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The second season of Angel saw the cult vampire show finally stand on its own from Buffy the Vampire Slayer, assembling all the members of the show's core cast, transferring the action to a fashionably run-down L.A. hotel, and bringing in a few Buffy characters from Angel's history to further establish the moody vampire's own mythology. Moving their Angel Investigations to posher digs, Angel (David Boreanaz), Cordelia (Charisma Carpenter), and Wesley (Alexis Denisof) were soon joined by street fighter (J. August Richards)–-and by street fighter, of course we mean demon street fighter. But just as this group was solidifying, up popped Angel's old love, Darla (the fantastic Julie Benz), freshly arrived in L.A. from a hell dimension… just in time to be turned into a vampire again by her old cohort, Drusilla (Juliet Landau), and lure Angel into abandoning his newly formed team.

It was the best and worst of times for Angel in its second year, for while the basis was being set for the show's stellar third and fourth seasons, dramatic tension was diluted by Angel's going solo and the necessary (but plot-debilitating) flashbacks to various points in Angel's history. However, just when it seemed everything was about to fly out the window, Angel's creative team threw its characters for a loop--literally--by transporting them to the demon dimension of Pylea, a medieval-style fantasyland populated by monsters and humans alike. It shouldn't have worked, as hokey as it was... but it did, thanks to crack storytelling, sharp dialogue, and the sheer joy the actors unleashed, especially the gifted and fiendishly funny Carpenter. The second half of the season also saw the addition of two of Angel's best characters: the horned Lorne (Andy Hallett), a green demon with a penchant for karaoke, and Fred (Amy Acker), a physicist trapped in Pylea who helped the gang engineer their escape. With these two in tow, Angel began to soar. --Mark Englehart ... Read more

Reviews (72)

Out Of A Slayer's Shadow
For its second season, the television show Angel, began to step ever so slowly away from Buffy The Vampire slayer. With their original base of operations no more, Angel (David Boreanaz) and his team decide to use an old hotel, to work out of. Aside from Cordelia (Cordelia (Charisma Carpenter), and Wesley (Alexis Denisof), the team continues to grow. Former vampire hunter Charles Gunn (J. August Richards) decides to help out full time. Angel continues to go up against the partners at the law firm, Wolfram and Hart. They are using an old vampire flame (the great Julie Benz) as a ploy to defeat Angel. This plan forces final story arcs for cop friend Kate (Elizabeth Rhom) and Lindsey (Christian Kane). The gang also befriends the owner of a demon nightclub. Lorne, (Andy Hallet) a green skined being with horns, who loves Karaoke. He comes from a place called Pylea, located in an alternate demension, that the team gets visit first hand. The "Buffy" crossovers continue with visits to Faith (Eliza Dushku) in jail, while Spike (James Marsters) and Dru (Julliet Landau), pop by in unique ways as well. Lastly, by season's end, the group will get another member that will change everything in season 3...

The team behind the series stayed true to the rules, first establshed on "Buffy", while taking its own risks in year two. The additions work very well, but I must say, that I wish Kane's character would have stuck around a bit longer. The show has really come into its own by now. Season 2 surpasses the first year in spades--Thanks to the influence of creators Joss Whedon (who stepped back a bit to start Firefly) and David Greenwalt.

The six disc DVD set has some great extras. There are two episodes that have audio commentaries, the first features Tim Minear on 'Are You Now or Have You Ever Been'. The second is by Fred Keller on 'Over the Rainbow'. Both tracks offer an informative look behind the scenes of these particular episodes. Next up, are 4 featurettes that look at these topics: how the series handled complex make up effects back then, stunts, a season overview, and a look inside Angel Investigations itself. You can also read the scripts for "Darla" and "Disharmony", see the usual still gallery,and look at series bluepints to round it out.

The box set makes for fine recommended viewing.

Beginning to stand on it's own
The first season of Angel, a spin off of Joss Whedon's wildly popular series Buffy the Vampire Slayer, was rough around the edges to say the least. Season 2 of Angel saw the series begin to find it's own footing, setting itself apart from it's counterpart program. Tortured vampire Angel (David Boreanaz), along with Cordelia (Charisma Carpenter) and Wesley (Alexis Denisof) are joined by vampire street fighter Gunn (J. August Richards) as Angel Investigations upgrades to a run down L.A. hotel. Naturally though, things don't stay peaceful for long; as the demonic law firm Wolfram & Hart resurrects Angel's old love Darla (Julie Benz) who is made a vampire once again by her old cohort Drusilla (Juliet Landau) and Angel finds himself lured away from his team (get all that?). This is when the show began to show signs of being something really special. Just as Whedon's Buffy had began perfection in the middle of it's second season, Angel began to show the same signs of life and out grow it's growing pains; until the much dismissed by some and well liked by others storyarc taking place in the demon dimension of Pylea where the gang finds themselves trapped. It shouldn't have come close to working, but thanks to Whedon's creative team of writers it did, and the cast themselves began to soar when the green skinned, horned, karaoke loving demon Lorne (Andy Hallett) and trapped pysicist Fred (Amy Acker) are introduced. Though it's not perfect, the second season of Angel is some of the best TV to be seen, and the hilarious episode entitled "Disharmony", where newly vampiric Harmony (Mercedes McNabb) pays the crew a visit, is worth the price of admission alone.

On its own... at last
Angel: Season 2 was where the show started to move into its own 'formula', and the opening statement that Angel himself was not devastated by the loss of Buffy served to encompase one fact: the show was on its own.

Where the first season essentially followed the monster-of-the-week plus occasional storyline episode formula that has been tried and true on Buffy, Season 2 started to move away from that into the darker, emotionally churning state of being that we viewers have grown so used to in the third and fourth seasons.

The second season of Angel also points at the show's tendency to serve an overarching plot rather than a seasonal "Big Bad", when it ends with a trip to a different dimension instead of concluding the Darla storyline (which is completed in the third season).

But though this season has a darker, more plot-arc oriented spine, it still contains some excellent character and monster-of-the-week episodes. One of these is "Are You Now or Were You Ever?", thought by fans everywhere as being one of the best episodes of the show. Other greats include "Darla", "Guise will Beguise", and "The Shroud of Rahmon".

There are also portents of the futures of the different characters interspersed throughout the season. This is where Wesley really matured, becoming a hard-bitten leader rather than a comical sidekick. You can see his character being prepared to make the harder choices that cause him to be so dark later on in the series.

Angel himself has a hard time of it throughout this season, but then, when does he not? He grows dark, deep-set despair keeping him from both his mission and his friends. But his redemption is both funny and touching when he returns towards the end of the season.

Cordelia grows immensely during this season, primarily because of her visions. She's still "tell it like it is" Cordy, but her caring for others grows by leaps and bounds, setting the stage for the Cordelia we know later on in the third season.

Charles Gunn also joins the Fang Gang, forsaking his old 'crew' to help Angel Investigations in a slow process that is (fortunately) very believable.

Also in this season we are introduced to two new characters that will later become regulars: Fred and Lorne (the Host). The first is a slightly cooky, very intelligent woman who was stuck in Pylea for five years before returning with the Angel Investigations gang. The second, Lorne, is a truly unique character - a demon that sings, and can read a person's destiny when that person sings. Both are excellent additions to the group, and help to flesh out the dynamic between the characters.

In conclusion, Angel: Season 2 serves as a stage-setter for the third and fourth seasons' storylines and characters, and contains some truly memorable episodes as well.

powerful season
power compasion teasting of frienships deaths going totaly all out evil and it's only the second season!!!!!the darla storyline hade me begging for more even watching it again very suspensful great acting supurb writting angel going a little dark he's not even angelus he's just using his evil insticts darla and dru were great to have this season and ending with a serious sort of serious anyway but nothing but funny four part finale walking of from the dark storyline of 2 a must have for fans

its fantastic
Season 2 really showed that angel was more than just a spin off. It was a season that showed that this show would never ever be forgotten.
A must have season. Not as good as season one. But this season really is on top of its game, with brilliant storylines. ... Read more

Description

Roman history comes alive in this magnificent 13-part series. "I, Claudius" (1976, 668 min.) ranks among the most acclaimed productions in BBC history. Tracing the lives of the last of the Roman emperors, it's an epic of ruthless ambition, shocking debauchery and murderous intrigue set in one of history's most fascinating eras. Bearing witness to the saga is Claudius, whose stutter and limp have marked him a fool--yet whom prophesies have foretold will one day rule Rome. This collector's edition set includes a unique documentary feature, "The Epic That Never Was" (1965, 71 min.), a remarkable behind-the-scenes look at Alexander Korda's ill-fated 1937 screen adaptation of "I, Claudius." Starring Merle Oberon and Charles Laughton, the chronicle of this uncompleted masterpieces is an unforgettable coda to one of the greatest stories ever told. ... Read more

Reviews (129)

A true masterpiece
This is quite an ambitious project taken on by the BBC. It covers the reigns of Caesar Augustus, Tiberius, Caligula and Claudius. It is more or less the memoirs of the sagacious Claudius (based on the book by Peter Graves). The series features Derek Jacoby as Claudius, Brian Blessed as the eccentric but magnanimous Augustus and Patrick Stewart as the conspiring Sejanus, head of the Praetorian Guard. We also get some cameos of Livy and Horace to boot!

The film starts before Claudius was born - about 20 years post-Actium. It traces thru enough conspiracies, scandals and debauchery to make modern day soap-operas look tame by comparison. It has its share of femme fatales, between the insidious Livia, the selfish Messalina and the gregarious (to say the least) Julia. It details the ruthless nature of those close to the top, all wanting to wear the purple themselves, or conniving to get their next-of-kin to assume the throne.

The film has the "feel" of a play. The sets are static, there is no incidental music and the movie lacks panoramic views of the architecture of ancient Rome. This is not to say that there is anything wrong with this approach, just that it is not the same type of movie as, say, "Gladiator" or "Spartacus" in this respect.

This is a wonderful, must-see production for any fan or historian of antiquity. The film covers a whole lot of ground (to say the least), but still fits in allusions to numerous historical nuances (such as the defeat of Varrus by Armenius of Germany, as well as the horse that Caligula made into a senator). I would suggest that anyone who wishes to watch this film first read Michael Grant's "The Roman Emperors" thru the reign of Nero to get a backdrop on what is going on. Also, the DVD "Cleopatra," starring Timothy Dalton as Julius Caesar, was an ambitious project which leaves off about 20 years before the beginning of "I, Cladius."

Brilliant, Fearsome; A Great Work of Art
Based on Robert Graves' famous novel, I, CLAUDIUS is the ultimate soap opera, vicious, cruel, manipulative--and this famous English miniseries grabs the attention and holds fast throughout the entire length of its complex tale of ancient intrigue.

The great strengths of I, CLAUDIUS are in the driving pace, sharp wit, and ferocity of Jack Pulman's script and the host of brilliant performers who play it out. Chief among these are Sian Phillips as the calculating, murderous, and unspeakably cold Livia, wife of Augustus; although Derek Jacobi gives a justly famous performance in the title role, it is Phillips who dominates and drives the story with this, the most brilliant performance of her career. But this is not to disparrage the overall cast, which is remarkably fine and includes such noted artists as Brian Blessed, John Hurt, Patricia Quinn, Patrick Stewart, and a host of others.

Like the serpent that appears in the open credits, the story twists and winds--and covers several generations of the ruling family as Rome slips from the republic to royal rule, largely due to the manipulations of Livia, who has few if any scruples in her determination to rule first through her husband and then through her son. Although the look of the film is somewhat dated, it in no way impairs the power of the piece, and I, CLAUDIUS remains one of the handful of miniseries that actually improves upon repeated viewings. Strongly, strongly recommended.

Not Enough Stars in a 5-Star Scale to Give Praise!
"I, Claudius" is, quite simply, a masterpiece of acting, of writing, and of what television can do like no other medium.

Clocking in at eleven hours, "I, Claudius" rips the curtain back from Imperial Rome and shows the savagery, the venality, the evil, and yes, the goodness at work in the court during the early days of Imperial Rome. Tracking a story over several decades, "I, Claudius" tells an epic story of murder, deceit, seduction, and justice that is simultaneously grand and intimate -- the story is simply too grand a scale to be made into a feature film (well, with the caveat that if Peter Jackson can film the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy, he can film any epic out there).

Narrated by an aged Emperor Claudius (Derek Jacobi, in a career-making performance), "I, Claudius" starts with the reign of Caesar Augustus (Brian Blessed, delightfully Machiavellian) and his vicious wife, Livia (Sian Phillips, almost stealing the show). Augustus, reluctant to drive a stake through the heart of the Roman Republic, nevertheless seeks to consolidate his power; Livia is fully committed to burying the Republic forever and seating her reluctant son, Tiberius (George Baker) on the throne. Through seduction, wily craft, and generous doses of poison, Livia gets her way. Her parting scene with Augustus is a masterpiece of acting on both sides.

As an aside, the acting in "I, Claudius" more than makes up for an obviously limited budget and virtually no special effects . . . it's like watching a televised play. On-screen violence is nevertheless convincing, and the entire cast hits each precious note with skill. Watch for a young, bewigged(!) Patrick Stewart as the ambitious Sejanus, John Hurt as the deranged Caligula, and John Rhys-Davies as Marcro, Sejanus' second-in-command.

Claudius, born lame with both a twitch and a stutter ("That boy could destroy the Empire just by strolling through it!"), is nevertheless prophesied to save Rome from her bloody fate. As his older, wiser friends repeatedly tell him (usually just before their own murder), Claudius should play up his disabilities in order to stay alive. Which Claudius does, and as an amateur historian he chronicles the lives (and deaths) of so many noble Romans.

Tiberius succeeds Augustus (thanks in large part to Livia's gift with poisons), and as he falls into depths of depravity, Sejanus makes his play for the throne. Caligula inherits the throne from Tiberius, although not as smoothly as he would have liked, and he shows the truth in the absolute corruption brought about by absolute power. Claudius, staunch Republican that he is, nevertheless finds himself on the Imperial throne, a captive of the Praetorian Guard, following Caligula's untimely end. He works to restore the Republic, but such is not to be, and ultimately Nero ascends to the throne.

But on the way, Claudius spins one heck of a tale. Far from the magisterial views of Imperial Rome so often shown in films, "I, Claudius" thrusts us into the courtrooms and bedrooms of the Roman nobility, and it's a captivating, but often ugly, sight.

tedious and boring
first i must explain that i am a longtime student of roman history and the julio-claudinians in particular. my expectations were very high in regard to this series and i was very disappointed. i knew i wasn't going to be seeing a visual spectacle like gladiator, but i expected something to happen. i don't mind the historical inaccuracies for the sake of drama too much. what bothers me is that the characters are nothing like the real people that are recorded in the history books. brian blessed's portrayal (or should i say betrayal) of augustus could not have missed the point any further. he was in fact a stern serious minded man devoted to his work, not the joking buffoon presented here. the pacing reminded me of dark shadows and it was almost as campy. this series is far too english for the subject matter. i give it 2 stars for the handful of good actors who couldn't save this flawed project. watch caligula to get a closer look at what rome was about during this time period.

Great drama
I remember seeing this series on TV many, many years ago when I was still in high school. And was very happy to find it on DVD now. The DVD transfer is very good too. But enough said about that.

If you like British historical drama of outstanding quality or just Roman history, this is a set you ought to buy. The acting and script are spellbinding. I have watched all of the 5 DVD's in three days, which was sth of a marathon watch. There are no weak spots in the acting and it is fun watching a young 'captain Picard' (yes I also love to watch Star trek). The sets are old-fashioned and nothing like the sets of, for instance, productions like Elizabeth.

But who cares about sets and the like if the acting is so good. The whole series breathes 'theatre' and I love it. It brings back the stories from Latin classes in High school. The Gods, Augustus, the Roman empire and all the Roman stories come to life, as seen through the eyes of Claudius. They are living and breathing (and very fascinating) people. No computer tricks and such needed. The script and the acting speak for itselves.

Just buy, borrow or hire the set. Pretend you are not at home in the weekend, do not answer the door or the phone (better still, get it off the hook). And enjoy. ... Read more

Description

Join Joel, Mike and their "Robot Friends" as they are forced to watch the worst movies ever made. To endure, these crazy characters make hilarious jokes at the expense of those bad movies. Includes the following episodes:

Episode 407- THE KILLER SHREWS (with short: JUNIOR RODEO DAREDEVILS)
Episode 408- HERCULES UNCHAINED
Episode 410- HERCULES AGAINST THE MOON MEN
Episode 816- PRINCE OF SPACE ... Read more

Reviews (19)

How to get a replacement "Killer Shrews" DVD from Rhino
For those of you who purchased the MST3K Vol. 7 DVD set and noticed the slightly edited version of "The Killer Shrews," Rhino is now offering a free replacement DVD.

Email Rhino directly at drrhino (at) rhino.com and ask for a replacement disc for Volume 7, Disc 4 of the "MST3K Collection." Make sure you give them your full name and mailing address!

Thanks to Rhino for admitting this problem and quickly working to rectify it.

...Repeat to yourself it's just a show...
The people giving this item a one star rating should really just relax.Yeah it's lamentable to see a disagreeable edit.Yes George Lucas may have added CG Dewback lizards... (well, that IS inexcusable... Greedo didn't shoot first).The edit does not affect continuity (the MST edit, not Star Wars) and although I saw Killer Shrews both when it was initially run and re-run I did not notice the absent 20 seconds.If you feel you need the recordings as they originally aired talk to some tape traders, if you want a clear picture and no commercials grab the Rhino releases.

Herc is the best!
All I have to say is Herc saved this collection.There needs to be more of him in my opinion.The other two, the killer shrews and prince of space were alright, but the two Hercules films were excellent and great job to the MST3K team!

Rhino......Keep 'em comin!!!
I love that Rhino is still pumping these sets out! MST3K was one of the most entertaining television shows ever. Really, what's to review with an MST3K collection? It's not like there was ever a bad show, sure you might like some episodes better than others, but you are still guaranteed to get a good chuckle out of almost any episode you watch. I would like to see some of the extras that have been included in past sets, like Mike introducing individual episodes, or Un-Msted versions of the films, but with Volume 7 you get an "unreleased" short with "Assignment: Venezuela"....and as a fan of the show, you can't ask for anything more than "new" MST3K, what a great bonus!! If you aren't familiar with MST3K, or missed these shows the first time around, PICK UP THIS SET. The Hercules movies are worth the price of the set alone! And this set features a nice balance of Mike & Joel, so even fans who have a preference to one host or the other will be satisfied. Great stuff Rhino....keep makin' sets and I promise to keep buyin' them!

For the Fans Who Missed Out
I have been a MSTie since the show first appeared on Comedy Central and I still watched it when it went to the Sci-Fi Channel and I must say for all those people who discovered Mike and the 'bots on Sci-Fi must get this collection.They must discover how much fun it is to watch those grade B itallian Hercules films.Hercules Against the Moon Men is a personal favorite of mine.I think it is great that Rhino is releasing these almost lost treasures.I wish they would release Wild Rebels, Jack Frost, The Day The Earth Froze, Attack of the Eye Creatures and Bride of the Monster only because Ed Wood rules!!!!!!! ... Read more

Reviews (17)

What were they thinking?
I was really pushing for my company to release "Remington Steele" on DVD, but it seems someone beat us to it. Pity -- but at least the episodes WILL finally be available (must admit that my old VHS tapes from late-night reruns circa 1986 are probably quite deteriorated by now).

I have to say, though, that, I, too, am extremely annoyed that Stephanie Zimbalist was omitted from the package's cover. That was an extremely lame move on the part of the people putting the set together, and they obviously (a) know nothing about the show, and (b) didn't care enough about it to put it togther RIGHT. Anyone who was a fan of the show can tell you that Stephanie was key to how well it worked. And, as a ten year old girl at the time, she was kind of my hero. The compilers of the package took the easy, cheesy path to marketing this title, and all I can say to that is SHAME ON THEM.

As a fan, I'd just like to add that the best season of the show was season 1. Apart from the glaring photo faux pas, the package should be pretty cool, and it will be great to watch these episodes again.

Steele worth watching
The name is Steele. Remington Steele.

Before the advent of reality TV and gritty cop shows, detective shows were apparently the thing -- and the 1980s show "Remington Steele" was a standout. The mixture of humor, romantic tension and high-gloss detecting is constantly entertaining.

Laura Holt (Stephanie Zimbalist) worked hard to become a private eye, only to discover that sexism was holding her back. So she invented a fake boss, Remington Steele, who was always conveniently absent when clients came to talk to his "assistant." The deceptive little system works perfectly... until Laura tries to protect a multimillion-dollar jewel collection, and runs into a man (Pierce Brosnan) who now claims to be Remington Steele.

The flesh-and-blood Remington Steele is dapper, intelligent, loves old movies, and is a master criminal. Laura can't expose him without exposing her own fraud, so she comes to a tenuous truce with him: She'll let him stay, and finance his apartment and living, if he behaves himself and doesn't mess around with her detecting. Her assistants Murphy and Bernice (James Read and Janet DeMay) don't like it, but they have to accept him.

But Steele doesn't want to stay in the shadows. He begins to take an interest in solving cases, and helps Laura find a missing video game genius, deal with a body in a winery, and encounter the Yakuza, murderous fellow P.I.s, B-movie queens, smut publishers, insomniacs, old lovers, divorce lawyers, and much more. All the while, Laura tries to figure out who Steele really is, as they try to figure out how they feel about each other.

Humorous detective stories are not an easy thing to do -- they can easily descend into slapstick or idiocy. "Remington Steele" straddled the line perfectly. The first two episodes are rather grim, but by episode three we have Brosnan's charming smirks and the slightly oddball cases that the show became known for. Okay, maybe Laura's on-the-run striptease was a bit much, but Steele's look of shock is worth it.

Surprisingly, not much has aged about this show. Sure, we have some ludicrous 80s hair and clothing, and computers were in their infancy. But the storylines are still hugely entertaining, the sort of stories that could be easily transferred (well, most of the time) to the 1920s, 2000s, or most places in between.

Pierce Brosnan, pre-Bond, gives Steele the right amounts of earnestness and smoothness, quoting old movies and enthusiastically needling Murphy. Zimbalist does an almost equal job; she gets a bit smug in some scenes, but overall carries it well as the Beatrice to Pierce's Benedick. The two stars have remarkably electric chemisty -- a shame they didn't like each other.

DeMay and Read aren't as good -- they were only in one season -- primarily because their characters seem rather one note. And the various guest stars are very good, whether old ladies or distinguished actors, such as Zimbalist's father Efram Jr. And keep an eye out for a young Sharon Stone in a very brief role.

A deeply entertaining and well-written series, "Remington Steele" managed to bridge the gulf between detective shows and dry comedy. Fun, tense and intelligent.

Finally! This is a DVD I've been waiting for.
Pierce Brosnan may be the reason this show is released on DVD, but die-hard "Remington Steele" fans know Stephanie Zimbalist was equally responsible for the show's quality. It was Ms. Zimbalist's acting as a smart, single, business woman that was intriguing to me as a teenaged girl. I'm sure I'm not alone in viewing her Laura Holt character as a role model.

When "Remington Steele" premiered in 1982, it was a breath of fresh air with super smart scripts (many writers from the show have gone on to other successes including Glenn Gordon Caron who created "Moonlighting"), tight direction, and the palpable chemistry and talent of the leads--Mr. Brosnan and Ms. Zimbalist.

The first season--in my mind--is the best. The series writers and scripts were at their highest level. There was a sophisicated edge to the locales, the storylines, and acting. Even the guest stars--Paul Reiser, Annie Potts, Sharon Stone, Roxanne Hart, Peter Scolari come to mind--made the show special. The series walked a fine line between that sophistication and gumshoe grit--something that I think is hard to pull off.

The show's quality did slightly slip in season 2 once it was paired with "The A-Team". It's been said that for season 2, NBC purposely made the show less cerebral to gain a wider audience. It did find it's highest ratings after season 1 with the stronger "A-Team" lead-in. No matter, "Remington Steele" was still a smart, delightful series throughout its run and I'm looking forward to revisiting it.

A Great Show
This is the DVD set I have been wishing for ever since they started putting TV shows on DVD--well, this and the second, third, and fourth season sets that I hope will follow it. This show has it all: witty banter, light-hearted mystery, trips to exotic locales, recurring characters (a reward for faithful viewers), and charming and attractive leads.

Laura Holt and Remington Steele are the quintessential romantic/comic detective duo. I even rank them above Nick and Nora Charles and David Addison and Maddie Hayes, much as I love and admire The Thin Man and Moonlighting. If you are a fan of either, you'd like Remington Steele. In fact, if you are a fan of classic movies in general you will probably like Remington Steele because the character is also a fan and finds parallels to movies in many of their cases.

I was sorry to see that one fan of the show gives it only one star and threatens not to purchase it based solely on the cover art. True, Stephanie Zimbalist was originally the main star and I would have preferred to see the two stars pictured together. But we fans should be happy just to have the show on DVD and do everything we can to make it a success so that the remaining seasons will also be released. The fact is that Brosnan was the breakout star of the show and his success led to his being cast as James Bond (then losing the part to Timothy Dalton because of RS obligations, only to be given the part again later). So if the James Bond tie-in helps sell more DVDs and gets more people hooked on the show we should be glad. And we can hope for better things from the cover art of future seasons.

Last of the great detective shows
Ah, the good old days, back in the days before "Reality" shows hijacked television, and just before the era of the night-time soaps like ER and West Wing (I like West Wing, but too much emphasis on personal lives on the characters and not enough plot time devoted to the situation is the curse of the night-time soaps).

Remington Steele is my favorite detective show of all time, and one of my favorite series of any genre.The plots are entertaining, actually mysterious, fun and still fresh today.The chemistry between the stars is unbeatable (I always heard they didn't get along well in real life).Pierce Brosnan had great comedic talent, but still with a tough side.It's fun to see him before his Bond days.Stephanie Zimbalist was one of the best actresses of her generation, and beautiful as well.

The show prgressed pretty well over the 4 seasons it ran.The first season was kind of experimental, and had a few too many regular characters.The later formula of Steele, Laura and Mildred worked a lot better, but season one is still great fun and has good stroy lines.I'll be even more excited when the later seasons come out, with the episodes filmed in Ireland, Malta and Greece.This program is an unsung classic. ... Read more

Amazon.com essential video

Before The Dick Van Dyke Show, suburbia was never portrayed on television as a haven of sophistication. We never followed Ozzie Nelson to work. And we never, ever fantasized what Ward and June Cleaver did behind closed doors. But Your Show of Shows veteran Carl Reiner's groundbreaking series broke the staid, sitcom mold. Just consider Mary Tyler Moore's Laura Petrie, the ravishing wife of Dick Van Dyke's comedy writer, Rob Petrie. "I'm just a housewife," she proclaims in the episode "To Tell or Not to Tell," just before breaking into an incendiary bossa nova in the Petrie living room. In "The Return of Happy Spangler," she is jokingly identified as Jackie Kennedy. But the comparison is apt. She's got style (those capri pants scandalized the show's sponsors!), she's got grace, and when Moore came into her own as a gifted comedienne, she took her stock character to dizzy new heights. The Dick Van Dyke Show boasted a peerless ensemble, gold-standard writing, and characters who became icons: Son Ritchie (played by Larry Matthews), man-hungry Sally Rogers (Rose Marie), old school "human joke machine" Buddy Sorrell (Morey Amsterdam), and tyrannical boss Alan Brady (Reiner).

Incredibly, the show was nearly canceled after its first season. Executive producer Sheldon Leonard championed the series, and CBS moved the Petries to follow the top-rated Beverly Hillbillies. The rest is television history. Unlike the high-concept Hillbillies, the more sophisticated Dick Van Dyke Show's appeal was in its more grounded situations and three-dimensional characters, each of whom were given ample opportunities to shine. Rob's deft and daft juggling of his glamorous career and harried home life inspired some of the best episodes, but at the heart of this series' timeless appeal was the palpable chemistry between Rob and Laura, as witness their sudden embrace at the moving conclusion of "The Square Triangle." A pop culture benchmark, The Dick Van Dyke Show is must-own television. --Donald Liebenson ... Read more

Reviews (2)

The Dick Van Dyke Show was to prime-time television ...
... what the Beatles were to pop music!Already available on DVD as separate seasons, this boxed set puts the entire 158 episodes under one roof.It's no exaggeration to state that THE DICK VAN DYKE SHOW came as close to perfection as situation comedies could be.Any way that you want to look at it, this show was state-of-the-art!The cast was brilliant without exception, from the Petrie family (Van Dyke, Mary Tyler Moore, Larry Mathews) to Rob's co-workers (Morey Amsterdam, Rose Marie, Richard Deacon), their neighbors, and a who's-who of guest stars (Don Rickles, Greg Morris, Jerry Van Dyke, etc.) who contributed to the humor without upstaging the regulars.

Not to mention Carl Reiner, who not only was effective on-screen but very creative behind-the-scenes.He merely invented the show, for one.In fact, another ingredient that places the show on a pedestal is the quality of the writing.Amazingly, there is a consistency over the thirty-plus episodes (multiplied by five years) that makes me hard-pressed to think of even one subpar show in this series ("The Twizzle," maybe?).Sure, some shows stand out: the walnut episode, Alan Brady's wig disclosure by Laura, the "wrong baby" episode, and so on.Yet every show is a delight to watch again and again.The humor is genuinely witty and most of the topics are still relevant even today.In fact, I sometimes think that watching the way Rob and Laura realistically dealt with a wide range of human emotions (jealousy, etc.) and marital situations (misunderstandings, etc.) was probably an effective early form of marital counseling for many viewers.

Yes, the show is of its time: you'll find yourself dropped right in the center of the early-1960s, right on the brink of changing attitudes regarding gender, race, marriage, etc.Rob and Laura slept in separate beds?Yeah, right.Not to mention Laura wore the capri pants in the family.Yet the show's overall vision elevated it to timeless status.The series' style may be dated to the era in which it was created, but the substance remains relevant and laugh-at-loud funny even four decades after their original broadcasts.Other reviewers have remarked on all of the DVD extras, great video quality, etc.All of that is important, but the bottom line is the greatness of the show itself.It seems as if every t.v. show that ever existed is being reissued on DVD, moreso than anyone could possibly have time to watch.You'll want to make time for THE DICK VAN DYKE SHOW, though!

The TV-On-DVD Boxed Set To End All Boxed Sets!
If you're looking for a super-sensational, tantalizingly-terrific, and spectacularly-massive DVD set containing some of the greatest comedy moments in TV history, then look no further than this colossal 25-Disc DVD set containing every last episode of "The Dick Van Dyke Show", the multiple Emmy Award-winning CBS-TV comedy series which ran from 1961 to 1966.

This Complete-Series mega DVD collection houses all five seasons of the very funny and perpetually-entertaining Van Dyke Show, encompassing 158 total episodes, all restored and remastered by Image Entertainment and Paul Brownstein Productions, with each episode exhibiting darn-near perfect video and audio quality. And every single episode is complete and unedited. Not a single second of any show has been cut out. Average running time per episode is a shade more than 25 minutes.

This set contains all five of the previously-released "DVD-On-DVD" season-by-season boxed sets that were issued by Image Entertainment in 2003 and 2004. They've all been bundled together here to form one gigantic and money-saving complete-series collection.

Each of the twenty-five discs gets its own individual "ThinPak" (slimline) plastic case. Each case has unique and nicely-designed cover art (featuring a different publicity still photograph on every one of the 25 cases). Additional photos grace the back cover of each case, as well as more Van Dyke Show pictures (and a complete "Scene Selections" list for each of that platter's 6 or 7 episodes) on the inside of every case. (These plastic cases are the "clear" type, so you can read the "Scene" listing on the inside front covers right through the plastic.)

The back of each of these slim cases provides quick at-your-fingertips info about each show on that disc -- such as: Full episode titles; Film dates; Original CBS-TV air dates; Brief episode descriptions; Plus some crew credits ("Written by" and "Directed by" notations). The 158 episodes are arranged here by "Production" (or "Film Date") order, instead of an "Air Date" chronology.*

* = With one (very wise) exception being Episodes 157 and 158. "The Gunslinger" was actually the last (158th) Van Dyke episode to be filmed; with "The Last Chapter" being the final episode that was aired, in June 1966. So, for proper continuity sake, Image Entertainment has flipped the order of these two episodes on the last disc of Season #5 -- with "The Last Chapter" being presented as the final show of the series.

Many, many supplemental bonus features are also included on these twenty-five Digital Discs, including: Audio Commentary tracks for many episodes, along with cast interviews, original TV commercials, Emmy Award snippets, documentaries, featurettes, photo galleries, behind-the-scenes rehearsal footage, Easter Eggs, trivia games, CBS-TV promos, and gobs of other little interesting extra tidbits besides! A 12-page booklet is also a part of this Dick Van Dyke Show bonanza too.

There are even full-length TV-show bonuses included on selected discs, including a complete episode of "The Danny Thomas Show" (which has Van Dyke Show character "Buddy Sorrell" popping up).

Other complete TV-show extras include the original "Pilot" episode for "The Dick Van Dyke Show" (called "Head Of The Family"); plus a full-length 46-minute CBS-TV documentary made in the mid-1990s (called "The Dick Van Dyke Show Remembered"); and an absolutely-outstanding and ultra-fun-to-watch TV game show called "Stump The Stars" (aka: "Mike Stokey's Pantomime Quiz"), which has several Van Dyke Show cast members playing a lively charades game. Great, great fun!

If you want to know the full details regarding each and every little bonus extra you can expect to find on these 25 discs, you can seek out my extensive reviews for each of the separate Van Dyke Show boxed sets here at Amazon.com. If you type in "VAN DYKE SHOW SEASON" while searching under "DVDs" here at Amazon, you'll get a convenient and handy search result that places links to all five of the Van Dyke seasonal sets on just one webpage for easy reference. Or: you can copy-and-paste the following Amazon link and gain access to all 5 Van Dyke full-season DVD collections...........

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/stores/series/-/74347/dvd/ref=pd_serl_dvd/102-9264632-9063316

Pull out any one of these 25 discs and you'll have some great shows, including all of Rob Petrie's (Dick Van Dyke's) inimitable physical comedy bits -- not to mention Dick's unsurpassed ability to act out a "one-way telephone conversation" (which always amazes me when I see him do this -- and there are many such "telephone" moments during the series). Then, too, via this amazing boxed set, you'll also get every one of Laura Petrie's (Mary Tyler Moore's) "crying jags", plus all the standout "Rob & Laura dancing and singing" scenes. And don't forget about all those "Buddy insults Mel" gags (which must number in the hundreds over the course of the series).

Just suffice it to say that I love this television program. .... Its humor is timeless. The characters seem "real" and "non-phony". And the writing is remarkable. And you'll be able to see why when you pop in any of these wonderfully-restored Digital Versatile Discs.

"THE DICK VAN DYKE SHOW: THE COMPLETE SERIES" DVD collection is, without fear of argument, a "complete treasure". ... Read more

Amazon.com

This is the beginning of a beautiful friendship. As its ratings following the tragic events of September 11, 2001, illustrated, Friends has matured into television's most beloved comfort show. The peerless ensemble--Jennifer Aniston, a pre-Arquette Courtney Cox, Emmy winner Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, Matthew Perry, and David Schwimmer--makes a lasting first impression in the first season's 24 episodes, which are presented chronologically on four discs. The perky "Pilot" introduces unlucky-in-love Monica, runaway bride Rachel, sad sack Ross, New Age ditz Phoebe, wise guy Chandler, and womanizer Joey. The focus of the first season is Ross's unrequited love for Rachel, but we have these moments to remember: the arrival of Marcel the monkey ("The One with the Monkey"); Monica, Rachel, and Phoebe's "cleansing ritual" ("The One with the Candy Hearts"); the escalating game of shower peek-a-boo ("The One with the Boobies"); Joey as Al Pacino's butt double ("The One with the Butt"); Ross taking lessons from Joey in how to "talk dirty" ("The One with the Stoned Guy"); former "Must-See TV" stars Helen Hunt and George Clooney ("The One with Two Parts"); and Chandler spilling the beans to Rachel about Ross's feelings for her ("The One Where Rachel Finds Out"). Though its devoted fans can recite these episodes chapter and verse, Friends maintains its sparkle through repeat viewings, a testament to the sharp writing as well as the cast's lightning-in-a-bottle chemistry and lived-in performances. The episodes are presented uncut and extended, with previously unseen dialogue and scenes. And those who hate Friends and would like to drown the characters in the opening credits' fountain are directed to the episode "The One with the Boobies," in which guest star Fisher Stevens hilariously nails the "dysfunctional group dynamic ... co-dependent, emotionally stunted, sitting in your stupid coffeehouse and you're all like, 'Define me, define me.'" --Donald Liebenson ... Read more

Reviews (134)

The start of a beautiful "Friend"-ship
When the pilot first aired, I was in kindergarten. Though at the time I wasn't old enough to stay awake past the time it aired, I remember my mom always raving about Friends.

I have since caught most of the episodes in syndication, on primetime reruns, and via the "Best Of Friends" DVDs. I'm thrilled that the entire seasons are, at last, making it to DVD.

What is one of the funniest shows ever, Friends should be a part of anyone's DVD collection. In fact, I'd say that these DVDs are basically worth buying a DVD player. Whether your an old fan embracing the nostalgia provided by the discs, a new fan trying to catch up on old storylines, or someone who until now was unaware the show even existed, you will love these DVDs.

Every Friends episode is utterly perfect. When you watch the Pilot and then watch an episode from the current (and final) season, you will see what I mean. The characters are already there in the very first episode. It's as if these actors were walking along, waiting to find Ross, Monica, Chandler, Rachael, Phoebe, and Joey. The characters never develope because they were just there in the beginning. How many other shows can you say that about?

Took them long enough...
...To realize that they needed to release "complete seasons of" box set DVDs here in the US too, and not just in the UK! Finally all US resident "Friends" fans are getting what they want and what they need. If you've been keeping track of all the "Friends" episodes since season 1, then you should have some sort of a clue on what will be included in this box set: every single episode of season 1, and I am sure there will be some great special bonus features added to it. It's kind of unfair that the UK already has the complete seasons box sets up to season eight...and they haven't even released season one here in the United States! So if you really cannot wait, then you can probably order every single complete season of "Friends" on the UK version of Amazon.com. "Friends" is the best comedy show on TV! It's been the best since it first aired and still rules! It's a clever show, about six friends living in New York City and dealing with the everyday problems of life. Joey and Rachel are my favorite characters--and I'd think they'd make a great couple!... I just love "Friends" and I can't get enough of it. My favorite episode from the first season is "The One With The Ick Factor", where Monica dates a guy who thinks he's a senior in college but, while they are "doing it", he confesses that he's actually a senior in high school! I also love the very first episode, of course, as does most fans of "Friends" do. For all "Friends" fans, of course I'd recommend this! It's better than THE BEST OF FRIENDS collection because even though they only show episodes from season one, it's every single episode and not just the most popular ones polled by "Friends" fans...

BRILLIANT
I've been looking at some of these reviews and to tell u the truth i think u should stick to the US version of DVD boxsets. i have seasons 1-9 dvd boxsets and there arent any special features til season four and even then its the same til season 7 where they include extended episodes. although i have all the series im still gona buy them all from US jus because i want the speacial features. apart from that enjoy season 1 starting from when rachel does a runner from her big day to when rachel finds out how ross really feels abt her!! ENJOY

Let the friends fun begin
I'm going to be honest. I did not start watching Friends until the 4th season. I kept hearing people talk about the show and I got curious and decided to catch a few episodes. When the show came on in syndication I tried to catch the shows I missed. Which is why I'm excited the show is on DVD as full season sets. I keep seeing people post that it's a waste of money to buy a show on DVD that you can see on TV in syndication. I thought so too at first, but when you end up seeing the same episodes in syndication over, and over, you begin to miss episodes that are not shown on television. Having the show on DVD means I can see certain episodes when I want, and see them COMMERICAL FREE.

Rachel, Monica, Joey, Chandler, Phoebe and Ross will be allowed into our living rooms for the rest of our lives. It's fun to watch the series from the beginning, and watch how the characters evolve, and their styles change. Ross spent season 1 being depressed about his wife being a lesbian, and facing the facts he would share parenting roles with the ex and the lover. You watch the show, and you laugh more and more with each episode.

My SUPER favorites episodes are(because I enjoy all of them):

1. The one with the East German Laundry Detergent
2. The one with the boobies
3. The one with the fake monica
4. The one with two parts
5. The one with the poker
6. The one with the birth - no matter how many times I see this episode I always cry at the end.

I gave season 1 a 4 because as it good as season 1 is, it just gets better as the seasons go on. This show is a lot of fun, and I hope to eventually own all the seasons on DVD.

Friends Season 1 Disc 4
I never watched Friends the entire time it was on television. I didn't watch the last episode either. But while browsing the video store for something to watch during vacation I picked up The Best of Friends on VHS only 1 and 2. Since then I have rented Seasons 4,5, and 7. I have Seasons 1 and 2 now. The last Disc of Season 1 is by far the funniest. I found myself saying a few days ago..."How you doing?...My favorite characters would have to be Ross (I love that goofy-look) and then Monica. With television shows now on DVD, I am cutting off cable. ... Read more

Reviews (17)

No other war story except Pvt.Ryan is as impactful as W&R
The War and Remebrance/Winds of War video productions are a high water mark of the docu-drama of WWII. The thing that impressed me most regarding these episodes was the director's skill at imparting the sense of drama, despair, the feeling that must have pervaded peoples minds that were in the war. I cannot find the words to describe the the sense of historical impact I felt this production delivered.

A superb drama reaches its conclusion.
Herman Wouk's "The Winds of War"-"War and Remembrance" miniseries ranks as one of the greatest miniseries ever. "War and Remembrance, The Final Chapter" is about 11 1/2 hours of viewing, and concludes the story with the conclusion of the war. I rate the whole miniseries a solid 5 stars, but after a fair amount of agonizing, I dropped "The Final Chapter" down to a four.

Several reasons. First of all, the fellow who plays Hitler in War and Remembrance (Steven Berkoff) does not do a good job. He is a caricature of the evil, formidable Fuhrer. Gunter Meisner, in "The Winds of War" is a far better portrayal of Hitler, and fully captures the malevolent genius of the man. This is true of several other characters. The chap who plays the Kommandant of the Theresienstadt concentration camp plays the role of being literally a beast in human form. The evils of the Nazi genocidal crimes are better shown, I think, when the evildoers perpetuating these crimes are shown to be human beings knowingly committing evil--not animals who could scarcely know better. By contrast, Gunther Halmer, who plays Rudolph Hoess, does succeed in this--this is an intelligent man who has decided, consciously, to carry out inhuman policies. To me that is far scarier than the notion that the SS-Nazis were simply animals. Well, that's my opinion.

"The Final Chapter" could have used more battle action. There was plenty of opportunity for this, what with this period covering the Normandy invasion, Patton's dash across Europe, the American victory over Japan, etc., but such is not the case here. Lovers of this series (myself included) probably do not mind this too much, but I felt that the first chapter of "War and Remembrance" with its incomparable, superb depiction of the Battle of Midway, constituted better entertainment. This is, after all, a series about World War Two.

Some of the graphic scenes of concentration camp genocide are not for children. Parents will want to exercise judgment if youngsters are present during viewing.

These criticisms aside, "The Final Chapter" is quite an achievement, if for no other reason it satisfactorily wraps up the whole series reasonably smartly. This miniseries will be an enduring classic.

A must-see mini-series
War and Remembrance" picks up where the infinitely superior "Winds of War" leaves off. This continuation has a multitude of problems and is not nearly as cohesive or riveting as its predecessor, but it's still worth watching and re-watching. Be prepared for a long sojourn in front of your TV however, it's 23 total hours of viewing time.

Some of the problems of its precursor have thankfully vanished... But the character of Natalie grates on the nerves. She makes one appalling choice after the other, until it's difficult to root for her. In addition, Seymour plays Natalie as a curiously flat character, and missing is the essential fire and determination of Wouk's Natalie. Hart Bochner is a marginal improvement over Vincent as the whiny Bryan, but his screen chemistry with Seymour is zilch. His scenes with Mitchum also betray his liabilities as an actor. Whereas Jan-Michael Vincent's Bryan was sympathetic and appealing, Bochner plays the part as a mean-spirited, spoiled and pompous prig: watch especially his scene with Mitchum when he whines about the picture of Pam Tudsbury on the table.

And what of the magnificent Robert Mitchum, the glue that holds the series together? He is much too old for the part of Pug Henry here and his limitations show. Whereas he was a trifle elderly for the Pug part in volume one, this was filmed six years later and Mitchum is downright doddering. Is he still sexy? You bet. Is it still believable that Pamela Tudsbury (played a bit insipidly by Victoria Tennant) would travel across the world to lie chastely in his arms for 10 minutes? Well... it's a stretch, but I wouldn't say no to Mitchum, would you?

The historical characters are, again, wretched. The Hitler they cast is absurd and one wonders how such a raving cretin as this could have held the German nation spellbound for twelve dark years. In fact, the Hitler scenes are riddled with absurd errors and if anyone believes that actual Hitler behaved like this ignorant maniac, please consult a non-fictional history. It's amusing that Pug Henry again meets all of the integral characters of WWII in one fell swoop: Hitler is on his dance card, as well as Churchill, Stalin, Mussolini and anyone else he chooses to see. It's silly, contrived and forced, but it still manages to rivet the viewer.

If you're expecting true-to-life World War II drama, forget it. But if you love Robert Mitchum, a good story of epic proportions, then this will suffice. I watch it every few years and love it despite its myriad problems.

Memories that stick forever
I've yet to view this DVD set - I just found it, and made my order on here. But even just the emotions that I feel right now - remembering something I saw on TV 15 years ago - speak for the power of it.

I was a teenager when this miniseries was originally broadcast on British TV. With regard to the characters and acting, I can't give an honest opinion - I really can't remember that well. What sticks in my mind mind so vividly is it's portrayal of the Holocaust. Even as I write this, I have tears in my eyes remembering what I saw. Nothing before or since has made it so real.

To see those people - men, women and children - being stripped, shaved, and led to the gas chambers, and to know that you are seeing an entirely accurate recreation of what actually happened, is agonising. The characters may be fictional, but they only serve to emphasise that there was a real life behind every one of those statistics. I think the author and screenwriters were quite purposeful in taking their time to create characters that the viewer relates to, only to watch them be murdered, man woman and child. It's chilling but compelling. I think it should be required viewing.

Swept Away, Again
The story almost completely centers on Natalie and Aarons' struggle to survive the horrors of being Jewish in an WW2 Europe. Additional storylines includes the development of The Bomb and of Pug and Rhodas' divorce ( which added the few bits of humor, odd as that might seem ). Graphic and horrifying, Natalie and Aarons' plight will leave you aching and sad, although you will have spent many hours thinking " if they are so smart, why are they still in Europe. " In the end, there is a saving grace and resolution - although, I wish they would have done more to wrap up Rhodas' descent into the bottle and Pugs' new life with Pamela. I may be in the minority, but I like
those two as a couple...it is a bit of humanity in a horrible theatre of pain. ... Read more

Description

Megalomaniacs. Spies. Thieves. Phantoms. Mad scientists. The world is full of dangerous people. But don't fear -- Wonder Woman is here! Lynda Carter returns as Wonder Woman for all 24 episodes of the third and final thrill-packed season of the series. Teamed with flint-jawed government agent Steve Trevor (Lyle Waggoner) and using the alias of Diana Prince, Wonder Woman whips out her bracelets and lariat to battle evil. And what a battle it is. Her foes include a time traveler from the year 2155, a brain with no body, a dating service that's serving up death, bazillions of hungry ants and a sculptor whose statues come to life and become his partners in crime. Wonder Woman saved the best adventures for last! Episodes: My Teenage Idol is Missing, Hot Wheels, The Deadly Sting,The Fine Art of Crime, Disco Devil, Formicida, Time Bomb, Skateboard Whiz, The Deadly Dolphin, Stolen Faces, Pot of Gold, Gault's Brain, Going Going Gone, Spaced Out, The Starships are Coming, Amazon Hot Wax, The Richest Man in the World, A Date with Doomsday, The Girl with the Gift for Disaster, The Boy Who Knew Her Secret part 1, The Boy Who Knew Her Secret part 2, The Man Who Could Not Die, Phantom of the Roller Coaster part 1, Phantom of the Roller Coaster part 2. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

final year great
lynda carter shines in final season. She seems at home and comfortable in part and th show
is a blast

Your the wonder, wonder woman! The final Season, yes!
Ok, now I am really excited! I will have the complete Wonder Woman Series! Season 3 was good, I hope they have the final one hot wonder episode without Steve Trevor! I will buy this final season for sure! I am impressed with this series, I loved it when I was a kid, and I still love it now! With the exception of her pre-Madonna Wonder Bra! Enjoy, hope this review helped! Here is the episode guide... JM!
1- The Starships Are Coming
2- Phantom Of The Roller-Coaster Part 1
3- Phantom Of The Roller-Coaster Part 2
4- Disco Devil
5- The Richest Man In The World
6- A Date With Doomsday
7- The Girl With The Gift For Disaster
8- Stolen Faces
9- Hot Wheels
10- The Deadly Sting
11- My Teenage Idol Is Missing
12- Time Bomb
13- Skateboard Wiz
14- The Deadly Dolphin
15- Pot Of Gold (Christmas)
16- Gault's Brain
17- Going, Going, Gone!
18- Spaced Out!
19- Amazon Hot Wax
20- The Boy Who Knew Her Secret Part 1
21- The Boy Who Knew Her Secret Part 2
22- The Man Who Could Not Die! (Finale)

Wonder Woman: The Final Set
How about that?2 weeks after my copy of Season 2 (or the first contemporary season for literalists) arrives in my mailbox, I get to place my pre-order for the final season and at the same price to boot.There are some who say that this season's villains are not as comic strip like, but it's a toughie to call.Some of the things you notice in this final collection.1) Charles Fox's music has been "jazzed up" a tad for during both the opening and closing credits, leaving Norman Gimbel's lyrics from both previous sets just a memory of the recent past.2) Steve Trevor Jr's unexplained rank of "Major" (his father's rank from the war series) said to him first by Andros in the next to last segment of part 2 of "Mind Stealers" just as inexplicably becomes "Colonel".As Diana says in, "Flight To Oblivion" "Congratulations you finally got a promotion".3) Some of the clips from the Opening Credits are different than in the last set (1 even includes the Rover).The clips with Lyle Waggoner are the same just showed in reverse of the way they were shown in set 2.They are completely removed in "The Man Who Couldn't Die" since he didn't appear in it (I still believe this was the finale despite the order these episodes will appear on disc), and replaced with clips from that episode (which were used in a previous episode as well). 4) The opening segments before the credits on some of these episodes are longer than on when they started using this format with "Man Who Made Volcanoes" in set 2 (the longest timewise I think is on "Deadly Sting" (which I still feel was the season premiere, listen to the music on the ending credits on this episode vis a vis any other in the collection and you'll hear why). 5)For the first time in the contemporary series, an actor reprises a role (in the war series Carolyn Jones played the Queen and Debra Winger plays Drusilla in both "Feminum Mystique" and "In Hollywood" making the only reprisal of a character by the same actor in the war series).Here Ed Begley Jr returns as Harold Farnum (the smitten college student in "Diana's Disappearing Act") in "Fine Art of Crime".However, forliteralists, his famous father has gone from being a "Congressman" (referencing the House of Representatives) to a "Senator".In this same episode you also see Rover is not as pesty as you think when you first meet him, when he locks Harold in a closet when he tries to secretly get to see Ira after Steve says no.Rover also comes in useful in "Formicida", a bravura "speaking job" by the then popular husband/wife "mime" team of Robert Shields and Lorene Yarnell".Ok enough disecting this final DVD set of 1 of my favorites tv shows.BUY IT AND COMPLETE YOUR COLLECTION (or if you haven't started already, order all 3 together). NOW!

All the world is waiting for season three
This last season of Wonder Woman continued the Amazing Amazon's adventures in 1970's America. 22 episodes comprise the 1978-79 season.

Notable episodes include "My Teenage Idol is missing" where Wonder Woman helps to crack the kidnapping-switching of a teenage singing idol with an impostor, while "Formicida has Wonder Woman go against another super powered woman who takes nature preservation to dangerous extremes through her insect control: bugs are being dispatched to stop the manufacture of a deadly pesticide because this person does not believe the pesticide is good for the Earth. This latter villian is different from some of the other people Wonder Woman has faced because good initial intentions only became warped through extremes.

Wonder Woman also faces a similar ethical issue in "The man who could not die" because she must save a newly-invincible man from being captured and exploited by dangerous groups. Having superpowers ultimately does not mean much if you are then vulnerable to exploitation from being a public (and 'everyday') citizen. Her secret identity as "Diana Prince" might be all that keeps Wonder Woman from facing similar peril.

"A date with doomsday" eerily foreshadows the then-upcoming AIDS pandemic. Wonder Woman must prevent a virus from spreading around the globe. The all-critical plot catch being this deadly virus was first created in a laboratory and the HIV virus is rumored to have been created in similar conditions. I wonder if anybody in this series's scripting department knew anybody affected with what became HIV when this was written?

Unlike a lot of other shows past and present, the series production team knew when to end the show lest their product become stale. The diving suit was cool, but the wonder skate and bike suits were pushing sci-fi fantasy into 1960's camp absurdity. I mourned the series cancellation as a young girl, but now understand the wisdom of the television executive decision, Wonder Woman is now timeless for countless generations because somebody knew when to say `enough'.

There's some playing around with the theme song (adopting a disco influence) but the overall pop culture influence on this series is tolerable and certainly not as bad as it could have gotten (even the "Disco Devil" is a cut above other disco-themed series episodes in this era just because Carter is a good actress period). Of her second suits, I think the wetsuit kicks ass.

Special guest stars this season include Leif Garret, Roddy McDowell, Ted Shackelford and Joan Van Ark. Special features include star Carter's own commentary on the enduring power of Wonder Woman and her singing (in an episode). When some other celebrities are loathe to continue being associated with their signature role, Carter's ongoing warmth to the fans and continued enthusiasm for all things Wonder Woman is really admirable.

I am also thankful that the studios have thoughtfully kept the price of the DVD set down around 20 dollars. I can pass on the Shazzam series (one episode is included on a special bonus disc), but having all seasons of Wonder Woman is a mandate from ParadiseIsland.

Considering how difficult it is to find Wonder Woman reruns on TV, the incomplete DVD release status of some other 70's series (Charlies Angels...etc) and the arm-leg cost of other TV seasons on DVD, this purchase is definitely worth it.

Season Three Is "Wonder"ful
The third and final season of Wonder Woman is ready and waiting for sci-fi fans everywhere to enjoy. In this great colorful season, 22 episodes (two of which are 2-parters) spotlight the Amazing Amazon from Paradise Island. As with season two, season three continues Wonder Woman's (aka Diana Prince) adventures in Washington D.C. working as a secret agent alongside the dashing Steve Trevor (Lyle Waggoner). The episodes included in this set are:

My Teenage Idol Is Missing - Singer Leif Garrett guest stars as a teen singer who is kidnapped for extortion. His agent finds a double to stand in for the missing singer's concert while Wonder Woman tries to track him and his kidnappers down. BONUS: Lynda Carter commentary

Hot Wheels - When a Rolls Royce is stolen with a secret microfilm, Wonder Woman whirls into action.

The Deadly Sting - Professional football tampering causes the IADC to become involved.

The Fine Art Of Crime - Actor Roddy McDowell guest-stars as an art sculptor with a terrible knack of thievery. Will Wonder Woman be able to see through his deception?

Disco Devil - A disco owner is hypnotizing key officials. Diana Prince is soon on his trail.

Formicida - A strange woman environmentalist who controls ants terrorizes industrial companies who do not meet her eco-standards. Possessing ant-like abilities herself, she proves to be a match for even Wonder Woman!

Time Bomb - A fortune seeker from the future comes to the present to strike a name for herself. Wonder Woman and another future traveler try to stop her before catastrophy ensues. TRIVIA: This is the first time actors Ted Shackelford and Joan Van Ark work together, who are two of the best known actors in the later evening series Knots Landing.

Skateboard Whiz - Illegal gambling on the California coast causes Wonder Woman to don her very own Wonder Skate Suit and show off her skateboarding skills.

The Deadly Dolphin - When terrorists use helpless dolphins to attatch bombs to the bottom of boats, Wonder Woman spins into her diving suit to save them.

Stolen Faces - One of my favorite episodes! When Diana Prince learns that a Wonder Woman double was found unconcious, she ties her to a plot to steal wealthy Washington society patrons blind. TRIVIA: Contains one of the BEST Wonder Woman transformation scenes ever! Diana spins in mid-air when pushed off a building and lands as Wonder Woman. :)

Pot Of Gold - The luck of the Irish comes to life as Wonder Woman meets a real live leprechaun.

Gault's Brain - An evil telekinetic brain (you heard me right) proves to be a handful for Wonder Woman when it seeks a perfect body to reside in. TRIVIA: Appearance of the Wonder Wetsuit.

Going, Going, Gone - Submarine hijinks cause Wonder Woman to search for missing cargo.

Spaced Out - Diana Prince finds herself in the middle of a Sci-Fi Convention while investigating the disappearance of a special laser lens.

The Starships Are Coming - UFOs are spotted and Wonder Woman jumps into action. TRIVIA: Actor Tim O'Connor plays a government UFO expert, but earlier played an alien himself in the season one episode Judgement From Outer Space.

Amazon Hot Wax - Lynda Carter flexes her vocal talents in this episode as Diana Prince goes undercover at a recording agency. TRIVIA: Lynda uses her own voice, singing songs from her then recently released solo album Portrait. This episode was one of the few episodes not to be released on the Columbia House video collection due to a problem with music rights.

The Richest Man In The World - A top secret missile device is stolen. Enter Wonder Woman to save the day.

A Date With Doomsday - When a deadly virus is stolen Diana must get to the bottom of the case before a world-wide panic begins. TRIVIA: Appearance of the Wonder Bike suit.

The Girl With A Gift For Disaster - Is Diana's new aquatence just a clutz or is there something more to what is seen?

The Boy Who Knew Her Secret (Parts 1 & 2) - Aliens on the look for an evil inter-galactic shapeshifter track the escapee to Earth. Can Wonder Woman save the innocent humans who get in their way, or will she too become a victim of the alien battle?

Phantom Of The Roller Coaster (Parts 1 & 2) - A mysterious man living beneath an amusement part kidnaps a boy, but not all is as it seems. TRIVIA: The year this episode was made, the spotlighted rollercoaster shown debuted at the Warner Bros. owned Six Flags Magic Mountain theme park.

The Man Who Could Not Die - After a scientific experiment, a man discovers that he physically can not be harmed. Can Wonder Woman save him before he becomes a target for evil groups?

Along with these episodes a featurette focusing on Wonder Woman as a feminist icon will be given. More of the eternally beautiful Lynda Carter and crew's thoughts on the comic book heroine. You can't miss with this great, and final, Wonder Woman DVD set! ... Read more

Amazon.com

Nothing? Seinfeld is a show about everything! It's about the appeal of the posse and coma etiquette. It's about importing and exporting. It's about sneaking a peek, and seeing the baby. It's about this, that, and the other. TV Guide ranked Seinfeld the best TV series of all time. It has become the master of its syndication domain. Its most devoted fans can quote each episode chapter and verse; their absorption of each scene's minutiae anything but a trivial pursuit. With such fervent devotion to the show, and demand for its DVD release, series creators Jerry Seinfeld and Larry David could have easily just OK'd a bare-bones set containing nothing but the episodes. Not that there would have been anything wrong with that, but instead, the creative team came together to create extensive and encyclopedic features that make this four-disc set buy-worthy. The candid and revealing audio commentaries and interviews, deleted scenes and original episode promos, and optional "Notes About Nothing" pop-ups are as irresistible as a Drake's coffee cake.

It's always fun and instructive to return to the humble beginnings of a series that became a pop culture benchmark. Here are Kramer's first not-so-grand entrance, Jerry's first contemptuous "Hello, Newman," and Elaine's first "Get Out!" shove. But what is most revelatory about these episodes from the first two seasons is what Jason Alexander, during his commentary for the episode "The Revenge," calls a "sweet quality" that somehow redeems these characters' more base instincts. Consider the scene in which Jerry gives a freshly unemployed George some career guidance, or Jerry and Elaine's palpably affectionate banter throughout. The "Inside Look" episode intros offer fascinating insights into this singular show that subverted sitcom convention with such now-classic episodes as "The Chinese Restaurant," in which Jerry, George, and Elaine wait in vain for a table. We learn, for example, why movie tough guy Lawrence Tierney, who guest starred in "The Jacket," never reprised his role as Elaine's father. All of this, of course, is yadda yadda yadda to Seinfeld fans, whose patience for the show's DVD debut has been amply rewarded. As Elaine screams in the third-season episode, "The Subway," "It's not nothing, it's something!" --Donald Liebenson ... Read more

Reviews (186)

Seinfeld Box Set Seasons 1 and 2 for November!
In case you didn't know, there were disputes for years over whether or not to pay the 3 co-stars residuals for doing extra material on the sets (interviews, commentary about the episodes, etc). The arguments dragged on, Yada Yada Yada, they're making the sets now. The first set will have Seasons 1 and 2 (17 episodes), including the pilot. It will have tons of extras, unlike the Curb Your Enthusiasm sets. The release date is set for November, but chances are it will be pushed back until December to get more sales.

Myself and other Seinfeldians have been waiting for this since the Spring of 1998. It will be soooooo great.

Here is a list of episodes that will be included in the first set:

Season 1:
Pilot (Good News Bad News)
The Stakeout
The Robbery
Male Unbonding
The Stock Tip

Season 2:
The Ex-Girlfriend
The Pony Remark
The Jacket
The Phone Message
The Apartment
The Statue
The Revenge
The Heart Attack
The Deal
The Baby Shower
The Chinese Restaurant
The Busboy

I know these aren't the best episodes of the show, but it is a start.

Seinfeld DVD advertisement in "50 First Dates"
I thought I'd just add that prior to viewing "50 First Dates" on DVD, they were advertising a Seinfeld DVD set slated to "be in stores soon". I believe it's a "Best Of", but they didn't specify it in the advertisement. Take what you will from this. All it did was get me excited.

details of DVD
If you want to buy the DVD now on the internet, it is 205 dollars. There are 23 discs with 8 episodes on each one. Im pretty sure that they are low in quality and there will probably be a lot of other stuff messed up, so im gonna wait untill it comes out in stores.

It s coming soon
If you watch the beginning of 50 First Dates, they show add of Seinfeld on DVD. They will have a lot of extras on it and all they say it is being released soon. I have heard around the Christmas time frame.

Every Generation
Every Generation had its great comedy series, from Milton Berle, to Lucy, to the Dick Van Dyke show, to Taxi (my favorite, out in Oct), to Seinfeld. And as time went by it seems like the writers got better. Seinfeld is one of those great timeless classics that will be with us for a long time and will be hard to beat . . . Thank you Larry David ! ... Read more

Reviews (10)

Little House on the Prairie by:Jessica Beckner
I love Little House on the Prairie. I'v only seen through the 7th season, but I can't wait to see season 8. All of my friends don't exactly like Little House, and I get on their nerves occasionaly when I talk about it. My favorite season on DVD so far is season 6 when Almanzo comes and also Percival!I strongly recomend the Little House on the Prairie searies to everyone.

FULL EPISODE LIST & DESCRIPTIONS W/ ORIGINAL AIR DATES
First, please let me say that MICHAEL LANDON WAS A GENIUS, without him there would not be this series.

"Little House On The Prairie" Season Eight was the final year of the traditional series; season 9 and the following TV movies revolved around the new cast after Michael Landon and his family left the series. As a result, most fans of this beloved program consider this to be the final season and the best of this long running family friendly program.

Mary and Adam movie to New York in season eight and return for a Christmas visit with the entire family in the Ingallses little house. Nellie also moves and Mrs. Oleson adopts a new daughter who is even more warped (believe it or not) than Nellie ever was. Cassandra and James' uncle strikes it big and tries to steal his niece and nephew away from Charles and Caroline on the eve of their legal adoption. Caroline teaches Laura's class a very humanitarian lesson when Almonzo is away.

Here is a detailed list of ever episode from Season Eight:

The Reincarnation of Nellie (part 1) (October 5, 1981)
Percival and Nellie move New York so that Percival can run the family business. The Olesons decide adopt a girl named Nancy who is even more spoiled than Nellie ever was. Suffice it to say, Mrs. Oleson falls in love with her new adopted daughter.

The Reincarnation of Nellie(part 2) (October 5, 1981)
Coincidentally (because Nellie moved there in the previous episode), Adam and Mary move to New York at the beginning of the episode. Where Nellie was simply a spoiled brat, Nancy proves to be a demented creature hell-bent on causing trouble. With the help of Albert and Willie, Mrs. Wilder's students devise a plan to teach this monster a lesson.

Growin' Pains (October 12, 1981)
The entire Ingalls home is in disarray with all of the children living under one (small) roof. Albert is especially annoyed, especially with James. Charles takes the time to remind him that Laura and Carrie never made him feel unwelcome when he first came to live with them. James runs away because he feels he won't be missed. Albert goes after him and the brothers learn to get along before the come back home.

Dark Sage (October 26, 1981)
Dr. Baker gets a new associate, Dr. Caleb Ledoux. Dr. Ledoux finds that the town of Walnut Grove could use a lesson in tolerance, especially his new associate Dr. Baker. A women in labor needs immediate medical attention and her bigoted husband refuses to allow Dr. Ledoux to help her because he is African-American. Charles has to punch the ignorant bigot out so that his wife can get proper medical attention. In the end, Dr. Baker sees his mistakes and Dr. Ledoux agrees to stay in town.

A Wiser Heart (November 2, 1981)
Laura meets up with her sister-in-law, Eliza Jane at a literary conference in Arizona. The ladies get in a nasty fight because Eliza Jane thinks that Laura is keeping her from their teacher who Eliza has a crush on. Come to find out, the teacher wants to get closer to Laura who doesn't want to have any part of him. There's also a couple of funny scenes when Laura took a part-time job as a dishwasher (Leslie Landon-Etta Plum in season 9 - Michael Landon's daughter has a cameo as another dishwasher).

Gambini The Great (November 9, 1981)
Charles and Nels worry about the dangers of emulating a traveling circus performer who comes to Walnut Grove.

The Legend of Black Jake (November 16, 1981)
Although not one of my favorites, this episode is sort-of a screwball episode. It was not the usual drama; it was more humorous. Crooks come to town and kidnap Mr. Oleson trying to get Mrs. Oleson to pay ransom. They also kidnap several other people but leave town without hurting anyone.

Chicago (November 23, 1981)
Charles goes to Chicago to be with Mr. Edwards (a longtime Ingalls family friend, since the original pilot movie) because his adopted son John, Jr., died. The cause of John, Jr.'s death was a mystery and Charles and Mr. Edwards enlist the help of the newspaper that John worked for.

For The Love of Nancy (November 30, 1981)
Mean-spirited Nancy is at her most devilish in this episode. Elmer, an overweight schoolmate takes a liking to Nancy and foolishly thinks she befriended him. Elmer learns a priceless lesson in self-respect.

Wave of the Future (December 7, 1981)
Mrs. Oleson buys into a restaurant franchise causing Hester-Sue and Caroline to nearly quit because of all the extra work.

A Christmas They Never Forgot (December 21, 1981)
The entire Ingalls family, including Laura, Almonzo, Adam, Mary and Hester-Sue recall past Christmas memories around the Ingalls table. This is also Mary and Adam's final appearance.

No Beast So Fierce (January 4, 1982)
James makes friends with Gideon Hale, a schoolmate that stutters. There are hurt feelings when Gideon overhears James cruelly making fun of him. A wolf that follows James and Charles on a delivery trip may hold the key for bringing Gideon out of his shell.

Stone Soup (January 18, 1982)
Laura finds that balancing her career and managing Almonzo's orchard, while he and Charles are gone on a delivery trip to Arizona, too much to handle.

The Legacy (January 25, 1982)
The original episode shows a modern scene (from the 1980's) with a flashback to this episode. Charles beings making tables so that he could pass on a legacy. Charles soon realizes that memories of his family is a lot more important.

Uncle Jed (February 1, 1982)
Uncle Jed comes into a lot of money (he struck gold) and comes to claim his estranged niece and nephew. A court battle ensues with Jed telling Charles that he will never win.

Second Chance (February 8, 1982)
Hester-Sue's ex-husband comes to town trying to win her back. She reluctantly agrees to trust him again only to be let down.

Days of Sunshine, Days of Shadow (1) (February 15, 1982)
The Wilders' marriage is put to its first major test when Almonzo, soon after recovering from an illness, is stricken by a stroke. This was a ninety minute episode.

Days of Sunshine, Days of Shadow (2) (February 22, 1982)
Almonzo, bitter at his apparent life-crippling illness, nearly gives up on life, despite the birth of little Rose. His attitude nearly drives Laura to consider leaving her husband. A tornado that destroys the farmstead may hold the key to both of their futures.

A Promise To Keep (March 1, 1982)
Mr. Edwards comes back to Walnut Grove for good because Grace divorces him (he started drinking again and she and Alicia did not want to have anything to do with him). Mr. Edwards' longtime friendship with Charles is put to the test when Mr. Edwards risks Albert's safety while he's drunk.

A Faraway Cry (March 8, 1982)
A longtime friend of Caroline writes to her and asks for help. Her friend is pregnant and lives at a gold prospector's camp where there is an outbreak of influenza. With Dr. Baker's help, Caroline agrees to go because she knows that her dear friend wouldn't ask if she wasn't in need of dire assistance.

He Was Only Twelve (1) (May 3, 1982)
James joins Charles, Albert and Mr. Edwards as they travel to Sleepy Eye for a delivery. James is shot in a store robbery and goes into a coma.

He Was Only Twelve (2) (May 10, 1982)
When everyone has given up on poor James, Charles keeps his faith and hopes for the best. This is the final episode of "Little House On The Prairie" before it was renamed to "Little House: A New Beginning." This is also the last episode with the core cast of Charles and Caroline and their children, because they move away in the next season.

The last season with Ma and Pa!!: (
This is last season with the Ingalls family (Pa, Ma, Albert, Carrie, James, and Cassandra), and in Season 9 the Carter family will move into the Ingalls' old house, while Pa moves his family to pursue other opportunites in a city (and we are left with just Laura, Almanzo, Rose, Mr. Edwards, and the townsfolk).

There is a lot of drama in this season (8): Almanzo gets hurt and cannot walk, then he and Laura lose their home, almost their relationship, and Eliza Jane tries to save the day and fails (all in one two-part episode).James gets shot and almost dies so Pa, slightly crazed,takes him away and erects an altar and prays for him out in the woods."Stone Soup" is a touching episode where a very pregnant Laura struggles to look after the dying tree plot.We are also introduced to Nancy (Harriet, in her sadness over Nellie moving away adopts a replacement) and her famous line "You HATE me!!"Nancy creates a lot of drama as she is more evil than Nellie.

As a big fan of the show, and of the real Laura Ingalls Wilder, I enjoyed this season.It is definitely not true to the books, terribly inaccurate, but as a television show, it is great.Out of the whole series, the first season was the closet in authenticity to Laura's fiction books with more unique plot lines.As the series progressed through the years, it moved further and further from the literature.I also highly recommend the pilot episode to true fans; it is not found on any of the season disks, only separate.

Ahh the 8th Season :-)
The last season of Little House (if you don't count Little House: A New Beginning). This is a great series and a wonderful last season. While not especially fond of "James" and "Kassandra", they did provide intresting storylines such as "Growing Pains" and "He Was Only 12". In this season sadly "Nellie", "Percevial", "Mary" and "Adam" are gone and we are introduced to "Nancy" who in my opinion is pure evil, yet a nice additon as far as storylines go. Unfortunately after this, the Ingalls family leaves and the show shifts to "Laura" and "Almanzo" in the 9th Season. I hope they come out with the 9th season as well as the movies. While Alison Arngrim provides us with excellent commentaries and interviews, (Dean Butler is okay), I really hope Melissa Gilbert does one on this disc. Maybe they can get most of the cast to do an group interview. It seems that most of the cast don't talk about LH much, even though alot of older shows now are having reunion specials. Hopefully they can get together for this disc or at least Season 9. Can't wait till this comes out. LH is a wonderful show that all should watch :-)!

Itsworth FIVE STARS!by sarah scott
I lOVE Little House on the Prairie I just have to say that it is my Favorite.I think laura does play the most important role and they don't even have an interview with her nellie is not the most important person! I know they won't have an interview with Michael Landon because he's dead.So far my favorite season is...well I guess that would be cheating to say my favorite season because I haven't seen them all.Iv'e reviewed seasoneight and it looks great! Melissa Gilbert is my favorite fan.I have some friends who just don't care at all about little house but I've found someone to really enjoy it with I think it's a FUN GREAT show! The End. ... Read more

Amazon.com

The seventh and final season of Star Trek: The Next Generation will always remain a curiosity in TV sci-fi history. Despite the end being definite, despite Deep Space Nine taking over, despite knowing there'd be a movie six months after the series' end, and despite Babylon 5 starting that year with its predetermined story arc, there is nothing here to suggest things were coming to a close. Wesley finally gets dispatched ("Journey's End"), but everyone was waiting for that anyway. Some continuity was attempted: there's a sequel to season 1's "The Battle" ("Bloodlines"), Alexander follows the Klingon soap saga through ("Firstborn"), the Maquis and the Cardassians are mentioned several times, and there are final installments for Lwaxana Troi, Barclay, Lore, Guinan, and Ro Laren. None of this brings any form of resolution, however.

The one-off story lines seem to throw out ideas that beg for development. "Force of Nature" suggests frequent high-warp travel is damaging the very fabric of space/time. "Parallels" has Worf experiencing multiple realities, including one in which the Borg won at Wolf 359. "Lower Decks" finally introduces some secondary crew from the more than a thousand supposedly supporting Picard and company. There are even hints at some romance at long last between Dr. Crusher and Picard as well as Worf and Troi. In the long run, even after terrific guest spots from Trek alumni Armin Shimerman and Robin Curtis, and from Paul Sorvino and Kirsten Dunst, there's one thing for which the final year is remembered: "All Good Things..." is a near-perfect denouement for the show. With terrific production values and FX, not to mention standout performances from all concerned, it was an amazing surprise to have Q suggest there'd been a story arc right from the get-go. If only this final script had been fully conceived earlier on, The Next Generation might not have been overshadowed by the glut of TV sci-fi that followed in its wake. --Paul Tonks ... Read more

Reviews (44)

"I LIVE FOR THIS [STUFF]
This season of STAR TREK the NEXT GENERATION was NOMINATED for an EMMY award, BEST DRAMA.
total EMMYs won for this series, 27.

Plus it highly influenced the blockbuster movie XXX,(just kidding)

But it did influence many syndicated Science Fiction shows in later years.

& If I was forced to destroy all but 1 episode in this season, I would spare "GAMBIT",
seeing CAPTAIN PICARD and CMDR RIKER beet the [stuff]out of each other is awesome.

If I was forced to destroy all but 2 episodes, I would spare "ALL GOOD THINGS...?",
My 2 all time favorite episodes are "Best of both Worlds" & "All good things"(this one)
seeing all life saved at the last minute is phenomenal.

If I was forced to destroy all but 3 episodes, I would spare "MASKS", NO IM KIDDING![.],
It would have to be "PREEMPtIVE STRIKE",
Without this episode, there would be NO "Voyager" (& That was a good show)

Another great episode is "BLOODLINES"
It was just..... COOL![.]

I will reccomend the ENTIRE Star trek the next Generation series,
Get em b4 its too late,

& Dont forget DEEP SPACE NINE coming out in FEBRUARY,

& by the way, Dont listen to anyone who recommends DEEP SPACE NINE over Next Generation, Next Generation is a WAY better show.

Some good episodes but some bad ones too.
Season 7 of STTNG suffers from the "too many episodes" malady with STTNG and STDS9 making 52 episodes per year. ... Halfway through the season,STTNG hits it's stride with an eccellent group of episodes in "Attached,Inheritance,Parallels,Homeward,Lower Decks and Thine Own Self",but as no writers were called for the last seven episodes(to save money),the show peters out right at the end with some truly dreadful episodes in "Journeys End,Masks and Emergence",but other good episodes like "Pre-emptive Strike and Genesis" make it worth buying.I was disappointed with "All Good Things" because they recreated the awful mankind on trial plot from the pilot.that idea should have been rejected.Overall,the poorer episodes didn't deter me from having every box set as the good episodes of STTNG are always worth having.This is truly the best Star Trek series with the best cast and the documentaries complete the box sets.What a pity though that they didn't give the show the send-off that it deserved.

Oh no! It's all over!
The seventh season of Star Trek: The Next Generation would be its last. A hectic time for Star Trek with so many things going on at once. Everyone knew going into the seventh season that it would be the last. We saw some great episodes in this season, however, the only sense of closure we got was in "All Good Things..." This was a fantastic show and all seven seasons are worth every penny. It had great writers all the way through and the seventh season is no different. It's great to see how the show ends its journey. Great show...great season...It's too bad that it's over. BUT. Don't fret...the Next Generation crew returned to the bridge of the Enterprise in four feature films. Congratulations Star Trek: TNG. You never dissapointed me.

Personal Favorite Episodes:

Descent: Part II, Gambit: Parts I and II, Phantasms, Inheritance, Parallels, The Pegasus, Lower Decks,Masks, Eye of the Beholder, Genesis, Journey's End, Emergence, Preemtive Strike, and All Good Things...

All good things must come to an end...at least the series went out on the highest note possible!

The final season of Star Trek: The Next Generation rounds ou
The final season of Star Trek: The Next Generation rounds out the collection nicely. All seven seasons look great on a bookshelf, and this season has the same layout and quality of the first season.

Season seven has the same interior layout as seasons one and six, with the single screen playing clips of all four episodes. The most interesting feature is noticing that you get a fly-by view of the captain's ready room and the screen he uses to receive transmissions there. It's a variation on the other seasons, which included the communications panels, holodeck, and sick bay.

final season of Star Trek's greatest captain
So what if the story left open plot lines and never came together like in the ethereal final season of Deep Space Nine. That is not what this show was about. Patrick Stewart and his memorable band of space cowboys continued to have new and fresh adventures as in previous seasons, a few episodes including the last one were amazing, and the entire product, the season in general, was some of the best TV you will ever see. ... Read more

Amazon.com

This sweeping miniseries from 1986 captures the rise and fall of an African emperor. Shaka Zulu begins following a British expedition sent to bargain with the fearsome Zulu army assembling on the outer edges of the British colonies in South Africa. Led by Lt. Francis Farewell (The Day of the Jackal, A Bridge Too Far), the expedition hopes to bamboozle a superstitious primitive, but their arrogance gets taken down a notch by a cunning and ruthless warlord who has unified vast territories through a combination of political charisma and military discipline. At this point, the focus shifts to how Shaka (the riveting Henry Cele), king of the Zulus, rose from a brutal childhood to royal grandeur--a semi-mythological tale filled with family strife, political intrigue, witchcraft, and bloody warfare. Powerful performances by Cele and Dudu Mikhize (as Shaka's iron-willed mother, Nandi) give this sprawling epic the drive and emotional scope of a Shakespearean drama. Shaka Zulu also draws sneaky parallels between the Zulu and British empires, often to sharp satirical effect. Full of richly conceived characters and compelling political maneuvering, this eight-hour series brings faraway history to living, breathing life. Also featuring Christopher Lee (whose always-steady career exploded at age 79 with juicy roles in The Lord of the Rings and Star Wars: Episode II, Attack of the Clones). --Bret Fetzer ... Read more

Reviews (7)

Amazing
This is a Brave heart movie wayyyyy ahead of time, great plot, landscapes, action, and is a real history that is a "wanna see movie"

S P E C T A C U L A R !!!!!!!!
AN "EXTRAORDINARY" FILM IN EVERY ASPECT OF THE WORD ! A 4 DVD SET UNLIKE NOTHING I EVER SEEN BEFORE, IT'S WORTH EVERY PENNY. GET THIS MOVIE WHILE IT CAN STILL BE FOUND.

Something to remember.
I saw this mini series when I was 13 - ten years ago. Even then it had a major impact on me. I've been trying to find it at rental stores for the last five years, but unfortunately, I'd been living in a small town and the movie rental stores were less than impressive in regards to selection. Only recently did I find out that Amazon sells movies as well as books (and lots of other merchandise) and so I immediately searched for it.

And Voila! I found it.

I can't in good conscience put five stars here, since I haven't actually seen the DVD version - but I KNOW that the mini series merited at least four stars. I highly recommend this set to anyone interested in history, Africa, or even just an excellent epic story of adventure, adversity, and triumph over the life-sucking blood-spattered desert sands.

I honestly don't think cutting 3 hours of film out of this does the film creator's vision justice. I suggest you at least rent the mini-series, even if you decide to buy the 5-hour version.

Turning The Tides of Warfare
Empires rise for the sole purpose of cresting in the valleys of time, destined to always find a stumbling block and fall into the sea. From those that never see the setting of the sun to those rapidly built on the dreams and conquests of one man, this is the legacy of anything that rises to power. So has it been with many, and so it was with the birth of the Zulu nation and their prophetically foretold figurehead, Shaka, as they moved forward and conquered all.

The validity of this tale, well, that would remain something of a speculative tale since there are so many elements of witchcraft and prediction riddling it. Here, things that might have been mentioned briefly are accented to play out the 220 minutes of production, birthing a legacy of darkness and shadows. Still, as far as a tale adapted for television goes, it was brilliant and enjoyable to watch. Many of the elements that led to the myths of this man and the growth of his empire are included herein, from tales of a son that would one day slay his father and propel his people into power to those that spoke of how he would succumb. It covers the boy himself, his relationship with his mother and how they were outcast, and it shows him grow into something that was propelled only by the need for vengeance. Here, turns that could have prevented this from happening are showcased and the markers making him are defined, helping one understand his accent from nothing to a soldier to a feared ruler.
And it also introduces many people that know nothing of history to a name they should all know; that of Shaka Zulu.

Presented alongside this is the European side of the coin and what Shaka Zulu meant to it. It shows the overestimation of how expansionism into areas fueled by "savages" were, and how the cultures of those neighbors shared were actually more than the occupiers bargained for.
Seeing the Zulus as nothing more than barbarians, the British Cape Town establishes itself and survives with little to know interruptions. Then, out of the blue, the Zulus begin taking over everything. Tribesmen could be found running to the hands of the slavers, trying to avoid Zulu spears.
And that makes the British apprehensive.
Then it one day finds itself looking at a situation of enormous proportions, the Zulu close at hand and the white men knowing nothing about them. Added to this was the fact that the garrisons therein weren't equipped to deal with a force of that size, the journey for reinforcement is a four-month journey by sea, and they could find themselves overrun by then. So, an alternative solution is rendered, sending a crew of men out to negotiate and to showcase fear in order to provide a solution.
And thus begins a tale of gunpowder and magic, of chess and tactics, with groups of men from different worlds playing mental games of chess.

In the rendering of this tale I personally liked how both sides were shown as players trying to outmaneuver the other. More impressive than that, however, was the fact that Shaka Zulu was portrayed as a powerfully intellectual leader and not as an insignificant threat. Instead of falsely delivering a savage into our midst, the viewer is shown a world outside of the world that the Europeans knew, introduced to its continental customs the people that conquered it with shields and spears. Within those showings, the game of cat and mouse is played and the outcomes, they have more to do with internal afflictions than anything delivered by the white man.
It also covers the effects Shaka had on the way wars were fought, on the way people were encouraged, and on the impressive way that one man's mind functioned.
And then there's all the lovely impalings that begin to fall like rain, too.

Shaka Zulu an Exceptional Production
Shaka Zulu was by any standard an exceptional production. The cinematography, script, actors and setting were all superb. Henry Cele was extraordinary as Shaka and I can't imagine that there is an actor anywhere in the world who could have portrayed him any better.

The native settings and attire added greatly to the production.

The characters and performances were all top notch and the relationship between Edward Fox (as Farewell) and Henry Cele (as Shaka) was portrayed beautifully and powerfully. Drama at its very best.

This production is without doubt as good as anything I've ever seen on television or in the movies.

The DVD would have been greatly enhanced if post production interviews could have included Henry Cele. He was truly the star of this series, and that's saying a great deal given the quality of all of the other performances. ... Read more

Description

Finally all three programs from the Emmy Award-winning Walking with... series--Walking with Dinosaurs, Allosaurus: A Walking with Dinosaurs Special, and Walking with Prehistoric Beasts--are available for the first time as a collector's set on DVD. The epic begins with a journey back 65 million years ago to a virtual lost world which has been recreated with spectacular digital effects and animatronics. The series continues as we follow the life and death struggles of "Big Al," the most complete allosaurus skeleton ever found. And finally, we explore our planet after the reign of the dinosaur and the succession of extraordinary creatures that came and went over the following millennia. The end of the dinosaur was only the beginning! ... Read more

Reviews (13)

NOT a complete SET!!!!!
The series is, in my opinion, nothing less than outstanding. HOWEVER, what is being offered as a complete set is, in fact, missing the latest DVD, "Walking With Cavemen." Hope this information proves helpful to both the sellers and buyers.

Simply Fantastic - Beyond 5 Stars
Everyone has summed it up, this is a good as it gets in the doco world. Pure, undiluted quality. Fantastic animation, production values, narration and all around a+ performance, many of the effects in this series would not look out of place in a feature film, indeed the guys at Framestore have gotten so good at doing this they beat ILM at their own game at times IMO.

However, it's not really the 'complete' Walking with Collection, there have been 5 new episodes since this was released in the form of the BBC's followup new 'Chased by Dinosaurs' series (known as special episodes of Walking with Dinosaurs in the UK though still). They covered big dinosaurs like Argentionsaurus and the Gigantosaurus and lots of sea creatures like the giant shark Megadolon. Definitely worth checking out if you're a fan of the series.

Monumental product
1000 words cannot describe the incredible graphics and presentation quality of this series. I consider these stories, based on real science and a monumental effort, to change the way we have thought of the earth millions of years ago. The dinosaurs in Walking With Dinosaurs are very real, maybe too real for young viewers, but believable and memorable. This $60 purchase could be the best investment in DVDs that can be bought. I have watched select story lines from the collection over and over without disappointment. Hence the purchase keeps on giving unlike the rest of my DVD purchases.

Ultimate dinosaur dvd set for kids too
This set is a must have for any dinosaur lover. My future paleontologists, Will (5 years) and Annelise (2 years), watched these every day for the first six months. We've had the set for a year now, and we still watch about twice a month. Whenever a playmate comes over, he or she requests watching a dvd from the Walking With collection. The kids especially like to watch in the van. They are fun to view, informative, well-organized, beautiful, timeless and interesting for all ages.

An Excellent Special
I'm not really a big fan of buying DVDs for specials or films that have already been shown on TV> Why would I want to pay $60 for a DVD of a show that I saw for free on Discovery Chanel? However the shows shown on Discovery channel are the exception to my rule. And "Walking With Dinosaurs" is one of the best.

This special is worth every penny of the advertised price if you can't find it airing on TV anytime soon. For a TV special, the effects were some of the best I've seen on television. The combination of computer generated and animatronic dinosaurs looked incredible, and really give you the feeling that we were able to capture these creatures on video. The great thing about this special is that, unlike traditional documentaries, they used the scientific evidence they had found to create a story, as they did with "Allosaurus."

Overall, while I tihnk that maybe this DVD would be a little better value around $40, the specials are, without a doubt, the best nature specials I have ever seen. ... Read more

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When it was first broadcast in 1975, there had never been a more lavishly produced science fiction TV series than Space: 1999, a British production whose budget for the first of its two seasons ran an astounding £3.25 million. What keeps us fans enthralled after all these years has only partly to due with the first-rate production values, the plausibly constructed spaceship models, and expert special effects. The tone of the show is one of scientific dispassion, setting it apart from its TV sci-fi predecessors such as Star Trek, whose mood was more convivial. Our heroes here are in dire circumstances that require cool heads as a survival trait. Those circumstances: the 311 crew members of Moonbase Alpha experience a cataclysm that causes the moon to break away from Earth's orbit and travel endlessly through space, turning our heroes into unintentional explorers. No TV series has created a more palpable feel of hard science fiction than this.

Of course the show is not without its detractors; it has been soundly lambasted for its many scientific errors. No less august a figure than Isaac Asimov criticized the show for its premise in the opening episode, "Breakaway," which had nuclear explosions on the "dark side of the moon" somehow propelling it out of Earth's orbit and flying through space without regard to any physical laws. In "Earthbound," aliens traveling to Earth state it will take them 75 years to reach their destination, making one wonder why it didn't take the moon that long to encounter the aliens. While these are serious complaints, fans tend to remember the scientific seriousness of the series and the sense of awe created by the many strange creatures and phenomena that the crew members encounter on their journey through the galaxy.

The Space: 1999 Mega Set collects all 48 episodes broadcast over the show's two seasons, contained on 16 DVDs that include vintage interviews, production stills, TV promotional spots, and interactive menus. All episodes have been digitally remastered, and some material that was not seen in the original U.S. broadcasts has been restored. --Jim Gay ... Read more

Reviews (25)

SPACE 1999 THE NEXT GENERATION!
If you want to see the science fiction show that bridged the first Star Trek and the Next Generation, this is it.Many of the plots, characters and ideas would be used for the next generation series , and even The X-files and Alien. When Space 1999 came out in the early 70's George Lucas claimed he woudn't have been able to make Star Wars without it. Even today the show feels very modern with its blend of gothic horror, the paranormal and science fiction. Many episodes are filmed in a neo-surrealistic style akin to Luis Bunel and Hitchcock. This mega set is the way to go, since it has year 1 and 2 episodes in order and bonus material. In a long run it will be cheaper to buy this set than the individual sets. This is the sci-fi release of 2003!!!!!!!

Which came first,Star trek or Space 1999?
I guess I am going to upset a few "trekkies" with this review. But as a new Star Trek "Next Generation" fan I was a bit surprised to see a lot of similarities between the two.
There are several episodes in Space 1999 where they bring up the "Prime Directive." Also there is an episode "Alpha Child" where a child is born then matures immediately which is similar in a way to the episode where counselor Diana has her baby. The stun gun idea, the costumes..... it all seems like this is a great idea source for the later Next Generations series. I do agree however with the other reviewers about it being two dimentional and charcterless. But it is worth watching as a background to Star Trek's Next generation. (I will probably get blasted by Original Star Trek fans who will no doubt let me know that this series has borrowed its' ideas from the original Star Trek. I can't tell as I have not seen that series since I was a child)

A truly big and beautiful set!
I love this show! Space 1999 the Mega Set is indeed MEGA!! You get both seasons and a bonus disc with a special final episode. I loved both seasons of Space 1999 for different reasons and wanted to add each episode to my DVD collection. This mega set is just perfect for me.

Great Series, Great DVDs.
I actually bought all 8 seperate 2 disc boxes rather than wait for 6 months until this 'mega-set' came out. Either way, you are getting the entire series of Space 1999, which hasnt aired on TV where I live for 20+ years. A great collection for fans. On an intresting note, A&E have a 17th 'bonus disc' which includes a 'series finale' that wasnt ever aired, only available on their website.

I definatly recommend getting this series from amazon.com and then checking out the 17th disc on A&E's site.

Ah, yes . . .
I was born on Halloween of 1969, making me a little too young to have really watched the chronicles of the Moonbase Alpha and understood them. They have probably been shown in syndication, somewhere, but I've missed them. As I got older, I recall back-to-back episodes of STAR TREK (preceeding the Merv Griffin show, unless I'm mistaken), and the requisite STAR WARS fanaticism of most boys my age. Naturally, I ate all of that stuff up, collecting all of the toys and books upon which I could probably retire if they were still in my possession. Yeah, yeah - I did the BATTLESTAR GALACTICA thing too (and recall enjoying it, though SF purists now tend to scoff at it).

But SPACE 1999 . . .

I know that I've seen it, for there is one thing that leaps to mind whenever it's mentioned: that shape-shifter chick. She was alien, I would surmise - and HOT. That's what I remember, and all that I remember. Just an attractive, sexy, dark-haired being who could turn into . . . other stuff. I can almost, just vaguely, see Barbara Bain - but the alien girl . . . she must have sprung some kind of tiny spring in my pre-adolescent being . . . and it sits there, still boinging in her memory.

This, and the faint recollection of being scared as I watched a show which was probably way above my head . . .

The reviews here are very good, intriguing. There were always articles on this series in the movie mags I got as a kid (Starlog, Fantastic Films, etc.), nestled in between the episode guides to STAR TREK and the I-wish predictions for REVENGE OF THE JEDI . . . I guess that I just never managed to catch it when I got older.

But, if I get the extra money, sometime - yep, I'm going to spring for the megaset . . .

I hope that chick is still hot . . . ... Read more

Reviews (10)

An Incredible Documentary
Vietnam: A Television History is a phenomenal documentary on the before, during and after of the American War. 14 hours and worth the time! You can watch invididual segments one hour at a time.

It's a remarkable piece for understanding this conflict. The video is rich with battle and geographic details...far reaching in its interviews of North and South Vietnamese as well as American voices...textured with information on virtually every angle (CIA involvement, the reaction in the U.S., Cambodia and Laos, etc.)...and told in a clear and gripping format. It explained a war I previously could not quite understand, and also provided a huge amount of information not found in most American shorthand retellings of the war. Hugely recommended for anyone interested in the war or interested in Southeast Asia.

This is visual war history without precedent
After seeing the series, one by one, and every which way, I can only come to the conclusion: unparalleled history. Only a doctrinere bigot and a mad-dog at that, would see how it tries to be balanced-- any rational being would see as America's greatest surrender and tragedy--so far--the Irag debacle is still underweigh. Of course, one is expected to read more, to not think this is the last word on the Vietnam War. How ridiculous! Previewed in 1983, no one should think there should be more evidence presented. Only in time, well-tested opinions and with all the evidence in, can a clear perspective be seen of the whole. I lived in that era, the Nixon era to be exact, when I understood what was happening. Before which, in my teens and brought up in rural Maine, I thought America could not be wrong, the government was right, Communionist were evil haters of our way of life. When I understood, I was against. But I was not all the way, my disagreement was fully conditional. It was Watergate and finally Reagan that made me see my intuition against the Vietnam War was right. It was not a good feeling. I did not want to think it was all in vein. I did not want to accept the inevitable. This documentary is the best balanced visual history of its kind on a post-WW2 (cold gone hot) war, from the first misunderstand to the last revisionist spin.

Great reference tool!
I had to rent this tape set for school as there was a college course on Vietnam, but decided to buy it instead! I am glad I did because I can pass this down to my daughter. It was an honest account of not only the war, but the history of the country as well, which I found interesting! Worth the money!

caution about reviewer's advice
This is a good video as introduction to the War.
It could be updated based on what we've learned since relations thawed somewhat with Vietnam.
Caution about one reviewer's advice to watch the Accuracy-In-Media rejoinder to the program:
See it. It is horrible; the video pieces don't show what they say they do; Charleton Heston narrates a sappy poem about boat people; and the head of AIM later, when confronted with the shows innacuracies said that they don't matter --- all that matters is its anti-communist point-of-view. Some "accuracy"!

So This is History?
This series is not solid history. There are two essential facts you must get right to start with in order to interpret the Vietnam war. First you must understand who Ho Chi Minh was and second you must understand the nature of the Geneva Conference of 1954. Third, in order to understand why the U.S. lost one must be understand the critical importance of two decisions made during the administration of John Kennedy. First, the 1962 Geneva Accords which created the "facade of Geneva" and prevented the U.S. from selecting a winning strategy (i.e., cutting the Ho Chi Minh Trail). See Norman Hannah's book, "The Key to Failure: Laos the Vietnam War." Second, you must understand the unethical decision made by the Kennedy administration in backing the coup against Ngo Dinh Diem that resulted in his assasination and a deeper immersion of the U.S. into the military government we created without even knowing the makeup of the characters in it. Read "A Death in November: American in Vietnam, 1963" by Ellen Hammer. The point is the war is hugely complex and the video series is not. It is extremely biased, Ho Chi Minh, a dedicated international communist is the hero! and the U.S. is the villain. The
It is only in video 13 that the producers discover that the communists are bad guys and it is a belated discovery! So they killed one third of the population in Cambodia, subjected Vietnam to hellish re-education/prison camps and produced millions of deaths, not to mention two million or so boat people who fled the country. This is the regime of a nationalist? But they constantly produce a dialog heavy in ideology, communist ideology. Perhaps that is a concidence, like their land reform program that killed off the landlord class or their police state. Just coincidences I am sure, after all, Uncle Ho was a nationalist wasn't he? The video series never takes the trouble to examine the Soviet Union or Communist China's role in the Vietnam war in any depth. It is as if all of history is understood by psychoanalysis of the what goes on in Washington. I use this series in the classroom to teach students how to detect bias in a badly flawed historical series and while there is some good history in it, there is far too much that is poorly done and now, outdated, given new information. Even communist histories belie some of the points made in the series. Hanoi now admits that planning for the war in the South began in 1956 and was well along in 1959, when the 15th Party Plenum ordered armed struggle in the South to begin. For example, Communist Party Politburo member Le Duan was responsible for the formation of 37 guerilla companies by October 1957. The respected Soviet diplomat, Andre Gromyko, said of Joseph Stalin in his Memoirs, "it seems to me that the nature had endowed him with the ability to hide the harsh side of his character, and very effectively so. He also seems to have had the capacity to appear at times even gentle and sensitive to others. The conversations he had with some foreign personalities, especially writers, confirm this." These words could have written about the man who called himself "Ho Chi Minh" or "He who enlightens." His frail and gentle manner belie the harsh, ruthless man beneath the veneer. In fact, having studied him for many years, I would have to say he was one of the greatest actors of the twentieth century and one of its most evil men. The key to understanding him lies in understanding what brought tears to his eyes. It was not the nation but rather Lenin's "thesis on national and colonial questions" which called for international communist liberation of oppressed peoples from colonialism. The trouble is so many fail to study this and therefore miss the import of Ho's ardor for the doctrine. Nationalism is the foe of internationalism and communism embraces only the latter. This is clear from Lenin's writings. Recommend you read Lenin! There is a video series that attempts to correct some of the errors (Television's Vietnam: The Real Story) in this one and although, it carries some biases of its own, it does help to bring out some of the worst features of this seris. It is put out by Accuracy in Media and is worth your effort to investigate if you are going to view this poorly done series. On the Tonkin Gulf incident, the Canadian series, the Ten Thousand Day War, is far superior. It seems American film makers are more enamored with Uncle Ho than his own people. Ask them if you don't believe me. ... Read more

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Gorgeous to listen to and gorgeous to look at, Celtic Woman is perfect PBS fare, sort of a Riverdance without the dancing.Drawing on the same New Age-y sound and propulsive energy as that show's solo-voice and choral numbers, the live concert features four attractive young women in strapless evening gowns with soaring voices backed by an orchestra, an Anuna-like chorus, and a large percussion section.The more traditional fare includes Méav Ni Mhaolchatha's "Danny Boy" and "She Moved Through the Fair," and Chloë Agnew's "Ave Maria" (the Bach-Gounod version).Movie and TV selections range from Agnew's "Walking in the Air" (The Snowman) and "Someday" (Disney's Hunchback of Notre Dame) to Lisa Kelly's "May It Be" (the Enya song from The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the King) and Órla Fallon's voice and harp rendition of "Harry's Game."A fifth woman, Máiréad Nesbitt, adds some variety by fiddling "The Butterfly" and "Ashokan Farewell" (best known as the theme from Ken Burns's The Civil War). Occasionally the singers join together, as in Enya's "Orinoco Flow," an a cappella rendition of West Side Story's "Somewhere," music director David Downes's composition "One World," and a stately version of "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring."Celtic Woman was created by Downes (like many of the other performers, a Riverdance veteran) along with Sharon Browne and Dave Kavanagh of the Celtic Collections record label.--David Horiuchi ... Read more

Reviews (13)

Lovely
My aunt sent me a copy of this DVD as a congrats for getting out of school. I was a bit wary of it, at first, I thought "it's going to be something corny, isn't it." But it wasn't. Since my father's side of the family is richly saturated in everything Ireland (he's 100% Irish) I was awfully moved by all of the traditional songs they did, specifically the ones in Gaelic. The fiddle pieces were fantastic, since I play violin/fiddle I got extreamly excited to see a fiddler showcased.
This DVD is worth the buy, whether it's for you or for a family member who enjoys all things Celtic, the show is energizing and it's really nice to actually see the people singing, instead of just hearing it.

Beautiful visuals, indifferent sound
The visual effect of this DVD is strikingly beautiful.Unfortunately, the sound seems shallow and in some cases has some static on the high notes.The CD version has wonderful sound, though.I recommend that interested parties buy both the DVD and the CD.

Cetic Woman blew me away!!
I first saw Celtic woman on PBS during their pledge. I was blown away by these talented woman who gave wonderful performances throughout the show. I was really touched by Chloe Agnews' performances as she is only 15! The orchestra was completely marvelous with the great arrangments by David Downes. I immediately ordered the DVD and have watched it everyday since I recieved it! I brought it home for my parents to watch and they loved it and are going to purchase some for their friends. If their was such a rating as 20 stars , I would give it to this!!!!1 I'm definately going to see it live this summer in Boston. I can't reccomend it highly enough!!

Extremely GREAT cd!
Heard them in concert on KOCE, had to have the cd...picked it up at Barnes & Noble, have enjoyed it for over a month...Chloe the 15 yr old has a wonderful voice.

Celtic Woman DVD
This DVD was absolutely fabulous.It was about the beauty of the artists' voices and the music they were performing.There was no glitz, no glamour, nothing fake, just beautiful music performed for music's sake.I would totally recommend this DVD/CD and hopefully can see this show when they go on tour. ... Read more

Amazon.com

By its third season, The X-Files had grown from a cult hit to a global phenomenon, becoming the most popular show in many countries outside the U.S. Armed with the knowledge that the show was here to stay, series creator Chris Carter expanded its mythology, and the 24 episodes in this boxed set represent arguably the strongest of all the X-Files seasons. As usual, stand-alone episodes explored the paranormal and sometimes terrifying possibilities in mythology, pop culture, and religion. Darin Morgan helps the show to mature by expanding its use of humor, directing classic episodes such as "Clyde Bruckman's Final Repose" (featuring a fabulous performance from Peter Boyle) and "Jose Chung's 'From Outer Space.'" Meanwhile, two-part episodes continue to delve into the X-Files own mythology, introducing the alien black oil, the implant in Scully's neck, the mysterious Agent X, and the shape-shifting Jeremiah Smith. But following the complex mythology is not crucial to enjoying the show. The strength of the X-Files lies not in resolution but in feeding the paranoia of its rabid audience by revealing conspiracies that linger in the mind as unanswered questions. Series creator Carter realized wisely that fans did not look to the X-Files to explain the unexplained, but to question that which they thought they understood. The third season was effective because it hinted that while the truth was out there, it was more complex, sinister, and amazing than even Mulder had imagined.

Commentaries and deleted scenes are available for some of the 24 episodes, and the last disc in the set contains numerous TV spots and interviews with the creators about the filming of the third season. --Eugene Wei ... Read more

Reviews (63)

Tied for the single best season
Season 3 has got to be the best season in terms of the complexity displayed. The knowledge that The X-Files wasn't another run of the mill tv show with a tiny cult following enabled Chris Carter to expand the mythology episodes to, well, mythic proportions. The third season also gave Gillian Anderson and David Duchovny a chance to do yeoman work, and each came up strong performances. The third season was nominated for a 8 emmy awards, and won five (though both the show and Anderson were overlooked, and Duchovny wasn't nominated!).

The Best episodes (I see no point in limiting myself when there are many of equal quality).

---The Blessing Way/Paper Clip: A Brilliant conclusion to the cliffhanger that Anasazi was in Season 2. Not only a very good wrapping up, this became the episodes that truly (in my mind) kicked off the complex mythology episodes. ---Clyde Bruckman's Final Repose: Take a very funny Peter Boyle, mix in two bemused FBI agents, an outlandishly hilarious plot, and a superb technical team and what does one get. Merely one of the best episodes period. And that is high praise indeed folks. ---Nisei/731: The episode that introduces the chip in the neck. Anderson and Duchovny are marvelous when apart, but their scenes together are sheer brilliance, something vital to the life of the series. ---Revelations: Sheer beauty. The technical team deserves credit for fashioning this episode, from the brilliant shots, to the Snow score, everything here is dazzling, especially Anderson. ---Piper Maru/Apocrypha: David Duchovny is incredible. The black oil introduced becomes very important later, but it's commencement was another complexity in the mythology. ---Pusher: Another great stand alone. This one is a cut above the rest. My personal favourite of season 3, Pusher gives us what many movies can't: realistic characters, a thrilling set-up, a nail biting climax, all while re-imagining the limits of television. As brilliant as any episode in later shows, I highly recommend one watches this in conjunction to Season 4's Paper Hearts. Two brilliant guest actors give magnificent performances. Gillian Anderson is simply luminous. ---Jose Chung's Aliens from Outer Space: Thought Clyde Bruckman was outlandish. Watch this episode. It defines outlandish, while allowing everyone to be in on the fun. ---Talitha Cumi: Though it pales to the previous year's Anasazi, or the next year's Gethsemane, this is an episode to catch.

All are episodes to catch, and I highly recommend you get this as soon as possible.

X-Files Season Three.. The Search Continues
What can i say? I think we should all give fox a round of applause on they brilliant treatment the have given our favourite show.

Both the series one and two discs had exceptional picture and sound quality which i'm sure were as close to the high-quality film source as possible. i can without a doubt say that season 3 will be worth the money if you have not seen any of the previous disc sets.

in terms of the storyline, season 3 is when the ball was truly in motion. expect to be treated to some classic episodes such as The Blessing Way, Paper Chip, Clyde Bruckman's Final Response, Jose Chung's "From Outer Space", Talitha Cumi and many more. These episodes are simply selections from the series, there are many more gems.

in terms of extra features what more could you want? promos for all the episodes (i believe both the 20 and 30 second versions), documentaries (i believe the "truth about" ones are made specifically for dvd, although i may be mistaken), deleted scenes etc. you can also expect english and spanish subtitles, english and french audio. the only french subtitles that have been on previous series is a translation of text on the screen (such as the location writing).

please note that x-files did not feature dolby digital surround (5.1ch) and widescreen video until season six, but you can still expect excellent prologic surround-encoded audio tracks.

just as a bit of a side note, the x-files dvd sets have previously come in fold-out boxes which expand to a large size and become annoying if you simply want one disc. because of this i have created some high-quality printable inserts for the season 1 and 2 dvd sets to be used in normal dvd cases. these feature an attractive, consistent design including disc number on spine, chapter stops on back, and episode names for the specific disc on the front. please note these covers are a completely non-profit fan based project provided as an alternative for people who don't like the box the discs come in... ...anyway, do yourself a favor and buy/preorder this awesome set.. you won't regret it.

Tv doesnt get much better than this
If this isnt the best season of X files, it must be at least equal. they didnt step a foot wrong here, the pacing of the one shot stories mixing with the on going story arc (which is fully flowing by this season)is amazing. Also great character development and great mix of dark and funny episodes (not unlike Buffy and Angel). This season is a must.

The best season so far...
Up until recently, I never watched a single episode of the X-Files. However, now that the DVD sets have been reduced in price, I had the opportunity to start watching the show. The first two seasons of the X-Files made me become an instant fan of the show, and my only complaint so far has been the lack of consistancy brought on by the 6-8 boring episodes per season. After watching the third season of X-Files, I can finally say that there was a season that deserves a 5 star rating by being great from start to finish. By the end of the third season, the X-Files really becomes established as one of the best and most addictive sci-fi shows ever created.

The third season only featured two bad episodes, which means that 22 out of 24 episodes were fantastic. The third season offers some of the best stand alone episodes of the show like "Clyde Bruckman's Final Response", "Pusher", "Quagmire", "War of the Coprophages", "2Shy", "Hellmoney", and "Wetwired". The mythology episodes - "The Blessing Way", "Paper Clip", "Nisei", "731", "Piper Maru", "Apocrypha", and "Talitha Cumi" do a very good job on expanding the overall conspiracy of the show by introducing a powerful group of men called "The Syndicate" which are connected to the conspiracy and the Cigarette Smoking Man. There is also a few things that are revealed about Mulder's source "Mr. X" as well.

The third season of X-Files on DVD also continues the tradition of offering a fantastic set filled with wonderful extras and wonderful picture/sound quality. As with the previous two sets, series creator Chris Carter takes you through the best 12 episodes from season three and talks about each episode. There is also a great documentary that covers season 3 as a whole. If there was one season of the X-Files that you should buy, it is definately the third season. The season is amazing from start to finish, and the DVD extras are great.

A solid 5 stars...

Top-league stuff from the best TV series ever...
You ask any X-files die-hard fan about which is the best season of the series and they will readily answer either the third or the fourth. This is no coincidence, and i would totally agree with them.
In this third season all the elements of the series come of age: the two main protagonists are at the top of their game giving very high quality performances and cementing the legendary characters of Mulder and Scully. While in the first 2 seasons these two characters were essentially still being constructed and the relationship between them two still being built up, in the 3rd installment this has all fallen into place making it a very solid, very well put together dram-plot, equal of which you'd have to search hard to find in TV history.

But even better than that, the script-writting hits masterpiece levels, not in a few episodes, but rather all and throughout. In fact, as far as season 3 is concerned, any "weak" episode would still be considered top-level stuff for any other TV series. But the overall level of the storylines introduced here is so high that your expectations rise as you move along from episode to episode. This is basically a season that made anyone that watched it at the very least more suspicious (do a simple search on google on some of the storylines and you'll understand what i mean) or simply a more intelligent viewer and thinker alltogether.

Another important factor introduced in Season 3 is that certain plotlines were here to stay, that is, they were stories to be extended and interweaved in following seasons as well, stories that were among the very best the X-files have offered us.

Big time fans of the series (and man, there are many) cherish this season for mega-classic episodes such as :
"Paperclip",
"Nisei",
"731",
"War of the Coprophages",
"Grotesque",
"Apocrypha",
"Jose Chung's "From Outer Space"
"Wetwired" and
"Talitha Cumi"....

But watch anything at random from the 6 DVDs with episodes and the chances are very high you'll be in for a major cerebral treat.

The success of this tremendous series is not only on the artistic achievements but even more so on the fact that most of the dramaturgy involved in the X-files is tied with multiple leads to realities most people are absolutely unaware of, in certain cases even X-Files fans themselves. This is a feat only achieved to a similar degree in that other TV classic from the 60s, the Twilight Zone.

If you're not very familiar with the series i wouldn't reccommend you to start at Season 3, mainly because you simply need to watch the characters develop from the very beginning, at Season 1. What i am saying though, and that with emphasis, is that having watched all of the seasons involving Mulder and Scully, Season 3 and Season 4 are beyond any doubt stunning. ... Read more

Reviews (246)

At Last!! Season One of Star Trek Voyager is here!!
On January 16, 1995, Star Trek Voyager launched into TV history with Season One. Clearly the best series of the Star Trek franchise, due in large part to an outstanding cast, led by the great Kate Mulgrew as Captain Kathryn Janeway. In Season One, we meet the crew as they are thrust into the Delta Quadrant, 70,000 light years from Earth, and watch two ships of enemies, Star Fleet and Marquis, band together to begin thier perilous journey home. Sporting superb visual effects, excellent writing by Brannon Braga and Jeri Taylor, and one of the best theme songs ever written for television, Star Trek Voyager is a timeless masterpiece of science fiction and human drama.

Episodes:

101 Caretaker Pt. 1*
102 Caretaker Pt. 2*
103 Parallax
104 Time and Again
105 Phage
106 The Cloud
107 Eye of the Needle*
108 Ex Post Facto
109 Emanations
110 Prime Factors
111 State of Flux
112 Heroes and Demons
113 Cathexis
114 Faces
115 Jetrel
116 Learning Curve

*voted top-20 episode from the seven seasons of Voyager.

Finally Voyager on DVD
We knew this was coming, ever since Paramount released TNG and DS9 in boxed sets last and this year. The releases continue with Star Trek Voyager. Apparently these will be released in the same fashion as DS9, 1 every two months, with bonus material. Here's what we know will be released in this first set:

The contents of the set are as follows:

Disc 1: "Caretaker," "Parallax," "Time and Again"

Disc 2: "Phage," "The Cloud, "Eye of the Needle," "Ex Post Facto"

Disc 3: "Emanations," "Prime Factors," "State of Flux," "Heroes and Demons"

Disc 4: "Cathexis," "Faces," "Jetrel," "Learning Curve"

Disc 5: Special Features

"Braving The Unknown: Season One": Includes new interviews with Executive Producers Rick Berman, Michael Piller and Jeri Taylor discussing how they created the series. The trio reveals the challenges of creating fresh, new characters, a new premise and the risks of sending the crew into unfamiliar Trek territory.

"Voyager Time Capsule: Kathryn Janeway": A new, exclusive interview with Kate Mulgrew talking about how she landed the role of Janeway, the challenges of playing a female captain and her Broadway play on Katharine Hepburn, "Tea At Five." Also includes archival interviews with the actress and rare behind-the-scenes footage.

"The First Captain: Genevieve Bujold": Reveals rare footage and outtakes of Ms. Bujold as Captain Janeway, with commentary by Executive Producer Rick Berman.

"Cast Reflections: Season One": Voyager's principal cast members discuss their reactions to joining the Trek franchise, getting fan mail, and auditioning. Also featured: Armin Shimerman discussing his role as Quark in the pilot episode.

"On Location With the Kazon": Supervising Producer David Livingston guides viewers on an exclusive tour of the desert locale used for the Kazon Village in the pilot episode. Includes interviews with Director Rick Kolbe and behind-the-scenes footage of the cast.

"Red Alert: Visual Effects Season One": Dan Curry and the Visual Effects crew give a blow-by-blow of some spectacular visual effects created for Season One. Highlights include: behind-the-scenes footage of exploding space station, utilizing fire elements in crashing Chakotay's ship and secrets of shooting the Voyager ship model.

"Launching Voyager On The Web": Veteran Web site designer and producer Marc Wade explains how, in the early days of the internet, an interactive Voyager Web site was created to help launch the series. Included is rare footage of Kate Mulgrew and Robert Picardo playing their roles for the Web-based trivia game, plus an overview of Star Trek's history on the Web.

"Real Science With Andre Bormanis": Science Consultant and writer Bormanis explores how the writers strive for authenticity by incorporating real space phenomena and scientific theories. For Season One, Andre discusses how Hubble photos helped create "the Badlands," voyaging through wormholes, and the possibilities of time travel.

"Lost Transmissions From The Delta Quadrant": Hidden in the Voyager menu, viewers who search and click with their DVD remote can find special interview clips with Kate Mulgrew, Michael Piller, Brannon Braga and guest star Vaughn Armstrong (from "Eye of the Needle").

The Least Trek of the Lot....
I love Gene Roddenberry's creation, STAR TREK. I was one of those tuned in at the beginning in 1966, and stayed with it through the doubts of "Next Generation" (original fans were crying, "Gene, how COULD you?") and I love "Deep Space Nine." With all that, yes, I watched "Voyager." For three seasons, I tuned in and watched. The pilot started with a great premise, and I kept waiting for it to figure out where it was going. It never really did.

The series hyped the idea that this ship would have a woman as captain. (So what? Across space, on B5, there were lots of those, plus ace women fighter pilots.) The original decision which mired Voyager in the Delta Quardrant seemed too politically correct, but I knew it was a plot device and let it ride. However, I completely lost faith with Janeway and crew when she put the entire SHIP AND CREW in jeopardy in order to rescue 1 infant who may or may not have been sired by her second-in-command.

Even Troi (TNG) came to the realization when she earned her command rank that sometimes people have to die for the greater good. Spock said best in "Wrath of Khan" when he told Kirk, simply, "The needs of the many outweight the needs of the few, or the one." (Janeway take note.) Rick Berman and Michael Pillar didn't have any trouble with this concept in either "Next Gen" or "Deep Space Nine." I'd still like to know what happened at the highest level. The series as a whole seemed way too politically correct to be considered a part of the overall Trek Universe.

It all starts with the writing. This series didn't have it. The storylines seemed contrived, the dialogue trite, and no matter how good a cast is, without consistently good scripts, there's no where to take the show.

Side note: this is the only entry into the Star Trek Universe not blesses with an appearance by Majel Barrett Roddenberry. I honestly kept waiting for Q to whisk Lwxanna Troi up and off to set Janeway straight. Too bad it didn't happen.

If you must watch "Voyager," seasons one had some good moments. Frankly, though, you might want to consider any of the other Trek series (I recommend "Deep Space Nine") or wander over to "Babylon 5."

My favourite Star Trek
I happily admit this is my favourite Star Trek series. I think that the manuscripts have a subtlety, that the other series lack. Much of it boils down to the characters of Janeway and the Hologram. Janeway is caught in an impossible situation: a routine mission turns into a desperate attempt to get home. The mere presence of the Voyager in the Delta Quadrant upsets the fragile stability of the region. Instead of causing good, Janeway has to work on limiting the damage they cause. Several times she has to make painful decisions, decisions that are not right or wrong, they are rather based on convenience. Star Trek has come a long way from Kirk!
Secondly, the Hologram is a particularly strong character. He desperately wants to be a human, but lacks the capability. The one time he has the chance, Janeway takes it away from him. Again, a strong development from Spock and Data. I also like many of the minor character, especially Chicote. At last a Native is allowed into the Star Trek universe. And he carries his own luggage.
Many of the stories are based on human falliability, they lack the grandeur and paraphernalia of, say TSG, but I think that that is where their charm is.

Condensing The Facts
Paramount gave little thought to Voyager maintaining the Star Trek franchise. It was treated as the "Money Making Monster" that 'Star Trek' has become. Greed relentlessy dictacted the direction Voyager would take - AUTO DESTRUCT!

* It's all but impossible not to compare it to the other Star Trek series. Voyager is the worst of them all. Deep Space Nine is by far the best!

* Voyager dwells too much on their return home and give it a "Lost In Space" feel - corny, stupid, dull and overly dependent on the special effects, i.e. read that as 'weak story'.

* The characters weren't quite 'real' and as they developed the writers put the wrong people in certain situations Ex. Janeway would head missions just like Kirk did, a blatant abuse of protocol. Sometimes Tuvok (a full Vulcan) would be the most emotional character! Most of the rest of the cast would move from overwhelming a story to just 'disappearing'. The ensemble cast element rarely existed and when it did the actors were most likely 'out of character'. For the sake of screen time?

* There were some fine episodes (none that I can think of in Season 1) but even most of my favorites wouldn't make my best of list against Next Generation, DS9 or even some of the Original series!

* Being Star Trek you would expect nothing short of great packaging (consensus says no) but Paramount is just peddling something the fans are so addicted to that they will buy it in droves, no matter the packing or...

* High price for a short season, which is also one of the worst as far as stories go. It makes Next Generations' season one look brilliant (it wasn't).

* The sad truth is the market was prepared for the onslaught of sales of a so-so series at a very high price with the poorest of packaging and the extreme hard core fans have left everyone else wondering why? Save your money, watch the reruns. ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Sailor Moon S Kicks S ;)
Season one blew me away....the uncut Japanese version made me respect the series far more than I did when it was shown by DIC. I found Season 3 through a company who sends directly from Malaysia before it was offered on Amazon, and the story line blew me away! It's a far cry from the Americanized version, definitely not a little kids show. The revelations throughout this season are astounding. This season is probably my favorite, along with Season 5, Sailor Stars. If you want the URL to order Sailor Stars, feel free to email me at kevinpeterstewart@hotmail.com. In short, Season 3 should NOT be missed and is definitely worth the cash. Ciao!

My favorite season so far!
Sailor Moon and the sailor soldiers may have ended the battle with Death Phantom. But now, they all must face a greater challenge: They're in 9th grade now, and have to study for the high school entrance exams! That, and face a mysterious, powerful new enemy that want to steal people's pure hearts. And they encounter two new mysterious soldiers, who apparantly don't want to be involved with Sailor Moon.

I first saw Sailor Moon S when it was aired on Cartoon Network, and I was really suprised with the improvements that they made with the dub. The original background music was used, and most of the new characters names had been retained. These were removed when Dic dubbed the first two seasons, but luckily, CWI took over to dub the third and fourth seasons.

Even though I'm mentioning the dub, I prefer the original Japanese soundtrack. And in this boxed set, the sound and video were clear. Those were the problems that I found most irritating in the previously released ADV boxed sets of the first and second seasons. My only critisizms on the boxed set itself is that it lacks the reversable covers that were in the original releases, and the cases are thin-packs. Other than those drawbacks, this is an excellent boxed set to an excellent season of Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon. And I suggest that if you're a fan of the dub and the original version, you should definetely get this.

Great Set!
This set is really great. I am so happy with the Japanese subtitled version.
I was all ways ticked off, that the American public had to change so much of Sailor Moon.
So I was glad to finally see the rightful version of Sailor Moon S.
I love Uranus and Neptune even more now, because I finally get to enjoy the characters.
As they were meant to be!

Box Set!
Wow, I bought all these dvds separate. Im sad. The box is so pretty too.

I give this 4 stars only because it wasnt my favorite season. The first two seasons and Sailor Stars (Which you can buy on ebay) were my favorites. mmmhm.

But if you are looking to own this season this is the way to buy it. Not separate.

Sailormoon at it's best!
I'm a huge Moony so I love all the seasons, but S is the best! Please, everyone, don't watch it in English! The changes they make are awful. Starting with the names: Serena, Lita, Darien, etc. But more importantly, Haruka and Michiru are Amara and Michelle, COUSINS. Anyone who knows the real Sailormoon knows that they are a lesbian couple, and that for some reason the American dubbers considered that inappropriate. (Bigots). Anyway, this season is the best because it has all my favorite Sailor Senshi in it (meaning not the Starlights or Chibi Chibi or the evil ones), and lots of plot twists and an interesting and touching end. After S, Stars is the best. ... Read more