Written by Teleleu on December 3rd, 2009
Friends – The Complete Series Collection
Friends - The Complete Series Collection
A sitcom behemoth of the last 10 years, Friends shot out of the gate in 1994 with snappy writing and an attractive cast. The exploits of sensitive paleontologist Ross Geller (David Schwimmer), his obsessive-compulsive sister Monica Geller (Courteney Cox); Monica’s roommate Rachel Green (Jennifer Aniston), a spoiled rich girl trying to live on her own; earthy aromatherapist/masseuse Phoebe Buffay (Lisa Kudrow); and Monica’s neighbors across the hall– sarcastic Chandler Bing (Matthew Perry) and his dim-bulb roommate Joey Tribbiani (Matt LeBlanc) became a nationwide obsession, a pop-culture icon (remember “The Rachel” haircut?) and a top Nielsen hit for its entire run.
Friends featured a parade of celebrity guests, but unlike Will & Grace, it actually utilized most of the stars as more than cameos: The sextet’s parents were all brilliantly cast, particularly Kathleen Turner as Chandler’s drag-queen father and Teri Garr as Phoebe’s dizzy mom. Everyone from George Clooney to Sean Penn to Julia Roberts to Bruce Willis has appeared on the sitcom, and Tom Selleck certainly enjoyed a career resuscitation after his recurring role as Monica’s older man.
But no star power ever penetrated the bond between the six stars, and their unmatchable chemistry worked for 10 seasons. Even if the show is on reruns daily, this boxed set of Friends remains watchable over and over again–even if that theme song grates on your nerves.
Standout episodes include The One With All The Poker (Season 1), The One With The Birth (1), The One With the Prom Video (2), The One With the Flashback (3), The One Where Monica and Richard are Just Friends (3), The One Where Ross and Rachel Take a Break (3), The One With the Embryos (4), The One With All the Wedding Dresses (4), The One With the Thanksgiving Flashbacks (5), The One Where Everybody Finds Out (5), The One Where Ross Got High (6), The One With the Videotape (8), The One With the Rumor (8), The One With the Male Nanny (9), The One With Rachel’s Other Sister (9), The One With Ross’ Tan (10), and The One Where the Stripper Cries (10). –Ellen A. Kim
Posted in comedies, complete series collection, Courtney Cox, Friends, guest stars, Jennifer Aniston, Matt LeBlanc, Matthew Perry, sitcoms | Comments Off
Written by Teleleu on December 3rd, 2009
Seinfeld – The Complete Series
Seinfeld - The Complete Series
No show captured the eccentricities of New York like the Larry David-created sitcom Seinfeld. Helping to define America’s view of New Yorkers, the series gained endless fans over its nine season run. Though it wasn’t the first show to assert the rudeness of Gotham’s citizens, its characters are selfish to a fault–not that there’s anything wrong with that. Self-obsessed comedian Jerry Seinfeld is joined in the cast by his neurotic ex-girlfriend, Elaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus); his chronically lazy pal, George (Jason Alexander); and Cosmo Kramer (Michael Richards), who takes the sitcom cliche of the weird neighbor to impressive new heights. Despite their faults (or perhaps because of them), they’re some of the most hilariously watchable characters in television history. The entire series is presented here.
Posted in comedies, complete series collection, guest stars, Jason Alexander, Jerry Seinfeld, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Larry David, Michael Richards, Seinfeld, sitcoms | Comments Off
Written by Teleleu on December 3rd, 2009
The Sopranos: The Complete Series
The Sopranos: The Complete Series
For six seasons, fans have devotedly watched Tony Soprano deal with the difficulties of balancing his home life with the criminal organization he leads. Audiences everywhere tuned in to see the mob, the food, the family, and who was next to be whacked. Celebrate the show that Vanity Fair called, “the greatest show in TV history”, in the ultimate Sopranos keepsake. Bonus features (over 3.5 hours never before seen) include David Chase’s reaction to fan outcry over the series finale; secrets from the writers’ room; props stolen from the set; auditions of some of the cast; the music selected and the meaning behind it; and lost scenes saved from the editing room. 30 discs (28 discs of episodes, 2 bonus discs) and detailed 16-page episode guide.
Posted in complete series collection, crime drama, David Chase, dramas, HBO, James Gandolfini, Jamie-Lynn Sigler, mafia, organized crime, The Sopranos | Comments Off
Written by Teleleu on December 2nd, 2009
Sex and the City: The Complete Series (Collector’s Giftset)
Sex and the City: The Complete Series (Collector's Giftset)
For six seasons Carrie Bradshaw and friends Samantha, Miranda, and Charlotte offered us their hilarious, outspoken and outrageous look at dating, mating and relating in the big city. Celebrate the show that explores the day-to-day — and night-to-night — world of single women in this, the definitive collector’s edition.
Sex and the City is based on Candace Bushnell’s provocative bestselling book. Sarah Jessica Parker stars as Carrie Bradshaw, a self-described “sexual anthropologist,” who writes “Sex and the City,” a newspaper column that chronicles the state of sexual affairs of Manhattanites in this “age of un-innocence.” Her “posse,” including nice girl Charlotte (Kristin Davis), hard-edged Miranda (Cynthia Nixon), and party girl Samantha (Kim Cattrall)–not to mention her own tumultuous love life–gives Carrie plenty of column fodder. Over the course of the first season’s 12 episodes, the most prominent dramatic arc concerns Carrie, who goes from turning the tables on “toxic bachelors” by having “sex like a man” to wanting to join the ranks of “the monogamists” with the elusive Mr. Big (Chris Noth). Meanwhile, Miranda, Cynthia, and Samantha have their own dating woes.
With the last eight episodes of the sixth season, HBO’s grand sitcom concluded, leaving untold numbers of women–and many men–feeling deprived. The six-year series certainly did not outlast its welcome; the final season is some of the best TV had to offer in 2004. In many ways, the eight episodes served as a single finale, with all four characters approaching a kind of destiny and happiness, the theme of this last half-season (which aired weeks after the first half). Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker) continues her romance with Russian artist (Mikhail Baryshnikov), a flippantly arrogant man who’s been around the block, but able to supply Carrie’s needed desire for magic. Miranda (Cynthia Nixon) has settled down with Steve (David Eigenberg), but there is more that will change with her, including her address. Charlotte (Kristin Davis) continues to make baby plans now that the husband slot is filled quite nicely (Evan Handler). Going down the final stretch–and Samantha’s (Kim Cattrall) cancer–gives the series a more serious tone, but there’s always a jab to tickle the funny bone: Miranda’s awkwardness with happiness, Charlotte’s latest passion, Carrie typing someplace new, and Samantha getting into Paris Hilton territory. Like any series winding down, there is a wedding, a baby, old faces popping up, and some star-ladened new ones. In the final two-part episode, “An American in Paris,” Carrie faces her romantic destiny, but also solidifies herself as a fashion icon, an Audrey Hepburn for 21st-century television. In the penultimate episode, she asks her friends an emotional question: “What if I never met you?” Certainly fans can ask of themselves the same question and reminisce how much better TV became since they first tuned in these four women of the City.
Posted in Carrie Bradshaw, Collector's Giftset, complete series collection, dramas, HBO, romantic drama, Sarah Jessica Parker, Sex and the City | Comments Off
Written by Teleleu on December 2nd, 2009
The Muppet Show – Season One
The Muppet Show - Season One
The charm, the zaniness, the corny jokes, the showbiz cliches–every element of The Muppet Show holds up 30 years after Jim Henson’s legendary variety series’ debut season. Well, perhaps not everything: Today’s younger viewers might have a hard time placing some of The Muppet Show’s then-guest stars, such as Florence Henderson or Ruth Buzzi. But then, the Show’s real celebrities are perennial icons Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, Gonzo the… whatever, Fozzie Bear, Animal, and the rest of the Muppets’ harried, well-meaning family of entertainers. Season One finds the show pretty much in the basic shape longtime fans will remember: A musical introduction followed by backstage chaos, another musical number, a sketch, a scene with the guest star, and so on. A half-hour episode can fly by pretty quickly, but it’s interesting to note that the series hadn’t quite found its familiar tone through much of the first year. A reliance on too many disposable verbal jokes and redundant, so-so material for sketch fodder ultimately gives way to more creative premises and the development of key relationships between characters. By the final half-dozen episodes in the first season, The Muppet Show is truly cooking. Season highlights include Kermit’s confession to guest Juliet Prowse that he always wanted to be a dancer, and Prowse’s comparison of the little green superstar to Robert Redford. Joel Grey does a cabaret-style act for a roomful of Muppets and is later outraged when Kermit’s introduction of the actor proves so thorough there is nothing left for the latter to say. Rita Moreno proves quite game in a funny piece, set in a French cafe, in which her dance with a man-size Muppet turns from romantic to table-smashing violent. Harvey Korman plays bumbling ringmaster Maurice the Magnificent, easily the worst animal trainer in history. Phyllis Diller bats out shameless one-liners (“I sang ‘Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star,’ and it fell on me”), and Vincent Price toys with his own horror film image by playing a ghoul who turns into a maudlin orchestra conductor at midnight. –Tom Keogh
Posted in children's programming, comedies, guest stars, Jim Henson, Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, Muppets | Comments Off
Written by Teleleu on December 2nd, 2009
Sesame Street: 40 Years of Sunny Days
Sesame Street: 40 Years of Sunny Days
With over 5 hours of iconic moments, favorite songs, celebrity segments and exclusive never-before-seen backstage footage, this commemorative DVD Collection is a must own for every Sesame Street fan! All of your favorites are here: Big Bird, Cookie Monster, Grover, Ernie & Bert, and many more. Join in the fun and re-live the very best moments of one of children’s programming’s most iconic shows.
Posted in Big Bird, children's programming, educational programming, guest stars, Jim Henson, Sesame Street | Comments Off
Written by Teleleu on December 2nd, 2009
Heroes: Season 2
Heroes: Season 2
Don’t believe the hype: though some critics and viewers decried the sophomore season of the hit fantasy series Heroes, the core of the program remained as strong as in its debut network run. To be sure, the 2007-2008 Writers Guild strike hobbled the show, and producers stumbled by stranding two of its most intriguing characters: Super-charged Peter Petrelli (Milo Ventimiglia) is taken out of the action after being struck with amnesia, while Hiro (Masi Oka) is sent to feudal Japan, where he encounters his own idol, Takezo Kenzei (David Anders). Both are overcomplicated story arcs, even by Heroes standards, and their connection to the rest of the season occasionally requires some mental gymnastics. But the crux of the season–the Company’s development of the power-draining Shanti virus and its potentially devastating effects on both average citizens and superhumans like Niki Sanders (Ali Larter), The Haitian (Jimmy Jean-Louis) and primary villain Sylar (Zachary Quinto)–is solid, gripping material. The introduction of new characters like the lethal Maya (Dania Ramirez) and Kristen Bell as the electrically charged (in both the literal and figurative sense) Elle Bishop also up the dramatic stakes, even if their presence may require a scorecard for some viewers. In short, the few kinks in the armor of Heroes: Season 2 ultimately don’t detract from the show’s drive and vision. Season two spreads its supplemental features across all four of its discs; chief among these are commentary tracks by the cast and crew on all eleven episodes. The participating talent ranges from creator Tim Kring and stars Ventimiglia, Oka, Quinto and Greg Grunberg to composers Lisa Coleman and Wendy Melvoin, which helps to provide a wide variety of information about almost every aspect of the show’s production. Featurettes cover everything from the history of Takezo Kenzei to in-depth looks at scenes from the season, while “Untold Stories” explores storylines that were left unfinished due to the writers’ strike. The key extras are, of course, the alternate ending to the season finale (which is unfortunately revealed by the rear cover-art text) and an info-heavy sneak peek at Season 3. –Paul Gaita
Posted in action series, adventure, fantasy, Hayden Panettiere, Heroes, Sci-fi | Comments Off
Written by Teleleu on December 2nd, 2009
The Shield: Season Seven – The Final Act
The Shield: Season Seven - The Final Act
For six seasons, viewers have watched self-proclaimed “different kind of cop” Victor Samuel Mackey get away with murder, corruption, and other sick and twisted crimes too numerous to mention. In the series’ penultimate episode, “Possible Kill Screen,” Mackey summons from the depths of his tortured soul all of his crimes and abuses as part of an immunity deal he has cut for himself with the Feds at the expense of his unwitting partner, Ronnie (David Rees Snell). Referring to his interrogator’s recorder, he asks, “How much memory does that thing got?” How do you solve a problem like Vic? Do you kill him off? Send him to prison? What would be just comeuppance for a character, who, through it all, has somehow compelled our rooting interest? “You have to pay some kind of price,” his ex-wife Corrine (Cathy Cahlin Ryan) wails. Suffice to say, without spoilers, that in this Emmy-worthy final season, Vic will be held accountable in a way that does his character (and the audience’s investment in him) justice and leaves this groundbreaking series’ proud legacy untarnished. It is an understatement when one character notes, “There is a lot of [stuff] going down at the Barn right now.” To cover their tracks from the Armenian money train robbery, Vic and his guys orchestrate a gang war that quickly spins out of control. Shane (Walton Goggins), estranged from the Team, is forced to go on the run with his pregnant wife and young son. Corrine agrees to help Dutch (Jay Karnes) and Claudette (CCH Pounder) bring Vic down. As the Strike Team sinks further in the hole they’ve dug for themselves, viewers can take some comic relief in Det. Steve Billings’ (David Marciano) pathetic attempts to defraud the city in the wake of his “injury,” and solace in the solid police work of Dutch, Claudette, Danni (Catherine Dent), and Tina (Paula Garces), who is approaching the anniversary of her first year on the force. Stand-alone cases (a missing student whose mother won’t cooperate with the investigation) and personal dramas (Claudette’s failing health) further enrich each gripping episode, leading to an immensely satisfying series finale that fires on all cylinders. This four-disc set includes a wealth of extras, including convivial episode commentaries, deleted scenes, a genuinely moving featurette that goes behind-the-scenes of the series finale, in which Chiklis pays heartfelt tributes to the ensemble, and a season retrospective that fittingly, gives Chiklis the last word: “We know what we have. We have one of the great television series of all time on our hands.” The Shield, we salute you. –Donald Liebenson
Posted in crime drama, dramas, investigative shows/programs, Michael Chiklis, The Shield | Comments Off
Written by Teleleu on December 2nd, 2009
It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia – Seasons 1 & 2
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia - Seasons 1 & 2
Take the best elements from Seinfeld and Arrested Development and you have It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia. Combining the social-degenerate-buddy formula (three men, one woman) with the beyond-dysfunctional-family element, Philadelphia creates scenarios that are so hysterical, wrong, appalling, familiar, embarrassing, uncomfortable, and entertaining, the show is addictive like staring at a car wreck when you know you shouldn’t, but you just can’t look away; it’s invigorating like a fresh, loud, wake-up slap on the face. The writing, the quick timing, and the performances are so natural, one wonders if anyone is even acting (but hopes to heaven they are). Danny DeVito joined the cast in the second season, in one of the best roles on TV. DeVito is “Frank,” the buddy dad that just wants to be part of the gang, the dad that looks good on paper, but the experience for his kids is more like taking care of a vicious dog that isn’t potty-trained. Three of his four talented cohorts (Charlie Day, Glenn Howerton, and Rob McElhenney) not only star in the series, but write it as well. Thanks to their new take on old themes and a willingness to stretch the boundaries of appropriateness and exploit the audiences’ inner insecurities, originality is back on TV.–Rachel Moss
Posted in comedies, Danny DeVito, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia | Comments Off
Written by Teleleu on December 1st, 2009
Heroes – Season Three
Heroes - Season Three
Experience all the explosive action and shocking twists as Heroes: Season 3 comes to DVD! Rediscover the phenomenon in this six-disc set that includes all 25 suspenseful episodes from the third season’s volumes, Villains and Fugitives. Plus, go behind the scenes with the show’s writers, stars and artists as you explore hours of exclusive and revealing bonus features.
Posted in action series, adventure, fantasy, Hayden Panettiere, Heroes, Sci-fi | Comments Off