Dark Angel - The Complete First Season (2000) Review

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(More customer reviews)I do not remember why I missed "Dark Angel" when it originally aired, but now that I have seen the first season I am willing to admit I made a big mistake (Mea Culpa, James Cameron). The story is set in Seattle, Washington, in the year 2019, which is after "The Pulse," an electromagnetic bomb that basically pushed reset on the United States. However, that is only the setting, because the star is Jessica Alba as Max Guevera, who at first glance has a day job as a bike courier, and at second glance works as a cat burglar at night, bit at third glance and closer examination turns out to be a genetically enhanced superhuman created by the government who escaped from a military training school ten years earlier.
"Dark Angel: The Complete First Season" has a couple of plot lines that make Max both the hunter and the hunted. Max is always on the lookout for her "siblings," the other kids who escaped from Manticore, while Lydecker (John Savage), the head of the secret program is trying to find both them and Max to return them to government service. Meanwhile, Max's days as a cat burglar are over when she tries to rob Logan Cale (Michael Weatherly), a rich kid who is the secret cyber-journalist known as "Eyes Only," who enlists her into his idealistic crusade to clean up corruption in Seattle. Of course, the two are made for each other, but we have to wait for them to catch out to this rather obvious fact. What really makes "Dark Angel" work is the extent to which this futuristic dystopia has been worked out. This is not so much a series where the mythology emerges over time, as it is one where the premises are so strong that they sustain multiple episodes and provide compelling sub-text for the rest. Compare this to similar series that take a while to find themselves, and you can see why these solid premises allowed this one to be able to have so many solid episodes early on.
Creator James Cameron's imprint is clearly on this production, but mention should be made of the show's Vancouver crew, which obviously includes a lot of "X-Files" veterans. The production values on "Dark Angel" are pretty striking in creating the seedy world of post-pulse Seattle and its icon Space Needle where Max likes to go and contemplate existence. But the sense of style comes as much from the characters as the setting. Alba is truly stunning as Max, able to play hard, soft, or whatever the scene demands. Weatherly has one of the squarest jaws in television history, and Savage has fun milking everything out of the bad guy (he really does care for his children, but duty never gets in the way of such emotions). The supporting cast has some compelling texture types, from Normal (J.C. MacKenzie), the overbearing dispatcher at Jam Pony ("Bip! Bip! Bip!"), to urban philosopher Herbal Thought (Alimi Bllard), and everybody's favorite, Original Cindy (Valerie Rae Miller), Max's roommate and co-worker, who basically has the right attitude for every occasion.
After watching the complete first season of "Dark Angel" you will want to move on to the complete second season, which just came out and you will be disappointed that there were only two seasons of the series. However, when you see the overall drop in quality during season two, you will not be that surprised (it takes half of that second season for the series to really get going). But "Dark Angel" is one of the better science fiction series to be produced in the last ten years, and the first season does provide a complete story arc.

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Home Movies - Season Two (1999) Review

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(More customer reviews)"Home Movies" is the best of all Adult Swim shows, and when it was cancelled Cartoon Network instantly lost a large percentage of their more intelligent viewers. The show has the ability to amuse with subtlety better than any other cartoon I have ever seen, and this season is one of the finest. For season two the show changed from Squigglevision to Flash animation, largely for the better. Simultaneously the characters began to develop into more complete entities, yet remain complex and flexible enough to handle many diverse situations.
Of the episodes in season two, I particularly like "Hiatus" (the "jazz fight" is just wonderful), "Identifying a Body" (which has one of the strangest plotlines ever in a cartoon), "Pizza Club" (which features a wonderful scene of Walter and Perry going on about their inability to eat pizza due to lactose intolerance and spastic colon), and "The Wedding," which is perhaps the funniest episode in the set, once again featuring lots of subtlety (the floral arrangements, the rash, and the new minister ["I haven't done this recently...or in the past..."] all come to mind), and perhaps the best exchange of all time from Walter and Perry.
There are many excellent commentary tracks and extras, which fans will definitely appreciate.
I can't recommend this set or this series highly enough. Do yourself a favor and check it out: I can't imagine not loving this show!


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Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law, Vol. 1 (2000) Review

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(More customer reviews)Harvey Birdman is an old HB character that Adult Swim (late nights on Cartoon Network)decided to give a face-lift to. Harvey didn't quite hack it as a superhero, but he knows enough about the law to be dangerous! Harvey tries cases of former/current HB characters including Fred Flintstone, Shaggy and Scooby, Dynomutt, and Speed Buggy. The episodes include:
BANNON CUSTODY BATTLE: Remember Jonny Quest? It seems his dad, Dr. Quest and his "partner" Race Bannon are involved in a grueling custody battle over Jonny and little Hadji. Prosecuting attorney Vulturo seems to be winning until Harvey discovers some evidence that may put him over the top.
VERY PERSONAL INJURY: Apache Chief has an embarassing incident with a large cup of very hot coffee from a local coffee chain . He hires Harvey as his attorney to sue Javalux, as he no longer can "grow large at will" after the accident. Prosecuting attorney Reducto has a scheme up his sleeve to help Chief get his teepee back and win the case.
SHAGGY BUSTED: In one of the funniest episodes, we see the Mystery Machine being pulled over via a camera from a cop car (much like "COPS"). Shaggy and Scooby need a good lawyer to beat the charges of smoking pot (always implied, never stated)and Harvey takes the case. Ex-Thespian Prosecuter Spyro not only tries the case, but performs in a stirring rendition of the events of the night in question.
DEATH BY CHOCOLATE: Yogi and Boo-Boo find themselves in a heap of trouble when the ATF swarm their cave and arrest Boo-Boo on charges that he is the terrorist known as "The Unabooboo". Obviously, they need a good lawyer, but Harvey Birdman will do.
SHOYU WEENIE: Jabberjaw and the Neptunes are being sued by a Japanese pop band called Shoyu Weenie for stealing their hit song. Harvey's paralegal Peanut takes the opportunity to hit on the band's female member and finds a way to save the day.
THE DABBA DON: This is my all-time favorite episode. Opening with the theme from "The Sopranos", Fred Flinstone seeks Harvey's advice to expand "a few small businesses". Everything seems to be on the up and up until a few details tie Fred in with the Mob. The episode features my favorite judge Mentok the Mind Taker.
DEADOMUTT, PARTS I and II: Blue Falcon joins the firm as a hot new attorney with his pal DynoMutt in tow. Harvey, crushed that Falcon swooped in and stole the open position of 'partner' from under him, doesn't even try to hide his jealousy and dislike for Falcon, and figures he'd be nothing without DynoMutt to do all his work for him. Now Harvey has a lot of explaining to do when DynoMutt is found mangled up in the copy machine. Harvey is arrested, tried and sentenced to be electrocuted. It's up to Peanut to come to the rescue armed with evidence and heavy sarcasm.
X, THE EXTERMINATOR: X the Eliminator has his memory jarred when he sees and ad with Harvey and his new law firm. Apparently, he was supposed to kill Harvey years ago but never finished him off. Now, he poses as X the Exterminator to get into Harvey's building and finish the job- if he can get over the fact that Harvey barely remembers him and keeps blowing him off for a coffee date.
SPF: After years of gaining power from the sun's rays, Harvey finds a suspicious "spot" on his skin (that oddly resembles Frida Kahlo). The dermatologist insists he stay out of the sun and use a strong SPF. But Harvey becomes listless and tired, not to mention pasty as the underside of a fish. Peanut introduces him to self-tanning cream, and Harvey quickly becomes addicted to the stuff. Peanut uses the opportunity to be his SPF "Candyman", demanding more and more valuables from Harvey in exchange for the goods. It's up to the rest of the firm to throw Harvey an "intervention party".
THE DEVLIN MADE ME DO IT: Daredevil Ernie Devlin is being sued by a kid that injured himself trying one of his famous jumps. Harvey decides the kid is faking it and attacks him- in the courtroom- in his wheelchair. When that severely backfires, Harvey has to do some fancy dancing to win the case.
TRIO'S COMPANY: Harvey represents Inch-High Private Eye when the tiny detective insists he's been fired because of his smaller stature. Meanwhile, Harvey has become smitten with the trainer at his healthclub. But everyone seems to be her "friend", except him.
HIGH SPEED BUGGY CHASE: In an O.J. inspired opener, Speed Buggy gets arrested for leading the cops on a high speed chase. Harvey is hired as defender, but loses a jealous Avenger (his legal eagle assistant) to rival attorney Vulturo. Harvey is forced to downsize to a legal finch.
The DVD also features a ficticious 'movie' trailer and a lot of behind the scenes stuff. There are also auditions for Harvey with Todd Barry and Stephen Colbert (the voice of Reducto). The "Tab" soda scene from "Shaggy Busted" is shown as a video, including lyrics. And finally, deleted scenes from the 2 part episode "DeadoMutt" are here. Of all the Adult Swim cartoons, "Harvey Birdman" is definitely may favorite ("Sealab 2021" and "Aqua Teen Hunger Force" are 2nd and 3rd, repsectively). Get a taste of delicious insanity today!


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Once a third-rate superhero, Harvey Birdman is now a third-rate lawyer trying like hell to get by in a fancy law firm. It's not clear whether Harvey actually went to law school, but he definitely knows the things to say to sound like a lawyer. And he has a suit now, that's for sure.DVD Features:Audio CommentaryDeleted ScenesOtherTheatrical Trailer

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Kingpin (Producer's Cut) (2003) Review

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(More customer reviews)This 6 episode (3 disk) series was made for and recently aired on network television, but in my opinion was quite successful in narrowing the distinction between traditional TV fare and far more graphic projects usually associated with pay cable offerings. It is the saga of a fabulously wealthy Mexican crime family presiding over a global drug cartel, and the 6 episodes define how the power of that family was violently consolidated under the quiet and cunning leadership of Miguel Cadena,(Yancey Arias). Much of what was done has been done before and inevitable comparisons to "The Godfather" are sure to be raised. But with a mostly Hispanic cast, cultural values usually associated as south of the border, and highly imaginative plot twists, this work is sometimes brilliant. The production values of this series more closely resemble that of film rather than episodic weekly television. With just 6 episodes in the can, I think the series ended a bit too soon, and this viewer was left wanting more.

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The modern day saga of a Mexican crime family their lethal journey to reach the top of the billion dollar drug empire and the relentless U.S. government authorities driven to bring them down.System Requirements:Starring Angela Alvarado Bobby Cannavale Brian Benben Danny Trejo Darius McCrary Eduardo Palomo Elika Crespo Elpidia Carrillo Greg Serano Jacob Vargas Laurie Coleman Malik Yoba Maria Conchita Alonso Neko Parham Raekwon Reni Santoni Richard Azurdia Ruben Carbajal Sean Young Shay Roundtree Sheryl Lee Stephen Tobolowsky Toy Connor Wings Hauser Yancey AriasDirected by Allen Coulter Daniel Sackheim James Hayman Michael E. Robin Peter O'FallonRunning time: 303 minutesCopyright Lion's Gate 2003Format: DVD MOVIE Genre:TELEVISION/SERIES & SEQUELS Rating:R UPC:658149814523 Manufacturer No:ST8145D

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Threshold - The Complete Series (2005) Review

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(More customer reviews)"Threshold" reminded me of something Norm from Cheers said in an episode; "It's a dog-eat-dog world and I'm wearing Milkbone underwear". The networks put Milkbone underwear on a lot of their TV shows metaphorically speaking and if they can't get a large audience they get thrown to the dogs. CBS cancelled the show far too soon as the show only aired 8 of its 12 episodes (the pilot was a double length episode). The good news for fans is that when the producers found out the show was being cancelled they were in the middle of shooting the last episode ("Alienville")and this allowed them to rewrite the ending to provide a conclusion (of sorts)to the series.
**Caution some minor spoilers ahead for those who haven't seen the show*** Skip the next three short paragraphs.For those that haven't seen the show the premise is very powerful allowing for suspense and very effective; an alien probe with 4 or 5 dimensional properties shows up. It's signal effects the crew altering their DNA from our normal double helix rewriting the DNA of the crew into a triple helix. It's an alien invasion done by making US the aliens.
Dr. Molly Caffrey (Carla Gugino best known from "Spy Kids" and "Sin City")created a protocol for first contact including hostile first contact. She assembles a team of top notch scientists in their field including Dr. Nigel Fenwya (Brent Spiner of "Star Trek:The Next Generation"); Lucas Pegg (Robert Patrick Benedict from "Felicity") a brilliant physicists and designer for NASA; Arthur Ramsey (Peter Dinklage "Elf" and from the film "Find Me Guilty")a brilliant mathematician and linguist and covert ops agent Sean Vavennaugh (Brian Van Holt from "S.W.A.T." and "Black Hawk Down"). They form the basis with Assistant Secretary of Defense J.T. Baylock (Charles S. Dutton)of "Red Team" whose job is to identify the threat, find out the aliens agenda and neutralize them.
The USS Big Horn's crew is infected with many of them dying while others develop superhuman strength, rapid healing abilities and all share a dream of the alien world and race that wants to "Bioform" humanity and terraform our planet for their own purposes. Suddenly Red Team has an outbreak on their hands and they must capture the sailors before they can infect others. The fact that the sailors choose multiple paths of infection make their job that much more difficult. When various members of their team accidently experience some level of infection it gives them a link to the aliens but also could potential pose a danger to the team.
**End of potential spoilers***
Well written, with top notch acting, writing and direction the show may have suffered from an inconsistent tone as the show was looking to establish its identity but towards the end of the run the show truly did find its voice. Unfortunately the best episodes of the series (the last four) never aired at all and fans of the series are in for a real treat. It's a pity this show wasn't given a chance (the producers had a three year story arc planned out)but what we do get provides for a marvelous and entertaining "mini-series".
The DVD comes with some very nice extras for such a short lived series. We get a four part documentary on the making of the show from the origin of the concept, through casting, the planned story arc and other elements. We also get a good featurette on the visual effects of the show. There's also an Easter Egg. Finally we get a very good featurette with science advisor/producer/writer Andre Bormanis ("Star Trek: The Next Generation") discussing the fractal geometry of the alien "message" that coverted people over and its real scientifici basis. He also discusses real efforts to work on adding a third strand of DNA to the double-helix in labs to modify food, etc. We also get a commentary track on the pilot by producer/director/writer David Goyer ("Blade")and Brannon Braga ("Star Trek: The Next Generation", "Enterprise"). The fact that the show was able to attract some top notch film directors/TV directors (Peter Hyams, Bill L. Norton, David S. Goyer among others) and writers is a pretty good sign of the high quality of the show.
An excellent series "Threshold" was the best of the science fiction shows that appeared in 2005 and one of the best (by its end) of the new crop of shows on the air. It's a pity it was cut short. The show is spread out over four discs and housed in individual slimline cases with two discs in each set.
I'd highly recommend this underrated show that was cancelled far too soon.

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The Job - The Complete Series (2001) Review

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(More customer reviews)As a mid-season filler for "NYPD Blue", "The Job" turned out to be one of the best shows aired in a long time. With a sharp-witted irreverant script and a uniformly great cast, it should have run longer than 19 episodes.
Denis Leary, co-creator, co-producer and co-writer (with Peter Tolan) stars as unscrupulous Mike MacNeil, a pill-popping chain-smoking NYC Detective trying to keep his wife/family, 26 year old girlfriend and job all in balance. When the show ended, everything was unravelling in his life....
The rest of the cast is just too good to single anyone out, even with the recurring "guest" roles - with one stand out there being Janet Hubert-Whitten. Although listed as appearing in only four episodes as Bill Nunn's (Pip) iron fisted domineering wife Adina, her presence is felt in nearly every episode looming over the whipped Pip like a dark menacing cloud.
Nothing whatever is sacred whether it be race, religion or severed body parts. Case in point would be Lt. Williams, played in the pilot episode by Richard Gant, who can't remember the two Hispanic detective's names and calls them rice and beans ("I've been a detective for 36 years...I'm too old to learn new names")
While many things in the show would be offensive if they were played straight, the brilliant scripts don't pull it's punches on any topic and delivers dead-pan humor with gleeful zest.
The four DVD set comes nicely packaged and has few, but substantial extras, including interviews and a gag reel. Definitely one of the best releases of the year!

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The critically-acclaimed, gritty comedy starring Denis Leary now on DVD!All 19 episodes on 4 DVDs!Mike McNeil (Denis Leary) is a self-medicating, hard-drinking, decorated New York City detective with a wife, a mistress and a crush on a coworker. Surrounded by a partner and fellow squad members who are just as colorful, McNeil pursues his uniquely unconventional, yet effective, approach to crime solving while attempting to manage the chaos of his personal life.Originally broadcast on ABC in 2001, The Job was shot entirely on location in New York City, giving the show a gritty look to match its always edgy comedy. Special Features: Interview/Commentary with creators Denis Leary & Peter Tolan Gag Reel

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The Comeback - The Complete Only Season (2005) Review

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(More customer reviews)Perhaps the Producer, Michael Patrick King from Sex and The City and Lisa Kudrow, star from Friends were really expensive to get for HBO, since those shows were so big. However, those shows were made for the masses. Perhaps HBO was expecting another block buster ratings giant. It sounded like it, when they chose not to renew this show, saying the numbers weren't there and they didn't have any resources to put into promoting it further.
However, The Comeback was more of a niche show; subtle, intelligent, willing to embrace pain, humiliation in a point blank fashion. Willing to embrace phases we tend to avoid: those difficult moments in life when somebody says something in which you are not quite sure how to respond, socially awkward situations. A series this intelligent and insightful can only appeal to a few. The great masses prefer simple minded fair to distract them or prefer to see lots of things exploding with lots of pyrotechnics kind of like Homer and Bart Simpson, who are caricatures of "Everyman" on the Street".
But as Valerie (Lisa's character says in one episode); Reality TV is becoming "Coliseum mentality" and that she doesn't do coliseums. Valerie feared her show would not fare well in such a world. This thought proved to be prophetic.
Lisa Kudrow graduated from Vassar College with a degree in Biology. She's an extremely intelligent woman although you might not think so with all the ditzy characters she has played like Phoebe and the Romy and Michelle HS Reunion character.
In The Comeback however, as the main character and as Executive Producer, her intelligence is allowed free rein, as she is allowed to fully develop this Valerie character into a lightning rod for all manner of ridiculous situations...she still plays the part of silly and vain woman but does it so well in concert with the whole cast... We get to see humanity and all it's ridiculous foibles: vanity. prententiousness, selfishness, rudeness, vapidness, indifference, ego mania, self involved-ness...
Each episode allows us to see in subtle details and not so subtle details the dynamics of human/social interactions.
It was definitely not a show for the masses...I don't know if the 2nd season could have been as good as the first but at least we got 13 fantastic episodes of which I have watched at least 15 times each. I think Lisa and Michael should have tried to bring it to Showtime after HBO dropped it but Hey life is always changing...I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

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(HBO Comedy Series) Ten years ago she was TV's "It" girl. Now It's a different story. For Valerie Cherish, no price is too high to pay for clinging to the television spotlight. Lisa Kudrow stars as Valerie Cherish, a former B-list sitcom star so desperate to revive her career that she agrees to star in a reality television show called The Comeback. DVD Features:Audio CommentaryAudio CommentaryInterviews:Valerie?s DVD Interview Other:Valerie Backstage at Dancing with the Stars

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Kidnapped - The Complete Series Review

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(More customer reviews)Kidnapped told the story of a wealthy New York City couple (Timothy Hutton and Dana Delany) whose teenage son (Will Denton) is abducted and, the investigative team assigned to find him (headed by an ex-FBI operative played by Jeremy Sisto).
The series debuted back on September 30, 2006. NBC cancelled it after just three episodes. The network told the writers to wrap up the storyline in thirteen episodes but it was pulled off the air after five.
The network posted the unaired episodes online but a lot of people missed them -- slow connections, older computers, etc.
How many other shows have been pulled off the air and will likely never be released? Smith, 3lbs., Reunion, The Nine, Six Degrees, Runaway and on and on...
The fans have been incredibly supportive of this show from the beginning and it is only because of their constant letters, emails and calls that this show is being released on DVD.
Congrats you Knapp-heads!

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KIDNAPPED:COMPLETE SERIES - DVD Movie

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Invasion - The Complete Series (2005) Review

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(More customer reviews)A really outstanding series that started slowly but steadily built momentum over the season, finally rushing to a stunnning Season Finale climax complete with cliffhanger. It SHOULD have been renewed, and evidently was GOING to be until the last moment, when its cast, crew and audience were left shocked by its demise. Production values, writing, and acting are all first-rate, and I love the strong subtext of "family" -- broken families, blended families, families whose members have resentments and fights but still care for each other. Sheriff Tom Underlay makes a great, ambiguous central character who can be favorably compared to Shaun Cassidy's Sheriff Buck from his previous show, "American Gothic." (My feelings about Tom did a complete shift from suspicion to love during the the run of the season, thanks to the clever writers!) Hopefully this series can be saved by the grassroots movement currently gaining momentum, or a new network can be found for its home, but regardless of what happens, Mr. Cassidy deserves praise for this amazing series. At least we have the opportunity to obtain this first season on DVD, for which I'm grateful!

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From famed writer/producer Shaun Cassidy comes a suspenseful tale of a blended family trying to recover from a devastating hurricane and its mysterious aftermath For park ranger Russell Varon (Eddie Cibrian), a divorced father of two who is expecting a third child with his new wife, the hurricane proves to be merely the beginning of a long journey into the unknown. As the tiny town of Homestead, Florida struggles to rebuild itself, Sheriff Tom Underlay (William Fichtner) - who is married to Russell's ex-wife - suspiciously orders the entire area quarantined. Russell starts to investigate the strange goings on and unknowingly begins a fight for the survival of his family, his community, and what might ultimately be the whole human race.

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