A History of Scotland Review

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(More customer reviews)This is a rivetting account of a turbulent history of yet another small country fighting for its integrity, let alone its independence, from its much bigger southern neighbour. The early portion of the formation of one country revealed much new information. Wallace at Stirling Bridge, The Bruce at Bannockburn and the Declaration of Arbroath remain the defining incidents in the forging of the nation. The disaster of Flodden was never covered; maybe just as well! A frank account of the Young Pretender's (Bonnie Prince Charlie's) attempt to re-impose a Catholic Crown on Protestant Great Britain helps correct the Scottish versus English fabrication. A bigger fabrication was Walter Scott's role in the 'tartanisation' of Scotland; brilliant marketing but a deflection of the essential character of the country. This might have been conveyed with the story of Red Clydeside and the birth of the Labour Party; it wasn't touched. Despite the two omissions, the series really is excellent and contrary to the image of rain, some of the landscapes had light that was crystal clear; just like the story-telling! e-Dreams e-LOVE

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Ten thought-provoking episodes bring a fresh perspective to Scotland\'s past and challenges many o the perceived notions of Scottish history. With stunning, BAFTA winning cinematography and mesmerizing narrative the series tells of battles and allegiances, political intrigue and religious conflict. The series reveals the fascinating struggles, power brokers, incidents and characters across the years from William Wallace, Robert the Bruce and Sir Walter Scott to the Highland-Lowland rivalry, the Covenanters, the Daren disaster and the tobacco lords. Using the very latest in historical research A History of Scotland is a sweeping and insightful chronicle of an often turbulent, but continuingly fascinating nation.

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Regency House Party (2004) Review

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(More customer reviews)I caught about 15 minutes of the second or third episode a few months ago and just knew I'd never keep up with viewing the show (and I really wanted to watch it from its begining) so I've been planning on buying the DVD ever since. I'm so glad I finally did!
The 'players' in this history re-inacting "reality dating show" drama are people from modern England who agreed to play 'themselves as they might have been during the Regency'. They were given a summary of 'themselves' to go by. For example, in reality, the Countess is an actual countess who works in a coffee shop - at the House Party, she is a countess who is trying to cover up the fact that she has no money. The 'players' (I can't think of them as "contestants") play this 'game' in a sort of blurring of fantasy and reality - to the point, I believe, where they were reacting quite naturally as a Regency-era person and less like a modern-minded person.
The transition from modern-England to Regency-England was rough for many of the 'players' and they supported each other through the trials. Many hearts were touched and broken or bruised throughout the process and it was quite facinating to watch, even without the added bonus of doing so in Regency costume.
Fans of Regency (or Edwardian or Victorian) England or just history buffs should enjoy this show for what it is. I, being a huge fan of Jane Austen (particularly "Pride and Prejudice"), was used to the methods of speech and manner and had a grand ol' time.
My mother, who is more of a reality show fan than a history or lit enthusiast, lost interest not even halfway through the first episode. If you have no interest or even basic knowledge of the time period, I'm not sure you'd enjoy it, even if you love reality/reality dating shows. Fights between 'players' are not shown on camera (though they are discussed in some depth) and the romantic... liasons... between the 'players' are merely implied, which would also account for disinterest from those accustomed to American reality tv.
The only thing I could have asked from PBS was an update on the 'players', particularly those who made 'matches' toward the end of the show. Did the couples stay together? Do any of them keep in touch? A reunion show would be a bonus. Heck, if a "Regency Party 2" were produced, I'd buy it immediately!
The only problem I think anyone could have is a sometimes-poor audio, caused by the difficulties of shooting in a historic house rather than a studio. A remote to adjust the volume should probably be in-hand at all times, along with the 'rewind' button on your DVD player remote. Anyone who has watched period movies (such as Jane Austen adaptations) is probably familiar with this and should have no problems with knowing how to follow the dialogue.

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Does the rigid and confined world of the early nineteenth century have something to teach the young of today who are looking for love? Following the success of Manor House and Colonial House, Regency House Party gives 10 men and women - all genuinely looking for love - the chance to go back to the England of the early 1800s and live in the age of romance. The ten singles all spend nine weeks living together as they would have 200 years ago.

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Most Haunted: The Collection Review

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(More customer reviews)Koch Vision present "MOSTED HAUNTED: THE COLLECTION" (2007) (1020 mins/Color) (Widescreen Dolby Digital) --- In Most Haunted, you will join host Yvette Fielding, whose brave exploits have become legendary; Derek Acorah, a world renowned spiritual medium; and a ghost-hunting team featuring some of the top experts from the paranormal field for the scare of a lifetime --- you will get together with some of the most skilled - and courageous - ghost hunters and paranormal investigators in the world, as they seek answers to what goes bump in the night with the U.S. --- Now in its 9th television season in the U.K., and currently airing domestically on Travel Channel, the controversial and eerily entertaining Most Haunted brings viewers to the spookiest locations around the world, as modern-day ghostbusters attempt to connect with those who've passed to the other side.
Could you lock yourself in a haunted location for 24 hours? --- That's exactly what the Most Haunted team does --- Each episode begins in the safety of daylight with a historical overview and tales of horrifying eyewitness accounts --- As night approaches, the team swings into action, investigating all the paranormal hotspots and gathering their evidence --- Investigate, from the comfort and safety of home, some of the most haunted sites in all of Britain --- Tranquility or terror? --- No one knows what lies in wait.
THE FIRST TWO SEASONS :
Disc One
1. "Brannigan's Nightclub"
2. "Tutbury Catle"
3. "Station Hotel Dudley"
4. "The Skirrid Inn"
Disc Two
5. "Clerkenwell House of Detention"
6. "The Bell Inn"
7. "Llancaiach Fawr Manor"
8. "Pengersick Castle"
Disc Three
9. "The Clock House"
10. "Caesars Nightclub"
11. "RAF East Kirby"
12. "Morseby Hall"
Disc Four
13. "Edinburgh Vaults"
14. "Leith Hall"
15. "Aberglasney House"
16. "The Schooner Hotel"
Disc Five
17. "Fiz Manor"
18. "The Muckleburgh Collection"
19. "The Galleries of Justice"
20. "Tamworth Castle"
Disc Six
21. "10-Minute Behind the Scenes Specials for All 20 Episodes"
22. "Clerkenwell House of Detention, Extended Walkaround"
SPECIAL COLLECTOR'S 6 DVD SET
1. * Features all 20 episodes from Seasons One and Two (includes the 6 episodes featured in Castles of Britain and London Haunts)
2. * Over 2 hours of bonus footage never before broadcast, Tutbury Castle * Pengersick Castle * Tamworth Castle
House of Detention * The Clock House * Caesar's Nightclub
Great job by Koch Vision --- looking forward to more high quality titles from the BBC Collection film market --- order your copy now from Amazon or Koch Vision where there are plenty of copies available on DVD, stay tuned once again for top notch releases --- just the way we like 'em
Total Time: 1020 mins on DVD ~ Koch Vision KOCV6474 ~ (7/17/2007)

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The team behind the popular MOST HAUNTED television show have some of their creepiest moments compiled for this collection. The show is hosted by Yvette Fielding, who travels to various haunted locations across the UK.

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Doc Martin: Series 2 (2005) Review

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(More customer reviews)What makes this British Drama TV series so funny? What's so funny about a surgeon who is mentally and physically indisposed at the sight of blood? Why do you find yourself laughing at the sight of the townsfolk in this serene, beautiful little seaside Cornwall town of Portwenn? It is what happened with most scenes, in all 9 episodes of this 3 DVD series. In almost every scene, I'd lift my eyebrows to the Mrs (we watched together), she'd pick up a corner of her mouth, and we'd both begin laughing.
We thoroughly enjoyed the stories and the quirky British people of this small town. Doc Martin (Martin Clunes) and his stern, grumpy, all-business, rude, and seeming heartless bedside manner, just adds to the hilarity--as he fails to see any of the joy in the village. The medical conditions he is faced to address are often as hilarious as the character that complains of the symptoms. Mix with that a love triangle the Doc in involved in, but fails to acknowledge, and you have a season of some of the best British Comedy/Drama ever produced.
This second season (Doc Martin: Series 2) is even better than the previously released first season.
___For starters, it's 50% longer, 9 50-minute episodes rather than just the 6 in Series One.
___The episodes seem to have several plots woven together, much more complex stories, than in the original set. The action moves quickly and keeps you spellbound every minute. You'll be so happy, that by owning the DVD, you don't have to wait a week for the next episode. Episodes do tend to have a carry-over link.
___And this series, unlike the original set, has SDH subtitles, something we found to be helpful with some of the dialect as well as British terms. Their biscuit is our cookie, tea is a meal, etc.
___Extras include some star cast filmographies.
___I still recommend you watch Series One as well, but it's not completely necessary. But after watching series 2 you will want the earlier set.
After seeing the zany activity in Doc Martin's surgery (GP office), I decided if American doctors had patients as quirky and strangely symptomatic, all of them would give up and turn to plumbing or painting.
This comedy series about a doctor's practice, reminded me of the hugely funny comedy "Pie In The Sky", a British comedy/drama about a detective who really wanted to be a cook. I've reviewed both and recommend both.
Just a few Details:
Episode 1__Doc Martin gets a new receptionist (Katherine Parkinson as Pauline) only better in some ways. He gets in hot water with Aunt Joan (Stephanie Cole), because of her friend Muriel, who's son Danny, reunites with teacher, Louisa (Caroline Catz), whom Doc just recently kissed, a carry-over from Series One. I told you this had some woven plots.
2__Doc gets stuck with childcare for Peter while his mother gets stuck in the hospital. Bert Large (Ian McNeice), handyman, fries fish.
3__Doc has to compete with a herbal/nature remedy seller who is the sis to Mark (town cop) plus help the odd family with multiple problems who strongly object to house calls. Romantic question: Is Bert the REAL father of Al Large, now falling romantically for the new receptionist after being jilted by her sister?
4__Local radio host drinks and Mr. Cooke stinks--really, really stinks. And what's the new town's female bombshell doing with the local cop?
5__Mr. Pratt blames Doc for his wife's death but takes revenge by using pesticides that threaten Aunt Joan's organic farm license. Romance is muddled between cop/bombshell, Al/receptionist, and Doc/Louisa while another local teacher battles obsessive-compulsive disorder.
6___Doc's parents arrive in town to vex Aunt Joan. Doc forgets his manners while dealing with rapid weight gains of a local 50-year-old lady. Doc has to help his rival in the romantic triangle with Louisa. Doc, finally get's his own often used phrase, "Shut Up", told to him.
7__Mark (cop) and Al (his best-man after Doc rudely said "NO") get lost in the woods, Marks get's a snake bite, they get lost, the crazy forester who lived with a giant squirrel (season one) leads Doc toward them, and of course they both get lost too. Just another day of laughs in the forest.
8__Mark has an anatomy problem, his fiancee has her own problem, Doc is involved & making more problems, Danny and Louisa have a problem, the pharmacy neck brace lady has a problem, and Doc muddies the lives of all.
9__Birdwatchers, lunatics, explosives, guns, knives, romance and tourism all tickle the funny bone to an explosive degree.
Some touching moments, but mostly just beautiful scenery and hilarious activity in the life of a doctor in a small town. You will want more. But you'll have to wait for Series 3. That's the only negative I can state for this DVD set. "I want more."


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He\'s surly, tactless, self-centered, and uptight--but he\'s the only doctor in town.
As a hard-charging London surgeon, Martin Ellingham (Martin Clunes, Men Behaving Badly) didn\'t need a bedside manner. His patients were unconscious, so he could be as rude and arrogant as he pleased. All that changes when he develops a crippling fear of blood and is forced to give up surgery. Now a GP in a sleepy, picturesque Cornish fishing village, Doc Martin offends everyone in town, including the one person he wants to impress, beautiful teacher Louisa Glasson (Caroline Catz, Murder in Suburbia). Getting her attention proves even more difficult when Louisa\'s old flame returns to the village and becomes his new rival.
Martin Clunes shines in this award-winning comic drama set amid eccentric townsfolk and spectacular scenery. As the doctor says, "It\'s good to be loathsome."
DVD FEATURES INCLUDE photo gallery and cast filmographies.

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Mistresses, Vol. 1 (2009) Review

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(More customer reviews)This show starts off with a ludicrous and laughable premise. A primetime soap opera about 30's something's on different sides of infidelity. As predictable and ridiculously titillating as it was, I was hooked without realizing it. As a heterosexual black male from NYC, I have to say, the Brits know how to do a drama. This show is definitely worth watching, however I am a bit perturbed at the current 5/6/09 estimated price of 41 dollars for season 1 when its only about 11-15 dollars (through the conversion) for UK viewers (they have season 1 and 2 for about 35 through conversion). If this is what we do when we export our movies and shows to Canada and the UK, then I for one apologize. Seriously, this is an amazing series.
Quickly, without spoiling too much, in the first 15 minutes or so of the first episode we discover that Dependable Trudi is a 9/11 terrorist attack widow; 6 years after loosing her husband she gets a check for 2 million pounds and meets a new guy the same day. Coincidence? The vibrant Siobhan is an attorney who is trying to make partner in her law firm, however she and her husband are attempting to have their first child. Will this interfere with her career plans? Reserved and prim Doctor Kate has found a new love in her life and is happier than she has been in a long time. So why is she keeping him a secret from her friends? The wild and promiscuous (yeah I said it) Jessica is an event planner, who occasionally writes off the hotels for her sex romps as a "Business Expense". Never get serious or take yourself too seriously is her rule of engagement. So what are the rules when someone makes her want more than a casual encounter?
Season 1 is only 6 episodes ( And it ends with a bang!)

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MISTRESSES:VOLUME ONE - DVD Movie

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The Lost Language of Cranes (1992) Review

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(More customer reviews)This film is based on David Leavitt's book of the same name, which takes place entirely in New York City. When the film version was made, with Leavitt's blessing, the scene is switched entirely to London. However, the core lesson of the film, about deep-seeded family secrets and how they erode the facade of a middle class family, stays in tact.
Brian Cox and Eileen Atkins, two of Britain's best character actors, are incredibly good as the parents, Owen and Rose Benjamin. Owen is an Academic, and Rose is a Book Editor. The irony of Rose being in a profession where she needs an eye for detail is not lost as it contrasts to her own life. She has somehow managed to overlook that her husband is a closeted homosexual. In their generation, if a man felt or knew he was gay, he married, procreated, and carried on with life in most cases. The Benjamin's marriage could be like most long-term marriages without passion. Rose has had her affairs, mainly for the physical love she is missing from her husband. Owen wants desperately to explore the side of his life he has been repressing, but, so far, spends a good amount of his free time roaming gay cinemas.
Adding to all of this is that their son, Phillip, a handsome book editor, very well-played by Angus MacFayden, is also gay. He is out to his friends, but not to his parents. He is madly in love with an American graphic artist, Elliott, played by Corey Parker. Phillip's belief that he has found the love of his life leads him to finally come out to his parents. But, he has no idea of the can of worms he has opened in the life and marriage of his parents. Rose would have been content to keep secrets indefinitely. However, Owen's son's admission opens the floodgates and propels Owen toward his new life.
The film is still fairly faithful to the book, which I also recommend very highly. The acting is top-notch, as often seems the case in British-made films. The story is engrossing in its brevity, and strong in its lessons of honesty, betrayal, and the ultimate destruction of long-held secrets.

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The damage caused by long-kept secrets is at the heart of this moving drama adapted from David Leavitt's acclaimed novel. Confronted with his son's confession that he is gay, Owen (Brian Cox) realizes that he can no longer live a lie. Although he still loves his wife Rose (Eileen Atkins), he abandons the safe world of the heterosexual for the difficult but rewarding journey of "coming out." But as he begins to explore his sexuality more fully, the marriage inevitably breaks down, despite Rose's efforts to continue as normal. And thought there is pain and suffering for all involved, this is also an opportunity for everyone to start their lives over, this time based on the truth.

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The Queen's Sister (2006) Review

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(More customer reviews)"The Queen's Sister," which had it's American debut on BBC America, tells the story of Princess Margaret. It's a fascinating, yet somewhat uneven, portrait of a royal we don't hear much about anymore. Marginalized by circumstance, she never really had a significant role to play within the framework of the Royal family. So by boredom, rebellion and/or greedy indifference--she began an unconventional lifestyle (for a Royal anyway) revolving around men and partying. Becoming a social celebrity of sorts, she sought acceptance anyway that she could get it and an acknowledgment of her status.
"The Queen's Sister" is at it's most effective when dealing with Margaret's internal struggles. Far from being a standard biopic, it is more of a psychological profile. And when depicting Margaret's search for purpose and worth, it has some nicely poignant moments. Even though she comes across unflatteringly on many occasions, there are times when we clearly see the girl beneath the title. The tone of the film, though, seesaws rather precariously between ribald comedy and quiet despair. This shifting focus does lessen the overall impact of the film, but it's never uninteresting.
The production benefits with a tremendous, vital performance by Lucy Cohu. Spanning 20 years of Margaret's life, it's a showy and robust showcase for Cohu's acting chops. The film is well presented and well done from a technical standpoint. I'm not so convinced that historical accuracy, however, was a top priority to the filmmakers. Nevertheless, I recommend the film to those interested in the Royals--it's a different perspective. And I give a big thumbs up to Cohu who holds everything together with a masterful and complicated performance. KGHarris, 11/06.

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Starring Lucy Cohu and Toby Stephens, The Queen's Sister is an in-depth biopic following the life of Princess Margaret from the days after her father's death in 1952 until the 1970s. Known to be a flamboyant royal, she had many controversial romances and also infamously kissed the daughter of the US ambassador. Included as a special feature is A Royal Scandal, starring Richard E. Grant and Susan Lynch. A Royal Scandal chronicles the infamous 19th century marriage and subsequent marital problems of King George and his wife Princess Caroline of Brunswick.

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A Harlot's Progress (2006) Review

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(More customer reviews)Koch Vision and BBC presents "A HARLOT'S PROGRESS" (2006) (120 mins/Color) (Dolby Digital) --- Toby Jones (AMAZING GRACE) plays English artist William Hogarth in this retelling of his life --- The film brings all the grubbiness of 18th century London to the screen as Hogarth's undoubted talent, and his infamous relationship with a prostitute, is outlined in vivid style --- Great contrasts and characterization --- William Hogarth (November 10, 1697 - October 26, 1764) was a major English painter, printmaker, pictorial satirist, social critic and editorial cartoonist who has been credited with pioneering western sequential art --- His work ranged from excellent realistic portraiture to comic strip-like series of pictures called "modern moral subjects" --- Much of his work, though at times vicious, poked fun at contemporary politics and customs --- Illustrations in such style are often referred to as Hogarthian --- BBC and Koch Vision release.
Under the production staff of:
Justin Hardy - Director
Clive Bradley - Screenwriter
Clare Alan - producer
Richard Blair-Oliphant - Original Music
Douglas Hartington - Cinematographer
Michael Harrowes - film editor
A Harlot's Progress (also known as The Harlot's Progress) is a series of six paintings (1731, now lost) and engravings (1732) by William Hogarth. The series shows the story of a young woman, Mary (or Moll) Hackabout, who arrives in London from the country and becomes a prostitute. The series was developed from the third image: having painted a prostitute in her boudoir in a garret on Drury Lane, Hogarth struck upon the idea of creating scenes from her earlier and later life. The title and rich allegory are reminiscent of John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress.
In the first scene, an old woman praises her beauty and suggests a profitable occupation, procuring her for the gentleman shown to the back of the image. She is a mistress with two lovers in the second, has become a common prostitute on the point of being arrested in the third, and is beating hemp in Bridewell Prison in the fourth. By the fifth, she is dying from venereal disease, and she is dead aged only 23 in the last.
The protagonist is named after the heroine of Moll Flanders and Kate Hackabout. Kate was a notorious prostitute and the sister of highwayman Francis Hackabout: he was hanged on 17 April 1730; she was convicted of keeping a disorderly house in August the same year, having been arrested by Westminster magistrate Sir John Gonson.
The series of paintings proved to be very popular, and Hogarth used his experience as an apprentice to a silversmith to create engravings of the images, selling a "limited edition" of 1,240 sets of six prints to subscribers for a guinea. Pirate copies of the engravings were soon in circulation, and Hogarth procured a 1735 Act of Parliament (8 Geo. II. cap. 13) to prohibit the practice. Soon after, Hogarth published his second series of satirical and moralistic images, A Rake's Progress, followed some years later by Marriage à-la-mode.
The original paintings were destroyed in a fire at Fonthill Abbey, the country house of William Beckford in Wiltshire, in 1755. The original plates survived, and were sold by Hogarth's widow, Jane, to John Boydell in 1789; by him to Baldwin, Cradock and Joy in 1818, and then to Henry Bohn in 1835. Each produced further copies.(From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)
the cast includes:
Toby Jones ... William Hogarth
Philip Martin Brown ... Gaoler
Zoe Tapper ... Mary Collins
Geraldine James ... Mother Needham
John Castle ... Sir John Gonson
Kate Ambler ... Top floor whore
Sophie Thompson ... Jane Hogarth
Vicky Hall ... Sarah
Roger Hammond ... Doctor Rock
Adam Levy ... Nathaniel Hirsch
Francis Magee ... James Dalton
Nicholas Rowe ... Henry Fielding
Oliver Ryan ... Samuel Scott
Richard Wilson ... Sir James Thornhill
Sarah Jane Wolverson ... Singing Prisoner
SPECIAL FEATURES
Disc #1 -- Harlot's Progress
1. The Foudling Hospital [4:52]
2. Starvation [3:27]
3. Covent Garden [11:43]
4. Fortunes [8:40]
5. Black Market Gin [6:52]
6. Mother Needham [4:46]
7. The Wig Box [14:17]
8. Beating Hemp [7:02]
9. A Visitor [6:43]
10. Moral Welfare [17:44]
11. Notorious Quack [11:45]
12. Closing Credits [1:31]
Great job by Koch Vision --- looking forward to more high quality titles from the BBC Collection film market --- order your copy now from Amazon or Koch Vision where there are plenty of copies available on DVD, stay tuned once again for top notch releases --- where they are experts in releasing long forgotten films and treasures to the collector.
Total Time: 120 mins on DVD ~ Koch Vision KOCV-6535 ~ (6/10/2008)

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You may well be wondering how a respectable gentleman like me came to paint such scenes... 1731. Searching for inspirations inside London s seedy shadowlands, William Hogarth (Toby Jones) meets the beguiling Mary Collins (Zoe Tapper) in a Covent Garden brothel. The young prostitute soon becomes his muse, and as the artist strives for integrity, he grows dangerously close to his sordid subject. Torn between virtue and vice, Hogarth ultimately finds the spark he needs and creates A Harlot s Progress the series of paintings which brought him fame, wealth and respectability.

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All Creatures Great & Small - The Complete Series 2 Collection (2002) Review

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(More customer reviews)All Creatures Great And Small is by far my favorite BBC series and the #2 with the Christmas segment makes me cry everytime I see it. Set just as WW2 is beginning James is faced with joining the service, and the snow as they head off to midnight mass has begun to fall. The tinkers (gypsies) are camped out in a farmers shed and the young girls pet needs tending but the father doesn't accept charity.......... And then there is the testing the Christmas cake for the senior vet, Siegfried Farnon. The whole cast is 10 star. The main characters are James Herriot (Christopher Timothy), Siegfried Farnon (Robert Hardy), Tristan Farnon (Peter Davison) and Helen Herriot (Carol Drinkwater, later Lynda Bellingham). The series covers the years between 1936 and just after 1950. This is a DVD that everyone in the family no matter the age will enjoy...........

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Filmed on location in the Yorkshire Dales, All Creatures Great and Small brings the world of veterinarian James Herriot to life with all the warmth and humor of the original stories. Series 2 continues the true-life story of James Herriot (Christopher Timothy), as he finds that there is no end to the joy and heartache that go with caring for all creatures great and small.DVD Features:BiographiesFeaturette

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The Buccaneers (1995) Review

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(More customer reviews)My sister and I adore this mini-series which was shown in Masterpiece Theater many years ago. Anyone who enjoys turn-of-the-century films such as The Age of Innocence, House of Mirth, The Golden Bowl, A Room With A View and Howard's End or stories of the Astors and Vanderbilts will find themselves enraptured with this tale of 4 beautiful American women who find themselves being courted by sons of the British nobility.
In the center of the story are Nan (Carla Gugino) and Virginia St. George (Alison Eliott), and their friends Conchita Closson (Mira Sorvino) and Lizzy Elmsworth (Rya Kihlstedt) - four young women living in turn-of-the-century America, when social status and wealth were the most important considerations in a woman's life (these were the days of the Astors and Vanderbilts, after all). Early in the story we find Conchita married to Lord Marable and begins her new life with the English nobility. Spurned in Newport and New York social circles because they are considered "new money," Nan, Virginia and Lizzy travel to England to visit Conchita and hopefully try their luck there. With the help of 2 enterprising older women, they soon become the toast of the town and are courted by many handsome, wealthy young men. Virginia and Lizzy vie for the attentions of Lord Seadown (Mark Tandy) who is not quite what he seems. Nan is pursued by the humble but ambitious Guy Thwaite (Greg Wise from "Sense and Sensibility") and the wealthy and reserved Julius, the Duke of Trevenick (James Frain).
The mini-series offers beautiful scenery and costumes, great acting from members of the cast (including veterans Cherie Lunghi, Jenny Agutter, Michael Kitchen and Rosemary Leach) and a thoroughly engaging story. I loved the fantastic mansions, palaces and castles in Newport and England alike and the wonderful intertwining of the American and British sensibilities in the plot. It has "one foot in America and another foot in England," as Masterpiece Theater narrator Russell Baker aptly explains. I highly recommend this to anyone who enjoys top-notch romance/drama!

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Deemed nouveau riche and shunned by elitist New York society, sisters Nan and Virginia St. George, along with their friends Lizzy Elmsworth and Conchita Closson (Academy Award winner Mira Sorvino), try their luck in London. The girls' New World spontaneity and impertinence constitute nothing less than a social invasion of Old World society and they soon find themselves courted by a coterie of fascinated admirers. But as the old and new worlds come to clash, something has to give.

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Doc Martin, Series 3 Review

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(More customer reviews)Doc Martin Series 3 is lacking only in quantity of episodes. This is too fun a series to settle for so few. Of course Series 1 & 2 helps. Rude, grumpy Doc (Martin Clunes) vomits at the sight of blood. You'll laugh at the sight of other townsfolk in this serene, beautiful, fictional Portwenn (filmed in Port Isaac, Cornwall). Aunt Joan (Stephanie Cole) is sane, almost, as is teacher Louisa (Caroline Cutz). Receptionist and phlebotomist Pauline (Katherine Parkinson) is outrageously funny along with Bert Large (Ian McNeice) and...well the list goes on with the regular cast.
If you love English seaside village views and homespun humor, this is a series that will tickle your fancy, every episode, and make you beg for more. Episodes tend to carry over to the next and all have SUBTITLES. This is some of the best British Doctor's Life Comedy/drama ever produced. The "Doc Martin Series" is to Medical Comedy what "Pie In The Sky" is to Police Comedy. (See my reviews on both.)
Bonus stuff includes cast filmographies and fun trivia along with subtitles.
For the detail minded:
..1 Tick Tock--Includes Pauline and Louisa seems to be trying to help doctor locals including a girl who jumps on car tops, her overweight mom, the fainting teacher Louisa, overlysleepy new cop, and a blind man with an untrained dog.
..2 The Morning After--Bert large changes from plumber to chef. Scenic Portwenn is hit with widespread food poinsoning, including Louisa, unrequited love to the stiff naive Doc. A general misdiagnosis also proves to be a huge error in source.
..3 Love Thy neighbor--Louisa's new neighbors, a psychologist, has strange parental practices for their brat son. Conditions run rampant with the cop being agoraphobic (going out fear) & narcoleptic (sleep disorder), and others with rashes, and then there was Doc's blood phobia, & inability to tenderize a relationship with Louisa.
...4 The GP Always Rings Twice--Admirers aplenty in Portwenn. A divorcee pursues Doc. Auntie Joan has 'relations' with a painter. The plumber/chef's son, Al, Pauline's old flame, returns. Then there's Princess Tinkle, she dog.
...5 Breaking Up Is Hard to Do--Pauline's gambling on the internet at the surgery. Doc & Louisa gamble on a real date. And kiss. Nothing's going very well leading up to an unrelated beach accident and a surprise outcome.
...6 The Two of Us--Portwenn engagement news is rampant. Aunt Joan hears by rumor--oops! Large Restaurant struggles as does many with fungus illness.
...7 In Sickness and in Health--A very pregnant bridesmaid shoots her eye with a party popper. The vicar's drinking. The reception patio is flooded. Wedding florist is arrested. The bad news continues on this the wedding day.
Delightful, warm, hilarious, witty, and quick dialogue moves this beautifully filmed series along so fast you'll be disappointed when the complete list of episodes are done. Then, like me, you have to click for a notification of Doc Martin, Series 4. I think I should go back and repeat Series 1-2-3 in the meantime.

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He\'s surly, tactless, self-centered, and uptight--but he\'s the only doctor in town.
"Delightful … You\'ll be hooked in no time." --The Globe and Mail (Canada)
Dr. Martin Ellingham (Martin Clunes, Men Behaving Badly) is brilliant, dedicated, and highly efficient. He\'s also brusque, abrasive, and terrified of blood. Once a successful London surgeon, he\'s now a GP in the idyllic Cornish fishing village of Portwenn, where he\'s every bit as eccentric as the villagers he serves.
With his terrible bedside manner, he has insulted everyone in town several times over. His relationship with Louisa (Caroline Catz, Murder in Suburbia) seems dead in the water. And he faces fresh challenges: The town\'s new constable has narcolepsy. Martin\'s beloved aunt Joan is aging. His receptionist, Pauline, is bored. He\'s also being pursued by a hypochondriac hotelier, much to Louisa\'s dismay. All of which make the good doctor even grumpier--and his antics even funnier. "The unlovable Doc Martin will win your heart" --Brattleboro (VT) Reformer.
DVD FEATURES INCLUDE cast trivia and cast filmographies.

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George Gently: Series Two Review

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(More customer reviews)BBC excellence in another series of a great TV show. Series 2 is even better than the first. In the 1st, George Gently is a fearless London crime fighter cop who moves to Northumberland (NE England) after his wife is murdered. Gently has not given up fighting crime of all sorts and is now Chief Inspector in the new, and extremely beautiful north countryside.
Perhaps even better than the great plots of crime that Gently faces is the relationship with his Sargent John Bacchus (Lee Ingleby-'Nicholas Nicleby'), a very young assistant in the investigations, intent on learning from and outdoing his leader, Gently. Their work together, dialogue, and personal relationship is often funny--always entertaining. Ingleby is as good at being Bacchus as star Martin Shaw ('Judge John Deed''The Professionals''Master and Commander')is at being the not-so-gentle-Gently.
The show is very comparable to other perfections in British Crime/Mystery Drama such as "Murdoch Mysteries"-Victorian era crime, "Foyles War"-WWII era crime, and "Midsomer Murders" country village crime outside of London. This "GEORGE GENTLY" series takes place in 1964, as authentic in detail to the era as the other shows, although not as many murders as Midsome--but they try at times. Gently doesn't have as large a group of assistants as Murdoch--but he gets all he needs in help and entertainment factor from his one primary partner in sleuthing. Masterful writing in this Cop-copper relationship, youth pitted against the old, experience against initiative, big-city experience vs small-town skill.
Episodes include:
1 Gently with the Innocents--murder in a children's home.
2 Gently in the Night--corpse on a church altar.
3 Gently in the Blood--passport fraud, murder, Arab intolerance, more.
4 Gently Through the Mill--is it suicide or murder? Why?
+ Bonus, text interviews with the 2 coppers, notes, fun 1964 facts.
SDH SUBTITLES are PROVIDED
4 feature-length episodes, each 89 minutes, each serve as great stand-alone crime mystery films tied together only by a 1964 date, a wonderful location, and 2 great roles.
Not rated, but not recommended for the kiddies, Bloody good murder, emphasis on the bloody.

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"Great performances and superb characterizations" --San Francisco Chronicle
Bringing an air of world-weary dignity to his role, Martin Shaw (Judge John Deed, The Professionals) returns as Inspector George Gently, a former Scotland Yard sleuth now tracking murderers in Britain\'s North Country. Far from London, these once-quiet counties are just beginning to feel the social and political changes of the 1960s. The menacing crimes test even Gently\'s big-city experience and hard-won wisdom. And his impulsive young protégé, Sergeant John Bacchus (Lee Ingleby, Nicholas Nickleby), tests nearly all of his patience.
This series finds Gently and Bacchus confronting sex-club entrepreneurs, corrupt politicians, gangs, and more. The first-rate supporting casts include Tim McInnerny (Blackadder), Nicholas Jones (Kavanagh QC), Mark Williams (Harry Potter), and Andrew Lee Potts (Primeval). Based on the long-running series of novels by Alan Hunter, these feature-length modern dramas teem with intrigue, wit, and style.

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Lark Rise to Candleford: The Complete Season Two Review

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(More customer reviews)Lark Rise to Candleford: The Complete Season One is a charming series that tackles myriad themes, and is adapted from Flora Thompson's semi-autobiographical novel. In the first season, young Laura Timmins (Olivis Hallinan) leaves her village of Lark Rise to work as an assistant to the postmistress in Candleford, Dorcas Lane (Julia Sawalha who was also brilliant in her role as Lydia Bennet in Pride and Prejudice - The Special Edition (A&E, 1996)). Through the course of the first season, Laura discovers that she enjoys living in the more affluent town of Candleford, and experiences the pangs of adolescence, including romantic entanglements. Dorcas Lane, the kind-hearted and sensible postmistress also goes through some pangs of her own, largely to do with her friendship with squire, Sir Timothy Midwinter (Ben Miles) who is married to the beautiful and composed Lady Adelaide (Olivia Grant). In the first season, viewers got to see the themes of marital strife, conflicts between the upper and lower classes, romantic entanglements, and other issues played out.
By the second season, both Sir Timothy and Lady Adelaide have moved to London, but there is still plenty of drama in Dorcas' life with the arrival of James Dowland (Jason Merrells), a former inhabitant of Lark Rise, a local boy who has done well in life. Being a self-made and wealthy man, James settles in Candleford, though he reacquaints himself with the residents of Lark Rise, especially Queenie Turrill (Linda Bassett) who used to take care of him as a young boy. James opens a fashionable hotel in Candleford, and tries to 'improve' the lives of the Lark Rise residents with mixed results. There is also a strong chemistry between James and Dorcas, though their relationship flounders between attraction and rivalry/conflict. Laura seems more mature and wiser, having learned a couple of enlightening things about the pitfalls of romance, and is taking on more responsibilities at the post office. But then, a young clockmaker, Fisher Bloom (Matthew McNulty) comes to town, and Laura finds herself attracted to Fisher, though he seems oblivious to her charms, initially. Laura's parents, Robert and Emma Timmins (Brendan Coyle & Claudie Blakley) who have always been a very close and loving couple find themselves facing some marital strife in their marriage, and this second season takes an intimate look at their dynamics as a couple.
There is also plenty of drama amongst the other inhabitants of Lark Rise & Candleford - the sisters Pearl and Ruby Pratt (Matilda Ziegler, Victoria Hamilton) who have a dressmaking/drapery store continue to pry into others' affairs whilst dealing with their own emotional dramas. Postman Thomas Brown's (Mark Heap)romantic (mis)adventures continue, and many more. This is truly a gem of a series, and I am hopelessly addicted to it. Each episode is well-crafted and credibly acted, drawing viewers into the lives of these mostly endearing & flawed characters, and making one feel at home in both Lark Rise and Candleford.For those who love period dramas, there's some wonderful productions (these are some of my favorites) to check out:
Cranford: The Collection (Cranford / Return to Cranford)
Pride and Prejudice - The Special Edition (A&E, 1996)
Pride and Prejudice (BBC, 1980)
Daniel Deronda
Anne of Green Gables Trilogy Box Set
Road to Avonlea Season 1 and others in the series
Wives and Daughters
The Buccaneers

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The residents of Lark Rise and Candleford return for a second season of heart-warming adventures in this critically acclaimed adaptation of Flora Thompson's novels. The second season sees the arrival of a dashing and elegant stranger in Candleford. Rich, enterprising worldly, and without a wife, James Dowland is a successful businessman with a string of London hotels and has come to transform Candleford and bring it new prosperity. But not everyone welcomes his entrepreneurial efforts and it isn't long before he is sparring with thespirited yet suddenly flustered Dorcas and aggravating the pride of the male Lark Risers with his superior business acumen and somewhat overbearing manner.

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Doc Martin: Series 1 (2004) Review

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(More customer reviews)I absolutely LOVED this series. I had heard Martin compared with House, and I think that's a bit unfair, albeit understandable. However, I prefer to think of him as a strange cross between House and James Harriot. Although James was just nice, nice, nice (ad nauseum), the situations in which they find themselves are really very similar - close-knit countryside full of bizarre natives with bizarre rituals. In personality he is much more like House, with one huge difference: House is a rude, insensitive jerk simply because he enjoys it, while Martin, not a jerk at all, frequently acts like one because he doesn't seem to know any better. Like House, Martin's dry, deadpan comebacks are hilarious.
Each episode of Season 1 is better than the one before, culminating in an ending so funny I think I had tears in my eyes. He just never learns, does he?
I still can't quite put my finger on what makes Martin so charming, since I'm not sure I would enjoy knowing him in person. Probably (and due in large part to the brilliant Martin Clunes) it is because he is so very real, and you can't help but identify with his out-of-place, misunderstood persona. Haven't we all been there?
Simply a brilliant show - extremely funny, while taking itself seriously.
Can't wait for Season 2!

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Make an appointment with the brilliant but socially awkward and neurotic Doc Martin (Martin Clunes). When Martin develops an aversion to blood, he abandons his career as a celebrated London surgeon and becomes the only doctor in a sleepy small town where his tactless manner soon has the whole town in an uproar. You'll laugh out loud as you watch Martin get to know the town's hysterical mix of quirky residents and find new ways to put his foot into his mouth! Catch all six episodes of this delightful show's first season. London's Evening Standard has diagnosed this hit British comedy "absolutely bloody hilarious!"EPISODES: Going Bodmin / Gentlemen Prefer / Sh*t Happens / The Portwenn Effect / Of All the Harbours in All the Towns / Haemophobia

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The Widowing of Mrs. Holroyd (2008) Review

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(More customer reviews)D.H. Lawrence's play by the same name was not widely received nor did he even see it when it was first dramatised, and this is unfortunate because he seems to have understood the suffering of women in the confines of marriage-a theme in much of his work. Set in a mining town, Zoe Wanamaker plays the lonely and miserable wife of a violent, alcoholic brute played by Colin Firth. Unfortunately, this films' title is absolute poison--it basically ends the story before it begins. The audience has to at least believe that this unhappy woman might have a chance to begin life with a man who will love and respect her-a man, played by Stephen Dillane, who gives her this opportunity. This drama, though well-acted, did not transfer well to this production and needed a lot more character intimacy to keep it from playing all one note. On the other hand, another D.H. Lawrence story "The Rainbow," is an incredible, three-part "bonus feature" included on side two of this disc. Why "The Rainbow" is not sold on it's own is unusual because this is the more developed production. It was initially banned by the government because of it's sexual themes, but is more about the spiritual frustration of Ursula, played by Imogen Stubbs. She's a very brave actress considering some of the content in this film but she captures the characters' eccentricity who feels imprisoned by an unemotional and heartless society. She wants complete freedom but also to be loved-two ideals that cannot exist together. All things considered I was disapppointed with "The Widowing" but "The Rainbow" was an unexpected pleasure.

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DH LAWRENCE:RAINBOW/WIDOWING OF MRS H - DVD Movie

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