Shameless: The Complete First Season (2006) Review

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(More customer reviews)Brilliant, "comedy-drama". Because of the differences between British humor and American humor an American audiences will find more drama than comedy. Yes, we do "get" irony; however, it tends to make us smile rather than laugh out loud.
This series contains some of the best, most powerful scripts I've ever seen written for broadcast television. Yet, I expect this very R-rated series to be heavily criticized for coarse language, for themes of sex, scenes of drunkenness, and under-age smoking. Nevertheless, this series is one of the most family-positive series you'll ever see.
Imagine the picture perfect family, the very embodiment of "family values". Then one day somebody in the family snaps and is revealed to be involved in criminal activity, or infidelity, or substance abuse or darker more sinister assaults on the body and mind of other family members. In short, this imaginary picture-perfect family is dysfunctional.
Now, envision the opposite, a family with all the trappings of being dysfunctional. The father is unemployed and alcoholic, the children thieve, smoke and swear. One child has to keep his head shaved because he's so prone to nits, and there is no mother in the home because she's taken the family van and run away. Yet, this family is supportive, loving, caring and more honest than the Brady Bunch ever was.
There are no skeletons in the Gallagher family closet. They are very much a what-you-see-is-what-you-get group. Sometimes funny sometimes surreal and unlikely the goings on in this family are often moving and always entraining. While not promoting "family values" this is a very family positive series (but not for the whole family: R-rated I said). There is good reason why this show is called "Shameless".
One warning for American audiences. The story is set in Manchester, so that people in the story have strong northern accents. If your ear is unused to this or if your exposure to British accents ends at Hugh Grant... there are subtitles available on the DVD.
An excellent show, a sort of a fun-house mirror Waltons. Give it a chance


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Meet the Gallaghers. Mum went AWOL years ago, Dad stayed at home with the six children only to hit the bottle ... and sometimes the kids... Blisteringly funny, offbeat drama following the rollercoaster lives and loves of an anarchic family from Manchester. The real head of the family is big sister Fiona, who looks after Carl, Debbie and baby Liam. She is occasionally helped, more often hindered, by streetwise 'Lip' and the actively gay, but very private, Ian. Welcome to the hectic world of sexual adventures, triumphs, love, scams and a fair bit of crime on a rough Manchester housing estate, where wheel-less cars are the norm and the moving ones are stolen. DVD Features:Biographies:Meet the CastInterviews:An Interview with Creator Paul Abbott

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Abbott and Costello: The Christmas Show (2008) Review

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(More customer reviews)Every year, I look forward to new Christmas releases of shows and specials from long ago. This year, I was thrilled to find out that the original Christmas special from Abbott & Costello's Colgate Comedy Hour would be released.
This was long overdue, but worth the wait- it's wonderful. It features a restored, colorized version of the hour long special, as well as the original black and white version, for those who want it just as it was shown. Abbott & Costello's routines are very well timed, as usual. It's fun to see them in a different light, compared to the many Universal monster spin-offs that we all love. Sprinkled in between the acts are original commercials for household items like Palmolive soap, and Colgate toothpaste, and last but not least there are special guest appearances from musical talents such as Margaret Whiting, the Four Pipers, Al Goodman and his orchestra, and other great guests such as Tom and Jerry the acrobats.
The bonus features add a nice touch to this nostalgic release. There are individual Christmas messages promoting the Christmas Seals program from stars like Virginia Mayo, Rosemary Clooney, Ingrid Bergman, Gary Cooper, Ray Milland and many more (8 different messages to be exact). These add even more holiday enjoyment, reminding us of those times when issues like tuberculosis were at the forefront of our every day living.
So, when you choose this great vintage treat, sit back, relax and enjoy your Christmas season with two of the funniest men of all time, and Christmas wishes from our very best stars. This is not only a piece of our holiday history, but it's something any family will enjoy, young or old.

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This delightful Christmas special stars the brilliant comedy team of Abbott and Costello as they perform on The Colgate Comedy Hour. The show also features Margaret Whiting, The Nicholas Brothers, Buster Shaver and Olive and Tom and Jerry. Included are skits, singing, dancing and commercials. In color for the first time, digitally re-mastered and restored in high definition, this DVD also includes a newly restored black-and-white version.

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