Babylon 5 - The Complete Television Series (5-Pack) (1994) Review

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(More customer reviews)As a lover of sci-fi series, it's great to see such a saga sold as a set. The reality for the B5 connoisseur is that this isn't the Full Monty. You should also purchase "Babylon 5 - The Movie Collection" and the B5 spin-offs "Crusade - The Complete Series" and "The Legend of the Rangers". The reasons are indicated below in my recommended viewing order.
1. Watch the B5 movie "The Gathering"
The Babylon 5 pilot movie The Gathering was originally broadcast in 1993 a full year ahead of the regular show.
2. Season 1
3. Season 2
4. Season 3
5. Watch Season 4 up to episode "The illusion of truth"
6. Watch the B5 movie "Thirdspace"
7. Season 4: continue with episodes 9-22
8. Watch Season 5 up to episode "Objects at Rest"
9. Watch the B5 movie "River of Souls"
10. Watch the B5 movie "In the Beginning"
This is a prelude set 10 years before Babylon 5. Against the logic of the title, I would strongly recommend seeing it at this stage. Should one see it before Season 1, much of the suspense in the main series would be ruined.
11. Watch the B5 movie "A Call to Arms"
This movie lays the groundwork for the spin-off TV series "Crusade".
12. The Lost Tales - Thanks to Eric Pregosin for his comments to build on the original list
13. Season 5: watch final episode "Sleeping in light"
14. Watch Crusade Series
The question which is debated in several other reviews is: Despite the release dates of the material produced, in what order should it be seen? In particular, if the viewer is a total new comer to the series. The above is an attempt to give some structure to great content so it is more enjoyable as a complete work.
PS - It is astounding that the Warner marketing dept. gives no official recommendation on how these products should be best enjoyed.
PS 2 Update - As "The Legend of the Rangers" was released long after I finished watching Babylon 5, I'm not sure where to place this. Any comments would be appreciated.

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Own all five seasons of the award-winning series about the space station that's the tumultuous center of the 23rd century's bid for peace among humans and aliens.

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Babylon 5 - The Complete Fifth Season (1994) Review

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(More customer reviews)Like the other four seasons, "Season Five" will be in widescreen anamorphic format and Dolby Digital 5.1. It includes all 22 episodes and runs for 968 minutes. For the final season, fans are expecting some special extras. Here is a list of the scheduled extras:
=>Introduction to Wheel of Fire (Season 5 of Babylon 5) by series creator, J. Michael Straczynski
=>Two audio commentaries by J. Michael Straczynski
=>Movements of Fire and Shadow commentary by cast members Bruce Boxleitner, Peter Jurasik, Patricia Tallman and Tracy Scoggins
=>Digital Tomorrow - a featurette about making the special effects for the series
=>Beyond Babylon 5 - a featurette focusing on the fans, their reactions to the show and available Babylon 5 merchandise
=>The Universe of Babylon 5
=>Personnel Files; Data Files; Gag Reel; Episode previews
=>Easter Egg: Marcus Cole: Dead or Frozen
=>Additional and Extended Scenes
Unfinished from prior seasons, the telepath situation is still at issue. The post-war era still has many other problems to be resolved.
Episode Guide:
1. No Compromises (Babylon 5 has a new commander. The telepaths ask to form a colony on Babylon 5.)
2. The Very Long Night of Londo Mollari (Londo has a heart attack. Lennier decides to become a ranger.)
3. The Paragon of Animals (Garibaldi wants to form an intelligence unit consisting of telepaths.)
4. A View from the Gallery (cowritten by Harlan Ellison. Savage aliens attack the station shown from the viewpoint of two crew members.)
5. Learning Curve (A racketeer tries to take over Downbelow.)
6. Strange Relations (Londo evades an assassination attempt.)
7. Secrets of the Soul (The Downbelow citizens don't like the increasing number of telepaths. Franklin discovers an old secret.)
8. Day of the Dead (The Brakiri conduct a religious ceremony where the dead supposedly return. Zooty's voice is done by Harlan Ellison.)
9. In the Kingdom of the Blind (Byron uses blackmail to try to get a homeworld of their own for the telepaths.)
10. A Tragedy of Telepaths (Lochley asks that the telepaths be removed, due to rising tensions and violence.)
11. Phoenix Rising (The situation with the telepaths worsens, resulting in several deaths.)
12. The Ragged Edge (G'Kar becames a religious figure after his book is published. There may be a witness to an attack on an Alliance ship.)
13. The Corps is Mother, the Corps is Father (Bester shows two PSI Cop interns how he works when he tries to capture a rogue telepath.)
14. Meditations on the Abyss (Lennier investigates the possible Centauri involvement in the shipping line attacks. Vir becomes the Centauri ambassador to Babylon 5.)
15. Darkness Ascending (Lennier continues to investigate the Centauri. Lyta tries to find a homeworld for the telepaths.)
16. And All My Dreams, Torn Asunder (Evidence against the Centauri is presented to the Alliance.)
17. Movements of Fire and Shadow (The White Star fleet is authorized to participate in the war. Tensions with the Centauri worsen.)
18. The Fall of Centauri Prime (The Drakh force Londo to help them. Londo is crowned emperor of the Centauri Republic.)
19. The Wheel of Fire (Earthforce orders Lyta's arrest. G'Kar worshippers cause problems.)
20. Objects in Motion (cowritten by Harlan Ellison. Michael and Lise are warned that an assassin has been hired to kill them.)
21. Objects at Rest (Many are leaving Babylon 5. Alliance headquarters move to Minbar.)
22. Sleeping in Light (Sheridan invites old friends for a final gathering. Takes place 20 years later. In this final episode, J. Michael Stracynski writes, directs, and makes a cameo appearance as the crew member shutting down the station.)
Although this is the final season, it is not the final DVD set. A collection of the television movies is planned for release in Spring or Summer of 2004. (jmsnews.com has a small amount of information about two DVD sets following the release of B5 Season 5.)

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From the beginning, both were running out of time. The space station that was the last, best hope for peace was sooner or later certain to be eclipsed by new political coalitions and technical advances. And John Sheridan, who guided the massive freeport through its most tumultuous days, knew that his own fate had been inalterably prophesied. Now both storylines converge in a 22-episode final season (with dazzling Exclusive DVD Extras!) whose events also include Sheridan's attempts to wage peace for the Interstellar Alliance, the tragic fate of the telepaths and the ultimate fireball destruction of the outmoded station after it is declared to be a spaceway navigational hazard. You are cleared for final approach to Babylon 5.

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Leverage: The First Season (2008) Review

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(More customer reviews)This series features a modern day Robin Hood and his band of Merry Men -- or in this case, men and women -- pulling off cons, capers, and heists that redress wrongs, return ill-gotten gains to their rightful owners, and also pad the pockets of our heroes.
Though it's tempting to focus on the excellent cast, who do a uniformly stellar job with the scripts, the greatest strength of this show is in the writing. The stories are focused as much on revelation and development of the characters and their histories and interactions as on the clever and intriguing plots. The characters are given depth and dimension -- not to mention humor -- and the viewer finds as much to care about in each of them as in how the caper of the week will play out.
An outstanding opening season for this new series. Not to be missed.

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Leverage is a slick and crafty drama following a team of expert thieves that take down corrupt corporations in elaborate high-tech schemes. Insurance investigator Nate Ford (Academy Award-winner Timothy Hutton) exposed scams and recovered stolen items worth millions. But his life hit the skids when his insurance company allowed his ailing 8-year-old son to die. Years later, Nate gets even as the leader of a specialized team of thieves, computer experts and con artists that right corporate and governmental injustices against honest citizens. To expose corruption, Nate will do wrong for all the right reasons –– he will provide Leverage.

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Richie Rich (1994) Review

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(More customer reviews)Richie Rich is the world's poor little rich boy. He's the richest kid on Earth, but all he really wants are friends (well, he's got everything else). He spends his days living by a meticulous schedule that sometimes even includes filling in for his father at public appearances. His wealthy schoolmates are just as busy as he is and not quite as desperate to do "regular kid things" as Richie. While filling in for his father at a public event, however, Richie takes notice of some inner-city, street-wise kids playing baseball in a vacant lot nearby and makes an attempt to join in. They soon make it clear that he does not belong, and poor Richie goes home in despair. Seeing his disappointment, Richie's protective and caring butler, Cadbury, makes arrangements for the kids to come to the Rich family mansion and spend a day with the boy, much to Richie's joy and surprise! The gang of kids have a ball riding Richie's rollercoaster, trying out his kid-a-pult, and eating in his own, personal McDonald's. At the end of the day, Richie's new friends have accepted him as being just another regular kid, though they more than appreciate the benefits that come with his friendship. Still, feisty redhead Gloria, self-appointed leader of the bunch, makes it clear that they like Richie more for who he is than for all the neat stuff he has. Richie doesn't have much time to be happy about that, though. Word soon arrives that Richie's parents, benign but sometimes clueless Richard and Regina Rich, were victims of an assassination attempt and are now lost at sea and assumed dead. As the Riches survive in a life raft on Perrier and champagne, Richie is forced to take over the family company and keep it safe from malicious top executive Lawrence Van Dough, who planned the attack on Richie's parents in the first place. Luckily, with his new friends' help, Richie turns out to be a business whiz! Richie has to become even more assertive when Cadburry is framed and locked up for the murder of Richie's parents though. Some help from in-house inventor Professor Keenbean allows Richie to break Cadburry out, but matters become even more complicated when the Rich parents finally are rescued by the villainous Van Dough and his cronies themselves, purely so they can open the voice-activated lock on the family vault in Mt. Richmore. Now, Richie and his crew must prove their mettle and save Richie's parents and fortune from a criminal desperate to do anything to have it all!
After the wonderful holiday films "Home Alone" and "Home Alone 2" turned child-actor Macaulay Culkin into an instant superstar, he sadly seemed incapable of having another success. 1994's "Richie Rich" was just one example of several films the young actor made after his big Christmas hits that failed to strike a chord with movie going audiences or critics. Sadly, "Richie Rich" is really a great film. While not a perfect adaptation of the comic and cartoon (the villainous Van Dough is an adult exec here rather than a rotten cousin, Gloria is unfortunately a cute but street-sassy tomboy with a last-name change rather than Richie's sweet and femininely dressed girlfriend, and Irona the robot maid/bodyguard is nowhere to be seen until the direct to video "sequel"), the performances, particularly the adult ones, are fantastic, fun, well developed and well fleshed-out considering their cartoon origins, and easily carry the very basic cartoon plot. The humor and emotion is well-written, even if it's an age-old story of the rich kid who just wants friends. And, of course, the sights are the icing on the cake, from the kooky inventions of Professor Keenbean to the glorious Rich Family Estate (actually the Biltmore Estate in North Carolina), not to mention the world's only Dollarmation, Richie's dog, Dollar! The DVD is in widescreen and includes one Bonus Feature, which is the theatrical trailer. Hey, "Richie Rich" isn't rocket science, but it's a feast for the eyes and a fun family fantasy from beginning to end that brings back childhood memories of Saturday morning cartoons and Harvey comics, and with actors like Edward Herrmann, John Larroquette, and Jonathan Hyde in a live-action cartoon, you know you're in for a treat!

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RICHIE RICH - DVD Movie

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