Locked Up Abroad (2008) Review

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(More customer reviews)Anyone who has seen an episode already knows this is a gripping show about travelers and ordinary people that either suckered into or forced into a very bad situation. The reviews I find the most helpful list the episodes so here they are:
Disc 1:
Chechnya
Uganda
Korea
Disc 2:
Bangladesh
Philippines
Kuwait
Disc 3:
India
Pakistan
Lima, Peru
Disc 4:
Malaysia
Taiwan
Ecuador
It's unfortunate that not all of the episodes are in this collection. I hope they add them to a different collection soon.

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From travelers who fell foul of the law and found themselves behind bars, to an adventurer who strayed too far off the beaten track and found himself hostage. Locked Up Abroad recounts the intense moments and struggles lived during captivity and the amazing stories on how they regained their freedom. Featuring 12 episodes and stories from over 10 countries.

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Invictus (2009) Review

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(More customer reviews)Rugby has never been well publicized in the US. Soccer, although not a ranking sport, receives far more publicity. Therefore, it was knowledge-expanding and stirring to observe the underdog South Africa team's road to a 1995 Rugby cup victory.
The accompanying plot, of course, was the work of Nelson Mandela in using this victory and its team preparation to try to unify South Africa. From our own trip in 1994, when the country was just opening up, we had an idea that there was much unrest and volatility. The nation was still racially divided, although the Apartheid enforced by a distinct white minority had just ended.
Mandela has never received credit for the job he did in keeping South Africa's peace, while trying to encourage foreign investment. He saw that merely seizing white-owned businesses and infrastructure would only be looting of a fixed amount of wealth. No growth could result from the types of activities that were occurring in Zimbabwe and Mozambique, where white minorities had been ousted from power.
As the new President of South Africa, representing an overwhelming black majority, Mandela took a long term view of what was needed. He alienated a considerable portion of his own party to implement his program of racial reconciliation.
The movie provides an exceptional, well integrated blend of sports and far-seeing political strategy.
Some critics have heaped praise on Invictus, claiming that this represents director Clint Eastwood's work "at the top of his game." Other critics have carped about what they see as "trite" dialog. Perhaps if Mandela had been ranting against his racist predecessors and, even more, against the US, they would have enjoyed the dialog more. One critic claimed that too much artistic license was taken in portraying actual events of Mandela's interaction with the rugby team and its captain. These objections seem trivial.
Others have predicted that Morgan Freeman, in his role of Mandela, is a strong Oscar candidate. I hope that Invictus receives a potful of other rewards as well.
With all the negative, tragic outcomes of recent history and, of course, today's events, it was refreshing and stirring to see the rugby success of the South Africa team. More to the point, it represented a hopeful outcome for the nation as a whole.

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What does Nelson Mandela do after becoming president of South Africa? He rejects revenge, forgives oppressors who jailed him 27 years for his fight against apartheid and finds hope of national unity in an unlikely place: the rugby field. Clint Eastwood (named 2009's Best Director by the National Board of Review) directs an uplifting film about a team and a people inspired to greatness. Morgan Freeman (NBR's Best Actor Award winner and Oscar nominee for this role) is Mandela, who asks the national rugby team captain (Best Supporting Actor Oscar nominee Matt Damon) and his squad to do the impossible and win the World Cup. Prepare to be moved--and thrilled.

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Oz: The Complete Sixth Season (2002) Review

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(More customer reviews)Before the sixth season of HBO's Oz began, many knew that this would be the last hurrah from creator Tom Fontana and co., as the volitale men behind bars drama comes to an ever dramatic close in it's final eight episodes. Everything that has been built up since the show's debut reaches critical mass in this final season, as characters who have been here since the beginning meet their demise and the light at the end of the tunnel keeps dwindling. For Tobias Beecher (Lee Tergesen), freedom is so close he can taste it; but not if his sociopathic lover Chris Keller (Christopher Meloni) has anything to say about it. These two men, whose bizarre, savage, and heartbreaking love affair have been a highlight of the series since the middle of the second season, have always helped make Oz worth watching, and when the end comes, it comes without warning, just as long time viewers would come to expect. Beecher also has to contend again with nazi leader Vern Shillinger (J.K. Simmons) who wants his blood, while other prisoners (and long time characters) Miguel Alvarez (Kirk Acevedo), Kareem Said (Eamonn Walker), Ryan and Cyril O'Reilly (Dean and Scott William Winters), narrator Augustus Hill (Harold Perrineau), Reabadow (George Morfogen), Robeson (R.E. Rodgers), and Jaz Hoyt (Evan Seinfeld) all have their dates with destiny as well. Even prisoner reformer Tim McManus (Terry Kinney), warden Leo Glynn (Ernie Hudson), and Father Mukada (B.D. Wong) don't remain untouched by the series of events that brings the series to an end that at first may seem unlikely, but in the long run of things, couldn't have been any more fitting. For it's entire run, Oz was one of the best and underrated shows in HBO's history that never really got it's share of the limelight while mega hits like the Sopranos and Six Feet Under took all the glory. The blood drenched yellow brick road comes to an end here, and yes, there's nothing left but a dead end.

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On the surface, not much has changed inside the walls of Oswald State Penitentiary. Schillinger has revenge on his mind, Cyril is facing execution, Beecher is hoping for parole, and McManus is finding solace in a meditative maze. But there's toil and trouble brewing in the Oz cauldron, as the Oz players rehearse for their presentation of Macbeth and the climactic final act. DVD Features:Audio Commentary:Three optional audio commentaries ("Dead Man Talking," "A Day in the Death" and "Exeunt Omnes") with series creator Tom Fontana, cast members Terry Kinney, Eamonn Walker, Dean Winters, Scott Winters and writer Bradford Winters Deleted Scenes:30 minutes of deleted scenes Other:Original cast audition tapes Exclusive extended cut of the series finale: Exeunt Omnes

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Oz: The Complete Fourth Season (2000) Review

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(More customer reviews)This, above all other seasons of Oz, has been on my want list for some time. Finally it will be here. I am a HUGE fan of actor Brian Bloom and Christopher Meloni. And to see them together in the series makes me happier than you can believe. The Keller/Beecher storyline is admittedly my favorite, and it is in season four that so much happens in that development. And who else is there to bring about more drama into their lives? Why none other than blue eyed Brian Bloom, that's who. Though the other storylines running are very interesting also, I'd recommend this DVD set to anyone just on the Keller/Beecher/Barlog storyline alone. It has a lot of meat and heart attatched to it. Please don't miss out on this fantastic DVD!

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(HBO Dramatic Series) The Millennium ended with a bang at Oswald State Correctional Facility, Level Four--aka, Emerald City--as racial tensions reached an all-time high. Now, following a two-week lockdown and the appointment of a new Unit Manager, things are definitely changing, but not necessarily for the better. Prison officials are looking for ways to end the hostilities and return Emerald City to normal...but when was Em City ever normal? And if anyone thinks the worst is over for Oz, they're wrong--dead wrong. DVD Features:Audio Commentary:Audio commentary by creator Tom Fontana, Rita Moreno, Dean Winters and Lee Tergeson Deleted Scenes:30 minutes of deleted scenes

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Oz: The Complete Fifth Season (2001) Review

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(More customer reviews)What is it that makes HBO's ultra volitale men in prison drama Oz such compulsively addictive viewing? Perhaps it's the layers of storylines being told over one another, perhaps it's the fact that this is one of the finest ensemble casts ever assembled, or, possibly, because one is so shocked at what is seen on screen that they anxiously, or dreadfully, await to see just who gets shanked next or what else develops. Whatever the case, Oz remains one of the best shows to ever grace HBO, and one of the most underrated. The fifth season of Oz begins with the aftermath of the kitchen fire, followed by the power control triangle between Tobias Beecher (Lee Tergesen), white supremiscist leader Vern Schillinger (J.K. Simmons), and Kareem Said (Eamon Walker). In the meantime, the mother of Ryan and Cyril O'Reilly (Dean and Scott William Winters) comes to the prison to teach the prisoners of performance arts, while a few inmates train some dogs to be guides for the blind. Of course not all of this ends well at all, but what else would you expect while taking a trip down this blood soaked yellow brick road? Standout performances from Tergesen, Simmons, Walker, the Winters brothers, Kirk Acevedo, B.D. Wong, Ernie Hudson, Terry Kinney, and the rest of the usual suspects are highlights here, but it's Law & Order: SVU's Christopher Meloni who steals the show as Beecher's psychotic lover Keller, who has coming agendas of his own. By the time season five comes to a close, it is apparent that the end is soon near, and by the time it reaches it's climax, you'll be begging to see how it all comes to an end.

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It's a new year, and Emerald City's got a brand-new look. The walls are cleaner, the cafeteria is bigger, and everything is fresher...everything on the outside, that is. Inside the hearts and minds of the prisoners, Oz is just as dark and raw as ever. The renovations may be complete, but the mayhem is starting all over again. DVD Features:Audio Commentary:Audio Commentary: Episode 8 "Impotence" with Tom Fontana and Dean WintersDeleted ScenesOther:Season 1 - 4 recaps

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Prison Break - Season One (2005) Review

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(More customer reviews)With a plot that sounds like it might have come from an Alfred Hitchcock or Brian De Palma movie "Prison Break" seemed the least likely candidate for buzz and a large following on Fox. I expected the show despite the high quality writing, top notch pilot episode directed by theatrical director Brett Ratner ("X-Men: The Last Stand" and "Red Dragon") to tank with audiences.
Boy was I wrong and happy about it. The suspenseful series got the right promotional push from Fox and luckily audiences were ready for another ground breaking series using a season long story arc much like "24" and "Lost". I would have expected a show like "Prison Break" to be on HBO or Showtime (as their answer to "OZ" another ground breaking prison drama that focused less on the gimmicks of this show) not on Fox's network. Reportedly the producers planned a shelf life of "Prison Break" for two seasons recognizing the issues they had with shows such as "The X-Files". I suspect that if the show continues to be popular this will morph into something akin to "The Fugitive". The show also was clearly inspired by "The Shawshank Redemption" and the TV show "OZ" but has its own unique flavor making it much more than a simple copycat. Between top notch writing, directing and acting the show has become the only breakthrough hit from last season worth following.
If you know what this show is about skip this paragraph and go to the extras. The story for those that haven't followed the show is quite simple; Michael Scofield's brother Lincoln has been sentenced to die in the electric chair for a crime he didn't commit. Michael will do anything to get him out of prison. As the clock is ticking and its clear that legal options are limited he obtains the prison blueprints to get his brother out. How can he get them to his brother so he can use them? Simple Michael has them tattooed on his back. He then stages a bank robbery to get himself thrown into the same prison as his brother. His plans are to break out with his brother and eventually disappear. While their lawyer tries to get Lincoln out legally Michael must move forward with his plan and also negotiate a complex peace with inmate John Abruzzi (the marvelous Peter Stormare best known for "Fargo" and "Constantine") who controls many of the inmates inside the prison to achieve his goal. "Prison Break" is presented in its original widescreen presentation and looks quite good here. There were occasional compression artifacts and edge enhancement but nothing too distracting. Overall colors are accurate with nice clarity and definition to the images. The surround tracks are used quite effectively as well evoking the atmospheric surroundings of the prison.
For those interested in the extras included with this set they are quite extensive. We get multiple commentary tracks on the pilot episode by Paul Scheuring & Dominic Purcell with a second one by director Brett Ratner & Mark Helfrich. Similarly we get multiple commentary tracks on the following episodes:
Cute Poison Commentary #1 by: Paul Scheuring, Dominic Purcell & Wade Williams
Cute Poison Commentary #2 by: Matt Olmstead and Silas Weir Mitchell
Riots, Drills and the Devil (Part 1) Commentary #1 by: Paul Scheuring, Dominic Purcell, Robert Knepper, Sarah Wayne Callies, Amaury Nolasco & Wade Williams
Riots, Drills and the Devil (Part 1) Commentary #2 by: Nick Santora & Bob Mandel. Part two of "Riots, Drills and the Devil" has a single commentary track by Paul Scheuring, Dominic Purcell, Wade Williams, Amaury Nolasco & actor Peter Stormare
We also get commentaries for Odd Man Out Commentary by: Garry Brown & Karyn Usher & Bobby Roth, Brother's Keeper Commentary by Paul Scheuring, Robert Knepper, Sarah Wayne Callies, Amaury Nolasco & Wade Williams with an alternate commentary track by Greg Yaitenes & Zach Estrin. Extras also include 2 Alternate Scenes for Cute Poison as well as three featurettes. The first "If These Walls Could Speak: Profile of the Joliet Correctional Center" takes you inside the correctional facility. "Beyond the Ink: Tattoo Featurette" focuses on the extensive "map" that plays a key role in the series tattooed on the back of Michael Scofield and one of Fox's routine " Inside Look" previews. All in all an exceptional package of extras considering the price for the series that will definitely make this set worthwhile for both new fans and ones that have been following it on the Fox network since its premiere last year. This set arrives just in time for the premiere of the second season as well.
A terrific, comprehensive set from fox "Prison Break" has been packed with commentary tracks and has three featurettes two of which vary from exceptional to very good with one so-so one recycled for this set. Overall this is a great value and is highly recommended. I suspect that the creators of the series weren't sure if the show would last more than one season and, as a result, structured the series so that it could be easily wrapped up if necessary but also allowing an out for a second story arc recognizing that fans would be frustrated if they remained within prison walls beyond the first season of the series.


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Fox's Breakout Hit of the 2005-2006 Season! Most men would do anything to get out of Fox River Penitentiary, but Michael Scofield will do anything to get in. His brother Lincoln has been sentenced to die for a crime he did not commit, and the only way to save him is from the inside out. Armed with prison blueprints and an impossibly intricate escape plan, Michael gets himself incarcerated, and the race against time is on. Now, he'll need all of the cunning, daring, and luck he can muster…along with the assistance of some of the prison's most vile and dangerous felons.

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