The Office: Season One

Comedy is Reborn
I love this show and I think NBC actually made one good decison this year by renewing it. Steve Carrell is genious as Michael Scott the manager with a little too much enthusiasm. The supporting cast is great and I'm glad that the bonus features are good because a 6 episode season of a half hour show is hardly worth twenty-two dollars but it's worth it. I didn't think the pilot was great but I tuned in again and I'm glad I did. I hope that if you don't watch this show that you decide to try it out because it is brillant. A lot of people say it isn't as good as the British version but it comes close. Check out Diversity Day it's the best in the set.

The Episodes

1. Pilot

2. Diversity Day

3. Healthcare

4. The Alliance

5. Basketball

6. Hot Girl

The bonus features include deleted scenes and audio commetaries. Even though it may seem pricey you'll probably get as much enjoyment out of it as you would any...

Finally, a US production worthy of its UK predecessor
I am and always have been a huge fan of British comedy. The wry sense of humor and the intelligent wit has always held far greater appeal to me than the cheap/obvious laughs that many American sitcoms tend to go for. Sadly, many copies (or attempted copies) of British comedies have been overadapted for the American audience (Coupling is a perfect example) and the result is a weak translation that loses all or most of what made the series so funny/original in the UK.

Fortunately, this version of the original UK show is absolutely hilarious, perhaps because the producers are tied closely and stay faithful to the original version. There was no dumbing down of the comedy - the irony, the facial expressions, the unbelievable audacity of the characters - for the sake of easier/louder laughs. The fact that there is no studio audience here makes it even funnier - the viewers are left to laugh on their own, without canned tracks or cues from a studio audience.

While...

Unexpectedly funny version of a classic BBC original
Like most other fans of the great BBC series THE OFFICE, I was absolutely horrified when they announced that they were doing an American version of the show. Ricky Gervais's show was so perfect, so unique that it didn't seem possible for it to be successfully translated into an American context. Also, the show was unimaginable without Ricky Gervais, who was both the creator and lead performer of the original. And to be honest, when the American show straightforwardly imitates the original, especially in the first episode, it compares rather badly. The jokes were tailored perfectly to Gervais and his cohorts, and they just didn't translate all that well to the new set of actors. However, once you get past the first episode, and the American crew produces original material, it actually becomes a very, very funny show. In fact, if you have seen the BBC version, I would recommend just skipping the first episode of the American version and going on from there. My other complaint...

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War and Remembrance: The Complete Epic Mini-Series

An Epic
To those who stumble upon War and Remembrance, watching this series is somewhat difficult if you haven't seen Winds of War, the first part of the story. It too is available on DVD and I highly recommend getting it. Otherwise there are just enough in-jokes and previous references that you'll get confused. So if you go on, I'll assume that you've either seen or read Winds of War and will know what I'm talking about.

War and Remembrance is essentially a history lesson that's told dramatically. The lesson, of course, is about the second part of World War II, the part that the United States was most actively involved in. That's the strength of the series, how well it deals with the history, and of showing the viewpoints of American, Russian, and German officers, and American, British, and German politicians. You saw all the sides in this, and the lesson was much the better for it. Were the points a bit obvious at times? Of course, but when you spend the kind of money...

Good Sequel, not Great
After 18 hours of "Winds of War (WW)," it's hard to be brief about the 30-hour sequel, "War and Remembrance (W & R)." Both works were written by Herman Wouk and directed by Dan Curtis. Other reviewers have been so critical of the sequel, mainly with cast changes, that you find yourself dwelling on faults. But the fact is WW was finished in 1983; W & R was produced 5 years later. So the two works couldn't really use the same cast.

To begin with, criticism of "W & R" seems out of proportion. No, "W & R" is not better than "WW." But we wonder what else people could have expected. Nazi brutality and glimpses of the holocaust may have been overdone, but that's how the author and the director wanted them. Moreover, we believe fault-finding about some performers, notably Jane Seymour and Robert Mitchum is just not fair. In our view, Jane does a marvelous job playing Natalie Jastrow Henry--probably better than Alie MacGraw had she reprised the role. (By the time of this...

Superb Mini Series
"War and Remembrance" is the sequel to the mini-series, "The Winds of War". Both mini-series were based on the novels of the same name by Herman Wouk. "War and Remembrance" follows the stories of the extended Henry family. Robert Mitchum stars as Pug Henry in both programs, but he was 71 years old when he made "War and Remembrance" and was too old to be believable as a Navy Captain. However, the producers and director wanted to keep him in the series, not only because he is a fine actor, but also because he was from that WWII generation and brought gravitas to the role and to the series. Ali Macgraw from "The Winds of War" was replaced in the role as Brian Henry's wife by Jane Seymour in "War and Remembrance". A fortuitous replacement. The role of Brian Henry is played by Hart Bochner, who replaced Jan Michel Vincent. Both Seymour and Bochner bring much finer acting skills to the screen than the two previous actors. The viewer will need to have watched "The Winds of War"...

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Cars 2 (Five-Disc Combo: Blu-ray 3D / Blu-ray / DVD / Digital Copy)

A Love It or Hate It experience...But I loved it!
I had a very unusual experience seeing this movie in theaters.

I watched it, I had a great time, I laughed, cheered, was thrilled, and the moment the credits started to roll the people in the row behind me IMMEDIATELY started spouting off how much they HATED it. I was flabbergasted. I was sorely tempted to turn around and ask them if we even just saw the same movie? How could anyone hate something that's so much FUN?!

But after thinking about it, I could see actually why they didn't get into it. Cars 2 is the first Pixar movie where you really have to 'get the joke' of the premise, or the whole thing falls apart like a house of cards. What this movie is, is the best James Bond movie of the last 15 years (not counting Casino Royale which transcends Bond movies to be just a great spy movie), with a bit of The Accidental Spy thrown in.

I LOVE Bond movies. The crazy opening sequences, the insane gadgets, the quippy lines. And Cars 2 hit pitch perfect...

Dazzling to look at, disappointing to watch
To be fair, Cars 2 is not a dud. But it's not a hit either. As someone who's loved everything Pixar has heretofore come up with, it pains me to say it, but I think Cars 2 will be remembered as Pixar's first miss. It's one of those films that, if you've seen the trailer, you've already seen ninety percent of what there is to see in the movie itself. The rest, unfortunately, is tedium.

The plot, such as it is, is as follows: Lightning McQueen (Owen Wilson) invites his best buddy from Radiator Springs, Mater (Larry the Cable Guy), to accompany him on an international racing event. In Japan, Mater is mistaken for an American spy by two British agents Finn McMissile (Michael Caine) and Holly Shiftwell (Emily Mortimer) who are investigating a criminal conspiracy involving oil rigs, alternative fuels and a mysterious secret weapon.

Every now and then, a film comes out where you look at it and wonder how it got into production in the first place. You keep thinking why...

Too much violence, death, even torture for a G movie
Violence is everywhere in our current world. It's a fact of life, and as adults we all learn how to cope with it, avoid it, or confront it when we need to. I accept this fact. But I can't accept that in a movie rated "G", there are multiple scenes of violence, death, even torture. I'll need to explain these concepts to my child at some point, but I'd certainly prefer that I be able to wait until he's beyond the age of four. I'll be explicit so that other parents who are considering this movie will know exactly what they're in for: there are several scenes in which the "bad guy" pointedly tells his subordinates to "kill him" (directed a Finn McMissile and Mater). There is a full-blown torture scene in which a car is restrained, heated to the pain point, and then destroyed (the actual death is shown only as a reflection). There are a lot of guns, bullets, and missiles. There's plenty of hand-to-hand (or wheel-to-wheel) combat, which seems like a picnic after the other stuff.
I'm...

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The Jimi Hendrix Experience: Hear My Train A Comin'

Overall, a good production
My review of Hear My Train A Comin

First off, the showing I went to happened to also be attended by the director Bob Smeaton! Kind of cool! We got to ask him questions about the doc after it was over. Nice guy and very frank about the challenges of editing a doc like this one with so many voices and pieces of footage to choose from and showcase.

Overall, this is a fine job. Keep in mind that for us "Jimi heads" we've seen the vast majority of the footage that's out there in one form or another. The two or three biggest "new Jimi visuals" included in the doc are Miami (obviously) and we get nearly a complete performance of Foxy Lady. We also get snippets of Tax Free and plenty of footage of the Miami crowd. But given this is a documentary, you're going to have to wait for the "Extras" in order to really enjoy all of the new footage, including Isle of Fehrman, which is briefly shown in the doc when Jimi performs Spanish Castle Magic (with the audience tape the...

Good show/ A cut above the rest
I waited with great anticipation for this release. The previews with the unseen Miami footage
had me really excited to see this production. Understand, this was presented on television on the PBS American Masters Series. This is NOT a look at the sordid details of his drug use or the way he died. What we have here is a look at his life and his music....his wonderful, glorious music. In that endevour, the film succeeds quite well. Using interview segments from friends and bandmates (several who are now deceased), an interesting look at his journey and his struggles emerges. He WANTED to be the best, and as manager Chas Chandler says, "By hell he worked at it."
The film explains how Jimi tried to be BETTER each day. Comments from Paul McCartney,
Steve Winwood and Billy Cox are icing on the cake. The interview segments from Fayne Pridgeon and Collete Mimram are a welcome surprise and touching addition to the film.
Eddie Kramer in studio showing how some of Jimi's...

The Sound Waves of Genius
This is the best documentary about Jimi Hendrix I've seen. His story is nicely related with insightful interviews while the music is perfectly woven throughout. Many rare, or unseen concert clips are included. I'm buying the dvd for the extras as well, because he is a huge part of the soundtrack of my life and I want to fill in all the spaces possible.

I do wish Jimi had liked his own voice better. I think its great, but his unassuming off-stage persona must have let the self doubts enter regarding his vocals.

This is the way Hendrix should be remembered, it honors his innovative, original brilliance and vision. If there is a lack of ugliness about background people or situations, all the better. Its about the music and his legacy as it should be. The documentary is very satisfying and supports all my good experiences with this amazing, original artist.

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Clint Eastwood: 35 Films 35 Years at Warner Bros.

Some Great Movies in a Poor Quality Package
There will always be a few duds in any actor's resume but Clint Eastwood only seems to be getting better with every picture. The problem with buying this specific collection is the absolutely horrible quality of most of the discs. Several of the movies, 'Any Which Way You Can' is just one, wouldn't play or stalled mid movie on 3 different DVD players. The Dirty Harry movies were full of video grain and there was very little use of the surrounds in a home theater system. The fact that these movies, but for a couple of exceptions, are all two sided on the discs, one on one side and another on the opposite side, probably contributes to the poor quality. Additionally, the packaging of these DVDs makes it necessary for you to grab the outside of the disc, leaving fingerprints and body oils, over the disc itself. I take great care in how I handle my DVDs but getting around touching the flat side of the disc is impossible. I sat through every disc that would play except for Madison...

The good the bad and the lousy>
As an Eastwood fan i can't put down the content or the price. A lot of gems like "White Hunter Black Heart " Honky Tonk Man " shows just how good an actor Eastwood really is . Great! However the movie disks are all double sided. They re inclosed in a box set that makes it impossible not to smug the disk before playing them. When you open the box set, the carboard book is a bunch of bound together single pockets. You are required to pinch the exposed disk area and pull it out from a very tight pocket.( No paper sleeves!) This of course will smudge both surfaces.

I also question the resolution of the films. If the dvds are packaged in such a manner, is the copy resolution as high as the single disks we have been buying for years? (more on this later) I will keep the set but I will carefully back up all of them and play those.

If you are expecting a large box set for you book case where you can clearly and safely pull out the film you need well that's not going to...

I'm not sure who this is marketed for/to....I am not a happy owner.
First things first, I greatly admire Clint Eastwood as an actor and director ,and he's been the major film star of my baby boomer lifetime.

I just picked this set up so I am reviewing as an OWNER , not someone who has read the contents and wants to prattle on about Clints career at Warners. I was sad to find that the discs are the notorious Flippers (a movie on each side) instead of the far more stable single sided discs. Given that many of these movies are already available for under 10 bucks each This is still a cheap way to buy all of his movies for anyone that is that big a fan but who doesn't already own them.. I'm a bit confused as to who they are marketing to? I am a big fan and own many of these but thought it might be a great way to house films in a smaller package and looked forward to the documentary and the book etc..

Extras.... the documentary is only a 21 minute "teaser" for the real one due this summer and NOT 16x9 but letterboxed 4:3 wow..that's...

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The Simpsons: The Thirteenth Season

Season 13...The Al Jean Era Begins, Halloween moves indefinitely to November, and the series starts to show its age.
"When did the Simpsons start to lose its steam?" Such is a timelessly debated question amongst nerds, and the responses couldn't vary more over the years, from assertions that Mike Scully turned the series into a 'cartoon,' that episodes like 'The Principal and the Pauper' nailed closed the coffin of the show, that once Dave Mirkin rolled in, the series began moving away from emotionally centered stories, even the infamous quote 'Worst episode ever," came from a blogger scribing his hatred for the episode 'Itchy and Scratchy: The Movie," from season 4; but these days most fingers start to point to Al Jean's tenure as showrunner for a clear illustration of the family's fall from demanding adventures that commanded viewing. In 2004, during the series' 15th year, Harry Shearer was infamously outspoken at what he saw was a declining quality within the series over the previous three years. With Season 13, you can judge for yourself, as that is year one of Al Jean's tenure, and would be the...

Still something for Simpsons fans to enjoy
Ever since season 9 there have been complaints from the fans about what they see as a decline in quality of The Simpsons. I'm sorry but I have to agree, I love the earlier Simpsons episodes and seasons but that doesn't mean the latter ones don't have any value. Actually I still find enjoyment in watching the show even today but you can't just ignore that the show is not as good as it once was, and that' being objective. I loved the first 9 seasons, 10-12 are still good to me, season 13 less so but is still watchable. Season 13 definitely has some good moments and provides laughs. As it turns out, I enjoy those episodes much more now than I did when they initially aired. The thing is, after so many seasons it gets incredibly hard for a television show to stay fresh and keep all viewers happy, season 13 struggles with this. I like season 13, I do not LOVE it like I did earlier season but that's normal, I'm just glad it's still watchable and entertaining. There's no real problem, a show...

Good episodes (not great) - Lousy packaging...the saga continues
Being that season 13 was about the time I started to lose interest in new episodes of The Simpsons, I was looking forward to this release, but with some reservations. I was pleasantly surprised to find that the episodes are not nearly as bad as I remember them being, and in some (most) cases are actually pretty good. Yes, the plotlines are generally ridiculous, and the episode flow is terrible, but there are still some very funny moments and lines throughout the season.

Maybe over the past ten years or so, I've come to accept that we can't have Season 6-8 over and over again. Maybe my sense of humor has changed. Whatever it is, this season was definitely worth the purchase for me.

Of course, there's the recurring issue with the poor packaging that has to be mentioned in every review. I thought the packaging for Season 12 was a step up from Season 11 (at least the discs didn't scratch in the casing), but Season 13 is far below both of them. They've reused the disc...

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Jillian Michaels: No More Trouble Zones

Can I give this more than 5 Stars? WOW!
This amazing DVD by Jillian Michaels is a 50 minute workout, including warm-up and cooldown, that includes innovative toning moves to target trouble spots. While not for the true beginner, I think this workout would be good for all levels, because she shows modifications for beginners and advanced exercisers (although sometimes not until halfway through the set). Also, you move at a slightly faster pace throughout, so you get a cardio benefit from this workout as well, although its' main focus is toning your body into great shape. The circuit nature of the workout means that you continue to burn more calories even after the workout is over.

The workout is composed of seven 6-minute circuits that leave no muscle unworked. You can choose to do the entire 40 minute circuit or just select the body parts you want to focus on so you can focus on your "problem areas". Each of the circuits consists of 5 different exercises that you do for 30 seconds each, then repeat the entire...

Phenonmenal Workout-Toruble Zones Be Gone
I am a huge fan of the Jillian Michael's approach to fitness. I used her Shred 30 program and lost 29 pounds in two months by doing the workouts and following the diet recommended on her website. Let me start by saying I am not one of these people who just "LOVES" to workout. I do it because I need change. I tried this workout yesterday as it is available on Exercise TV/On Demand and I have to tell you, it was the most transformational exercise experience I have ever had. Jillian's coaching and motivational speak are reverberating in my head even now. For this workout you will need 3 to 5 pound weights and about an hour (trust me this hour is worth it). She starts with 5 minute warm up that is cardio and dynamic stretching infused. SHe cools down with a yoga style static stretch that is just wonderful. There are roughly (six) 7 minute segments in which you do about 5 powerful arm and leg focused or ab focused work. The intensity of the arm, ab and leg work basically guaranteed me...

You have not known pain until you've done "The Surrender"!!
I own all of Jillian's DVDs, so when this one and it's companion DVD came out, I ordered them immediately.

This one is like "Banish Fat, Boost Metabolism" but the circuits are weights based. At about an hour long, she has you run through 5 exercises 2 times a circuit and most are with weights in hand. Towards the middle, she does matwork for the abs (some with weights!) and in the last circuit she does old school matwork for legs and glutes.

This kicked my butt in a good way. I was sweaty and tired at the end. I completed it, but having to modify some exercises, so now I have something to work towards.

Having owned so many of Jillian's DVDs, I was worried she would use the same exercises over and over but she keeps it really fresh! She has a lot of exercises I have never seen or done before and all I can say is WOW! She does this exercise called "The Surrender" Oh. My. Goodness. It is super hard and I had to stop. It's also a little hard on the knees...

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The Secret World of Arrietty (Two-Disc Blu-ray/DVD Combo)

A Wondrous Film Going Experience...
This film is a must see for anyone who loves hand drawn animation. This is an experience filmgoers just don't get at the theater anymore and I praise studio Ghibli (and in tandem Disney as far as North America is concerned) for continuing this tradition. I also implore anyone who feels interested in seeing this film at any level go do so and support the studio, I would like to see them around for years to come and I don't think many will be disappointed with the experience.

First of all, no, Miyazaki didn't actually direct this time around. He only penned and planned the story along with other production guidance. So I'm okay with saying this arguably isn't Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke, or Howl's Moving Castle, but this is that studio Ghibli magic you love. I feel it closely kindred to Kiki's Delivery Service or My Neighbor Totoro. I personally fail to see how any Studio Ghibli fan could walk away from this film unhappy. For that matter I fail to see how any child at...

"My heart is stronger because now I have you in it..." another wonderful Ghibli movie - a must see!
I was lucky to have won tickets to this movie's preview and took my family to see it in NYC this past weekend - what a treat! To be specific, we are a family of three with a teenager in high school, and everybody just loved this beautiful new animated movie that's perfect for all groups. As with all the movies Ghibli Studio produces, this is a rich visual masterpiece that you will really get lost in, with very life-like vegetation and insect life serving as a background for a seemingly simple, but very heartfelt story.

Mr. Miyazaki does not disappoint, retelling the original children's story "Borrowers" by Mary Norton and placing it in the present, with the main characters being Shawn, a sickly boy who is sent to live with his great aunt and her maid Hara, where he discovers a secret family of tiny people that includes husband and wife Pod and Homily and Arrietty, their 13-year-old daughter who is just learning to "borrow," something her kind does to survive. As the...

Size Doesn't Matter
Studio Ghibli needs no introduction. They took us to the heavens in "Castle in the Sky", sent us into a realm of demons with "Spirited Away", and plunged us into a desperate struggle for protecting the forest in "Princess Mononoke." Arguably, no other anime studio knows how to nail complete immersion into a world, except for places such as Kyoto Animation and Madhouse. When it comes to making us believe every second of a story, Ghibli knows how to hit the sweet spot. With it's only misfire, the absolutely dreadful "Tales of Earthsea", etched into North American audience's memories more recently than 2009's excellent "Ponyo", there was some speculation at whether or not this would be the venerable studio's chance at redemption. Simply put: it is.

"The Secret of Arriety" is a wonderful film, up there with classics such as "Kiki's Delivery Service" and "Spirited Away." Based on the timeless children's story, "The Borrowers", it follows Arriety and her family, who are all...

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