Nip/Tuck: The Complete Second Season (2004) Review

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(More customer reviews)The second season of FX's Nip/Tuck went above and beyond the conventions set during it's first season, with plenty of shocks and surprises for all involved. Beginning with Christian (Julian McMahon, soon to be seen as the villainous Dr. Doom in Fantastic Four) fighting for custody of the son he knows isn't his, while Sean (Dylan Walsh) ponders over hitting the big four 0. Eventually, Sean comes across a mysterious "life coach" (Famke Janssen) who soon begins a dangerous affair with Sean's oldest son. This leads to a shocking revelation for Sean, Christian, and Sean's wife Julia (the teriffic Arly Jover) that soon becomes one of the most gut wrenchingly heartbreaking moments on TV today. But it doesn't end there. Christian comes face to face with the possibility that he might be HIV positive, and Sean comes face to face with a knife wielding masked would be killer after he does some pro bono work for victims mutilated by him. All this ends in a season ending cliffhanger that will have you salivating for season three, which hopefully, will be just as surprising. The personal demons of Sean and Christian are what really drive Nip/Tuck, while the incredibly realistic plastic surgery scenes will either help draw you in or completely repel you. Over the course of these episodes, the characters are deconstructed more than one could ever think possible, but the great cast and twisty storytelling will keep you addicted. All in all, Nip/Tuck really became something special in it's second season (there's a reason it's garnered so much acclaim and accolades), and this is definitely the definition of must see TV.

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Flash and cash. Sex and style. Power and prestige. All it takes is a Nip/Tuck. The acclaimed series at TV's cutting edge continues in a Deluxe 16-Episode Season Two Set on six discs with Revealing Enhancements. Dylan Walsh and Julian McMahon return as the elite plastic surgery team of McNamara/Troy, whose skill at giving others perfect bodies contrasts with the doctors' imperfect personal lives. From love (Troy falls for a self-assured blind woman) to lust (McNamara dates a porn star), from painful revelations (a secret from the past shatters the practice) to powerful moments (conjoined adults seek the doctors' help) to astonishing truths (a New Age "life coach" hides what ultimately can't be hidden), this second-season operation is a total success. Thank you, doctors!

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Awakenings (1990) Review

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(More customer reviews)Based on the real life story of Dr. Oliver Sacks, 'Awakenings' ranks as one of the best movies I've seen. If features a terrific screenplay that was adapted from the book and a memorable directing job by Penny Marshall. But the most suprising thing to me was the choice of actors to play the two main roles in the movie. Robin Williams was pretty much known as the slightly insane comic genius from the 1980's, and Robert DeNiro was playing such hard-hitting, aggressive characters in films like 'Raging Bull', 'The Untouchables', 'Taxi Driver', and 'The Deer Hunter'. Both actors turn in career performances, and play parts that totally will smash any preconceived notions you had of them up to that point.
The film is based on Dr. Leo Sayer(Williams) and his work with people who have come down with a mysterious sleeping-sickness in 1918, which has left them in a catatonic state. Dr. Sayer is a shy person who is not comfortable conversing with others, but is also a very dedicated neurologist. He starts to work with these "sleeping" people and thinks that he senses something in them that is alive deep inside. He begins to work with a man called Leonard Lowe(DeNiro), and takes a special interest in him. He reads up on the drug L-Dopa, which had helped people in similiar states as his patients, and tries to convince the hospital and Leonard's mother to try the drug on her son. They allow the test to happen, and Leonard wakes up from his "sleep". The drug is then tried on his other patients with similar results. You would think that it was a happy story from thereafter, but life is not full of Hollywood endings, and the story does not take the easy way out. It won't leave you depressed or exhilarated but somewhere in between, like life is most of the time.
Definitely one of the best films to come out in the past 12 years, and should be in any serious movie buff's collection. There are no extra's on the DVD, but the quality of the picture is pretty good. But in the end, isn't it about the movie, not the extra's(by the way, I love the extra's just as much as everyone else). Marshall, Williams, and DeNiro have made a special film that they should be proud of and will be watched by generations to come.

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BASED ON THE TRUE STORY OF A SHY RESEARCH PHYSICIAN WHO USES AN EXPERIMENTAL DRUG TO AWAKEN CATATONIC VICTIMS OF A RARE SLEEPING SICKNESS.

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Private Practice: The Complete Second Season Review

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(More customer reviews)In 2007, Shonda Rhimes (creator/executive producer of "Grey's Anatomy" and writer of "The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement") developed a spin-off of "Grey's Anatomy" titled "Private Practice" based on the life of Dr. Addison Montgomery (Kate Walsh). For the most part, "Private Practice" Season One lasted about nine episodes and received a so/so reception from fans.
For the second season, viewers were promised a much more exciting season and sure enough, Shondra Rhimes and crew were able to take the series to different heights this time around.
"Private Practice - The Complete Second Season" features 22 episodes (Episode 10-31) on six discs.
VIDEO & AUDIO:
"Private Practice - The Complete Second Season" is presented in Widescreen (1:78:1) - Enhanced for 16×9 televisions. Whereas "Grey's Anatomy" tends to be focused indoors, inside the hospital, "Private Practice" has a slick California look. Indoor scenes are well-lit and outdoor scenes are quite vibrant but viewers will notice the grain in the series. Even during the low-light scenes, you do see a bit of noise but compared to other drama series on television, the series is above average in terms of picture quality on DVD.
As for audio, the series is presented in Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound. The series similar is primarily dialogue driven, so it's pretty much front and center channel driven. There is no accidents or any major sound effects or even a lot of music like "Grey's Anatomy" in "Private Practice" but for the most part, audio is clear and understandable.
The show is presented in English SDH, Spanish and French subtitles.
SPECIAL FEATURES:
"Private Practice - The Complete Second Season" includes the following special features:
DISC 6:
* Patient Confidentiality: Examining Season 2 - (12:52) Creator/Executive Producer Shonda Rhimes and Executive Betsy Beers talk about wanting to focus on the moral and ethical dilemma as doctors for Season 2. The talents also chime in on the various season 2 storylines and add their own personal feelings.
* Life Through the Lens: The Pictures of Chris Lowell - (8:10) Actor Chris Lowell (who plays William "Dell" Parker") showcases his photography and he talks about his inspirations and the cast talk about how he is a talented photographer. While the talents are complimentary, Lowell is more comedic when describing his photography.
* Extended Episodes and Deleted Scenes - 14 deleted scenes with optional audio commentary by Creator/Executive Producer Shondra Rhimes and Executive Producer Betsy Beers.
* Bloopers - (4:17) "Private Practice Season 2' bloopers
JUDGMENT CALL:
With the first season of "Private Practice" receiving so-so reviews, the "Grey's Anatomy" spin-off needed to make sure that the second season was significant enough to captivate the audience's attention enough to stay for all 22 episodes.
So, what better with the country's economy affecting private practices, to show Oceanside Wellness Center in a similar predicament. The early episodes tend to focus on the company on the verge of bankruptcy and the Addison doing what she can to prevent the company from bankruptcy and hoping for the private practice to emerge from its problems.
But along with the company problems, each of the main characters have their own major issues.
Addison deals with major issues with the company (and eventually leading the company), problems with men, the return of her brother (and her brother working for the rival practice), her relationship with her friend Naomi starts to grow apart and we get to see Addison and McDreamy once again during the "Grey's Anatomy" cross-over.
This season's love triangle appears to be between Pete-Violet-Sheldon. As Violet becomes pregnant, she is not sure who the father of the baby is and both men makes things more complicated when each want to be with her. But if anything, the most significant part of season two is Violet's character at the season finale and to say the least, it will be interesting to find out if a major character does not make it for the rest of season three.
As for Naomi and Sam, things get quite interesting with them as Naomi now finally moves on with her life and starts to date other men (including Addison's brother Archer), while Sam starts to show more concern over Naomi as she is seen sneaking off quite often from the practice.
As for Cooper, his storyline becomes the Cooper-Charlotte storyline and Cooper now wanting to be there for his good friend Violet and move in with her and support her during her pregnancy, while Charlotte being the cold-hearted doctor of St. Ambrose and later on developing a rival practice against Oceanside Wellness, she becomes more jealous of the time Cooper spends with Violet.
And as for Dell, he has to deal with his ex-girlfriend's drug problems and finding out that he has a daughter and gets into an even more complicated situation. Talk about a character who's likability seems to have fallen.
And as the characters face their major issues, on the medical end, the series deals with ethical and moral issues. The series definitely received some controversy with episodes such as episode 20 titled "Contamination" which dealt with autism and whether or not vaccinations do cause autism, another that dealt with sexual relationship between a woman and a young teenage boy, accidental switching of embryos, physician-assisted suicide and siblings who have sex with each other and more. Needless to say, both Shondra Rhimes and Betsy Beers definitely wanted to push the button on certain medical issues.
But part of the problem with "Private Practice" is that it seems as if the writers can not keep up the quality of writing with many of their characters and some are not getting the time that they need. I felt that this was an angsty season and a season where characters storylines were a bit uneven. Writers...please find Addison a decent man instead of having her fall for someone that is always taken. Also, remember... Sam? He needs a storyline. And Dell, this character is really being jerked around quite a bit. "Angsty" seems to be my word to describe season 2. And to cap it off, a season finale that takes a story from what we see in the front page and definitely a dark and twisted finale that I was surely not expecting.
Overall, "Private Practice - The Complete Second Season" had a good number of entertaining episodes and the chemistry of the characters are pretty good and overall, I enjoy the problems and rivalry among the private practices but when it comes to the characters and their storylines, I'm hoping Season 3 is less angsty.
If "Grey's Anatomy" stars can have its up and downs but yet find some happiness, I hope the characters of "Private Practice" at least get some of that for season 3.

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Private Practice is a spin off of the highly popular ABC series Grey's Anatomy. Dr. Addison Forbes Montgomery, a renowned neonatal surgeon realizes that her life isn't advancing at Seattle Grace and packs her bags and heads off to Santa Monica to start a new life. She reunites with her newly divorced med school friends and joins them in their chic private practice.

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House, M.D.: Season One (2004) Review

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(More customer reviews)"House, M.D." is one of the best shows on television right now. It has brilliant writing, great stories, and an amazing cast lead by the incredible Hugh Laurie.
What's it about?
"House, M.D." is about a brilliant doctor (named "House") who treats patients with ailments that other doctors have failed to cure. House is aided in his search for what is wrong with his patients by a skilled team of doctors. Among the more interesting cases are people suffering from hepatitus, rabies, and a tape worm.
While the medical cases are facinating, the heart of the show is Hugh Laurie's performance as Dr. House. Dr. House is brilliant and damaged in soul and in body. He walks with a limp caused by muscle death in his leg. This ailment combined with his natural propensity for sarcasm make Dr. House a grumpy and blunt man who is not afraid to say what he thinks. Here are some of the most popular:
From..."Mob Rules"
MobsterLawyer: My brother's not gay!
House: No, but he's certainly delightful.
From..."Three Stories"
"I'm sure this goes against everything you've been taught, but right and wrong do exist. Just because you don't know what the right answer is - maybe there's even no way you could know what the right answer is - doesn't make your answer right or even okay. It's much simpler than that. It's just plain wrong."
From..."Pilot"
House: "Ah, yes, but as the philosopher Jagger once said, 'You can't always get what you want.'"
Cuddy (later in the episode): "I looked up that philosopher, Jagger, you mentioned, and you're right, you can't always get what you want. But as it turns out, if you try sometimes, you get what you need."
From..."Paternity"
Hello, sick people and their loved ones! In the interest of saving time and avoiding a lot of boring chitchat later, I'm Doctor Gregory House; you can call me "Greg." I'm one of three doctors staffing this clinic this morning. This ray of sunshine is Doctor Lisa Cuddy. Doctor Cuddy runs this whole hospital, so unfortunately she's much too busy to deal with you. I am a board certified diagnostician with a double specialty of infectious disease and nephrology. I am also the only doctor currently employed at this hospital who is forced to be here against his will. That is true, isn't it? But not to worry, because for most of you, this job could be done by a monkey with a bottle of Motrin. Speaking of which, if you're particularly annoying, you may see me reach for this: this is Vicodin. It's mine! You can't have any! And no, I do not have a pain management problem, I have a pain problem... but who knows? Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe I'm too stoned to tell. So, who wants me?
If you watch this show, you won't be disappointed.

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Go deeper into the medical mysteries of House, TV's most compelling new drama, as all 22 Season One episodes and exclusive bonus features come to DVD! Hugh Laurie stars as the brilliant, but sarcastic Dr. Gregory House, a maverick physician who is devoid of bedside manner. While his behavior can border on antisocial, Dr. House thrives on the challenge of solving the medical puzzles that other doctors give up on. Together with his hand-picked team of young medical experts, he'll do whatever it takes in the race against the clock to solve the case. Check out each gripping episode featuring some of TV's hottest guest stars, including Carmen Electra, Chi McBride, Scott Foley and Sela Ward. It's the intriguing new series TV Guide's Matt Roush hails as "the uncommon cure for the common medical drama."

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Royal Pains: Season One (2009) Review

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(More customer reviews)In some ways, the rich are no different from the rest of us: they get sick, get hurt, and need doctors to figure out what makes them ache. "Royal Pains: Season One" follows the misadventures of a doctor who finds himself at their beck and call, and it has the right mix of everything -- luxurious living in the Hamptons, weird medical crises, and a fair amount of humor.
Hank Lawson (Mark Feuerstein) is a successful young E.R. doctor in New York... until the day when a wealthy trustee dies because he focused on saving a dying teenager. Trying to distract him from his woes, his brother Evan (Paulo Costanzo) whisks him to an exclusive party in the Hamptons, at the palatial mansion of the reclusive, absurdly-wealthy Boris Rabanisch (Campbell Scott).
Then a woman nearly dies at the party, and Hank manages to save both her and Boris' treasured privacy. As a result, he soon finds himself drafted as the new concierge doctor for the wealthy Hamptons residents, along with Evan and a physician's assistant named Divya (Reshma Shetty). And his work often brings him to see Jill Casey (Jill Flint), the administrator of a local hospital.
Among the cases: breast implant disasters, an epidemic at a "bark mitzvah," a mystery shark bite, a hemophiliac teenager and his "cyberchondriac" girlfriend, and mystery ailments afflicting a senator's son, a ballerina, a horseback rider, a restauranteur, and a bestselling illustrator. Since Hank cares more about curing people than making money, he also provides care for people who can't afford the best -- but the person who needs his help the most may also be the wealthiest.
I normally can't watch medical shows -- every time I try, I develop a massive case of "medical students' disease" and end up having to go watch "Psych" instead. Fortunately, "Royal Pains" is relatively light on the medical gore (despite the "flail chest" episode) -- the biggest problem is that Hank's McGuyveresque medskills sometimes stretch credibility (he makes a microscope out of jeweler's loupes?).
Despite all the deadly medical stuff, the writers also include a lot of light humor (the hot tub disaster) and fun dialogue ("She is my right hand AND my left hand, and occasionally my brain!"). But there are some heavier currents woven into the story, such as Jill's struggles to open a free clinic for the poorer people of the Hamptons. And there's a running mystery about what Boris is doing, and what his motivations might be.
Feuerstein is quite likable and endearing as a kind doctor with a conscience, who cares more about curing people than for money or politics -- and the on-off romance he has with Flint is rather cute, if complicated by Jill's ex-hubby. Costanzo's bumbling Evan can be a bit annoying at times (especially in the season finale), but he does seem to be improving. And Shetty's Divya is awesome: a sharp-tongued, sharp-minded young woman who is trapped into an arranged engagement by her arrogant parents.
And there are some great supporting actors as well -- Scott's elegant and mysterious Boris, Christine Ebersole's kindly but eccentric socialite, and Ezra Miller's neglected teenager Tucker (who becomes a sort of little-brother/nephew figure to Hank).
"Royal Pains" has some areas that need polishing, but the mixture of medical drama and guilty pleasure is pretty addictive stuff. Just don't make Dr. Hank detox you.

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Hank is a rising star in the New York City medical community, until he loses everything fighting for the life of a patient. With his career stalled and his personal life in shambles, Hank is in need of a new beginning. That’s where his younger brother Evan (Paulo Costanzo) steps in. Fed up with Hank’s personal pity party, he convinces Hank to join him on a last-minute trip to the Hamptons for Memorial Day weekend. When the brothers crash a party at the home of a Hamptons billionaire and a guest falls critically ill, Hank saves the day. His dramatic medical rescue draws attention from the crowd.Inadvertently, Hank becomes the hot new “concierge doctor" in town. With encouragement from Evan and an ambitious young woman who volunteers to be his physician assistant he decides to stay in town solving medical crises and helping those in need. Hank is back to doing what he does best. And now he’s reinvented himself as the Hamptons’ hottest new “doctor-in-demand."

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Something the Lord Made (2004) Review

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(More customer reviews)Alan Rickman and Mos Def give superb performances in this wonderfully-written film about the triumph of intelligence and creativity over the effects of racial prejudice.
"Something The Lord Made" is the real-life story of Dr. Alfred Blalock and technician (later Dr.) Vivian Thomas, both of whom pioneered open-heart surgery in America in the mid-twentieth century.
Rickman, as Blalock, gives a flawless, charismatic portrayal of an egotistical surgeon who gains nobility of spirit while he defies (and yet is simultaneously confined by) the customs of his society. Rickman's performance is all the more impressive because he is British, and Blalock was an American from the south; nevertheless, Rickman's southern accent is natural and effortless.
Rickman brings likability and humanity to what could otherwise be an unsympathetic character; and this core humanity gives "Something The Lord Made" a depth not often seen in tales of bigotry within American society. Too often, tales of this sort delineate the bad guys from the good guys in an almost cartoonish fashion, but Rickman's Blalock is both good and bad, reflecting more accurately the reality of the times in which both characters lived.
Mos Def gives a subtle, moving and sympathetic performance as Vivian Thomas, a gifted man who is caught in the trap of prejudice and the expectations of an unenlighted society. The film clearly demonstrates that Thomas is the intellectual peer of Blalock; it is society and circumstance that for years robs Thomas of the practical opportunity to become Blalock's actual peer in terms of status. Def gives us the portrait of a man who chooses patience over reaction; through him, we feel outrage at the denial of the respect due Thomas, time and again.
The writing in this film is low-key and highly effective. Because American society has in some ways changed since the mid-twentieth century setting of this film, younger viewers may not understand the actions and choices made by Blalock and Thomas, both within this film and within real life. Nevertheless, "Something The Lord Made" gives an extremely uplifting and surprisingly accurate portrayal of life as it really existed in those times, and should be appreciated both as an historical and enlightening film.

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(Drama) Something the Lord Made tells the emotional true story of two men who defied the rules of their time to launch a medical revolution, set against the backdrop of the Jim Crow south. Working in 1940s Baltimore on an unprecedented technique for performing heart surgery on "blue babies," Dr. Alfred Blalock (Alan Rickman) and lab technician Vivien Thomas (Mos Def) form an impressive team. As Blalock and Thomas invent a new field of medicine, saving thousands of lives in the process, social pressures threaten to undermine their collaboration and tear their friendship apart.DVD Features:Audio Commentary:Audio commentary with director Joseph Sargent, writer Peter Silverman, executive directors Eric Hetzel and Joseph W. Cort Featurette Making History Slide Show FeaturetteOther:Making History Slide Show

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