Drop Dead Diva: The Complete First Season (2009) Review

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(More customer reviews)I love this show and hope it comes back for a second season. The premise will be familiar to readers of paranormal romances--a woman dies unexpectedly and comes back in another form that gives her a new perspective on life, society, romance, and, ultimately, her own self.
In this case, the diva that drops dead is a shallow, self-absorbed, not all that bright, but not mean, hot blond with a hot lawyer fiance. Refusing to accept death, she defiantly presses a "return" button while being processed in the afterlife, and whammo, she's back on earth, resuscitated in the body of a very smart, but very chubby brunette lawyer ( looks reminiscent of Delta Burke, but less kittenish).
And off we go. Deb, the dead diva, has to adapt to a new reality as Lane-Bryant-clad plus-size plain Jane. She has her own personality with Jane's brain--so she has a boatload of legal know-how. And, oh oh, her fiance is now a lawyer at Jane's firm. Another female lawyer--one with a slim physique and icy demeanor and high-level ambition that contrasts with Janes's plumpness and subdued prettiness and bit of Deb-ditziness. They sometimes clash, sometimes cooperate, and they are each refining the other, which is cool to watch. Everyone is fated to learn and grow.
The humor and drama are well-balanced, and it's fun to see Margaret Cho as the deadpanning snarky but capable assistant to Jane. The actor who plays Deb's fiance is very appealing and quite handsome (reminds me of the late Edward Albert when he was young with a dash of that guy who was Quentin in DARK SHADOWS, for those who remember). He effectively conveys his loss of Deb as heartrending, and his moments with Jane (where they build a friendship) are so touching and lovely, that I long for the next one where they sit together intimately.
There are shades of LEGALLY BLONDE (with Deb/Jane as a sort of Elle, but with the blonde super-fashionista on the inside). Others refer to Ally McBeal, but this show seems to have a kinder heart and less cynicism than that one.
The guest stars in this first season have been a hoot, including Rosie O'Donnell as a judge, Liza Minelli with Delta Burke as feuding sisters, and Paula Abdul.
It may not be a ground-breaking or uberbrilliant show, but I always look forward to it and my hubby likes to watch with me, too. It's fun, it's got romance, and the actress who plays Jane/Deb is very appealing and likable, with an expressive voice and a wonderful ability to switch deftly from ditzy Deb to on-the-job Jane---and you root for her to win her cases and, we hope, get her man...back!
Thumbs up.

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Life can really throw you curves — especially in this breakthrough Lifetime TV comedy! After beautiful-but-vapid model wannabe Deb (Brooke D\'Orsay) has a fatal car accident, she finds herself in the body of the recently deceased Jane Bingum (Brooke Elliott), a brilliant plus-size attorney. By a twist of fate and a bolt of divine intervention, Deb can no longer rely on her fabulous looks to pull her through. Now, the new Jane must confront the challenges of her adventurous new life, love, and career — as well as her curvier frame — in the ultimate showdown of brains and beauty. Featuring a host of celebrity guest stars including Kathy Najimy, Delta Burke, Rosie O\'Donnell, Paula Abdul, Liza Minelli and Tim Gunn.

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Girlfriends - The Complete First Season (2000) Review

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(More customer reviews)For years now I've been out of touch with the "Girlfriends" TV show. For one, they kept moving it from Monday to some other day, then from one time to another, so I'd never know when to set the VCR. Whenever I could finally catch it, I'd never know what was going on, since "Girlfriends", like another show I'd like to see, "Providence", was serial in nature, in that it had a running story line. I finally gave up trying to watch it on TV, in fact, I've given up watching TV, period. However, I never really gave up wanting to just start over with the show, either through syndication or other means. I'm very happy then, that the DVD of the first season of "Girlfriends" is here at last.
I've just finished the first season through the four DVDs sent to me by Netflix rental. It left with quite the cliffhanger, giving me the feeling that things aren't going to be quite the same between the four women from here out. The writing for this show is great. It's about the lives of four black women of varying socioeconomic and marital status who have managed to forge a great relationship with each other: Attorney Joan, her best friend from childhood, Toni; their friend from college, Lynn; Joan's secretary Maya, and Joan's colleague William is there to offer the male perspective.
Tracee Ellis Ross, as Joan, is a fantastic comic actress; I love those segments where she thinks out loud to the audience! That she's the daughter of a show business legend makes for a good Jeopardy question, however the younger Ms. Ross has carved out a niche of her own as one of the new queens of comedy! And don't we all know people like Joan, the peacemaker who's always trying to fix someone's problems, with the best of intentions. Golden Brooks, as Maya, is a beautiful actress who gives her character a spiritual groundedness as the thus-far only married character. Maya may be lower on the totem pole socially than her boss and Toni, but she brings to the table a pride and intelligence that's not often considered from a secretary, and I like that about this character. On the other hand, Jill Marie Jones' Toni Childs brings all sorts of issues to the table, from skin color to the fact that the way to her heart is through her wallet; and haven't we all known, either personally or otherwise, someone whose sheer gall gets them into trouble and whom we feel obligated to rescue because we've know them so long? Persia White plays the striking young drifter who can't seem to reconcile with life outside of college. Lynn seems to be the flower child who is a couple of decades too late.
I wish I had a posse like this...without the drama, of course! Seriously, the writers have created four very believable women and put them in very believable situations, some of which are very serious, and still there's room for humor. I don't think there's another show like it, and it doesn't hurt that the executive producer of the show is Frasier's Kelsey Grammar.
"Girlfriends" is the best thing to happen to network television, and I hope this is the first of all seven seasons to be released to disc. It will be interesting to see how the show and the characters evolve from here. One thing I would like to see on future sets, is some commentary, either from the main actors or the guest artists or the director of each show. Don't just put the shows on and that's that; this is the only thing that was disappointing There should be extras for a show like this. Surely there were outtakes and other things that didn't make it to broadcast. I would have liked to have seen something on how "Girlfriends" came into being in the first place. This would have been good for a first DVD, but since we didn't get that I'm hoping subsequent releases will be more interesting.

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GIRLFRIENDS is a sophisticated comedy series that invites viewers into the lives of four professional African American women living in Los Angeles who are struggling with the weighty issues of life - men, love, money -- and more men. As they search for happiness in all its elusive forms, the four girlfriends rely on each other for support, reality checks, advice and for the laughter that everyone needs to make it in this crazy place we call the modern world.

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Gilmore Girls: The Complete First Season (2009) Review

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(More customer reviews)"The Show That Almost Wasn't."
That's the most surprising lesson learned about the nature of television production -- as told by the show's creator Amy Sherman-Palladino -- in the WB's stellar GILMORE GIRLS release: Ms. S-P had pitched a variety of programs for WB executives, and, when they asked for more, she made up an idea on the spot -- with no preparation or background detail -- which the executives took! Then, Ms. S-P had to go and create it.
GILMORE GIRLS arguably stands as a benchmark in television history. In some ways, the program is like SEINFELD: if you don't get it, you won't get it. In other ways, it's a high quality Hallmark Channel movie-of-the-week, currently stretching out beyond its fourth season and soon to be entering its fifth. Still, in more ways, there's absolutely nothing else like it on television.
GG is far more than just the story of Lorelai Gilmore and her daughter, Lorelai "Rory" Gilmore: it's the story of the fictional town known as Star's Hollow -- the dreamland for bed-n-breakfast businesses -- and the odd assortment of characters who happen to live, work, and breathe there. While the centerpiece is clearly the Gilmore family -- a contemporization of the BRADY BUNCH, if there could ever be such a thing -- the spin of the show is, to its benefit, the plethora of wonderfully imagined and uniquely quirky townsfolk who populate the secondary storylines.
And, yes, the acting is top notch. The direction is absolutely superb. The writing is, by far, some of the most deserving work being put up on the boob tube today.
Still, GG is on the WB, meaning that it will, more than likely, never find the kind of ratings the show deserves. Like STAR TREK, GILMORE will find its true financial potential in syndication and DVD releases ... much like this current release of the 21 1st season episodes.
To my delight, I'm just discovered these television characters. My wife has watched the show since the beginning, but I always dismissed it as a "chick flick," tuning it out to spend my time on other shows. However, she convinced me to give it a chance this past season (its fourth), and now -- here am I -- writing a review for Season 1 that we watched together virtually non-stop. Others here have raved about the quality of the writing -- the true lifeblood of the program -- and I wouldn't even attempt to do GILMORE a disservice in discussing it other than to add "every good thing that's been said here is absolutely not enough to sanctify how well, apparently, every episode is written."
Honestly, GILMORE is really that good.
Truth be told, the extras are surprisingly thin -- but of good quality -- on this 1st season release, especially considering the fact that the show is currently in production for the WB. Disc 6 includes a handful of deleted scenes; a mini-doc with some revealing insights from the show's creator, cast, and crew; and some scenes from various episodes edited together in a piece that tries to capture the 'essence' of what makes GILMORE GIRLS as remarkable a television achievement as it is. One would think that Warner Brothers would've offered more -- in-depth interviews with the series cast OR, minimally, an audio commentary or two -- but, sadly, that isn't the case. As a result, one could argue that the studio -- as Amy Sherman-Palladino points out in the scant 30 minute documentary -- has underestimated the intelligence of its audience, focusing only on the commercialism of the program and not feeding the fanbase brain.
The 6-disc set is presented in full screen format. The video quality is excellent. The sound quality is excellent (there are a handful of scenes that are hard to hear b/c of verbal pacing, not production issues). Overall, this is one great package only lessened by what they chose not to provide: audio commentaries.

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Sex and the City: The Sixth Season, Part 2 (1998) Review

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(More customer reviews)I own the other SATC collections, so I'm not about to leave my collection unfinished. Particularly with the BEST episode of the entire series ever (beating My Motherboard, Myself from season 4, which, believe me, was no small feat in the excellent series), in American Girl in Paris Part Deux. That episode alone makes this a worthwhile purchase.
The Series wrapped up with many nice surprises. Charlotte's new passion was not only fitting, but really suited the 'new' Charlotte. Miranda's acceptance of the consequences of her new life were masterfully played by Cynthia Nixon. Catrall...Dear LORD how talented is this woman? Her protrayal of Samantha in the most serious stages of her illness was classic Samantha, but with a vulnerability never seen in this character. (Particularly the Samantha/Smith relationship and it's very natural development.) And, of course, SJP wraps up the chapter of Carries life in a very acceptable fashion.
The series' end was handled wonderfully and respectably for all involved (no miracle pregnancy for charlotte, no Carrie's Wedding). This is fine television at it's best, and any series fan will have to own this, just on principle alone.
That being said, I agree with the earlier review who said HBO isn't real 'user friendly' when it comes to programming their DVD's. I'd like to be able to watch one episode after another, but ya gotta keep running back and forth between menus. And, as I said in this episode's predecessor review...Why only half a season? What???? But, now that you have both parts, it makes it a whole. A pricey whole in relation to the other, full-season-in-one-package wholes, but at least complete.
Now, one gripe I have moreso with this portion of the series was Mikhail Barishnikov's character. I could never warm up to him, and aside from providing some kinda father figure 'thing', I couldn't see why in the world Carrie would have ever been attracted to him, much less moved to Paris with him! That was the only part I found slightly 'off' in an otherwise perfect season.
But, the best twenty minutes of writing happen in the last section of the last episode, and I cannot fathom how any fan of this series or these characters doesn't require at least 5 hankies to make it through. It's a wonderful end to a wonderful series.

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Sex this good can't last forever...but Carrie Bradshaw and her three best friends - Miranda, Charlotte and Samantha - are back for one last fling, sure to be scintillating and unpredictable as the metropolis they live in. It's the last hurrah for Carrie and Co., with more new episodes of the sixth - and final - season of HBO's smash-hit comedy series Sex and the City!DVD Features:Alternate endings:Four Audio Commentaries with Michael Patrick King Aspen Comedy Arts Festival Seminar recorded in March 2004 featuring Sarah Jessica Parker, Michael Patrick King, and other writers from the show - Run time 1 hour, 15 minutes. 10 Deleted Scenes 3 Never-Before-Seen Alternate Endings 2 Farewell Tributes Audio CommentaryDeleted Scenes:Four Audio Commentaries with Michael Patrick King Aspen Comedy Arts Festival Seminar recorded in March 2004 featuring Sarah Jessica Parker, Michael Patrick King, and other writers from the show - Run time 1 hour, 15 minutes. 10 Deleted Scenes 3 Never-Before-Seen Alternate Endings 2 Farewell Tributes

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Desperate Housewives: The Complete Sixth Season Review

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(More customer reviews)The five-year jump at the end of season five highlighted what was to be a rocky road for the inhabitants on Wisteria Lane. For the viewers, too. A lot happened at the end of season five and also when the show returned for its sixth run on September 27, 2009.
Dark, ominous creatures moved into town and took the shape of the Bolen family. By the end of episode one, NICE IS DIFFERENT THAN GOOD, a regular cast member is jumped from behind and strangled into a violent coma. Susan Mayer's daughter, Julie, is hospitalized and Susan is left to grieve (Hatcher's acting chops are versatile in this season) next to her newly recycled beau, Mike Delfino. Hatcher gives a flawless performance as an anguished mom.
The sixth season unfolds with scores of strange undercurrents. Lynette and Tom are expecting twins. As if their lives are not consumed with enough energy from the other rug rats in the family. Bree finds solace, albeit reluctantly, with a man named Karl Mayer--Susan's ex. And later in the season, Bree reveals a secret that may surprise some viewers. Gabrielle and Carlos have to deal with a rebellious teenager to whom many moms watching can attest. Jesse Metcalfe returns as John, but only to stir up dirt between Gabrielle and Carlos, who seem to be "settling down" in their own comfortable life. Only that illusion dissolves later when Gabriel puts her own life on the line to help try and save Angie Bolen.
A same-sex love affair/relationship blossoms between Katherine Mayfair and a newcomer to the show, Julie Benz. It fizzles, and by the end of the season the question whether or not Katherine and Robin will return hangs in the air. Nonetheless, Benz's depiction of Robin is lovely and down-to-earth--a nice addition to some of the unpleasant characters living on Wisteria Lane. Turmoil suddenly erupts during the Christmas holiday, leaving lives hanging in the boughs. Later in the season, a stranger drifts into town and marks his presence at the Bolen family house.
The ongoing Fairview "strangler" storyline is an interesting arc throughout the season. Who attacked Julie Mayer? Viewers are left to wonder until the end, horror-struck, who the culprit really is. And when that happens, more disaster between the characters explode into a nail-biting finale. Questions are left unanswered, and the women on Wisteria Lane are in another conundrum--a perfect but somewhat frustrating dilemma for rabid fans of the show. Now we must wait until the fall to revisit our favorite guilty pleasure and get answers to our many questions.
Desperate Housewives season six may tread water at times, however: viewers are hungry for interaction with the women of Wisteria Lane. The absence of Lynette, Susan, Bree, Katherine and Gabrielle sitting around the table playing poker and gossiping about the latest goings-on is solely missed in this season. The problem: Too many new characters and storylines seem to have drowned out the lives of the main players. For example, the relationship between Susan and her daughter, Julie, is limited during the sixth season. We miss the bond that they had developed in earlier years. Maybe when Julie is out of the hospital, she can go home to recover. Newcomers, Bob and Lee, were introduced to the show in season five to a standing ovation. By the fifth year, the show needed a revamp of new characters. However, their storylines in season sixth are pitiful and are in need of a tune up. For two good actors, they do not get an adequate amount of camera time. Fingers crossed, let's hope Marc Cherry and his family of writers introduce a juicy storyline for them in subsequent seasons.
As for the characters, some will stay, while others have already flown the coop, never to return, and new and old comers will arrive to Wisteria Lane in season seven. The drama continues ...
Whatever your opinion is of the sixth season, whether you hate it or love it, there is no denying that Desperate Housewives delivers the best entertainment week after week, with a cast of brilliant actors and actresses. With this DVD box-set, you can watch it at your own pace, in your home, at any time.
Nice is Different Than Good
Being Alive
Never Judge a Lady by her Lover
The God-Why-Don't-You-Love-Me Blues
Everybody Ought to Have a Maid
Don't Walk on the Grass
Careful the Things You Say
The Coffee Cup
Would I Think of Suicide?
Boom Crunch
If
You Gotta Get a Gimmick
How About a Friendly Shrink?
The Glamorous Life
Lovely
The Chase
Chromolume No. 7
My Two Young Men
We All Deserve to Die
Epiphany
A Little Night Music
The Ballad of Booth
I Guess This is Goodbye T.B. Grant

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When things get rough on Wisteria Lane, the Housewives band together like neverbefore. Relive the passion, the laughter, and the mystery of television\'s celebrated dramatic comedy with The Complete Sixth Season of Desperate Housewives.The neighborhood is jolted with the arrival of Angie Bolen (Drea de Matteo) and her family, and it soon becomes clear that they are hiding something. But what is their secret, and what are their true intentions? Meanwhile, a plane crash on Wisteria Lane causes everyone to reflect on their lives and the choices that have made them who they are. Experience every juicy episode, and get inside access to your favorite show with never-before-seen bonus features. Find out more on DVD with this spectacular 5-disc set. It\'s the perfect addition to your Desperate Housewives collection!

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Pleasantville (New Line Platinum Series) (1998) Review

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(More customer reviews)Pleasantville may be one of the best, most underrated movies of all time. I admit, when it was first released, the premise seemed a bit goofy: two teenagers (played by then-unknown actors) are suddenly cast into a Leave It To Beaver-like classic TV town called Pleasantville by none other than Don Knotts (reminds you a little of the forgettable "Stay Tuned," doesn't it?). Upon their arrival, however, they discover that Pleasantville isn't everything it's cracked up to be and that being "pleasant" means missing out on some basic, vital parts of life (such as toilets, and of course, sex). What follows is an amazing transformation: of the main characters, the town, and even the movie itself, whose stunning cinematography slowly adds bursts of color to Pleasantville's black and white world while simultaneously providing a metaphor for the race conflicts of the 1950s and 60s. The two unknown actors turn out to be the now-famous Tobey Maguire and Reese Whitherspoon, both of whom shine like the stars they are in one of their first movies. Added to this are excellent supporting performances by some of the best in the business, including William H. Macy, Joan Allen, Jeff Daniels, and the late great character actor J.T. Walsh. An absolutely incredible, must-see film.

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Charms For the Easy Life (2002) Review

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(More customer reviews)This film surprised me in a lot of ways. The title makes it sound "fluffy" but there's a lot of punch in the story.
It's about 3 strong-willed women as they live their lives and interact with each other and the world around them. The grandmother, Charlie Kate (Gena Rowlands) is the pivot of the story. She's tough but not uncaring. She knows who she is and what she wants from life. Her daughter, Sophia (Mimi Rogers), is also strong but in a different way. Margaret (Susan May Pratt) is the granddaughter, who blends the best of her grandmother and mother.
There's a lot of humor in the film and a fair amount of pathos as well but it's neither a comedy nor depressing. There is a lot to admire in all 3 women and how they respond to each other and live their lives.

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Popular - The Complete Second Season (1999) Review

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(More customer reviews)We all remember our days in high school. The moments that built our characters and the friends that defined who we were. So what crowd were you "in"? What clique established you? These questions might strike an emotional note with you, but not with the students of Kennedy High. Sam, Brooke, Josh, Sugar Daddy and the rest of the gang are back in the second season of the hit WB show, Popular.
The show centers around the life of two polar opposite high school girls: Sam, the outcast and Brooke, the teen queen. The world through their eyes is drastically different but they share one common demoninator. Their family. In the first season of the groundbreaking series, Brooke and Sam saw their single parents move in together and their worlds collide inside and outside of their high school walls. Their respected cliques began to blend and the barriers between what was cool and who was popular slowly fell apart. In the second, and final season, of the series the lead heroines begin to take on their battles not against, but standing next to each other.
The season, which relies heavily on its comedic side, introduces new characters (such as Equisite Woo, who has an acute and entertaining relationship with Popular favorite Mary Cherry) and delves into the darker side of the returning ones. The dynamic of the show is once again its satire on the cliche high school experience. The majority of the plots revolve around outlandish events that could, most obviously, never happen but always prove to be both enlightening and hilarious.
Throughout the 21 episodes, we are also introduced to the more dramatic side of the situations and characters we love. One has a life-threatening sickness and another will do anything to get revenge on the ones who have done her wrong. With guest appearances by one of Populars most loved, Delta Burke and a shocking series finale that will leave viewers both satisfied and begging for more, Popular Season 2 is wildly hilarious, exceptionally entertaining and a complete joy to behold. I recommend you journey into the minds of the the high school life we all wish we had!

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Item Name: Popular - The Complete Second Season; Studio:Buena Vista Home Entertainment

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Fantasy Island - The Complete First Season (1978) Review

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(More customer reviews)It's about time! Finally, some of the fine work of Aaron Spelling is being released on DVD. Charlie's Angels came out a few years ago to coincide with that dire movie, then we had a long dry spell until August '05, with the release of T.J. Hooker. Hart to Hart is due out in October, then in November...Fantasy Island! My picks for next Spelling shows on DVD: Matt Houston and Family. Oh please, oh please!
Fantasy Island was a mid-season replacement, so its first season ('78-'79) only had 14 episodes and one two-hour TV movie, "Return to Fantasy Island" (the original TV Movie "Fantasy Island" aired in January '77). The episodes in the first season are as follows:
ESCAPE / CINDERELLA GIRLSDiana Canova, Bert Convy
BET A MILLION / MR. IRRESISTIBLEHenry Gibson, John Schuck
THE PRINCE / THE SHERIFF Ed Begley Jr., Lisa Hartman
FAMILY REUNION / VOODOOJuliet Mills, John Gavin, Lauren Tewes, Howard Duff
LADY OF THE EVENING / THE RACERChristopher George, Jerry VanDyke
TREASURE HUNT / BEAUTY CONTESTGene Barry, Louis Nye
THE FUNNY GIRL / BUTCH AND SUNDANCEJames MacArthur, Marcia Strassman, Christopher Connelly
SUPERSTAR / SALEMLeslie Nielsen, Gary Burghoff, Vera Miles
TROUBLE, MY LOVELY / THE COMMON MAN Don Knotts, Nancy Walker, Bernie Kopell
THE OVER THE HILL CAPER / POOF! YOU'RE A MOVIE STARRay Bolger, Foster Brooks
REUNION / ANNIVERSARY Michele Lee, Jim Backus, Lucie Arnaz
KING FOR A DAY / INSTANT FAMILY David Doyle, Theodore Bikel, Adam Rich
FOOL FOR A CLIENT / DOUBLE YOUR PLEASURE Ken Barry, Rich Little, Lana Wood
CALL ME LUCKY / TORCH SINGERRichard Dawson, Dick Butkus, Edd "Kookie" ByrnesNow, just look at that list of luminaries! I mean, you won't come across Natalie Wood's sister Lana just anywhere. Marcia "Mrs. Kotter" Strassman? Gary "Radar" Burghoff? Normally you'd have to watch at least a month's worth of Match Game to see all these stars. But not with the advent of Fantasy Island on DVD. Now all you have to do is pop in one of these discs and you'll soon see Herve Villechaize once again ascending the spiral staircase, ringing the bell, and calling out, "De plane! De plane!" then scampering back to Mr. Roarke's side just in time to oversee Ken Barry being handed his fruity rum drink.
I tell ya, they just don't make 'em like this anymore.

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Bones: The Complete Second Season (2005) Review

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(More customer reviews)FOX Television has struck gold with the series, BONES. The series stars BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER and ANGEL heartthrob David Boreanaz as FBI Agent Seely Booth and relative newcomer Emily Deschanel as Temperance Brennan.
The series is based on books written by real-life forensic anthropologist Kathy Reichs. Reichs is also a real-life NEW YORK TIMES best-selling author. Viewers of the television show will quickly discover that the "Temperance Brennan" of the books is much different than the character in the television show. The literary Temperance is a divorced mother with a problematic family.
In the television show, Temperance is an orphan that was raised in foster care and has trouble relating to others on an interpersonal level. She also happens to be an author and writes about a forensic anthropologist named Kathy Reichs.
The two series, in some ways, are vastly different. But people who enjoy the show will probably enjoy the books. And people enjoy the books, once they get over the fact that their favorite heroine isn't presented the way she is in the novels, will have a blast with the television show.
BONES, derived from Seely Booth's pet name for Temperance and from the fact that a forensic anthropologist usually only has skeletons to work with, is a fascinating interplay of almost-romance, outstanding characters, and nifty little puzzles dealing with murder and mayhem. The chemistry between the two stars is palpable and believable. I haven't seen Boreanaz anything that I haven't liked him in. Deschanel was new to me, although I had seen her in a supporting role in GLORY ROAD that was much different than the Temperance role.
The almost-romance shtick has gotten potentially old after playing in MOONLIGHTING and LOIS AND CLARK, as well as many others. In fact, long-time mystery viewers will remember a show called REMINGTON STEELE that starred Pierce Brosnan and Stephanie Zimbalist. After those two characters hooked up, viewer interest seemed to wane. Series developer Hart Hanson has to know he's walking a thin line but by choosing to go this route. However, it plays beautifully at present.
The second season continues much of the same tone that was set in the first season. Booth has warmed up to Brennan and her crew, although he still continues to refer to them as the Squint Squad when referring to them among his peers at the FBI. Booth and Brennan also continue to look for her father and to find out what happened to her mother after Brennan's parents disappeared when she was just a teenager.
While Booth's romance with Brennan continues to fizzle this season, maybe even more difficult by the addition of Doctor Camille Saroyan (Tamara Taylor), Angela (Michaela Conlin) and Jack's (T. J. Thyne) romance buds, blossoms, and almost bears fruit. As it turns out, Saroyan is a pathologist (which is a conflict in field of study to a degree to an anthropologist), is Brennan's new boss, and is one Booth's ex-lovers.
Tensions mount between Booth and Brennan as each tries to figure out where the other fits into the work and personal scenes. However, thankfully, the idea of romance is merely hinted at and flirted with rather than moved into a starring role. This is a great choice for the series at the moment, but I don't know how much longer they can successfully pull this off.
In addition to interesting leads, Booth and Brennan are backed by fantastic supporting characters who often step into the limelight of an episode. Zack and Hodges continue to bring slapstick scientific moments to the episodes. Although I really didn't think they could top running the semi-frozen pig corpse through the wood chipper last season, they blew the roof off my expectations with the season opener when they simulated a burning death of a victim using Spam lunch meat. I can always count on those two for a laugh, either through Zack's deadpan delivery or Hodges's conspiracy theories.
Angela is the heart and soul of the investigatory unit. She reminds the team and the viewer that the victims in each episode were real people. Plus, she's gotta be one of the hottest babes on television today. I will never forget how she grabbed the attention of the airline clerk in the first season opener.
Only 21 of Season Two's 22-episode run are included on this box set. One of the episodes, "Player Under Pressure," was pulled out of the lineup during the regular season. The plot line was uncomfortably close to the Virginia Tech shootings. It will be aired this year in Season Three.
There were a lot of outstanding episodes this year, and it was good to see them again in this box set. I was happy to see that this set contains six single-sided discs instead of three double-sided discs like in the last set. On double-sided discs, it gets too complicated tried to figure out which side is up. Plus, I like the cosmetic appeal of having pictures of the actors and actresses on the top of the disc. This also helps make the discs immediately recognizable.
The special features include voiceovers on select episodes, two featurettes, and a gag reel that shows viewers how much fun this series must be to work on. Although the special features are still "bare bones" compared to what viewers want, it does add up to more reasons to pick up the box set.
BONES is one of the best hours of television currently on. If you haven't discovered the series for yourself and you're looking for something to fill the gap left by the cancellation of VERONICA MARS, this series may well be what you're looking for.


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Detectives Bones and Booth create undeniable chemistry and humor while solving crimes using frequently clashing investigative styles.
Audio: English: Dolby Surround 5.1
Language: Dubbed: English / Subtitled: French & Spanish
Disc 1:
The Titan on the Tracks
Mother and Child in the BayThe Boy in the Shroud
The Blonde in the Game
Disc 2:
The Truth in the Lye
The Girl In Suite 2103
The Girl with the Curl
The Woman in the Sand
Disc 3:
Aliens in a Spaceship
The Headless Witch in the Woods
Judas on a Pole
The Man in theCell
Disc 4:
The Girl in the Gator
The Man in the Mansion
The Bodies in the Book
The Bonless Bride in the River
Disc 5:
The Priest in the Churchyard
The Killerin the Concrete
Spaceman in a Crater
The Glowing Bones in the Old Stone House
Disc 6:
Stargazer In a Puddle
With Commemtary by actors David Boranez, Emily Deschanel and director Caleb Deschanel
With Commemtary by Executive Producer Steven Nathan

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