Murdoch Mysteries: Season Two Review

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(More customer reviews)More 1890s Toronto cop investigation than romance, since Det. Murdoch is so romantically bashful. Comedy, mystery, adventure and romance unite perfectly in a Victorian setting. This is Victorian murder investigations with contemporary evidence gathering techniques. Murdoch (Yannick Bisson) is a century ahead of his forensic sleuthing counterparts. Dr. Ogden (Helene Joy) is the gorgeous pathologist in the forensics search--the morgue maiden. Victorian 'sparks' happen between Murdoch and Dr.O, but at he cautious, delicate, discretionary Victorian rate. Romantic chemistry cleverly woven into murder investigations. Insp. Brackenreid (Thomas Craig) ex-army & boss, plus Crabtree (Jonny Harris) ambitious right-hand man, are back in every episode. 4 TV stars who make this a 5-star Series. Also plenty of guest stars.
All episodes are police investigations with interesting new technology or science helping find clues. Marvelously inventive in plot and beautiful to view it the realistic Victorian era. Perfection in sets, costumes, and props. It's no wonder it is award grabbing and still continues currently with new adventures on TV. This series is the 2009 season, at DVD release less than a year past original airing.
It is dreadful, dastardly, murder situations, with some violence and blood (especially in Dr.O's morgue clue-gathering scenes), and multiple plot episodes. Highly recommended for the mystery, crime, and even Victorian romance fans.
Bonus includes SDH SUBTITLES, behind the scenes, character bios, 4 cast filmographies, 7 Murdoch (Maureen Jennings) novels (1997-2007), and a PDF on props.
You will want to check the listing for Murdoch Mysteries Series 1 also. Both highly recommended and since season 3 is airing now, surely there will be a DVD series 3 to come.
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Continue only if you like episode details (no spoilers):
1 Mild Mild West--It's Buffalo Bill Roadshow and murder while Murdoch, Dr.O, Brackenreid, & Crabtree watch. Watch for the Scotch tape forerunner invention.
2 Snakes and Ladders--(predecessor of Chutes & Ladders?) Alastair Mackenzie (Monarch of the Glen) joins cast as a Scotland yard bobby chasing Jack the Ripper over 7 years. Uses profiles, fingermarks, and ultraviolet light for clue finding.
3 Dinosaur Fever--A dino find from Alberta Badlands, Terrorsaurus, causes murder at a National Geo. Soc. event. Murdoch & Dr.O use Rontgen's rays (x-ray).
4 Houdini Whodunit--Murdoch uses a crime scene model to help find the guilty when Houdini Bros perform in a theater next to a bank which is robbed, a guard killed. Is Dr.O's sis, Ruby involved?
5 The Green Muse--Who murdered the victim employed at the local elite bordello? Plenty of beauties in delectable Victorian 'evening-wear.' Plenty of suspects.
6 Shades of Grey--Murdoch and Dr.O 'relationship' heats. An unclothed male victim seems cold murder. Evidence leads to a former flame of Dr.O. Oops!
7 Big Murder on Campus--Crabtree seeks his natural mom. A peeping-Tom prof is shot. Dr.O & Murdoch's warm relationship is nearly shot. A student pair shadows Murdoch's investigation. He uses ballistic testing.
8 I, Murdoch--A child's knight story is not as alluring as the boy's windowed mom is to Murdoch. What does the boy, a poison murder, a dwarf, a spy agent, & a blind man have in common? It takes mathematics on the verge of computer logic to find out.
9 Convalescence--Murcoch incapacitating injuries give Crabtree a chance to solve the murder. Murdoch's healing is mixed between beautiful caregivers, strange noises, and a 2nd mystery at his own living quarters. Interesting, those night vision goggles. Double mystery--double romance--good X 2.
10 Murdoch.com--The dueling romance continues with Murdoch's scintillating admirers. A murdered girl, a telegrapher, had a 'wire affair' that may be a lead to the killer.
11 Let Us Ask the Maiden--Murder in a synagogue leads to love relationships in conflict due to Jewish law. Murdoch still has his own female conflict between Dr.O and Enid.
12 Werewolves--Hunting partners suddenly are murdered one-by-one apparently by a werewolf. On the romantic side, Enid suggests to Murdoch it is time to choose.
13 Anything You Can Do (I can do better. Pffft!)--In an abandoned mining town, Murdoch and a Canadian Mounty (an almost detective clone) are caught in a crossfire. Flashbacks show how the 2 murder investigations brought these men to this trap. A new metal, aluminium, to the rescue?
A FANTASTIC SEASON-ENDING EPISODE.

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"Excellent adventure" --Midwest Book Review
As seen on public television Based on novels by Maureen Jennings
"Truly outstanding" --The Fort Bend/Southwest Star "Clever and smart" --Deseret News
Winner of three Gemini® Awards, this sassy-smart Victorian-era whodunit stars Yannick Bisson (Sue Thomas: F.B.Eye) as Detective William Murdoch, a police investigator who employs emerging science to solve Toronto’s most dreadful murders. He experiments with ballistics, psychological profiling, and other newly developed techniques, despite the doubts of his tradition-bound boss (Thomas Craig, Where the Heart Is). Together with a beautiful pathologist (Gemini®-winner Hélène Joy, Durham County) and an able protégé (Jonny Harris, Hatching, Matching & Dispatching), Murdoch encounters some of the era’s most famous--and infamous--figures, from Buffalo Bill Cody to Jack the Ripper.
Guest stars include Nicholas Campbell (Da Vinci’s Inquest, Cinderella Man), Sarah Strange (Men in Trees), and Alastair Mackenzie (Monarch of the Glen).
Season 2 nominated for six Gemini® Awards, including best writing and best supporting actor

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Wayne's World (1992) Review

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(More customer reviews)Wayne's World is directed by Penelope Spheeris (The Decline of Western Civilization.) The film stars Mike Myers (Austin Powers), Dana Carvey (This Is Spinal Tap), Tia Carrere (Jury Duty), Rob Lowe (St. Elmo's Fire), Brian Doyle-Murray (National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation), Ed O'Neill (Married With Children), and Donna Dixon. The film is based on the classic series of Saturday Night Live sketches of the same name, also starring Myers.
Wayne Campbell (Myers) and Garth Elgar (Carvey) are hold-over would-be rockers from the eighties. Wayne still lives in his parents' basement, and hosts his public access television show, Wayne's World, from there - a strange show that isn't afraid to poke fun at its guests. A television executive (Lowe) intends to acquire the rights to the show, so that he can exploi t it and make big bucks from the production. Along the way, Garth will pursue his dream woman (Dixon), Wayne will meet a rock star girlfriend (Carrere), and the twosome will hear plenty of bizarre theories and experiences from a psychotic donut shop owner (O'Neill.)
Wayne's World is a classic because it succeeds on so many levels. In addition to giving us interesting, funny characters, the movie throws comical scenes at us at lightning speed - and they succeed more often than they fall flat. Additionally, the film manages to make fun of just about every angle of the movie industry without ever losing its heart. Despite some harsh language here and there, it manages to succeed as a film without being explicit. Yes, it's a little bit dated almost two decades later. But when so many catchphrases from one movie become part of everyday American culture, you know the film has succeeded and cemented its own place as a classic piece of cinema (even if it goes against everything I usually call classics.)
There aren't enough good things to say about this movie. There is no shortage of stuff that will make you laugh here. In just over an hour-and-a-half, the movie pokes fun at the entertainment industry, product placement, alternate endings, public access television, and other films and genres - yet at the same time manages to tell an effective, comical story that, unlike so many other comedies, actually has a heart. Wayne's World may not have the impact it did during its initial release two decades ago, but there is no denying that this is a great little piece of cinema. You'll laugh until it hurts - and then you'll laugh some more.
Image and Sound:
You'll laugh! You'll cry! You'll Hurl! And this time around, you'll be doing all three in 1080p and TrueHD! The transfer here is a bit underwhelming, but this was never really much of a "visual" movie. This transfer is a slight step up in detail from earlier DVD incarnations of the movie, but it's not a massive improvement over them. Where the disc really shines, though, is its TrueHD audio track, which really gets a chance to shine in loud scenes, and features improved clarity over earlier DVD counterparts. However, if you own the older DVD, there's really not much of a reason to upgrade. This is a good-looking and sounding disc, but it's not that much of an improvement over an upconverted DVD.

Special Features:
There are no new special features here, just stuff ported over from the previous DVD release. First up is a Penelope Spheeris commentary track. No fan of the movie will be disappointed in this commentary - it goes into quite a bit of detail on the movie, and she has no shortage of info to share. Still, you'll wish Myers and Carvey had been on board. The other major feature is Extreme Close-Up, your standard obligatory "making of" featurette. Like the commentary, there's a lot of interesting information here, and fans won't want to pass it up. Closing out the features is the original theatrical trailer. All in all, these are nice little bonuses, I only wish they had included some new stuff here instead of just porting over (what few) bonus features were on the DVD.

Final Words:
It's Wayne's World! Wayne's World! It's party time! It's excellent! And it's on Blu-Ray at long last! The film is an undeniable classic, even if it breaks all the rules for what I usually call a classic. If you already own the old DVD, this isn't worth the double dip since the upconverted DVD comes close to the quality of this disc anyhow. But if you don't already own the movie, this disc is a good bet. Get out of your parents' basement, get in the Mirthmobile, and head down to the store and pick up this disc. No fan should be disappointed, though only die-hards (who surely already own the film) need apply for this double dip.

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Temptations abound when Wayne and Garth are offered a fat contract to tape their late night show at a sleazy TV executive's network.Genre: Feature Film-ComedyRating: PG13Release Date: 24-JUN-2003Media Type: DVD

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Pretty Baby (1978) Review

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(More customer reviews)If they gave Academy Awards for small moments, this film would deserve one for the scene in which Violet is being auctioned off, and the camera closes in on the eyes of the Black piano player, full of silent moral judgment. The print is not so lovely, with more glitches and defects than I've seen in years. Even worse, Paramount has chosen to censor the film, by reframing the scene where Violet is tossed out of Belloc's apartment. It's one thing to be locked out of your house, and quite another to be locked out naked. The impact (and irony and pathos) of the scene is lost along with the nudity. What's ridiculous, though, is that uncensored full-frame prints have been showing on DBS/cable for years. Why censor it now? Last one out of the barn lock the door? So we have a choice between uncensored pan & scan or cropped widescreen. After years of overpriced, underfeatured discs (how many times have they released 'better' versions of Star Trek films?), it looks like Paramount has found yet another way to reveal its failure to understand DVDs. A pity this film wasn't released by MGM.

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A photographer becomes obsessed with a child prostitute in turn-of-the-century New Orleans.Genre: Feature Film-DramaRating: RRelease Date: 18-NOV-2003Media Type: DVD

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