Reviews (20)

Volume 2 is the best so far!
In my opinion, Volume 2 is the best of the four sets released thus far. "Pod People" and "Cave Dwellers" are among MST3K's classic episodes, and what fan would miss out on the Shorts?

Angels Revenge: T&A are the main assets in this Charlie's Angels ripoff, wherein buxom vigilantes fight drug dealers. Notable stars include Alan "Skipper" Hale, Jim "Thurston" Backus, Pat "Mr. Haney" Buttram, and Jack Palance -- all obviously in more desperate times.

Pod People: A magical ALF wannabe from outer space visits a northern town -- wackiness ensues. "Pod People" uses the cinematic convention that aliens will attack adults and befriend children. As Dr. Forester says, "It has nothing to do with pods, nothing to do with people, and everything to do with HURTING".

Cave Dwellers: A knockoff of Conan the Barbarian, "Cave Dwellers" features a medieval world vaguely under attack. The heroine's pie pan chestplate and an inexplicable hang-gliding scene make this one a breeze for Joel and the Bots. Not as good at the Steve Reeves Hercules episodes, but still good fun.

Shorts: Arguably the best part of MST3K, the Shorts Volume 1 collects half of the bits from the Shorts VHS collection for your viewing pleasure. The shorts are a nice change of pace from the two-hour films, which can become tedious after a while if you're not in the mood for them. They also cover topics *so* obscure (from chicken farming to industrial arts to "A Date With Your Family") that you can be sure this is the only time they'll ever be on DVD.

As stated, this is my favorite MST3K volume. It may not be the best collection to pull in new fans, but for veterans of the series, it's definitely the best Rhino's released yet.

Top-notch collection
This is a good collection of DVD's featuring some classic episodes, as well as the ultimate feature: a DVD with shorts on one DVD.

The first two films - "Pod People" and "Cave Dwellers" are some of my favorite episodes. The skits are funny and so is the heckling, and I would definately invite people to introduce friends to MST3K this way.

"Angel's Revenge" is...well, it's not HILARIOUS, but it is funny. I wouldn't suggest introducing some one to MST3K with it, but definately watch it after you've gotten into the series. It's kind of weak in the beginning but picks up better after a while ("So they just destroyed all the drugs in the world?").

The Shorts Collection - while perhaps missing "Mr. B Natural" - is still the funniest piece of the pie. I laughed through ever last one of them, and "Cheating" made me fall out of my chair. Such lines as "I will bring you down Johnny!" or "You've made some powerful enemies, son" will stick in my mind forever. The last short involving chickens was fittingly good as well ("Where's the driver? Oh my god the chickens are taking over!")

In short, for MSTie or MSTie-in-training, this is an excellent volume. Get it. Got it? Good!

Another great collection from the funniest show ever!
This is Rhino's second DVD collection of four episodes of "Mystery Science Theater 3000," and it's excellent. It has three great episodes from various seasons, and a fourth disc of hilarious short subjects. And it comes in a nifty package with moving parts!

In case you're new to the world of "Mystery Science Theater 3000" (MST3K for short, that's what us fans -- "Misties" -- call it), this is the famous TV show where a silhouette of a man and two robots in theater seats provide running commentary for some of the worst movies ever made. The ninety-minute episodes are scattered with sketches and songs and amount to some of the smartest, most pop-culture savvy, side-splitting comedy ever made.

This DVD contains three episodes, plus a compilation of short subjects from different episodes. The episodes cover a wide spectrum: two are from early in season three, when Joel Hodgson was the host and the show was just kicking into high gear. The third is from late in the sixth season, when the show had developed a much more slick and sarcastic approach with host Mike Nelson. People new to the show will get a good chance to compare the styles of the show. Personally, I love both, but they are quite different. The Shorts are brief films that the host would sometimes make fun of before the movie. Originally, they watched episodes of old movie serials, but when those quickly became tiresome, they turned to educational, commercial, and industrial filmstrips (you know, those annoying things you had to watch at school assemblies in sixth grade?). They contain some of the funniest riffing in the series, and are favorites of the fans.

Here's what's on this collection:

ANGEL'S REVENGE. Episode #622. A 1978 film originally titled "Angel's Brigade," this is an hysterically awful rip-off of the TV show "Charlie's Angels," only it's worse, if you can imagine that! A group of attractive and not-so-attractive women decide to wage war on L.A.'s drug dealers by dressing in white jump suits. The female leads (including Playboy Playmate Susan Lynn Kiger) are horrendous actresses, but what's really embarrassing is the presence of well-known guest stars slumming at the pits of their careers: Jack Palance, Jim Backus, Pat Butrum, Alan Hale, and in a depressing performance, Peter Lawford. Poor Peter appears to have been drunk for the entire filming. Mike and the 'Bots have an absolute field day making fun of the relentless 70s style ("Entertaining was a lot easier in the 70s!") and the poor, unfortunate guest stars ("Do you think Peter knows where he is?"). This is one of my favorite Mike Nelson episodes, and it's the best disc in this package.

CAVE DWELLERS. Episode #301. This film was originally released in 1984 as "Ator the Invincible" and then as "Blade Master" on video. It's a sequel to "Ator the Fighting Eagle," and is one of many cheap-o copycats of "Conan the Barbarian." This stinker stars Miles O'Keefe as beefy warrior Ator, who also knows lots of sciencey stuff (like how to manufacture a hang-glider in two minutes with just sticks). Ator travels to the Ends of the Earth to stop some John Saxon-like villain from obtaining some vague object with a funny name that might do something really bad. Or whatever -- the film is just fantasy of the worst kind. It's so cheap there are no special effects, and the only monster is an immobile velour snake. This is first episode of season three, and this is really when the show entered its golden phase. Joel and the 'Bots have some good times here, especially at the outlandish finale, and there's a hilarious parody of the movie's opening credits. A good episode, and the start of great things.

POD PEOPLE. Episode #303. The poor dubbing in this film automatically marks it as foreign, but since it's obviously trying to pass itself off American, it's tricky to figure out where it was really shot. Mystery over: this is a 1983 Spanish film called "Los Nuevos Extraterrestres," released in America as "The Unearthling." It's an awful attempt to copy "E.T." and combine it with a horror film. Aliens that resemble miniature two-legged versions of Snuffleupuggus from "Sesame Street" invade the mountains. A high-pitched little kid befriend one of the aliens, Trumpy, while the rest start killing people for no reason. There's an awful pop band on a trip (their performance in a recording studio is one of the highlights of the episode), some poachers, and a dysfunctional family up in a cabin. None of it fits together, but Joel and 'Bots create some classic running gags. It's the perfect kind of film for the MST3K treatment. You'll love their re-creation of the incomprehensible "song" performed by the band in the move. ("It stinks!")

SHORTS, VOL. 1. These come from many seasons, and all are great. Tom Servo does a joking intro for each one. "The Home Economics Story" (from episode #317) is a 1950s film for high school girls that encourages them to study home economics in college, implying that they aren't destined for anything other than being housewives. "Junior Rodeo Daredevils" (from episode #407) tells how a group of kids in a tiny town set up their own rodeo, and then broke all their limbs and snapped their spinal chords -- all in good fun! "Body Care & Grooming" (from episode #510) informs college students how to spend all their time grooming their hair and skin, because people will only like them if they're pretty! "Cheating" (from episode #515) tells the tragic story of Johnny, who cheated and rose to power, and then fell into the pits of despair not unlike a Kafka novel. "A Date with Your Family" (from episode #602) is the best of the bunch: a nightmare about the perfect 50s family having a perfectly repressed 50s dinner. The riffing here is as sharp and satiric as anything ever done on the show. "Why Study Industrial Arts" (from episode #609) is the reverse of "The Home Economics Story," encouraging young men to risk sawing off their limbs in shop class. And finally, "The Chicken of Tomorrow" (from episode #702) explains breeding techniques to create meatier chickens. It's very depressing.

(In a bit of a mistake, two of the shorts are already available on other DVDs: episode #609, "The Skydivers" is on the first Rhino DVD collection, and Episode #515, "The Wild World of Batwoman," is available as a single DVD, so you might have already seen two of these shorts.)

This is another awesome collection from Rhino. There's more laughs here than you'll find in a year's worth of Hollywood comedies. A must for MST3K fans and newcomers alike!

Keep circulating the DVDs, Rhino!
Rhino continues producing MST3K boxed sets, and I can't thank them enough. They foster my MST collecting habit with each release. I adore the boxed sets and recommed them for any devoted MiSTie. That said, on to the Film Blecch in this set.

Angels Revenge (bad puctuation not mine): a blatant, charm-free Charlie's Angels poser. The 'angels' aren't even remotely attractive, but they use their womenly wiles to bring down the drug trade. The real surprise in this one is the --ahem-- famous names, like Jim Backus, Alan Hale (he's shown up in a BUNCH of MST-treated flicks), and good heavens--Mr. Haney. Summary: cheesy 70s T&A theme flick, with as little story as possible, so as not to burden the audience. A dippy teacher rounds up a model, a scary stuntwoman, a lousy Vegas singer, and some other person to defeat the pushers. This one takes more than one viewing to enjoy the jokes, because it is JUST that bad.

Cave Dwellers: Rhino was smart to package this movie in the set that houses its sibling, Pod People. This cinematic train wreck has the same jumbled production values of Pod People--you'll recognize it immediately. Signature element: scenes from some other movie play behind the opening credits. Cave Dwellers gave Miles O'Keefe a set of fringed boots, a tiny loincloth, and not much else. You will HOWL during the host segment when Joel & the Bots do a half-screen action sequence of the guy with the fruity hat.
Summary: ?? go to the ends of the earth, and you still won't get what this turkey is about. Images not to be missed: Ator & Thong's fight with invisible monsters, Ator hangliding, and the scene with the "Most Attractive Man of the Middle Ages--MY MY MY!" Ultimately, there is a short bit of the actual Cave Dwellers, but the film has zero to do with them. ??

Pod People: HUZZAH! A real crapfest, complete with a bargain basement Alf wannabe. Can you imagine the pitch for this film? I think it must've gone like this: let's have a cuddly but murderous alien, a bad rock band, a weird mountain family with a poorly dubbed child, and OH! for extra spice, POACHERS! If this leaves you saying, "What the hell?" -- you are ready to watch the movie.
Summary: cuddly Alf-like killers inconvenience a bad rock group's weekend in the mountains.

Shorts, Vol 1: the best Shorts volume, IMHO. This set of shorts has actual hosting by Tom and includes The Home Economics Story, Junior Rodeo Daredevils, Body Care & Grooming (they're cops!), Cheating, A Date with Your Family, and Why Study Industrial Arts? A Date with Your Family is my personal favorite--"A violent argument erupts over whose day was more pleasant." This short couldn't get any whiter if it tried. Life in the 50s as introduced to us by the MST cast!

A great boxed set--pop the popcorn and get ready for cinema's disasters to spin in your player. A must for MST collectors, and even the box design is cute!

Rhino Misses Mark on Volume 2
Last year I made a discovery... MST3K. Well, not really, I'd been watching the episodes for years. I only became VERY interested last year because I discovered Rhino had started issuing the MST episodes on DVD and including the original unedited films on the flip-side of the disks. The first four episodes Rhino put on DVD, I Accuse My Parents, Red Zone Cuba, Mitchell and Manos had lacked this feature and I had not been interested in getting those.

As a collector of odd-ball films I own a ton (many of them are Rhino tapes), but when Rhino started putting out double-sided DVD disks I became a died-in-wool MST collector too because for me the MSTied versions are like really, really good commentary tracks added to the disks. They are the kind of commentary tracks that all good DVD commentary tracks should aspire to be!

But now I discovered beginning with MST3K - Collection Volume 2, Rhino has reverted to the old practice of only one-sided disks!! Shame!! Tragedy!! On top of that, they've left the retail price in the same ballpark as the first collection which contained both versions of each film!

Oh yeah, I've read posts from others, "Rhino doesn't need to put the un-MSTied versions on the disks, those films are not worth viewing anyway! TRUE MST fans only want the MST episodes, blah, blah, blah…" Well, here is one person who is really saddened that Rhino has lowered the value of their disks (and not lowered the price!) Shame!

Who was the marketing genius at Rhino who dreamed this one up? I think there are other folks like me who enjoyed having the original films on the disks. I thought Rhino staff were people who (like me) who had a genuine love for off-beat cinema! Maybe Rhino has marketing-types running the show at company headquarters now instead of people who have a love for the product.

Here's the short version: Rhino won me over by putting out MST WITH the uncut films. Yes I'm still a big MST fan, but when allocating scarce dollars I will think twice about what gets purchased first. You know what? I don't own any of the single-sided disks. Rhino can sit on 'em! I'll buy them when they show up in the $5 cut-out bins.

Pisstified in S.F.,

Bob Burns ... Read more

Reviews (87)

'Yo Adrian!
I LOVE THE ROCKY MOVIES!!! my god my god my god. they are totally awesome. the first is amazing because it details the beginning of Rocky Balboa's(Stallone) career & relationship w/Adrian(Talia Shire)..that fight against Apollo is one of the best boxing matches & is widely recognized. Follow your love for this movie onto Rocky II where Apollo Creed has a rematch w/the hero Rocky. in Rocky III, Mr. T fights Rocky.. Rocky & Apollo are best friends now & Rocky is really rising(hits the big bucks) meanwhile Adrian & he are still together. she's a very loyal wife. in part IV, Rocky heads off to Russia to fight Ivan Drago(Dolph Lundgren)..this is another gr8 fight..totally & completely nail-biting. & in Rocky V, well Rocky's had many downs in his life/career right now.. audiences find Rocky managing an ambitious youngster & having father-son issues..i suppose what makes these movies one of my faves & one of those well-loved movies is: it demonstrates how a common guy can have a dream,fulfill it, rise up in his career & life, then suddenly fall because of a stupid mistake..the important thing is to realize who is w/him throughout all this time. Rocky's a very courageous, down-to-earth type character. combined w/gr8 fighting sequences & renowned music themes, the ROCKY movies are immediate take-home Blockbuster material. Why are you wasting time reading this?? Buy the movies!!! the DVD is gr8! complete w/awesome features. well hope ya like it!

ROCK-Y! ROCK-Y! ROCK-Y! ROCK-Y! ROCK-Y! ROCK-Y!
So many people have written about the things that make the Rocky movies so successful, and I have no doubt that I'll be repeating some of them in my review. But I have to throw my hat in the ring anyway, so to speak.

Rocky Balboa certainly qualifies as one of the most unique and determined heroes in cinema. His story is truly an inspiraton to us all. In the first movie, of course, he starts out with basically nothing, gets a chance to fight Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers), and loses. In the second movie, he wins the heavyweight title from Creed in a rematch. By the third movie, Rocky is basking in the glow of his success; he and Adrienne now have a son. But Clubber Lang (Mr. T) has been making his way to the top as well, and he challenges Rocky to a match. Rocky trains hard and tries his best, but his concerns about his manager Mickey's (Burgess Meredith) health make it difficult to concentrate, giving Lang the advantage...and Rocky's title. With encouragement from Adrienne and his former rival Apollo Creed, who takes over as manager after Mickey's death, Rocky rediscovers his Eye of the Tiger in the rematch and puts Lang in his place.

In the fourth movie, Apollo is killed in battle by Russian champion Ivan Drago (Dolph Lundgren). In one of the most intense boxing matches of the entire series, Rocky finds the "chink" in the Russian's seemingly impenetrable armor. It's worth getting the fourth movie just for that match.

But, by the time of the fifth and final movie, things are quite a bit different. (As I'm writing this, I've just finished watching the fifth one for the very first time.) Not only do Rocky and his family find out that they're broke, but Rocky seems to be suffering from brain damage as a result of his fight with Drago. He becomes a manager for a new young fighter, Tommy Gunn (upsetting his son quite a bit), who allows his ego to cloud his judgement, thus luring himself into the sleazy side of the boxing business. When Tommy gets a shot at the heavyweight title, the audience is already in a bad mood because Rocky isn't there on stage with him. But when Tommy takes the title in just over three rounds, the audience is REALLY in a bad mood; at least Rocky had class.

Rocky and Tommy end up resolving their differences in a street fight, and for several agonizing minutes it looks like it could be the end...but Rocky has the spirit of Mickey with him, and for the fourth time, the Italian Stallion wins, proving that he's still a champion and always will be, even after fifteen years.

Whenever I watch these movies I can still feel the excitement of seeing them for the first time. When the odds are stacked against him, even in the face of several brushes with death (Tommy Gunn makes Ivan Drago and Clubber Lang look like pussycats somtimes), he still manages to triumph.

I love you, Rock...you the man!

Awsome Series
I luv all 5 Rocky movies. It was by far one of the best series I have ever seen; along with all Star Track, Star Wars, and Lord of the Rings!!! I just finished watching them all this 4th of July weekend when and most of them I watched twice!!! It was an all day Rocky Fest on AMC. I watched them with my girls and they loved it just as much as I did. The movies had a moral to every storyline althrough sometimes repeating itself...It was still good. It was just like I saw it for the first time. I luved it!!

WOW!
I-5 stars-an underdog story
II-5 stars-the rematch
III-5 stars-he gets soft then he gets mad
IV-5 stars-do you believe in miracles?stupid soviets
V-3 stars-it wasnt that good
it teaches you to beileve and never give up-its about heart
once i saw them i got some boxing gloves and started beating up
my best friends.
and i dont get what u yankees and people dont like about #IV,
its better than #V and just as good as the other ones.
dont like my review? say it to my face!

His Entire Life Was A Million To One Shot
American classics only come along once in awhile. Films like Star Wars, The Godfather, and The Terminator are among many. Sometimes you say to yourself, "If that movie never existed, it would have a real effect on culture today." And you're quite right. Star Wars brought us immortal lines like "Luke, I AM your father." and "May the force be with you." The Godfather brought the American fascination with the mafia to life. Just think, No Godfather, No Sopranos. And The Terminator established Arnold Schwarzenegger and James Cameron's careers as well as the "technology gone wrong" and "I'm from the future" genres. Yes, films like these have believe it or not had an effect on everyone. And who can forget the world's sporting people. Everyone who participates in sports has to train hard and balance their personal lives with their professional lives. When I played basketball in high school, I had to. And we all need something to motivate us. To drive us. And being a film fanatic, I got my inspiration from a movie. That movie Was Rocky. Sylvester Stallone's masterwork series that showed us the stages of a man's life through his sport of boxing. From his one shot that put him on the map (Part 1), to his rematch that won him a world title (Part 2), to a rise and settlement, loss, and redemption (Part 3), to a burning vengeance (Part 4), to a retirement, betrayal, and final fight(Part 5). This series shows us that you can be the poorest, dumbest guy in the country, and become a legend just by taking your one chance. Now these movies are on DVD in a beautifully crafted boxed set. Now you can enjoy one man's journey from zero to hero anytime with a great DVD transfer and good special features on the first disc only (didn't understand that one.). This movie can change your life. Now, I recommend the first Rocky over them all because it's very realistic and humanistic. I recommend Rocky 2 as a good sequel with a shocking conclusion. Rocky 3 was the best sequel not only because of the performances of Hulk Hogan and the talented Mr. T, but because it shows how fame can cloud your mind and how putting bitter rivalries and materials behind to regain your drive can help you overcome. Rocky 4 was my least favorite not only for a far fetched storyline and that damned robot, but because it lost it's humanism to go for the revenge plot.Plus it was Stallone's blatant "let's end the Cold War" peace offering. It was saved by good performances, a great fight sequence, a cool villianous contender, and good 80's music. It also screws up the timeline of the story a bit. Rocky 5 regained the humanism and returned Rocky and Adrian back to their roots and it was good because it was different. Rocky had one fight, and it was one hell a fight- on the street. Plus it showed how quick trusting someone else in the fighting game can destroy you. These movies are all good but if you have to see any of them I rank them 1,3,2,5,4. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Season one of Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman captures the popular television series at its most charming and original: a gently feminist, 19th-century Western with mythic overtones, a Gunsmoke-like vision of small-town constancy, and an audacious love story that might best be described as Buckskin Bronte. British actress Jane Seymour scrubbed away her accent to play Michaela Quinn, fifth daughter of a well-to-do Boston physician who encouraged her to get a medical degree despite social obstacles.

The headstrong Quinn moves to rough-and-tumble Colorado Springs to set up a practice, faces stiff resistance from the locals, witnesses the brutality of white America's expansionism, and generally experiences a classic Western transformation from privilege to pioneering. Along the way, Quinn makes a heartfelt connection with the mysterious Sully (Joe Lando), a laconic outsider/cowboy-knight-errant/widower preserving his broken heart. While the series' pilot may be the best thing in this set, there is a lot to enjoy about further episodes (with such guest stars as Johnny Cash and Robert Culp) exploring Quinn's hard-won admiration from town skeptics. Dr. Quinn creator Beth Sullivan admirably balances the many influences and narrative forces at work; some of the best shows are idea-driven, such as "Portraits," which deals with prejudice. --Tom Keogh ... Read more

Reviews (20)

Dr Quinn Medicine Woman
I just love it. I have already received the first season on DVD, and I love watching it. The quality is wonderful. I really hope that they release the other five seasons. I finally have my favorite show on DVD.

Timeless Show
What a terrific show! I was very disappointed when CBS cancelled this series but I am grateful A&E saw the value in putting the shows on DVD. Jane Seymour and Joe Lando are terrific together. The romance is wonderfully entertaining without being smutty. The ensemble cast work so well together. Each character has his/her own quirks that make you love them all. I highly recommend this series. It doesn't lose it's charm the longer it's off the air, but instead, it only gets better. Popping in a Dr. Quinn DVD is a wonderful vacation from all the garbage that is on television these days. Well worth the money! I can't wait to get Season 2. Hurrah!

Wonderful show
I never watched this show when it aired on TV, so I took a chance on this DVD set. Being a fan of Little House on the Prairie, I figured it had to be similar. All I can say is that I adore this show and have already purchased Seasons 2 and 3 and will continue to purchase the sets as they are released. It is a nice show about families, love, and independence. I have been very pleased with this set as well. I've noticed a little bit of choppiness with scene transition, but overall, very good. I highly recommend!

One of the finest shows ever....
Dr. Quinn is one of the finest shows ever produced. For six seasons, this show took us back to the period just after the end of the Civil War when the West was still wild, beautiful and dangerous. Jane Seymour is unforgettable as Dr. Michaela Quinn who leaves Boston high society to begin a medical practice in Colorado Springs. The history of medicine unravels before our eyes, along with the history of the West, the injustices carried out against Native Americans, the birth of the railroad, etc. Dr. Quinn also tells one of the greatest love stories ever written for television. The chemistry between Jane Seymour and Joe Lando was truly amazing.

There was good reason for the uproar unleashed when CBS canceled this show before its time was done. It was a terrible mistake in judgment. It is a decision that continues to haunt the President of CBS, Leslie Moonves, who recently admitted that he still receives (more than 7 years after Dr. Quinn's cancellation) over 100 protest letters and e-mails a month.

If you have never seen this show -- watch it now (commericial-free!!!) and enjoy one hell of a ride.

I forgot how much I loved this show!
I haven`t seen Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman since it was on TV years ago, but I suddenly had a desire to watch it again. I`m so glad I ordered the DVDs! ... Read more

Amazon.com

The midpoint of what would be a nine-season show, the fifth season of The X-Files (the first to be put on DVD in anamorphic widescreen format) gives fans a heavy heaping of what they love. For the mythology buffs, riveting episodes from the season bookends "Redux" and "The End" to several episodes in between tease with new revelations about the vast government conspiracies and alien invasion plot lines sketched in earlier seasons. But enough questions are left unanswered for the theatrical X-Files movie, which was released the subsequent summer, and the seasons that followed. Supporting characters like the Lone Gunmen, Agent Krycek, the Pusher Robert Modell, and Fox's father and sister Bill and Samantha Mulder are flushed out in more detail in several episodes that occasionally jump back in time to cover the prehistory of the X-files. New chess pieces are introduced, each raising new questions: the clairvoyant child Gibson Praise, Agent Spender, faceless alien resistance fighters with pyromaniacal tendencies, a child who may be Scully's, and Mulder's old flame, agent Diana Fowley (Mimi Rogers). All the time, no one knows who will be assassinated next, who is or isn't dead, just who isn't potentially a child of the Cigarette Smoking Man, and why the base of the neck is everyone's vulnerable spot. The creature feature stand-alone episodes vary in quality, but all are redeemed by the outrageously funny self-parody episode "Bad Blood," a fan favorite that guest stars Luke Wilson as a small-town sheriff who catches Scully's eye.

Finally, "shippers" (fans who would love nothing better than to see Mulder and Scully act upon their feelings for each other) get a heavy dose of the usual sexual innuendo and lingering, tender glances between the attractive costars. Mimi Rogers and Luke Wilson incite palpable jealousy between the leads; the appearance of a wedding band on Mulder's hand in a back story hints at stories not told; and the usual extreme and dimly lit crises illustrate just how far Mulder and Scully will go for each other. In the end, the complexities of their relationship may be the most tense and intriguing of all the mysteries explored by this epic television series. --Eugene Wei ... Read more

Reviews (39)

Halfway through the show, The X-Files reaches its peak
Season 5 of The X-Files is definitely the best season from the show's nine-year run, in my opinion. Season 5 is where the mythology arc of the show really takes over, resulting in a superb season finale before finally leading to box-office glory in the summer of 1998 with The X-Files Movie: Fight The Future. Season 5 was actually filmed after the movie, despite the movie coming out after Season 5! This brilliant season of The X-Files contains a mere 20 episodes - the movie was Chris Carter's excuse as the concluding "episode/s" to the season. David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson as FBI Agents Fox Mulder and Dana Scully respectively are surprisingly not at their best, acting-wise in Season 5.

As previously stated, Season 5 is where the mythology arc of the show really takes over. These conspiracy episodes are the best from any season in The X-Files, and made Season 5 more epic than any other. Season 5 begins with the great episode Unusual Suspects. In a flash back scene from 1989, the Lone Gunmen meet for the first time and join forces with Mulder to stop a covert government experiment that may be targeted at the American public, after been contacted by a distraught woman. We finally catch up with what happened at the end of Season 4 in the first two-parter of Season 5; Redux/Redux II. Mulder was presumed dead at the end of the previous season, yet the agents play the game better and are one step ahead of everyone else - I won't spoil it for you, but it's truly an amazing two-parter, definitely one of the best in the show's history. The next two-parter we receive from Season 5 is Christmas Carol/Emily. In the former, a mysterious phone call leads Scully to investigate a woman's suicide and a young girl who may be the daughter of her deceased sister, Melissa. In the latter, Scully attempts to adopt three year old Emily Sim, only to discover that the girl has developed a disturbing illness that may be the by-product of a sinister conspiracy. The next in a long list of Season 5 two-parters is Patient X/The Red And The Black. In the former - after a group of alien abductees are burned alive by faceless assailants - Mulder and Scully uncover proof that the event is linked to alien colonisation. In the latter, the agents discover more evidence of the planned alien colonisation of Earth and set out to preserve what may be humanity's last remaining link to freedom. Since the beginning of Season 5, Mulder's opinions on what he believes have been severely challenged. We see an extremely sceptical Mulder in this two-parter, not willing to believe anything without proof. The fans aren't used to this, so it's just as glad he reverts to his normal self soon. The Season 5 finale - The End - is another absolutely stunning episode in which Mulder and Scully discover a 12-year-old clairvoyant whose life may be in danger due to his gifted ability to solve all the unexplained phenomena in the X-Files. The Ciagrette-Smoking Man really gets involved in this finale, arriving back with full force - intent on complicating things more than they could be and, of course, covering up the truth.

The stand-alone episodes of Season 5 are amongst the best the show has ever produced. While containing some superb ones such as Kitsunegari, Schizogeny, Kill Switch, Mind's Eye, All Souls, The Pine Bluff Variant and Folie A Deux, it also contains one atrocious one - Travelers. This is just a rubbish episode, which I turned off between the first viewing. One of the best episodes of Season 5 is Detour. In the episode, Mulder and Scully are stalked by an ancient legion of lethal beings while out in the woods investigating a boy's claims that he was attacked by an invisible creature. The striking and rich greens of the trees in the forest make this one of the most memorable episodes in X-Files history. The Post Modern Prometheus is a special episode, filmed entirely in black and white. While investigating the appearance of a freakish creature in a rural town, the agents uncover a dangerous genetic experiment that has spun wildly out of control. The comedy scenes (Mulder and Scully suddenly appearing from behind a door-frame to quiz a suspect is hilarious) make for a much-loved episode. Chinga (called Bunghoney from a few sources for some strange reason) is another one of the season's highlights. Rumours of witchcraft and sorcery surrounding a bizarre murder lead Scully to a little girl and a cursed doll that may be hiding a murderous secret. The episode was co-written by horror story legend Stephen King and contains some truly scary moments - such as the supermarket one...and watch out for the "I want more cherries!" scene! Bad Blood has to be the funniest episode of The X-Files you will ever see. While exploring the deaths of cattle killed by a series of blood extractions, the agents uncover a cult of vampires residing in a small Texas town. Both Mulder and Scully offer their sides of the story on what happened in flashback scenes. At one point, the agents become so annoyed with each other that when Scully explains what location they were at (with that trademark writing appearing at the bottom of the screen), Mulder cuts in and believes Scully to have got the location wrong! The writing at the bottom of the screen then changes to what Mulder believes it to be! Very funny stuff!

OVERALL GRADE: 10/10

Season 5 of The X-Files is one of the best seasons of any TV show I have ever seen - only Seasons 3 and 5 of Buffy the Vampire Slayer tops it! The season contains many different characters such as Cigarette-Smoking Man, Alex Krycek, the Lone Gunmen, Maria Covarrubias, Diana Fowley and The Bounty Hunter which only add to the season's quality. Be a part of The X-Files legend and own Season 5 on DVD today!

The Greatest Science Fiction Show Hits Season 5
If you are reading this, you are proabbly a very big X-Files fan like me. If you are not a fan, you have no idea what great stuff you are missing. So here is the lowdown. As most of us nerds know, X-Files Season 5 was the first season to be filmed in anamorphic widescreen, but it was broadcast in fullscreen.Fox has announced though that the DVD's (Thank You Jesus!)will be presented in their originall anamorphic widescreen! Now for the episodes...
Disc 1: Unusual Suspects, Redux, ReduxII and Detour
Disc 2: Christmas Carol, Post-Modern Prometheus, Emily and Kitsunegari
Disc 3: Schizogeny, Chinga, Kill Switch and Bad Blood
Disc 4: Patient X, The Red and the Black, Travelers and Mind's Eye
Disc 5: All Souls, The Pine Bluff Variant, Folie a Deux and The End
Disc 6: Supplemental Materials.
And for the special features...
The audio will be presented in Dolby Surround 2.0. There will also be international clips for several episodes, deleted scenes from The Post-Modern Prometheus, Christmas Carol, The Red and the Black and All Souls, audio commentaries for The Post-Modern Prometheus and The Pine Bluff Variant, a thirty minute documentary - The Truth About Season Five, Behind the Truth Spots, special effects clips with commentary, a two minute featurette from the FX network, tv spots, and a DVD-ROM game.
I hope this helps ... and remember THE TRUTH IS OUT THERE!

Incredible season.. Best I have seen yet
Up until recently, I never watched a single episode of the X-Files. Now that the DVD sets have been reduced in price, I had the opportunity to start watching the show. After watching the first four seasons on DVD I have become a huge fan, and in my opinion The X-Files is one of the most addictive and well done science fiction shows ever created. However, the only five star season that was great from start to finish, was the third season. Going into season five, I never expected to see a season of The X-Files that could manage to overcome season three in terms of storytelling and episode quality. I was wrong. The fifth season was absolutely amazing. I enjoyed every single episode, and I doubt that any season for the rest of the show will be able to top it.

The thing that I probably enjoyed the most about season five, is that Mulder and Scully switch roles. Based on what he learns at the end of season four, Mulder turns somewhat skeptical and comes to think that everything he believed in was a lie, while Scully starts to become more of a believer based on things she discovers about her abduction. The fifth season offers so many wonderful episodes, it is hard to choose a favorite. The first two episodes "Redux" and "Redux II" offer a wonderful conclusion to the season four cliffhanger. One of my favorite episodes "Unusual Suspects" goes into how the Lone Gunmen came to be. "The Post-Modern Prometheus" is loosely based on the Frankenstien monster, and is shot in black and white. This was definately one of the best episodes I have seen so far. Everything from the writing and cinematography, to the music used was fantastic. "Bad Blood" is the funniest and most entertaining episode of The X-Files that I have ever seen, and will probably go down as being my favorite episode of the entire show. "The End" is the best season finale of the show that I have seen so far, and is definately on my top ten list for best episodes.

Overall, the fifth season of The X-Files is the best season I have seen so far. While there were only 20 episodes, each one managed to be fantastic. The fifth season would be worth owning for the episodes alone. However, the DVD package is great. This was the first DVD set to offer the episodes in widescreen! The extras are very good as well. My favorite feature was the 45 minute "Inside the X-Files" featurette. It was very in-depth and featured tons of great information. You also get deleted scenes with commentary from series creator Chris Carter, commentary on the episodes "The Post-Modern Prometheus" and "The Pine Bluff Variant" from the writer of those particular episodes, and more.

A solid 5 stars...

End of Vancouver
This season marks the last season that was shot in Vancouver. After that, they moved to L.A. Amidst all of that, as well as writting an entire season to lead up to the movie, this season proved to be really great.

[Spoilers]

As usual, the conspiracy deepens with the season premier, and we get a cure for Scully's cancer, an answer to Mulder's supposed death, and a new monkey wrench thrown into the Syndicate's plans: Mulder and Scully discover a boy that can read minds, which in turn could expose the syndicate.

[End Spoilers]

This season had great stand alone episodes as well as mythology episodes. It proved that The X-Files still had a lot going for it.

This season ended with a pretty good season finale, but wasn't as good as Season 4's. However, this didn't matter, because the REAL season finale was the movie "The X-Files: Fight the Future" that was released a few weeks later in theaters.

Overall, a great season and a great setup for the movie and future seasons.

Great season, great DVD.

End of Vancouver...
For the first five seasons of the show, they filmed in Vancouver. After that, they moved to LA. Even through all that, the show remains incredibly well done.

In this season, we have a cure for Scully's cancer, we find out what really happened in the Season Four finale episode, and we learn just how deep the conspiracy goes. We also learn more about what happened when Scully was abducted in "Christmas Carol/Emily," and more in "Patient X/The Red and the Black." The latter two-parter also expands more into what the aliens are really up to.

The season ends with a decent finale, although not as good as last season's. But that's ok, because a month later we got the movie!

Great season, great DVD. ... Read more

Amazon.com

The second four-disc set of Fushigi Yûgi continues the adventures of Miaka and Yui, two Japanese middle-school girls drawn into an ancient Chinese book, The Universe of the Four Gods. The later episodes are darker in tone, marked by threats of rape, attempted rape, and the deaths of several secondary characters (some of whom die two or three times). Miaka and her friends, who fight in the name of the "beast-god" Suzaku, are pitted against the warriors of the rival deity, Seiryu: twins Amiboshi and Suboshi; werewolf Ashitare; lightning-wielding Soi; Miboshi, who looks like a tiny monk; Tomo, who dresses like a Peking Opera general; and the icily vicious Nagako. Nagako commands this troop in the name of Yui, who is waging a vendetta against Miaka. Despite the myriad plots, battles, and spells, director Hajime Kamegaki focuses on the romance between Miaka and martial artist Tamahome. Tamahome has lost the outlaw panache that initially made him attractive, and Miaka has grown no more prepossessing. She whines continuously, and every third episode seems to end with her either declaring she'll never forgive some evil or apologizing for not living up to someone's expectations. What does Tamahome see in her? Their endless proclamations of undying fidelity leave little time for the activities of the more colorful and interesting supporting characters--transvestite Nuriko, sorcerer-in-training Chichiri, and mountain bandit Tasuki. While Miaka and her friends slog on, her brother Keisuke and his friend Tetsuya are reading The Universe of the Four Gods and tracking its effects in the real world. The final battle that pits Tomahome against Nagako and Suzaku against Seiryu proves more anticlimactic than apocalyptic. Kamegaki has several key events occur off camera, including Yui's final wish to Seiryu and how Miaka escapes from the penalty customarily imposed on those who summon Suzaku. Fushigi Yûgi should be seen one or two episodes at a time: watching for more than an hour is like eating a box of bonbons in one sitting. Rated 13 and up for violence, nudity, and sexual situations, including suggestions of rape. --Charles Solomon ... Read more

Reviews (54)

An Improvement over the 1st Half but.....
The second half was definitely better than the first but it still had a lot of problems (what else would you expect from Fushigi Yugi?). First the good things. The animation was better for the most part (there were a some poorly and lazily done episodes), but I guess they made up for it with the "Nuriko, the Eternal Farewell" episode. That was a fantastic episode. One of the best one in the entire series. Also, the episode where Tatara and Suzuno were reunited was fantastic. The music set the feeling of the moment perfectly resulting in one of the best moments of the series or of any anime series for that matter. The summoning of Seiryu was done very well also. The ending was great too with some nicely done animation. Great voice acting on the part of Seki Tomokazu, Touma Yumi, and Nuriko's seiyuu. Now onto the bad. In the second half I still had a problem with the main character Miaka who was still (except for the very end) a bad character in my opinion. In this second half of the series she was still running after Tamahome or away from (We can't be together I can't marry you bladdy blah blah) and saying stuff like that would be the best for Tamahome then running off which was complete [nonsense]. The creators of the anime must have been TRYING to make us not like Miaka. They succeded pretty well. Miaka's voice actress, Araki Kae, should stick to the little girls like Chibi Usa instead of doing 8th grade girls because she sounds horridly annoying in Miaka's role. Tamahome is not much better, all of his 2,000 love speeches to Miaka or about Miaka make me want to mute the TV even though it IS Modorikawa Hikaru doing Tamahome's voice. Thankfully there wasn't as much Hotohori scenes in the second half. The animation in the episode where something surprising happens involving Chiriko (I think you know what I'm talking about) was awful. That episode was the most screentime Chiriko had in the entire series, more than the amount of all his previous screentime put together. All the stuff about I want to know Tamahome's true feelings was annoying too. Did anybody notice after Miaka came out of Tomo's shin shell thing and it showed that up (sort of at an angle shot) of Miaka? It was riduculous. No human is that thin and certainly no human who eats as much as Miaka does is. Even Yui isn't shown as thin as that and she isn't obssessed with food. There was way too much Miaka fan service, half of the time she has no clothes on, partly because everybody else is always taking them off (Tamahome, Nakago, Tomo, Nuriko) and everyone's always trying to take away her virginity so she can't summon Suzaku, very annoying. I wish we had been able to see more of the Byakko Seven because they were all much more interesting than Miaka and Tamahome ever were to me. I loved Tatara and Suzuno especially. Fushigi Yugi has lots of ups and downs and it's your choice whether you want to invest the money for the whole thing.

Hmmm...
Well, I'm writing this under the assumption that all readers are considering buying/have bought and watched the first half of the Fushigi Yuugi series. I'll start right now by saying that I've only ever seen it in Japanese, so I can't give you a fair opinion on the English dub.

In brief, what I thought of Fushgi Yuugi in general- well, I really quite liked it. It's not a favourite of mine, and I don't think it ever will be, but its still incredibly cute and funny.

What I thought of this set:

Well, excuse me while I go bang my head against a wall. Don't get me wrong- the second half is definately not bad, and for the most part is very, very enjoyable. There are, however, certain aspects that have inspired within me the urge to hurt something.

1) The complete shifts in characters. Miyaka started out as a likeable character. Granted, she was a ditz, but the character had spirit and passion, and was done very well. By this point in the series though, her personality has shifted completely. Gone is the girl who was willing to fight a gang in an alley because she didn't have to worry about teachers yelling at her. (This was in episode 3, I believe.) Enter Miyaka, weak priestess, who wanders around wailing and blushing, waiting for people to cater to beck and call....

Tamahome suffered the same personality shift as Miyaka. Like her, I really loved Tamahome at the start of the series. His character was portrayed as being shallow with a good heart underneath it all. Like Miyaka, he was hilarious, and incredibly likeable. I shamelessly admit that I was cheering him on the whole time, hoping he'd 'get the girl'. By the time the second series rocked up though, he had Miyaka and had become a simpering mess. He was completely whipped, no longer the strong character I liked. It was extremely disappointing.

We get to see more insight into Yui, but not much into the Seiryuu Seven, which is vaguely disappointing, but can be forgiven. We see the Byakko Seven- well, three members- and slowly find out more and more in the dark past of 'The Universe of the Four Gods', which I have to say, is excellently done. Sadly though, there is very little Hotohori- in my opinion, a real shame, as his character was wonderful and his Japanese voice actor is one of my personal favourites.

The plot is still engaging. It doesn't focus on the other members of the Seven as much as I'd like, in favour of screams of 'Tamahome!' 'Miyaka!' but each character does get their brief spot in the limelight.

The drawings are still excellent, and the animation flows as well as the first season. When it's not trying too hard to be deep and meaningful, we see that wonderful Fushigi Yuugi humour, which was originally the first thing that caught my attention. There's still plenty of fanservice, which was kind of misplaced, considering this is a series that targets girls, but is still funny.

All in all, the second series is enjoyable, and is a nice way to round out the series. The ending leaves a bit to be desired, but that's what the OVAs are for. If you've seen the first half of Fushigi Yuugi (which was, to me, superior) this half is a necessity. I don't think that, on the whole, you'll be disappointed. Still, if you're anything like me, you'll wish that certain parts had been revised.

Fushigi Yugi
4 GODS, 2 WORLDS, 7 WARRIORS, 1 QUEST.

WARNING, MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS (okay it does)!!!

Hi it's me again!! You know from Fushigi Yugi Boxed Set 1.

If you haven't read it yet go and read it!!
Here are all the characters (with their powers) so far:
Susaku-Miaka-Priestess, Tamahome-Martial Arts, Hotohori-Sword, Nuriko-Strength, Tasuki-Harisen, Chichiri-Magic, Mitsukake-Healer, and Chriko-Intelligence.
Seiryu-Yui-Priestess, Nakago-Magic, sort of but much more powerful then Chichiri's, Amiboshi-Flute, Suboshi-His spinning balls (I forget what they are called), Soi-Lightening. The next three are Ashtaire, Tomo and Miboshi.(I won't tell you their powers

Okay. Now this DVD set begins with a show that reviews over all the characters. Starting with Tamahome, Hotohori, Nuriko, Tasuki, Chichiri, Mitsukake, and last but not least Chriko.
The last episode on the first Boxed Set was when Miaka and the Susaku 7 set off for Genbu on boat.
On the way there, there is a terrible storm caused by Soi of the Seiryu 7(who controls lightening). Tasuki gets washed of the ship and since he doesn't know how to swim Miaka jumps in to save him but she just ends up sinking faster then he does.
Tamahome, the hero, has to jump in to save her and Nuriko from the ship throws down a rope for Tasuki to grab on. Nuriko falls and goes down into the ocean along with Tamahome and Miaka and gets washed away. Miaka and Nuriko get onshore to a rock but Tamahome doesn't make it in time and gets eletrocuted in the water.Nuriko pulls him up to safety and they all rest in the cave. Lightening hits the cave and water is rushing in. Nuriko with her strength holds the walls up but Miaka falls into the water and Tamahome dives in to save her (oh yeah, he's all right now). The current pushes them away but Nuriko grabs them and pulls them out with his superstrength just before the lightening strkes the water.

That's just a preview of what happens, to find out the rest buy this excellent DVD set!!

Be brave: stick it out
I have to say that for a good portion of this half of the series, I was Less Than Impressed.

First of all, the writers seemed to forget about their WONDERFUL supporting cast (except, of course, for when they were killing them off, but I'll get to that) and focused a great deal of this half to JUST Miaka and Tamahome. While I can find it in my heart to stand Miaka, I hate her and Tamahome as a couple. Probably mainly because somebody forgot to give Tamahome a personality. There's a good ten episodes (the figure could be off; I never actually counted) where I seriously considered just giving up on the series all together; it got repetitive and annoying.

However, I stuck it out, and I'm really hoping that anybody else who spends any amount of time on this series will do the same. Except for the middle section, this half is a REAL emotional roller coaster. It has the same comedy as the first half (though in this half there were quite a few awkward gags that would have been better left out, and there might have actually been more fanservice in this half than in the first, which, if true, would really be saying something), but there are several episodes that will leave you in tears, even watching them a second or third (or more) time. There are deaths, and a lot of them; they increase in frequency the later in the series it gets, and for saps like me, the last few episodes will get really hard to watch. While these episodes are very dramatic, it's a shame some of the best characters are killed off as this leaves them unavailable to provide relief during the rocky middle section.

On the plus side, we also get to learn more about the history of the Universe of the Four Gods and the Priestesses who came before Miaka and Yui; this information was intriguing enough to keep me invested.

I got to the last three or four episodes thoroughly believing that no ending could really satisfy me, and I am VERY happy to say that I was proved wrong. While an attempt at garnering sympathy for Nakago failed and I still don't like Tamahome, I was otherwise blown away by the ending. It was wonderful, and I was very glad that I did stick with it. Take my advice on this one; I'm sure you won't regret it.

The Best Part of the Series...
... and really, the best part of all of Fushigi Yugi, including Eikoden (shudder) and Oni (though not including the manga). As I said in my previous review of Suzaku, I believe this series is under-rated, and, to repeat myself further, I was guilty of this as well. I really didn't like the first few episodes, but kept watching and grew to like it. Then I saw Seiryu, and it was all worth it. Seiryu has all of the characters we have grown to love, with a much deeper, darker message than Suzaku. We grow to understand why Yui has grown to hate Miaka so much (you would too if you ended up with a mind-f***er like Nakago). We really begin to feel for the characters and their heart-ache. And we begin to see Yu Watase's deeper messages: messages about life, love, friendship and war. When I first started Suzaku, I wondered how anyone (Gilles Poitras) could list Fushigi Yugi in their top 41 recommended titles. Seiryu made me see why. It's a great series, and once you make it through the first half, you can enjoy the wonderful second installment. ... Read more

Amazon.com

For Seinfeld, the third season's--for want of a better word--the charm. The show has found its misanthropic voice (by season's end, a fed-up Elaine tells herself, "I gotta get some new friends"), the ensemble has a firmer grasp of their characters, and the writers rise to the occasion with episodes that have entered the Seinfeld pantheon, including the Seinfeld equivalent of a Very Special Episode, "The Boyfriend," with Keith Hernandez and the J.F.K. parody, "The Library," featuring Philip Baker Hall channeling Jack Webb as library bookhound Bookman, "The Pez Dispenser," and "The Keys," with an L.A.-bound Kramer winding up on Murphy Brown. Michael Richards, especially, comes into his own this season as Kramer. The first two seasons built up the mystique of this "man-child"/"parasite." So while he was absent in season 2's "The Chinese Restaurant," he is now out and about with the close-knit, albeit dysfunctional, trio. Julia Louis-Dreyfus has some of her giddiest golden moments, zonked on painkillers in "The Pen," or, as a bored party guest in "The Stranded," telling an obnoxious bride-to-be that "Maybe the dingo ate your baby." And don't get us started on Jason Alexander as George, series co-creator Larry David's neurotic and angst-ridden alter-ego. To paraphrase what Julia Roberts said of Denzel Washington, we don't want to live in a world where Alexander doesn't have an Emmy.

But it's the extensive bonus features that give this four-disc set "hand" over other TV-on-DVD releases. The "Inside Look" episode intros, optional pop-up "Notes About Nothing," and candid, albeit a little too casual, commentaries offer a fount of information to even the most obsessive Seinfeld fans. We learn that even the most outrageous episodes, such as "The Pez Dispenser," were inspired by real-life events. Especially telling is Alexander's observation that Jerry never really socialized with the other ensemble members. This has extended to the commentaries: Seinfeld pairs with David on some episodes, while Alexander, Richards and Dreyfus team up on others. They are gracious to the guest stars and extras, and mostly mum on Jer. --Donald Liebenson ... Read more

Amazon.com

To the delight of Star Trek fans everywhere, the stellar second season of The Next Generation (1988-89) belonged to Lieutenant CommanderData. As the Enterprise-D's resident android, Data (in the Emmy-worthy hands of Brent Spiner) would gain legal sentience in the season highlight "The Measure of a Man," and his increasingly "human" personality would refine itself in such diverse episodes as "Elementary, Dear Data" (Data as Sherlock Holmes), "The Outrageous Okona" (a misfire, but worthy from the Data perspective), and "Pen Pals." While Gates McFadden (Dr. Crusher) took a sabbatical of then-unknown duration (gracefully replaced by original Trek guest star Diana Muldaur as Dr. Pulaski), the remaining bridge crew would match Data's vitality: Riker grew a handsome beard and proved his command potential; Worf became richly nuanced in "The Icarus Factor," and met his match (and mate) in guest Suzie Plakson's fiercely Klingon sexpot K'Ehleyr; Wesley matured admirably, despite continuing fan disapproval; Betazed culture emerged as Troi locked horns with her eccentric mother, Lwaxana (Majel Barrett, in a recurring role); and La Forge made good on his promotion to chief engineer while Chief O'Brien (Colm Meaney) flawlessly rode on Geordi's coattails.

In a crucial series development, Guinan (special guest Whoopi Goldberg) revealed a connection to Q in her helpful capacity as Ten-Forward's enigmatic host, while Q himself (John DeLancie) precipitated the Enterprise's first, fateful encounter with the Borg (in the suspenseful "Q Who?"). Through it all, Patrick Stewart brilliantly intensified all of Picard's renaissance qualities (especially in the dazzling "Time Squared"), exploring the captain's facets with equal measures of curiosity, fascination, amusement, courage, and philosophical insight. Despite its lame finale with the money-saving clip-show "Shades of Gray," season 2 charted a warp-nine course to the even better season 3. --Jeff Shannon ... Read more

Reviews (36)

Too Short A Season
The second season of STAR TREK-TNG is marked by change. It also has 4 fewer episodes than the usual 26. The shorter season happened because of a Hollywood writer's contract dispute over the hiatis. In my opinion, the strike caused the writing staff to lose momentum. The end result is a lopsided effort. The producers decided to replace Dr. Beverly Crusher (Gates McFadden) with Dr. Katherine Pulaski (Diana Muldaur). This also marks the beginning of Guinan's (Whoppi Goldberg) appearences on the ship. Goldberg is a boon for the show. Unlike most folks, I thought Muldaur did ok as the doctor and made the best of her one season stint. She is a fine actress but didn't have the same connection to Captain Picard (Patrick Stewart) as Crusher does and I think that is why people didn't go for her. Despite my criticism of a majority of season 2 episodes, there are a handful of standouts. They are:

Where Silence Has Lease
Loud As A Whisper
A Matter Of Honor
The Measure Of A Man
Q Who
Pen Pals
Times Squared
The Emissary

The rest of the shows are ok but that's it. Like the DVD box set for season one, there is about an hour's worth of featurettes that provide insight into the season, culled from previously seen and new interviews from cast and crew. This may not be TNG's finest season but I still recommend the set for fans and completists. Besides, with the season 3 DVD set right around the corner, the "Best" is yet to come. Recommended

ST TNG 2
This release of Star Trek The Next Generation on DVD contains all of the episodes of its second season. During the second season we see Dr. Crusher replaced with Dr. Pulaski and we are introduced to the Borg<...All 22 episodes are contained on 6 disks.

The Child - Dr. Pulaski pronounces Troi pregnant at the hands of a traveling alien. The child is born in two days and matures at a quick rate.

Where Silence Has Lease - An advanced alien traps the USS Enterprise in a mysterious black void, as part of some research. The aliens only have to sentence half the crew to die in its research.

Elementary, Dead Data - Data, Geordi, and Dr. Pulaski play out a Sherlock Holmes mystery in the holodeck. Geordi ask the computer to create an adversary capable of defeating Data, Professor Moriarty that takes over the ship.

The Outrageous Okona - The USS Enterprise grants asylum to Okona, a roguish captain pursued by the planets Atlek and Streleb.

Loud as a Whisper - The Enterprise seeks Riva, the deaf Great Mediator, to settle a dispute on Soleis Five. When Riva's Chorus of telepathic translators are killed, Troi assists Riva.

The Schizoid Man - Dr. Ira Graves transfers his consciousness into Data, and separating the two disparate personalities rests with Picard's ability to persuade Graves of his mistake.

Unnatural Selection - The crew of the USS Lantree die of old age. The Enterprise traces it to the Darwin Genetic Research Station, where Dr. Pulaski gets infected.

A Matter of Honor - A Starfleet exchange program brings a Benzite ensign on board the Enterprise and sends Riker to the Klingon vessel Pagh. The Klingon's captain attacks the Enterprise, suspecting Picard of sabotage.

The Measure of a Man - Captain Picard defends Data's rights and the prosecuting attorney is Commander Riker.

The Dauphin - The future ruler of Daled Four, falls for Wesley Crusher.

Contagion - A mysterious computer virus destroys the USS Yamato, and threatens the Enterprise.

The Royale - After finding wreckage from a NASA vessel around Theta Eight, Riker, Data, and Worf become trapped in the Hotel Royale, a reconstruction of an Earth novel.

Time Squared - The USS Enterprise stumbles upon one of its own shuttles carrying a duplicate of Captain Picard from six hours in the future. It is six hours in the future that the ship is destroyed.

The Icarus Factor - Riker has been promoted to command the USS Ares, but first he must deal with the problems between himself and his father.

Pen Pals - Data breaks the Prime Directive while communicating with a young girl on a distant planet, which is about to be destroyed by seismic disruptions.

Q Who - Q takes the Enterprise to another part of the galaxy to encounter the Borg.

Samaritan Snare - A Pakled vessel kidnaps Geordi and Picard's goes in for heart surgery.

Up the Long Ladder - While Picard is rescuing one colony in the Ficus Sector from solar flares, he learns of a second colony comprised of a dying race of clones.

Manhunt - Picard hides in the holodeck in the Dixon Hill scenario because Troi's mother shows up while undergoing "the Phase."

The Emissary - A group of suspended Klingons are revived and set on attacking the Federation. A special emissary K'Ehleyr is called in to mediate a special problem she was a former love of Worf's.

Peak Performance - The Enterprise is pitted against the USS Hathaway in war-games.

Shades of Gray - Riker's body is invaded by a mysterious parasite and Dr. Pulaski's only recourse seems to be the stimulation of his mind with memories.

Building on the First Season, but with an unfortunate end...
The First Season of Star Trek: The Next Generation gave the show a firm foundation and a good block to build upon. We saw a new Doctor in Kate Pulaski and it picked up right where the First Season left off. Geordi LaForge has been promoted and is now serving as the Chief Engineer, Data's qualifications for being a lifeform are questioned, and argueably the best villain in Star Trek is introduced. Unfortunately, there are 22 episodes in this season instead of the normal 26 episodes due to a Writers' Guild strike, however, the season finishes strong and gives another block for the upcoming savior of Star Trek third season. Though short, Season Two is a great season in this show.

Personal Favorite Episodes,

Where Silence Has Lease, Elementary, Dear Data, The Outragous Okona, Loud as a Whisper, The Measure of a Man, Contagion, The Royale, Time Squared, Q Who?, The Emissary, Peak Performance

sort of an uneven season
I'm a big trekkie, but I'll have to say that this is probably one of the weaker seasons. The short season had to do with the writer strike, which is fine. But because of this by the end of the season it ended on a very weak episode which was mostly footage from past shows. This is the one that most people complain about. But I also couldn't quite see the point of The Royale. I mean, it didn't didn't really give us a better understanding of the ship or the people, not exacly. I've also heard about people not liking Dr. Pulaski. That's too bad. Diana Muldaur actually does a good job, but I guess she just never really meshed too well with the crew. She reminds me of the crusty Bones though, whom I liked very much. (Just wish she wouldn't have picked on Data just because he's an android. Maybe that's why people didn't like her. I mean, Data is quite the popular android, no?) I've bought all the boxed sets because, well, I'm a trekkie, and I wanted a complete collection, but I'd have been much happier if Paramount had not charged so much for this season at least, especially since it has less content. OK, I'd have been happier if they charged less for all the sets in general :-) , but in particular this one. Heck, if Stargate SG 1 is only half the price..... Ya know what I mean? I think it was just following the trend set by X-Files or something. Sigh.
But at least by the second season everyone is more established, so things have settled down a bit. Q is always good.

A weak season, but not too bad...
"Star Trek: The Next Generation's" second season begins with Riker's new beard, Geordi's promotion, a new (but not better) doctor, and Wesley the weasel deciding to stay aboard. Sounds like a mixed bag to me. The season premiere "The Child" doesn't have much in the way of excitement, and Marina Sirtis wasn't quite as good yet to carry the episode, but it looks great with some neat looking exterior shots and an introduction of Whoopi Goldberg as Guinan the bartender. The from there the season continued with a few gems ("Elementary Dear Data," "Q Who?") and a few more missteps ("The Outrageous Okona," "Pen Pals," "Shades of Gray).

We meet the Borg in a great episode with Q, played by the always-dependable John DeLancie, Data butts heads with a holodek version of Moriarty, Riker finally comes to terms with his father, and Wesley is given his first command. With a writer's strike hindering the production of the episodes, many of them feel rushed. A few potentially cool ideas like "Contagion" and "Peak Performance" feel lacking in suspense or direction.

Ah, but the cast is perfect and carries out each episode wonderfully. Even the terrible stock-footage show "Shades of Gray" is handled well by the cast. However, the season lacks two major characters from season one: Tasha Yar and Dr. Crusher. While Yar can't come back (she died late in season one), the good doctor does return in season three and she's welcome. Diana Mulduar is a talented actress, but Dr. Pulaski just isn't compatable with the other characters.

My recommendation is to get season two only if you're trying to collect them all. It's not the perfect season and there's much better ones out there. ... Read more

Amazon.com

The extended edition of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring was perhaps the most comprehensive DVD release to date, and its follow-up proves a similarly colossal achievement, with significant extra footage and a multitude of worthwhile bonus features. The extended version of The Two Towers adds 43 minutes to the theatrical version's 179-minute running time, and there are valuable additions to the film.Two new scenes might appease those who feel that the characterization of Faramir was the film's most egregious departure from the book, and fans will appreciate an appearance of the Huorns at Helm's Deep plus a nod to the absence of Tom Bombadil.Seeing a little more interplay between the gorgeous Eowyn and Aragorn is welcome, as is a grim introduction to Eomer and Theoden's son.And among the many other additions, there's an extended epilogue that might not have worked in the theater, but is more effective here in setting up The Return of the King.While the 30 minutes added to The Fellowship of the Ring felt just right in enriching the film, the extra footage in The Two Towers at times seems a bit extraneous--we see moments that in the theatrical version we had been told about, and some fleshed-out conversations and incidents are rather minor.But director Peter Jackson's vision of J.R.R. Tolkien's world is so marvelous that it's hard to complain about any extra time we can spend there.

While it may seem that there would be nothing left to say after the bevy of features on the extended Fellowship, the four commentary tracks and two discs of supplements on The Two Towers remain informative, fascinating, and funny, far surpassing the recycled materials on the two-disc theatrical version.Highlights of the 6.5 hours' worth of documentaries offer insight on the stunts, the design work, the locations, and the creation of Gollum, and--most intriguing for rabid fans--the film's writers (including Jackson) discuss why they created events that weren't in the book. Providing variety are animatics, rough footage, countless sketches, and a sound-mixing demonstration.Again, the most interesting commentary tracks are by Jackson and writers Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens and by 16 members of the cast (eight of whom didn't appear in the first film, and even including John Noble, whose Denethor character only appears in this extended cut).The first two installments of Peter Jackson's trilogy have established themselves as the best fantasy films of all time, and among the best film trilogies of all time, and their extended-edition DVD sets have set a new standard for expanding on the already-epic films and providing comprehensive bonus features.--David Horiuchi ... Read more

Reviews (1869)

Stupendous!
"They don't make movies like that any more." This is reference to Cecil B. DeMille's spectacular remake of THE TEN COMMANDMENTS. I mention one of the few universally acclaimed film epics of all time because with THE LORD of THE RINGS-THE TWO TOWERS,
Director Peter Jackson has staked unchallengable claim to motion picture immortality. Visually the movie is staggering in technological excellence. It seamlessly combinines sweeping photographic grandeur with superlative integration of CGI and modelwork(Claymation & Superdynamation)that humbles even the work
of IL&M, and would have made Ray HarryHausen proud.

Thematically, the story is truly grand and has raised film making--again--to the level of Mythological. Those familiar with Tolkien's literary epic--with rare exception--have been astounded by this director's monumental artistry in cinematically incarnating one of the greatest "stories" ever written.The cast(humans;creatures; monsters;)is brilliantly essayed.(Sean Astin deserves particular recognition as Frodo's "guardian" friend, SAMWISE). The complex plotting is clearly delineated;and ACTION(quest development;battles; epic romance interludes)ranges from apocalyptic to majestic. THE LORD of THE RINGS-THE TWO TOWERS magnificently continues what was begun in THE FELLOWSHIP of THE RING. Peter Jackson has created a unique work of film making that is both artistically wonderous and breath taking entertainment.It is a stupendous achievement.(10 Stars)

Incredibly, once again, Peter Jackson does the impossible
From gliding through the Misty Mountains and reliving Gandalf's battle with the Balrog to the Battle of Helm's Deep, the climactic scene of The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, I think that, even though Frodo Baggin's (Elijah Wood) quest is still unfulfilled, a group of hard-working New Zealanders have once again created an epic adventure confection of a movie, full of fantasy, courage, imagination and flair. J.R.R. Tolkien would not have been disappointed.

The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, since is a continuing of a story, doesn't stop to introduce us to the quest or the characters from the first part, The Fellowship of the Ring. Beginning right where the first left off, Frodo (Elijah Wood) and Sam (Sean Astin) must continue their quest to Mount Doom and destroy the evil One Ring. Hunting them done is the rascal Gollum (Andy Serkis) but promises to lead them in to Mordor secretely. In Fangorn Forest, captured hobbits Merry (Dominic Monaghan) and Pippin (Billy Boyd) escape from the Orcs and are rescued by Treebeard (voiced by John Rhys-Davies), an ancient ent.

Meanwhile, Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen), Legolas (Orlando Bloom) and Gimli (John Rhys-Davies) enter the country of Rohan. After the miraculous return of Gandalf (Ian McKellan), the four see King Theoden (Bernard Hill). But the king isn't doing too well. He's doing practically everything his servant Grima Wormtongue (Brad Dourif) is telling him. Wormtongue is in league with Saruman (Christopher Lee) and therefore is kicked out of Rohan. Aragorn, Gandalf and Theoden must discuss Rohan's plans to counter Saruman and Sauron.

Saruman is preparing for war, as we've also seen in The Fellowship of the Ring. He has been crossing orcs with goblins, breeding the dreadful Uruk-Hai to launch against Men of Gondor and Rohan. Gondor has it's own problems holding off Sauron's evil army. It all comes down to Saruman against the country of Rohan: A war of 10,000 Uruk-Hai against hundreds of Rohan people. Can Men claim a victory against Barad-dur and Orthanc, the union of the Two Towers?

The Two Towers, for me at least, had a quicker pace and sharper sense of movement than the more-episodic Fellowship of the Ring. Peter Jackson easily presents a film that will keep your attention for the full three hours. In many ways, The Two Towers is a much livlier film than it's predecessor. It takes a deeper look into it's character's own problems, dreams and future, covering many subjects: The war for Rohan, the war for Gondor, the war for the ents, and possibly the most important, the fate of the One Ring.

If The Fellowship of the Ring was a beautiful-looking movie, The Two Towers easily surpasses it visually. With the use of a program called MASSIVE, Peter Jackson and company takes flawless computer animation and simplistically adds it to real-life to create a stunning world. The Battle of Helm's Deep is one of the most memorable scenes of all time, while it uses a fantastic blend of live-action and computer animation. I say it's already got the Best Visual Effects Oscar in the bag. Not just because of the CGI, but with the camera trickery to make the hobbits small and the great backdrops.

I am appalled by the number of reviewers saying that this isn't faithful to Tolkien's book. Everyone should know that books and film are two different media, and should be treated as such. Many things in Tolkien's story would've gone horribly wrong on screen. As Peter Jackson said, if you were to film LOTR page by page, faithful to everything, what you would get is a mess. Many don't realize that what works in a book will NOT work on film. Be happy that you actually have a LOTR movie. Many filmmakers would not have been up to transferring Tolkien's story to the big screen. Jackson did make a few unnessesary changes, but he's a brave filmmaker to actually take on LOTR and still make something this good. Quit whining.

It might need a bit more humanity, but I'd say the chemistry between characters is much more alive and vivid in The Two Towers than with The Fellowship of the Ring. The relationship shared by Gollum and Frodo, or more importantly, Gollum and Sam, works wonderfully. Aragorn trying to convince King Theoden to go to war and the characterization involving Gimli was exceptionally. The Return of the King will see a lot more of this.

The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers continues Tolkien's trilogy with very few missteps. It is on every count as good as the first, and in many ways, even better. It could possibly be the most sinister film ever, a banquet of monsters and beasts. It's doing so much better at the box-office than the first, and it easily surpasses it in spectacle. It's still unclear how it will do at the Oscars. Being a sequel, it might not get nominated for Best Picture. However, I'd say it has already sweeped the technical awards. It certainly deserves it.

This is the best of the three!!
Usually, the second movie in a trilogy is the weakest. It doesn't have the freshness of the first movie or the finality of the final movie. The Two Towers, however, is the exception to the rule. For lack of a better phrase, it rocks!!! The extra material included in this extended version DVD really fleshes out the movie. After you watch it you'll wonder why Peter Jackson left it out; it makes the movie complete. The fight scenes at Helm's Deep are great, and you forget that a lot of what you're seeing is computer generated. Several new characters are introduced, but you feel like you've known them all along. The best part of the movie is the addition of a Boromir/Faramir scene. Of course, I could be biased. I love Boromir (Sean Bean). This movie is a cinematic masterpiece. It's great!!!

Excellent
Not just pasting in deleted scenes, this version was assenmbled from scratch with additional material that add to the depth of this movie. THIS is the version to buy for watching at home.

You haven't seen LOTR until you've seen this!
OMG! I love this movie so much, I never put it back in the case...it's always in the dvd player. If you at all liked the original theatrical version, you HAVE to get the extended version. The addded footage completes the story and fills in character developement. And you HAVE to listen to the cast commentary. Dom and Billy are hilarious. And the bonus disks are well worth the money. Forget that...added Viggo footage makes it WELL worth it. Plus, the box is beautiful. ... Read more

Description

Is Duvinder guilty? Or is he innocent? Share the tension and the excitement as the jury decides.

John Maher (Billy Scott) lay dead in the grass, the victim of 28 well-placed stab wounds. A stolen sword coated in blood lands near the 15-year-old schoolboy's body. It's clearly a case of unrestrained vengeance. John's Sikh schoolmate, Duvinder Singh (Sonnell Dadral), hated him. Hated him enough to commit murder. A horrendous, premeditated murder in cold blood. Or so we're told.

We're also told this gentle, intelligent boy is incapable of killing. He's innocent. Chilling suspense fills "The Jury" as the highly publicized trial pits Sikh and Anglo communities against each other. Logic against intuition. Pride against shame. The jurors must decide what side they're on - both inside the courtroom, and outside.

Award-winning actor Sir Derek Jacobi (Gosford Park; Gladiator; I, Claudius) stars as George Cording QC (queen's council). As Duvinder's lawyer, he must convince the jury of the young boy's innocence in the face of compelling evidence that suggests otherwise. Cording knows his only hope is to confront the evidence head on and expose a scathing case of prejudice. His powers of persuasion have never been sharper.

Gerald Lewis QC (esteemed actor Sir Antony Sher, Shakespeare in Love, Alive & Kicking, Superman II) can be arrogant-he's entitled. After all, his witness saw blood on the accused's shirt. His witness saw an agitated Duvinder running away. His witness found the body. An impassioned relating of the events will certainly bring the guilty verdict Lewis demands. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

A Brilliant Masterpiece
I thoroughly enjoyed this work because it is focuses not just on the trial but on the personel lives of the jury members. I was glued to the screen the entire time that this show was on and I bought the DVD as soon as I could. If you haven't seen this fascinating work, you have been missing out. Don't hesitate to pick up this video and watch it. You won't be disapointed!

STELLAR JOB OF IT
I must admit it (sadly) - I am not exactly the biggest fan of OPB, and never before had I watched their weekly showings of Exxon Mobil (that how you spell it?) Masterpiece Theatre. A TV Guide description of The Jury got my curiosity...and I watched it.
For joy! I was BLOWN away. This magnanimous, superb, top-notch mini-series will forever be rendered as stellar. The actors and actresses are wonderful, fully playing the part they were meant to. The jury is composed of separate individuals, all with their own casualties (perhaps not so much different from our own world!). I was waiting expectantly for the next week's episode, and fully satisfied. The case is plausible (not some silly idiotic case that the viewer can instantly solve) and has interesting refutes. I was captivated. Anyone who has an ounce of intellect, a joy for drama, and a passion for the courtroom will be drawn in just as I have.
You will be apalled at the injustice and discrimination that is displayed in the film. You will quite possibly yell at the tv, while at the same time you're waiting for the next episode. I suppose that many who wath this will turn their backs on it, but I for one, loved it.
Enjoy!

The British do it again! A great mini-series!
What a powerful piece of drama! Incredible, powerhouse acting and brilliant writing--loaded with subtext. It's impossible to speak too highly of this 6-episode dramatic mini-series.

This story focuses on seven of the jurors chosen to serve on an especially grisly murder trial (a Sikh teenager is accused of slaying a classmate with a ceremonial sword). These jurors are a mix of people, some are eager to serve (a woman in an emotionally stifling marriage; a single mom who is estranged from her mother, but who must ask her mother to care for her daughter while she serves on the jury; a lonely older woman with inoperable cancer; a married man whose powerful sense of civic duty is more than matched by a nagging sense of underachievement); some are reluctant (a seminary student who is unsure whether he wants to continue on his path to the priesthood; a recovering alcoholic just out of rehab; a married man who lost all his family's savings due to a bad business venture he was talked). The story, like the trial it revolves around, is a study of mixed motives, changes of heart, and living with fear. In the process of revealing each characters personal daily struggles we discover just how much of the human experience is comprised of learning to endure and deal with violence. In this drama we see the defendant and witnesses badgered by clever lawyers, friends manipulated by friends, and boundary-violating in-laws prying confidential information out of their son-in-law who is serving as a juror. Even the alcoholic's AA sponsor has a touch of the autocrat about him. And the young woman who has fled to jury duty as a way of creating an adventure for herself ends up using her womanly charms to manipulate a man into falling in love with her (even though she is fully aware that she is not free or capable of taking on a romantic relationship with him). I defy anyone to watch this compelling drama without questioning their own propensity to abuse power. We are all capable of being bullies. It's just a matter of circ