concerns a boater that kills a woman in a struggle. When her body is found in the water, a Vietnam vet is blamed for the murder.

Storyline/Plot: 4 out of 5 stars
Replayability: 4 out of 5 stars
Acting: 4 out of 5 stars
Directing: 4 out of 5 stars

Audio/Visual:
The video quality for Cannon has moments of good and moments that truly show the age of this weathered show. The pilot episode offers the worst of all of the transfers. This lone episode features all of the worst parts of this sets transfer issues. There is grain, dirt, noise, and softness all rolled into one episode. Later, once the actual episodes begin these problems become much easier to bear as they do not occur as often. The aspect ratio of 1.33:1 is standard for television. The video looks good for the most part, with exception to the minor problems, the worst being the softness that is included in almost every single episode.

The audio is probably the better of the two specs in this DVD. The audio is delivered in Dolby Digital mono. The pilot has some issues with audio, as it did with video, though these problems are handled quickly in the regular season. The audio ends up being manageable by offering a well balanced sound, especially for a show of this age on DVD.

Visual: 3 out of 5 stars
Audio: 3 out of 5 stars

Bonus Features:
There is only one bonus feature available on this box set, which is more than I can say for some of the other recent CBS releases. Still, I wouldn’t say that this one feature is that exciting. Each of the eleven main episodes includes the option of a network promo. The promos run for about 30 seconds long. If you do not wish to watch them they are completely optional and the episodes can be played all on their own.

Bonus Features: 0.5 out of 5 stars

Bottom Line:
If you love entertaining crime dramas with overweight detectives that pull their shows all on their own then you will love Cannon. These twelve episodes offer some good times, plenty of entertainment, and loads of awesome 70s guest stars. Sure, it’s not the best cop drama there ever was, but the original elements make it one of my favorites. If you’re into classic television and don’t remember this one I recommend you rent this. If it was one of your favorite shows, like it was mine back in the day, then I highly recommend you pick this set up.

Overall Rating: 3.21 out of 5 stars

Technorati Tags: Movie, DVD Review, Cannon, Frank, Detective, Crime, Classic Television, TV on DVD, William Conrad, CBS, Paramount

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Back in December, I was your guy for reviewing Diagnosis Murder, so I suppose it was only natural that when Jake and the Fatman came out that I should review that, as well. If you’re wondering why that might be the case, it’s because Diagnosis Murder is actually a spinoff of Fat Man. If you like criminal dramas this one isn’t so bad. A product of its time with some behind the scenes drama attached, Fatman has some decent moments in this Volume One box set. In fact, one could wager to say that the most depressing part about this set is that it’s a split season set, and no fan wants to pay twice for the same season, while having to wait for the remaining episodes to come out.

This crime solving, prosecuting duo is a little unorthodox in some ways. The Fatman, played by William Conrad, is well acted, but anything other than smooth. He’s reminiscent of a single Uncle who has a relationship only with Cheetos and Beer. He’s pretty unkempt in the ways that you would expect criminal attorneys to be, but he makes up for it in all of his business matters. Meanwhile, his partner and the guy doing all the detective legwork is setup to be the ladies magnet. Whether he is a stud or not I cannot say, but the role he plays is set to make him look that way. While the Fatman is all about Cheetos, Styles (played by Joe E. Penny) is all about fine sophistication with expensive appearing suits, a sports car, and all of the finer things in life.

Release Information:
Jake and the Fatman was a part of some behind the scenes drama early on. The show was actually canceled in the first season though this ending was short lived. The show’s revival is due to the removal of Magnum PI from the CBS lineup. When the show was canceled CBS opted to take advantage of the Magnum setting, since they were paying for it anyway and it was incredibly expensive. This moved Fatman to Hawaii, which served to be a great move as the ratings rose dramatically.

Fans that have been clamoring for the Fatman to come to DVD will be pleased to know that Volume One of the First Season will be released on July 8, 2008. You can pre-order this on several sites on the Internet and once it is out, you should be able to find it just about anywhere that sells DVDs. If you plan to purchase it for pre-order, you can find it at Amazon for $26.99.

The Jake and the Fatman: Season One, Vol. 1 Plot
The basic plot for Jake and the Fatman is as simple as any one person could ever imagine. The story revolves around an established district attorney from Los Angeles named Jason Lochnivar (JL) “Fatman” McCabe (William Conrad - Cannon). While Fatman certainly has the smarts to figure out his cases all on his own, for his police legwork he uses the talents of Jake Styles (Joe E. Penny), the suave gun-toting pimp of the duo. This type of show is nothing new for William Conrad. He made quite a living off of playing in cop dramas. This one is no different. Fatman became a reality after Conrad starred on Matlock as a district attorney named James “Fatman” McShane. Obviously, one would assume this is meant to be the same character with a different name and that appears to be the case for the most part.

The first season, half of which is being reviewed here, was not the highest rated show. Things picked up later in the series and it ended up doing well enough to last from ‘87 until ‘92 for a total of over 100 episodes. The first season contained 23 episodes and this set includes 11 of those episodes. A list of the episodes on this set are included below:

“Happy Days are Here Again”
“Fatal Attraction: Part 1”
“Fatal Attraction: Part 2”
“Laura”
“The Man that Got Away”
“Love for Sale”
“Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?”
“Body and Soul”
“The Man I Love”
“Love Me or Leave Me”
“Smoke Gets in Your Eyes”

The main reason this show worked as well as it did, despite its slow start was the relationship between Conrad and Penny. The interesting connection between the two mix-matched men made the show work. Not only that, but you could easily see these two men in their respective roles in real life. Penny could have easily played an investigator, and Conrad is similar to hundreds of district attorneys out there. A better match could not have been found for this particular show.

One of the funniest things about this release is that the two-part pilot was not the first episode in the lineup. It actually appears as episodes two and three. The pilot episode was one of the most interesting sets with a husband and wife duo that the Fatman thinks is guilty of murder. Of course, he cannot solve this murder right off the bat, nor is it his job to, which is why Styles is brought in to do the dirty work and see that the suspects are able to pay for their crimes. This is how most of these episodes work. There is a mystery of sorts to be solved, the Fatman, calls in Styles for help, and together the crime is solved. At the end, the criminal is usually put away. As I said, it generally doesn’t get any easier than a format like this.

The two main characters tend to clash, due to different personalities and lifestyles. The Fatman tends to hang with his pet bulldog, while Styles tends to hang with the chicks and likes to take more chances than his counterpart would prefer. Add some fun guest stars to the mix and things get even better. When it comes to the most entertaining of these episodes it would really depend on the viewer to make that decision. Some of my favorites, beyond the pilot episodes include “Brother Can you Spare a Dime”, “The Man that Got Away”, and “Smoke Gets in Your Eye.” Being new to the series, I cannot say how well the rest of the season is, but if it’s anything like this I am looking forward to checking it out.

Storyline/Plot: 4 out of 5 stars
Replayability: 4 out of 5 stars
Acting: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Directing: 4 out of 5 stars

Audio/Visual:
The transfer for Jake and the Fatman includes an aspect ratio of 1.33:1. This standard transfer ratio is quite clear for a DVD set that is over 20 years old. Granted, there have been a number of excellent advancements in video since this was made, but things are looking good. The colors were represented well and there was little grain with practically no compression errors. I did notice some occasional noise, but that was about the only thing worth complaining about. Otherwise, things look good.

Dolby Digital Mono is offered up as the audio in this three disc set. While this isn’t the best option in audio it passes for a television set like this. I didn’t have to play with the volume and while it had a tendency to seem flat, since this is primarily a dialogue-driven show, it worked out. As a dialogue heavy show, like most dramas of this kind, it doesn’t present a strong need for overly dynamic sound. In the instances where sound effects were necessary, the sound stepped up as needed, so it wasn’t a total wash. It was as good as it needed to be without being as good as it could have been.

Visual: 3 out of 5 stars
Audio: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Bonus Features:
There is only one bonus feature available on this set for Jake and the Fatman. You can enjoy, if you want to call it that, promos for each episode. These are nice if you want the feeling of watching it as it occurred on television. However, if you don’t care about having this feeling, there is little purpose for these. It feels like they were added to have a feature, even if they really aren’t worth mentioning or watching.

Bonus Features: 0.5 out of 5 stars

Bottom Line:
Jake and the Fatman is a decent show overall. It’s not my favorite crime show ever made and it probably wasn’t the best of its time. Still, it was one of the better ones. It has some definite advantages, including good acting, interesting guest stars, and well thought out writing. If you’ve never seen the show this is the perfect time to rent it and get involved. If you have and you used to like it then I highly recommend you purchase this and reconnect with the episodes that you used to enjoy.

Overall Rating: 3.36 out of 5 stars

Technorati Tags: Movie, DVD Review, Jake and the Fatman, CBS, Paramount, TV on DVD, Crime Drama, Detective, Criminal Attorney, William Conrad

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I used to watch Walker, Texas Ranger with my dad when he was alive. My dad was a huge fan of martial arts films. One of his favorite American martial arts experts/actors was Chuck Norris. Needless to say, we both were huge fans of the show. I didn’t really get a lot of chances to bond with my father. He wasn’t always the most affectionate man. We had a few television shows we were able to enjoy and we both were passionate about baseball. Watching baseball and Walker, Texas Ranger together gives me a chance to remember the good times I shared with my dad.

Walker, Texas Ranger was more than just a show about a guy who could kick ass. Sure, Chuck Norris could do that. He also can act, and the show had both good writing and a lot of humor, all of which contributed to the success of this series. The show ran for eight seasons, starting in 1993 and ending in the year my father died, 2001. While shows generally go downhill after so many seasons, I don’t remember that happening quite as much with Walker, Texas Ranger.

Release Information:
As I mentioned previously, Walker, Texas Ranger ran for eight seasons. Before the first season, a three episode pilot debuted on CBS on April 21, 1993. Eight full seasons followed the pilot episodes. The fifth season ran between September 27, 1997 and May 16, 1998. There are 25 epsiodes included on the Walker, Texas Ranger: The Complete Fifth Season DVD.

CBS and Paramount Home Entertainment have set out to release Walker, Texas Ranger: The Complete Fifth Season. The DVD was made available in a seven disc DVD box set on July 1, 2008. This box set is just in time for celebrating Independence Day. Walker, Texas Ranger: The Complete Fifth Season can be found at most retailers both online and off. At Amazon, Walker, Texas Ranger: The Complete Fifth Season is available for $34.99.

Walker, Texas Ranger: The Complete Fifth Season Plot
In typical Walker fashion, the fifth season of Walker, Texas Ranger starts out with a lot of action. The show begins with an episode that finds an undercover DEA agent dead and a group of law benders out to avenge her death. In the meantime, Walker and the other law enforcement agents try to stop the group while finding a way to convict the drug lord who killed the agent.

Texas Ranger Cordell Walker (Chuck Norris) is one of the good guys and he isn’t afraid to get down and dirty to show it. Along with his partner, James “Jimmy” Trivette (Clarence Gilyard Jr.), Assistant District Attorney, Alex Cahill (Sheree J. Wilson) and the advice of former, veteran Ranger, C.D. Parker (Noble Willingham) Walker is an unstoppable force in a show that blends martial arts and western styles with a good old fashioned police drama formula.

The list of 25 episodes included on the seven discs that make up the Walker, Texas Ranger: The Complete Fifth Season is as follows:

Disc One:
5.1 – “The Fighting McLains”
5.2 – “Iceman”
5.3 – “Lucas – Part One”
5.4 – “Lucas – Part Two”

Disc Two:
5.5 – “Forgotten People”
5.6 – “Last Of A Breed – Part One”
5.7 – “Last Of A Breed – Part Two”
5.8 – “Brainchild”

Disc Three:
5.9 – “Mr. Justice”
5.10 – “Rainbow’s End”
5.11 – “A Woman’s Place”
5.12 – “Small Blessings”

Disc Four:
5.13 – “Tribe”
5.14 – “Saving Grace”
5.15 – “Money Talks”
5.16 – “The Crusader”

Disc Five:
5.17 – “In God’s Hands”
5.18 – “Undercover”
5.19 – “Everyday Heroes”
5.20 – “Warriors”

Disc Six:
5.21 – “Angel”
5.22 – “The Soul Of Winter”
5.23 – “Circle Of Life”

Disc Seven:
5.24 – “Test Of Faith”
5.25 – “The Wedding – Part One”

There were so many great episodes on the Walker, Texas Ranger: The Complete Fifth Season DVDs. Here is a list of my favorite episodes with a brief description of each one.

“The Soul of Winter” – Paul Winfield guest stars as Roscoe Jones. Roscoe is a minister who ends up being the target of a white supremacy group. In a shocking twist of events, it is discovered the group is led by a former comrade of Roscoe’s from the military.

“Lucas – Part One” and “Lucas – Part Two” – Haley Joel Osment (already somewhat of a Hollywood veteran) appears as Lucas Simms a seven year old boy who has AIDS. Lucas seeks the help of Walker in an attempt to find his mother.

“Rainbow’s End” – This episode guest stars Randolph Mantooth as James Lee Crown. James is a hrose owner and breeder who will do nearly anything to win races and increase his stud fee.

“Saving Grace” – Only a miracle, and Walker can stop a group of prisoners who’ve escaped from prison that have taken several nuns hostage.

“The Wedding – Part One” – In the series finale, one heck of a cliffhanger ends the fifth season as something happens to Alex at Kim and Phil’s wedding. This episode guest stars Lauralee Bell.

“Mr. Justice” – While Walker believes young offenders can change their ways through his strick boot camp program, a U.S. senator opposes the camp and will do anything to ensure all the offenders end up in jail. This episode guest stars U.S. senator Kay Bailey Hutchinson.

As you can see, not only does the show have some fairly interesting storylines, there are also many talented and interesting guest stars that make an appearance during this season. Besides the guest stars I’ve mentioned above the fifth season also features former wrestler Rowdy Roddy Piper, Branscombe Richmond, Carmen Argenziano, Mackenzie Phillips, Gwen Verdon, the voice of Cam Clarke, David Gallagher, Paul Gleason, Kaj-Erik Erikson, stuntmen Jimmy Ortega and Ousaun Elam, Marco Sanchez (in a reoccurring role as Det. Carlos Sandoval), James Wlcek (in a reoccurring role as Trent Malloy), Danny Trejo and Tobin Bell.

As you might imagine, the acting for Walker, Texas Ranger is top notch. Not only is the cast talented, but with so many excellent guest stars, all of the actors are able to play off each other fairly well. Sure, there are the corny moments. A show like this wouldn’t end right if the good guys didn’t find a way to win. Still, the storylines, plots and overall writing come together nicely thanks to all of the creative individuals who worked together to develop this amazing television series.

Storyline/Plot: [rating:]
Replayability: [rating:]
Acting: [rating:]
Directing: [rating:]

Audio/Visual:
You shouldn’t be surprised to hear the video for the episodes in the Walker, Texas Ranger: The Complete Fifth Season box set are presented at a 1.33:1 aspect ratio. This standard, full frame transfer is standard for television shows. On occasion, an anamorphic widescreen transfer can be found in a TV box set, but especially with shows made a decade or so ago, the standard full frames are more likely to be found. The video is pretty good considering this season was shot in the 1990s. There were minimal visual flaws and the quality looks as good, if not better than when the show was made.

The sound for Walker, Texas Ranger: The Complete Fifth Season is as standard as the video quality. While the sound came through clearly and once I set the sound there was no need for toggling, it really wasn’t anything special. While it got the job done, it wasn’t as cool as the soundtracks you hear on movies and many of today’s television shows. The sound is presented in English Dolby Digital Stereo. This is common for television shows, especially those that are a decade (or more) old. Subtitles are also available in English.

Visual: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Audio: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Bonus Features:
No big surprise here. There are absolutely no bonus features on the Walker, Texas Ranger: The Complete Fifth Season DVD. This is typical for a box set released by CBS and Paramount.

Bonus Features: [rating:]

Bottom Line:
Walker, Texas Ranger, even in its fifth season, is a well written, well acted show. This show had a huge fan following especially throughout the middle seasons. It certainly was a hit for CBS. If you’re a fan of the series, I highly recommend picking up a copy of Walker, Texas Ranger: The Complete Fifth Season. If you’ve never seen the show, the Hallmark Channel airs reruns regularly. Check it out there or rent this DVD. I recommend starting with season one if you want to get into this series. Either way, this DVD box set is definitely worth the purchase.

Overall Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Technorati Tags: Walker, Texas Ranger, The Complete Fifth Season, TV Box Set, CBS, Chuck Norris, Parmaount, DVD Review, Action, Drama

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The second season was an exciting time for the cast of The Streets of San Francisco. The show was finally being recognized at this point. The ratings were going up, nominations were pouring in, and life was pretty decent. It’s fairly safe to say that Streets was destined to be a hit. Not only does it include Michael Douglas, it was also produced by Quinn Martin Productions. While the name probably does not sound familiar now, this group was credited with producing popular shows like Cannon, The Invaders, The Fugitive, and Barnaby Jones.

This is actually my first encounter with Streets. That is not to say that’s a bad thing, it’s just that I had no clue that the show existed before it hit my desk. What I found was a fairly basic cop drama. Set in San Francisco and actually filmed there, the show offers a realistic setting and some interesting storylines. Most of it isn’t life changing, but if I have some time to kill and need something to do, I could easily see myself watching this to fill that time gap.

Release Information:
The Streets of San Francisco was on the air for about five seasons and a total of 119 episodes, from start to finish. No one was quite sure how the show would fare, when it started its run against two popular shows, The Mary Tyler Moore Show and The Bob Newhart Show. After the first season, the show moved from Fridays to Thursdays. The first volume of the second season of The Streets of San Francisco was released on July 1st, 2008.

You should be able to find The Streets of San Francisco - The Second Season, Vol. 1 just about anywhere that TV box sets are sold. If you are shopping online, Amazon is offering it for $29.99, which includes free shipping.

The The Streets of San Francisco - The Second Season, Vol. 1 Plot
When it comes to The Streets of San Francisco what you have is a pretty decent, albeit standard crime drama. The acting is good, the storylines are well thought out, and there is some good old fashioned police work at play, more often than not. This isn’t a CSI based show where there is some essential mystery to figure out. In fact, I don’t recall one mystery-based episode in this entire set. Instead, the cops work the beat and eventually catch their bad guy. No fuss, no muss.

Even the character line in this series is something that has been done a million times before. The main character, Lieutenant Mike Stone (Karl Malden) is the veteran on the force, with twenty years under his belt. His partner, a college-educated rookie, Steve Keller (Michael Douglas) is an interesting choice for this opposites attract match. Keller is hip and with the times, and with some college under his belt he seems smart enough to know when to take risks and when to follow orders. The men work together to solve the crimes of San Francisco. When it comes to season two that means they handle some robberies, some prostitution problems, and a few other things that vary in excitement.

One of the best things about this show was the guests that appeared on the show for one reason or another. Season two, or at least the first half, was a star studded event, with visits from Martin Sheen, Tom Bosley, Vic Morrow, Henry Silva, Michael Constantine, John Kerr, Leif Erikson, Darlene Carr, Rick Nelson, Leslie Nielsen, Jessica Walter, and Mariette Hartley, to name a few.

After some time, the show can offer a predictable feel to it. The main problem is that the show is so structured that it becomes obvious what methods the writers will take. Good acting makes up for this though and the show remains enjoyable overall. I think for this reason I enjoyed the episode “Before I Die” the most. This was one of the few episodes that were harder to predict. In fact, I didn’t see the twist coming to change the course of the episode.

Some other good episodes include “Harem”, which has Stone’s daughter (Darleen Carr) helping to break up a prostitution ring and “The Stamp of Death”, where a man ends up being murdered over a stamp collection. “Betrayed” includes a younger Martin Sheen that steals money from the company he works for and eventually robs a bank to put the money back. Unfortunately, the robbery goes wrong and people get hurt. All of these episodes were well crafted, and though at times predictable, they were some of my favorites in this set.

The eleven episodes in this Season Two, Volume One box set include:

A Wrongful Death
Betrayed
For the Love of God
Before I Die
Going Home
The Stamp of Death
Harem
No Badge for Benjy
The Twenty-Four Karat Plague
Shield of Honor
The Victims

Storyline/Plot: 4 out of 5 stars
Replayability: 5 out of 5 stars
Acting: 5 out of 5 stars
Directing: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Audio/Visual:
The Streets of San Francisco: Season Two, Volume One is shown with an aspect ratio of 1.33:1. This is standard for any television drama, but could cause some problems with shows that are older in years. Surprisingly, there weren’t many problems visually to report. The video was sharp and the colors were good. There were some age specs and the occasional bout of noise, but it was really much better than I expected it would be. Compression artifacts occur every now and then, but the result of this trip to DVD worked out quite well.

The audio, on the other hand did not fare as well though still was not a complete waste. More than anything, the audio is guilty of being plain. The sound came through remarkably well. However, it suffers from being incredibly standard. Rather than offering a dynamic sound, all the dialogue, music, and other sounds are meshed into one mix, using only the center channel. Of course, that is pretty standard for Dolby Digital Mono. The track is available in both English and Spanish. Subtitles are also available in both languages. While disappointing, it shouldn’t bother the average viewer too much, and certainly doesn’t remove enjoyment from the show.

Visual: 4 out of 5 stars
Audio: 3 out of 5 stars

Bonus Features:
Bonus features are completely absent from this three disc set.

Bonus Features: 0 out of 5 stars

Bottom Line:
The Streets of San Francisco: Season Two, Volume One is one of the better crime dramas of its generation. While there was plenty of entertaining competition, Streets managed to hold its own, thanks to good acting, and tons of guest stars. This eleven episode set is just a small taste of Season Two, but if you’re a fan it will be a taste well worth the purchase. If you’re new to the show, but like Cop Dramas, you should fare pretty well. Starting with season one is recommended, though if you don’t you won’t have any problem figuring what is going on in this set. If you have not seen the show, I highly recommend renting it first. Otherwise, fans will likely want to pick this up.

Overall Rating: 3.64 out of 5 stars

Technorati Tags: Movie, DVD Review, TV on DVD, Cop Dramas, CBS, Paramount, Michael Douglas, Karl Malden, The Streets of San Francisco, Season Two, Volume One

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**I’m going to warn you right now – This review possibly contains spoilers.

Once again the box office and the critics disagree. I am one of those critics that usually won’t go with the flow. I liked Vantage Point. A thriller in the best sense, the interwoven storylines, while inevitably predictable in theory give you just enough information throughout each segment to keep you wanting more.

While I thought I had figured out part of what happened I didn’t know why it had happened. The simple reality of the why left me slightly shell shocked. Could it be that a film was echoing the sentiment of the millions of Americans who spoke of the embattled and embittered war we’re going through right now?

I hate to give away what’s going to happen. Still, down to the vary last seconds of the film, all of the stories that tie into what seems like one event come together to paint one whole picture. When watching Vantage Point, I sort of felt like I was looking at one of those puzzles you have to figure out. Every few minutes a foggy piece of the puzzle becomes clear until every piece is revealed. With every second that passes in this heart pounding drama, new information comes into light and the mystery of ‘who’, ‘what’, and ‘why’ eventually is revealed.

I don’t know what critics seem to want from these types of movies because I felt Vantage Point hit the nail on the head when it came to getting down the “thriller” aspect of the film without pause. Either way, I liked this film and I’m already going to recommend it though for more information on the film, you should continue to read my review.

Release Information:
Vantage Point was originally released in theaters on February 22, 2008. While the movie was panned by critics the box office sang another tune. The film debuted at #1 during its opening weekend at the box office grossing $22.8 million. Since then, the movie has grossed over 171 million worldwide.

Vantage Point is being distributed by Sony Pictures. The movie is set to be released on DVD on July 1, 2008. Vantage Point will be available in most local retailers after the first. You can order the movie online at Amazon for $22.99 USD in a Two-Disc Special Edition and $16.99 in a single disc edition. What’s funny is the only thing added on the two disc set in terms of bonuses is the fact that the second disc includes a digital copy. All the bonus features otherwise remain the same. This review is for the single disc widescreen edition.

Vantage Point Plot
Vantage Point tells the same 23 minutes of a central event from eight different character perspectives. The story revolves around a terrorist plot to kill the president of the United States. During a summit on terrorism in Salamanca, Spain, the president of the United States, Henry Ashton (William Hurt) is shot. What is soon discovered is the plot is much more complicated and involved than just a simple assassination attempt. With the president of the United States hoping to announce a peace agreement, a terrorist organization has infiltrated the summit and will stop at nothing to destroy all peace talks by provoking U.S. retaliation.

The story for Vantage Point adds every layer together and connects certain storylines to one another until they overlap and the greater picture can be found. This is an unusual but effective way to tell the story. With each montage playing out, the urgency to know the bigger picture becomes greater. I was quite impatient with this movie because I wanted to know why the events were happening and how everything worked out in the end.

The first montage tells the initial story of the summit and the shooting of the president through the eyes of Rex Brooks (Sigourney Weaver). Brooks is a news producer for the GNN network. Through her perspective, we see the events unfold from the control station where Rex is instructing cameramen and anchorwoman, Angie Jones (Zoe Saldana) to tell what is happening throughout various moments during the 23-minute span of the montage. It is here where we see the initial moments of the attack and the damage caused specifically at the square where the summit has been held.

From here, the perspective changes to that of Secret Service agents Thomas Barnes (Dennis Quaid) and Kent Taylor (Matthew Fox). This obviously gives another perspective and introduces the audience to new characters who will later share their own perspectives. There are further perspectives including that of American tourist Howard Lewis (Forest Whitaker), who catches the events on his camcorder, a police officer sent to protect the mayor of Salamancha, Enrique (Eduardo Noriega) and the perspective of the president, Howard Ashton.

It’s hard to give any more details about the storyline for Vantage Point without giving away the plot. The movie is fast paced, intense and interesting. The acting was excellent, especially by Dennis Quaid. With as many big name actors as there are in this film, it should be good. It’s hard to say Forest Whitaker did an awful job or Sigourney Weaver just didn’t nail her part because these are the actors that consistently go out there and show their acting prowess.

I don’t think some people will like Vantage Point simply because the formula for the film isn’t traditional. People expect to see a movie that has the beginning, middle, and end all in a row. It’s often the films like this, that go in obscure sequences (21 Grams is a good example – excellent film, but it was very frenetic in the way it jumped back and forth between sequences until the bigger picture was revealed) and only reveal so much information per sequence. I liked this film and I’m not one to listen to other critics. Make your own judgment with this film, because there is something there. It’s not the best film I’ve seen all year, but it holds exceptional promise and kept me quite entertained throughout.

While many critics are spouting off about the believability factor to this movie, I have to wonder if we’ve forgot the entire point of movies. Isn’t it in our best interest, in most cases, to suspend our beliefs and skew our sense of reality? Sure, maybe this exact plot wouldn’t happen, but that’s the beauty of movies. Anything can happen. It doesn’t have to be realistic in the real world because for the 1-2 hours it is on the screen it is all the reality anyone needs. The creators are enthusiastic about the story in Vantage Point and so are the actors. This comes through clearly and adds to the quality of the storytelling.

Storyline/Plot: 4 out of 5 stars
Replayability: 4 out of 5 stars
Acting: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Directing: 4 out of 5 stars

Audio/Visual:
The visual quality is quite good save for some minor compression errors and multiple instances of edge enhancements. Otherwise, the color palette is good with a full range of colors. The black has depth to it and the rest of the colors are vibrantly realistic. The video for Vantage Point is presented in an anamorphic widescreen format at a 2.40:1 aspect ratio. Overall, the quality is decent though it would have been nice if the film was a bit cleaner when it comes to the visual errors. Still, unless you’re looking for errors you probably won’t notice them.

The sound for Vantage Point comes through loud and clearly. Sound effects, musical elements and dialogue all come through evenly so volume toggling isn’t an issue. The Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack in English features closed captioning. It sounded excellent for a fast-packed, action thriller. There are various other sound tracks available on this DVD. The language options are Dolby Digital 5.1 in Spanish, Portuguese and Thai and Dolby Digital Surround in French. All soundtracks are available with closed captioning. There are subtitles for the film, which are available in English, Spanish, French, Thai, Chinese, Korean and Portuguese.

Visual: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Audio: 4 out of 5 stars

Bonus Features:
There are quite a few, in depth features added to the single DVD release of Vantage Point. The first is a commentary with the director of the film, Pete Travis. Travis is a bit too enthusiastic and appreciative of his filmmaking for my tastes. Sure, I liked the movie, but there is nothing like patting yourself on the back, too much. There is also a lot of praise for the film in an extensive interview section with the cast and crew in a featurette called “An Inside Perspective”. It is clear the actors are all passionate about the film’s message and their part in making this movie.

While labeled as outtakes, the featurette, “Surveillance Tapes”, is actually a gag that was pulled by the director of the film. It would have been much cooler to see a gag reel with outtakes of the cast and crew. This was the most disappointing featurette in the bunch. There is your standard, run of the mill, making of featurette known as “Coordinating the Chaos”, and more behind the scenes information is provided in the final featurette called “Plotting an Assassination”.

Bonus Features: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Bottom Line:
Most critics didn’t seem to like Vantage Point, but I’m not most critics. I found the fast paced drama to be wholly enjoyable and despite some minor predictability there were plenty of surprises that I had not anticipated. Sure, the storyline seems almost manic in its quick paced movement and differing perspectives, but that is a part of the movie’s charm. Vantage Point isn’t your typical film and therefore, it isn’t going to be liked by everyone. While I would purchase this DVD again in a heartbeat, others may scoff at the film’s very existence. I recommend renting before buying just to make sure it’s the kind of movie you’ll want to own.

Overall Rating: 3.93 out of 5 stars

Technorati Tags: Vantage Point, DVD Review, Conspiracy, Dennis Quaid, Matthew Fox, Forest Whitaker, Thriller, Political, Terrorism

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I really didn’t know how I felt about having to review a movie called The Tattooist. I’m not one of those people who think tattoos are bad. I’m also not a tattoo fanatic. I was unsure about an entire movie that revolved around tattoos and tattooing. Starting out as a lesson in the cultural practice of tattooing, the The Tattooist quickly becomes a thriller/horror movie with a fast paced storyline.

The Tattooist isn’t the best movie I’ve seen in recent days, but it is something I’d watch again. It’s a movie that is enjoyable and perhaps even a bit shocking. While some aspects of the movie are predictable as the movie goes along (I had a few “I bet this is going to happen” moments) this doesn’t seem to detract from the overall appeal of The Tattooist.

Release Information:
The Tattooist is a film that comes out of New Zealand. The film was actually co-produced between the countries of New Zealand and Singapore, and that is why the film debuted in New Zealand on August 30, 2007 and Singapore on November 29, 2007. The film has never been released in U.S. theaters though its main star is American.

The Tattooist comes to North America courtesy of Sony Pictures. The Home Entertainment division has released The Tattooist on DVD. It became available in the United States on June 24, 2008. The Tattooist can be purchased at a variety of online and offline retailers. Online, at Amazon, The Tattooist is available for $19.99 USD.

The Tattooist Plot
The Tattooist is actually quite an interesting film. It stars American actor, Jason Behr, who some people might recognize from the television show Roswell and the American remake of The Grudge. Behr stars as Jake Sawyer, a man who has been obsessed with tattoos since his childhood.

While working as a tattoo artist in Singapore, he plays on the Ancient traditions of tattooing and healing, often bringing a spiritual and healing element to the tattoos he gives. Of course, when his tattoos don’t always heal, he faces the wrath of angry individuals, even those he told to see a doctor. Still, Jake’s obsession leads him to a place where the ritual tatu is being performed.

His interest in tatu is enhanced by the beauty of a girl involved in the Ancient Samoan practice. Taking one of the tatu tools, without permission, Jake ends up accidentally cutting his hand on the instrument and that’s when many weird things start to happen. While his hand continuously aches and the cut seems to go from better to worse and back to better again, Jake also experiences frequent nightmares, all of which he attributes to the cut by the instrument. Discontented, he heads to New Zealand, to try and find the man (and the girl) from whom he stole the instrument.

In New Zealand, Jake shacks up with his old friend and tattooing mentor, Crash (Michael Hurst). Crash gives him a job in his tattoo parlor and a place to stay above the shop. In the meantime, Crash is helping Jake out by trying to find the tatu artists. Once Crash finds the group, Jake hooks up with Sina (Mia Blake), the cousin of the tatu artist and the niece of Mr Va’a (David Fane), a well respected artist of tatu in the Samoan community. Mr. Va’a has passed down his skills to Sina’s cousin, though he still is highly regarded.

In New Zealand, Jake’s customers start dying off, the tattoos he gave them killing them. Thinking that he’s unleashed some dark spirit that has to do with tatu, Jake must seek help from a Samoan community that dislikes outsiders, especially arrogant ones who take their tattooing gifts for granted. Of course, this is easier said than done.

The acting for The Tattooist was decent. I only knew Behr by name and I only knew him in passing. All of the characters from Jake to Mr. Va’a were played well, making the acting one of the strongest parts of the movie. The plot for The Tattooist was pretty good. While I was able to predict the ending at one point in the middle of the movie, it isn’t evident when the initial storytelling is going on though the beginning of the movie does foreshadow the ending. Overall, this movie is suspenseful though slightly flawed.

Storyline/Plot: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Replayability: 4 out of 5 stars
Acting: 4 out of 5 stars
Directing: 4 out of 5 stars

Audio/Visual:
The video quality for The Tattooist was quite fresh. Colors came through naturally and everything was bright with good contrast. The black tones had depth to them and overall, this was one of the best elements of this DVD. The specs for the video quality of The Tattooist are 1.98:1 anamorphic widescreen. For what it’s worth, I was impressed by the quality of a film I assume didn’t have a huge budget.

The sound for The Tattooist was disappointing. The English Dolby Digital 5.1 with Closed Captioning was all over the place. I had to toggle the volume consistently. The music didn’t mesh well with the dialogue. It was a mess. There is also a Dolby Digital French 5.1 track with closed captioning. Luckily, there are subtitles available in English, Spanish and French so you can follow along with what is going on by reading the text (and less volume toggling is necessary as a result).

Visual: 4 out of 5 stars
Audio: 2.5 out of 5 stars

Bonus Features:
The Tattooist has multiple bonus features. There were a surprising amount of bonuses found on a DVD I assume was made on a lower budget than most of the blockbusters we see coming from U.S. studios. The bonuses start with a digital copy. This allows the movie to easily be transferred and saved onto a computer.

The bonuses continue with a The Tattooist Behind the Scenes feature. This is the standard behind the scenes featurette, which offers a look at filming and discussion with the creators of the movie about their vision for the film. There are some deleted scenes and there is also an audio commentary. The commentary features director Peter Burger and actor Jason Behr. I found it pretty interesting, but that’s just my opinion.

The bonuses are rounded out with a series of featurettes. There is a Behind the Tattoo Designs Featurette, which examines the various tattoo designs and their meanings. There is a Real Life Samoan Tattoo Featurette, about the tattoo culture in Samoa. Finally, there are two additional featurettes called Becoming a Chief and The Colors of The Tattooist. All of these featurettes are interesting and make a great addition to this DVD.

Bonus Features: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Bottom Line:
The Tattooist was a surprisingly enjoyable film. While this horror inspired, supernatural thriller might not appeal to everyone, the story is comprehensive, the characters are interesting, and the plot moves along nicely, providing for an overall entertaining movie. If you are a fan of these types of films, pick up The Tattooist without further thought. Otherwise, this is one you�ll want to rent first, just in case it’s not up your alley.

Overall Rating: 3.79 out of 5 stars

Technorati Tags: The Tattooist, Sony, DVD Review, Jason Behr, Home Entertainment, Mia Blake, Peter Burger, New Zealand, Tattoo, Singapore

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I’m not overly fond of the sentimental, chick-friendly flicks that so many men try to get out of watching with their girlfriends. While Bonneville has that chick-flick vibe, it also has big name actors. Seldom have I found a Kathy Bates movie I didn’t like. With her résumé including movies like Fried Green Tomatoes and Misery, it’s hard not to like Kathy in any of her roles. Now that she’s getting older, she’s being asked to play more mature roles.

The role she plays in Bonneville is rather spunky. The movie will appeal to mainly women, but it also tells a story that many men will find interesting. I don’t really want to classify this as a chick flick, because it’s not your standard, Cameron Diaz, lame-o chick flick. The story has depth. Rather, it is a sentimental journey of the human spirit. I enjoyed Bonneville not only because it had a story to tell, but also because the acting was flawless, the cast was stellar, and the movie made sense. Older individuals will be able to relate to this story, and as I age, I find myself asking the questions that are brought up through the story told by Daniel D. Davis.

Release Information:
Bonneville premiered at the Toronto Film Festival on September 11, 2006. For some reason, this film seemed to sit on the shelf for the past two years, though it did make two appearances at the Deauville Festival of American Cinema in France and the Film by the Sea Festival in September of 2007. On February 29, 2008, Bonneville had a limited U.S and Canadian theatrical release. That brings us to today.

On June 24, 2008, 20th Century Fox will be releasing Bonneville on DVD. The DVD is available for pre-order at a wide variety of stores online, including Amazon. At Amazon, you can find a pre-order copy of Bonneville for $19.99 USD.

The Bonneville Plot
Three talented actresses, Jessica Lange, Kathy Bates, and Joan Allen star alongside Tom Skeritt in this story about a woman who must move on after the death of her husband. The emotions displayed by Jessica Lange come off the screen to touch each viewer. It’s easy to see why this magnificent actress has won two Oscars.

Lange plays Arvilla Holden, the much younger wife of what seems like a free spirited traveler by the name of Joe. When Joe dies, Arvilla is unable to find his will, which states he wishes to be cremated. His daughter, Francine (Christine Baranski), who is not much younger than her stepmother (though Arvilla and Joe have had 20 excellent years together), has an old will leaving his house to Francine and telling of his wish to be interred in the Holden family plot in Santa Barbara next to Francine’s mother.

Despite being cremated already, Francine is rigid in her request that Arvilla deliver the ashes to Francine, in Santa Barbara. She decides to make her stepmother, who she obviously doesn’t care much for, an offer. If she delivers Joe’s ashes to her then Arvilla can keep her house. If she doesn’t, Francine will be selling it. At the insistence of her two best friends, Margene (Kathy Bates) and Carol (Joan Allen), Arvilla realizes that Joe wouldn’t want her to lose the house, so she makes the difficult decision to give Francine the ashes.

Originally preparing to fly, Arvilla convinces Margene and Carol to come with her to Santa Barbara. However, Arvilla never intended to fly. That’s just how she convinced the rather conservative, Mormon Carol to leave her husband, Arlo (Tom Wopat) long enough to go from their homes in Idaho to Santa Barbara. Instead, Arvilla takes the three on a road trip in Joe’s beloved Bonneville convertible (it looks like it’s a 63’ though I’m not positive), traveling the same path Joe drove them from Santa Barbara to their new home in Idaho some 20 years before.

Along the way, Arvilla takes them to the beautiful places Joe once took her, including the Bonneville Salt Flats. It is here where Arvilla drives so fast the lid blows off the urn and some of Joe’s ashes scatter across the flats. This is where she realizes she has an obligation to spread Joe’s ashes as he would have wanted, though she knows she may face many consequences if Francine finds out what she has done.

In the salt flats, the three meet a young man, Bo (Victor Rasuk), who is on a quest to find his father. He helps the three to repair their tire and teaches them some valuable lessons. The ladies also meet a trucker by the name of Emmett (Tom Skerritt), who is the potential love interest for the single Margene. Emmett has his own secrets from his past and he brings something to the story, which adds another layer to the ongoing action.

It is hard to say any movie with a cast like this is terrible. Truth be told, I enjoyed the sentimentality of the movie. The movie asks some pretty big questions. It’s inevitable that you’ll ask yourself whether you would do what Arvilla did and risk losing everything you own or not. It seems like it should be the right of every person who is married (or partnered) to fulfill their lover’s last wishes. Still, the story just emphasizes the importance of having a will with directives for how you wish to be buried, updating that directive, and keeping it in a safe place.

I found pleasure in the story for Bonneville more than I thought I would. This story actually made me feel something. I was empathetic with the characters, especially Arvilla who seems absolutely lost without Joe. The plot for Bonneville was well written and the characters were all very interesting. It was great to see Joan Allen play such a skittish, nervous, yet caring and giving person. Kathy Bates was the more adventurous Mormon in the story and I love any role Kathy does, where she gets to be her version of risqué (though let me say Mormons aren’t big risk takers, in general). The supporting characters played their roles well and the story moved along nicely without any type of lull or stagnant moments that can ruin a movie like this.

Storyline/Plot: 4 out of 5 stars
Replayability: 4 out of 5 stars
Acting: 5 out of 5 stars
Directing: 4 out of 5 stars

Audio/Visual:
I received a screener copy of Bonneville. I can’t really give a rating on the quality simply because I’m not sure how many changes the 20th Century Fox distributors will make before the final copy is released. What is available is widescreen with a 2.35:1 aspect ratio. The colors look vibrant, the contrast is sharp with very little softness, and there were only a few instances of grain and dirt. Overall, everything looked quite good.

The sound for Bonneville was slightly better than the video quality. Bonneville features an English Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack. It also has subtitles in both Spanish and English. Closed Captioning is available for the hearing impaired. The sound comes through clearly and I didn’t have to play with the volume. Everything sounded even and there was even some depth to the soundtrack when necessary.

Bonus Features:
Bonneville is an excellent movie. Therefore, I was not expecting very many (if any) bonus features. I was pleasantly surprised to find a few bonuses fans of the movie (and its lovely cast) will like.

While the bonuses aren’t plentiful what is there includes a behind the scenes featurette, with a look at the production of the movie along with discussions about Bonneville with the cast and crew. There are some alternate scenes, a set of deleted scenes and finally, there is a gag reel. Typically, you see gag reels with comedy movies (and less talented casts). It is nice to have a sneak peek at the lighter moments of making a movie of this caliber.

Bonus Features: 3 out of 5 stars

Bottom Line:
Bonneville is a heartfelt tale of love and loss. Even if you aren’t into chick flicks, you should check this movie out. The acting is superb and the story is comprehensive enough to be interesting. I enjoyed watching Bonneville, despite hating chick flicks so that says a lot for this movie. Jessica Lange puts in an amazing performance, which is just part of the reason Bonneville is highly recommended.

Overall Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Technorati Tags: Bonneville, 20th Century Fox, DVD Review, Jessica Lange, Kathy Bates, Joan Allen, Tom Skerritt, Death, Road Trip, Salt Flats, Mormon

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To enter you need to be 18 years of age and a resident of the US. If you have won a contest within the last 30 days you are not eligible. Winners will be announced here. If we do not hear from you within 3 weeks from the date the winners are announced you forfeit your prize and we will select another winner. Prizes will be shipped within 45 days from the day you win.

We will begin choosing winners for this the week of July 28, 2008, which means you have until July 27, 2008 at 11:59 to enter.

From the Press Release
The Love Guru Soundtrack deluxe prizepack. The prizepack contains:
- CD of The Love Guru soundtrack
- A Love Guru t-shirt
- A Love Guru poster autographed by Mike Myers

The Love Guru Pitka reveals all wisdom through song! The Love Guru soundtrack features a myriad of tracks from the movie, as well as several undertakings recorded by the Guru himself, Mike Myers. Out everywhere on June 17th via Lakeshore Records and exclusively on iTunes June 3rd, the soundtrack includes exclusive worldly tracks by George S. Clinton and Robbie Nevil. Catching the whimsical, enlightening peril of the Love Guru, the soundtrack features Mike Meyer’s renditions of classic tunes such as Dolly Parton’s “9 to 5″ and Steve Miller Band’s “The Joker.” Peppering in a mix of songs from Celine Dion and Cornershop as well as a smashing rehash of Extreme’s “More Than Words, “The Love Guru Soundtrack offers up a feel good mix for music and Mike Meyers fans alike.

The Love Guru Pitka, is an American who was left at the gates of an ashram in India as a child and was raised by gurus. He moves back to the U.S. to seek fame and fortune in the world of self-help and spirituality. His journey brings him through a plethora of comedic situations, yielding humor in Mike Myer’s signature fashion. Chock full of intercultural conflict, stark revelation and infectious tunes. The Love Guru imparts vision and rhythm in his own way!

NOTE: Due to issues beyond our control we needed to end this contest early. The winner has been notified via email to claim their prize - We appreciate everyone’s entry and wish you luck on all of our other contests.

Technorati Tags: Love Guru, T-Shirt, CD, Poster, Autographed, Mike Myers, Deluxe Prizepack, Contest, Giveaway, Love Guru, Literary Illusions

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To enter you need to be 18 years of age and a resident of the US. If you have won a contest within the last 30 days you are not eligible. Winners will be announced here. If we do not hear from you within 3 weeks from the date the winners are announced you forfeit your prize and we will select another winner. Prizes will be shipped within 45 days from the day you win.

We will begin choosing winners for this the week of July 16, 2008, which means you have until July 15, 2008 at 11:59 to enter.

From the Press Release
Stop Loss
MTV Films’ emotionally gripping story of a group of friends struggling with personal battles and moral conflict arrives on DVD when STOP-LOSS debuts July 8, 2008 from Paramount Home Entertainment. Featuring a sensational cast including Ryan Phillippe (Flags Of Our Fathers), Channing Tatum (A Guide To Recognizing Your Saints), Joseph Gordon-Levitt (The Lookout), Timothy Olyphant (“Deadwood”), Abbie Cornish (Elizabeth: The Golden Age) and Ciaran Hinds (There Will Be Blood), STOP-LOSS is the second feature film from award-winning director Kimberly Peirce (Boys Don’t Cry).

“Raw and riveting” (Peter Travers, Rolling Stone), STOP-LOSS is “a defining movie about a new generation of heroes” (Pat Collins, WWOR) that realistically captures the challenges facing so many young people in America today. The STOP-LOSS DVD includes commentary by Kimberly Peirce and co-writer Mark Richard, “The Making of STOP-LOSS”, “A Day in Boot Camp” and deleted scenes with optional commentary.

Technorati Tags: DVD, Movie, Drama, Paramount, Contest, Giveaway, Ryan Phillippe, Abbie Cornish, Stop Loss, Contest, Giveaway, Literary Illusions

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I am not quite sure why, but when I first heard about the show Army Wives I immediately thought that the show was reality television. I suppose with all the war talk and experiences that are going on, it was a natural thought. However, I never turned it on for that reason. It wasn’t that I don’t support the troops, because I do, but rather that I didn’t feel the exploitation of the families of servicemen was the right way to go. Boy was I glad to learn that I was completely wrong.

This DVD box set showed up on my doorstep and my first thought was to cringe. I turned the box over to read the description and was pleasantly surprised to find that this show is fictional. The description led to my being curious, though I was still hesitant as it is a Lifetime show and I am not a huge fan of the Woman’s Network. Regardless, the DVDs were placed in the player and I set out to watch them with the most unbiased viewpoint possible, now that I finally knew what the show was actually about.

Release Information:
Army Wives may be fictional, though it is actually based on a non-fiction book, The Unwritten Code of Military Marriage by Tanya Biank. Biank is also a writer on the show, so I imagine that she offers a sense of reality to the show’s themes. The first season of Army Wives ran for 13 episodes. Apparently, it was popular enough to warrant a second season, as this 19 episode season began airing right before the June 10th DVD release of the first season, on June 8, 2008.

Army Wives: The Complete First Season contains all 13 episodes and an array of special features on three discs. The DVD was made available for purchase on June 10th, 2008 and is currently available at a wide variety of retailers. You can pick up Army Wives: The Complete First Season at Amazon for $32.99.

The Army Wives: The Complete First Season Plot
Army Wives is an hour long drama that ends up being between 40-42 minutes per episode when commercials have been cut. The series tells the tale of four women and a man that are forced to cope with being married to someone in the military, specifically the Army. Each of the spouses on the show is affected by this lifestyle differently, so the show works to show the differences in women (and man) while overlapping the storylines whenever possible.

The group includes Denise Sherwood (Catherine Bell), Roxy LeBlanc (Sally Pressman), Pamela Moran (Brigid Brannagh), Claudia Joy Holden (Kim Delaney), and the solitary man of the group Roland Burton (Sterling K. Brown). Denise struggles with being the wife of a controlling husband and a son that is completely disrespectful. One of the quieter wives, it seems the thing that Denise wants more than anything is just to have a voice of her own. Roxy is the new wife in town and as a carefree girl. It seems she has a rough time handling the organization that is around every corner.

Meanwhile, Pamela works so hard to keep things normal at home that she cannot even seem to settle down and enjoy time with her family. Claudia is often seen as the voice of reason. Her husband is a colonel, so she is no stranger to Army living, though her biggest challenge often includes keeping her personal matters separate from her husband’s job. Finally, we have the lone male of the group, Roland. Roland is the base psychiatrist and he has not been with his wife in two years. Unfortunately, she comes home a changed woman and connecting with her is not as sweet as he thought it would be in his dreams.

The first few episodes tend to be a little bit shaky because there is just so much going on. While you are trying to figure out who is who and what their point is on the show, everything seems to just be mushed in together awkwardly. This doesn’t last too long, but the first few episodes tend to feel incredibly touch and go. My favorite episodes deal with morality vs. duty. There are a few episodes that touch on this, and they always end up being more interesting than the re-hashed storylines that we have seen on other shows before.

The thing that really sets this show apart is the wonderful performances from each of the actors. At times, the writing can seem forced or indecisive, but the actors seem to find a way to make things work out in the end. They are by far, the most memorable part of this series. Thanks to them, the characters come out with a grace and memorability that would not have been present had the cast included actors with less skill.

My biggest problem with the writing often deals with the dialogue. In this area the writers seem to have the biggest problem. The character’s lines often come off as being forced. Not only that, but in most cases the thoughts of the characters are laid out for the viewer as if they are not able to catch what good writing and acting could have told them all on its own.

Despite the small flaws, Army Wives is more enjoyable than I thought it would be. The cast really does the show wonders, despite mediocre writing. Even with writing that it is not as good as needed, the storylines are handled with dignity and the respect necessary for a possibly delicate subject.

The episodes are available in the following order.

Disc 1
1. A Tribe is Born
2. After Birth
3. The Art of Separation
4. One of Our Own

Disc 2
5. Independence Day
6. Who We Are
7. Hail and Farewell
8. Only the Lonely
9. Nobody’s Perfect

Disc 3
10. Dirty Laundry
11. Truth Consequences
12. Rules of Engagement
13. Goodbye Stranger

Storyline/Plot: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Replayability: 4 out of 5 stars
Acting: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Directing: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Audio/Visual:
The visual quality for Army Wives is presented with an aspect ratio of 1.78:1 in anamorphic widescreen. The transfer comes through quite well. The colors are strong and the visual quality overall is solid. There are the occasional bouts of blurriness and at times there are some noticeably soft moments, but there isn’t much here in the visual quality to complain about.

The audio is handled with Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound. Things are pretty tame in this department. It doesn’t seem that all the advantages of the 5.1 have been used, but for a dialogue-centered show the sound is definitely passable. The speech sounds beautiful and the music is clear and strong, without taking over the scene. For a television drama, this works just fine.

Visual: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Audio: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Bonus Features:
If you love this show you will be thrilled by the amount of special features that are available to you here. Things get started with a total of five audio commentaries. There are two audio commentaries on the pilot episode, one with the creators of the show, Marshall Persinger, and Deborah Spera. The second commentary is by director, Ben Younger, and the director of photography, Lloyd Ahern. Of the two, the first comes more recommended than the second.

The other episodes with commentaries include “Independence Day”, “Dirty Laundry”, and “Goodbye Stranger”. These all offer a little more depth, at times, because all of these commentaries include various actors from the show. Kim Delaney and Catherine Bell appear on the “Independence Day” commentary; Brian McNamara, Wendy Davis, and Sterling K. Brown appear on the “Dirty Laundry” track, and Brigid Brannagh, Sally Pressman, and Drew Fuller round things out on the “Goodbye Stranger” track. These aren’t going to be something that you will want to watch the first time you see these episodes, but if you’ve already watched them and enjoy the show you might enjoy them.

In addition to the audio commentaries there are a number of featurettes. The featurettes include “Army Wives Gone AWOL”, which provides a dose of outtakes. Some deleted scenes are included in “Missing in Action: Deleted Scenes”. There are eight scenes included. One gives away more than it needed to and the other seven were cut for time. A deleted storyline, or a longer deleted scene is included in “Hump for the Lump: Deleted Story Line”.

“Wives on the Homefront” is up next, serving as a featurette to explain Operation Homefront, a charity that helps Army Wives and their kids. The footage mixes cast interviews and time with real life Army wives. They show the real life wives meeting some of the cast and speaking about their husbands. A lot more could have been done with this one, but as far as special features I have certainly seen worse.

One of the longest special features in this set is “Have at it with Army Wives”. This serves as a Q&A session. Some of the questions prove to be pretty interesting, as they were submitted by fans of the show. The final stop on the special features trail is “Have at it with the Executive Producers”. This is a short interview with Deborah Spera and Mark Gordon. This is by far the worst of all the features because of the over-promotional tone that is involved.

Other than that, the only included extras are trailers for National Treasure: Book of Secrets, College Road Trip, and Enchanted.

Bonus Features: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Bottom Line:
Army Wives: The Complete First Season has its faults, though it’s much better than I thought it was going to be. The acting is definitely the best part of this show. Granted, it’s not going to be for everyone, but even if you think you won’t like it, you should give it a try as you might just surprise yourself. I recommend renting it or checking it out on television, if you’re not generally into female driven dramas. Otherwise, if this is something you love you should definitely pick this up on your next shopping trip.

Overall Rating: 3.86 out of 5 stars

Technorati Tags: TV on DVD, DVD Review, TV Review, Paramount, Disney, Lifetime, Kim Delaney, Sally Pressman, Army Wives, Catherine Bell

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