Amazon.com

Hip spy shows with covert agencies within agencies--like Alias and 24--are missing only one thing: A super-duper armor-plated helicopter with "nuclear-tipped shrike missiles." In the action series Airwolf, a mysterious national security agency called the Firm constructs a "Mach-one-plus chopper that can kick butt," only to have it stolen by the nefarious scientist who designed it (David Hemmings, Blowup, Barbarella). Desperate, the Firm turns to Stringfellow Hawke (Jan Michael Vincent), a soulful, cello-playing, art-loving, eagle-watching, guilt-ridden master pilot. Hawke refuses to help unless the Firm searches for his brother, who went MIA in 'Nam. Of course, he succeeds in his mission, but until the Firm fulfills its side of the bargain, he keeps the chopper--but also agrees to fly covert missions in exchange for tips about government efforts to retrieve Airwolf.

This elaborate setup proves surprisingly durable. The combat scenes in Airwolf are clumsily edited, but the scripts--though firmly in the cheesy techno-thriller vein of Robert Ludlum and Tom Clancy--are pleasantly zippy. While Vincent may have gone on to a straight-to-video career (appearing in such sterling titles as Hidden Obsession, Indecent Behavior, and Animal Instincts), he’s a persuasive and sexy pilot; he's got the same kind of rangy, athletic physicality that makes Kevin Costner convincing as an athlete. Add to this mix the ever-zesty Ernest Borgnine (Marty, The Wild Bunch) and it's clear why Airwolf outlived the similar series Blue Thunder. Most episodes feature international skullduggery with foreign agents trying to steal Airwolf and sell it to the Soviets or Libya, but there are enough clever details to keep you from objecting to the larger absurdity of the all-powerful helicopter. Guest stars include Shannen Doherty (Beverly Hills 90210) and David Carradine (Kill Bill). It's too bad Hemmings didn't become a regular; his sadistic, lecherous traitor gave the two-hour pilot some real juice. --Bret Fetzer ... Read more

Reviews (15)

AWESOME HELICOPTER
This was a pretty cool show with an awesome helicopter. The episode were typical spy stuff for the time. The show as it went on got a little silly. I mean how many scripts can you write that involve a Super helicopter? Plus Jan Michael Vincents drunk induced stupers put an end to the show. Ernest Borgnine was great. Too bad he couldnt slap some sense into Jan.

Airwolf DVD's - Great to see!
Glad to see that this great yet short-lived series from CBS Television has finally made it to DVD!I hope that the studios will continue to release the remaining two original seasons and any outtakes and unaired footage in succession to this package.I can't wait to see the DVD's, as I have all the original episodes (on Super Betamax tape no less) yet still need this collection in DVD also.This was a great adventure show with a great budget!

Airwolf; Great Show, Poor Quality DVD
Ok, lets be realistic here... This is THE 80's show about a superweapon that is basically unstoppable.Yes we've had this before with Knight Rider but in this case we have the awesome theme music and some excellent acting. (at least concerning the 1st season)

So I'd go out on a limb here and say its the best show of the 80's. However the presentation is lacking....
- Menu design is lacking any color or "life"
- No background music in menu's, no animations
- Poor box design... I can do better in photo-paint
- No attempt at cleaning up the image grain or sound
- 2.0 mono... thats right mono,could'nt you at least give us some sort of half assed stereo? Who does'nt have some sort of sound system in 2005?
- The pilot is edited to the TV verison, there is a "movie" verison which I own which contains some swearing and revised music (better music)

+ Its Airwolf
+ The first season is considered the best
+ The Music

Airwolf Season 1 DVD Review
I was looking forward so much to purchasing my Airwolf DVD set, that I forgot all about the shortcommings that one of the greatest shows fom the 80's fell victim to. First of all, I'd give Airwolf a 5/5 for just being an awesome show. Bluethunder never came close to Airwolf! But lets get to the root of the new set:
-First of all the box for season one has pictures on the back from the WORST season (4), and is missing far more note worthy shots of "the lady" and the cast. I could have designed a better package than the one final production box, not to mention it seems tha the box print work has been applied in reverse to standard DVD boxes (ie the front of the box should have the DVD's slide in from the right NOT the left).
-Secondly the cases for the DVD's are the full size cases, which are OK, but most of the new DVD releases have moved to the slim line cases - these big bulky cases lead you to believe that you are getting more than you actually are. There isn't even a picture or book in either of the cases - just a plain double sided DVD.
-Thirdly, the DVD menu offers very little in design features, including NO extras what so ever from a show that so many people have searched all over the internet in search of behind the scenes pictures, clips, and cast interviews. One wonders what the people who produced it were thinking - sadly,it seemes that the shows monetary issues from the 80's are still present in post-production.
-Upon searching for a release date for season 2, it seems that there is no sign of it until the end of 2005 or later- ie no results ANYWHERE where specific.
-The only good thing - which is the most important is the quality of the show. 5/5 for FINALLY bringing back a great show that met with such an unfortunate demise. Episode audio and video quality are great - so I guess that when you really want something that has been so hard to get, you should be more than happy with the quality of a bare bones DVD set that does deliver on the show.

Pretty good
The only reason I did not give this 5 stars was the pilot.My VHS copy of the pilot episode is the British version with all the language.Plus, the DVD version of the pilot lacks the scene where Moffet wipes out a military training camp for the Libyans.They also have an alternate version of the scene where Moffet destroys only TWO French "Mirages"--which were actually old-model Russian MiGs...the scene lacked the comical elevator in the department store comments Moffet made.It did include a few scenes here and there that were not in the British version, though.One such scene was where Hawke and Santini were scouting out the location to eventually hide Airwolf.All in all, a good buy. ... Read more

Description

LIMITED EDITION BOX SET CONTAINS: • Vol. 1: First Move; Vol. 2: Positional Play; Vol. 3: Discovered Attack; Vol. 4: Breakthrough; Vol. 5: Grand Stream; Vol. 6: Queen Delphine; Vol. 7: Sealed Move – IN A COLLECTOR'S BOX! • Limited edition mouse pad (OUTSIDE THE BOX) • Limited edition figurine (OUTSIDE THE BOX)

Set consists of the following titles:

LAST EXILE: VOLUME 1: FIRST MOVE

Japan's top anime creators bring a richly romantic action/adventure fantasy in an imaginary planet where retro-futuristic sky vehicles permeate the skies.Against this lavish background are the lives of young and heroic van ship sky porters – Claus and Lavie – who are forced to take on the mission to deliver a mysterious girl, Alvis, to the battle ship Silvana.Before they know it, they become entangled in an aerial adventure between two countries griped in an eternal war of magnificent air battleships. DVD EXTRAS:  Non-Credit Opening  Original Japanese Opening  Promotion Trailer  Staff Interview (Mahiro Maeda)  Art Gallery  Pioneer Previews
LAST EXILE: POSITIONAL PLAY: VOL. 2 Claus and Lavie deliver Alvis to the airship Silvana's captain, Alex Row.But much to Claus' anger, Alex Row accepts Alvis inhumanely into the Silvana and leaves the duo and their damaged ship behind.Claus and Lavie fly to the Silvana to retrieve Alvis, but the airship is savagely attacked by Guild-controlled, star-shaped vessels.Claus and Lavie are forced to take on the attackers with a borrowed Silvana vanship.The Silvana is severely damaged.Dio Eraclea of the Guild flagship notices Claus' unusual flying talents and vows to have a duel with him. More than ever, Claus and Lavie realize they are wrapped up in the mysterious conspiracies of war controlled by the omnipotent Guild. DVD SPECIAL FEATURES:  Non-Credit Ending  Original Japanese Ending  Commercial Collections  Art Gallery  Geneon Animation Previews
LAST EXILE: DISCOVERED ATTACK: VOL. 3 Claus and Lavie participate in an eight-hour endurance vanship race, and are joined by Dio Eraclea who tries to befriend Claus.Tatiana also participates in the race, but she is actually on a secret mission under Alex Row's direction.In the meantime, Alex row bids for the mysterious "Exile Dorr" at a black market auction, but he is forced to withdraw from the bidding by the Guild.The Exile Door ends up in the hands of Delphine, the supreme leader of the Guild.And it becomes increasingly apparent that Alvis Hamilton is the key to the Exile. DVD SPECIAL FEATURES:  LAST EXILE Exhibition in Tokyo, Art Gallery and Geneon Animation Previews
LAST EXILE: BREAKTHROUGH: VOL. 4 Claus and Tatiana are thrown together to fly a vanship to defend Silvana from a massive attack orchestrated by Anatoray, and Tatiana begins to confide in Claus when the two make an emergency landing.Sophia, who is revealed to be of royal lineage, leaves Silvana, and inherits a leading role in the Anatoray army. And Claus discovers through an old photograph the secret relationship between his vanship, his and Lavie's deceased fathers, Captain Alex Row and the Grand Stream, all of which leads us closer to the meaning of the Exile. DVD SPECIAL FEATURES:  LAST EXILE Exhibition in Tokyo  Art Gallery  GENEON Animation Previews
LAST EXILE: GRAND STREAM: VOLUME 5 Claus and Lavie's fathers died attempting to cross the Grand Stream to deliver a message from Anatoray to Disith. Empress Sophia obtains a copy of the original message and discovers it suggested the two empires join forces to defeat the Guild and obtain peace in the skies!However, to defeat the Guild, one must take possession of the Exile, so Empress Sophia plans to command the Silvana to cross the turbulent Grand Stream to locate the Exile.Can they accomplish this dangerous feat within the critical six days? DVD SPECIAL FEATURES:  Textless Opening Version  Art Gallery  Geneon Animation Previews
LAST EXILE: QUEEN DELPHINE: VOL. 6 Claus and Dio return to the Silvana from their vanship expedition to search for the Exile, only to find that the Silvana has been hijacked by the Guild. Delphine takes Alvis, Claus and Alex Row hostage and transports them to the Guild ship.Delphine attempts to lure Alex to provide all the mysterions open Exile gateway. Dio is declared the official successor of his sister Delphine after he is forced to partake of a series of rite of passage ceremonies. DVD SPECIAL FEATURES:

 Art Gallery and Geneon Animation Previews
LAST EXILE: SEALED MOVE: VOL. 7 With Luciola's help, Claus, Alvis and Dio escape the Guild ship while Delphine continues to hold Alex Row hostage and tortures him.Anatoray and Disith continue to wage an all-out war against the Guild and many sacrifice their lives attempting to prevent Delphine from gaining complete control of the Exile. Under Sophia's orders, Claus, Lavie and Alvis fly through the Grand Stream toward the Exile to complete their final mission in this heart-pounding conclusion! DVD SPECIAL FEATURES:  Geneon Previews ... Read more

Description

Disc 1:The Matrix
New digital transfer
A written introduction by the Wachowski Brothers
2 new commentaries by philosophers and critics
ROM feature

Disc 2:The Matrix Revisited
A feature-length mind-expanding look at The Matrix from conception to phenomenon
17 behind-the-scenes and making-of featurettes
Music-only audio track

Disc 3:The Matrix Reloaded
New digital transfer
A written introduction by the Wachowski Brothers
2 new commentaries by philosophers and critics
ROM feature

Disc 4:The Matrix Reloaded Revisited
Go to the second chapter's furthest reaches
21 behind-the-scenes and making-of featurettes
23 extra scenes shot for Enter the Matrix video game

Disc 5:The Matrix Revolutions
A written introduction by the Wachowski Brothers
2 new commentaries by philosophers and critics
ROM feature

Disc 6:The Matrix Revolutions Revisited
The cataclysmic final confrontation is chronicled
29 behind-the-scenes and making-of featurettes

Disc 7:The Animatrix
9 short films from pioneering anime directors exploring the world of The Matrix

Disc 8:The Roots of the Matrix
Cinematic, historical, philosophical and technological inspirations are explored
2 insightful new documentaries

Disc 9:The Burly Man Chronicles
Probe the society of actors, craftspeople, and filmmakers who shaped the movie trilogy and Enter the Matrix video game
21 featurettes

Disc 10:The Zion Archive
Production assets developed for The Matrix Universe
Concept artwork
Storyboards
Drawings
Music videos
TV spots and trailers ... Read more

Description

Bullitt features Steve McQueen and the unforgettable car chase scene. Now available as a two-disc special edition, it includes over 5 hours of special features, including 2 new documentaries. In The Getaway, McQueen teams up with Ali McGraw in a supreme action thriller directed by Sam Peckinpah. Steve McQueen brings his cool fire to the title role of The Cincinnati Kid, one of the best poker movies of all time. In Papillon, McQueen teams up with Dustin Hoffman to escape from prison on Devil's Island. In Tom Horn, McQueen performs exciting recreation of Horn's latter-day career in a turn-of-the-century West where gentler ways supplanted the law of the gun. Steve McQueen stars in his first big-budget film Never So Few with Frank Sinatra. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Long Time coming
If anyone deserves a box set it's Seve McQueen. The greatest of the Hollywood "Mans Man". McQueen made some great movies for Warner Brothers as he did for MGM before them, and we are lucky to get the fantastic Warner Brothers DVD treatment that they have bestowed on their recent box set.

While The GREAT ESCAPE is my personal favorite McQueen film I am happy to see BULLIT, and NEVER SO FEW in the same set. It's pretty funny seeing a movie not starring Steve McQueen in his box set. Never so few was a staring vehicle for Frank Sinatra, but because of his scene stealing co-star Sinatra went on record as calling NEVER SO FEW a McQueen film. It also had a great Director John Sturges who also made THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN, and THE GREAT ESCAPE with McQueen.

PAPILLON, THE GETAWAY, THE CINCINATTI KID, and the very underated TOM HORN are also included in the awesome box set. I was not yet born when Steve McQueen passed away, but I can tell you this, I have not been on the planet for more than twenty three years, but I can safely say that there has not been a actor/stuntman cooler than Steve McQueen. ... Read more

Amazon.com

When you start watching Racing Stripes, you may not be prepared for how unbelievably cute a young zebra is. A travelling circus accidently abandons an adorably helpless zebra in the middle of Kentucky on a stormy night. Fortunately, the wee zebra is found by Nolan Walsh (Bruce Greenwood, The Sweet Hereafter), a brilliant horse trainer who's given up his calling after a riding accident that killed his wife. His daughter Channing (Hayden Panettiere, Raising Helen) names the zebra Stripes and, before you know it, Stripes has grown to young adulthood and is aching to race at a nearby track. Thus begins a fairly formulaic triumph-over-adversity tale combined with talking animals--but Racing Stripes understands its formula and executes it without any pretensions. It doesn't hit the bullseye struck by Babe (an earlier triumph-over-adversity tale combined with talking animals), and there are bad puns and gags aplenty, but Greenwood's solid presence gives the movie an unexpected emotional fullness. Featuring a bizarre assortment of voices for the animals, including Whoopi Goldberg, Dustin Hoffman, Frankie Muniz, Mandy Moore, Joe Pantoliano (as a Mafioso pelican), Steve Harvey, David Spade, and Snoop Dogg. --Bret Fetzer ... Read more

Reviews (37)

Perfect Family Entertainment!
Racing Stripes is actually a lot more entertaining and funny than I had expected. The story of a circus zebra(Stripes) adopted by a corn farmer/ex-race horse trainer Nolan Walsh(Bruce Greenwood), and eventually became a race horse when Channing Walsh(Hayden Panettiere) learned that it was a fast runner after riding it to work. At first, Nolan was reluctant to let his daughter to get into the race, because he feared that it was dangerous and that Stripes wasn't good enough. Soon the animals in the barn came up with a plan to convince him that Stripes was the perfect race horse, and deserved to be trained.

The talking animals featured the voices of some well-known stars including Mandy Moore(Sandy the horse), Frankie Muntz(Stripes), Whoopi Goldberg, and Dustin Hoffman.

It's a very good family film, and both Greenwood and Panettiere were wonderful and touching. The special feature has an alternative ending, and the Making Of that shows the voice-over and animation/special effects.

Fun, entertaining movie...
I went into this movie not expecting much out of it. I actually enjoyed it so much, that I watched it a second time with my boyfriend. Many reviews said that it's a movie only aimed at kids and doesn't really have much to offer for the older audiences, and this review is to tell you that it's not true. I watched it with four adults and we all enjoyed it immensely. Give it a shot!

Almost as Good as "Babe"
This is the story of a zebra named Stripes who is accidentally left behind by a traveling circus during a storm.He is raised by a former racing horse trainer and his daughter and grows up believing that he is a racing horse and has a strong desire to become one of the greatest.

Positives:
1)Talking animals.If you liked "Babe" and the talking animals in "Dr. Doolittle" (the Eddie Murphy version) then you'll love the talking animals in "Racing Stripes".They do a great job, even when trying to convey emotion.
2)Pulls at the Heart-Strings.This isn't just a story of a zebra who wants to be a racing horse.There are so many other plots and sub-plots.By the end, they all get resolved, everybody is happy, and those who deserve to be pooped upon are done so by a gangster pelican.
3)Good message.The overriding theme of the movie is one of my favorites: if you want something then work hard to get it.
4)Good acting.With the exception of Wendie Malick (was she supposed to be THAT way over-the-top?), the acting by the human characters was quite good and believable.The emotional range of Hayden Panettiere is pitch-perfect for every occasion of the film.

Negatives:
1)Far too many adult jokes.Some of the humor of this movie was too grown-up.And if they were trying to be subtle with it, they did a horrible job with it.It was one thing to imply a swear-word, but to actually use one is another matter.

If it weren't for the adult jokes, I would recommend this for the entire family.But I even felt uncomfortable having my eight year old watch it.I would recommend watching this with your family if all the children are pass their elementary school years.

A Great Flick For Kids!
Racing Stripes is a wonderfully, funny, family film. Children and adults will find themselves giggling at silly, comedic acts, while being drawn into the film through a heartwarming story about a girl and her pet zebra, Stripes.

They really could've tried a little harder.
Racing Stripes (Frederick Du Chau, 2005)

Watching Racing Stripes with me is rather like watching Jurassic Park with a paleontologist. It's probably not going to be a pleasant experience. I'm rather surprised the actual Turfway Park hasn't sued for defamation of character. (At least they put it in the correct state.) Don't get me started on jockey licensing, Thoroughbred breeding, and the hundred other little details overlooked by the movie, though I have to say none of them compared to turning the gorgeous Turfway Park, one of America's most beautiful racetracks (which, it should be noted, ironically doesn't have a turf course), into a county fair bullring. At least they didn't call it Keeneland.

Okay. Now put aside all the technical stuff that's wrong with the movie. Is it any good from a layman's point of view? Well, it's not bad, mostly because of the voice talent. Such actors as Dustin Hoffman, Whoopi Goldberg, Frankie Muniz, Fred Dalton Thompson, and a number of other big names lent their voices to animals here with lovely results. The human actors, on the other hand, are to a person bad. Even the normally enjoyable Bruce Greenwood and the normally fantastic M. Emmett Walsh are bland and insipid here.

But even if the voice talent is good, it's not running on much that's worthwhile. One reviewer called it "Babe in stripes," and that's pretty much what it comes down to-- fish (erm, pig-- no, wait, zebra) out of water has to try and fit in among those who are different from him. But where Babe approached the idea with freshness, originality, and an innocent sweetness that approached fairy tale-quality, Racing Stripes just seems like a slightly degenerated retread; it's probably serviceable, but don't go for long drives in the desert, or it might blow on you far, far away from civilization. ** ½ ... Read more

Amazon.com

Deep Space Nine's seventh and final season came down to loose ends, tying some existing ones together while allowing others to unravel. Symptomatic of the unwillingness to let DS9 go was the immediate arrival of a replacement Dax, though poor Nichole deBoer as Ezri Dax had to have known she'd already missed the boat. Her appearance encouraged last-minute romances to blossom, with Bashir finally getting some action, Odo finally getting together with Kira, and Sisko finally proposing to Kassidy. Another contributing cute factor were numerous trips to the holosuite wherein the all-knowing Vic Fontaine dished out philosophical advice. That was when the crew wasn't in there to play baseball against the Vulcans, or when Nog wasn't commiserating about the loss of a leg.

Oh yes, and don't forget the War! There was an early announcement that the show would attempt a 10-part resolution to the Dominion War, but viewers could be forgiven for forgetting all about it with so much sentimental distraction. When the horrors of war did resurface, they at least injected a few surprises into the mix. Odo and his ambiguously "evil" Founders were hit with a melting disease, prompting a backstabbing race for the power of developing and owning a cure. The original baddie Cardassians finally settled on the Federation's side. Contrary to these interesting twists, however, were the unexpected turns taken by matters relating to Sisko's spiritual destiny. Suddenly the mystery of the wormhole and an entire religious belief system was reduced to the problem of correctly translating the words of a sacred book. The struggle to join with some evil aliens significantly diluted the attempt at resolving what had begun seven years before in the show's pilot episode. Ultimately, Sisko's destiny, as with all those who'd followed him to the open-ended climax, was to be decided elsewhere. In a move that was either bold and daring--or possibly born of desperation for not having thought things through properly--the show's storylines were to be continued in a series of spin-off books. --Paul Tonks ... Read more

Reviews (30)

Excellent; except "special features" could spoil the plot
I couldn't watch DS9 when it was on its initial run because my local station didn't pick it up... I decided to give the DVDs a shot... Slowly and methodically, I've been working my way through each and every episode... Some were outstanding! Some were rather boring (I don't care for the Ferrengi episodes). But I finally made it through to the end and was treated
with an outstanding series finale at the end of Season 7 (much better than "All Good Things" and "Endgame"). All in all, I think that the DS9 series was the best Star Trek franchise to date and well worth the serious investment of time.

*** Spoilers ahead (for those who haven't seen it) ***
However, there was one part that I didn't like and that was spoilers... I couldn't watch any of the crew dossiers because they gave too much of the plot away. Like the Odo dossier that has him finally returning to his people at the end of the series. Well, I accidentely watched the dossier and that
particular ending was spoiled for me. There was another special feature talking about how Rom became the Grand Nagus at the end of the series. Again, this surprise was spoiled for me.

Don't get me wrong, I'm glad that they put all of the specials in each season. However, I think they should have at least warned which special features had possible spoilers...

Wow
I think that this series never got the respect it deserved when it was on the show, like the times kept getting shifted, and it was never given the chance to be the only new star trek by itself. The hard thing about DS9 was that if you didn't watch it closely, you'd have missed some of the plot-lines that went multiple episodes. Now that they've come out on DVD, it's possible to catch up. Boy oh boy! This would be somewhat hard to watch in syndication unless if the station showed everything in order.

I can't believe how much I cried while watching some of the episodes. The series finale, definitely. But I just watched It's Only a Paper Moon today, and that was another one. It has Nog dealing with the effects of being in the war. What a powerful episode. Nog sure has come long way from the little troublemaker he was in the series pilot.... The actor did a wonderful job in Paper Moon. I think what makes it even more poignant is that we're dealing with wars right now. Vic Fontaine was wonderful in this episode too. I'm so glad they introduced that character. Too bad he hadn't been a regular on the series. Why do we love our holograms so?? :-) Perhaps it's because when they experience day to day living as holograms, it gives us a better appreciation of what it means to be human. Something we so take for granted, maybe.

The reason I'm giving this 4 stars is that because this season has so much to do with war, some of the episodes have been really hard for me to watch. I cry so much that the end I'm just so exhausted. But it's not a complaint about the acting. Rather, the actors have done a great job of making me feel emotionally connected to the situations they find themselves in.

The different love stories that come up in the season do two things. One, love gives you a sense of hope in the midst of the bleakness of the Dominion war. Two, you never know if you're going to lose one of your loved ones to the war, and so it ups the emotional ante.

I would recommend taking this season in small doses.

There were some great eps. and then some lousy ones
This season of DS9 is good, but previous seasons easily outdo it. Ezri Dax was completely pointless and totally irritating...perhaps they should've eliminated the Dax character altogether after Jadzia died and not introduce any new characters in her place. The continuing conflict with the Dominion, and the Cardassian rebellion were wonderful, but pointless episodes like "Take Me Out to the Holosuite" and "It's Only a Paper Moon" dragged this season down. Why was there ever a Vic Fontaine? Easily one of the most ridiculous episodes in the series was "The Emperor's New Cloak". Unfortunately the writers seemed to be suffering from amnesia in this episode, since in "Through the Looking Glass" it was already proven that the Alliance had cloaking technology. It was terribly frustrating to see the Alliance not get a fair shake at the end; at least in "What You Leave Behind" the Dominion puts up one hell of a fight, yet in this episode the only Alliance ship we see is Worf's flagship. And, once again it seems the station has magically re-orbited itself back into Bajor, since in "Shattered Mirror" there's no sign of the planet anywhere. However, this begs the question, if Bajor is a member of the Klingon/Cardassian Alliance, then why didn't they just send an assault force once the station fell into Terran hands and retake Terok Nor? I doubt the rebels on the station would've been a match for an entire planet. This just proves that Star Trek needs to get better and more competent writers pronto, especially with all the screw ups going on in Enterprise.

Masterpiece done in the shade of gray.
I never got a chance to watch this series as it was running, but I finally got a chance to buy the dvds this year. Complex writing, deep characters (I can't believe that some of these actors are so different from the characters that they play in the interview sections of the set). Characters have arch rivals are just a spitting image of themselves in a different light and stories have multiple perspectives leaving you to wonder if anyone really was a "good" guy. I think the writers gave people a lot to think concerning the social issues of the period. The writers were so bold in addressing the concepts and motivations behind religion that you can even see the uneasiness in some of the actors when they recite the lines. This definitely was a masterpiece and has outshone any Star Trek production ever since its finale.

The only downside was that everything was done so well that any successors to this series will find it impossible to follow the act. This show has set a standard and a bar so high that it will take some time for another series to match it and may go down in history as the last Star Trek series to hold any true meaning to Gene Roddenberry's legacy. A true diamond in the rough, something that will hopefully last as long as the original Star Trek series in the . I recommend it whole heartedly.

The end of a great adventure is here...
This was one of my favorite seasons of Deep Space Nine. The exciting conclusion of another chapter in Star Trek History. This season witnesses the climax of the Alliance's(Federation,Klingon Empire, Romulan Star Empire) was with the Dominion and the introduction of Ezri Dax, Jadzia's successor of the Dax symbiont. Some of the best episodes are on this 7th season set. Any Deep Space Nine fan should invest in this, you won't regret it. ... Read more

Amazon.com

A ratings hit for eight seasons on CBS, the action-mystery series Magnum, P.I. makes its DVD boxed set debut in an impressive five-disc package that offers not only the entire first season, but some rarely seen episodes. Positioned in the old Hawaii Five-O time slot (Thursdays at 9) in December of 1980, Magnum quickly became a hit, thanks to the combination of smart and witty scripting, gorgeous locations, and the considerable charm of lead Tom Selleck as former Naval Intelligence officer Thomas Magnum, who gives up his position to become a private investigator on Oahu with the help of fellow Vietnam vets T.C. (Roger E. Mosley) and Rick (Larry Manetti). Magnum also provided security for the lavish estate of wealthy (and never-seen) mystery writer Robin Masters, which gave him access to the author's expensive vehicles (including a prized Ferrari), much to the disapproval of Masters's manservant Higgins (Jonathan Hillerman).

A rare series that skillfully blended action, humor, drama, and suspense, Magnum, P.I.'s first season gets the boxed set treatment its fans have been hoping for, with all 18 first-season episodes (including the two-part pilot, "Don't Eat the Snow in Hawaii") included on four discs. The fifth disc contains four rarely shown bonus episodes, including season 3's "Ki'ls Don't Lie," which featured a crossover plot with Simon and Simon, as well as its conclusion ("Emeralds Are Not a Girl's Best Friend"), which kicked off S&S's second season; the latter episode has never been aired as part of Magnum's syndicated package, which is another reason for fans to pick up and enjoy this long-awaited set. --Paul Gaita ... Read more

Reviews (37)

The coolest Hawaiin PI
This is far one of the all time favorite PI series. I have never heard a negative comment about this series. The fact that the supporting cast was great and the locations in beautiful Hawaii made it outstanding. I'm sure that if it was still on most would agree it would rival CSI and some of the current shows even today. The stories were exceptional and the guest stars were like reading Whose Who. I buy any detective series that is worth having like "Sherlock Holmes" (Jeremy Brett), "Cadfael", "Campion", "Woolster and Jeeves", "Shield", "Homicide", etc. and I can't wait till I can buy the Magnum P.I. series on DVD.

~From the Journal of Thomas Magnum~
When I FINALLY get around to writing my book: "How to be a Private Investigator", I'm going to write a chapter on how sometimes the great masterpieces get overlooked. Take the show Magnum p.i., for example. Here we have the first show to feature a tarnished hero in a good light, he is a Vit Nam War vet who when he came home, became a private detective who works out of the guest house of a well-known writer named Robin Masters (Orson Wells), but we don't see much of him, instead we see J.Q Higgins (John Hillerman) who sort of runs the estate in Robin's absence.

Thomas Magnum (Tom Sellick) surrounds himself with two old war buddies, an ace chopper pilot named T.C. (Roger E. Mosely) and an ace con man turned bartender (Larry Manetti). Now all of these guys help Thomas out with some major arm-twisting and bribing, but they usually come through. (Oh yeah, did I mention that they had some of the best shots of Hawaii for a television series to date?)

But unfortunately, we probably won't be seeing any of that on out DVD machines in the near future, because the guys who are responsible for putting these episodes on disk are more interested in putting the newer series' on DVD really, really fast. Shows like "Threat Matrix" and such. I mean come on, they should at least let the season finish airing! They should concentrate on some of the hit shows of yesteryear, these perfect niches in television history like "Magnum p.i." and the cousin series "Simon & Simon".

Great Hawaii Memories
I have been living on Oahu all my life, and as a kid I used to hang out on set while they filmed Magnum PI. This show brings back great memories.. I am happy it came out on DVD. Its one of the few shows that took place in Hawaii that shows an accurate image of what the people are really like here.. and also accurate on the physical geographic locations they used. Great plots.. Cant wait till it comes out!!

I am so glad Magnum will be on DVD!
This was my favorite show on TV back in the early 1990's when it ran on the USA network right after Major Dad (I missed it's first run on TV in the 1980's). What made Magnum such a great show is the depth of the characters. We really get to know these people. Every episode adds to the character in some way. And there are enough reoccuring characters in the series that we feel continuity. For example, Magnum strikes up a friendship with leutenant Mac, who gives Magnum information from time to time. And while Mac is reluctant to let Magnum get information from the Navy computers, the tug of war in their relationship is played out just like it should. And when Mac gets in trouble, Magnum is there for him. The personal relationship is real on the screen, the actors are that good. I can't expalin it any better than to say they feel like real people, guys I would want to hang out with and drink a beer with. I can easily say this is the best PI series ever on TV, and is better than anything on TV today.

And add me to the list of people who wants to see a reunion movie while they are all still alive. I can't imagine Higgings is getting any younger.

Can't wait!
Can't wait to get your Magnum DVD set? Neither can I! But, if you're lucky enough to get the Hallmark channel (I get it on DirecTV - not sure what other cable/satellite networks its available on) you can watch re-runs every weeknight at 10pm and 11pm (PST). That's a double-dose of Magnum every night!! I TiVo every episode, but I'll still be buyng the DVDs. Nerd alert: I like Magnum so much I even set up the theme song as a ringtone on my cell phone (I converted it from a midi file I found on the Internet). ... Read more

Amazon.com

Two years after 1963's The Great Escape thrilled movie audiences with a tale of Allied soldiers working cooperatively to flee a World War II-era prisoner-of-war camp, CBS found a hit situation comedy in the loosely similar Hogan's Heroes. Initially dismissed by critics as being in poor taste, the half-hour show starred Bob Crane (previously known for a supporting role on The Donna Reed Show) as Colonel Robert Hogan, leader of a resourceful band of French, British and American guests of the German Luftwaffe. Rather than sit out the war with his fellow captives, Hogan essentially used the POW camp, Stalag 13, as a base for sabotaging Nazi operations whenever possible, helping important prisoners escape, supporting the Resistance, gathering intelligence for the Allies, and generally screwing up enemy battlefield plans. The work was always dangerous, but Hogan's crew had a number of advantages: a network of underground tunnels beneath the camp (some leading to a nearby town), a flair for disguises, the complementary talents of Hogan's key staff, and the reliable idiocy of camp Commandant Klink (Werner Klemperer) and willful ignorance of lead officer Sergeant Schultz (John Banner).

Season one of Hogan's Heroes found all of these elements securely in place and the series balancing farce with suspense. Typical storylines include "Hold the Tiger," in which the boys smuggle a new German Tiger Tank into the camp, disassemble it to construct a blueprint, and then reassemble it under Klink's nose. "The Prisoner's Prisoner" finds Hogan kidnapping a Nazi general, sneaking him into Stalag 13, and tricking him—a la Mission: Impossible--to reveal troop plans. In "The Prince from the Phone Company," one of Hogan's most-trusted confederates, radio operator Kinchloe (Ivan Dixon), disguises himself as an African prince trying to secure money from the Third Reich. Half the fun of these shows is watching Hogan thinking quickly on his feet whenever things start to go wrong, or when one of Klink's more intelligent superiors becomes suspicious that not everything at Stalag 13 is as under control as it seems. Besides Dixon, the other players making up Hogan's elite squad include Richard Dawson as the slightly disreputable Newkirk (with a talent for thievery), Larry Hovis as chemistry whiz Carter, and Robert Clary as the charming LeBeau. --Tom Keogh ... Read more

Reviews (46)

Great series ... DVD quality is poor
Hogan's Heroes is one of those series which you just can't stop watching.There is always a great laugh.

Unfortunately the DVD quality leaves a lot to be desired.DISCs 1 and 2 are mis-labeled.DISC 2 suffers from technical problems in the remastering.One of the worst tracks on DISC 2 was Happiness is a Warm Sergeant.The episode tended to jump back in a loop during certain parts, the sound would go in and out, and some other annoying glitchs.

It is a shame that the quality control for this release is so poor.

Wonderful for all ages
Hogan's Heros (along with Green Acres) was my favorite show when I was a kid, and now I watch this DVD set with my own children. I have three boys, 11, 8, and 7, and they love it.A Nazi prison camp may seem like a "mature" theme for small children, but they love Schultz, the friendly guard dogs, the tunnels, and all of the craziness of Stalag 13 (tanks getting stolen, planes taking off, etc).
A great series for bringing families together.

Good Set - One Error RE: Disc Labels
The set was as advertised except that disc one and disc two had their on-cd labels swapped i.e. disc one was actually disc two and vice versa.

Excellent old show that brings back fun memories for me :)

Return to childhood..
The Hogan's Heroes DVD collection has been a wonderful bit of entertainment and nostalgia for me.I find that I can repeatedly play these old classic episodes and still be fascinated and laugh out loud at the plots and stories.

There are other reviews that go into far more detail than I care to as far as individual episode titles and various trivia.

I will simply say that this DVD set will provide hours of entertainment for anyone who grew up watching these old shows in syndication.

I gave the set 4 of 5 stars for one and only one reason.Though the set clains to be "full length season one episodes" the reality is that there are missing scenes.Most are minute and do not affect the flow of the shows but to someone who as a kid watched them over and over in repeats, they are noticable..

HOWEVER this will not keep me from adding the second season to my collection the moment it comes out...

Short and simple review
I don't want to go on with this review, so I will capsulize my comments with one word:"Excellent" ... Read more

Reviews (8)

A Collection Worth Ice Skating Uphill For!Blade Delivers!
The Blade Collection is finally here!For moviegoers, it all began back in the summer of 1998:


BLADE (1998) 1 Disc Rated R (2.35:1) - Talk about a movie experience! From the opening shots, you are literally sucked in (no pun intended) to the world of the vampires. Wesley Snipes completely embraces the role of the title character and plays him to the hilt, with just a bit of dry cocky humor that is very refreshing.As we first meet Blade at a Vampire techno club (which uses a great remix of a song called "Confusion" by New Order) we just know he's a force to be reckoned with as he slices, dices, burns & just plains blows up every vampire he gets a hold of (including Traci Lords, in a very memorable cameo). Kris Kristofferson plays Whistler, Blade's mentor and creator of the various weapons at his disposal, including guns & knives, bombs, & more. ("We have a good arrangement. He makes the weapons, I use 'em"). But it's Stephen Dorff as the bloodthirsty Deacon Frost that helps catapult the film from average action fair to the stuff of comic book legend. With most actors, this would be a one or two dimensional performance, but in the hands of Stephen Dorff, he turns the character of Deacon Frost into something much more multilayared. The interaction he has with Blade as well as his other fellow vampires give off this feel of someone we should not underestimate. Because a truly great villain is a huge key to a movie's success.The whole mythos of vampires in this film moves the genre in a very interesting direction. According to Blade, pure silver, garlic & sunlight are the main tools to combat vampires. ("Crosses don't do d***, so forget about what you've seen in the movies") But the fact that the pure blood vampires are personified as old & disposable, while the nonpure vampires are young and virile, looking to take over and run things, can really be looked at as a depiction of our society, with the old guard being kicked out by the new one, lest anarchy ensue.A Classic.Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound. 120 MIN.


BLADE II (2002) 2 Disc Rated R (1.85:1) - Part 2 begins in Prague, with Blade searching for the location of Whistler, who has been turned into a Vampire and subsuquently tortured. The action sequences are even more elaborate than the first, with the camera actually following jumps and flips in a spiral fashion. By now most of you know the story, which involves a new breed of vampire called Reapors, that are trying to take over their predecessors and eventually enslave the world. The vampires turn to Blade for assistance in helping them wipe out these vicious beasts. In a sort of "Dirty Dozen" meets "Aliens" tradition, Blade teams up with an elite group of vampires, who, turns out, were originally put together to hunt him down. They instead work together to seek out the Reapors to destroy them, but find that killing them is not as easy as they'd hoped.The film gives Wesley Snipes more range to show some drama this time, with a subplot involving a female vampire named Nyssa, who's a pure blood, working for her father. Twists and turns abound in this comic book action thriller that gives off a nice feel of energy while at the same time making sense. There's plenty martial arts action to make anybody happy, as well as some much needed dry humor from Snipes and company. All in all a satisfying experience that will leave most moviegoers in an upbeat fashion.Dolby Digital 5.1 & DTS 6.1 Surround Sound. 117 MIN.


BLADE: TRINITY (2004) 2 Disc Unrated & R rated versions(2.35:1) - In the final installment, Blade teams up with the Nightstalkers, a ragtag group of vampire hunters lead by the sexy Abigail Whistler (Jessica Biel) & the quickwitted Hannibal King (Ryan Reynolds) who are out to track down and kill the vampire of all vampires: Dracula (played by the musclebound Dominic Purcell).Watch out for Parker Posey, as the scene stealing Danica Talos, the equivalent of a vampire constantly tripping on acid.Snipes has less to do this time out as Blade, with the newer characters taking up much of his screen time.But when he's onscreen, he still shines and plays the character perfectly.A shame that there was turmoil between him and director/screenwriter David S. Goyer (notice, for example, Snipes's unwillingness to contribute to the audio commentaries for the movie even though he had done so for the first two films).And seeing Dominic Purcell's performance as Drake makes one wish that the Stephen Dorff character of Deacon Frost could somehow be resurrected in order to show these guys how playing a first-rate villian is really done.Still, with all it's flaws, the film still works, just not as well as most fans would've liked.The new footage in the unrated version is interesting, as well as the slightly different ending, that many fans may find much more preferable to that of the theatrical version.Worth having.Dolby Digital 5.1 & DTS 6.1 Surround Sound. 113 MIN & 122 MIN.


Besides the gripes about the 3rd film, the real disappointment with this wonderful collection is that the original Blade movie is not presented as a 2 disc Platinum Edition with DTS 6.1 Surround Sound the way its sequels are.It truly deserves the much needed upgrade.The Box itself is very nice to look at, with a very nicely done 3-D front cover.For the most part, this is what every Blade fan has been waiting for since that summer of 1998 when one of the best comic book franchises began its journey.This is definately a collection worth ice skating uphill for!


Blade Trilogy: The Ultimate Collection - Bloodsuckingly Brilliant!


"Blade.Ready to die?" - Dominic Purcell as Drake

"Since the day I was born." - Wesley Snipes as Blade

Great Buy!!
I brought all these movies seperatly when they came out but if you missed out on them this is a great buy and it has the all the bonus discs. All the movies are great, 2 & 3 even have 6.1 DTS, Blade is a great franchise! Thank you Wesley Snipes, Marvel and everyone else, spectacular work!

Good, but flawed
Would be perfect if it wasn't for the ignorant 3rd (and last) blade movie which was the worst blade movie ever made. They should give you a discount on the price just for that alone

Buy This If You're A Blade Fanatic!
I own this collection also and just want to give my opinion of why you should and shouldn't buy this.
I do think this collection is a little over priced.If people have patience, it'll go on sale by ten dollars at certain stores.I know because this is how I buy a lot of my dvd's.Waiting until they go down to ten bucks each.
You would think it's better to buy the duo pack of the two Blade movies, for the price of $21.50.Then buying the third Blade movie for $20 getting everything together for only $40.Personally I didn't think Blade Trinity was all it could've been.
It's sad that the Blade duo pack was ruined.Since Blade 2 wasn't in its original aspect ratio... losing a lot of the picture of what you really get to see.I recommend that you don't buy the double pack, at all.
If you've never seen these, and not once in your life purchased them... it doesn't mean this set will be for you.I know a lot of people who don't like the Blade movies, and who loved it's original comic Blade character more.You have to be a die hard fan of Blade in order to buy the great trilogy.The two extra discs and comic book are great for any collector to cherish.This 5 disc box set is the best thing to go out and buy for any real Blade fan.

From a reviewer who actually owns the set.
You may now ignore the other reviews, which were written before the set came out, and which were based on Amazon's description and some supposition.The first thing you should know is that Amazon got the number of discs wrong.This is a 5 DVD set, not a 3 DVD set.The first disc is the Platinum Edition of the original Blade.The next two discs are the Platinum Edition of Blade 2.The final two discs are the unrated Platinum Edition of Blade 3.In addition to the movies, the set includes a limited edition Marvel comic book. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Now firmly established as the top-rated television drama, by its third year CSI: Crime Scene Investigation is a show positively glowing with confidence. Even when individual cases seem either too contrived or too easily resolved, the indefatigable night shift at the Las Vegas PD crime lab always look the part, solving conundrums and discovering microscopic damning evidence while, apparently, never shedding their own loose hair or skin cells all over the supposedly quarantined crime scenes. In reality, Catherine Willows's flowing blonde locks would contaminate any evidence she collected, but in the world of CSI only the bad guys leave body parts behind--the CSIs themselves are so good they're positively pristine.

The 23 episodes of season 3 on this five-disc set present more deliciously bizarre situations for the problem-solving sleuths: cannibalism, snuff movies, dwarfs, death while drag racing, bodies falling from the sky, and various dismemberments all tax the team's acumen. These are all double or multiple-case episodes, though in a characteristic trick of the writing sometimes apparently unrelated murders turn out to be connected (or vice versa, as in "Blood Lust," in which a road-accident victim is not what he seems, and the death of the driver at the hands of an angry mob is made all the more tragic). The mix of genuine forensic science with the glossiest Jerry Bruckheimer production values, plus the virtues of a good ensemble cast headed by William Peterson's modern-day Sherlock Holmes, remains as compelling as ever. --Mark Walker ... Read more

Reviews (20)

CSI's Still On Top!
Being an extreme CSI fan, I couldn't pass up the chance to buy season 3 to add to my growing collection. I saw probably a little more than half the season and it was just as good as the other two seasons and I wanted to see all that I missed. The plot with Grissom's hearing problem kept you watching to see how he handled it and what would happen. Once again, there's 23 episodes on 6 disks. The episodes are as follows: (Episodes appear in the order of original airdate)

DISK 1:
*Episode 302: "Revenge is Best Served Cold"
**Episode 301: "The Accused is Entitled"
Episode 303: "Let the Seller Beware"
Episode 304: "A Little Murder"

DISK 2:
Episode 306: "Abra Cadaver"
Episode 305: "The Execution of Catherine Willows"
***Episode 307: "Fright Night" (Emmy Award Winning Episode)
^Episode 308: "Snuff"

DISK 3:
Episode 309: "Blood Lust"
Episode 310: "High and Low"
Episode 311: "Recipe For Murder"
Episode 312: "Got Murder?"

DISK 4:
+Episode 313: "Random Acts of Violence"
Episode 314: "One Hit Wonder"
~Episode 315: "Lady Heather's Box"
Episode 316: "Lucky Strike"

DISK 5:
Episode 317: "Crash and Burn"
Episode 318: "Precious Metal"
Episode 319: "A Night At The Movies"
Episode 320: "Last Laugh"

DISK 6:
Episode 321: "Forever"
Episode 322: "Play With Fire"
Episode 323: "Inside The Box"

*- Featuring audio commentary by Danny Cannon and Anthony E. Zuiker

**- Featuring audio commentary by Ann Donahue, Elizabeth Devine, and Ken Fink
***- Featuring audio commentary by Richard Lewis and naren Shankar
^- Featuring audio commentary by Ann Donahue and Ken Fink
+- Featuring audio commentary by Danny Cannon and Karen Shankar
~- Featuring audio commentary by Richard Lewis, Anthony E. Zuiker, Naren Shankar and Josh Berman

Along with 23 episodes, the DVD features the following bonus materials:

The CSI Tour: Police Station
The CSI Shot: Making It Real
The Writers' Room
CSI Moves Into Season 3
Crime Scene Field Kit

(All bonus materials combine into a total of approx. 5 hours)

You get so much for the price! Some DVD sets can break 100 but this is much less. With 5 hours of Bonus Material and the 23 episodes, you can't possibly complain! I recommend any CSI lover out there to buy this DVD set. If you are a true fan of CSI, you won't be disappointed!

CSI gets better every year
Having watched this series from the pilot episode, I've not missed one episode. I have them all on videotape, and now that they've been released on DVD, all the better! I have all 3 seasons, and can't wait until season 4 is released. This is a fantastic show with realistic crime scene depictions, often taken off the front pages of today's newspapers. The twists and turns make it fun to try to solve the crime before it shows you at the end, and some cases I find truly baffling! The tools are real, and I've gotten to the point I have a deep interest in forensic science. I've even thought of going back to school for it because of this TV SHOW! I think this is my favorite show EVER..even above ER, Third Watch, and Crossing Jordan! If you haven't seen it yet, you're missing something truly unique! Furthermore, I like the original CSI in the Las Vegas setting, and don't much care for the spinoff of CSI: Miami. CSI: New York is beginning in the fall, and I'll give that a couple episodes before I decide. I'm a CSI fanatic, I can't help it!

Best of the Lot
The title tells all I think this was the best series so far.
really enjoyed the 90min special 'lady heathers box'

Can't wait for season 4

bring it on

Great show (and cute George Eads)
Even if you don't like this programme (how could you not???), it's worth buying simply to watch George Eads the whole way through. He's so hot. The combination of a good looking cast and interesting (if not often creepy) storylines, keeps me watching this show each and every week and I could watch all of these episodes over and over. Go out and buy this now.

completely entertaining
With stand alone stories, you could walk right into season three no problem. So much better than Alias or anything else in it's class. My only beef is that occasionally I can see the "dead" bodies breathing and in one case twitching. It's happened 5 or 6 times and is the only flaw. I like to pretend that I'm watching Will Grahem (aka Gill Grisom) as Manhunter 20+ years later still catching bad guys. Worth every penny, all three seasons were watched in a month. AWESOME and RARE TV. ... Read more

Reviews (22)

Color or B&W
When the series started the majority of the television owner had B&W TV Sets.My family didn't get a color TV until 1966.In the fall of 1966 is when almost everything on the NBC, CBS and ABC Television Networks were shown in Color.So, these previous episodes were done in B&W because it was cheaper and the majority of the public still own B&W TV's.

Now, when it comes to "The Dick Van Dyke Show" the producers and the actor had pointed out that they want the show to remain in B&W.I don't know about the original "Twilight Zone" Series but maybe it and the original "Outer Limits" should remain in B&W.These stories and how they were photograph were meant to be in B&W.

Yet, "Gilligan's Island", "Bewitched" and several other TV series were only film in B&W because of the mass media.If they have found a way to colorize these programs then go for it.Keep the original B&W episodes for those who want it for good old memory but do not deny the rest of us the color.Besides, why are you all making a fuse out of this when the studio is offering the series in both versions?

The Bonus Features
The bonus features for this boxset, as well as the colourised boxset include:

Featurette: Magic Unveiled
Bloopers: Magic and Mishaps
Full length Bewitched Theatrical Trailer

A More Colorful Samantha
To see the first 2 years of Bewitched in color is like a dream come true.You'd have to be a complete phoney-baloney to not want to admit to wanting to see the whole series in color.Now thanks to the marvelous new colorizing technology your dreams of seeing the beautiful Sam twitch her schnoz in beautiful color are finally a reality.I've seen the colorized Bewitched DVDs and they are a real work of beauty.All individual colors assigned to different picture elements in the frame, the complete picture and all details in it are accurately colorized.This isn't the old days of colorizing from the late '80's when everything was shades of brown and blue, now colorizing technology has improved vastly so you can't tell a color picture from a colorized picture.In fact the colorized Bewitched looks better than the color episodes of Bewitched.Only your politically correct snob friends will be admitting to preferring the drab lifeless dated looking b/w pictures over the wonderful colorful present day looking beautiful color picture you can get with these great looking colorized DVDs.Let your snob friends who pretend to prefer b/w over color buy the dull b/w versions, you stand tall and proud as you buy the excellent color version.I proudly proclaim, I LOVE COLORIZED MOVIES AND TV SHOWS over the dull lifeless b/w image.I only wish ALL b/w programs were in beautiful colorized versions.Imagine the wonderful world it would be to see I Love Lucy, Superman, & The Honeymooners all in living color!!!Let's hope the powers that be will make these dreams come true too.

The Black and White Episodes are My Favorite!
The first season of Bewitched premeired on TV about a year before I was born but as child in the 70's I grew up watching the reruns of the color episodes and when I finally saw the first season in black and white I loved it and as much as I liked the seasons where Bewitched was filmed in color I actually prefered the black and white seasons that I watched on Nick at Nite and TV Land and I think Elizabeth Montomery and Dick York were great as a witch named Samantha and her mortal husband Darrin. I see that they are offering the first season in two different sets, one in it's original black and white and the other where the episodes have been colorised and I for one will only buy the black and white set! Like some other reviewers I also prefer Dick York as the original Darrin to his replacement Dick Sargent. Dick Sargent was okay as Darrin but I think Dick York was better and had more chemistry with Elizabeth Montomery. I also preferred Alice Pearce as the original Gladys Kravitz and Irene Vernon as the original Louise Tate. BTW: I have to agree with the reviewers who said that if they wanted to add a color option to the first season DVD set that perhaps they should have put them on the flip side of the discs instead of offering two different sets. Like for example, the black and white episodes on the A side of the discs and the colorised episodes on the B side.

the first season was shot in black and white
I have not seen the DVD and this is not a review of the DVD set of a show I love and will definitely buy. However, I wanted to clarify something that seems to be confusing people about the first season.

The first season of the series, like so many of the series of that era, was filmed in black and white -- on black and white film stock. IT WAS NOT FILMED IN COLOR. It does not exist in color. Period.

What the studio has done here is "colorized" the black and white film to appear to be color. Not the same thing. And you will notice the difference.

We've all seen those old Ted Turner colorizations and they are horrible. What his company did to the first season of "Gilligan's Island" (bad colorization) brought an outcry from series purists.

I am willing to believe that advancements in technology over the years might have improved what was almost unwatchable 10 or 15 years ago.

But be aware, it's not like the producers of this set unearthed some rare never before seen footage of the shows in color. They have manipulated the original black and white film to look color.

Knowing that means I'll be buying the black and white version offered for sale.

Hope this helps. ... Read more

Amazon.com

The Complete James Dean Collection includes two-disc special editions of the three major films Dean made during his meteoric career: East of Eden (1955, never before available on DVD), Rebel Without a Cause (1955), and Giant (1956).In addition to new transfers, the films collect new and vintage documentaries, commentary tracks, publicity materials, and even the infamous "Drive Safely" commercial spot Dean filmed shortly before his death in an auto accident.

East of Eden is an acknowledged classic, and the starring debut of James Dean lifts it to legendary status. John Steinbeck's novel gave director Elia Kazan a perfect Cain-and-Abel showcase for Dean's iconic screen persona, casting the brooding star as Cal, the younger of two brothers vying for the love of their Bible-thumping father (Raymond Massey) in Monterey, California, at the dawn of World War I. Massey is a lettuce farmer, striving for market domination with an ill-fated refrigeration scheme. Having discovered that his presumed-dead mother (Oscar winner Jo Van Fleet) is a brothel owner in nearby Salinas, Cal convinces her to finance an investment that will restore his father's lost fortune, but neither money nor the tenderness of his brother's fiancée (Julie Harris) can assuage Cal's anguished need for paternal acceptance that comes nearly too late. Kazan's oblique camera angles and Dean's tortured emoting may seem extreme by latter-day standards, but their theatrics make East of Eden a timeless tale of family secrets and hard-won affection.

When people think of James Dean, they probably think first of the troubled teen from Rebel Without a Cause: nervous, volatile, soulful, a kid lost in a world that does not understand him. Made between his only other starring roles, in East of Eden and Giant, Rebel sums up the jangly, alienated image of Dean, but also happens to be one of the key films of the 1950s. Director Nicholas Ray takes a strikingly sympathetic look at the teenagers standing outside the white-picket-fence '50s dream of America: juvenile delinquent (that's what they called them then) Jim Stark (Dean), fast girl Judy (Natalie Wood), lost boy Plato (Sal Mineo), slick hot-rodder Buzz (Corey Allen). At the time, it was unusual for a movie to endorse the point of view of teenagers, but Ray and screenwriter Stewart Stern captured the youthful angst that was erupting at the same time in rock & roll. Dean is heartbreaking, following the method acting style of Marlon Brando but staking out a nakedly emotional honesty of his own. Going too fast, in every way, he was killed in a car crash on September 30, 1955, a month before Rebel opened. He was no longer an actor, but an icon, and Rebel is a lasting monument.

Giant got its name because everything in the picture is big, from the generous running time (more than 200 minutes) to the sprawling ranch location (a horizon-to-horizon plain with a lonely, modest mansion dropped in the middle) to the high-powered stars. Stocky Rock Hudson stars as the confident, stubborn young ranch baron Bick Benedict, who woos and wins the hand of Southern belle Elizabeth Taylor, a seemingly demure young beauty who proves to be Hudson's match after she settles into the family homestead. For many the film is chiefly remembered for James Dean's final performance, as poor former ranch hand Jett Rink, who strikes oil and transforms himself into a flamboyant millionaire playboy. Director George Stevens won his second Oscar for this ambitious, grandly realized (if sometimes slow moving) epic of the changing socioeconomic (and physical) landscape of modern Texas, based on Edna Ferber's bestselling novel. The talented supporting cast includes Mercedes McCambridge as Bick's frustrated sister, put out by the new "woman of the house"; Chill Wills as the Benedicts' garrulous rancher neighbor; Carroll Baker and Dennis Hopper as the Benedicts' rebellious children; and Earl Holliman and Sal Mineo as dedicated ranch hands. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

The Icon Who Never Gets Old
On Sept. 30, 2005, we mark the 50th anniversary of the death of James Dean.While baby-boomers may find that incredible, what's even more incredible is that throughout those 50 years, Dean's status as the icon of disaffected youth and rebellious adolescence has not only held up, but burnishes itself anew every time it is displayed before our eyes.
In a film career which spanned only 16 months and included only three films, James Dean defined the disorientation of disaffected youth, as one strives to carve out one's identity, separate from one's parents, and discover what values truly define and shape that identity and self.The remarkable thing about his movie roles is that they did this not only for his generation, but speak for each succeeding generation down to the present day.In no small part due to his tragic death at the age of 24, he never ages, and therefore remains the icon of all that is cool to all generations, whether you identify with Elvis, the Beatles, Sting or Kurt Cobain.Onscreen, James Dean remains the Real Thing in a way few other movie stars have ever been.
Bringing what Marlon Brando called "a subtle energy and a sense of intangible injury" to each of his roles, Dean created a cinematic presence which was so compelling, it had few, if any equals.He became at once the gravitational center and the propulsive force of every scene he was in.It did not matter if he was acting with Raymond Massey, Julie Harris, Natalie Wood, Rock Hudson or Elizabeth Taylor.For each and every moment he was onscreen, you could not take your eyes off him and what he was doing.
In the process, Dean managed to encapsulate and project all the conflicts and contradictions of youth in a manner and to a degree which remains unparalleled.Dean's characters were full of hurt and hubris, anger and uncertainty, confidence and vulnerability... all at once.Other young actors are merely young, and maybe heartfelt.Dean's characters are young with an experience which defies their years, thereby expressing an intensity of feeling and inner conflict that no one else could match.
This collection of all three of Dean's starring vehicles providessomething of serious value to everyone who cares about movies and American culture.The DVD transfers are first rate, and it's hard to believe, for instance, that "East of Eden" has been unavailable to viewers in any format for the past 10 years.Take advantage, movie fans!Even 50 years later, James Dean remains as compelling, as fascinating and as powerful as he ever was, and... HE NEVER GETS OLD.

It's About Time!!!
James Dean will have been dead for 50 years on September 30th, 2005, and seeing that death has only enhanced his iconic image, even if Dean only starred in three studio pictures, I don't think it too much to ask that these films finally get the recognition they deserve. In fact, fans have had to wait so long for a "Dean Collection" that these discs better be flawless as the films themselves almost are. "East of Eden", "Rebel Without A Cause", and "Giant" will be included in this set and the first two mentioned really are screen burners in every aspect.

James Dean made his starring debut in "East of Eden", based on the best-selling John Steinbeck novel which retells the Adam and Eve story, and he was a star from then on. Dean plays Cal Trask, the "Cain" character, to glorious, brooding perfection. In fact, when Steinbeck himself met Dean, he told director Elia Kazan "He is Cal".

"Rebel Without A Cause", probably Dean's best-known film, is a landmark of method acting. Dean as Jim Stark, a pseudonym of James and Trask (as in Cal Trask from Eden), is not the quintessential teenager that everyone paints him. He is so much deeper and older than he appears. "Rebel Without a Cause", directed by Nicholas Ray, is truly a magnum opus of a film. A must see!

"Giant" is a very lush and grand film. Perhaps a bit overdone, but entertaining none the less. Edna Ferber, who wrote the novel, also said Dean was a wonderful choice to play Jett Rink, a common salt of the earth man, who rises to great heights, only to be ruined by his own demons. Dean is the most fascinating thing about "Giant" and easily steals every scene he is in. "The Complete James Dean Collection" is long overdue in any format, let alone DVD. Now, a new generation will be able to experience the myth that is James Dean. ... Read more

Amazon.com

While the first season of The X-Files introduced us to Scully and Mulder, the second season finds the show confidently hitting its stride. Building on its earlier success, the show evolves, and in these 25 episodes, a glimpse is shown of a longer-running story line (which will continue through subsequent seasons) that is woven into the usual stand-alone episodes of the paranormal. These so-called mythology episodes hint at a global conspiracy involving sinister government agents, UFOs, alien abductions, genetic engineering, the ever-lurking Cigarette Smoking Man, and Fox Mulder's father. Season 2 fleshes out Mulder's family history, including the childhood abduction of his sister Samantha, an event that would shape him for life. Actress Gillian Anderson (Scully) became unexpectedly pregnant during season 2, but series creator Chris Carter managed to dance nimbly around her absence and even integrate it into the show. As in season 1, Mulder and Scully are surrounded by a strong supporting cast, which adds a suspicious new agent named Alex Krycek, an informant named X, and a seemingly indestructible alien bounty hunter.

The seven-disc boxed set includes some interesting background material, but again, the heart of the set is the episodes themselves. Among them are standouts such as "The Host," "Duane Barry/Ascension," "Humbug," "Dod Kalm," "Colony/End Game," and "Anasazi." These episodes are a powerful reminder that The X-Files, like no other show on television, can span horror, suspense, mystery, romance, drama, and comedy, sometimes all in the same episode, and always with the production values of a major feature film. --Eugene Wei ... Read more

Reviews (84)

Great episodes - disappointing extra features
Unfortunately, Fox hasnt understood it yet that DVDs are here to offer some real extra features. What we do get on this otherwise fantastisc DVD collection is a mere disappointment:

1) Fox TV episode trailers: they are so short it takes you more time to click through the menue to get to the trailer than to watch it. Whats good about that? Why would i care to watch the trailer anyway, if I have the whole episode on DVD?

2) Deleted Scenes: There arent many of them and they are terribly short. Some are simply pointless and thats exactly the reason why there were deleted. Only interesting were to discover that X was in the first reason a woman and an additional funny scene from "Humbug".

3) Special effects: Ouch! 3 of them and one shorter than the next. If I remember well, Carter has exactly the time for one sentence until the the special effects clip is over. A disappointment. X-Files would have so much to offeron that ground.

4) Behind the Scenes elements: Yeah, well, the one with Gillian Anderson chewing an insect was funny, the rest useless.

5) 15-minutes documentary: quite ok, but nothing really new.

6) Behind the Truth elements: well, copied from the TV, not really spectacular

7) Comments by Chris Carter: they were already on the Video collections by Fox available in Europe.

I give it a four star because after all, the main elements are the episodes themselves which of course are great and worth the price! There is absolutely nothing to complain about those.

Maybe in the 3rd season collection we will finally find some really decent special features!

Can't wait for season 3
Fox is doing an excellent job bringing us the X-Files on DVD. I like having a complete season in one box and not to buy every other episode separately (which is the case with Star Trek...).

Anyway, in the 2nd season, the X-Files really got going with the big arc story of the big conspiracy hiding the truth about aliens (which is also used in order to handle Gillian Andersons pregnancy at the start of the season, she gets abducted... nevertheless Gillian looks quite different before and after giving birth). This makes for the really good two-parters of the season "Duane Barry/ Ascension", "Colony / End Game" and the cliff-hangar "Anasazi" (can't wait for Season 3!).

The extras on disc 7 are nice in itself, especially the commentaries by Chris Carter. Would have been nice if these were a little bit longer.

A must buy for every fan of the X-Files, go and buy it!

Holy Crap
Did the X files ever get a budget boost in this season. The show looks great all of a sudden. this series really starts to lay the ground work for later seasons, more so than the first. They develope the characters and story arcs much fuller in this series. Great series, but still better seasons to come. Buy this.

The season that really started it...
As great as season one was and as much as I love it, season 2 is the one that really jump starts this show. Season 2 is where an actuall mythology really gets developed and used throughout the entire season that helps link episodes together and get an ultimate story underway. This season also starts the use of comedy in the series (ex. 'Humbug') and contains, my favorite episode of the x-files 'Duane Berry'.
The DVD set packs quite a few extras and is better quality then youll get on TNT or SCI-FI, and you can watch all your episodes in order. If you were only going to buy one season of the x-files I'd recommend season 3, but if you were going to buy two seasons, I'd recomme