The Muppet Show - Season One (Special Edition)

Product Description

It's time to raise the curtain on THE MUPPET SHOW! Join Kermit, Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, the Swedish Chef, and more in the complete first season of this groundbreaking twist on the classic Variety Show. Included are all 24 episodes, completely restored and remastered, and something you were never meant to see: the original "pitch reel" that propelled the Muppets' blend of original songs, sketch comedy, and guest stars into a primetime hit for all ages! Come discover for yourself the most sensational, inspirational, celebrational, Muppetational pleasures of THE MUPPET SHOW: SEASON ONE!

System Requirements:
Running Time: 604 Min.

Format: DVD MOVIE

Amazon.com

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

Stills from The Muppet Show (click for larger image)

The divine Miss Piggy
Kermit and Miss Piggy
Fozzie Bear and Kermit

Sing along!
Everyone's a critic

Customer Reviews:

A classic that has aged very gracefully........2007-09-10

I used to watch this show almost every evening when I was in college. I bought this set as soon as it was released and got to relive those days of Muppet mayhem right before an evening of academic achievement, only without the academic achievement this time. Now I can watch as many episodes as I want.

My favorite part of watching these DVDs now is seeing the guest stars. Some are people I've long forgotten about, and perhaps there are a few I've never heard of. (I can look those up on the Internet now.) I never knew Florence Henderson could sing!

I can't think of a comedy show that could simultaneously entertain adults and children, and be absurdly dumb and clever at the same time the way this show can. I like the TV shows better than all the Muppet movies. This is Muppets in their element, on stage where they belong. I hope to watch these with my kids when they get a little older.

classic muppets.......2007-09-08

You can't get more classic then this DVD. Great pick! My kids love it as much as I did.

Nostalgia.......2007-09-01

I used to like to watch The Muppet Show when I was a kid. A short while ago, I stumbled on it on TV. I noticed that my daughter too was watching it carefully. So, I decided to order this DVD. Muppet Show is full of fun and no violence at all.

Always a classic.......2007-08-23

I grew up watching the Muppet Show and now I get to introduce my child to a show that was unlike any other to date. The DVD collection is a marvellous treat. I'm about to get season two and continue the fun!

Season 1 is a joy.......2007-08-20

I watched this with glee - remembering all the things I haven't seen in decades! The only complaint I have is the very low production value of the menus and the Muppet Morsels. They look .... cheap. But ENJOY the trivia - they have done away with it in Season 2.

Average customer rating:

Marvelous!
Clean, Entertaining, Delightful
Great family video
delightful period romp
A really superb production!!!

The Inheritance
Starring: Cari Shayne , Brigitta Dau , Paul Anthony Stewart , Max Gail , and Brigid Brannagh
Director: Bobby Roth
Manufacturer: Platinum Disc
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00062IZ0Y
Release Date: 2004-12-07

Customer Reviews:

Marvelous!.......2007-09-13

This is a marvelous movie for those who love period pieces and are romantics at heart. There are obstacles to overcome. The heroine of the story is an upright, moral, sweet lady who thinks of others above herself. There was nothing in the movie to make you come away with an icky feeling (no sex scenes, violence, or foul language that I recall). It is an all-around feel-good kind of movie. I loved it!

Clean, Entertaining, Delightful.......2007-09-10

The movie "The Inheritance" is one of the best movies I have seen. I saw it on TV first, which is what prompted me to buy the DVD. I knew it was a movie I would want to have for years to come. I also wanted my daughters to watch it.

Some movies that are of this type are cheesy and predictable. This one was different. I wasn't sure what was going to happen and was actually surprised by the way things turned out.

The costumes were beautiful, the actors wonderful, and the story believable and refreshing. It was good, clean entertainment that left me feeling uplifted.

I recommend this movie to anyone who cares about goodness and morality and watching movies with your entire family, but I also recommend it on its merit as an interesting story even for those who don't care as much about objectionable language and scenes. It's just a good movie!

Great family video.......2007-09-04

A little corny, perhaps? Yes, but this filmed Louisa May Alcott novel has all the intrigue and romance tween girls used to really enjoy. And it even has horses! There's folly and redemption, sorrow and joy, and an orphan finds a true home. Watch it with your family.

delightful period romp.......2007-08-26

Based on Louisa May Alcott's long-lost debut novel, THE INHERITANCE is a delightful period romp for anyone who loves to get carried away by romance and intrigue.

Edith Adelon (Cari Shayne) lives with the wealthy Hamilton family at their Evenswood estate in Concord, Mass., as a companion for their daughter Amy (Brigitta Dau). Not quite a servant but not quite a member of the family either, Edith's position grows more precarious as the family awaits visitors for the annual Greens Cup ball and horse-race: snooty cousin Ida (Brigid Walsh-Brannagh) and handsome bachelor James Percy (Thomas Gibson) throw even more complications into the mix for poor Edith. When James starts falling for Edith, her lack of breeding and station sets the catalyst for family secrets to be revealed and true destinies to be discovered...

THE INHERITANCE is full of memorable, endearing performances, in particular Tom Conti as the Hamilton patriarch. He turns what could have been a throwaway character into the true heartbeat of the story. Cari Shayne gives a winsome 'Cinderella' quality to the role of the selfless Edith. Meredith Baxter is also very fine as Mrs Beatrice Hamilton. Brigitta Dau and Brigid Walsh-Brannagh do what they can with the most one-dimensional characters in the piece.

Louisa May Alcott's original novel, written when she was only seventeen and later buried in a trunk, was a trite and highly-romanticised variation of the 'Cinderella' story; this 1997 television adaptation gives more backbone to the character of Edith and the entire story flows in a very fresh and appealing way.

For anyone who loves a good old-fashioned romance, THE INHERITANCE is the perfect movie to while away a rainy Saturday afternoon.

A really superb production!!!.......2007-08-20

I haven't read the novella from which the movie is inspired, but I simply revelled in viewing this DVD, and found myself totally riveted by it. "The Inheritance" is an refreshingly interesting, well-made, extremely watchable film, with fine acting and a storyline that does keep one enthralled right to the end. As far as I am concerned, it is the sheer simplicity and unpretentiousness of this nineteenth-century New England romance more than anything else that wins it. Most/all of the actors turn in commendable performances, but Cari Shayne in particular is especially commanding as well as very believable as the good-hearted, modest and highly likeable Edith Adelon, and the last minutes of "The Inheritance" are quite a tribute to the dignified fashion in which the character carries herself all along and the numerous sacrifices she makes.

In brief, I would settle cosily and view "The Inheritance" for a second time any day, and for sure recommend it to others too.

Alfred Hitchcock Presents - Season Three (5pc)

Average customer rating:

Another suspense season!
Quality control from the Master
The third time's a charm
I can't believe it's true!
Itchy for Hitchy

Alfred Hitchcock Presents - Season Three (5pc)
Starring: Peter Lorre , William Shatner , Vincent Price , Jack Klugman , and George Peppard
Director: Alfred Hitchcock , Robert Altman , and Arthur Hiller
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Television | Genres | DVD | Video

ASIN: B000TXPXD2
Release Date: 2007-10-09

Customer Reviews:

Another suspense season!.......2007-09-04

I can't wait to receive this DVD and watch the entire season. I strongly recommend for all the Alfred Hitchcock's fans.

Quality control from the Master.......2007-08-01

Imagine an anthology television series where every episode is based on a literate, tried and tested short story by a writer skilled in the art of narrative suspense. Where the story was already successful in another medium (and were not talking comic books). The batting average for good episodes was amazingly high, and these DVDs hold up beautifully. Collect them all. Sadly, I picked up a boot of Boris Karloff's series "Thriller" on DVD and they don't (hold up). At an hour they were stretched out, and mostly done by hack tv writers. Karloff's intros are the only good part. Hitchcock's great intros are worth the ticket alone here, but stick around for some great storytelling.

Hollywoodaholic: Confessions of a Screenwriter

The third time's a charm.......2007-08-01

Three of the episodes in the third season of ALFRED HITCHCOCK PRESENTS were directed by Hitchcock himself: "The Perfect Crime," "Lamb to the Slaughter" and "Dip in the Pool." The rest were overseen by a number of fine directors, including Robert Altman, Arthur Hiller and Don Taylor. MCA/Universal's large talent pool supplied the many fine actors who appeared in this and all the other seasons the show was in production.

By season #3, ALFRED HITCHCOCK PRESENTS had really hit its stride. This DVD set is a terrific package of some of the finest programming the Golden Age of Televison ever produced. The first two years of the show are also available in complete season box sets.

For a fine bargain-priced compilation of Hitch's British-era movies, try the ULTIMATE HITCHCOCK COLLECTION. It offers 18 vintage titles as well as two TV episodes.

.
This program list is sequential by airdate. Included on it are 1 to 10 viewer poll ratings, titles and the most prominent actors for each episode.

(9.1) (.#1) The Glass Eye (10/6/57) - Billy Barty/William Shatner/Jessica Tandy
(8.6) (.#2) The Mail Order Prophet (10/13/57) - Jack Klugman/E.G. Marshall
(8.3) (.#3) The Perfect Crime (10/20/57) - Vincent Price/James Gregory
(8.6) (.#4) Heart of Gold (10/27/57) - Daryl Hickman/Nehemiah Persoff/Mildred Dunnock
(9.0) (.#5) Silent Witness (11/3/57) - Don Taylor/Patricia Hitchcock
(8.9) (.#6) Reward To Finder (11/10/57) - Oskar Homolka/Jo Van Fleet/Claude Akins
(9.0) (.#7) Enough Rope For Two (11/17/57) - Steven Hill/Jean Hagen/Steve Brodie
(8.6) (.#8) The Last Request (11/24/57) - Harry Guardino/Cara Williams/Hugh Marlowe
(9.0) (.#9) The Young One (12/1/57) - Carol Lynley/Vince Edwards/Jeanette Nolan
(8.8) (#10) The Diplomatic Corpse (12/8/57) - Peter Lorre/George Peppard/Mary Scott
(8.8) (#11) The Deadly (12/15/57) - Phyllis Thaxter/Craig Stevens/Frank Gerstle
(8.8) (#12) Miss Paisley's Cat (12/22/57) - Dorothy Stickney/Raymond Bailey
(8.8) (#13) Night of the Execution (12/29/57) - Vinton Haworth/Pat Hingle
(8.8) (#14) The Percentage (1/5/58) - Don Keefer/Walter Woolf King/Carole Mathews
(8.8) (#15) Together (1/12/58) - Joseph Cotten/Florence MacAfee/Christine White
(8.3) (#16) Sylvia (1/19/58) - Ann Todd/Phillip Reed/John McIntire/Raymond Bailey
(8.8) (#17) The Motive (1/26/58) - Skip Homeier/Carl Betz/Kay Stewart
(8.3) (#18) Miss Bracegirdle Does Her Duty (2/2/58) - Mildred Natwick/Gavin Muir
(8.4) (#19) The Equalizer (2/9/58) - Leif Erickson/Martin Balsam/Norma Crane
(???) (#20) On the Nose (2/15/58) - Jan Sterling/Carl Betz/Holly Bane
(8.9) (#21) Guest for Breakfast (2/23/58) - Joan Tetzel/Scott McKay/Richard Shepard
(8.2) (#22) The Return of the Hero (3/2/58) - Jacques Bergerac/Susan Kohner
(8.7) (#23) The Right Kind of House (3/9/58) - Jeanette Nolan/James Drury/Robert Emhardt
(8.5) (#24) The Foghorn (3/16/58) - Barbara Bel Geddes/Michael Rennie
(???) (#25) Flight to the East (3/23/58) - Gary Merrill/Harvey Stephans
(7.4) (#26) Bull in a China Shop (3/30/58) - Dennis Morgan/Estelle Winwood/Ellen Corby
(8.6) (#27) Disappearing Trick (4/6/58) - Robert Horton/Raymond Bailey/Jack Albertson
(9.0) (#28) Lamb to the Slaughter (4/13/58) - Barbara Bel Geddes/Harold J. Stone
(???) (#29) Fatal Figures (4/20/58) - John McGiver/Vivian Nathan
(???) (#30) Death Sentence (4/27/57) - James Best/Steve Brodie/Frank Gerstle
(???) (#31) The Festive Season (5/4/58) - Richard Waring/Carmen Mathews
(7.6) (#32) Listen, Listen! (5/11/58) - James Westmoreland/Adam Williams/Kitty Kelly
(9.0) (#33) Post Mortem (5/18/58) - Steve Forrest/Joanna Cook Moore/James Gregory
(8.0) (#34) The Crocodile Case (5/25/58) - Denholm Elliot/Patricia Hitchcock
(7.9) (#35) Dip in the Pool (6/1/58) - Keenan Wynn/Fay Wray
(???) (#36) The Safe Place (6/8/58) - Robert H. Harris/Jerry Paris
(8.2) (#37) The Canary Sedan (6/15/58) - Jessica Tandy/Gavin Muir
(???) (#38) The Impromptu Murder (6/22/58) - Hume Cronyn/Doris Lloyd
(8.8) (#39) Little White Frock (6/29/58) - Herbert Marshall/Tom Helmore/Julie Adams

I can't believe it's true!.......2007-07-29

I am so glad season three came out now. I have checked Amazon often to see if season three has come and today was the day! I can't wait to see it!

Itchy for Hitchy.......2007-07-28

I too, have been anxiously awaiting this series, does anyone know how many series there are, some were in a 1hr format towards the end I recall but no matter, 3 is on it's way and that's the main thing, I too have ordered mine, if only they would release "Boris Karloff's-Thriller" as well, one lives in hope, it's only 2 seasons (I believe) but it is a classic. as is Hitchcock.

Average customer rating:

BallyK tries to move on after Tony Doyle's passing.

Ballykissangel - Complete Series Six
Starring: Don Wycherley , Lorcan Cranitch , Kate McEnery , Simon Mulholland , and Victoria Smurfit
Director: Richard Standeven , Alan Macmillan , Chris Clough , Paul Duane , and N.G. Bristow
Manufacturer: BBC Warner
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000QXDEHC
Release Date: 2007-09-18

Description

There's a sad goodbye and new arrivals in Ballykissangel: Quigley, the irrepressible entrepreneur has departed suddenly, but Australian priest, Father Vincent Sheahan, has joined the fold and is soon learning the ways of the villagers. From Dermot's online confessional (which is promptly stopped from a mysterious email from God!) to a surprise takeover at the pub, and further shenanigans with Liam and Donal, there's every reason to return to the idyllic village.

Customer Reviews:

BallyK tries to move on after Tony Doyle's passing........2007-06-04

What sort of person are you? Do you relish variety or prefer the TV shows, musical artists, actresses you like to be recognizably the same over their runs, careers? The answer to that will determine whether you relish the changes introduced for series six of Ballykissangel, as the following exit the show: Sean Dillon (Lorcan Cranitch), Emma Dillon (Kate McEnery), Father Aidan O'Connell (Don Wycherley), Orla O'Connell (Victoria Smurfit), Danny Byrne (Colin Farrell), and Brian Quigley (Tony Doyle) who, arguably, was the franchise character and driving force of the entire show. Mr. Doyle passed away in January of 2000, just after the last episode of the fifth year of BallyK was broadcast (in December of 1999). There were no more episodes of BallyK until the spring of 2001 at which time series six (the first of 8 episodes) began to be broadcast. Item one of this final year thus was explaining the absence of Brian Quigley, dealing with that and then trying to move on without this central character. Of course, it's still BallyK and a welcoming program to watch, but at one and the same time, not the same anymore without the fulcrum (raison d'être even), of the whole program.

Series Six Episodes

Episode One - God.com
Brian Quigley goes missing & there's a new online confessional.

Episode Two - Drink
Father Vincent, the new parish priest buys Fitzgerald's Pub AND gets caught for drink driving!

Episode Three - The Cat and Daddy G
Grainne Dooley receives a goat for her birthday and the residents of Ballyk go to the races.

Episode Four - Spirit Proof
Talk of Ghosts and fishing problems, meanwhile Kathleen learns to drive.

Episode Five - Paul Dooley Sleeps with the Fishes
A stranger in town turns out to be from Avril's past. And the famous Fitzgerald's Bar might be in for a name change.

Episode Six - In a Jam
Vincent is in charge of this year's parish fête and something appears to be bothering Siobhan.

Episode Seven - Getting Better all the Time
An old friend of Vincent's arrives in Ballykissangel and Liam and Donal have to decide what to do with Quigley's money.

Episode Eight - Smoke Signals
Father Mac confronts Vincent when he finds out that Lyn and Barry are married.

Average customer rating:

very funny
A Great Movie!!
Such a cute movie!
Awesome Movie!
movie

The Ugly Dachshund
Starring: Dean Jones , Suzanne Pleshette , Charles Ruggles , Kelly Thordsen , and Parley Baer
Director: Norman Tokar
Manufacturer: Walt Disney Video
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B0001I55RE
Release Date: 2004-07-06

Amazon.com

When a Great Dane puppy is raised with a litter of Dachshunds, it naturally thinks it's a Dachshund too--even when it grows to 10 times the size. Dean Jones and Suzanne Pleshette star as the hapless couple who took in the galumphing dog, which wreaks havoc on their house and home. The Ugly Dachshund is mostly a series of spectacular disasters (the doggy demolition of Jones's art studio will delight kids and reduce adults to nervous wrecks), but it's held together by the convincing domestic banter of Jones and Pleshette (who was quite a dish in 1965); the pair went on to star in a couple of other Disney live-action flicks, Bluebeard's Ghost and The Shaggy D.A.. Despite some racial and gender stereotypes, it's a good-natured and amusing movie in the Disney mold. Also featuring classic character actor Charlie Ruggles (Bringing Up Baby, The Parent Trap). --Bret Fetzer

Description

There's magic in the memories as great Disney moments are captured right here for you and your family to enjoy. You don't have to own a pet to enjoy this story of a happy suburban household gone to the dogs! The Garrisons (Dean Jones and Suzanne Pleshette) are the "proud parents" of three adorable dachshund pups -- and one overgrown Great Dane named Brutus, who nevertheless thinks of himself as a dainty dachsie. His identity crisis results in an uproarious series of household crises that reduce the Garrisons' house to shambles -- and viewers to howls of laughter!

Customer Reviews:

very funny.......2007-08-27

if your a dog lover this is a good one. its an older movie but well worth it.

A Great Movie!!.......2007-07-08

This is a great, classic, Disney film. Every time I watch it it makes me laugh, without having to filter for bad language, inappropriate content, violence, or any number of other things all movies seem to have these days. I am not sure that it classifies as an example of critically acclaimed cinema of our times, but I highly recommend it all the same!

Such a cute movie!.......2007-07-05

Dean Jones makes the best Disney movies. His character always ends up in some kind of competition with a female. He always loses! ;P His wife has these annoying puppies so Jones gets himself a great dane in which all heck breaks lose and brings the comedy full of laughter. You will have to watch to see how it ends!

Awesome Movie!.......2007-05-28

A friend of mine from the office told me about this movie knowing I have a Great Dane of my own. I purchased it and watched it the day it came in the mail! It's such a great movie and truly reflects the life of a Great Dane owner! I give it five stars. :)

movie.......2007-05-25

thankyou I got exactly what I expected! It did take a little longer than I expected to recieve this movie! I had ordered another movie at the exact time from someone else and recieved it much faster!

Family Guy Presents Stewie Griffin - The Untold Story

Average customer rating:

Unfortunately...
Um, yeah..not so much
one of the worst movies ever.
I got fooled. Content new at release time, but is a 'rerun' now
Funny and Kool

Family Guy Presents Stewie Griffin - The Untold Story
Starring: Seth MacFarlane , Alex Borstein , Seth Green , Mila Kunis , and Lori Alan
Director: Peter Shin , and Pete Michels
Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000A3DFV8
Release Date: 2005-09-27

Product Description

In this exclusive 83 minute DVD premiere, featuring brand new, never before seen content, Stewie, the maniacal baby genius, is distracted from his plans for world domination when he sees a man who looks just like him on television. Convinced that this man must be his real father (after all, how could he possibly share genetic material with the dimwitted Peter?), Stewie sets off on a cross-country road trip to find him. But his incredible journey leads him to discoveries far more vile and shocking that anything found in his diaper.

Format: DVD MOVIE

Amazon.com

For Family Guy fans, there are no freakin' sweeter words than "Never Before Seen." A triumphant homecoming for the Griffins, Stewie Griffin is not so much a movie as it is a not-yet-aired three-episode story arc enhanced with a home-video-exclusive "red carpet premiere" prologue and an epilogue (capped, of course, with a fart joke). Family Guy's resurrection is a television miracle, and its creators have rewarded the faithful by picking up right where they left off, offending any and all sensibilities (recasting Jesus as comic magician Art Metrano), dissing the celebrity disenfranchised (Ellen Cleghorne references, anyone?), and generally taking potshots at anyone on their enemies list (Stewie breaks the neck of a reporter for Entertainment Weekly, the magazine that once called Family Guy "the Awful Show They Just Keep Putting on the Air"). The Untold Story! is a star vehicle for Family Guy 's breakout character, in which the mega maniacal and matricidal infant has a Grinch-like change of heart after a near-death experience (and a disturbing encounter with Steve Allen in Hell) and, more life-altering, discovers a football-pated man who could be his father (the truth is more shocking!). As go the gags, so goes Family Guy, and there are enough good ones here to compensate for the many misfires. The Miller-esque (as in Dennis) penchant for channeling arcane pop culture can grow tiresome. But for those who do remember the words to the Who's the Boss theme song, know (or still care) who Steve Bartman is, and are always up for "a sexy party," this will be the greatest story ever untold. --Donald Liebenson

Stills from Family Guy Presents Stewie Griffin - The Untold Story (click for larger image)

Customer Reviews:

Unfortunately..........2007-08-15

It is 3 episodes put together faking to be like a movie, but anyways, i thought it was good, but I didn't like once it came in the mail, the cover was different from the picture on here. I wanted the one with Stewie griffin, half his face showing and him saying "NEVER BEFORE SEEN!" but instead I got a boring black cover with the griffin family on it.

For the movie itself, it was funny and awesome, family guy-must see!
i was just disappointed in the cover art and how that picture lied to us all.

Um, yeah..not so much.......2007-07-30

I am a rabid Family Guy fan. I was just like you guys staying up late at night watching Adult Swim watching re-runs and laughing at each joke as if they were new. When I heard the movie was coming come I was one of the first to order. I was completely excited, told all my friends. The movie finally came.

But then I put the DVD in.

Um, yeah..not so much. It was such a disappointment. It's like having two bad Family Guy episodes pasted together, and badly. I couldn't recommend it to anyone, but if you are a rabid fan you already have it anyway.

one of the worst movies ever........2007-07-25

A full length Family Guy movie might sound like a good idea, and definitely a good financial move, considering how popular(and overrated imo) Family Guy is nowadays. But when I saw the results of this idea, I completely realized that Family Guy is not a show to make a feature film out of. Aqua Teen Hunger Force even worked better as a movie than Family Guy did. The whole thing is just 3 modern episodes tied together. And if you read my other Family Guy review, you'd know that I'm not a fan of alot of recent Family guy episodes. And many of the great flaws and negativities of recent episodes are all present in this movie. And even worse, I did not laugh even once throughout the whole movie. I laugh occasionally in every new family guy episode, but not once in this whole movie did I laugh.

I got fooled. Content new at release time, but is a 'rerun' now.......2007-07-10

I am glad this was paid for by a gift certificate. That way I don't feel as foolish for spending money on something that has been shown on TV. This was released during a time when no new Family Guy was being shown on TV. Once it returned to TV, these episodes were aired.

Buy this if you like to 'own' what you see on TV.

I must admit, it is fun to watch them with the 'adult' language soundtrack. Cartoons that swear are worth a giggle. Don't worry, they do not swear a lot.

Funny and Kool.......2007-07-06

This movie is hilarious its like as funny as the show itself like stewie goes back into time and sees he becomes a 35 year old virgin because he tried to kill a little boy by the swimming pool that 1 day.

Get this movie i did

The Backyardigans - It's Great To Be A Ghost

Average customer rating:

Backyardigans loverThis
My son's favorite show... and mine too!
This one has The Pirate Treasure on it!
Fantastic show
We love the Backyardigans!

The Backyardigans - It's Great To Be A Ghost
Starring: Naelee Rae , Thomas Sharkey (III) , Kristin Klabunde , Jonah Bobo , and Maria Darling
Director: Dave Palmer (III) , Mike Shiell , Robert Scull , Donald Kim , and Bill Giggie
Manufacturer: Nickelodeon
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B0009W5IYW
Release Date: 2005-08-30

Amazon.com

There's a whole world waiting to be discovered right outside in the backyard--it just takes imagination and a little help from the Backyardigans. Nick JR's Backyardigans is a computer animated series about five preschool-age animals who spend their days playing together in a shared backyard. By using their imaginations, Pablo, Tyrone, Uniqua, Tasha and Austin experience life as ghosts, solve a monster mystery, embark on a quest to save Egypt from a drought, and search for buried treasure. Besides having lots of fun, the group learns about overcoming fears, the investigate process, and the importance of things like cooperation, sharing and saying please and thank you. Each of the four 25-minute episodes features a healthy selection of musical numbers in a specific musical style: 1920's jazz, 1960's rock-n-roll, Broadway musical, and reggae. Special DVD features include an introduction to each character and his or her personality, suggestions of "how to be a Backyardigan," and the music video "A Pirate Says Arrr." (Ages 18 months to 6 years) --Tami Horiuchi

Product Description

It's Great to Be a Ghost - PABLO, TYRONE, and UNIQUA are ghosts, and they've found the perfect old house to haunt. To the sound of Cab Calloway-style 20's jazz, they practice floating, booing, and other scary stuff. When an unsuspecting stranger (TASHA) shows up, they put their scaring skills to the test.

Monster Detective - PABLO is a noisy but lonely Soccer-Ball-Monster who hordes soccer balls in his castle's gym. TYRONE is a no-nonsense, Dragnet-style Detective. He and his client, UNIQUA, must brave the Monster's Castle and rescue UNIQUA'S kidnapped soccer ball. 60's Rock underscores this action- packed investigation. Will they get the job done without being turned into Monsters themselves? Bonus episodes/ Added Value-2nd Menu Page Below are episode descriptions of the two bonus episodes on this release: (approx 50:00 minutes) - DVD ONLY

The Key to the Nile - TASHA is Princess of Egypt, and TYRONE, PABLO, and AUSTIN are her servants. Only the princess can end Egypt's horrible drought, by bringing three precious gifts to the sphinx, UNIQUA. Will the princess finally unlock the Nile waters? Broadway-style musical numbers ring through the desert in this Egyptian adventure.

Pirate Treasure - X marks the spot on this reggae-style pirate adventure. In two pirate teams, the kids sail the high seas in search of treasure. Who will find it first? And who will walk the plank?

Customer Reviews:

Backyardigans loverThis.......2007-09-15

This is quickly becoming my daughters favorite Backyardigans DVD. She still loves Mission to Mars, but she really likes the Soccer Monster and Pirate Treasure. We will probably buy a few more DVDs for birthday and Christmas.

My son's favorite show... and mine too!.......2007-08-10

The Backyardigan's is quite possibly the best television show ever made for kids! My two year old son loves all the characters and the adventures that they have together. Even after he's watched a show he talks about the characters like they're his best friends, it's so cute! It's Great to be a Ghost is his favorite of all the dvd's because the second episode (Monster Detective) is about a soccer monster who steals soccer balls and loves playing soccer which is my son's (and husband's) favorite sport! They pretend to be soccer monsters and play soccer like Pablo, Uniqua, and Tyrone- I've watched these dvd's countless times and the Yardigans (as my son calls them) never get old, annoying, or repetitive! (unlike so many of the kid's shows today) They're fun, imaginitive, creative, and teach good life lessons with awesome characters and animation!

This one has The Pirate Treasure on it!.......2007-06-27

After searching for months for ONE particular episode of Backyardigans, I found that this dvd has The Pirate Treasure on it. This has been our daughters VERY FAVORITE EPISODE of her VERY FAVORITE SHOW... and we would TIVO it but could not figure out how to tape it...
Finally, we found it. It has a few other hard to find shows too (*4 in all). One is Its Great to be a Ghost with jazzy ragtime type music... and The Soccer Monster with beachy type music. Also the Secret of the Nile and then The Pirate Treasure. Such a great dvd for kids. Our daughter sings and dances to it all the time!!!!

Fantastic show.......2007-06-25

I LOVE the Backyardigans. They're not annoying and the songs are catchy. We watch this video several times a day and I'm not sick of it yet.

We love the Backyardigans!.......2007-04-12

My son has been watching the Backyardigans from age 1 and he loves them. He is now 2 1/2 and still watches them regularly. They are bright and happy characters and the stories are simple for the kids to understand. I've seen each episode many, many times and I still enjoy them too!! We love the Backyardigans, especially Pirate Treasure, Polka Palace Party, and Surf's Up!! I recommend them all!!

Quantum Leap - The Complete Fifth Season

Average customer rating:

That's the way it is
Disappointed
Defective CD's
Best season
Quantum Leap The Complete Fifth Season

Quantum Leap - The Complete Fifth Season
Director: Gus Trikonis , Ivan Dixon , David G. Phinney , Joseph L. Scanlan , and Scott Bakula
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000HT3Q2I
Release Date: 2006-11-14

Customer Reviews:

That's the way it is.......2007-08-12

I'm not sure how I feel about Quantum Leap ending.

OH MY GOD IT'S OVER!!! WHAT NOW?!!!

OK, yes I do know how I feel. It's been a long haul. It didn't take me long to watch the first three seasons, the fourth season was a pain in the neck, and then the fifth season seemed to be over in a flash. I watched eight episodes during a two day period, and then today, I watched the last two discs straight through. I did consider rationing it, maybe watching an episode a week, but I don't think the person I borrowed it from is too happy at the gap in his DVD case. Didn't think it would be a good idea to risk it, never mind joke about it.

I'm still actually in shock over the last episode, Mirror Image. I'm totally gutted it's over, there's no more Sam, there's no more Al. And what a gripping final episode. From the blurb, I thought it would work slightly differently. I thought it would be he went back to where he was born, and do something there. Kinda like the end of the director's cut of Butterfly Effect. But although it was a disappointing ending (there's rumours it was meant to be a two parter, or a cliffhanger to the sixth season, which of course, never happened, as it was cancelled in its prime!), it totally gripped me, and I think I sat there with my jaw on the floor when the credits rolled. I won't give away anything about the final episode, but OH MY GOD, get some tissues beside you, cos I started crying. Hey I started crying when Sam started crying - I'm a sucker for guy's crying. I bawled my eyes out so much the first two times I watched Armageddon (when Ben Affleck starts crying), I actually missed the ending!

The rest of the season was an alright ending to a brilliant show. The double whammy episode at the beginning, where Sam leaps into Lee Harvey Oswald, was a major disappointment, and thankfully, it didn't start the very first season, cos there's no way I would have gone on to continue watching it. I'm too young to know all the conspiracy theories surrounding JFK & Lee Harvey Oswald, and I've never really had an interest in finding out more, so this episode just didn't work for me. Sure it fascinated Donald P whatshisface, and he just had to make an episode about it, but not for me.

My other favourite episodes include:

Brook Shields appearing in Leaping Of The Shrew, as the spoiled brat stranded on a desert island with Sam - she was absolutely hilarious, but I doubt she was meant to be.

Killin' Time - we got to see more of the present time in Al's world, as Sam leaps into a serial killer, who then promptly escapes in 1999, and Al has to catch him.

The Trilogy arc was a brilliant way to stop the show from getting too much the same, as Sam leaps about into three different people on one person's life. Some reviewers haven't liked this as much, but I certainly did, so much so that I watched the three in a row, with the previous two.

Deliver Us From Evil was brilliant, as it went back to someone Sam had previously leaped into, little Jimmy the Downs syndrome boy, but then introduced the concept of an evil leaper to Sam's good. To be honest, I did consider that they should have introduced this sooner, because everyone has their nemesis, but I was disappointed, because that's where Tru Calling seemed to have their Tru & Jack storyline from!

Return Of The Evil Leaper, and Revenge Of The Evil Leaper were good, but just not as good as I thought they'd be. There's eight episodes between Deliver Us From Evil & Return Of The Evil Leaper, I think they should have brought it about sooner, instead of just reintroducing the concept again randomly.

Goodbye Norma Jean was another brilliant episode, with Sam playing Marilyn Monroe's chauffeur. I didn't think the actress playing Marilyn was that great a lookalike, but she did the job I guess.

I do wish they'd bring back Quantum Leap, especially since it will be coming up for its twentieth anniversary in two years. It would be nice to see the show more resolved than it was (like Tru Calling!), and lets face it, Scott Bakula and Dean Stockwell are still a) alive and b) Scott has NOT changed in the slightest. If there was enough call for it, I'm sure they'd reappear as a one off, just to end the show on a high, for all us disappointed 'fans'. Maybe do something that Sam suddenly reappears, or they somehow find a way to find him? Just a one off. Pretty please? I'm lost without having this to watch now, I'm going to have to find myself a social life.

Bring Back Sam!

Disappointed.......2007-07-19

I was disapointed with this purchase as I was ripped off only getting half of the DVD's that should have been in the pack. Which meant I didn't get the episode that I particularly wanted which was the final episode.

Defective CD's.......2007-07-02

I love this series and finally ordered all 5 seasons. I have spent the last 2 weeks watching them in Quantum Leap Bliss. The show itself is wonderful; however, I had problems with the manufacturing of the DVD's themselves. Each season had at least one disk with problems (i.e. missing bonus features, episodes that won't play in the "play all" mode, but will if you access it from the "episode index," episodes where the show gets hung up, then starts, then gets hung up, then starts, and on and on, and episodes that won't play at all (black screen), etc. I have just done the "exchange" process through Amazon and re-watched all 5 seasons. The 5th season disk 3 had the same problems (episode 18 and 21 won't play properly, they skip and drag, and even kick out to the menu).

I tried to do another exchange for Season 5 through Amazon, and they said "As it seems that the problem with this item "Quantum Leap - The Complete Fifth Season " is more widespread than we originally thought, we are not able to send another replacement. We will investigate and remedy the situation with the item; however, I cannot guarantee when the error may be fixed." Which means, I will not have Season 5.

Best season.......2007-05-08

I was a huge fan of this show when it was on TV. I thought I'd start collecting the seasons and started with season 5. I didn't realize that a lot of my favorite episodes were in this season. The "Trilogy" arc was one of the reasons I started watching the show regularly and the "Evil Leaper" arc really added to the show. I definitely recommend this season!

Quantum Leap The Complete Fifth Season.......2007-04-03

I LOVE Quantum Leap!!! Love Scott Bakula and Dean Stockwell, they are terrific. I DON'T like how Donald Belasarius ended the series! I would love to see a Quantum Leap movie and end it the way all Leap fans want it to end! With Dr. Samuel Beckett being able to leap home at will! I now have my entire Quantum Leap collection completed! YEA!!!!

Average customer rating:

Pirates of Silicon Valley
How everything began
Wonderful movie
Hey NOAH, where's that SEQUEL?!
Pirates of Silicon Valley

Pirates of Silicon Valley
Starring: Noah Wyle , Joey Slotnick , J.G. Hertzler , Anthony Michael Hall , and Wayne Pére
Director: Martyn Burke
Manufacturer: Turner Home Ent
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B0009NSCS0
Release Date: 2005-08-30

Product Description

The revolution came when we weren't looking. It happened in a garage. In a dorm room. In countless hours of effort, imagining and intrigue. Apple co-founder Steve Jobs and Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates were changing the way the world works, lives and communicates.

The event-packed saga of the quirky visionaries who jump-started the future unfolds with exhilarating, cutting-edge style in Pirates of Silicon Valley. Noah Wyle (ER) portrays Jobs and Anthony Michael Hall (The Dead Zone) portrays Gates in this chronicle of the fierce and often humorous battle to rule the fledgling personal computer empire. "The story is almost Shakespearean... it's a tale of lust, greed, ambition, love and hate," writer/director Martyn Burke reflects. And it's a success story unlike any other.

Running Time: 97 min.

Format: DVD MOVIE

Amazon.com

This dramatization of the tangled history of Apple Computer and Microsoft, based on a book by Paul Freiberger and Michael Swaine, hits enough of the right notes to make its failures all the more frustrating. The script follows the entwined paths of Apple's Steve Jobs and Microsoft's Bill Gates with a pointed sense of the cultural divide between the hip, self-absorbed Apple cofounder and the brilliant alpha geek behind Microsoft's eventual software empire, contrasting the Mac's countercultural underpinnings with the PC's more strait-laced origins. But Pirates of Silicon Valley seemingly can't decide whether it wants to be a serious-minded history of these key figures in the personal computer revolution or a trashy wallow in the more ignoble foibles of its principals. As a result, it falls short of exacting history while never achieving the guilty pleasure it might have.

If Gates has become synonymous with corporate conquest at its most striking, Pirates' interest lies more with Jobs, given a nervous energy and flashes of adolescent selfishness by Noah Wyle, who benefits from a reasonable physical resemblance to the Apple chief. Eyewear and a comb-over do nearly as well for Anthony Michael Hall, who also grafts some of Bill Gates's better-known mannerisms onto his performance and renders Gates as a smart if socially maladroit entrepreneur who, like Jobs, provides the ambition and business savvy to exploit his partner's computing talents. There are a few fanciful touches (Ballmer and Wozniak become Greek choruses, addressing the viewer as they comment on the principals), but the story plays out in straightforward fashion. It's tantalizing to consider how the Apple/PC melodrama might have fared with an edgier, more openly satirical script. --Sam Sutherland

Customer Reviews:

Pirates of Silicon Valley.......2007-09-16

Very interesting and inspiring. The possibilities for achievement and success this film presents are awesome! Only in the U.S.

How everything began.......2007-09-05

It's amazing how Microsoft and Apple became the revolutionary IT companies we know nowadays starting in a messy environment. Also it's unbelievable some companies have lost their opportunity to be leaders in this market. Mandatory for those who loves the IT world.

Wonderful movie.......2007-08-07

I watched this movie when it first aired on TNT and fell in love with it. I finally got around to purchasing it on DVD. This movie is my favority movie of all time

Hey NOAH, where's that SEQUEL?!.......2007-08-06

I love this movie and I've watched it several times recently. The cast takes a good script and makes it great. Noah Wiley not only looks like Steve Jobs, but does a beautiful job of taking on an unusually complex character. Love him or hate him, you can see why people are willing to put up with him as long as it takes to change the world. The big problem with the story is that it is incomplete. It ends at the point when Microsoft and Apple joined forces, and skims over what came after only by a few years. Anthony Michael Hall is so creepy as Bill Gates- and rightly so - that it leaves him looking smug and dominant. I don't care how much money he has, Jobs is the one with the vision.

Since this movie was made, Jobs created Pixar Studios, which makes cutting-edge animated films, and has introduced the world to the iPod and now the iPhone. In doing so, he has revitalized the music industry and forever changed the way people relate to their music collections. The iPod video has changed the way we watch TV - who ever imagined having a whole season of your favorite show in your pocket, to watch where ever you are?! The iPhone is already changing the telecommunications business, and the big wireless companies are scrambling to to keep up with Jobs' newest, greatest cell phone/music player/Movie viewer/photo album/camera/web browser/address book/and mini computer, but no one can touch it or him. He's been called the "greatest second act in history" and it's time for part two of the Steve Jobs/Apple story, preferably sans Gates. How many times does a guy have to change the world to get a sequel done ? ha ha! And while we're stating the obvious, let me add that no one but Noah Wiley can play Jobs, so somebody get that script in the works and let's have Part Two!

Pirates of Silicon Valley.......2007-07-23

Most interesting movie. Sort of a docudrama. Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak and Bill Gates are played well.

Average customer rating:

many rooms found, the why was not
An intriguing puzzle
Discuss the ending!
a phenomenal series
Intriguing

Lost Room (Mini-series Widescreen)
Starring: Peter Krause , Kevin Pollak , Julianna Margulies , Dennis Christopher , and Ewen Bremner
Director: Craig R. Baxley , and Michael W. Watkins
Manufacturer: Lions Gate
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000MMMTD2
Release Date: 2007-04-03

Amazon.com

If you're a fan of NBC's 2006 hit show Heroes, chances are you'll get a similar kick out of The Lost Room, a three-part, 4.5-hour Sci-Fi Channel miniseries originally broadcast in December 2006. It's pure hokum (especially when compared to Heroes, which rises from the same creative zeitgeist), and not nearly as clever at it initially seems to be, but there's something undeniably compelling about its premise, which turns everyday objects from the Kennedy era into powerful talismans of supernatural force. The present-day story is rooted in a dark, terrible, and cosmically reverberant incident that occurred in a remote motel room in 1961. Now it's 45 years later, and Detective Joe Miller (Six Feet Under's Peter Krause) has acquired a motel-room key that turns any door into a portal to "the lost room," a kind of alternate-reality no-man's-land, where his young daughter Anna (Elle Fanning, a look-alike for her older sister Dakota) soon goes missing. In his quest to retrieve her, Miller attracts the dangerous attention of various secret factions (with names like The Order, The Legion, and The Collectors) in heated competition to locate the many objects that hold strange powers and could, when gathered together, yield amazing benefits or tear reality apart.

Beginning with Krause, superb casting makes The Lost Room constantly engaging, even when its logic borders on nonsensical. Clearly intended as a potential series, it leads to a let-down ending where too many questions remain unanswered, but getting there is a blast. And while the smart, beautiful Julianna Margulies seems cast adrift as Miller's bland love interest (and a member of the object-seeking underground), the story grows increasingly intriguing with the introduction of a wealthy father (Kevin Pollak) obsessed with curing his cancerous son with the objects; an unstable nebbish (Peter Jacobsen) who's been driven nearly mad by his visits to the lost room; a devious doctor (Dennis Christopher) who falls in with a group of religious zealots convinced that the lost room leads to God; and various supporting characters (including comedian/monologist Margaret Cho) and subplots that lead you to believe this is all leading to something fantastic. That The Lost Room fails to deliver on its early promise doesn't mean it's a waste of time; it's got the same clever appeal as Heroes and Lost, and one can easily see how it might've made a more rewarding long-form series. Individual reactions will vary, but fans of supernatural sci-fi will want to check it out for themselves. --Jeff Shannon

Description

In the 1960s, an unknown event at the Sunshine Motel caused ordinary things in Room 10 to transform into items of wonder. The room and its contents gained unique and inexplicable properties, transforming them from mundane things into indestructible Objects with extraordinary powers that are sought after by anyone who knows their secrets. Police Det. Joe Miller (Peter Krause) first learns of The Room when he unwittingly comes across the most powerful and coveted Object of them all: the Key. His life immediately turns upside down as his young daughter becomes lost in the room and Joe is the target of shadowy figures who will stop at nothing to take from him his only hope of saving her - the Key.

Customer Reviews:

many rooms found, the why was not.......2007-09-14

Mind stretching on the edge of physics, or is it mysticism? The pursuits of what caused the multiples of the room and why the one at the motel is gone, are unrewarded, though many objects, a lost daughter and the prime object are found, with one taking the place of the prime object, are conciliatory boons. The Lost Room entertainingly invites a sequel mini series or possibly even a TV season(s?) series, but can we take the tenterhooks of not knowing the how or the why of it all?
Diversion of the mind from your own quandaries, may take a couple of viewings and reviewings to get as much as is revealed.

An intriguing puzzle.......2007-09-03

The key to room 10 of the Sunshine Motel is highly unusual for a couple of reasons. One, there is no room 10. Two, it seems to fit into any standard doorknob with a tumbler lock. And three, when you use the key to open the door, it takes you into a motel room--room 10 of the Sunshine Motel, which doesn't exist. The motel room is pretty strange, too; for quite a lot of reasons actually, but what you first learn about it is that when you leave the room, it takes you wherever you want go.

Detective Joe Miller (Krause) comes into possession of this key as a result of his investigation into a multiple homicide at a local pawn shop. Iggy, a teenager Miller had helped out in the past, was an employee at the pawn shop and ended up with possession of the key after a deal to sell it (for a cool two million) went bad, resulting in the aforementioned homicides.

But those who were trying to buy the key are not the only ones interested in it. Shortly after Iggy escapes, he is hunted down by hired gunmen, who chase him down and shoot him...but not before he can make it to a doorway. He slips the key into the lock as the bullets enter his back, walks through the doorway, and disappears...

Only to reappear in one of the rooms of Miller's home. Though he refused to help Miller when he was brought in for questioning, when things turned ugly, Miller was the only one he could turn to for help. Fatally wounded, Iggy only has a few moments left to live upon arriving at Miller's, and with his last breaths whispers "It opens every door," and then presses it into Miller's hand.

Miller, having seen Iggy use the key to disappear at the police station, later experiments with the key. Feeling foolish, he sticks the key into the lock of his closet and opens it...only to find it opening on an empty motel room. He soon after discovers the motel room's transportative properties. In the morning, as he is making breakfast, his daughter, Anna (Fanning), who witnessed him exiting the motel room the night before, experiments with the key herself, and discovers another unusual property of the room: if you place something in the room, or mess up the bed linens, then close the door and reopen it again, the room "resets" itself; everything goes back to the way it was before--the bed is remade, and whatever objects were thrown into the room have vanished.

This seemingly trivial point becomes much more important soon after when the man who tried to buy the key at the pawn shop, Montague (Bart), kidnaps Anna and demands that Miller give over the key for her return. In the resulting encounter, Anna, in an attempt to flee, ends up with the key and uses it to enter the motel room, only before she can enter, she loses the key to Montague. She enters the room and gets away, but is stuck inside the room when Montague uses the key to open the door again, resetting the room; so when the door opens, the motel room is as it always is, and Anna is gone.

Miller manages to reclaim the key and escape and becomes obsessed with trying to find his daughter. Starting with Montague, he begins questioning those who seem to know about the key, and soon learns that there are several other Objects, all of which originated in this mysterious motel room that the key opens doors to. One of the Objects, which is possessed by Montague, is a pen that when pressed to someone's skin cooks them from the inside out. But not all of the objects are so powerful; there's apparently a watch whose only function is that it will hardboil an egg. And there are at least two orders devoted to collecting all of these artifacts, one of which believes they are pieces of God. How or why these Objects came to exist is a mystery, as is whether or not Anna is still alive. But Miller will do whatever it takes to get his daughter back, no matter what strange and dangerous paths his investigation forces him to travel.

I'm not, in general, a big fan of miniseries. Most of the time it feels as though it's just a story that should have been pruned down to feature film length. This, however, is one of the better SF miniseries I've seen. It's not on the same level as the brilliant Battlestar Galactica miniseries, (or, to step out of genre, the highly-recommended Shogun miniseries) but it's quite enjoyable just the same. There's good acting, an inventive plot, and expert pacing, all of which serve to keep the viewer riveted throughout. And nights one and two both end on notes that should leave you eager for the next twenty-two hours to pass so you can see what happens next.

The Lost Room is by no means perfect; there are times in which the direction could have used a more accomplished hand, or the script could have used a bit more tweaking. The show boasts a terrific cast, most of whom do a fine job portraying their characters; some of the supporting cast is not quite up to par, however, and I was never really sold on the character (or the actor's portrayal) of Martin Ruber (Christopher); likewise, Bart's interpretation of Howard "The Weasel" Montague leaves much to be desired, and Iggy, though a very minor character, has a rather odious death scene. Again, though, I think this may come down to less than best direction.

Another thing worth mentioning--and I'm not sure if this is criticism or merely an observation--is that the plot of The Lost Room very much reminded me of a puzzle-oriented video game, such as Myst; or perhaps it would be better to compare it, considering the level of action and violence, to Resident Evil. In fact, I'd be very surprised to find out that a game based on the miniseries was not already in the preliminary stages of development, ready to be green-lit if the series is deemed a hit. This seems especially likely when you consider that the plot of The Lost Room doesn't seem like it would lend itself to sequels or continuation, and if it ends leaving such threads hanging, I think that it would be nothing less than a disappointment.

There are many parallels between The Lost Room and the ABC show Lost, least of which is the shared word in their titles. Much of The Lost Room's tension is derived from that mysterious element--there's all these strange things going on, and no one seems to know why. There's also a compelling human drama playing out at the same time, which is really what makes the miniseries so watchable. But also like Lost, The Lost Room suffers from that dreadful possibility of a letdown; you know, that feeling you get sometimes as you're watching a complicated show or film and you think "There's no way this is all going to add up and make any sense." Fortunately, the miniseries pulls off a satisfying ending, one that might not quite live up to the intriguing mystery that comes before it, but works nonetheless.

Discuss the ending!.......2007-09-02

Somebody needs to tell some of these other "reviewers" that a plot synopsis is NOT a review. Anyway, The Lost Room will greatly appeal to those yearning for something reminiscent of the better days of television, when the "tube" was populated by fantastic offerings such as The Twilight Zone, Outer Limits and Alfred Hitchcock Presents. It brilliantly weds a variety of elements, from top-notch sci fi, to noir, detective fiction and even classic horror; and oh yeah, it blends these elements almost flawlessly. The end result is a great entertainment the likes of which television nowadays rarely sees. I would personally have liked the show to delve more into some of its subplots, such as the religious cults that sprang up surrounding the "objects," etc. It would have been fascinating to get a glimpse of these faithful zealots yearning for miracles on par with those alleged to have happened long ago in the tales of the bible. Did they happen, or were there "objects" back then too? That would have been an interesting twist. Or what of Sir Arthur C. Clarke's famous quote that any technology sufficiently advanced would to us be indistinguishable from magic? I almost thought the show was headed in this direction when alluding to the possibility that amassing the objects and restoring them to the room would make the new owner "god." If the objects were in fact technologies to us indistinguishable from magic then this owner would be a being sufficiently advanced that, relative to us, he would be indistinguishable from our ideas of god. In the end, I love The Lost Room, but it leaves one wanting more. Its resolution is extremely weak; and I mean EXTREMELY weak. It's as though the writers had this clever gimmick but no ending, and failed to even think of one. They didn't even leave it open to interpretation in a way that raises interesting philosophical questions. There really was just no resolution whatsoever at all except that the detective gets his daughter back (but who cares, sorry.) I was hoping some revelations would unfold: perhaps the objects are alien technologies that were a part of a failed plan to infiltrate our world, etc. When Patrick McGoohan's The Prisoner (remember that show? Lost--not The Lost Room, but Lost--is based on that show) ended people in England were so upset about its ending that McGoohan took his family and fled England. What many didn't realize is that The Prisoner's ending not only DID resolve things but provided a FASCINATING explanation as well. It was there, for those willing to put two and two together. The Lost Room, however, does not even throw us a bone. It's unfortunate too, for its ending does not even make sense. If all he had to do was go into the room and have someone reset it then why did he have to become an object himself? This is not a rhetorical question; someone please enlighten me. Oh well, I still loved it, especially the comic interplay between many of the characters. Priceless fun. Post Script: Here is something about the ending most fans seem to have totally missed. Joe is now an object hi

The divine Miss Piggy	Kermit and Miss Piggy	Fozzie Bear and Kermit
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