Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew, The Complete First Season Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I have been an alcohol and drug counselor assisting adults and adolescents for years into entering recovery. So I was very excited to hear that "rehab" had gone mainstream with the idea and creation of this series. I will describe the basics that happen in each episode without giving plot spoilers, and tell you my overall opinion of the series and the DVD set at the end.
Disc 1

Intake is the first episode of the series. We meet the cast of celebrity rehab, which includes Brigette Nielson, Jessica Sierra, Daniel Baldwin, Jaimee Foxworth, Chyna, Seth Binger, Mary Carey, and Jeff Conaway.
Detox is the second episode, and is primarily about this process of detoxifiying from alcohol and drugs.
New Arrival is the third episode, and adds Ricky Rodriquez to the bunch. Issues with rebelliousness and how that relates to recovery are discussed in the episode.
Disc 2

Sex and Trauma, episode 4, is discussed as a reason for using drugs and alcohol abusively. One celebrity leaves rehab.
Episode 5 is "Bye Bye Baldwin." One celebrity is confronted about the use of anabolic steroids outside of treatment, another clebrity's signifigant other brings alcohol into the unit during family visitation. Sober activities are introduced and focused on.
Episode 6 is entitled "Friends and Family," and emphasizes the need of family members to attend counseling with the addicted clients. Addiction as a family disease is discussed, and how someone who does not have family involvement is likely to relapse.
Disc 3
Episode 7 is entitled "Retreat" and focuses on clean and sober recreation. Rebelliousness and inappropriate behavior is discussed and observed on the program.
Episode 8 is Graduation. It is observed that some clients are in "relapse mode," and seem to be reverting to old behaviors, and devaluing treatment because in actuality they don't want to leave treatment. A choice is given to the clients-each person can stay in sober living for up to three months, all expenses paid, and they must give their answer to this at the graduation ceremony.
Disc 4
Episode 9 "Graduation II" Everyone says their goodbyes, and various celebrities decide upon or decline to stay in the sober living environment.
Episode 10
Boy, how I wish I could give a review of this complete episode. A reunion is held of the Celebrity Rehab clients, after a complete profile of what happened to Mary Carey the DVD cut off and went back to the menu page during the segment of what happened to Ricky Rodriguez. Very disappointing. So I have no idea what happened to the majority of people who completed celebrity rehab or who stayed sober.
Overall, the content of this DVD was exactly what you would see at a non-celebrity rehab center. The group counseling segments and the recreation segments are done in normal inpatient treatment centers. The celebrity clients acted as regular addicted clients do of other inpatient treatment centers, with their sexual acting out, and immature behavior. Addiction and Alcoholism is not immune to one's class status or wealth.
However, I am puzzled by few mentions of the Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous groups. Both of these groups have helped millions of people to recover from addiction. Yet they are only mentioned in passing during graduation in the "Graduation II" episode. I feel a brief introduction on the importance of these groups, having a sponsor, and working the 12 steps would have been beneficial in one of the episodes of this program.
Also, the DVD set was poorly put together. "Intake" is the first episode, and is listed as the first episode on the back of the DVD. Yet, it is number three, the last episode, on the DVD. The last episode of the series, "Reunion," only plays for 14 minutes before it cuts off and goes back to the menu. I returned one set of DVDS thinking that this problem with the last episode was an isolated incident, however, that is not the case. The new one I just got from Amazon.com has the same flaw, and another reviewer mentioned the fact that he could not get this episode to play either.
Also, I would have liked the outtakes and deleted scenes available on this disc as well.


Click Here to see more reviews about: Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew, The Complete First Season

Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew is the first television series to chronicle the dramatic, unscripted real life experiences of a group of actual celebrities as they make the life-changing decision to enter themselves into a drug, alcohol and addiction treatment program with the sincere desire to achieve true rehabilitation and recovery. This disc set includes the full first season.
This product is manufactured on demand using DVD-R recordable media. Amazon.com's standard return policy will apply.\r\n
This disc is expected to play back in DVD Video "play only" devices, and may not play in other DVD devices, including recorders and PC drives. \r\n

Click here for more information about Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew, The Complete First Season

Degrassi: The Next Generation - Season Three (2002) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)The third season of the popular teen drama Degrassi The Next Generation is now available on DVD. The three disc box set features all twenty two episodes from the shows third season--including the two part episode "Accidents Will Happen." This episode did not air in the United States on The-N, the network which airs Degrassi The Next Generation.
Now that the shows fifth season episodes are airing, season three seems like it was a really long time ago. It was before the school shooting and Jimmy's paralysis, and light years before Jay & Silent Bob decided to pay a visit to Degrassi Community School.
At the beginning of season three Emma's mom was preparing to give birth to baby Jack. This new addition to the family and Emma's home life with Mr. Simpson now as her step-father sent Emma on a mission to find her birth father Shane. Emma finds her father and he isn't exactly in the greatest shape. Season three definitely started with a bang.
Whereas the new character Craig Manning was very integral to the season 2 storylines, Craig had to share the spotlight with several other characters who had major stories during the shows third season. Season three was the season in which Marco came out to his friends regarding his homosexuality. Of all of Marco's friends Spinner had the biggest problem with Marco's revelation but the two would overcome this obstacle.
Another important season three storyline would be the volatile relationship between Terri and Rick. Their story would end with violent consequences.
Interracial relationships are nothing new to Degrassi The Next Generation (Craig & Manny, Ashley and Jimmy), yet it appeared the show was about to embark on another interracial relationship between Emma and Chris. Well perhaps the writers decided to go in another direction because although it once seemed like Chris would be an important character on the show he soon faded into the background.
Probably the most talked about episode from season three is "Accidents Will Happen." This is the two part episode that didn't air in the states. The reason why? Most likely because this episode deals with that hot button topic of abortion. In this episode young Manny finds herself sick and throwing up quite often. What is initially thought to be a cold or virus turns out to be an unplanned pregnancy. Manny turns to Emma's mom Spike for guidance. Spike became pregnant at the age of 14 and soon after gave birth to Emma. Spike is a comforting ear for Manny. I don't want to spoil things too much for people who have never seen the episode but it's very well written. It's a well known fact that Emma (Manny's best friend) is strongly against abortion (remember she flipped when her mom considered having an abortion when she became pregnant with Jack before the wedding?) Craig wants to keep the baby, Manny initially isn't sure what she wants. It's a great episode and one of the best Degrassi The Next Generation episodes ever because watching the episode you will truly empathize with every characters point of view when it comes to this controversial topic. Outside of the unplanned pregnancy, there are some other important scenes in these episodes. We see Manny apologize to Ashley for being involved with Craig while they were dating. "Accidents Will Happen" part two also features the clip of Liberty dressed in leather trying to pick up Sean. The-N shows this clip quite often in promo's but fans of the show have been left wondering when this happened, mystery solved.
Overall, season 3 was a really great season. For the most part the adult storylines took a back seat to the kids this season but there were several on-going stories including Mr. Simpson's cancer and the ongoing love affair between Joey Jeremiah and Caitlin Ryan.
Funimation once again did a great job with the DVD box set. The box and inner casing design is similar to the previous season box set. As expected you can count on cool extras. Bonus features include:
Deleted Moments
-Karoke
-Episode Commentaries "Accidents Will Happen" & "Pride"
-Ultimate Season 3 Interactive Quiz
-CTV Degrassi Promo
-Degrassi Yearbook
-Character and Cast Bios
-Degrassi marathon feature on every disc

Click Here to see more reviews about: Degrassi: The Next Generation - Season Three (2002)

The intensity of Degrassi the Next Generation amps up in in season three. And it's all here for you - UNCUT - in the Director's Cut Season Three Ultimate Box Set. Contains the epsisode that everyone has been waiting for "Accidents Will Happen." This set is packed with deleted scenes, bloopers, profiles, pus a personality test, photo album, karaoke and an original series promo. Package that with commentary and you have a set that no Degrassi fan should be without!

Get 51% OFF

Click here for more information about Degrassi: The Next Generation - Season Three (2002)

Degrassi: The Next Generation - Season Four (2002) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I accidently stumbbled onto Degrassi several years ago over a Christmas break and found the show to be easily addictive. Not being one for the standard sterotypical high school scene like in the OC or Dawson's Creek I was stunned on how well the show was put together along side it's addictiveness.
Not only is the show intelligently written and plotted the acting from the youthful cast is spectacular. Each character (as partly a result from them being well written) is brought out onto the screen with that particular oddness and poignancy that is all to familar with someone who just left high school.
This is not a show where the entire cast is drop down gorgeous nor act exactly the same; there is a wonderful diversity with the roster of characters present. They all don't wear most expensive clothes or drive the most expensive cars to school and do not go around spouting out mindless phrases such as 'waxing philosophical.' This is a real life show displaying real life characters with real life problems and having those characters work through them with real life means.
About six months after I discovered this little gem of a show I found with much surprise that the DVD sets for each season were available and freaked out; quickly drove to the store and laid down my money. I bought season one sortly before season two came out in Aug. 2005, and saw that the release date for the third season was already scheduled for this past March and quickly pre-ordered. I watched them the entire way through and was able to pick up larger story arcs that I had missed when I saw the reruns on the Noggin Network and longed for more after the last episode had ended on the third season disk set. Once again I saw the release date was only about six months away after the third season (a very short time considering it takes over a year for each season of most other shows to be released on DVD).
I wrote a review for the third season of this show months back and claimed it the be the best season of the entire show (based on what I had picked up on TV and later watched on DVD) and still claim that, but must admit that season four is a very close second.
As in past shows Degrassi boldly faces down such issues as teen pregnancy, drinking, drugs, sex, cutting, homosexuality, violence, and much much more with a raw force that other shows would only dream of doing. The fourth season however goes even further with such issues as noted and beyond.
Not to give anything away (though I will give away some) a school shooting occurs, a student is murdered, another paralyzed, affairs of the heart go out of control, secrets are revealed, and pretty much the same intensity ignites as it has done in the past seasons.
Though some has called this show pretentious, overly dramatic, or just plain stupid they need to think again and take a look at the other shows out there depicting life in high school and recall what it was like for themselves years past in high school. I for one (as someone who just left it) find Degrassi to be all to true to the reality that teens go through as they walk the halls to class. It's safe to simply say this show gets it right.
As for the DVD as with the past three seasons the extras seem to be a step above one another with each passing season. Deleted/extended scenes, gag reels, casting tapes; the usual (I'm not one who does much with extra features on DVDs apart from deleted scenes). The quality of the print of each episode is great (the only drawback is it's in fullscreen (although apart from HBO DVDs not many TV shows that I own are in widescreen format)).
In the end is Degrassi worth laying down the money for? Absolutely...100%...YES!!! It is a must own for fans of the show, fans of high school programs, and fans of people who just like plain good old television; you will not be disappointed.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Degrassi: The Next Generation - Season Four (2002)

Season four of Degrassi:The Next Generation could very well be one of the darkest and most intense seasons ever.And for good reason!Paige finally faces Dean in court.Crashed cars broken relationships burning questions .Emma lays the pressure to think to get Rick out of Degrassi.STDs are hot topic in the hallways.Marco realizes he s being cheated on.Ashley leaves.Craig snaps .Rick reaches for a gun .The Season Four Ultimate Box Set is packed with deleted scene bloopers yearbook original auditions quiz and so much more.Plus get the inside scoop onTime Stands StillandSecretfrom the actors and writers themselves.System Requirements:Running Time: 600 MinutesFormat: DEGRASSI Genre:ANIMATION/ADULT SWIM Rating:TV-PG UPC:704400113482 Manufacturer No:1-4210-0670-7

Get 29% OFF

Click here for more information about Degrassi: The Next Generation - Season Four (2002)

The Jesse Stone Film Collection (Stone Cold / Death in Paradise / Night Passage) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)If a role ever 'fit' an actor perfectly, Robert B. Parker's alcoholic, laconic ex-L.A. cop/small town Police Chief Jesse Stone 'fits' Tom Selleck. Paunchier and more careworn than in his "Magnum" days, Selleck has become a superb character actor, and this series of TV-movies offers him at the 'top of his game'.
While murder is the theme of each film, the stories are even more enjoyable as character studies of a man rebuilding his life. Divorced, but still holding long phone conversations with his ex-wife, Stone has turned to whiskey for solace, costing him his job with the L.A.P.D., but not yet diminishing his skills to a point where he can't get a strong endorsement for the position of Police Chief of tiny Paradise, Massachusetts, a coastal town near Boston. The first film of the series, "Stone Cold", presents him already in place as Chief; it's success led to "Jesse Stone: Night Passage", a prequel detailing his arrival in Paradise, the murder of the previous Chief, and the death of his beloved dog; the third film of this collection, "Jesse Stone: A Death in Paradise", the follow-up to "Stone Cold", finds him attempting to deal with his alcoholism, while investigating the death of a teen-aged girl.
Best of all, for fans of this series, a fourth film aired in 2007, with a fifth TV-movie in production for 2008.
If you are a fan of Parker's novels, Tom Selleck, or murder mysteries rich in character development, "The Jesse Stone Film Collection" deserves a place on your shelf!

Click Here to see more reviews about: The Jesse Stone Film Collection (Stone Cold / Death in Paradise / Night Passage)

Get 41% OFF

Click here for more information about The Jesse Stone Film Collection (Stone Cold / Death in Paradise / Night Passage)

Swing Vote (2008) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)If you enjoy 2 hours of Kevin Costner acting like a slob and 2 minutes (at the very end) of his heroic customary speeches in which his voice cracks down while defending his less fortunate fellow men, well, this is the movie for you. Personally I found this very similar to ARTHUR in which the prospect of watching the part of a stupid drunk for a long time gets more and more annoying. I also had a hard time buying his wholesome daughter and after watching her Mom and Dad it becomes impossible to understand how she could turn out that wonderful. The movie itself is all one clever idea with very mediocre dialogue, flat jokes and lacking any surprises.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Swing Vote (2008)

Kevin Costner stars in the hilarious timely comedy Swing Vote as Bud Johnson, an Average Joe, who is coasting through life with the help of Molly, his wise-beyond-her-years daughter. In a remarkable turn-of-events, the result of the presidential election comes down to his vote. Costner is joined by a brilliant all-star cast including Dennis Hopper, Kelsey Grammer, Nathan Lane, Stanley Tucci and George Lopez who will stop at nothing to win over the vote of the man who holds the fate of the free word.

Click here for more information about Swing Vote (2008)

Mary and Max (2009) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Mary and Max is an independent claymation flick from Australia, with a darkly comic theme about a lonely and misunderstood 8-year-old girl who strikes up an unlikely and disturbing correspondence and friendship with a 48-year-old overweight depressive male diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome. While that sounds unlikely enough as a topic for an animated film, what was truly unexpected was the moving power of its simple message, achieved without resorting to sentimentalism or cliche.
The film, apparently based on a true story, plays like Wallace and Gromit conceived by Oliver Sacks and imagined by David Lynch and Robert Crumb. The animated characters, who tend to be overweight with exaggerated melancholy expressions, are nevertheless enormously expressive - and the film seamlessly shifts from the muted colors of the rundown Australian suburb where Mary lives to the expressive black and white of Max's New York City.
Mary (Toni Collette) is a curious and lonely girl, whose father is unavailable and whose mother is an alcoholic kleptomaniac and whose neighbors are each in their own way inscrutable. Confronted by questions the adults around her are unwilling to answer, she selects Max's name at random from an American phonebook and writes an inquisitive letter to a complete stranger. Initially thrown for a loop by this unexpected query, Max detects a kindred spirit and responds to her letter with complete sincerity. So begins a peculiar correspondence, fraught throughout with misunderstanding but culminating in a lifelong friendship that is able to carry them both through a great deal of personal misfortune and tragedy.
The voice of Phillip Seymour Hoffman invests the character of Max with a deeply sincere confusion about the peculiar games that people play. A card carrying communist and atheist, he nevertheless wears the skullcap he wore as a child, when his mother taught him babies came from egg-laying rabbis. He is honest to a fault, incapable of saying the kinds of things people like to hear; his imaginary friend, a psychiatrist by the name of Mr. Ravioli, stopped speaking to him after his real psychiatrist convinced him he was no longer necessary.
Mary and Max was dark and tender and strange and disconcerting and lovely. Its simple theme, conveyed lightly and through dark circumstance, is captured in a concluding quotation by Ethel Mumford: "God gave us relatives. Thank God we can choose our friends."

Click Here to see more reviews about: Mary and Max (2009)

From Academy Award® winning writer/director Adam Elliot and producer Melanie Coombs (HARVEY KRUMPET) comes the hilarious and moving new claymated feature film about the pen-pal relationship between two very different people: Mary Daisy Dinkle (voiced by Oscar® nominee Toni Collette) is a lonely 8-year-old in the suburbs of Melbourne, Australia. Max Jerry Horovitz (Oscar® winner Phillip Seymour Hoffman) is an obese 44-year-old with Asperger s Syndrome living in the chaos of New York City. Over the course of 20 years and 2 continents, their unusual journey of friendship will explore autism, taxidermy, alcoholism, where babies come from, kleptomania, sexual differences, trust, copulating dogs, religious differences, agoraphobia and more of life s big and little surprises.

Get 60% OFF

Click here for more information about Mary and Max (2009)

Spanglish (2004) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)When movie trailers come out months before the release of a film and movie billboards crowd the malls and other places trying to convince the public of what to expect (read 'how can we guarantee making the most money from the biggest crowd?'), it is difficult to get motivated to step over the hype and decide for yourself the merits and message of a little movie.
SPANGLISH used slapstick approach, beginning with focus on Adam Sandler of the superfluff/toilet mouth 'comedy' genre, to publicize this little story into a COMEDY. That was enough to keep this viewer out of the theater. But seeing James L. Brooks current opus at home without all the hoopla of the theater crowd resulted in a pleasant discovery: this is a well-written little drama, peppered with some comedy, that addresses a lot of issues about parenting, cross-ethnicity, living your dream vs skimming off the top, having loyalty to the inner self, the desperate need for communication in today's loud world, alcoholism, etc. Not the stuff for slapstick, nor is it treated that way.
John Clasky (Adam Sandler in a straight role that allows him to show substance over pratt falls) is a successful chef who is able to support his family with a home in Beverly Hills and a summer home at the beach (obviously Malibu). His wife Deborah (Tea Leoni in a wildly dysfunctional mother role which she handles well), in desperation for breathing room to pursue her lackluster life, hires a non-English speaking Latina maid Flor (Paz Vega) who has immigrated to the US with her young daughter Cristina (Shelbie Bruce, a amazingly bilingual young actress) to make a life for herself after her husband has left her. Deborah's daughter Bernice (Sarah Steele) is overweight and the victim of her mother's misconstrued attempts to correct her problem at the expense of acknowledging Bernice's self worth.
Though busy with his successful restaurant, John finds time to be a loving father, a husband who is as supportive of his wild wife as is possible, and who gradually finds in the new Flor a gentle, honest, compassionate/passionate human being that seems to be a soul mate. Things progress quickly: Flor learns English via language tapes on TV, Cristina moves in with the family when the move to Malibu occurs, Deborah dotes on the bright, attractive Cristina while ignoring her own daughter, Flor tends to the emotions of Bernice, and finally a marital crisis occurs which places into focus the idiosyncrasies of all members of the extended household (including Deborah's alcoholic mother - Cloris Leachman, as brilliant as ever).
The manner in which Brooks brings this chaos to closure does not sell out the way most stories do: there are no pat answers here but altered individual perceptions are suggested and we are given the opportunity to resolve them as we wish. Is this a comedy? No, though there are many cleverly funny lines and situations. This is a pertinent drama, unfortunately mislabeled in name and in media approach. For this reviewer this is a tender film about family needs and personal goals. The cast is excellent, each member taking risks that prove to be successful. Give it a try! Grady Harp, April 05

Click Here to see more reviews about: Spanglish (2004)

John Clasky (Adam Sandler) is a devoted dad whose skillsas a chef have afforded his family (T=E9a Leoni, Cloris Leachman) a very upscale life, including a summer home in Malibu and a breathtaking new housekeeper, Flor (Paz Vega), who has recently immigrated to L.A. from Mexico, and is trying to find a better life for her remarkable daughter, Cristina (Shelbie Bruce), who is rapidly embracing the American way of life. When Flor and Cristina move in with the Claskys for the summer, Flor has to fight for her daughter's soul as she discovers that life in a new country is perilous...especially when you're being embraced by an affluent, eccentric American family.

Get 63% OFF

Click here for more information about Spanglish (2004)

28 Days (Special Edition) (2000) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Director Betty Thomas has achieved something rare: A modern movie that tackles a serious issue and emerges with it's tastefulness intact. "28 Days" has the plot of a drama, the soul of a comedy, the feel of a documentary and a fabulous performance by Sandra Bullock that gives each genre a place in the delicate mix of this wonderful movie.
Bullock is Gwen Cummings, an alcoholic, pill popping journalist who is sentenced to spend 28 days in a rehab center she drunkenly steals a limo and crashes it into a house. Leaving behind her boozy British boyfriend Jasper (superbly played by Domonic West), Gwen soon finds the support and understanding of her eccentric and often hilarious new neighbors. There's Eddie (Viggo Mortensen), the washed up baseball player who'll sleep with anyone; Oliver (Mike O'Malley), the wisecracking Park Avenue pot addict; Andrea (Azura Skye), a young woman addicted to drugs and a preposterous soap opera called "Santa Cruz," which she eventually turns everyone on to; and Gerhardt (Alan Tudyk), the wacky German. "28 Days," unlike an "Erin Brokovich" where one star dominates, is an ensemble film that allows a variety of talents to shine. And with a cast of this caliber, sometimes that shine rivals the stars themselves in brightness.
Despite many humorous moments, it's the dramatic aspects of "28 Days" that make it great. When Gwen becomes so desperate for her pills that she jumps out the window to get some she threw away earlier, the obsessiveness and despair of dependency are captured at their most vivid. Then there's her troubled relationship with her sister Lily (sensitively portrayed by Elizabeth Perkins), who can't decide whether she wants to give up on the woman who has never been there for her, or stand by her in the hope that she will reform, risking having her heart broken yet again.
It's because Bullock and screenwriter Susannah Grant have made Gwen such a likable character that these situations have real bite. Sine we can't decide whether we love her or hate her, we keep watching the movie on the edge of our seats, searching for something that will proove to us once and for all what Gwen Cummings is. The movie wisely avoids giving us a straight answer to that and many other questions, allowing the viewer instead to make their own decisions and create their own relationaships with the characters and the things they encounter.
"28 Days" is a triumph for all involved. There's nothing better for a cynical critic like me then proof on the screen that films moving stories with engaging characters are still being made. Perhaps the best news of all is the resurrection of Sandra Bullock's career after three flops in a row. If she continues to show such wise judgement in choosing her projects, this poor man's Julia Roberts may be topping the A-list once again.

Click Here to see more reviews about: 28 Days (Special Edition) (2000)

28 DAYS - DVD Movie

Get 25% OFF

Click here for more information about 28 Days (Special Edition) (2000)

I Love New York - The Complete First Season (2007) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I mean really, Tiffany "New York" is an absolutly horrible person. Not only does she look like utter trash (the fact that she can barely keep her eyes open due to all that eyeshadow is hilarious by the way), but well...she pretty much is trash. Despite her being a despicable human being with nothing to offer to men or the human race in general, I love this show. Mainly due to the fact that it makes me feel like a better person. Oh sure, I can be as bitter as can be (and how could one not be in a world where a person like "New York" gets their own reality show?) but at least I'm not a crazed, diva with an ego the size of Texas and no substance whatsoever.

Click Here to see more reviews about: I Love New York - The Complete First Season (2007)

The most memorable character from Flavor of Love is leaving the spitfests, catfights and heartbreaks behind. New York is moving on and still looking for love. But this time, she's standing on the other side of the clock, 'cause VH1 and the producers of Flavor of Love have given the sassy siren her own show, her own mansion and 20 guys to choose from. But she's not going it alone. New York and her mom, Sister Patterson, put these men through the paces - testing them on everything from physical prowess, to "daddying" skills, to earning potential and more. In the end, the man with the most love for New York could just walk away with her heart.

Get 75% OFF

Click here for more information about I Love New York - The Complete First Season (2007)