Degrassi High - The Complete Collection Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)WGBH Boston really went out of there way to please fans of Degrassi High. The shows arrival on DVD has been very anticipated. Degrassi High is the television show that aired after Degrassi Junior High stopped airing back in the 80's. The show featured the same cast of characters from Degrassi Junior High and chronicled their high school years. The show aired for two seasons and the DVD release includes all 28 episodes of the show.
The first season starts with the kids entering high school and getting reacquainted. Always known for dealing with controversial topics, the season begins with a two part episode titled "A New Start." One of the twins is pregnant after a summer fling and they have to determine how to proceed. Spike is back and Degrassi and her daughter is in daycare. She is best friends with Liz and starts dating a new guy named Patrick. The gang of Joey, Wheels and Snake are as tight as ever and share their misadventures when it comes to girls, grades and most importantly cars, as cars bring newfound freedom. Some characters from Degrassi Junior High get a little more exposure at Degrassi High. The known bully Dwayne faces a health crisis he struggles to keep secret, worried that it might affect his image. Lucy is still a big flirt and she finds interest in film making. L.D. isn't featured as much in this series as she is faced with a health crisis that leaves her in the hospital for much of the series. Caitlin finds interest in various causes and dates a new guy at school named Claude for a short time. Michelle is still in her interracial relationship with B.L.T. but its her family situation and her school situation which puts her under a great strain. Keeping with the format of the show, all of the cast members have their time with various hard hitting storylines during the season.
It's a great series and you could really sit down and watch the entire series in a weekend. Teens today will find the show beneficial and fans of Degrassi The Next Generation may also enjoy the series which features several of the cast members of that show. A great bonus is that the DVD set includes the Degrassi movie "Schools Out." This has long been a favorite that fans have been waiting for on DVD.
This release completes the Degrassi Junior High/Degrassi High collection on DVD. The four disc set includes twenty eight episodes of the series and the movie "Schools Out" is featured on the fourth disc. Bonus materials include pop quiz, Degrassi High wallpaper, printable materials and printable cast interviews.


Click Here to see more reviews about: Degrassi High - The Complete Collection

Degrassi High confronts it all-friendship, love, death, stress, pregnancy, rumors, rebellion, drinking and more-with all the same kids from the popular Junior High series.Sometimes moving, sometimes shocking, but always believable, Degrassi High is a classic for teens of all ages. Find your seat-school's open!Includes all 28 episodes of Degrassi High, plus the graduation special School's Out.

Get 25% OFF

Click here for more information about Degrassi High - The Complete Collection

The Clique (2008) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)To the people who bought "The Clique" from Amazon, read the first review 'cause there are faulty batches!
Anyway, back to the movie.
Okay, I started reading the Clique when I was 12 and that was 4 years ago. Now I'm 16 and the Clique girls are still 12 in the very first movie.
Remembering back to the very first book and watching this movie is surreal. The movie is almost nothing how I pictured the book in my mind, but they do a very nice, accurate portrayal of the book.
The movie follows the basic plot line, includes many of the characters, ha very interesting fashion, actually has the IMing and State of the Union parts, and quoted many of the funny lines from the book.
Although there were parts of the book that I missed (like the whole tights trend and the Massie insights), the most obvious jump from book to movie were the main characters. Alicia wasn't busty enough, but the whole "rubbing boobs together" part took on a whole new meaning. Massie acted a little too forced sometimes. Kristen wasn't sporty enough. However, this are minute details.
I definitely recommend this to all Clique fans because while it may be very different from what we saw in our minds, it still tells the timeless tale of fitting-in and insecurities with the "loveable" characters and their lines that we know!


Click Here to see more reviews about: The Clique (2008)

Claire Lyons, the new girl from Orland(ew), Florida, has the nerve to show up at Octavian Country Day school (OCD) wearing Keds and two-year-old GAP overalls. She is clearly not top Clique (aka the Pretty Committee) material and Massie, Alicia, Dylan, and Kristen have no problem letting everyone know it. Unfortunately, Claires family is staying in the guest house on Massies familys huge estate and the girls are stuck with each other. Claires future looks worse than a Prada knockoff. But with a little luck and a lot of scheming, she might just stand a chance.

Get 30% OFF

Click here for more information about The Clique (2008)

The Outsiders: The Complete Novel (1983) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Coppola's original version was quite faithful to Hinton's book and this new edit is even more so. He has put back in 22 more minutes, most noticeably at the beginning and end of the movie. This new footage opens up the film more. We are introduced to the greasers much earlier on now that Coppola isn't reigned in by the dictates of test screenings. He is able to take the time to immerse the audience in this richly textured world shot in glorious widescreen by Stephen Burum who adopts a look that evokes another epic about troubled youth, Rebel Without A Cause (1955). The film is drenched in the golden hues of warm sunrises and sunsets like something right out of Gone with the Wind (1939).
Another significant change has Coppola replacing all of his father's beautiful, classical score in favour of period rock `n' roll music. In some cases, like the opening scene where Ponyboy is jumped by some Socs, it works and in others, like the whimsical surf music that plays over the scene where the Socs jump Johnny and Ponyboy, it feels awkward and out of place. Part of the film's original charm was its moments of `50s style melodrama, as epitomized by the film's orchestral soundtrack, and this diminished by the newly inserted period music that could be right out of an episode of Crime Story. Hinton's books are timeless with their universal themes and the original music reflected that. This new music, while accurate for its time period, contributes to a loss of some of the timeless feel.
On the first DVD is an audio commentary with director Francis Ford Coppola. He addresses the changes in the soundtrack by saying that after all these years he wanted to move away from a score that commented on what was happening to music that the characters would actually be listening to. The filmmaker delivers another top notch commentary full of smart observations and talks at length about why he prefers this cut.
There is an additional commentary featuring Diane Lane, Ralph Macchio, Patrick Swayze, C. Thomas Howell, Rob Lowe and Matt Dillon. Coppola invited all of them back to see this new cut of the film with Lowe and Dillon recorded separately. This is an entertaining track that fans will love. It's great to hear these actors talk about this movie after all these years.
The second disc kicks things off with a retrospective look at the movie, entitled, "Stay Gold: A Look Back at The Outsiders." In a nice touch, we see Lane, Macchio, Swayze and Howell being reunited with Coppola at his ranch where they recorded their commentary. This is an excellent look at the movie with all kinds of good, on set footage.
"S.E. Hinton on Location in Tulsa" features the publicity-shy author revisiting the locations that Coppola used in the movie, including the drive-in which still exists. She talks about how Coppola worked closely with her on the set to make sure that the script was true to her book.
"The Casting of The Outsiders" has casting director now producer Fred Roos take us through the casting process with audition footage from back in the day. People like Kate Capshaw and Adam Baldwin tried out for the film. Anthony Michael Hall even read for the role of Ponyboy!
A nice addition is "Readings," with some of the cast who came back for these featurettes reading their character descriptions from Hinton's novel.
"NBC News Today Segment: The Outsiders Started by School Petition." This is a new story done during the film's original release about how a class of California school kids wrote a letter to Coppola asking him to make Hinton's book into a movie.
There are six "Additional Scenes" with more footage from the opening that is even more faithful to the book but the rest of the scenes amount to extensions of existing ones.
Finally, there is a theatrical trailer.

Click Here to see more reviews about: The Outsiders: The Complete Novel (1983)

In 1983, Francis Ford Coppola's film of S.E. Hinton's novel struck a powerful chord with audiences, capturing the intense feelings of being caught between childhood and adulthood, and not belonging anywhere. Decades later, Coppola has revisited the film and reintegrated 22 minutes of character-enriching footage, including a new beginnning and ending more true to the book. A rousing new rock-n-roll soundtrack featuring six songs from Elvis Presley and other music greats make this new version of The Outsiders one of movie history's great rediscoveries.

Get 22% OFF

Click here for more information about The Outsiders: The Complete Novel (1983)

Roll Bounce (Widescreen Edition) (2005) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Roll/Bounce is an excellent movie!
I was pleasantly surprised with just how good this film is. The movie has a great look to it and manages to come across as funny, touching, visually pleasing and very well acted.
Cant recommend this one enough! Roll on out and pick yourself up a copy.
Highly recommended!


Click Here to see more reviews about: Roll Bounce (Widescreen Edition) (2005)

ROLL BOUNCE is the freshest, funkiest, coming-of-age comedy on wheels! It's the late '70s when roller skating to soul tunes and disco was a way of life for teen skater Xavier (Bow Wow) and his pals. But when their local rink closes, "X" and his crew must pull together as a team to try and win big money at a rival rink's Roller Jam skate off!

Get 13% OFF

Click here for more information about Roll Bounce (Widescreen Edition) (2005)

Sex Drive (Unrated and Cream-Filled) (2008) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Plenty to read about regarding this film out in the Internet world. The trailers have been playing in the store for a month now and the buzz has been positive (since no one got to see this in theaters). Analyzing a high budget teen/sex comedy for acting is pointless, so I will stick with the BD quality and extras.
The video and audio look and sound fine, typically the outer channels get used with the LARGE volume of songs played throughout; and some nice GTO throttlings. The special features have roughly 30 minutes of docus reviewing production and self loathing/lampooning of the cast: Marsden Dilemma & Duke of the Internet clips.
The big question: differences between the UR and R. Plenty to list. 20 extra minutes of gratuitous male and female nudity, longer takes of certain scenes (the two confident geeks verbiage, pool party, condom buying fiasco, left-in flubs, changed phrases, sex sounds [sheep, bjs, etc.]), most noticeably - CGI-imposed nudity in 20 or so random scenes with a graphic intro by the director/writer about what to expect in the UR version.
Overall, a funny film with plenty of comedian cameos, decent writing, love searching, and sexual awakenings (even in the Amish country). A worthwhile purchase for fans of the film plus they kept it all one on disc (everything is the same as the 2 disc DVD).

Click Here to see more reviews about: Sex Drive (Unrated and Cream-Filled) (2008)

Studio: Uni Dist Corp. (summit)Release Date: 02/24/2009

Get 48% OFF

Click here for more information about Sex Drive (Unrated and Cream-Filled) (2008)

The Secret Life of the American Teenager: Season Two Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)The ABC Family series "THE SECRET LIFE OF THE AMERICAN TEENAGER" received a lot of attention during its first season as the series was critically acclaimed and also how ABC Family didn't sugarcoat the challenges of teenage pregnancy. Showing us the ramifications of being pregnant as a young teen but also the responsibilities and difficult choices one needs to make. The series was also popular for its portrayal of teenagers of today. Again, nothing sugarcoated and despite it being on ABC Family, the series shows us the real-life challenges that teenagers are facing. These characters are just regular people, not upper class and each of them have their own set of problems.
The series primarily focuses on the life of teenager Amy Juergens (Shailene Woodley). Your typical girl next door. A 15-year-old who plays the French Horn in a band and part of a typical American family ala dysfunctional. During a summer at band cap, Amy met her high school band's "player" Rickey Underwood (Darren Kagasoff) and with one very quick one night stand, this teenager had her life change in ways she would never imagine.Amy has gotten pregnant and through each episode, we would see how Amy copes with her pregnancy, how she had to contend with morning sickness, becoming the talk of the school and even at one point, considering an abortion.
In the second season, Amy now must face the realization that she has responsibilities and that she can't depend on her parents for everything. But also major changes for each character as the season progresses.
Here is what is included on "THE SECRET LIFE OF THE AMERICAN TEENAGER - SEASON TWO" DVD (summaries, no spoilers):
DISC 1:
* EPISODE 12 - The Secret Wedding of the American Teenager - Because Amy is not ready for the responsibility of being a mother (and thinking her mother and father will automatically take care of the baby), she wants Ben to consider marrying her immediately via eloping (using fake ID's). Meanwhile, Amy's mother Anne requests a divorce from George and that he should move out of the house.
* EPISODE 13 - Baked Nevada - Both Amy and Ben's father are upset that their children tried to get married. Meanwhile, Adrian's father (who is a cop) tries to find out where the fake ID's came from.
* EPISODE 14 - The Father and the Son - Rickey's father comes to town and tells Amy's parents that his son can't be trusted and the bad blood between Rickey and his father is reborn. Meanwhile, Adrian's father tries to have his daughter keep away from Rickey.
* EPISODE 15 - That's Enough of That - Rickey tries to cope with his father's request to sell his and Amy's baby for money. Meanwhile, Amy can now find out the sex of her unborn child. And Jack serves his community service and discovers something big.
DISC 2:
* EPISODE 16 - Chocolate Cake - Amy talks to Rickey about putting the baby up for adoption. Meanwhile, George's co-worker (a gay couple) is interested in being adoptive parents. Meanwhile, Rickey upsets Ben and puts into his head that she wants the baby's father in her life.
* EPISODE 17 - Unforgiven - Amy and Ben have difficulties in their relationship and now Ben needs some time away from Amy. Meanwhile, Anne and George try to help Amy by looking for adoptive parents. Jack finds a new girl that he is interested in.
* EPISODE 18 - Making Up Is Hard to Do - Ashley is trying to find a way to get Amy and Ben back together. Meanwhile, Rickey causes problems during the adoption interview process. Adrian meets a guy who likes her for her and not for sex.
* EPISODE 19 - Money for Nothing, Chicks For Free - Anne tries to look for a job and Ashley meets a guy who is interested in her. Meanwhile, Jack gets himself into a little trouble.
DISC 3:
* EPISODE 20 - Maybe Baby - Ben's father wants Ben to know a big lesson about money and that if he wants to marry Amy and take care of a baby, he will need to make money on his own. Meanwhile, everyone comes to visit Amy and give her advice about the baby. And Amy makes a decision about her baby and if she's read to put the baby up for adoption or to keep it.
* EPISODE 21 - Whoomp! (There It Is) - It's Amy's baby shower but the problem is that she may be going into labor. Meanwhile, Grace makes a big decision in her life.
* EPISODE 22 - One Night at Band Camp - While Amy is in labor, she remembers the day that she and Rickey met.
* EPISODE 23 - And Unto Us a Child Is Born - Amy gives birth to her baby and Rickey comes to the full realization that he has a child. Amy's father moves out of the house and Ashley also makes a major decision with her life.
The main premise of "SEASON TWO" is Amy getting near the date she is to give birth but all the emotions she has to deal with. Having to take responsibilities as a mother, having to decide if she needs to give the baby up for adoption or keep the baby and how she will have two men in her life. Of course, each of the other characters have their own storylines and drama but every character is utilized well in this second season and I was quite impressed. The second season was just as touching, emotional and enjoyable as the first season.
VIDEO & AUDIO:
Fortunately, the series is in 16×9 widescreen and because it's a newer series, the overall series looks good on DVD. Audio selection is regular stereo or Dolby Digital 5.1. Primary audio is mostly dialogue but you will have music segments which utilizes your speakers more than anything. But dialogue is clear. And for music, very cool to hear Molly Ringwald sing the opening theme.
SPECIAL FEATURES:
"THE SECRET LIFE OF THE AMERICAN TEENAGER" comes with a few special features. Included are:
* "Secret Life (You and Me) by the Strange Familiar Music Video - (3:55) A ballad sung by The Strange Familiar featuring clips from "THE SECRET LIFE OF THE AMERICAN TEENAGER" Season One.
* Character Secrets: The Cast Tells All - (10:09) Featuring interviews with the cast members of "THE SECRET LIFE OF THE AMERICAN TEENAGER". The cast members discuss their characters and their role in the series and also talk about their favorite characters in the series.
* Cast Close-Ups - Going behind-the-scenes of "THE SECRET LIFE OF THE AMERICAN TEENAGER". This is a section in which a young teen named Mikela gets to learn about the making of the TV show and interviewing crew members and cast members. The interviews featured are Mikela with:
- Shailene Woodley - (2:59) Interview with the the actress who plays Amy Juergens.
- Mark Derwin - (3:07) Interview with the actor who plays George Juergens.
- Molly Ringwald - (1:33) Interview with the actress who plays Anne Juergens.
- Megan Park - (2:37) Interview with the actress who plays Grace Kathleen Bowman.
- Daren Kagasoff - (3:06) Interview with the actor who plays Rickey Underwood.
- Greg Finley - (1:29) Interview with the actor who plays Jack Pappas.
- Ken Baumann - (1:12) Interview with the actor who plays Benjamin "Ben" Boykewich.
- India Eisley - (1:53) Interview with the actress who plays Ashley Juergens.
- Francia Raisa - (1:37) Interview with the actress who plays Adrian Lee.
JUDGMENT CALL:
"THE SECRET LIFE OF THE AMERICAN TEENAGER" was another enjoyable season that was just as solid as the first. Well-acted, awesome storyline and great how each character was utilized throughout the series and overall, a good balance of fun and teenage angst.
The characters are quite likable and pretty much what is happening with American teenagers today. These are characters and storylines that young people and parents can relate to.
The series does a great job at handling the character development of each character and of course, with topics focusing on sex and friendship but also ramifications that result from sex (one night stands, cheating, affairs, etc.). This second season goes further as Amy learns that having a baby is her responsibility and that her expectation of her parents taking care of the baby full time while she attends school goes out the window; Ben who is in love with Amy and ready to take care of the baby learns that his father won't share the wealth with him and he has to make money on his own but also having to realize that Rickey will need to be part of Amy's life whether he likes it or not; Grace who is the girl who practiced abstinence and wanted to wait for the right guy for marriage now contemplating sex; Adrian who always gets what she wants sexually now having to deal with meeting a guy who doesn't want to have sex with her but he likes her for her and not her body; Jack exploring relationships with women of different ethnicities and bad boy Rickey having a life changing moment when his abusive father returns to his life and when his baby is born.
This second season continues where the last season had left off but presenting real problems for these characters. And each actor portrays their character role remarkably well.
For the parents or adults watching this series, you'll recognize the parents of these teenagers. "THE SECRET LIFE OF THE AMERICAN TEENAGER" features quite a bit of talent with 80's teen queen Molly Ringwald playing the character of Anne (Amy's mother); "Life with Bonnie" actor Mark Derwin as Amy's father George; "Melrose Place" actress Josie Bissett playing Grace's mother; "Smallville" and "Dukes of Hazard" actor John Schneider as Grace's father; "The Sopranos" actor Steve Schirripa as Ben's father Leo; "Ghostbusters" Ernie Hudson playing the part of Dr. Ken...Read more›

Click Here to see more reviews about: The Secret Life of the American Teenager: Season Two

The drama and secrets continue in the top rated second season of the hit ABC Family original series that has fans and critics buzzing all across America. Good girl band geek Amy is smart, talented and pregnant. That's just one of the secrets that Amy, her friends and family deal with in this poignant portrait of modern day high school life. Experience an award winning series overflowing with humor, heart and compassion.Bonus Features Include: Cast secrets revealed, exclusive music video of the Strange Familiar, behind the scenes with the cast, on set interviews

Get 13% OFF

Click here for more information about The Secret Life of the American Teenager: Season Two

The Secret Life of the American Teenager: Volume Three Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)NOTE: There is confusion in regards to the seasons of "The Secret Life of the American Teenager". The second volume was marketed as "Season Two" but abc Family has confirmed that it was a production mistake and the last volume marketed as season two is in fact, the second half of season one. This volume three release is the first half of season two.
The ABC Family series "THE SECRET LIFE OF THE AMERICAN TEENAGER" received a lot of attention during its first season as the series was critically acclaimed and also how ABC Family didn't sugarcoat the challenges of teenage pregnancy. Showing us the ramifications of being pregnant as a young teen but also the responsibilities and difficult choices one needs to make. The series was also popular for its portrayal of teenagers of today. Again, nothing sugarcoated and despite it being on ABC Family, the series shows us the real-life challenges that teenagers are facing. These characters are just regular people, not upper class and each of them have their own set of problems.
"THE SECRET LIFE OF THE AMERICAN TEENAGER - VOLUME THREE" DVD comes with a total of 13 episodes on three DVD's. Here is a spoiler-less summary of each episode:
VIDEO & AUDIO:
"The Secret Life of the American Teenager" is presented in widescreen (1:78:1) and for the most part, the picture quality is satisfactory for this drama series. Also, it helps that the series features various settings, including multiple outdoor shots which definitely makes the PQ for the DVD much better.
Audio is presented in Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound. The series is front and center channel driven, dialogue is clear and understandable and music comes out quite clear from the front channels. The series is not the type of series that utilizes special effects or the use of the surround channels but if you have a modern home theater receiver and a 5.1 or 7.2 setup, definitely worth selecting audio on all channels on the receiver for a more immersive soundscape.
Subtitles are in English SDH.
SPECIAL FEATURES:
"THE SECRET LIFE OF THE AMERICAN TEENAGER - VOLUME THREE" comes with a few special features. Included are:
* Pilot Episode "Make It or Break It" - (44:06) The pilot episode for abc family's original drama series "Make it Or Break It". A very captivating drama series that revolves around a female gymnastics team and a girl named Emily Kmetko from Fresno who practiced gymnastics in a public gym and now attending one of the top gymnastic schools "The Rock" (Rocky Mountain Gymnastics Training Center). But life for Emily is difficult as her mother is a single, unemployed mother trying to take care of her and her disabled brother. So, Emily tries to balance her life working at a restaurant and preparing to make the gymnastics competition but life is not easy at a few of the top girls of the club, especially Lauren Tanner despises her. Lauren, who's fathers money help build The Rock and knows that only three can go to Nationals, sees Emily as a threat for that third position.So, Emily has to prove at the competition that she deserves to go to Nationals.
* Hot Chat - (6:19) On Disc three is a special feature in which fans get to ask questions to cast members which is put into a hat and the cast reads the question and answers them.
For the first half of season two of "The Secret Life of the American Teenager", the main focus is about relationships. Children not listening to their parents and parents making mistakes and the main characters reevaluating their own personal relationships. Amy is learning that raising a child is very difficult and knowing what sex has done to her life, now she distances herself from Ben (who sees people all around him, including his good friends having sex except him). Meanwhile, Grace deals with family issues that she has never had to deal with before and questioning if having sex with Jack when she was focused on abstinence was a good thing to do, especially when the last conversation she had with her father was him telling her not to have sex. Meanwhile, Adrian and Ricky reevaluate their lives especially Adrian who starts to question why the two desire sex when there is no connection but the sake of doing it.
Season two also features more storylines involving the parents of Amy, Grace, Ben and Adrianna. With Molly Ringwald pregnant in real life (and having had a baby since), the writers included her pregnancy into the storyline and sure enough, an interesting situation with Anne pregnant and having sex with her ex-husband George (who lied about having a vasectomy) and her new boyfriend David. With George not wanting to own up to his lie, will he confess to her that the baby may be his?
The second season definitely gets much better as the the latter half of season one was getting a bit soap-opera-ish but the parent-driven storyline of Anne-George-David were pretty fun, also to see a more emotional episode utilizing Grace's character and her family definitely made the storyline for the second half quite entertaining. Some acting scenes seem quite wooden at times but for the most part, if you stuck with the series this long, you get used to the small quirks and find the whole series to be entertaining.
As for the DVD release, I still wish there was audio commentary and other special features in relation to the characters. For "Volume Three", you get one special feature and another promoting abc Family's latest series which is coming soon. But it would be nice to see more special features included in the next DVD release.
But overall, another solid release for "The Secret Life of the American Teenager". As mentioned, I felt the latter half of season one seemed like it was straying away from the heart and soul of the series but this second season, things started to pick up. If you are a fan of the series, definitely a DVD release worth picking up!

Click Here to see more reviews about: The Secret Life of the American Teenager: Volume Three

The teen drama that has everyone talking is more exciting than ever in Volume Three. Rediscover all the drama and emotion of THE SECRET LIFE OF THE AMERICAN TEENAGER, the critically acclaimed original ABC Family series. It's a whole new world for Amy as she tries to juggle motherhood, school, work and family. Meanwhile, Grace and Jack take their relationship to the next level. Experience all 12 episodes of Volume Three, complete with exciting bonus features including a behind-the-scenes look at the cast only on DVD!Bonus Features include: Pilot Episode: MAKE IT OR BREAK IT, Hat Chat: The Cast Pulls Questions Out Of A Hat, And Their Answers May Surprise You

Get 13% OFF

Click here for more information about The Secret Life of the American Teenager: Volume Three

Gossip Girl - The Complete First Season (2007) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I have been religiously reading the book series ever since it first came out, so when I heard about the TV show, I had extremely high expectations, and must say I was not at all happy with the first episode. I could not believe the way that they had completely changed the look of some of the main characters. So for a while I stopped watching the show, but my curiousity got the best of me, and after it came back after having been on hiatus for a while, I resumed watching it, and I admit, I was hooked.
Although many things are completely different than the book series, the show still has that provacative, addictive edge that will keep you coming back for more.
Now, if you are a fan of the books, such as myself, yet have never seen the show before, I feel this are some things I must warn you about.
First of all, many of the storylines that happen on the show, never happened in the book. I won't go into detail about any of the plots though, because I don't want to give anything away.
I was a bit angry about everything being so different at first, but then after having thought about it rationally for a while, I realize that this is after all a TV show, and if they went exactly by the book, chapter for chapter, then the show certainly wouldn't have enough plots to last for more than one season!
Second of all, (the thing that disappointed me most) the characters of Dan, Rufus, Jenny, and Vanessa look extremely different on the show, than the way that they are described in the book. Drastically different, in fact. And in the books, Serena has a hot older brother, yet on the show, he turns into her younger brother.
But they did get a few of the characters right.
The extremely sexy Chace Crawford makes THE perfect Nate Archibald...in fact he may even be more delicious on the show than the way they describe him in the book! The only flaw that he has is that in the book he is a chronic stoner, but not on the show, although that's really no big deal.
The lovely Leighton Meester makes a wonderful Blair, actually coming very close to the way I had imagined her to be in the book, and the same goes for the beautiful Blake Lively, who plays the role of Serena.
And then we come to Ed Westwick, who plays the role of Chuck Bass. I am extremely impressed. He makes the perfect Chuck, from the way he looks, right down to his personality.
So yes, ill admit I started off being very critical, but now I consider myself a fan of the show, and am eagerly awaiting for it to come out on DVD, as well as for the new season to begin.
If your a fan of the books, who started out skeptically as I did, then I feel that you should give the show a chance. You might find that you actually enjoy it!

Click Here to see more reviews about: Gossip Girl - The Complete First Season (2007)

Want to know a secret? A really juicy secret? Look no further than the latest message from Manhattan's notorious blogger Gossip Girl. She keeps tabs on the city's most elite teens as they make the rounds from the preppiest school events to the most lavish, decadent parties. And between Serena and Blair's explosive friendship, Dan and Serena's budding romance, Nate and Blair's fairytale relationship (or is it?), Chuck's escapades and Jenny's introduction to the glamorous life, there's a lot to track! In this 5-disc, 18-episode Season One, friends, lovers, rivals and enemies abound. Even the darkest secrets don't stay hidden for long. You know you love it. XOXO!

Get 67% OFF

Click here for more information about Gossip Girl - The Complete First Season (2007)

Degrassi: The Next Generation - Season Nine Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)After a shaky season 8 where many of the episodes were forgettable (though still a solid season), Degrassi gets back on form with season 9. Introducing new characters like twins Declan and Fiona, nice-girl Jenna and class clown Dave, and a whole lot of drama, the show takes it to a whole new level. Foundations of seemingly strong relationships are rocked as infidelity plays a big part this season, along with drugs, first times and homosexuality. A strong cast of talented teenagers take centre stage and shine, proving they can handle difficult storylines. Characters also have to handle a lot this year: Holly J softens in light of a new relationship, Riley continues his inner battle with who he is and what he wants, Anya makes a bad decision out of desperation to save her relationship with Sav, and Ally learns a hard lesson about honesty. This season has shocks, humour, fun, and heart. Anyone who claims Degrassi has 'Jumped the Shark' just has to watch this season to see the show is still going strong.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Degrassi: The Next Generation - Season Nine

In Season 9 of Degrassi: The Next Generation, it's all about relationships for the students and graduates. Choices are made and big challenges result. Peter's brush with drugs costs him Mia, his band, and almost his life. Hard-to-get Holly J falls for smooth diplomat brat Declan. K.C. questions the interest being taken in him by a coach. Anya is ready to do whatever it takes to keep Sav from a bride-to-be picked by his family. As they continue to explore the many 'first' experiences at High School and University, the whole Degrassi gang is plunging into a summer that will reshape their lives forever...a summer to fulfill big dreams...and to bring even bigger changes.Bonus!Degrassi Takes ManhattanBest friends Holly J and Jane head to NYC filled with hopes and dreams--Jane's to front an indie band--Holly J's to shine as a TVM summer intern in Times Square with Declan at her side. But along the way, they'll have to deal with unexpected love and Fiona's insecurities. Pool parties, Park Avenue, a race home to break up an unlikely wedding. Degrassi Takes Manhattan and lives change forever!Special Feature(s): Bloopers; Deleted Scenes; Minis; Music Videos

Get 27% OFF

Click here for more information about Degrassi: The Next Generation - Season Nine

Thirteen Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)The litmus test for the realism in this one - watched it with a group of 12-18 year old girls and they all said it reflected the reality of being teenagers, with all the actual pressures and stresses of their high school and social lives. This is, quite simply, one of the most honest (and painful) movies about adolescence that I've ever seen..and it was written by a teenager who also stars in the movie...amazing!
At the start of the movie, Tracy (played by Evan Rachel Wood) is a good student with a not-so-great family life. Her mother is struggling to put food on the table and under a lot of pressure to hold family and home together.
So it makes sense that Tracy would be drawn to "the coolest girl in school", Evie, a wild rebel with a penchant for danger. Evie gladly takes Tracy under her wings, often pushing her into Tracy into situations she isn't prepared for (parents should be aware that some of the scenes are graphic, including sexuality and nudity).
It is impressive that this film is so utterly believable and the sensational and often shocking scenes make sense in the context of Tracy and Evie's lives. Adding to the strength of this film is Holly Hunter's strong performance as a mother who is desperate to save her daughter but isn't quite sharp enough to find the right path. One of the best films of the year, bar none!

Click Here to see more reviews about: Thirteen

"Brace yourself" (Rolling Stone) for a raw, revealing insight into urban adolescence that's so intense and realistic, "it's possible to turn away (Interview Magazine). Anxiously trying to fit into the peer-pressure cooker environment of junior high, thirteen-year-old Tracy (Evan Rachel Wood) goes to shocking lengths in order to befriend Evie (co-writer Nikki Reed), the most popular girl in school. Now the two are inseparable - and incorrigible - leaving Tracy's desperate mom (Academy Award winner Holly Hunter) powerless to rescue her from a whirlwind of drugs, sex and crime.

Get 27% OFF

Click here for more information about Thirteen

Degrassi Junior High - The Complete Collection Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)In response to the previous review, I wanted to point out that this box set contains the entire Degrassi Junior High series. There were only 3 seasons. The next season is when the show switched over to the "Degrassi High" title. So the next season is techinically season 1 of Degrassi High, not season 4 of Degrassi Junior High. Anyway, this series is great and full of nostalgia for all of us 80's kids. The only reason I give the discs 4 stars is because the quality of the dvd transfers is not very good. There is a lot of digital compression/artifacting that can be seen in the image. But this is not bad enough to keep you from enjoying watching these shows again.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Degrassi Junior High - The Complete Collection

Go to school with the show in a class by itself- and get real! Hailed as "groundbreaking," "powerful," and "totally authentic," Degrassi Junior High confronts it all-friendship, puberty, rumors, sports, studies, and more-with a refreshing ensemble cast and a unique teen’s-eye-view of life. Sometimes moving, sometimes shocking, but always believable, Degrassi Junior Highis a classic for teens of all ages. All your favorite characters and storylines are waiting-find your seat-school’s open!Includes all 42 episodes of Degrassi Junior High on 9 discs.DVD bonus features include Degrassi Between Takes--a documentary made during the filming of the original Degrassi Junior High series; bonus Degrassi Talks videos on topics such as drinking and drugs, trivia quizzes for all three seasons, downloadable computer wallpaper, and printable materials for educators.

Get 49% OFF

Click here for more information about Degrassi Junior High - The Complete Collection

90210: The Complete First Season (2008) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)With the announcement that "90210', based on the popular hit 1990's drama series "Beverly Hills 90210' would be returning to television and feature stars from the past but also new stars for the present, the series definitely received a lot of hype and excitement. The series would be created by Darren Star ("Runaway", "Cashmere Mafia", "Beverly Hills90210', "Melrose Place" and "Sex and the City") and developed by Rob Thomas ("Dawson's Creek" and "Veronica Mars"), Jeff Judah ("Life as We Know It") and Gabe Sachs ("Freaks & Geeks", "Just Shoot Me" and "Undeclared") and began airing on the CW in 2008.
The series revolves around Harry Wilson moving his family from Kansas back to his home in Beverly Hills to live with his rich mother Tabitha and become principal of West Beverly Hills High School and his teenage children Annie and adopted son Dixon getting used to their new environment. Similar to the original series, there are a lot of twists and turns, but to best illustrate what the series is about is introducing the primary character of the series.
The Wilson Family
Harry Wilson (played by Rob Estes, "Women's Murder Club", "Providence" and "Suddenly Susan") - The father and husband. Also, the principal of West Beverly Hills High School. Used to be a wild person when he was younger and used to date Tracy Clark (the mother of Naomi) and both had a child which he never knew about.
Debbie Wilson (Lori Loughlin, "Full House", "In Case of Emergency" and "Summerland") - Loving mother and wife. A professional photographer who works at home and doesn't really get along with Harry's mother that well.
Annie Wilson (Shenae Grimes, "Degrassi: The Next Generation") - The daughter who is trying to fit in and high school. Enjoys the performing arts and dates the popular jock Ethan Ward who once was in long relationship with Naomi. A former friend of Annie and now rival.
Dixon Wilson (Tristan Wilds, "The Wire") - The adoptive son of the Wilson family. Athletic and because he is African-American and was raised by a Caucasian family, he often feels like an outsider but for the most part, his parents and family love him. He dates Annie's good friend Silver. Dixon works at the Peach Pit.
Tabitha Wilson (Jessica Walter, "Arrested Development", "Trapper, John, M.D.", "Play Misty For Me") - Mother of Harry and lives in a mansion in Beverly Hills. She loves to drink alcohol too much and often meddles into the parenting of Harry and Debbie, thus her relationship with her daughter-in-law is not the best. A former actress.
The Clark Family
Tracy Clark (Christina Moore, "Hawthorne", The Bad Girls Guide") - A rich wife who is currently in a bitter divorce and is the mother of Naomi. She used to date Harry when they were teenagers and were a big couple. With Harry back in town, she starts to have interest in him despite knowing he's married. She reveals to Harry that they have a child.
Naomi Clark (AnnaLynne McCord, "Nip/Tuck", "American Heiress") - The popular diva at West Beverly High School and dated the popular jock Ethan Ward. And is used to being treated special. Spoiled but also from a broken family which leads her to bad boys. She has a bitter rivalry with Annie.
The Taylor/Silver Family
Kelly Taylor (Jennie Garth, "Beverly Hills 90210', "What I Like About You") - The West Beverly Hills High School guidance counselor. Has a son with Dylan McKay and takes care of him and her sister Erin. With her recent split up with Dylan, she tries to have a relationship with teacher Ryan. And to further complicate things, her old high school friend Brenda Walsh is back. Kelly helps the teens at West Beverly Hills High School.
Erin Silver (Jessica Stroup, "Homecoming") - The anti-student who runs a blog at her high school making fun of the popular students (her former friends). Because of her mother's instability at home, she moves in with her older sister Kelly. She is Annie's best friend and dates her Annie's brother Dixon.
Other Main Characters
Ethan Ward (Dustin Milligan, "Runaway") - The high school jock and dated the most popular girl on campus Naomi. But he had a summer fling a long time ago with Annie Wilson and now that she's back, he ends up having a relationship with her. Despite his playboy ways, he gradually grows up as a person.
Adrianna Tate-Duncan (Jessica Lowndes, "The Haunting of Molley Hartley, "Greek") - The actress who's parents got into a bitter divorce and because her family doesn't make much money now, her mother pushes her to get acting or commercial roles to support them. The stress has forced her to become a drug addict and eventually pushing people away from her. Best friend of Naomi and eventually begins dating Navid.
Ryan Matthews (Ryan Eggold, "Dirt") - Ryan is a teacher at West Beverly High School. A teenager that everyone likes and is dating Kelly Taylor. Because he was messing around with an undercover officer (posing as a student at the high school), rumors ran rampant that he was having sexual relations with a student and damaged his reputation.
Navid Shirazi (Michael Steger, "The Cheetah Girls") - The media/tech expert and geek. Good friends with Dixon and eventually starts dating Adrianna and standing by her when no one else wanted to.
"90210 - THE FIRST SEASON" is featured on six DVD's. Here is a spoilerless summary of each episode:
DISC 1:
* EPISODE 1 & 2: WE'RE NOT IN KANSAS ANYMORE/THE JET SET - The Wilson family move to Beverly Hills and Annie and Dixon try to get used to their new surroundings and new school. And hoping to meet new friends.
* EPISODE 3: LUCKY STRIKE - Harry and Debbie have family bowling night and Annie and Dixon invite their new friends.
* EPISODE 4: THE BUBBLE - Kelly convinces Brenda Walsh to become the new theater director for West Beverly. Meanwhile Naomi confronts her father's mistress.
DISC 2:
* EPISODE 5: WIDE AWAKE AND DREAMING - Dixon and Silver grow closer, meanwhile Kelly and Ryan confront Adrianna in regards to her substance abuse.
* EPISODE 6: MODEL BEHAVIOR - Annie and Adrianna audition for an Indie film. Meanwhile Debbie is hired to photograph a fashion show.
* EPISODE 7: HOLLYWOOD FOREVER - Annie and Ethan are paired in class together to take care of a baby. Meanwhile, Naomi tries to help Adrianna with her drug problem.
* EPISODE 8: THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE HOMECOMING - Annie gets her driver's license and both she and Ethan go an unofficial date. Meanwhile, Debbie is noticing that Tracy is trying to get close to her husband.
DISC 3:
* EPISODE 9: SECRETS AND LIES - Silver has a house party and Harry explains to his children that he had a child with Naomi's mother a long time ago.
* EPISODE 10: GAMES PEOPLE PLAY - Teacher Ryan Matthews gets into big trouble. Naomi also discovers Annie and Ethan's secret.
* EPISODE 11: THAT WHICH WE DESTROY - Dixon has a hard time accepting his new half-brother.
* EPISODE 12: HELLO, GOODBYE, AMEN - Adrianna learns shocking news that will change her life forever.
DISC 4:
* EPISODE 13: LOVE ME OR LEAVE ME - Debbie has had enough of her mother-in-law Tabitha getting involved of the raising of their children.
* EPISODE 14: BYE ACCIDENT - Adrianna makes a major revelation to her current situation. Meanwhile, Ethan gets into an accident and becomes concerned for Rhonda (Aimee Teegarden, "Friday Night Lights"), the girl he hit.
* EPISODE 15: HELP ME, RHONDA - Dixon has a hard time accepting his new half-brother. Meanwhile, Annie becomes concerned when Ethan spends too much time with Rhonda.
* EPISODE 16: OF HEARTBREAKS AND HOTELS - Naomi becomes interested in a bartender. Meanwhile, it's Valentine's Day.
DISC 5:
* EPISODE 17: LIFE'S A DRAG - Silver's relationship Dixon becomes a bit too intense.
* EPISODE 18: OFF THE RAILS - Silver does something that upsets Dixon and sets off a turbulent day in the life of Erin Silver. Meanwhile, Annie and Ethan's relationship hits a wall.
* EPISODE 19: OKAERI, DONNA - Donna Martin (Tori Spelling, "Beverly Hills 90210', "Tori & Dean: Inn Love") returns back from Japan to visit Kelly and while the others volunteer for Habitat for Humanity. Dixon takes Annie with him to visit his real mother. Meanwhile, Harry has a problem with his wife's latest photoshoot - a nude male model.
* EPISODE 20: BETWEEN A SIGN AND A HARD PLACE - Harry and Debbie decide to sell their house in Kansas, while Naomi's trust in Annie starts to disappear. Meanwhile, Donna tells Kelly about what happened to her and David.
DISC 6:
* EPISODE 21: THE DIONYSIAN DEBACLE - Navid and Adrianna decide to tell their parents about their plans. Meanwhile, Naomi's sister Jen comes back to Beverly Hills.
* EPISODE 22: OFF THE RAILS - Silver does something that upsets Dixon and sets off a turbulent day in the life of Erin Silver. Meanwhile, Annie and Ethan's relationship hits a wall.
* EPISODE 23: ZERO TOLERANCE - It's prom night and a night of new beginnings for Naomi, Annie and also Adrianna. Meanwhile, Kelly is suspicious about Jen.
* EPISODE 24: ONE PARTY CAN RUIN YOUR WHOLE SUMMER - After prom night, things go crazy and definitely a night to remember.
VIDEO & AUDIO:
"90210 - THE FIRST SEASON" is presented in 16:9 and features audio in English 5.1 and stereo.
I have to say that picture quality for the DVD is pretty good. Many drama television shows tend to suffer from terrible...Read more›

Click Here to see more reviews about: 90210: The Complete First Season (2008)

An edgy, contemporary spin-off of the iconic drama Beverly Hills, 90210, the new 90210 looks at life through the eyes of Annie Wilson and her brother Dixon, whose first day at West Beverly Hills High School leaves no doubt they\'re not in Kansas anymore.

Get 46% OFF

Click here for more information about 90210: The Complete First Season (2008)

Degrassi: The Next Generation - Season Eight Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)The Season:
This season on Degrassi it's out with the old and in with the new. As this season introduces many new characters and drops many of The Next Generation Originals besides a select few (Emma, Manny, Liberty and Spinner). I feel that was one of the problems with this season, I felt there wasn't enough closure with the originals who were dropped, although some of them do appear in the "Degrassi Goes Hollywood Movie", but I'll get to that later. As I mentioned earlier Season 8 introduces many new characters this season and brings back the Lakehurst kids (Holly J, Anya, Jane, Sav, Johnny and Bruce) who were all introduced in Season 7 (besides Johnny, who was introduced in Season 6). I feel that is another problem with this season, WAY to many characters! Some of whom hardly get any character development at all (Leia, Blue, Bruce). Many of the plots this season were a real bore, and a lot of it was relationship drama. I did like a handful of episodes this season though (Didn't We Almost Have It All, Bad Medicine, Jane Says (A-Plot Only), Heart Of Glass, Danger Zone). But in my opinion this season was kind of like somebody threw up, as in I thought it was a mess. From randomly introducing plots in an episode then randomly dropping them, and how everything was wrapped up within an episode, and way to many new characters while they also try to pay attention to old ones. Overall I give Season 8: *** Stars or a C. Now lets move onto the DVD.
The DVD:
Now while I overall didn't like this season of Degrassi, I thought the DVD was great! Echo Bridge Entertainment is really good with putting good extras on their Degrassi DVD's. A lot of the Funamation releases had very boring extras like the Degrassi Flipbook and Trailers for anime shows and old episodes of Degrassi. But on the Echo Bridge releases they put the online mini's, on the set material, and deleted scenes from the season and the movie. Much more well balanced for an extra features disc, in my opinion anyway. The Season 8 DVD set also comes with the 4-part finale turned movie "Degrassi Goes Hollywood", in widescreen. All of the episodes, features and the movie seem to be in good quality when I watch them on my TV, better quality then the Season 7 DVD which seemed very grainy in quality when watching it. So overall I would give the DVD: ***** or an A. Now here's my mini review of the "Degrassi Goes Hollywood Movie".
Paradise City: Degrassi Goes Hollywood Movie:
"Paradise City" or "Degrassi Goes Hollywood" is the 4-part Season 8 finale turned into a 90 minute feature-length film. This is the first ever Degrassi: The Next Generation Movie and it's not that bad. The film brings back some characters who were absent for all of Season 8 (Paige, Marco, Ellie and Craig). One of the things I kept wondering throughout the movie is how Paige ended up in Hollywood working for the Heidi Montag parody, Hailey Montel. It just seemed so random, as the last time we saw Paige she was working for Andrea and was dating Griffin. Also she had an HIV plot that was never wrapped up (Season 7). I just don't like how it showed her in Hollywood with no explanation whatsoever. Paige's part of the plot also felt very rushed to me, and it seemed like she regressed to her Season 1-self. And it sucks because Paige is my favorite character and to see her regressed within 90 minutes was lame. Manny's part of the plot also seemed rushed and she was also randomly dating her drama professer, that was completely out of nowhere. The greatest part of the movie is surprisingly Ellie's part. I was very surprised when I enjoyed Ellie's plot the most, I thought her plot was going to be so boring. But it was actually good as they brought back a very old plot from Season 3 with her dad returning from the war with PTSD. Very good to see Ellie be pretty much all wrapped up. But as for the overall movie it was just okay. I give Paradise City: Degrassi Goes Hollywood: **** Stars or a B.
Okay man that was a long review, thanks to anyone who read all of it and remember "You can make it through!" Haha.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Degrassi: The Next Generation - Season Eight

Season 8 of Degrassi: The Next Generation continues to explore controversial territory for young adults struggling with "first" experiences. Last year, chaos reigned as students from rival school Lakehurst were forced into the halls of Degrassi, but Lakehurst's contribution this year is worse - its principal is especially tough on Degrassi's newest students, a gifted grade nine class. As the grade nines explore their new surroundings, so do Smithdale University freshmen Emma, Liberty, and Manny.BONUS! Degrassi Goes Hollywood: An All-New, Never-Before-Seen Feature-Length Film!Kevin Smith and Jason Mewes are back! This time, the Degrassi gang heads to L.A. to obtain parts in Jason's "Mewesical High." But what begins as a fun chance at stardom turns into a fight for the lead role when Manny messes up her audition, and Paige lands her part! It's swimming pools, movie stars and sunshine - Degrassi style.FEATURING 18 EPISODESSpecial Feature(s): Degrassi Goes Hollywood; Bloopers; 25 Deleted Scenes; Podcast; On the Set; Webisodes; "My Window" Music Video

Get 33% OFF

Click here for more information about Degrassi: The Next Generation - Season Eight

Degrassi: The Next Generation - Season Seven Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I will continue to buy the Degrassi dvds as long as there is Degrassi however this season was a dissapoinment. The series does go back and forth between the graduates (Paige, Marco, Ellie) and the seniors (Liberty, Emma) however there are a bunch of newer characters being introduced that I cannot garner interest for.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Degrassi: The Next Generation - Season Seven

Season Seven of Degrassi: The Next Generation ventures into new and more provocative territory for young adults, as it picks up in the middle of a school year already riddled with tragedy. A fire at Lakehurst, the school of JT's killer, forces many of its students into the halls of Degrassi with explosive results. Amidst the newfound clutter and chaos, Spinner and Darcy deal with dark, personal tragedies, Jimmy and Ashley test their love, and Emma and Manny explore new, surprising relationships - all while hurtling toward graduation. New students struggle to find their places in the school, leading to violence and tears, but also healthy competition and new friendships.At the university house, the gang gets a new roommate and strays further from the safety of Degrassi. Ellie and Marco discover that exploring their new freedom comes with dire consequences, while Paige, fresh from flaming out of school, gets a great new job, but learns quickly the demands of the real world.

Get 30% OFF

Click here for more information about Degrassi: The Next Generation - Season Seven

The O.C.: The Complete Third Season (2003) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)December 1, 2006 Addition: I wanted to add a note responding to my own question in my original headline: Can it rebound in Season Four? The great news is: Yes! If there were an Emmy given for "The Comeback Show of the Year," THE O.C. after its first five episodes would have to be a leading candidate. I will be honest: I initially tuned in just to verify that THE O.C. in its 4th season was as bad as it was in its 3rd. I was going to watch two or three episodes and then give up on it. The great news is that it has completely returned to form and is now as good as it has been since it first started. This was not expected! The main reason is has been so good has been that it has gotten back to enjoying the characters, instead of introducing a string of unlikable ones that no one can stand. So far this season, not a single irritating new character! I was afraid that they would make Caitlin into the new Marissa, but so far she hasn't been too bad. The biggest surprise has to be Taylor. I assumed that she would no longer be a part of the show this season, but they not only have brought her back, they've made her vastly more intersting and sympathetic than I would ever have imagined. She is actually now a character I like. Who'd a thunk it? Right now the show is as strong as it was in Season One. One of the best turnarounds I've ever seen a show make.
The third season of THE OC was an almost unbelievable come down from the first two fun seasons. The things that made people enjoy the show the first two seasons were largely pushed to the side, while the more irritating features of the first two seasons were brought to the fore and made the center of the show. On several occasions both I and my good friend who also watches the show debated about whether we were going to stop watching it. There is a point where the displeasure is watching the show threatened to overwhelm any pleasures it brought. Then, after a season of one unpleasantness after another, the show ended on a shocker. Normally one would require a Spoiler warning for this, but unfortunately Mischa Barton herself spoiled the ending by announcing on national TV a few days before the season finale that her character was going to die on the show. Why she did this has been debated. Was she trying to hurt the show? Was she just being stupid? Whatever the reason, what would have been one of the most shocking endings in recent TV history was common knowledge even before it aired.
What went wrong in Season Three? Well, the same things that went wrong in Seasons 1 and 2 but that played a smaller role each year: the introduction of exceedingly unpleasant and irritating characters who dominate the course of the show's narrative. In Season One this was mainly restricted to Oliver, one of the worst characters I've ever seen in a TV show. My guess is that the show's creative team misinterpreted what made the show popular in Season One. Instead of the fun alchemy between the younger members of the cast along with the narratives centering on the adult cast members--which I think was about 99% of the reason people liked the show--they imagined that the chaos injected into the show by Oliver's character was what people loved about it. My own belief is that people liked the show DESPITE Oliver and the chaos he created, not because of him. I'm sure the show's producers imagined that Oliver was a character that viewers loved to hate, instead of merely hating him, which was the actual case. So, in Season Two, the show's producers and writers gave even more characters that we merely hated (instead of loved to hate), the unlikable Alex (who was unlikable not because she became Marissa's lover but because she was merely unlikable) and Trey, Ryan's older brother.
Because the producer's misunderstood what people were liking about the show--people liked the main characters, not the situations generated by the minor, intensely unlikable characters who upset the show's chemistry--they flooded the third season with terrible characters. It started early on in the rehab facility, where we were introduced to the duplicitous Charlotte, a role on which they wasted the wonderful Jeri Ryan. Luckily, Charlotte didn't stay on the show very long, though she was extremely unpleasant while she did. Also early in the season was the terrible Dean Jack Hess, another thoroughly unlikable and wildly implausible character who seemed to have a personal vendetta against Ryan and Marissa. He too disappeared fairly early on. But by then we had been introduced to Johnny, a semi-professional surfer at the public school Marissa was forced to attend after she was kicked out of her private school (her dismissal being merely one more of a host of unbelievable developments). Now, in Johnny's defense, he was not for the most part a terrible character. But his crush on Marissa and Marissa's ongoing inability to do the commonsense things to protect her relationship with Ryan was part and parcel of the stupidity on the part of all the major characters that almost caused the show to unravel. But even with all these irritating characters, the show's producers weren't done. Taylor Townshend was not really a character but a cartoon of a character, someone determined to take over as the school's social leader with the departure of Marissa and as Seth's girlfriend. Now, I will concede that she did become less unlikable as the season went on, and I liked that the show tried to turn her from a bad to a good character. But throughout she remained intensely annoying. There were numerous other unpleasant characters, but the crown for the title of King of the annoying characters of the third season clearly belongs to Vollchek, Johnny's surfing competitor, petty thug, briefly Marissa's lover, and all around annoying guy. He is also the guy who causes Marissa's death. While he doesn't come up to the annoying level of Oliver, he is close.
As a result of this endless parade of unlikable characters and stupid behavior on the part of the main characters (except Summer, who seems to be the only character immune to occasional idiocy--her aside, there were numerous occasions when you wanted to smack all of the major characters aside the head and yell, "Will you get a grip!"), fan discontent grew and grew and ratings of the show fell precipitously. After the end of the season there were rumors that FOX was so displeased with the show that they considered canceling it. In the end, they agreed to bring it back for 16 episodes, starting it much later in the season's schedule and running it without repeats, with the possibility of adding additional episodes if the ratings recover and if it turns out that people watch the show with Marissa off the show. It may well turn out, however, that the terrible Season Three was the beginning of the end for THE OC.
My central complaint with the show--even more than the parade of awful guest characters--is that the show more and more abandoned what made the show fun in the first two seasons: the interplay between the central characters. I hated Oliver and Trey and Alex and Vollchek and Johnny et al. but loved Sandy standing up for his principles, the wonderful interplay between Summer and Seth, Ryan and Marissa's mutual attraction despite their backgrounds. Everything else I put up with so I could enjoy that part of the show. But more and more this all retreated to the background. To be honest, pretty much the only reason I continued watching the show throughout Season Three was to enjoy the improbable relationship between Summer and Seth. As unhappy as I was with Season 3, I will probably at least start off watching the show in Season 4 just to see how they are doing. But my interest in the show is at this point on life support.
No question that the single biggest development in the entire run of the show was the death of Marissa. As much as some fans want her to come back, she is definitely dead and definitely won't be back. Mischa Barton's departure from the show seems to be a mutual decision. As the show's highest profile character (she has appeared on numerous magazine covers the past three years), she has undoubtedly been contemplating leaving TV for the movies for some time, a move accelerated by her well-publicized financial obligations owing to a break up. Even if she and the producers wanted her back, she is already tied to several movies projects and unable to do so. There are many fans who watched the show just to see if Ryan and Marissa would get back together. For them her departure could be fatal to their interest in the show. But the fact is that almost all of the horrible characters I noted earlier were connected to the show via Marissa. Almost all of the worst things in the show were narratively tied to Marissa. So, there is a real chance that the show could develop in different and better directions. But I am fearful that the writers and producers will continue in the direction the show has gone, bringing in one awful character after another, having the main characters engage in self-defeating or self-destructive behavior. When I first started watching the show, it was largely because of elements it shared with a show like THE GILMORE GIRL (on which Adam Brody was a character). I was hoping for a comedy with dramatic subplots, but instead the show has descended more and more into melodrama with less and less comedy. But I'm hoping that in Season 4 they can shift the focus more onto Summer and Seth and thereby emphasize the comedic elements that made the show so much fun in the first two seasons. But, I'm prepared to be disappointed.

Click Here to see more reviews about: The O.C.: The Complete Third Season (2003)

Senior year. Prom. Graduation. College visits. Old friends. New problems. And plenty of Korean popstars. Ryan's savior complex becomes a recipe for disaster. Seth and Summer's relationship hits the rocks thanks to Seth's compulsion to edit the truth. As Kirsten attempts to put her life back together, Sandy assumes leadership of the Newport Group and finds himself the heir-apparent to Caleb Nichol's legacy of scandal. Marissa spirals out of control after little sis Kaitlin - a Julie Cooper in the making - returns home to stir the pot. And speaking of Julie Cooper, she's cast out of her Palace - into the slums of the OC.DVD Features:Music Video:Making of The Subways music videoFeaturette:What's In a Name?Featurette:From Script to Screen - The Party FavorGag ReelOther:Pass The Remote - Scene surfing Commentary.

Get 65% OFF

Click here for more information about The O.C.: The Complete Third Season (2003)

The Secret Life of the American Teenager: Volume Four Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)The critically ABC Family series "THE SECRET LIFE OF THE AMERICAN TEENAGER" received a lot of attention during its first season as the series took on the challenges of teenage pregnancy. Showing us the ramifications of being pregnant as a young teen but also the responsibilities and difficult choices one needs to make as a single mother and also showcasing the challenges of teenage sexuality and peer pressure.
"THE SECRET LIFE OF THE AMERICAN TEENAGER" focuses on the life of teenager Amy Juergens (Shailene Woodley). Your typical girl next door. A 15-year-old who plays the French Horn in a band and part of a typical American family ala dysfunctional. During a summer at band cap, Amy met her high school band's "player" Rickey Underwood (Darren Kagasoff) and with one very quick one night stand, this teenager had her life change in ways she would never imagine. The first season of "The Secret Life of the American Teenager" focused on Amy dealing with being pregnant and the months leading to her giving birth and having to decide between giving the baby up for adoption or keeping it.
The second season began with Amy wanting to raise the child on her own but depending too much on her mother Anne to help her out. Anne (played by Molly Ringwald) is strict and wants Amy to learn that having a baby has major challenges and to make things complicated, Anne is pregnant herself and not knowing if the father is her ex-husband George (played by Mark Derwin) or her new boyfriend.
In volume 3, we have seen changes with the friends as Benjamin (played by Kenny Baumann) who is Amy's boyfriend is starting to feel left out, especially as Amy wants the baby's father, Rickey (played by Darren Kagasoff) involved in the baby's life. Ben ended up going to Italy after the recommendation of his father and while there, met another girl.
Meanwhile, tragedy hit Grace Bowman (played by Megan PArk) as her father was killed in an accident, vulnerable and at her lowest of low, Jack (played by Greg Finley) ends up helping his ex-girlfriend and eventually, the two become boyfriend and girlfriend once again. And the two start to discuss having sex once again. As for Adrian (played by Francia Raisa), she starts to become more self-conscious about her sexual promiscuity.
"The Secret Life of the American Teenager - Volume Four" features the second half of season two with 12 episodes on three DVD's.
VIDEO & AUDIO:
"The Secret Life of the American Teenager" is presented in widescreen (1:78:1) and for the most part, the picture quality is satisfactory for this drama series. Also, it helps that the series features various settings, including multiple outdoor shots which definitely makes the PQ for the DVD much better.
Audio is presented in Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound. The series is front and center channel driven, dialogue is clear and understandable and music comes out quite clear from the front channels. The series is not the type of series that utilizes special effects or the use of the surround channels but if you have a modern home theater receiver and a 5.1 or 7.2 setup, definitely worth selecting audio on all channels on the receiver for a more immersive soundscape.
Subtitles are in English SDH.
SPECIAL FEATURES:
"The Secret Life of the American Teenager - Volume Four" comes with a few special features on disc three. Included are:
* Behind the "Secret" Scenes - (44:06) Featuring the following short featurettes: With Mikaela Pt. 1 - (1:44) Featuring an interview with Allen Evangelista (Henry) and Amy Rider (Alice), With Mikaela Pt. 2 - (2:14) Continuing the interview with Allen Evangelista (Henry) and Amy Rider (Alice) and the two end up interviewing Mikaela, Shooting Hoops - (1:14) Featuring the Daren (Ricky) Kagasoff with his brother Justin and actor Greg (Jack) Finley shooting hoops during a break on the set, Megan Talking to Canada - (:49) Since Megan (Grace) is from Ontario, Megan talks about a Canadian working in Hollywood with director Anson Williams ("Happy Days" Potzie) and Music Scoring - (2:32) The composer for the series talks about working with a great music crew.
* Cast on Family - (5:02) The cast talks about what they expect from their characters and what has made their series a success.
EXTRAS:
"The Secret Life of the American Teenager - Volume Four" comes with a slipcover case and also included is an exclusive sneak peek to "Ashley Juergen's Secret Diary".
JUDGMENT CALL:
I have been a big supporter of "The Secret Life of the American Teenager" since its debut on television for the most part, for the first three volumes, the series has had its fair share of ups and downs. This second half of the second season, seems to be a bit of a mixed bag.
One of the biggest problems the series now faces is that it is becoming to mundane as sex is the storyline that seems to have consumed each episode of the fourth volume, there are no new teen characters for which the main core can move towards. If one person has a problem, it's like the character has disregarded all their other friends (and has no other friends) and can only confide in one of the people who happens to be a main character.
As much as I like to believe everyone has been brought together because of Amy's pregnancy in the first season, these teenagers were all part of some click and have left it to become friends with each other and what made "The Secret Life of the American Teenager" so unique was that it nearly covered the challenges of today's teenager. Now, it feels as if the writers have no where else to go. If one had to create a relationship conflict, it has to be within the group of core characters and I have to admit, this latest volume has literally frustrated me with its direction in writing.
The series reached its high point when trying to showcase high school life, teenage pregnancy and the challenges that teenagers face when it comes to peer pressure but it has become a series that focuses too much on the sex amongst its grownups and teenagers and it seems like the writers don't know where to go.
Even a series "Degrassi Junior High" has been able to find ways to overcome the group dynamics by varying storylines in which the group is not always hanging out with each other. Even "Beverly Hills 90210' (and it's current incarnation) has found ways to utilize other teenagers, other adults into the storyline.
The problem with the series now is that its far removed from how things were with the core characters, some which is understandable but some direction in storyline decisions which I find mundane, contrived and becoming too kitsch. The series has had it share of surprises but Ben and Adriana and now Adriana may be pregnant?
Amy, the young parent and former band member will always have challenges and there is so many storylines to explore with that. Meanwhile, her younger sister Ashley has transformed from this rebellious youth, to now the character who is hanging out with Adrian and Grace. She's younger, the writers should be able to find storylines that reflect challenges of young teenagers at her age, trying to fit in high school, without having to force her to become friends with people of Amy's age group. There is no reason Ashley should even be hanging out with Amy's friends. She's mature for her age, please writers... give her some new friends, introduce some new characters without having to force Ashley to hang out with Amy's circle of friends.
As for Ben, the storyline with him going to Italy, had the potential to be much stronger. If anything, he could have came back with confidence, a new relationship and for the most part, the writers played his character well...with his confusion around his feelings towards Amy. But once again, the writers feel the need to do this sex swapping and in this case, with Adrian. I see where the context of revenge on both sides leading to this sexual pairing but it could have been with someone else outside of the group.
Grace, the cheerleader, the person who has gone through major changes since her father died. I felt that this was a good storyline for her character but there has to be a breakaway from Jack. She's a beautiful cheerleader, who I am sure can attract other jocks or guys at that school without having to resort to Rick or Ben. There is no need for this beautiful teenager to be stuck within her own group. She's popular, she now has issues, then go with that.
As for Jack, the jock of the bunch, I thought it was great how they explored with his character earlier on of trying to pair him with an African American young woman but then the writers ended up going back to having him mess with Adrian and back and forth with Grace. Similar to Grace, Jack is popular, he's a jock and I'm not expecting a "Friday Night Lights" storyline but I'm sure there are other cheerleader friends that wouldn't mind challenging Grace for Jack's attention. Or at least, using his poor choice of decision making and leading him astray with other things other than sex.
I do feel that Adrian and Ricky's part of the series works well. Adrian is always going to have these issues especially with sex and I have no doubt the writers are going to showcase the repercussions of her easy going lifestyle in the next season. For Ricky, I see him wanting to get more involved in his child's life and the writer's did a good job for volume four.
Overall, "The Secret Life of the American Teenager" needs to take some risks, utilize new characters who show up from time to time but somehow preventing these characters from shacking up with each other all the time. The series is...Read more›

Click Here to see more reviews about: The Secret Life of the American Teenager: Volume Four

In the wake of their breakup, Ben and Amy explore new relationships, though their attraction still lingers. Meanwhile, Ashley tests her parent\'s limits, and Anne wants to remarry George on their next anniversary, but will he be able to wait that long? Relive every moment of televison\'s celebrated drama – uninterrupted, plus enjoy fascinating bonus features, with The Secret Life of the American Teenager: Volume Four.

Get 71% OFF

Click here for more information about The Secret Life of the American Teenager: Volume Four

Gossip Girl: The Complete Seasons 1 & 2 Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I got it for my sister, she likes that show. If you like it or know somebody that does then get it i suppose

Click Here to see more reviews about: Gossip Girl: The Complete Seasons 1 & 2

GOSSIP GIRL:SEASONS 1 & 2 - DVD Movie

Get 9% OFF

Click here for more information about Gossip Girl: The Complete Seasons 1 & 2