The West Wing: The Complete Fourth Season (2002) Review

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(More customer reviews)This season saw the end of a bright but sadly short-lived era. The West Wing was THE show to watch for four glorious years. There are those out there who might say that the show somehow lost steam in the final year of the Sorkin era, but I say unto you, listen not to them. When a highly regarded show undergoes (or is about to undergo) a major change, it is nitpicked to a great extent, and some people feel compelled to invent problems with it, for whatever reason. It is fortunate for the non-crazy, then, that this year proved so able to produce challenging, powerful drama. This season opens with presidential politics in full swing, President Bartlet (Martin Sheen) campaigning for a second term facing a suspiciously Dubya-looking Republican contender portrayed by James Brolin (okay, he's more like a Bush caricature). After several great campaign-themed episodes at the season's beginning, politics-as-unusual would once again turn up in the halls of power at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.
This season's biggest change was Rob Lowe's departure from the show, but that was alright, because we got the super-talented Joshua Malina to replace him. We met Toby's and CJ's dads in "Holy Night" and "The Long Goodbye", respectively. The former continues in the show's tradition of powerful, moving Christmas episodes, the latter is a greatly underrated family drama centering around CJ and her Alzheimer's-stricken father. These episodes pack plenty of emotional power, and there were other great episodes like "20 Hours in America," which tracked Josh, Toby and Donna through Indiana after they lost the motorcade, and "Life on Mars," which led to the departure of John Hoynes as Vice President, thanks to Matthew Perry's guest turn as Joe Quincy. These episodes, in addition to the pulse-pounding final two shows of the season, were only a few of a memorable and consistent year of television that called to mind the show's first season--no grand arcs, just stories and characters and the delightful political mess the White House staff would sort through on a weekly basis. This season brought the series back to its roots and was an appropriate send-off for one of the medium's masters, although it's sad indeed that the send-off in question was needed in the first place. Where have you gone, Aaron?

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Follow the re-election of President Bartlet to his second term and witness the gripping personal crisis that forces him to chose between the best interests of the country and those of his family. Compelling and clever storylines reveal the inner workings of the White House in this innovative, multiple Emmy-Award-winning drama series from producers John Wells ("ER," "China Beach"), Aaron Sorkin ("Sports Night") and Thomas Schlamme ("Sports Night"). The West Wing's fourth season received 15 Emmy nominations and 2 wins including, Best Drama Series and Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series.

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Dhani Tackles the Globe: Season 1 (2009) Review

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(More customer reviews)Dhani Jones really makes this program. Great personality, sense of humor and a natural in front of the camera. Locations are interesting with a novel approach to learning about other locations from a sports angle. Dhani completely throws himself into each cultural experience. I especially got a kick out of the extra challenges he faced, good-naturedly, in the Cambodia episode. This man has a whole other career waiting for him once he leaves football. I predict we'll be seeing a lot more of him in the future.
Interesting locales, challenges, beautiful photography and a host who feels like a best friend--how can you go wrong? Highly recommended!!


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Famed NFL linebacker Dhani Jones will need more than shoulder pads where he\'s going. He\'ll be embarking on a global sports odyssey that will take him from Australia\'s shores to the mountains of Switzerland! Being the top athlete he is, he throws himself into everything from Ireland\'s hurling to Russia\'s Sambo fighting. More than a football player, he\'s also a true Renaissance man. He explores each country\'s culture by getting to know the locals, taking in the sights and indulging in its cuisine. Experienced by Dhani Jones, this eye-opening, high-energy adventure reveals the world as you\'ve never seen it before!

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Red Shoe Diaries - Forbidden Zone (2002) Review

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(More customer reviews)This consists of three shorts, "Forbidden Zone," "The Art of Loneliness," and "Picnic". The first, FZ, was a story within a story, where the video switched back and forth between the couple and the scene from her imagination. I liked it - the female leads were gorgeous, and the imagined scene had an iconic quality. The second story, TAL, featured a woman narrating her fantasies. There was conversation, of a sort, where the other would step into the narration for a little while. The scene, the characters, and the story-telling all had a dusky elegance. In the end, though, the narrator was alone with her story. The third short, Picnic, reminded me why I like compilations - the other stories suited me, even if that one didn't.

This isn't the steamiest collection around, but the first two stories each set an agreeable mood. I could imagine moving either story forward on my own, given a willing partner. These stories weren't especially memorable. They were well done, in a low-key way, and I'll come back when my mood matches their understated sensuality.

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Lovejoy: The Complete Season Five (2009) Review

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(More customer reviews)We are at Series 5 of 6 with our favorite antiques dealer. Ian McShane's Lovejoy is one of the richest characters in television. He is always looking for the next score with the help of his two side kicks Tink and Eric. And this season he has a new love interest.
Series 5 has the following 14 eisodes:
Pig in a Poke - Lovejoy buys a set of James Gillray prints only to find out they are copies. Eric finds a stolen statue at a house of Lady Jane's friend. (Tony Winner Brian Stokes Mitchell guests)
Who's the Fairest of them All - Lady Jane asks Lovejoy to help her old dance teacher to sell a mirror. Then she drops a bombshell - Lord Feldsham is bankrupt and they are selling the Hall. And she is leaving.
A Going Concern - Lovejoy minds Feldsham Hall until it is sold. But seeing an oportunity, he uses the Hall as a showroom. Enter new love interest Charolette Cavandish of Cavandish Auction house.
The Kakiemon Tiger - Lovejoy is once again in financial trouble so he takes on a new apprentice - Beth. (James Nesbitt and Colin Salmon guest)
Three Men and a Brittle Lady - Charlie Gimbert buys a fake porcelain statue and Lovejoy catchs up with the forger. Charolette's former boyfriend arrives from NY and asks her to move to Paris.
Ducking and Diving - Eric and Tink take a holiday at Eric uncle's pub. Lovejoy shows a pair of tourists around the antique stores but he also has an Welsh dresser to sell. Eric decides to leave the business.
Stones of Destiny - When a Celtic cross is stolen from Charolette's auction house, Charolette and Lovejoy chase after the theif. Lovejoy makes his first overture to Charolette.
Poetic License - Charolette is asked to sell some items for a friend and she asks Lovejoy to value the items. While at the nursing home, attempts on Lovejoys life are made. (Susan Fleetwood guests)
The Peking Gun - Lovejoy is asked to value some posessions of a colonial widow. Lovejoy discovers a chinese cannon but it has significance with a chinese tong. (Burt Kwouk guests)
Goose Bumps - Charlie tries to aspire to higher levels and hosts a Dog Show and Wildlife Auction at Felsham Hall. He asks Carolette to act as hostess. But it is Lovejoy who winds up invited to dinner. (Pete Postlethwaite and Freddie Jones guest.)
Swings and Roundabouts - A friend of Lovejoy's asks him to sell a pair of candlesticks. But they turn out to be stolen. Meanwhile a friend of Charolette's wants the travelling fair's carousel. (Guest James Carroll Jordan)
Never Judge a Book by its Cover - Lovejoy discovers a rare bible but when the owner's brother opposes the sale, Lovejoy suspects something is afoot. (Richard Briers guests)
The Lost Colony - Lovejoy travels to the Carolinas to meet up with some American relatives and recover some lost properties. (Barbara Barrie, Ken Kerchival and John Gielguld guest)
The Price of Fish - Lovejoy and Charolette are invited away for the weekend - of course to value something. Tink and Beth battle Charlie Gimbert.
This was another great season of Lovejoy -- even with the cast changes.

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Ian McShane is back as the crime-solving antiques dealer with an eye for beauty…and trouble! Season Five continues the escapades of Lovejoy, the antiques hero, with four discs of side-splitting adventures!

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Jane Eyre (BBC) (2006) Review

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(More customer reviews)After having had the opportunity to view several adaptations of Jane Eyre, Sorcha Cusack captures the heart, mind, and the look of Bronte's groundbreaking characterization of Jane. After the exquisitely masterful acting of Cusack in this role, it will take some adjustment on my part to see her in other roles. To put it as plainly as I can, Sorcha was Jane Eyre. The overall casting was very good; Michael Jayston's Rochester was very true to Charlotte's Bronte's vision of a deeply wounded misguided man searching for true meaning and fulfillment in a very Class conscious, frivolous society. It was refreshing to see Stephanie Beacham as a young woman who was the very female prototype of that priviledged, claustrophobic, and very clueless world that shunned people such as Jane. For literature purists, this Jane Eyre is a must-see!

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After a childhood that would have broken weaker girls, Jane Eyre finds a respectable position as governess to the ward of the enigmatic Mr. Rochester. Twenty years her senior, brusque, and hardened by loss, Mr. Rochester finds his spirited new employee strangely bewitching. Despite the social chasm that divides them, they are drawn to each other as equals and contemplate true happiness at last. But there is an impediment to their love that tests Jane’s integrity and strength almost beyond endurance. Considered by many to be the best adaptation of Charlotte Brontë’s romantic classic, this BBC miniseries is true to the original story, with dialogue taken directly from the novel. Best of all is the perfect casting and chemistry of the unlikely lovers, with Sorcha Cusack (Casualty) as Jane and Michael Jayston (Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy) as Mr. Rochester.

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Feasting on Asphalt: The Complete First Season (2007) Review

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(More customer reviews)I have always been a devout fan of Good Eats. However, this particular series really communicates Alton Brown's love for the journey in understanding food--how food is both an expression of culture and community, as well as a driving force in maintaining and creating culture and community.
Feasting on Asphalt is filled with a reverence for the every-day people that make this country the terrific, diverse, stock pot that it is. Watch this show, and you will want to get out there on the road, meet some of these people, eat a lot of food, and bask in the wonder of all the stories and communities that must be out there for you to discover. It will also make you think about the micro- and macro-cultures in which you were raised, and make you curious about how the foods and traditions of your family and community came to be.
In an increasingly homogenized world of large chains and Anywhere USA towns, Feasting on Asphalt shows us that hope is not lost. We are still here. We are still eating and cooking and living.
A big thank you to Alton and his dedicated crew.

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Gulong Ng Palad - The Complete Series - Philippine DVD (2006) Review

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(More customer reviews)Wow Pare what a great movie. I sat and watched each video straight through. I didn't realize that this was an 8-part movie until it was 4:30 in the morning. I loved the Catholic message on filipino culture, values and beliefs. Kristina Hermosa has got to be one of the most beautiful women while crying in the movies. Siya na ang favorite filipina actress ko ngayon.

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Luisa (Kristine Hermosa) and Carding (TJ Trinidad) are childhood friends until Carding leaves to settle in America. Years later, Luisa grows into a beautiful and Carding returns with his mother Menang, (Cherie Gil), who is running as a town mayor.They madly fall in love withe each other but everyone is against their relationship. Luisa's family feels Carding is a spoiled playboy who will only hurt Luisa. Menang arrogantly feels Luisa is way behing their social status.thge cunning kovi (Andrea del Rosario), also wants Carding and Luisa's friend, Diego (Luis Alandy), is secretly in love with her.Gossips spreads that Luisa and Carding eloped when they seek shelter in a cave for overnight due to storm. With no other choice, Carding offers marruiage to Luisa because no matter how they tried, no one believed their explanation that nothing happened between them.Altough against her will, Menang pushes for their marriage because the scandal could ruin her chances for being the mayor. Luisa's mother, Ida (Rio Locsin), is against the marriage and turns her back on her daughter,Luisa and Carding marry , but Carding has to go to school in Manila, leaving Luisa alone with Menang who beats and abuses hae and threatens her family.Withour her family , Luisa has no one to turn except her friend Diego who later connives with kovi to destroy Luisa's marriage.How can Luisa and Carding make their marraige work wit everyone plotting to keep them apart? Is their love strong enough to endure anything?

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