Full House: The Complete Eighth Season (1987) Review

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(More customer reviews)This is the episode list for Full House Season 8!
1. Comet's Excellent Adventure
Jesse is so self absorbed in his own problems with "The Rippers" that he mistakenly tells Michelle she can walk the dog by herself.
2. Breaking Away
Letting go of your babies is hard to do as Jesse and Becky find out when it's time for the boys to go to pre-school.
3. Making out is Hard to Do
Jesse's competitive streak is unleashed when he learns that the Rippers' new lead singer has brought more success to the band than Jesse ever did. This experience prompts Jesse to get serious and form a new band of his own. When invited to her friend Gia's place for a party, Stephanie arrives armed with Pictionary--but the events of this gathering prove to be quite different than what Stephanie expected.
4. I've Got a Secret
What good is a secret club if it's not a secret. Danny spills the secret that Michelle told him about their secret club. Michelle gets kicked out of the club because of it.
5. To Joey, With Love
When your substitute teacher is somebody you live with, it's hard to maintain a fine line between the two. This is the case when Michelle--whose third grade class is in need of a substitute--begs Joey to fill the position. Eager to work with the children and be a good role model, Joey does his best to make a good impression, but when class begins, all the kids want is a free comedy session. When their out-of-control behavior prompts Joey to get tough, he ends up sending Michelle to the principal's office--a decision that places a serious damper on their close bond. Meanwhile, Jesse reluctantly agrees to let Danny audition as a guitarist for his new band, but what Jesse doesn't realize is that this longtime king of spic and span also knows how to rock 'n roll!
6. You Pet it, You Bought it
Remember how you used to be lucky if you scored a couple dollars from your sidewalk lemonade stand? Well, after earning a cool $221.00 with her own stand, Michelle heads straight to the candy store--but gets sidetracked and comes home with a donkey. Danny agrees to let her keep it until morning, which results in a long, loud evening that is only calmed when Jesse stays up all night serenading "Shorty" with a certain television theme song. The family narrowly survives this grueling time with Shorty, and although Michelle is sad to part with him, she decides it is best to send him to a more appropriate home.
7. On the Road Again
Many things are not the same as we remember them from our youth. This is the case for Jesse when his new band tours and he returns to his old motel room. And he sees it's a dump.
8. Claire and Present Danger
As Danny starts spending more time with Claire, Stephanie and Gia fantasize about the possibility of becoming stepsisters. Michelle, however, is not quite ready for these types of changes, and her methods of sabotaging her father's latest relationship are both shocking and hilarious. Meanwhile, DJ experiences some troubles in her own love life when her boyfriend Viper begins feeling threatened by her intellectually.
9. Stephanie's Wild Ride
You know getting more mature when you not only hear that little voice inside you but you actually listen to it. Until then it's great to have somebody help you. Such is the case for Stephanie when she wants to put herself in danger and DJ stops her.
10. Under the Influence
Friends don't let other friends drive drunk. When Kimmy gets intoxicated at a party, DJ risks destroying their friendship when she refuses to let her get behind the wheel. While Kimmy is frustrated at being treated like a child, she may soften when she learns the emotional reason behind DJ's insistence. Meanwhile, after Michelle angrily snaps at the twins for getting in her way, she enlists the help of Jesse to make amends with them--a request that leads to unprecedented chaos in the Tanner kitchen!
11. Arrest Ye Merry Gentlemen
When she regrets purchasing a tacky Christmas gift for her father, Michelle convinces Jesse to take her back to the store on Christmas Eve for an exchange. Crotchety store owner Mr. Dreghorn is not very cooperative, however, and when Jesse and Michelle push him to the limit, he places them under arrest and locks them in the shop. Back at home, the family does their best to help the twins perceive Santa as something more than a frightening monster.
12. D.J's Choice
Stunned when Viper suddenly breaks up with her, DJ finds immediate comfort with former flame Nelson. As their common experiences with heartbreak help them reconnect romantically, DJ finds herself in a difficult situation when Viper returns, begging her to take him back. Meanwhile, an act of vandalism at the community playground prompts everyone in town to team up and repair the damage.
13. The Producer
Danny is initially delighted when Michelle takes interest in writing about him for a Take Your Daughter to Work assignment, especially since he is confident that his boss will be giving him a promotion. When he is snubbed for a producer position by Becky--who has not been working as long as him--Danny feels the pangs of jealousy and makes an impulsive decision to quit the show. When he is quickly replaced by the loud and obnoxious Phil Blankman, Danny's bottled-up resentment toward Becky leads to a sudden blow-up. Meanwhile, sugar lovers DJ and Stephanie have a face-off to see who can avoid sweets the longest, Nicky and Alex exasperate their parents with their frequent public tantrums, and Joey has difficulty coping when his favorite childhood snack is discontinued.
14. Super Bowl Fun Day
A promise made should be a promise kept. Joey should have kept his promise to take Michelle's science group to the science museum instead of a bar just to be able to watch the Super Bowl.
15. My Left and Right Foot
Some seemingly harmless teasing from DJ and Stephanie leaves Michelle feeling self-conscious about the size of her feet--but maybe some shrink wrap and ice water will help cut them down to size! Danny and Joey team up with Jesse to do a bedtime singing routine for the twins, just as they used to do with Michelle, but when Becky tries to join in, they have a hard time explaining to her that her "unique" singing voice doesn't quite fit in with the rest of the group.
16. Air Jesse
When she volunteers as a coach for a charity basketball game, DJ chooses Danny, Joey, and Jesse to play on her team. The only problem is that Jesse can barely dribble a ball (literally) and despite a cram practice session with the guys, he seems to be a hopeless case. But when a certain NBA sensation shows up at the basketball court, will he have what it takes to prepare Jesse for the big event? Meanwhile, Becky--who doesn't have the heart to be honest about a hideous blouse that Stephanie made for her at school--opts instead to sport it in public.
17. Dateless in San Francisco
As Danny prepares for his first Valentine's Day with Claire, Becky gets excited about what Jesse will have set up for them this year, but she is disappointed to find that he appears to be losing interest in being the "King of Romance" he once was. With this exciting day approaching, even Michelle's third grade class gets into the spirit. With their class party coming up, Lisa has the bright idea of pairing all the girls up with the boys, and Michelle and Teddy are placed together. Determined to turn up the heat a little bit, Michelle's efforts to push the romance only end up alienating Teddy. Joey, too, is having some relationship woes of his own; he has received a gift from a secret admirer, but he is afraid that it's from Mrs. Carruthers, the obnoxious woman who can't seem to keep herself away.18. We Got the Beat
Practice makes perfect. When you don't practice you get what Stephanie and her newly formed band was at their debut.
19. Taking the Plunge
Crushed when she receives a rejection letter from Stanford University, DJ is left with a feeling of uncertainty about her future. Kimmy, who knows that DJ will still be attending an excellent school somewhere, is concerned about what will happen to their friendship when high school is over. Unable to cope with the idea of losing her best pal, Kimmy decides that her best option is to elope immediately with her plumber boyfriend Duane. When DJ catches wind of this, she and Nelson fly down to Reno and change her mind--but when she leaves a note for her father explaining her whereabouts, a freakish misunderstanding prompts a frantic Danny to believe that DJ and Nelson are the ones getting hitched! Meanwhile, Joey is excited for the opportunity to meet with Queen Elizabeth, but his improper etiquette at the reception leads to serious trouble.
20. Up On the Roof
DJ tries to pull the ultimate senior prank. She put the principal's car on the roof. Then it starts raining. But Principal Robolard doesn't mind it.
21. Leap of Faith
When an elderly yet feisty woman guest stars on Wake Up, San Francisco with spirited stories about her bungee jumping hobby, Becky is inspired to spice up her own life with this thrilling new experience. Upset to learn that Becky is seriously going through with this, Jesse does his best to talk her out of it, but his efforts only result in friction between the couple. Meanwhile, when Michelle convinces Danny to let her attend a concert with DJ. Stephanie--who was originally supposed to go with her older sister--conspires with DJ and forces Michelle to surrender, but will the girls soften when they realize the real reason why their baby sister wanted to attend the show so much?
22. All Stood Up
After rising...Read more›

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FULL HOUSE:COMPLETE EIGHTH SEASON - DVD Movie

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Melrose Place - The Complete First Season (1992) Review

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(More customer reviews)"Melrose Place" is pure '90s excitement! Do you remember this super-cool 90210 spin-off? I sure do. I loved this show. Although, like many fans I didn't start watching until the mid-second season. When I used to watch repeats of the first season I never really enjoyed it. Because it was so different from the rest of the series (it's sorta like the difference between the first season of "The Facts of Life" compared to the rest of that series.) There were different characters and the stories were nowhere near over-the-top. There was no trashy sex or backstabbing. Although, now when I watch the first season I have a whole new fondness for this show. It's almost like looking at baby pictures of an old friend. She may have looked like an "ugly duckling" but I know that she's gonna turn out to be a knock-out!
I like to think of the first season of "Melrose" more as 3 mini-seasons. Because the entire first season is rather diverse and unique. I suppose the producers and writers (not to mention the actors and actresses) were still trying to find their way (i. e. make the show a hit,) which made them retool it more than once during that first faithful season. Let's see... There's the Sandy Era (Amy Locane,) which is the shortest of all season one's mini-seasons. This only lasted 14 eps (technically, 12 since the pilot is actually 1 ep and Sandy wasn't on the ep prior to her last one.) Then there's The Jo Reynolds (Daphne Zuniga) Era, which picks up right after Sandy leaves for NY (actually, 1 ep later.) The Jo Reynolds Era takes us through the end of '92 and the beginning of '93 which is also the start of the third and final season 1 mini-season. Then God said, "let there be Heather" and a "special Guest Star" was born! Of course, I'm talking about Amanda Woodward (Heather Locklear) who totally assisted in transforming season 1 into it's final incarnation, The Amanda Era!
The Sandy Era was when we got introduced to the entire cast (or should I say residents?) of 4616 Melrose Place. There was Billy Campbell (Andrew Shue) and Allison Parker (Courtney Thorne-Smith,) the building's sweet and sometimes homely roommates. Dr. Michael (Thomas Calabro) and Jane Mancini (Josie Bissett) were almost like the parents of the apartment. They were like an old married couple that everyone came to for help or advice; after all they were married for almost a whole 2 years! There was the resident hearthrob and cool loner, Jake Hanson (Grant Show.) As you may recall, Jake parlayed his tie-in role on "90210" first. In the first few eps of "Melrose" Jake could often be seen shooing away Kelly Taylor (Jenny Garth.) Then there was Matt Fielding (Doug Savant,) who really didn't have much to say or do during season one. Although this was one of the first times that an (openly) g-a-y character ever had a recurring role on an American coast-to-coast series. The only thing unbelievable about the character of Matt was his sense of style. Wouldn't you think a g-a-y man living in West Hollywood would understand the importance of fashion and dressing well a little better? (It makes me gag to think that poor Matt wore that hideous sandal-sock combo more than once.) Rhonda Blair (Vanessa Williams, not the Miss America) was the sexy, outspoken resident in this trendy building. During The Sandy Era her character was very well developed and we got to know Rhonda rather well; she was a sweet and sexy fitness instructor (teaching "cardio funk.") And, finally completing The Sandy Era was none other than Sandy Louise Harling (Amy Locane.) Sandy we hardly knew ya! Sanda is sorta like the Lana Shields of "Melrose Place" because she seemed so sexy, yet rather sexually frusterated. Sandy was an aspiring actress, who got her "big break" and left 4616 for the bright lights of the Big Apple to star on "Forever & Tomorrow." My favorite episode with Sandy is "Lonely Hearts." This is the one when she gets stalked. I always thought that Sandy and Jake would have made a great couple, and they did date, but nothing ever came of it. And, before we got a good chance to get to know her she was gone! Halfway through The Sandy Era, it also seemed that this mini-season was slightly retooled. Did you notice how the stories started to get more serious, however insignificant; Jane's pregnancy, Alison's married lover and Billy's attack.
The Jo Reynolds Era is when the series was completely retooled. Gone were the pool parties, barbecues, friendly chats in the laundry room, group parties and fun-loving get-togethers. The arrival of Jo brought a whole new concept to this soapy drama. The eps got more grittier and serious. I also enjoyed Jo because she was like a breath of fresh air. Jo was very beautiful and always managed to add a bit of common sense to the storylines. In the very beginning (for her first and maybe even second ep,) she had somewhat of a rough exterior. But that was just a facade because Jo was petrified of letting people into her life. Once I got to know Jo, I found a new resident at this complex that was just as likeable (if not more,) than all the others! During this mini-season, we learn that Jake has an estranged son. And another aspect that I noticed was that Rhonda was now being fazed out. Did you notice that Rhonda almost only exclusively had dialogue with Matt or with Terrence Haggard (John Marshall Jones,) who was her future hubby? Also during The Jo Reynolds Era we got to meet some more supporting/recurring cast members. Dr. Kimberly Shaw's (Marcia Cross) character was more developed. You may remember that she actaully spent X-Mas with the other tenants at "Melrose!" And we got to meet Jane's pesky little sister, Sydney Andrews (Laura Leighton.) Although, not much was really learned about Syd during The Jo Reynolds Era, except for the fact that she was obviously a bottle redhead during season 2!
The Amanda Season was the final and very best mini-season of "Melrose's" season 1 because the storylines got so much deeper and more serious. The actors were also much more polished and they seemed more confident. As it's been said many times before, Amanda Woodward was what "Melrose" was all about! She really helped make this show! During this era, we saw a rather entertaining love-triangle develop between Billy, Alison and Amanda. Of course that was after Alison left her on-again/off-again lover, Keith Gray (William R. Moses.) (Keith is actually introduced to Alison during The Sandy Era, but the most interesting eps with him are during The Amanda Era.) Alison even quit her job and moved to Seattle to be with Keith! I loved it when Amanda said to Alison, "and when it was obvious that Billy wasn't going to run to Seattle to chase after you you came back!" During this time, the character of Lucy Cabot (Deborah Adair) was also more prominently seen. Yes, Lucy was the typical cliche of the "modern American professional lady" but she also showed a lot of compassion to Alison. During this era, Jake and Jo have an AIDS scare when one of Jake's former lovers contracts the virus. We also got to see another transformation during The Amanda Season. This was when Jane and Michael's marriage started to unravel. It was also around this time that Michael turned into the sneaky snake that he was known for in following seasons. Of course Michael carried on an illicit affair with Kimberly. And when Alison confronted him (she caught the 2 kissing at the hospital,) he arragantly said to Jane, "this is just malicious gossip." By the way, am I the only one who thought Michael was much more sexier when he was nice? I never found him attractive in following seasons because he just came off as such a dirty cheat.
Everyone always talks about Billy and how he was such a dreamboat. I tend to disagree. I was never crazy about Billy. To me, he seemed like a big kid who was still somewhat immature. My "Melrose" dreamboat was Jake. Jake was the perfect man because he was the perfect balance of sweet and tough. Remember how he cared for Matt and took him to the hospital during the "Dreams Come True" ep; I loved it when the cop assumed that Jake was Matt's lover and Jake said, "he's not my lover" because Jake would have done this for anyone.
By the way, look for Joyce Hyser in the "Responsibly Yours" ep. In this show she played Dawn Bonds, Billy's new girlfriend; a single mother who was tying to ignite her stand-up comedy career. Of course all children of the '80s remember Joyce Hyser as Terry in Just One of the Guys!
Another season 1 character who I enjoyed was Joan Campbell (Salome Jens.) Even though Mrs. Campbell (Billy's mom) was hardly seen, she always managed to make a big splash. She almost reminded of Bea Arthur a little. And Joan absolutely loved Alison. Seeing Joan on season 1 always reminds me of Billy's second marriage to Samantha Reilly (Brooke Langton.) (I never could stand Billy's second wife, I probably hated her the most out of all the "Melrose" girls.) Anywho, during the reception, Joan had a little too much to drink (after all, it's a party, right!) and the old thing starts shooting her mouth off to Samantha telling her about Alison and how much she always liked her. Then Joan brings up Billy's first wife, Brooke (played by none other than Kristen Davis whom I love!!) which caused Samantha to really pout. And Joan said to Samantha in her husky Greta Garbo voice, "don't tell me I can't talk about Brooke now."
"Melrose Place" really was the very best nighttime soap. In my humble opinion it was way better than "Dynasty" and even the granddaddy of all nighttime soaps, "Dallas" because all the stories and characters were always so captivating (even during season 1!) If you want to see how it all began, I recommend getting season 1, you won't be disappointed! ...Remember, you are what you watch!

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A nighttime soap opera about the lives, careers, trials and tribulations of a group of young people living in an apartment building in the trendy neighborhood of Melrose Place. The show was a spin off of Beverly Hills 90210 and starred Heather Locklear as the scheming Amanda Woodward, head of her own advertising agency and owner of the apartment building.

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The O.C.: The Complete Third Season (2003) Review

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(More customer reviews)December 1, 2006 Addition: I wanted to add a note responding to my own question in my original headline: Can it rebound in Season Four? The great news is: Yes! If there were an Emmy given for "The Comeback Show of the Year," THE O.C. after its first five episodes would have to be a leading candidate. I will be honest: I initially tuned in just to verify that THE O.C. in its 4th season was as bad as it was in its 3rd. I was going to watch two or three episodes and then give up on it. The great news is that it has completely returned to form and is now as good as it has been since it first started. This was not expected! The main reason is has been so good has been that it has gotten back to enjoying the characters, instead of introducing a string of unlikable ones that no one can stand. So far this season, not a single irritating new character! I was afraid that they would make Caitlin into the new Marissa, but so far she hasn't been too bad. The biggest surprise has to be Taylor. I assumed that she would no longer be a part of the show this season, but they not only have brought her back, they've made her vastly more intersting and sympathetic than I would ever have imagined. She is actually now a character I like. Who'd a thunk it? Right now the show is as strong as it was in Season One. One of the best turnarounds I've ever seen a show make.
The third season of THE OC was an almost unbelievable come down from the first two fun seasons. The things that made people enjoy the show the first two seasons were largely pushed to the side, while the more irritating features of the first two seasons were brought to the fore and made the center of the show. On several occasions both I and my good friend who also watches the show debated about whether we were going to stop watching it. There is a point where the displeasure is watching the show threatened to overwhelm any pleasures it brought. Then, after a season of one unpleasantness after another, the show ended on a shocker. Normally one would require a Spoiler warning for this, but unfortunately Mischa Barton herself spoiled the ending by announcing on national TV a few days before the season finale that her character was going to die on the show. Why she did this has been debated. Was she trying to hurt the show? Was she just being stupid? Whatever the reason, what would have been one of the most shocking endings in recent TV history was common knowledge even before it aired.
What went wrong in Season Three? Well, the same things that went wrong in Seasons 1 and 2 but that played a smaller role each year: the introduction of exceedingly unpleasant and irritating characters who dominate the course of the show's narrative. In Season One this was mainly restricted to Oliver, one of the worst characters I've ever seen in a TV show. My guess is that the show's creative team misinterpreted what made the show popular in Season One. Instead of the fun alchemy between the younger members of the cast along with the narratives centering on the adult cast members--which I think was about 99% of the reason people liked the show--they imagined that the chaos injected into the show by Oliver's character was what people loved about it. My own belief is that people liked the show DESPITE Oliver and the chaos he created, not because of him. I'm sure the show's producers imagined that Oliver was a character that viewers loved to hate, instead of merely hating him, which was the actual case. So, in Season Two, the show's producers and writers gave even more characters that we merely hated (instead of loved to hate), the unlikable Alex (who was unlikable not because she became Marissa's lover but because she was merely unlikable) and Trey, Ryan's older brother.
Because the producer's misunderstood what people were liking about the show--people liked the main characters, not the situations generated by the minor, intensely unlikable characters who upset the show's chemistry--they flooded the third season with terrible characters. It started early on in the rehab facility, where we were introduced to the duplicitous Charlotte, a role on which they wasted the wonderful Jeri Ryan. Luckily, Charlotte didn't stay on the show very long, though she was extremely unpleasant while she did. Also early in the season was the terrible Dean Jack Hess, another thoroughly unlikable and wildly implausible character who seemed to have a personal vendetta against Ryan and Marissa. He too disappeared fairly early on. But by then we had been introduced to Johnny, a semi-professional surfer at the public school Marissa was forced to attend after she was kicked out of her private school (her dismissal being merely one more of a host of unbelievable developments). Now, in Johnny's defense, he was not for the most part a terrible character. But his crush on Marissa and Marissa's ongoing inability to do the commonsense things to protect her relationship with Ryan was part and parcel of the stupidity on the part of all the major characters that almost caused the show to unravel. But even with all these irritating characters, the show's producers weren't done. Taylor Townshend was not really a character but a cartoon of a character, someone determined to take over as the school's social leader with the departure of Marissa and as Seth's girlfriend. Now, I will concede that she did become less unlikable as the season went on, and I liked that the show tried to turn her from a bad to a good character. But throughout she remained intensely annoying. There were numerous other unpleasant characters, but the crown for the title of King of the annoying characters of the third season clearly belongs to Vollchek, Johnny's surfing competitor, petty thug, briefly Marissa's lover, and all around annoying guy. He is also the guy who causes Marissa's death. While he doesn't come up to the annoying level of Oliver, he is close.
As a result of this endless parade of unlikable characters and stupid behavior on the part of the main characters (except Summer, who seems to be the only character immune to occasional idiocy--her aside, there were numerous occasions when you wanted to smack all of the major characters aside the head and yell, "Will you get a grip!"), fan discontent grew and grew and ratings of the show fell precipitously. After the end of the season there were rumors that FOX was so displeased with the show that they considered canceling it. In the end, they agreed to bring it back for 16 episodes, starting it much later in the season's schedule and running it without repeats, with the possibility of adding additional episodes if the ratings recover and if it turns out that people watch the show with Marissa off the show. It may well turn out, however, that the terrible Season Three was the beginning of the end for THE OC.
My central complaint with the show--even more than the parade of awful guest characters--is that the show more and more abandoned what made the show fun in the first two seasons: the interplay between the central characters. I hated Oliver and Trey and Alex and Vollchek and Johnny et al. but loved Sandy standing up for his principles, the wonderful interplay between Summer and Seth, Ryan and Marissa's mutual attraction despite their backgrounds. Everything else I put up with so I could enjoy that part of the show. But more and more this all retreated to the background. To be honest, pretty much the only reason I continued watching the show throughout Season Three was to enjoy the improbable relationship between Summer and Seth. As unhappy as I was with Season 3, I will probably at least start off watching the show in Season 4 just to see how they are doing. But my interest in the show is at this point on life support.
No question that the single biggest development in the entire run of the show was the death of Marissa. As much as some fans want her to come back, she is definitely dead and definitely won't be back. Mischa Barton's departure from the show seems to be a mutual decision. As the show's highest profile character (she has appeared on numerous magazine covers the past three years), she has undoubtedly been contemplating leaving TV for the movies for some time, a move accelerated by her well-publicized financial obligations owing to a break up. Even if she and the producers wanted her back, she is already tied to several movies projects and unable to do so. There are many fans who watched the show just to see if Ryan and Marissa would get back together. For them her departure could be fatal to their interest in the show. But the fact is that almost all of the horrible characters I noted earlier were connected to the show via Marissa. Almost all of the worst things in the show were narratively tied to Marissa. So, there is a real chance that the show could develop in different and better directions. But I am fearful that the writers and producers will continue in the direction the show has gone, bringing in one awful character after another, having the main characters engage in self-defeating or self-destructive behavior. When I first started watching the show, it was largely because of elements it shared with a show like THE GILMORE GIRL (on which Adam Brody was a character). I was hoping for a comedy with dramatic subplots, but instead the show has descended more and more into melodrama with less and less comedy. But I'm hoping that in Season 4 they can shift the focus more onto Summer and Seth and thereby emphasize the comedic elements that made the show so much fun in the first two seasons. But, I'm prepared to be disappointed.

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Senior year. Prom. Graduation. College visits. Old friends. New problems. And plenty of Korean popstars. Ryan's savior complex becomes a recipe for disaster. Seth and Summer's relationship hits the rocks thanks to Seth's compulsion to edit the truth. As Kirsten attempts to put her life back together, Sandy assumes leadership of the Newport Group and finds himself the heir-apparent to Caleb Nichol's legacy of scandal. Marissa spirals out of control after little sis Kaitlin - a Julie Cooper in the making - returns home to stir the pot. And speaking of Julie Cooper, she's cast out of her Palace - into the slums of the OC.DVD Features:Music Video:Making of The Subways music videoFeaturette:What's In a Name?Featurette:From Script to Screen - The Party FavorGag ReelOther:Pass The Remote - Scene surfing Commentary.

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Hell's Kitchen: Season 1 Review

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(More customer reviews)Chef Gordon Ramsay hosts this reality show fare about 12 Chefs from all around the country who compete for their own restaraunt.He yells,swears,compliments,and most importantly eliminates 11 of them.Only one chef will be standing at the end of this Fox Summer hit.
DVD rating:4/5 This set has a couple of interviews and deleted scenes.All Episodes have uncensored audio track.
I highly recommend this show to anyone who loves cooking,the food network,or just a good ol' competition reality show.

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12 terrified wannabe chefs compete with the cooking to win a world class restaurant.Gordon Ramsay the acerbic host of the show will challenge and fire the chefs at his whim.Featuring explosive confrontations and compelling intrigue as chefs stab each other in the back to get the ultimate prize.In the end it’s the chef’s skill and their cooking that makes the difference.

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So NoTORIous - The Complete Series (2006) Review

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(More customer reviews)First thing's first - how many Tori Spelling fans were really out there in the 90's? Just some teenagers who were addicted to Beverly Hills 90210 and probably sent her enough fan mail to suffocate a horse with. But I'd have to say she was one of the least popular members of that cast. She made a safe transition after this show to Lifetime television movies and independent films, but failed to have the bigtime Hollywood career she always wanted. How many fans can you possibly gain with movies like Scary Movie 2, A Friend to Die For, Co-Ed Call Girl, and Mother May I Sleep with Danger?
So, probably the most interesting thing about her was her famous parents and what we could only imagine her life was like - on a megahit TV show about teens that wasn't very good while still experiencing all the same pratfalls as someone slightly more talented on a better show. Then moving onto a truly miserable career in TV obscurity, still being that name everyone knows without a great career to argue her name's worth being on the tip of our tongues. Her career may have just lived in infamy as Scream 2 being the best and brightest spot on her resume.
That is, until 2006, when VH1 debuted her new reality-show-esque sitcom about chaotic distortions upon what must be her actual life. If there's one part Tori could win an award for playing - it's herself. Who could argue with that? Just one thing left to ponder: is the show any good?
I happen to think it's very good.
First of all, the show arrives in a sea of scripted reality-shot shows about pre-teen girls trying to make it in the music industry, snooty twenty-something's (that act like pre-teen girls- even the boys) working at high-fashion magazines, and teenagers just chillin' on the beach. God, when you consider the competition - this show is a genuine breath of fresh air. It has a lot of the same elements of those shows, only it's still a scripted sitcom and feels like it. Best of all, the 'characters' are smarter than those dumb kids on the beach, in the hills, and anywhere you can imagine (including MTV's once stellar The Real World) - even when they are playing dumb.
So the key to this show is intelligence. And it has truly superior writing. What it does excellently, I think, is it sort of sees that niche that international Britcom success Absolutely Fabulous has in the American market, and picks up where Cybill and the last season of Roseanne left off trying to emulate AbFab, and succeeds in actually drowning the viewer in fads, trends, quirky characters, and controlled comedic performances. One of the great things about AbFab's cast were their ability to restrain themselves from going over the top, because the writing itself was as over the top as any given episode needed to feel. So, So NoTorious follows in that vein. Closely.
It even manages to go from simply entertaining, to hilariously funny in some episodes. Most notably, "Whole" and "Street." This show is complexly written and it really deserves a pat on the back for being more than entertaining for some... It sort of fills the void of a really great TV show. It's also nice to see this sort of cool show come in participation from someone who could always use the good publicitiy. Like Tori Spelling.

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Forget everything you've ever heard about Tori Spelling. OK, maybe not everything. It’s true, her dad is the most successful TV producer of all time and she did spend a decade playing the virginal Donna Martin on his hit show "Beverly Hills 90210." But now that Tori has left that zip code and her parents' mansion behind, she wants the same things we all do: friendship, respect, and love. Used to tabloid scrutiny, Tori navigates life with a self-deprecating sense of humor and the support of a loyal crew of friends she’s know since high school, along with her devoted manager, her beloved nanny, and her ever scrutinizing mother Kiki, the ultimate Beverly Hills housewife.

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Full House: The Complete Sixth Season (1987) Review

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(More customer reviews)Full House Season 6 Episode List.
1. Come Fly with Me.
DJ comes back from Spain with a surprise. Michelle and Stephanie are extremely excited to see her again. But a boy Stephanie thinks is cute gets on a plane and they go on with him. They go to Auckland, New Zealand.
2. The Long Goodbye.
While Danny struggles with maintaining his long-distance relationship with Vicki or ending it, Michelle learns her best friend Teddy is moving to Texas.
3. Road to Tokyo.
Michelle tries to dig a hole in the backyard to reach Jesse who is in Japan. Jesse has some hard choices to make.
4. Radio Days
Jesse starts yet another career and brings Joey along with him. A Disc Jockey seems right up Jesse alley. He will have to learn to share his time on the radio with Joey however who is also hired.
5. Lovers and Other Tanners
DJ has to learn to put things in her life by priority. Forgetting to pick up Michelle is the last straw for Danny with DJ.
6. Educating Jesse.
Kimmy and DJ make a Don't Drop out of School project. Jesse won't help because he was a school drop out.
7. Trouble in Twin Town.
Money can buy a lot of things but it can't buy happiness. The happiness that Jesse and Becky share. This is proven to both of them when Becky's rich cousin comes into town.
8. The Play's the Thing.
Michelle has to learn that just because you want something doesn't mean you'll always get it. And when you don't you don't just quit what you are a part of.
9. Nice Guy's Finish First.
Joey is stuck in the middle of being nice and not angry like he promised Michelle or win the hockey game he is playing in.
10. I'm Not D.J.
Hair is the main topic in this episode. Nicky and Alex need to go for their first haircuts and Stephanie is sporting the Princess Leila look. What is Stephanie trying to hide?
11. Designing Mothers.
What happens when you combine a medalling mother of your girlfriend, meeting her for the first time, and being left alone with her? TROUBLE. That's what happens when; Vicky's mom comes to meet Danny for the first time.
12. A Very Tanner Christmas.
A Tanner House full of Santa's but who is who is the question. Find out which Santa is Vicky, which is Joey and which is Steve.
13. The Dating Game.
Falling for somebody who doesn't fall for you back is a hard thing. Joey and Stephanie have to learn this the hard way.
14. Birthday Blues.
Kimmy's 16th birthday and Steve & DJ's 6th month anniversary and DJ forgot Kimmy's birthday. DJ throws her a party in 15 minutes, but Steve ruins it for her and Kimmy gets her feelings hurt.
15. Be True to Your Pre-School.
Nicky and Alex play the bassoon? Watch as Jesse lies to get the twins into a well-known preschool.....and does; but him and Becky change their mind and decline.
16. The Heartbreak Kid.
Just because you're young doesn't mean you don't have feelings and can't get them hurt. The Tanners find this out when they take Michelle's crush on Steve lightly.
17. Silence is Not Golden.
In this very heart wrenching episode we find Stephanie in a very difficult situation. She knows of a classmate who is being abused by his father but made a promise not to tell. She is torn between telling because she knows he is in trouble and keeping his secret.
18. Please Don't Touch the Dinosaur.
Super glue and a prayer are in order in this episode. When Jesse and Danny take Michelle's class to the museum. Talk about broken bones. A $4,000,000 dinosaur skeleton is in need of some attention.
19. Subterranean Graduation Blues.
It doesn't matter where you are when something important is supposed to happen as long as your family is there with you to celebrate. Making a difference in somebody's life is worth more than missing out on something you were counting on.
20. Grand Gift Auto.
What seems too good to be true usually is. Joey found this out when he bought DJ a car for her birthday later to find out it was stolen.
21. Room for One More.
Mr. Dad with a peaceful day or house gone mad. Which one do you think Jesse is faced with when he tries to convince Becky that he can handle things so she will agree to have another baby.
22. Prom Night.
A mistaken event takes place at the prom which has DJ in a tailspin. Prom was not what she expected and because of this misunderstanding Prom night seems to be ruined.
23. The House Meets the Mouse (1)
Michelle crowds in front of Stephanie and becomes Princess for a Day. When the other girls don't want to listen to her, she runs away from them to go on her own.
24. The House Meets the Mouse (2)
All Danny wants to do is ask Vicky to marry him. Does he ever get the chance to ask? Every time he tries he is interrupted. Stephanie misses out on some very good times because she is to busy feeling sorry for herself. DJ thinks she see's Steve all over Disney Land. Jesse does an underwater broadcast with a hungry looking shark swimming around.

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The laughs and lessons keep on coming in the sixth season! Join the Tanners once again for another hilarious season of Full House. Watch as Danny struggles to maintain a long-distance relationship, DJ goes to Prom, Michelle learns you don't get everything you want, Stephanie has to make an important decision and Becky and Jesse decide on pre-schools! Don't miss the latest antics of the Tanners in the complete sixth season for the first time ever on DVD!

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Picture This Review

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(More customer reviews)I saw the premire of this movie and although it is girl likes jock, popular girl declares Jock hers and tries to kill girl socially. It was a really cute father daughter (or parent letting go) movie. As a HS guaduite, I thought this was a great movie to watch with my mom, and i was right. Shes been having seperation issues, like Ashley's Dad, and it was a fun movie to watch and connect with. Even my teenage brother thought it was a hilarious movie, watching all the things Ashley has to go through. From phone punking her Dad to convincing an audience to pretend to be a DVD movie.
I thought it was a really good movie!
Great job Ash!
Oh one more thing I really liked about it is the main character stayed true to herself. She didnt let the guy use her.

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A high school girl is invited to a party by the most popular boy in school -- only trouble is, she's grounded!

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The Mentalist: The Complete First Season (2008) Review

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(More customer reviews)This TV show, in its first season, is, like "Life," a police procedural with lots of flavor--in this case, a former phony psychic who, years ago, talking insultingly about a serial killer on his psychic TV show.
The killer was watching the show, apparently, took offense, and proceeded to murder the guy's entire family.
After much soul searching, our hero quit his pseudoprofession and now works with a police agency doing for crimes what Gregory House does for his hospital--solving the cases no one else can solve. He uses his ability to read people and situations that stood him in good stead during his stint as a phony psychic.
Of course, like the cop in "Life" his merry, mischievous exterior conceals an iron core of permanent, near-psychotic rage. The Mentalist works with the police agency he works for in order to find the serial killer to killed his family, and he has told his boss there, in merry seriousness, that if/when he finds the guy, he will take him apart in a way Dexter (as in the HBO series) would admire.
All this is backstory. No spoilers, as I promised. There's considerable interaction with his boss, her boss, and the three person team that also works with the boss, and they're all competently played, seemingly pretty much credible as detectives.
So both this and "Life" have:
1. fine actor in the lead role--with "The Mentalist," Aussie heartthrob Simon Baker, who every woman appears to find irresistable (according to my wife).
2. multilayered plot, with an ongoing story arc on top of the case du jour, and evolving relationships among the team members.
3. light and shadow--lots of comic moments alongside very dark stuff indeed. In painting this would be called chiaroscuro (think Rembrandt paintings of interiors illuminated by candles).
If you like "Life" I'm certain you'll like "The Mentalist" even if the more run of the mill procedurals (all the CSIs for example) don't appeal to you. I'd also put "Bones" in this category FWIW.
And this is about as good as we can expect until Joss Whedon's next show shows up (presumably "Dollhouse" with Eliza Dushku, herself a master of chiaroscuro).

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"A mentalist is a master manipulator of thought and behavior." The mentalist is Patrick Jane (Simon Baker in an acclaimed performance), a celebrity psychic whose wife and child are viciously murdered by an elusive serial killer called Red John. Devastated, Patrick admits his paranormal act is fake, renounces his earlier life and uses his astonishing skills of observation and analysis – talents that made him appear psychically gifted – to bring killers to justice. At crime scenes across California, Patrick now helps an elite team of detectives break their toughest cases. But no matter how many criminals he catches, Patrick never forgets his central goal: Find Red John. And bring him down.

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Quincy, M.E. - Seasons 1 & 2 (1976) Review

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(More customer reviews)Once you get past the obvious edit splice in the opening, QUINCY is one of the great crime dramas of the seventies and eighties. With so much on TV now about investigating crime scenes, this series will show you how it all started: With Jack Klugman as Medical Examiner Quincy. By the way, someone mentioned that this will not be the "complete" series release, but a "Best Of.." release. That's not right. Here's what Universal says:
"Universal will deliver the first two seasons of Quincy, M.E. on June 7th. This 3 disc set will contain the 4 episode season 1, and 13 episode season 2, and be packaged in slim cases with an outer box to hold them. The set will sport a full frame (1.33:1) transfers, Mono soundtrack, and English, French and Spanish subtitles."
Excellent series!

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QUINCY ME:SEASONS 1 & 2 - DVD Movie

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The Glass House (2001) Review

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(More customer reviews)In THE GLASS HOUSE, murder runs rampant amid the scenic backdrop of Malibu. An accidental dealth leaves two children, Ruby played by Leelee Sobieski and Rhett played by Trevor Morgan, orphans. They are placed into the custody of their neighbors, Trevor and Erin Glass.
Their home has half of its structure made out of glass, a beautiful site, but one where the cold atmosphere clearly shows that life is about to change. Everything the kids do is monitored as no aspect of their lives is private. Somehow, Trevor and Erin seem to be everywhere imaginable, yet seemingly never around. Things really heat up once Ruby finds out about the skeletons in her new guardians' closet.
Although the plotline is fairly predictable, the acting is quite good, and the suspense will give you goosebumps. Leelee Sobieski is wonderful in her role, and Diane Lane and Stellan Skarsgaard play excellent adversaries. GLASS HOUSE also features cameos by Chris Noth and Rita Wilson, completing the cast quite nicely.
Overall, this is a fairly entertaining film that will definately make you flinch in your seat a couple of times. It won't dissappoint.

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GLASS HOUSE - DVD Movie

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Monk: Season Seven Review

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(More customer reviews)Quirky detective Adrian Monk has only one more season of obsessive-compulsive detection left. Start mourning now, because it's still one of the best shows on TV.
In the meantime, the seventh season of his dramedy/mystery series holds up well and shows little signs of its age. It's got everything you'd expect of "Monk" -- new phobias, personal crises (shot in the leg!), lots of hilarious writing, bizarre mysteries, and the celebration of Mr. Monk's one-hundredth case.
Monk is having more trouble than ever after Dr. Kroger unexpectedly dies, and the neighbor girl starts playing the piano. So he decides to buy the house of an old man who recently fell down the stairs. Unfortunately, some creepy people want to get their greedy hands on whatever is hidden in that house -- and they'll destroy his dream-house to do it.
Unfortunately (for Monk) it's the least weird case he encounters this season. He has to deal with (in no particular order): a murdered homeless man, miraculous fountains, lottery murders, a stolen bike at a biotech lab, submarine "suicides," exploding grills, protecting a boxer, the impossible murder of Monk's annoying neighbor, and a manly-bonding football game with Stottlemeyer.
And Monk struggles with his own problems, with the help of his new therapist Dr. Bell (Hector Elizondo) and his assistant Natalie (Traylor Howard: bad hypnosis, a kindly old lady, a crush, a looming physical, and a half-brother escaped from prison. And Monk tries to stop the parking lot where Trudy died from being demolished, only for the council-woman involved to be found murdered in the bay...
Most quirky TV series don't survive past the first few episodes, or the first season at most. So while the seventh season of "Monk" has a few bumps in the road (such as "Mr Monk and the Bully," where he comes across as rather too vindictive), it still has the right balance of humor, poignancy and brain-twisters.
The whole season is pretty much a solid string of enjoyably complex murder mysteries -- baffling crimes, obscure clues, and a few new eccentricities for Monk. Despite all the murder and bittersweet moments, the episodes are peppered with some comedy as well (Randy watching the football game upside-down in the stairwell) and plenty of solid dialogue ("It's a square tomato. You're doing the Lord's work!").
This season Monk's biggest problem is his biggest phobia of all -- his fear of being left by everyone, whether it's a mother substitute or his beloved shrink. Fortunately Shalhoub has the skill to keep his tragicomic character from seeming cartoonish -- good-hearted, socially clueless (see "guy banter") and trapped in the cage of his own fears and sorrow. The only flaw is that for some reason, Monk tends to be a wee bit more mean-spirited here.
Traylor Howard does a solid job as Monk's assistant Elizondo is quite good as the replacement for Dr. Kroger, and Jason Gray-Stanford continues to be hilarious as Randy ("Ergo the killer. Is that Hungarian?"). Ted Levine gets to show different side to Stottlemeyer, when the longtime cop becomes a monk (yes, the religious kind) and goofs off at tailgate parties. Not in the same episode, of course.
There's only one more season of "Monk" to go, but the seventh is a heckuva penultimate chapter, with plenty of befuddling mysteries and strange problems.

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Tony Shalhoub returns to his acclaimed three-time Primetime Emmy® Award and Golden Globe®-winning role for a stellar seventh season in the quirky and irreverent detective show, Monk. Join him and phenomenal guest stars Brad Garrett, David Strathairn, Eric McCormack, Sarah Silverman, Hector Elizando, John Turturro and more in 16 hilarious, unforgettable episodes – including the all-star 100th episode, “Mr. Monk’s 100th Case!" Despite his overwhelming fear of germs, crowds, small places and almost everything else, Monk proves once again why he’s the only man for the case and why mystery lovers "...can't deny how amusihg it all still is..." (Entertainment Weekly).

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NBA Dynasty Series - Los Angeles Lakers - The Complete History Review

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(More customer reviews)This set is certainly desirable for any die hard Lakers fan, and basketball fans who remember how great the game became after Magic and Larry Bird paved the way for unselfish play will surely enjoy it.
The edited games are great. The finals games featured between the Lakers and the Sixers are mindblowing because of how fast paced they were. It's pure fast break basketball at its best. The games between the Lakers and the Celtics are intense and you also realize what an excellent job Dick Stockton did for CBS when he was the play-by-play man. In retrospect, even Stockton's color man partner seems pretty balanced, even though he was a Celtic great and even though he had the incredibly irritating habit of placing the subject of his sentences at the very end, Tom Heinsohn.
No set is going to be perfect, but I think where the box set is a bit of a letdown is in the "history" aspect. It's really just a compilation of all the NBA films that they do at the end of each year for the champion. And while they are all pretty good and I rented them all years ago, they don't really tell the history of the team. They tell the history of the champtionship seasons.
If you're looking for history, Disc 1 is probably the best, with old footage and more recent interviews. But there's no description of the Lakers of the '70s and how they got Kareem and what the team was like before Magic and how the Lakers drew about 11,000 fans per game. I think that is missing from this and I would have liked to have seen more of that. Also too bad someone couldn't dig up more interviews with Elgin Baylor and Jerry West talking about how frustrating it was to lose all those years to the Celtics, although there is a good feature on Rod Hundley and Tommy Hawkins talking about the '85 Lakers win.
Two other criticisms: (1) On the whole the editing of the games is very good, but on the early games is a bit choppy. We lose the last few minutes of the 71-72 Lakers championship, which was the team's first and there's no footage of West running off the court with Pat Riley. It should have been there. (2) Not enough about Chick Hearn and his role with the Lakers. He's featured prominently as the narrator on the '87 overview, but there should have been more devoted to him. Also, it would have been nice if they could have taken one or two of the games and replaced the network commentary with Chick Hearn and Stu Lantz.
Still, any Lakers fan should have this.

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Over the past 50 years the Lakers have won an unprecedented 14 championships, making them the best NBA franchise ever. This five-disc special edition collector's set features the complete Lakers history including year-end compilation programs highlighting the Championship seasons from the 1950s through 2002. Plus for the first time ever on DVD, the team's most memorable Finals games including its first championship win in Los Angeles, Magic's "baby hook" game in 1987, and back-to-back title games.

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There Will Be Blood (Two-Disc Special Collector's Edition) (2008) Review

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(More customer reviews)Upton Sinclair's epic novel OIL! has been successfully transformed to a film by screen writer/director Paul Thomas Anderson ('Magnolia','Boogie Nights', etc). The film is a long song (158 minutes), covering a fascinating span of time in turn of the century California when oil gained the lure of gold and transformed the land and the people into creatures of capitalism and greed and lust, and were it not for the presence of Daniel Day-Lewis' powerful performance as the man who makes it all happen, the story itself would become tiresome. It doesn't.
Daniel Plainview (Daniel Day-Lewis) is a silver miner in 1898, but soon discovers oil and begins on a mission to become wealthy, owning most of the oil fields from the mountains of central California to the Pacific Ocean. With his medicine man manner of getting people to do what he wants he pursues his greed relentlessly, disrupting small sleepy towns like Little Boston as he gains access to the wealth of the black gold. There are odd characters along the way, such as the evangelist Eli Sunday (Paul Dano) who become crushable clods beneath Plainview's boots. The progress of the story is well known to most: it is the telling of the tale in the hands of wholly credible, completely physically immersed Daniel Day-Lewis that makes the story seem new.
The film's grimy atmosphere is well presented in Robert Elswit's cinematography and the odd musical score by Jonny Greenwood is as ominous as the vantage of Plainview. Greenwood elects to weave classical works into the fabric of the film: when young HW falls deaf after an explosion the silence is partnered by one of Arvö Pärt's 'Fratres', and the film's credits are displayed over the Anne-Sophie Mutter/von Karajan recording of Brahms' Violin Concerto. Strange bedfellows, yes, but entirely appropriate to the overall mood of the film. The journey is long and depressing, but the power of Day-Lewis' performance is magic. Grady Harp, April 08

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A sprawling epic of family, faith, power and oil, THERE WILL BE BLOOD is set on the incendiary frontier of California’s turn-of-the-century petroleum boom. The story chronicles the life and times of one Daniel Plainview (Daniel Day-Lewis), who transforms himself from a down-and-out silver miner raising a son on his own into a self-made oil tycoon. When Plainview gets a mysterious tip-off that there’s a little town out West where an ocean of oil is oozing out of the ground, he heads with his son, H.W. (Dillon Freasier), to take their chances in dust-worn Little Boston. In this hardscrabble town, where the main excitement centers around the holy roller church of charismatic preacher Eli Sunday (Paul Dano), Plainview and H.W. make their lucky strike. But even as the well raises all of their fortunes, nothing will remain the same as conflicts escalate and every human value – love, hope, community, belief, ambition and even the bond between father and son – is imperiled by corruption, deception and the flow of oil.

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Big Valley - Season 1 (1965) Review

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(More customer reviews)There were few TV shows that made a greater impression on me growing up than did this classic western, The Big Valley, which ran on ABC from 1965-1969. From its stellar cast featuring the incomparable Barbara Stanwyck as Victoria Barkley, (the matriarch of a close-knit, proud and prominent family in 1878 California,) well-written/action-packed scripts, to stirring music, The Big Valley remains a standout in the barren plains of TV mediocrity.
The first TV drama to feature a powerful female lead (a woman the commercials proudly proclaimed had "backbone and bite"), it also dealt realistically with situations formerly taboo for TV. It began by revealing that Victoria's husband, Tom Barkley, a prominent, wealthy cattle rancher now deceased, had been involved in a secret affair leading to the birth of an illegitimate son. In addition to the ranch, the family controlled gold and silver mines, citrus groves as well as logging camps.
This five-disc (episodes on "A" and "B" sides) boxed set contains all 30 of the show's first season episodes, including its pilot. A few of these episodes were available years ago on poor quality VHS tapes, but this fantastic release represents the first time that the entire first season of the series has been available to the public in ANY format! As such, most of these episodes have not been seen uncut since the show aired more than 35 years ago.
The pilot, which introduces the powerful and proud Barkley family, depicts the conflict when the illegitimate son, Heath, abruptly arrives at the huge Barkley Ranch in the San Joaquin Valley, near Stockton, Calif., in the midst of a range war and claims his birthright.
After the recent death of his mother, Heath had learned his father's identify. None of the Barkleys had known of his existence, and it is later revealed that Victoria's husband had broken off the brief affair with Heath's mother and that she had never told him that she was pregnant. Victoria immediately accepts Heath and soon treats him as one of her own sons.
In addition to Miss Stanwyck (who performed many of her own stunts despite her age), the cast included Richard Long as eldest son, attorney Jarrod, Peter Breck as son and ranch foreman Nick, Lee Majors as Heath, Linda Evans as daughter Audra, and during its first season, Charles Briles as youngest son Eugene, a character who was dropped without explanation. Napoleon Whiting portrayed the family's servant, Silas, throughout the series.
First season episodes included in this set are: (Disc 1, Side A) Palms of Glory; Forty Rifles; Boots with My Father's Name; Young Marauders; (Disc 1, Side B) Odyssey of Jubal Tanner; Heritage; (Disc 2, Side A) Winner Lose All; My Son, My Son; Earthquake!; The Murdered Party; (Disc 2, Side B) The Way to Kill a Killer; Night of the Wolf; (Disc 3, Side A) The Guilt of Matt Bentell; The Brawlers; Judgment in Heaven; The Invaders; (Disc 3, Side B) By Fires Unseen; A Time to Kill; (Disc 4, Side A) Teacher of Outlaws; Under a Dark Star; Barbary Red; The Death Merchant; (Disc 4, Side B) The Fallen Hawk; Hazard; (Disc 5, Side A) Into the Widow's Web; By Force and Violence; The River Monarch; The Midas Man; and (Disc 5, Side B) Tunnel of Gold; and Last Train to the Fair.
As of this writing, the studio had not announced what, if any, special features would be included in the boxed set.
Just a few of the guest stars in this first season were Andrew Duggan, John Anderson (Richard Dean Anderson's father), Jeanne Cooper (Young and the Restless), Katharine Ross (The Graduate), Charles Bronson, Warren Oates, Martin Landau (Mission: Impossible!), Ron Howard, Anthony Zerbe, Claude Akins, Yvonne Craig (Batgirl), William Shatner (Star Trek), Bruce Dern (Laura Dern's father), Jill St. John, George Kennedy, and James Whitmore.
Here's hoping the remaining seasons of this award-wining series will be released ASAP! We can also only hope that this means other studios that own the rights to other worthy vintage westerns, like The High Chaparral, will get the message that there is an appreciative audience anxiously waiting and begin releasing these episodes on DVD complete season boxed sets.

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The Powerful Saga of One Family's Lives and Loves in the Old West!Venture back to the days when the land was still untamed and the West was still wild with Season One of The Big Valley, the TV classic starring Barbara Stanwyck, Lee Majors, and Linda Evans.The Barkleys are the wealthiest and most powerful family in California's San Joaquin Valley in the 1870s, owning and controlling cattle herds, gold mines, citrus groves, and logging camps. Follow and share the family's trials and tribulations as matriarch Victoria Barkley leads her brood through joys and heartache, adventure and danger, and laughter and pain in Season One of this seminal and timeless Western Soap!

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Platinum Comedy Series - Mike Epps (Deluxe Edition) Review

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(More customer reviews)I AM A HUGE FAN OF MIKE EPPS. I HAVE SEEN A COUPLE OF HIS STAND UPS. BEFORE HIS DEBUT IN FRIDAY HE DID A SHOW HERE IN ST. LOUIS THAT WAS SO HILARIOUS. THE NEXT TIME I SEEN HIM IT WAS BEYOND HILARIOUS. I DON'T KNOW WHAT HAPPEN TO INAPPROPRIATE BEHAVIOR.


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Mike Epps is the hottest, most coveted and brightest new star in the world of comedy. He has already starred in numerous cult films including The Friday franchise and All About the Benjamins with Ice Cube, The Honeymooners with Cedric the Entertainer and Roll Bounce with Bow Wow & Nick Cannon. Now, Mike Epps is set to explode onto the scene with his very own HBO series entitled "Unsuccessful Thug," while preparing to star as the lead role in Richard Pryor’s life story.To see Mike Epps live is to experience laughter at its highest peak. You will be doubled over with stomach pains as Mike Epps gives you 60 minutes of brash, unapologetic comedy as only he can on his debut DVD "Mike Epps – Inappropriate Behavior." UrbanWorks Entertainment is proud to welcome Mike Epps into the prestigious Platinum Comedy Series. Enjoy "Mike Epps – Inappropriate Behavior" and the Platinum Comedy Series at home on the television or in the car! Bringing you the Funniest Comedians in America!!!

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Herbie - Fully Loaded (2005) Review

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(More customer reviews)One of the first movies I saw when I first came to the US was Herbie Goes To Monte Carlo, at a drive-in when we were living in Livermore, CA. Since then, there has been a connection between the family, more through my brother, with that gutsy VW Bug with a mind and heart of its own, that blazed a trail through four movies. In fact, racing excerpts from those movies are shown in the opening sequences of Herbie-Fully Loaded, which has the famed racing Bug resurrected for the current generation.
Fully Loaded finds the famed Bug ready to be turned to scrap metal at Crazy Dave's scrapyard. He is rescued by Maggie Peyton (Lindsay Lohan), whose family has racing in their blood, as her grandfather's a racing legend. Her father is as well, and is trying to groom his son Ray Jr. to succeed him, but a series of crashes at the race track as well as a dearth of sponsors, dwindling by the minute, makes that impossible. Maggie though, had her own racing days in high school, and finds her true calling other than going to New York behind the racing scenes.
She gains an enemy in macho NASCAR champion Trip Murphy, played by Matt Dillon, when the ever-sensitive Herbie takes offense to one of Murphy's insults to him and scrapes the star's car with his rearview mirror. This leads to a race where Herbie beats Murphy, to the delight and surprise of the local racing fans.
Maggie's reaction to Herbie, pop-eyes and screams, as the VW shows her what he's made of, is akin to what every kid might have if a car did its own thing. Gradually, she recognizes that Herbie has a soul, as does her school friend Kevin, who runs a garage, and takes a liking to the car. She does learn of Herbie's sensitivity, when the car, hurt at something she says during another race with Trip, deliberately loses. This is nothing new, as in The Love Bug, when Jim Douglas, agrees to give up Herbie for a Lancia, only to find an enraged and betrayed Herbie ramming the Lancia. Herbie fuels Maggie's desire to race again, but her father (Michael Keaton) isn't keen on his daughter suffering injuries or even getting killed on the track, and forbids it.
Unlike the other movies, Herbie's headlights move, lowering down when depressed, as does his front bumper. And yes, he still does squirt oil at anyone mean. The corporate sponsors and video game tie-ins (Trip's new game) make this up to date for this generation. And when Herbie sees one of the new Bugs, a bright yellow one, Maggie says, "Herbie, I think she's too young for you."
As if remembering what Herbie's main passion was, it was a good move to show this as a racing picture per The Love Bug and Herbie Goes To Monte Carlo, and as such, the racing scenes are the best part of the picture, as is a scene when Herbie takes on a monster truck driven by a nasty thug at a car crash derby, set to Van Halen's "Jump." The names of Ray Peyton and Ray Peyton Jr. have syllabic similarities to another racing family-think Al Unser and Al Unser Jr. And having Maggie at the wheel also brings into mind Shirley Muldowney.
It's also great having two 80's film stars, Michael Keaton and Matt Dillon back in prominent roles. And mark this as one of Lindsay Lohan's better films along with the Parent Trap.
I still say The Love Bug's the best movie in the Herbie series, but Fully Loaded takes Herbie back to his roots without too much radical updating, and is better than Herbie Goes Bananas, so as such, it qualifies. Those who grew up on Herbie will definitely enjoy it.

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Start your engines! Lindsay Lohan (MEAN GIRLS, FREAKY FRIDAY) does the driving when Herbie -- the fun-lovin', free-wheelin', '63 VW Beetle with a mind of its own -- returns better than ever in Disney's all-new, revved-up comedy adventure! Though a third-generation member of a NASCAR family, Maggie Peyton (Lohan) has always been forbidden from following her racing dreams by her overprotective father (Michael Keaton – FIRST DAUGHTER). But she has no idea her life is about to take a huge u-turn! After discovering the irresistible Herbie in a junkyard, they form a magical team that will save her family and rewrite the racing record books! With Breckin Meyer (ROAD TRIP), Matt Dillon (THERE'S SOMETHING ABOUT MARY), and an all-star cast along for the ride, you better believe ol’ Number 53 has some new tricks under his hood!

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The Legend of Zorro (Widescreen Special Edition) (2005) Review

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(More customer reviews)This movie gets high marks from me in the "PG" category. It can not truly be compared to 1998's Mask of Zorro, even though the characters are reprising their roles, because the original was a significantly darker "PG-13." Don't go with expectations that it will match the original.
When we revisit Don Alejandro de la Vega (aka Zorro, played by Antonio Banderas) and his charming wife Elena (played by Catherine Zeta-Jones), ten years have passed since the original movie, and their son is a major player in their lives (he is masterfully and comically played by the young Adrian Alonso). As married life as gone on, Elena has continually urged Alejandro to give up his secret life as Zorro, but he keeps feeling the tug of his people. The two quarrel and separate, leading to separate lives amongst some major political upheaval and the arrival of a strange Frenchman who seems to have his own plans for the homeland. There are a few stretches in the plot, but nothing too outrageous for an action/comedy, and there is plenty of witty banter and sight gags to make up for it. (Of course, any history buff will find the plot laughable, but it's for entertainment, okay?) Elena gets to do some excellent fighting and espionage-types scenes in this plot, really coming in to her own.
As my review title states, this is a family movie. The darkest moments are Alejandro's sad drunken sloven days. Again and again, the values of family, fighting fair, not shooting anyone in the back, doing well in school, etc. are reinforced, but not in a preachy way. The young son of Zorro is quite a troublemaker in school, and he learns a lot about "doing the right thing" throughout the movie, much to the comic delight of the audience. See this with a younger audience and know that you are getting some good action/adventure, packed with comedy and romance, without anything vulgar. If you like darker entertainment, avoid this sequel.

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LEGEND OF ZORRO - DVD Movie

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