Dangermouse: The Complete Series (2007) Review

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(More customer reviews)When I was in college watching these cartoons on Nickelodeon I found a way to get my friends interested in them as well. It's a variation of the drinking game "Hi Bob" from the old Bob Newhart show. I called it "Penfold, shush". Everytime someone says "Penfold" you take a sip of your drink. If they say "Penfold, shush" or some variation of that, you finish the drink. There are episodes that will kill you if you play by the rules. Seems wrong but it kept me from looking like the creepy old guy watching kids shows after class. And lets face it, beer is good.
I have always loved British comedy. I started with Monty Python and The Goodies on PBS and have never looked back. Dangermouse incorporated much of the same dry, British wit and also had an element of Bullwinkle to it as well. For years, the only versions I could find were on VHS, and even that was a chore. They were okay, but lacked much of the narrators commentary between episodes and had the more politically correct version of Stilletto (without the bad Italian accent. The DVD sets are fantastic. It's the original material in all it's glory. And now that my 4 year old has discovered them, I've got someone to watch Dangermouse and Penfold save the world from the nefarious Baron Greenback without having to get them drunk.

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DangerMouse is the smallest secret agent in the world, not to mention the funniest. Now, from the famed animation studios of Cosgrove Hall Productions, all ten seasons of his groundbreaking, side-splitting, globetrotting cartoon adventures are available, for the first time ever, in a single box set.From their headquarters in London to the far reaches of the universe, the courageous DangerMouse and his hesitant, bespectacled sidekick Penfold set out to stop a menagerie of dastardly villains. Armed with a fantastic arsenal of gadgets, wry British wit, and puns that put the oof in spoof, DangerMouse and Penfold send up everyone from 007 to Sherlock Holmes, and save the world many times over in the process. DANGERMOUSE: THE COMPLETE SERIES features all 89 episodes from the pop-culture savvy UK serial on 9 DVDs, plus the never-airedlostpilot episode, Count Duckula episodes, theme song karaoke, and other rarities. This collection of miniscule adventures in animation is a massive cult hit and a treat for kids of all ages.DVD Features: Never-Aired Pilot EpisodeThe Mystery Of The Lost Chord ; Character Descriptions; DANGERMOUSE Theme Song Karaoke;One Stormy NightEpisode of Count Duckula;Town Hall TerrorsEpisode of Count Duckula; Alternative DANGERMOUSE Theme Song Options

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Spy Game (Widescreen Edition) (2001) Review

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(More customer reviews)'Spy game' is a simple spy story with terrific performances by its lead actors - Robert Redford and Brad Pitt. Pitt plays CIA agent Tom Bishop, who is found, hired and trained by Nathan, played by Robert Redford. Tom Bishop's personal mission in China goes haywire and he is taken captive by the Chinese. And then it is all upto Redford to rescue him. How Redford does it is the rest of the plot, which alternates between the present and the past, as narrated by Redford.
Redford plays Nathan effortlessly, with charm and ease. He leaves most of the action sequences to the younger actor and that is a wise thing, considering his age. Yet again, Pitt proves that he has the acting talent to go with his looks. The scenes where Pitt and Redford appear together are nicely written and acted.
The only negative points in the film are the background music, which is jarring at times, and the slightly dragging middle part, but it does build up the tempo for the finale. These defects are more than compensated by Redford and Pitt and this is one film that is worth watching.

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SPY GAME - DVD Movie

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The Agency (2001) Review

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(More customer reviews)I can't for the life of me, understand why the series ended.
I loved the show & would love to get the whole series.

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Item Name: The Agency; Studio:(null)

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MI-5, Vol. 6 (2009) Review

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(More customer reviews)Maybe The Best Ten Hours of Spy TV I Have Ever Seen!!! (Maybe the best TV of ANY GENRE!)
I have watched every episode of MI5 available through DVD - the only way U.S. viewers should do it in order to get the whole story. Season Six was riveting beyond any TV experience, including 24, which I have ever seen for this type of show. It was hard to stop watching, and a couple of nights I stayed up way later than I should have because I had to find out what happened next. Every episode flowed into the next to make what, in effect, was a ten hour movie.
One of the major factors that make MI5 so exciting, and probably somewhat real, is that no one, no one, is safe. They may not all die, but the "service" can take its toll in so many ways.
This can be very heartbreaking because another aspect of MI5 that makes it special is the characters. We come to identify and appreciate these folks because they are humanized more than is usually seen in these types of series - warts and all! Far from shining heroes in all their affairs, these spooks make all kinds of mistakes both on and off the job, they lie, cheat, steal, behave badly and come apart at the seams as the stress eats away at their psyches. In other words, they're just like you and me, only with a much tougher job description.
As a result, these all-too-human secret agents don't always win. They get played all the time, especially by other intelligent groups who are supposed to be allies. It is truly a looking glass world. Indeed, this is a major theme of Season Six.
Sadly, as mentioned in other reviews, the relentless action and intrigue pushes the private lives of Adam, Harry, Ross, Jo and others to the side. Unlike earlier seasons, there isn't a lot of down time. They may need to get back to that in future seasons or they risk losing a vital element.
As an American, I am interested in seeing my country through the eyes of others. At first, it came as a surprise to see the anti-American thread in the show, but as the legacy of Bush-Cheney has rolled out over this decade can anyone really be surprised by this? Season Six makes sure we don't miss that point. The season finale, involving two agents facing long torture and horrible death, virtually editorializes this as one of them, not surprisingly, loses their mettle faced with the terror. Despite the agitprop - I agree but it was facile - this was a powerful moment.
This is great television, start with Season One and sleep when you can.


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he award-winning, edge-of-your-seat spy drama is back with another white-knuckle ride through the perilous world of deadly terrorists, international cover-ups and treacherous double-agents. Having survived the bombing of the Thames Barrier, Adam and Ros recover to find London facing an even greater threat. While attempting to thwart an attack that could jeopardise a historic peace accord between Britain and Iran, the team unwittingly unleash a deadly killer. But with a virus that mimics the pneumonic plague, there can be no negotiation. And when Zaf is kidnapped by armed mercenaries, the team realise that in a game of the highest stakes they hold none of the cards. As the stuff of nightmares becomes increasingly real, London faces total devastation...

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Spies & Lies - 50 Episodes (2008) Review

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(More customer reviews)In the United States, the new medium of television began mass broadcasting just a few short years after the conclusion of World War II and more or less coincided with the rise of Soviet domination in Eastern Europe in the modern historical period that came to be known as the Cold War era. So it came as no surprise that television, looking for topical subjects for entertainment purposes, would use this real world backdrop as inspiration for a number of early shows during the medium's first decade. Before the full blown television spy craze of the mid-1960s that was inspired by the James Bond films (notably "The Man from U.N.C.L.E. - The Complete Series," "I Spy - Season 1 and Mission Impossible - The Complete First TV Season," among others), television viewers were offered a number of shows, mostly non-network syndicated series, that dealt with the Cold War threat.
Mill Creek Entertainment's "Spies & Lies" 4-DVD set rounds up 50 episodes from a number of these 1950s era series, including Brian Donlevy's "Dangerous Assignment," Cesar Romero's "Passport to Danger" and Robert Alda's "Secret File U.S.A.," among others. A couple of the series represented, "Mr. & Mrs. North" and "African Patrol" aren't really in the espionage genre, but one can make the obvious comparisons with "Mr. & Mrs. North" and "Biff Baker U.S.A.," with both series featuring a husband and wife team battling domestic criminals ("North") or evil foreign agents ("Baker"). "Counterspy" is an unsold pilot that's well produced with an exciting story, and it's somewhat of a surprise that it wasn't picked up as a regular series.
The best series in this collection, in this reviewer's opinion, is Sheldon Reynolds' "Foreign Intrigue" a/k/a "Dateline Europe" which, like "Secret File U.S.A." (Amsterdam) was produced in post World War II Europe (Paris and Stockholm). Reynolds is arguably better known as the producer of the 1954 "Sherlock Holmes: The Complete Series" (also produced in Paris) with Ronald Howard and H. Marion Crawford, but "Foreign Intrigue" is one of the great unsung syndicated series of the early 1950s. Scripts are taut and the series has a genuine noir feel to it throughout. The series' leads were played by Americans in its various incarnations (Jerome Thor and Sydna Scott in the first version, James Daly in the second, and Gerald Mohr in the final version) and at least one episode from these various versions is included in this set. But the vast majority of supporting actors are English speaking Europeans including, among others, renowned Swedish actors Eva Dahlbeck and Ingrid Thulin. In addition to saving money on production costs by filming the series on location in Europe with European crews, the casting of so many European actors in this series adds greatly to the show's authentic feel. "Foreign Intrigue" ran from 1951 to 1955, and served as the basis for a feature film of the same name produced and directed by Reynolds in 1956, perhaps the first time that a theatrical film was inspired by a television series.
A number of these series have had selected episodes previously released on DVD by Alpha Video (with corresponding duplication of some episodes in this collection), and "Dangerous Assignment - Complete Collection" has been released by the Infinity Entertainment Group, but this set represents the first time that so many shows from the spy/espionage genre have been brought together in a single collection. To the best of my knowledge, this release also marks the commercial DVD debut for "African Patrol" and "Wire Service." The cover artwork for this DVD release shows Barry Nelson as "Jimmy Bond" from the 1954 "Climax!" television series' live presentation of Ian Fleming's "Casino Royale" (the screen debut of "James Bond"), but that episode is not included in this collection.
This set is comprised of episodes that are in the public domain and, as is the case with most public domain material, the source material is typically derived from worn, but watchable 16 millimeter prints. Those who have purchased other TV collections from Mill Creek Entertainment like "Best of TV Detectives 150 Episodes" or "Classic TV Westerns 300 Episodes" will have a pretty good idea of what to expect with respect to the audio/visual quality of this set. The series represented in this set include the following (a few are represented by just a single episode):
1. African Patrol
2. Biff Baker U.S.A.
3. Counterspy
4. Dangerous Assignment
5. Foreign Intrigue
6. Mr. and Mrs. North
7. Passport to Danger
8. Secret File U.S.A.
9. TV Reader's Digest
10. Vise, The
11. Wire Service
Despite the less than stellar source material, this is an enjoyable collection of (mostly) espionage series from television's early years and is highly recommended to fans of the spy genre and/or vintage TV fans, in general. My rating is closer to **** & ½.


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Item Name: Spies & Lies - 50 Episodes; Studio:Mill Creek Entertainment

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MI-5, Volume 3 (2003) Review

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(More customer reviews)I had known about MI-5 for almost a year before I decided to fork over the $39.95 or whatever it was for the first season (or as the British say, first "series") box set. Honestly not knowing what to expect, I put on the first episode...and was immediately hooked. If you like your drama complex, with complicated, all-so-human characters (i.e. fallible)who confront conflicts that are never black-and-white but always gray, where the "good guys" are as prone to ethical and moral compromises as great as the "bad guys", then this is the show for you. This is indeed akin to 24 and Alias, genre-wise, but it really bears a greater resemblance to the best shows on HBO like The Sopranos and The Wire, as well as those edgy FX dramas like Rescue Me and The Shield. The series is broadcast on A&E but edited for length, language, and violence. The best way to watch this is on DVD. I bought the season one box set as Christmas presents for two great friends and it took them all of one episode to be as devoted to it as I am. So buy or rent the first two seasons, watch it as quickly as you can (and you will watch it quickly because you'll want to know what happens next to Tom and Zoe and Danny), get this third season, and devote an hour every night until you finish it. Your only regret will be you have to wait for season 4 whenever A&E broadcasts it. It's one of the best shows on television.

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Worlds collide and nothing is what it seems in the thrilling new installment of MI-5. Tom has been branded a traitor and has disappeared, while Harry is in the hospital, seriously wounded. There's dissension in the ranks as Danny and Zoe are determined to clear Tom's name and an enemy they never thought possible has put the entire service at risk. An enigmatic agent, Adam Carter (Rupert Penry-Jones) has been recruited from MI-6 to help pick up the broken pieces but with his track record nobody will be safe.

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MI-5, Volume 2 (2003) Review

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(More customer reviews)I continue to be riveted by this show. There is no show on television in America that presents a truer picture of what it means to serve your country in the War on Terror. This season ratchets up the suspense and personal angst of the main characters. There were times as I watched this show that I was literally floored by the actions of these men and women, the lengths they were willing to go in order to do their job as they saw it should be done. Matthew MacFadyen once again turns in a bravura performance and by the end of the season you are actually on the edge of your seat to know what happens. This series continues to be one of the most well-acted and well-written spy shows I have ever seen. Should not be missed by anyone who loves great drama and the spy thriller genre.

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MI 5:V2 - DVD Movie

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She Spies - The Complete First Season (2002) Review

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(More customer reviews)In July 2002, NBC aired She Spies starring Natasha Henstridge from Spices as well as 2 newcomers. After 3 airings on NBC, She Spies became a hit so they decided to run the show into syndication which began on the weekend of Sept. 30, 2002 and lasted for 2 seasons before getting uncerimoniusly cancelled in Sept 2004 and ran in repeats for the remainder of the 2004-05 season before getting off the air the week of 9/10-9/11/05. Anyway this show is one of the best that got robbed of a longer run. Anyway here are the episodes that will be on the DVD set.
NBC Premiere run episodes
1.) First episode 7/20/02
The Spies take on their first mission - saving a former politician and current talk show host from being assassinated on his own program.
2.) The Martini Shot 7/27/02
Cassie goes undercover as a runway model to break up a fashion industry ring.
3.) Poster Girl 8/3/02
The Spies go after two brothers running a bogus charity scam.Syndicated episodes (Began the week of 9/30/02)
4.) Daddy's Girl 9/30/02
The team are assigned as bodyguards to protect a rebellious teenager.
5.) Fondles 10/21/02
Cassie and Shane go undercover at a singles' apartment complex to break up an Icelandic spy ring.
6.) Ice Man 10/28/02
The Spies go undercover at a comedy club to capture a serial killer who preys on spies.
7.) Three Women and a Baby 11/4/02
The She Spies end up caring for a baby left on their doorstep who is the child of a major arms dealer.
8.) Trap 11/11/02
The girls are trapped in their own house by a killer looking for revenge.
9.) Spies vs. Spy 11/18/02
The Spies go up against a former member of the project when they protect an ambassador's daughter on her wedding day.
10.) Perilyzed 12/2/02
The women remember how they met in prison as they wait for a poisonous stuffed frog to finish killing them.
11.) Betrayal 1/13/03
D.D. turns traitor and the other Spies are forced to arrest her.
12.) Girl With the Broken Heart 1/27/03
The team go to a pharamaceutical convention to prevent a theft and Cassie meets an old flame.
13.) You Don't Know Jack 2/3/03
The Spies are pitted against a deadly assassin - La Puma. But he's closer then they think...
14.) First Date 2/10/03
The Spies must investigate three partners to find which one of them is selling secrets.
15.) While You Were Out 2/17/03
The Spies must protect a top CEO from assassination.
16.) Daze of Future Past 4/14/03
Jack is in an accident and loses his memory - he must recover before the villains' master plan that he can't remember goes off. Or must he?
17.) The Replacement 4/21/03
International thief Indigo captures Cassie, and the Spies are forced to take on a new teammate to recover her.
18.) Damsels in De-Stress 4/28/03
While visiting a destress clinic, the Spies are stalked by a bomber who needs a vital piece of evidence they have to set off his or her bombs.
19.) Learning to Fly 5/5/03
The Spies must protect an animal activist being transferred by plane.
20.) We'll Be Right Back 5/12/03
An old friend of Shane's is undergoing cyrogenic treatment but the Spies discover it's a front for a criminal scheme.
There would be one other season before the show got canned and this and the 2nd season would be repeated for 04/05 season. But It's a great show that should be at least made into a movie.

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What if the government established a clandestine organizationto rid the world of evil-doers?What if the spies recruited for this covert organization were multitalented convicted felons played by Natasha Henstridge (Commander In Chief), Kristen Miller, and Natashia Williams?What if there were no rhetorical questions in the world? Hard to imagine? Meet the felonious femmes fatale of "She Spies".

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MI-5, Volume 1 (2003) Review

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(More customer reviews)There've been some uncommonly intelligent spy films produced by British television: TINKER, TAILOR, SOLDIER, SPY and SMILEY'S PEOPLE (both starring Sir Alec Guinness as the owlish George Smiley), and THE SANDBAGGERS miniseries. In all three, the agency involved is Her Majesty's Secret Intelligence Service (MI-6). The operatives are a tweedy lot, and the headquarters, either at the old "Circus" or the more modern Century House, are, like the remains of Empire, comfortably shabby. Thus, it was with some misgivings that I began MI-5, the ongoing glitzy miniseries featuring the SIS's less glamorous sister also known as the Security Service, which like America's FBI, deals with domestic intelligence, anti-subversion and counter-terrorism. The glitz is of Hollywood proportions - almost, for me, an instant turn-off. I'm glad I stuck with it.
The lead "spook" is Tom Quinn, played by Matthew MacFadyen. He runs an undercover operations team, the most prominent members of which are Zoe Reynolds (Keeley Hawes) and Danny Hunter (David Oyelowo). The interior of MI-5's London HQ, Thames House, is ultramodern and high tech; the CIA probably never had it so good. Tom's boss is the hardboiled and sphinx-like Harry Pearce, played by Peter Firth.
Admittedly, I didn't become engaged until episodes three and four, when I realized that the intricate scripts, fast-paced and tautly presented, transcended the glitz. I'm now hooked, and eagerly await the DVD release of the Season 2 episodes in late 2004. My only remaining complaint is the too clever lead-in to each episode which requires excessive button-pushing on the remote to navigate. I mean, just get on with it. Prince Charles will become King in a shorter time.
The storylines are contemporary: embassy take-overs by militant nationalists, insidious plots by Arab terrorists, illegal arms deals by enterprising Russians involving Whitehall cabinet officers, and the occasional appearance of IRA bombers. Gone are the good old days of KGB machinations on behalf of the Evil Empire. The episodes are slickly written with surprising plot twists. And MI-6 across the river maintains a scheming and patronizing presence.
Part of the show's attraction is that it doesn't paint its MI-5 heroes as perfect. They have relationship problems; they embezzle money from the Service; and perhaps have dark secrets in the past that invite blackmail during intra-office power struggles. Why, it sounds like any company I've ever worked for!
The end of the last episode in Series 1 is one of the best I've ever seen. It'll make you think twice before installing that elaborate security system on your house, or at least make you aware of the dangers posed by a small child when catalyzed by chocolate icing.

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Defending their country, deceiving their friends, MI-5 takes us into the secret world of the clandestine UK security service and the people who make up the elite team. This exciting, fast paced drama, full of split screens and technical wizardry, explores the passion, jeopardy and intrigue of people who have to lie for a living and deceive their loved ones about what they do. DVD Features:Audio Commentary:Commentaries on all episodes!BiographiesDeleted ScenesFeaturette:Numerous Behind-the-Scenes featurettes on the making of the programInterviews:Exclusive interviews with the cast and crew!

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