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Get Smart - Season 1 (The Original TV Series)
Actors: Don Adams, Barbara Feldon, Ed Platt
ASIN : B00005JNS8
Sales Rank : 949
Director : Norman Abbott (II), David Alexander, Reza Badiyi, Richard Benedict, Paul Bogart
Studio : HBO Home Video
Region Code : 1
Format : Box set, Closed-captioned, Color, DVD-Video, Original recording remastered, Restored, NTSC
Binding : DVD
EAN : 0883929031085
UPC : 883929031085
Release Date : December 05, 2008
Publisher : HBO Home Video
Manufacturer : HBO Home Video
Availability : Usually ships in 24 hours
Label : HBO Home Video
Running Time : 900
Product DescriptionStudio: Hbo Home Video Release Date: 08/05/2008 Run time: 750 minutes Rating: G Amazon.comThe feature film may have missed it by that much, but Get Smart, the TV series, still hits the target with deadly funny accuracy. The right show at the right time, Get Smart brilliantly spoofed the spy genre that was all the rage in 1965, with James Bond on the big screen, and such series as Danger Man, The Avengers, The Saint, < I>The Man from U.N.C.L.E., and I Spy more or less playing it straight on the small screen. Get Smart, on the other hand, had a license to kill…with laughter. Mel Brooks and Buck Henry created one of TV's all-time greatest characters, Maxwell Smart, Agent 86 of CONTROL, the super-secret agency vigilantly on alert against the forces of KAOS. Smart (Don Adams in his iconic, Emmy-winning role), an American Clouseau, was not stupid. Though all evidence to the contrary, he was, in his own mind, a suave and sophisticated spy, albeit one who would inadvertently lean against a freshly painted wall while shadowing an enemy agent. Get Smart hilariously deglamorized the business of espionage. Agents punch a time clock and dispute vacation time. Cool spy gadgets, such as the infamous Cone of Silence, are prone to malfunction. One running joke throughout the first season finds Agent 44 (Victor French) perched in a variety of unlikely and uncomfortable hiding places, among them a grandfather clock. Although the series would only get smarter and funnier in subsequent seasons (Bernie Kopell's KAOS mastermind Siegfried would be introduced in season two), the first season contains several essential episodes, including the Emmy-winning two-parter, "Ship of Spies," "Aboard the Orient Express," featuring a cameo by Johnny Carson as an unflappable conductor, "Diplomat's Daughter" with the arch --and decidedly non-PC-- villain, the Craw, and "Back to the Drawing Board," featuring Dick Gautier as Hymie the robot. From "Sorry about that" to "Would you believe," no show before Get Smart introduced so many catchphrases into the national language, while Smart and his partner, Agent 99 (the ravishing Barbara Feldon), were perhaps TV's first "will they or won't they" couple. Brooks and Henry contribute separate commentaries for the black and white pilot episode, while Feldon provides commentary for another, and purrs introductions to each episode (beware plot spoilers). With Get Smart, you will be witness to some of TV's funniest moments, sharpest writing, and expertly-executed physical comedy. And… loving it. --Donald Liebenson
Reviews for the Get Smart - Season 1 (The Original TV Series)
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The Phantom of the Opera (Widescreen Edition)
Actors: Gerard Butler, Emmy Rossum, Patrick Wilson, Miranda Richardson, Minnie Driver
ASIN : B0007TKNII
Sales Rank : 302
Director : Joel Schumacher
Brand : Warner Brothers
Studio : Warner Home Video
Region Code : 1
Format : AC-3, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD-Video, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
Binding : DVD
EAN : 9780790795393
ISBN : 0790795396
UPC : 085393895129
Release Date : December 03, 2005
Publisher : Warner Home Video
Manufacturer : Warner Home Video
Availability : Usually ships in 24 hours
Label : Warner Home Video
Running Time : 143
DescriptionMusical Drama based on Andrew Lloyd Webber's celebrated musical phenomenon. The Phantom of the Opera tells the story of a disfigured musical genius (Gerard Butler) who haunts the catacombs beneath the Paris Opera, waging a reign of terror over its occupants. When he falls fatally in love with the lovely Christine (Emmy Rossum), the Phantom devotes himself to creating a new star for the Opera, exerting a strange sense of control over the young soprano as he nurtures her extraordinary talents. Amazon.comAlthough it's not as bold as Oscar darling Chicago, The Phantom of the Opera continues the resuscitation of the movie musical with a faithful adaptation of Andrew Lloyd Webber's blockbuster stage musical. Emmy Rossum glows in a breakout role as opera ingénue Christine Daae, and if phantom Gerard Butler isn't Rossum's match vocally, he does convey menace and sensuality in such numbers as "The Music of the Night." The most experienced musical theater veteran in the cast, romantic lead Patrick Wilson, sings sweetly but seems wooden. The biggest name in the cast, Minnie Driver, hams it up as diva Carlotta, and she's the only principal whose voice was dubbed (though she does sing the closing-credit number, "Learn to Be Lonely," which is also the only new song). Director Joel Schumacher, no stranger to visual spectacle, seems to have found a good match in Lloyd Webber's larger-than-life vision of Gaston LeRoux's Gothic horror-romance. His weakness is cuing too many audience-reaction shots and showing too much of the lurking Phantom, but when he calms down and lets Rossum sings "Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again" alone in a silent graveyard, it's exquisite. Those who consider the stage musical shallow and overblown probably won't have their minds changed by the movie, and devotees will forever rue that the movie took the better part of two decades to develop, which prevented the casting of original principals Michael Crawford and Sarah Brightman. Still, The Phantom of the Opera is a welcome exception to the long line of ill-conceived Broadway-to-movie travesties. DVD Features The special edition of The Phantom of the Opera has two major extras. "Behind the Mask: The Story of The Phantom of the Opera" is an hourlong documentary tracing the genesis of the stage show, with interviews of composer Andrew Lloyd Webber, director Harold Prince, producer Cameron Macintosh, lyricists Richard Stilgoe and Charles Hart, choreographer Gillian Lynne, and others. Conspicuously absent are stars Sarah Brightman and Michael Crawford. Both do appear in video clips, including Brightman performing with Colm Wilkinson at an early workshop, and Crawford is the subject of a casting segment. Other brief scenes from the show are represented by a 2001 production. The other major feature is the 45-minute making-of focusing on the movie, including casting and the selection of director Joel Schumacher Both are well-done productions by Lloyd Webber's Really Useful Group. The deleted scene is a new song written by Lloyd Webber and Charles Hart, "No One Would Listen," sung by the Phantom toward the end of the movie. It's a beautiful song that, along with Madame Giry's story, makes him a more sympathetic character. But because that bit of backstory already slowed down the ending, it was probably a good move to cut the song. --David Horiuchi More on The Phantom of the Opera  The Phantom of the Opera (Special Extended Edition Soundtrack) (CD) |  The Phantom of the Opera (2004 Movie Soundtrack) (CD) |  The Phantom of the Opera (Original 1986 London Cast) (CD) |  Evita (DVD) |  Andrew Lloyd Weber: The Royal Albert Hall Celebration (DVD) |  More Broadway DVDs |
Reviews for the The Phantom of the Opera (Widescreen Edition)
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One Tree Hill - The Complete Second Season
Actors: Chad Michael Murray, James Lafferty, Hilarie Burton, Bethany Joy Galeotti, Paul Johansson
ASIN : B0009W5IN8
Sales Rank : 448
Director : Babu Subramaniam 'T.R.', Bethany Rooney, Billy Dickson, David Paymer, Gregory Prange
Brand : Warner Brothers
Studio : Warner Home Video
Region Code : 1
Format : Box set, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
Binding : DVD
EAN : 9781419813658
ISBN : 141981365X
UPC : 012569715899
Release Date : December 13, 2005
Publisher : Warner Home Video
Manufacturer : Warner Home Video
Availability : Usually ships in 24 hours
Label : Warner Home Video
Running Time : 993
Product DescriptionStudio: Warner Home Video Release Date: 11/14/2006 Rating: Nr Amazon.comOne Tree Hill: The Complete Second Season finds life in an uproar for virtually every major and minor character in the WB series set in One Tree, North Carolina. Basketball sensation Lucas Scott (Chad Michael Murray), illegitimate son of One Tree Hill's resident J.R.-like figure, car dealer, and all-around monster Dan Scott (Paul Johansson), has left town with his Uncle Keith (Craig Sheffer) to start a new life. (Keith himself has split One Tree to nurse a broken heart after his marriage proposal to Lucas's mom, Karen, played by Moira Kelly, was rejected.) It's not long, however, before Lucas has second thoughts, prompted in part by Dan's recent heart attack and the mess he (Lucas) left behind with two girls, Peyton (Hilarie Burton) and Brooke (Sophia Bush). Meanwhile, Lucas's half-brother, Nathan (James Lafferty), has married the former's lifelong best friend, Haley (Bethany Joy Lenz), a union approved by the bride's parents but not by Nathan's mother, Deb (Barbara Alyn Woods). (It should be mentioned that Nathan and Haley, as with nearly every other young person on this show, are not yet high school seniors. They only look much older.) All that's just the first couple of episodes of season 2. In the remaining 21, Dan temporarily fools everyone into believing he's a changed man following his cardiac crisis. In fact, he's worse than ever, trying to wreck Nathan and Haley's marriage, attempting to buy Lucas's loyalties, driving Deb into a drug-addicted stupor, pulling the rug out from beneath Keith (who took over Dan's dealership during the latter's illness), and waging a war, of sorts, with basketball coach Whitey (Barry Corbin) for influence over Nathan's destiny. While all this is going on, Haley leaves Nathan to join a music group, Peyton finds success running an all-ages night at a new club opened by Karen, Lucas finds evidence that Dan is cheating the IRS, Brooke's once-wealthy parents go broke, and actress Sheryl Lee (Twin Peaks) turns up toward season's end playing a mysterious visitor with a surprising connection to a major character's past. Whew. If One Tree Hill's first season succeeded in part because series creator Mark Schwahn kept, for a while, a tight focus on the early, rocky relationship between Nathan and Lucas, the second season works as a frenetic, ensemble drama with elements of camp and absurdity. The above-mentioned reference to Dallas villain J.R. Ewing proves apt in more ways than one. The final episode of One Tree Hill's sophomore season ends with its own, not-so-subtle variation on the classic who-shot-J.R. cliffhanger, leaving open to debate which of many possible One Tree candidates might have committed a foul (if understandable) bit of vengeance against a certain bad dude one loves to hate. --Tom Keogh
Reviews for the One Tree Hill - The Complete Second Season
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Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (Two-Disc Special Edition)
Actors: Harrison Ford, Cate Blanchett, Shia LaBeouf, Karen Allen, Ray Winstone
ASIN : B00005JPO1
Sales Rank : 969
Director : Steven Spielberg
Brand : Paramount
Studio : Paramount Home Entertainment
Region Code : 1
Format : Closed-captioned, Color, Full Screen, NTSC
Binding : DVD
EAN : 0097361390246
UPC : 097361390246
Release Date : December 14, 2008
Publisher : Paramount Home Entertainment
Manufacturer : Paramount Home Entertainment
Availability : Usually ships in 24 hours
Label : Paramount Home Entertainment
Running Time : 122
Product DescriptionStudio: Paramount Home Video Release Date: 10/14/2008 Run time: 122 minutes Rating: Pg13 Amazon.comNearly 20 years after riding his last Crusade, Harrison Ford makes a welcome return as archaeologist/relic hunter Indiana Jones in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, an action-packed fourth installment that's, in a nutshell, less memorable than the first three but great nostalgia for fans of the series. Producer George Lucas and screenwriter David Koepp (War of the Worlds) set the film during the cold war, as the Soviets--replacing Nazis as Indy's villains of choice and led by a sword-wielding Cate Blanchett with black bob and sunglasses--are in pursuit of a crystal skull, which has mystical powers related to a city of gold. After escaping from them in a spectacular opening action sequence, Indy is coerced to head to Peru at the behest of a young greaser (Shia LaBeouf) whose friend--and Indy's colleague--Professor Oxley (John Hurt) has been captured for his knowledge of the skull's whereabouts. Whatever secrets the skull holds are tertiary; its reveal is the weakest part of the movie, as the CGI effects that inevitably accompany it feel jarring next to the boulder-rolling world of Indy audiences knew and loved. There's plenty of comedy, delightful stunts--ants play a deadly role here--and the return of Raiders love interest Karen Allen as Marion Ravenwood, once shrill but now softened, giving her ex-love bemused glances and eye-rolls as he huffs his way to save the day. Which brings us to Ford: bullwhip still in hand, he's a little creakier, a lot grayer, but still twice the action hero of anyone in film today. With all the anticipation and hype leading up to the film's release, perhaps no reunion is sweeter than that of Ford with the role that fits him as snugly as that fedora hat. --Ellen A. Kim
Stills from Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (Click for larger image)
Reviews for the Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (Two-Disc Special Edition)
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One Tree Hill - The Complete Third Season
Actors: Chad Michael Murray, James Lafferty, Hilarie Burton, Bethany Joy Galeotti, Paul Johansson
ASIN : B000G1R4T8
Sales Rank : 352
Director : Bethany Rooney, Billy Dickson, David Jackson, David Paymer, Gregory Prange
Brand : WARNER HOME VIDEO
Studio : Warner Home Video
Region Code : 1
Format : Box set, Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
Binding : DVD
EAN : 0012569762626
UPC : 012569762626
Release Date : December 26, 2006
Publisher : Warner Home Video
Manufacturer : Warner Home Video
Availability : Usually ships in 10 to 13 days
Label : Warner Home Video
Running Time : 937
DescriptionSenior year. A time to grow up, to forget, to forgive, to dream, to learn to love all over again. People come together -- except Dan, consumed by anger as he tracks down whoever started the fire that almost took his life. Tree Hill is rocked by powerful new events -- the good, the bad and the catastrophic. The good: Haley fights to save her marriage, Peyton comes to terms with her birth mother, Brooke creates a hot clothing line, and Keith comes home. The bad: Dan gets a rival for worst person in Tree Hill -- a conniving redhead named Rachel, the new girl at school. The catastrophic: Tragedy strikes Tree Hill High, and suddenly who wins the cheerleading tournament or basketball championship seems insignificant compared to who lives. And who doesn't. DVD Features: Deleted Scenes Deleted Scenes Audio Commentary:With cast and crew on "With Tired Eyes, Tired Minds, Tired Souls, We Slept" Deleted Scenes Deleted Scenes Audio Commentary:With Cast & Crew on "The Show Must Go On". Deleted Scenes Documentaries:"Anatomy of an Episode" including all-new cast and crew interviews on what goes into making an episode. Gag Reel
Amazon.comThe third season of the WB's small town soap begins with the blaze that ended the second ("Like You like an Arsonist"). Dan (Paul Johannson) makes it out alive, but vows to seek vengeance on the perpetrator--even if that person happens to be estranged son Lucas (Chad Michael Murray). In the following episode ("From the Edge of the Deep Green Sea"), Dan's preferred offspring returns to Tree Hill. Will Nathan (James Lafferty) reconcile with wife Haley (Bethany Joy Galeotti)? It's her deepest desire, but Nathan has his doubts. Further changes are afoot. Haley and Brooke (Sophia Bush), for instance, move in together...which wouldn't seem so strange if they were in college rather than high school. Brooke and Lucas also try a "non-exclusive" arrangement (her idea, not his). When sexy schemer Rachel (Danneel Harris) joins the cheerleading squad, Brooke starts to regret her decision. Meanwhile, the delightfully odious Dan runs for mayor. Just when he thinks he's got it locked, Lucas’s mom, Karen (Moira Kelly), throws her hat in the ring. But those developments are minor compared to the school shooting in episode 16 ("With Tired Eyes, Tired Minds, Tired Souls, We Slept"). Guest stars include Nada Surf ("Return of the Future") and season two favorites Fall Out Boy ("An Attempt to Tip the Scales"), while recurring characters include Peyton's birth mother Ellie (Sheryl Lee, Twin Peaks), and smug singer/songwriter Chris (Tyler Hilton, Walk the Line), with whom Haley collaborates again. As in the previous year, the finale ("The Show Must Go On") is a cliffhanger. Fortunately for fans, One Tree Hill was picked up by the CW, so resolution awaits in season four. Special features include commentary, deleted scenes, and a featurette about the making of "With Tired Eyes." --Kathleen C. Fennessy
Reviews for the One Tree Hill - The Complete Third Season
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Shine a Light
Actor: Rolling Stones
ASIN : B0014DZ2XC
Sales Rank : 669
Director : Martin Scorsese
Brand : Paramount
Studio : Paramount
Region Code : 1
Format : AC-3, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD-Video, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
Binding : DVD
EAN : 0097363518747
UPC : 097363518747
Release Date : December 29, 2008
Publisher : Paramount
Manufacturer : Paramount
Availability : Usually ships in 24 hours
Label : Paramount
Running Time : 121
Album DescriptionWidescreen Rated PG 13. Academy Award-winning filmmaker Martin Scorsese and the world's greatest Rock'N' Roll band, The Rolling Stones, unite to bring audiences the year's most extraordinary film event, Shine A Light. With special appearances by Christina Aguilera, Jack White and Buddy Guy, and four Rolling Stones performances not seen in theaters, Shine A Light is a must-own for Rock'N'Roll fans across generations. 5.1 Dolby Digital (English, Spanish, French), Behind the scenes featurette, plus four music videos (Undercover Of The Night, Paint It Black, Little T And A, I'm Free) Amazon.comMartin Scorsese leaps into the madness of the Rolling Stones’ organization in Shine a Light, barely controlling (in a most entertaining way) a documentary that culminates in the Stones’ best concert on film. The movie’s highly entertaining, pre-performance prologue finds a frazzled Scorsese trying to get a clue about the band’s plans for a very special New York City date in 2006, a benefit hosted by Bill and Hillary Clinton. While Mick Jagger quibbles over concepts for the stage’s set and peruses lists of possible songs to include in the show, Scorsese tries to figure out how to shoot something for which he has few production details. Everything falls into place eventually, and after an extraordinary meet-and-greet scene in which Jagger, Keith Richards, Ron Wood, and Charlie Watts catch up with the Clintons and sweetly introduce themselves to Hillary’s mom, the Stones launch into a set that leans less heavily than usual on their greatest hits canon. Longtime fans are sure to appreciate the wealth of generally-untapped material from Let It Bleed ("You Got the Silver," "Live With Me"), Exile On Main Street ("All Down the Line," "Loving Cup"), and Some Girls ("Faraway Eyes," "Just My Imagination"). Jack White, Christina Aguilera, and Buddy Guy are on hand for memorable collaborations, but the Stones all alone are truly on fire in the relatively intimate setting of a small theater. Among the highlights is a sexy and even thrilling call-and-response between Jagger and ace backup singer Lisa Fischer on "She Was Hot," Richards’ gracious and expansive solo on "Connection," and Jagger’s witty take on "Some Girls" (which manages to skip over the controversial verse about "black girls"). Throughout the show, Scorsese and an army of camera operators cover the action from every conceivable angle, which results not so much in another hyperkinetic concert film but rather in the kind of graceful, flattering portrayal of a great band that the director mastered with The Last Waltz. --Tom Keogh
Reviews for the Shine a Light
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One Tree Hill - The Complete First Season
Actors: Chad Michael Murray, James Lafferty, Hilarie Burton, Bethany Joy Galeotti, Paul Johansson
ASIN : B0006FFRBG
Sales Rank : 786
Director : Billy Dickson, Bryan Gordon, David Carson, Duane Clark, Gregory Prange
Brand : Warner Brothers
Studio : Warner Home Video
Region Code : 1
Format : Box set, Closed-captioned, Color, DVD-Video, Full Screen, Subtitled, NTSC
Binding : DVD
EAN : 9781419801853
ISBN : 1419801856
UPC : 012569593640
Release Date : December 25, 2005
Publisher : Warner Home Video
Manufacturer : Warner Home Video
Availability : Usually ships in 24 hours
Label : Warner Home Video
Running Time : 944
DescriptionSame town. Same team. Same father. Different lives. Half-brothers rival each other on and off the basketball court in the wildly popular high-school drama that tallied a whopping 185% audience growth among W18-34 from it series premiere to the first season finale. DVD Features: Additional Scenes:Over 48 minutes of Unaired Scenes with introductions Audio Commentary:Commentary by the cast and crew on The Pilot (Disc 1), To Wish Impossible Things (Disc 5), The Games That Play Us (Disc 6) Documentaries:Building a Winning Team: The Making of One Tree Hill - a never-before-seen making-of documentary with interviews with the cast and crew. Diaries From The Set - A behind-the-scenes vignette with the cast of One Tree Hill. Gag Reel:Christmas Elf Gag Music Video:Oh, Chariot musical performance by Gavin DeGraw
Amazon.comOne Tree Hill: The Complete First Season marks the beginning of a genuinely engrossing series that maintains, for a long while, an unusual focus on a single, powerful conflict defining the destinies of two characters. Adolescent half-brothers Lucas (Chad Michael Murray) and Nathan (James Lafferty) Scott have lived parallel lives in One Tree, North Carolina. They share a common father, Dan Scott (Paul Johansson), who has disregarded the existence of Lucas, his son by a one-time flame, Karen (Moira Kelly), whom he dumped years before to accept a basketball scholarship to college. While neglecting Lucas, Dan--whose hoop dreams never materialized--has spent his time almost perversely micro-managing every one of Nathan's moves on and off the court at his old high school, where the lad is currently an arrogant superstar under gruff-but-wise coach Whitey Durham (Barry Corbin). Nathan (whose mother is separated from Dan) is a child of privilege and has been raised to disregard teamwork, compromise, or the feelings of others. He regards Lucas, a basketball sensation on neighborhood playgrounds, as trash, and his own girlfriend, Peyton (Hilarie Burton), as a pretty bauble he can abuse and dismiss at will. Still, he's sympathetic; one can see glimpses of the human being struggling to emerge from under Dan's control. Meanwhile, Lucas helps Karen run her café, hangs out with platonic best friend Haley (Bethany Joy Lenz), and pines for Peyton (herself a punky misfit at heart). He also turns to surrogate dad Keith Scott (Craig Sheffer)--actually his uncle and Dan's older brother--for support, and sees himself as a perpetual and doomed outsider in One Tree. All that changes when Whitey invites Lucas to join the b-ball team that Nathan dominates, a move that challenges the status quo of multiple relationships in a small community. For about a third of its episodes, this series from creator Mark Schwahn (who wrote the hit film Coach Carter) stays true to the suspense surrounding Lucas's and Nathan's changes in fortune. Then a bit of padding follows to the end of the season; there are 22 episodes to fill out, after all. But even as various distractions (a kidnapping subplot, a car accident and coma for a major character) and random events creep in (Dan, rather incredibly, takes over the team from Whitey at one point, thus coaching both his sons), One Tree Hill remains highly watchable. The writing is shaped well and organic, while performances are consistently excellent. (It's especially good to see Sheffer, perhaps best known for A River Runs Through It, again.) --Tom Keogh
Reviews for the One Tree Hill - The Complete First Season
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The West Wing - The Complete Second Season
Actors: Martin Sheen, Bradley Whitford
ASIN : B0001HAGQK
Sales Rank : 609
Director : Thomas Schlamme, Chris Misiano
Brand : Warner Brothers
Studio : Warner Home Video
Region Code : 1
Format : Anamorphic, Box set, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
Binding : DVD
EAN : 9780790787480
ISBN : 0790787482
UPC : 085393162122
Release Date : December 18, 2004
Publisher : Warner Home Video
Manufacturer : Warner Home Video
Availability : Usually ships in 24 hours
Label : Warner Home Video
Running Time : 954
DescriptionIt's never politics as usual inside this Oval Office. The President and his staff have been targeted for disruption by rival politicians, soon after being targeted by would-be assassins. Yet the determined colleagues continue to serve the U.S. and its President as the administration heads through midterm elections and into a crisis that leads to allegations of criminal conduct. The West Wing's second season won the Best Drama Series Emmy and Golden Globe Awards. DVD Features: Audio Commentary Deleted Scenes Featurette
Amazon.comThe second season of The West Wing takes up literally where the first season left off and, after a few moments of patriotic sentimentalism, maintains the series' astonishingly high standards in depicting the everyday life of the White House staff of a Democratic administration. The two-part opener covers the immediate aftermath of the assassination attempt on President Bartlet (Martin Sheen), switching between the anxious wait on the injured and flashbacks to Bartlet's campaign for the Presidency. Other peaks in a series exceedingly short on lows include "Noel," the episode in which Alan Arkin's psychiatrist forces Josh Lynam to confront his post-traumatic stress disorder and the episodes in which President Bartlet, following a tragic car accident, rails angrily against God in Latin. Other new aspects include the introduction of Ainsley Hayes, a young Republican counsel hired after she beats communications deputy Sam Seaborn (Rob Lowe) in a TV debate ("Sam's getting his ass kicked by a girl!" crow his colleagues), as well as the revelation that the President has been suffering from multiple sclerosis. Tensions grow between him and the First Lady (Stockard Channing) as she realizes, in the episode "Third State of the Union," that he intends to run for a second term in office. It becomes clear to Bartlet that he must go public with his MS, and his staff is forced to come to terms with this, as well as deal with the usual plethora of domestic and international incidents, which apparently preclude any of them from having any sort of private lives. These include crises in Haiti and Columbia, an obstinate filibuster, and a Surgeon General's excessively frank remarks about the drug situation. Thankfully, the splendid Lord John Marbury (Roger Rees) is on hand to make chief of staff Leo McGarry's life more of a misery in "The Drop-In." These episodes, though occasionally marred by a sentimental soundtrack and an earnest and wishfully high regard for the Presidential office, are master classes in drama and dialogue, ranging from the wittily staccato to the magnificently grave, capturing authentically the hectic pace of political intrigue and the often vain efforts of decent, brilliant people to do the right thing. The West Wing is one of the all-time great TV dramas. --David Stubbs
Reviews for the The West Wing - The Complete Second Season
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Curb Your Enthusiasm - The Complete Second Season
Actors: Larry David, Cheryl Hines
ASIN : B0001US8EE
Sales Rank : 783
Director : Andy Ackerman, Larry Charles, Bryan Gordon, Dean Parisot, David Steinberg
Brand : WARNER HOME VIDEO
Studio : Hbo Home Video
Region Code : 1
Format : Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD-Video, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
Binding : DVD
EAN : 9780783128436
ISBN : 0783128436
UPC : 026359885228
Release Date : December 15, 2004
Publisher : Hbo Home Video
Manufacturer : Hbo Home Video
Availability : Usually ships in 24 hours
Label : Hbo Home Video
Running Time : 300
DescriptionLarry David has it all - money, security, famous friends, a nurturing wife, a devoted agent, a new oceanfront home. So why is he still so intent on making a mess out of his life? Just because you've made it doesn't mean you've got it made. Curb Your Enthusiasm, folks - it's the HBO comedy series starring Larry David...as Larry David! Amazon.comIt's more of the same for Larry David's sitcom from HBO, and for fans, that's a good thing. The show--largely extemporized--follows suit of David's former series, Seinfeld: it's a show about nothing, just the everyday life of the star going about his pseudo-real world. But David's show has far more edge (thanks, in part, to airing on cable TV) with all the bad luck, embarrassing situations, and dreadful behavior as its premiere season. The closest thing to an arc is David's season-long pitch to the networks for a new show starring former Seinfeld stars Jason Alexander and Julia-Louis Dreyfus. Each network is lampooned, especially HBO, which David has a bad history with in this alternate world. Sure to repel those with soft funny bones, Curb's acerbic comedy allows jokes where David is accidentally framed--if ever so briefly--as a child molester, wife abuser, or murderer. But for those who do love his shtick, there are big laughs, especially when we bump into characters as unbridled as David, like a fellow writer who is quite protective of his dad's invention, the Cobb salad. Many comic actors pop up, some as "themselves" (Richard Lewis, Rob Reiner) and others as characters (Rita Wilson, Ed Asner) along with the delights of co-stars Cheryl Hines as David's wife and his affable manger, Jeff Garlin. There are several touchstone bits: what a thong brief can do to a relationship, a run-in with pro wrestler, Larry's first baptism, and one very collectible doll. To pick one episode to capture this second season--and its grandstanding nature--it would be "Shaq," in which the NBA star is accidentally tripped, changing David's usual bad luck with gut-busting results. --Doug Thomas
Reviews for the Curb Your Enthusiasm - The Complete Second Season
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The Phantom of the Opera (Full Screen Edition)
Actors: Gerard Butler, Emmy Rossum, Patrick Wilson, Miranda Richardson, Minnie Driver
ASIN : B0007TKNIS
Sales Rank : 930
Director : Joel Schumacher
Brand : Warner Brothers
Studio : Warner Home Video
Region Code : 1
Format : AC-3, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD-Video, Subtitled, Full Screen, NTSC
Binding : DVD
EAN : 9780790795409
ISBN : 079079540X
UPC : 085393895228
Release Date : December 03, 2005
Publisher : Warner Home Video
Manufacturer : Warner Home Video
Availability : Usually ships in 24 hours
Label : Warner Home Video
Running Time : 143
DescriptionMusical Drama based on Andrew Lloyd Webber's celebrated musical phenomenon. The Phantom of the Opera tells the story of a disfigured musical genius (Gerard Butler) who haunts the catacombs beneath the Paris Opera, waging a reign of terror over its occupants. When he falls fatally in love with the lovely Christine (Emmy Rossum), the Phantom devotes himself to creating a new star for the Opera, exerting a strange sense of control over the young soprano as he nurtures her extraordinary talents. Amazon.comAlthough it's not as bold as Oscar darling Chicago, The Phantom of the Opera continues the resuscitation of the movie musical with a faithful adaptation of Andrew Lloyd Webber's blockbuster stage musical. Emmy Rossum glows in a breakout role as opera ingénue Christine Daae, and if phantom Gerard Butler isn't Rossum's match vocally, he does convey menace and sensuality in such numbers as "The Music of the Night." The most experienced musical theater veteran in the cast, romantic lead Patrick Wilson, sings sweetly but seems wooden. The biggest name in the cast, Minnie Driver, hams it up as diva Carlotta, and she's the only principal whose voice was dubbed (though she does sing the closing-credit number, "Learn to Be Lonely," which is also the only new song). Director Joel Schumacher, no stranger to visual spectacle, seems to have found a good match in Lloyd Webber's larger-than-life vision of Gaston LeRoux's Gothic horror-romance. His weakness is cuing too many audience-reaction shots and showing too much of the lurking Phantom, but when he calms down and lets Rossum sings "Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again" alone in a silent graveyard, it's exquisite. Those who consider the stage musical shallow and overblown probably won't have their minds changed by the movie, and devotees will forever rue that the movie took the better part of two decades to develop, which prevented the casting of original principals Michael Crawford and Sarah Brightman. Still, The Phantom of the Opera is a welcome exception to the long line of ill-conceived Broadway-to-movie travesties. DVD Features The special edition of The Phantom of the Opera has two major extras. "Behind the Mask: The Story of The Phantom of the Opera" is an hourlong documentary tracing the genesis of the stage show, with interviews of composer Andrew Lloyd Webber, director Harold Prince, producer Cameron Macintosh, lyricists Richard Stilgoe and Charles Hart, choreographer Gillian Lynne, and others. Conspicuously absent are stars Sarah Brightman and Michael Crawford. Both do appear in video clips, including Brightman performing with Colm Wilkinson at an early workshop, and Crawford is the subject of a casting segment. Other brief scenes from the show are represented by a 2001 production. The other major feature is the 45-minute making-of focusing on the movie, including casting and the selection of director Joel Schumacher Both are well-done productions by Lloyd Webber's Really Useful Group. The deleted scene is a new song written by Lloyd Webber and Charles Hart, "No One Would Listen," sung by the Phantom toward the end of the movie. It's a beautiful song that, along with Madame Giry's story, makes him a more sympathetic character. But because that bit of backstory already slowed down the ending, it was probably a good move to cut the song. --David Horiuchi More on The Phantom of the Opera  The Phantom of the Opera (Special Extended Edition Soundtrack) (CD) |  The Phantom of the Opera (2004 Movie Soundtrack) (CD) |  The Phantom of the Opera (Original 1986 London Cast) (CD) |  Evita (DVD) |  Andrew Lloyd Weber: The Royal Albert Hall Celebration (DVD) |  More Broadway DVDs |
Reviews for the The Phantom of the Opera (Full Screen Edition)
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