DVD Review “Mickey Mouse Clubhouse: Around the Clubhouse World”

Series: Mickey Mouse Clubhouse
Studio: Walt Disney Home Entertainment
DVD Release Date: May 20, 2014
Run Time: 126 minutes

Our Score: 5 out of 5 stars

“Around the Clubhouse World” is the latest full-length feature from the Disney Junior series “Mickey Mouse Clubhouse”. I have searched the internet and I have not see any mention of this episode airing on Disney Junior yet, so this DVD looks to be the premiere and only place to see this as of right now. It is yet another great full-length feature after the last one “Minnie-rella”, which my 2 year old daughter still watches at least one a week. This special takes us exploring through France, Italy, China and more with Mickey and gang on a global adventure packed with song-filled fun. As an added bonus this DVD releases also comes with a passport activity book for any young explorer! If you kids love “Mickey Mouse Clubhouse”, this is a yet another amazing themed release for the show.

Official Premise: Pack your bags and grab your passport. Join Mickey, Minnie and pals on a whirlwind trip Around The Clubhouse World! Climb the Eiffel Tower in France and say “bonjour” to Mademoiselle Daisy and Monsieur Donald Duck. Then, rescue Gondolier Goofy when he goes adrift in Italy’s Grand Canal; solve the mysterious riddle of Pharaoh Pete’s pyramid in Egypt, and meet a dancing dragon at the Great Wall of China. With your help – and the right Mouseketools – your Clubhouse friends can get their special passport stamped at each wonderful location. Featuring over two hours of song-filled fun, including four additional episodes, this global adventure proves it’s a small world after all!

Along with the full-length episode, there are four additional bonus episodes includes from “Mickey Mouse Clubhouse”. “Donald And The Beanstalk” goes back all the way to the first season and is the sixth episode ever aired for this series. Funny enough “Goofy On Mars” is also from the first season and was the seventh episode aired. “Mickey’s Handy Helpers” comes from the second season and was the twenty ninth episode. Lastly “Pluto’s Dinosaur Romp” is a little more recent from the end of season three and in fact the ninety fourth episode in the series.  According to the trend of DVD releases, we should be getting another in December of 2014, so curious anxiously waiting for that.

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DVD Review “Weekend of a Champion”

Actors: Jackie Stewart, Roman Polanski
Directors: Frank Simon
Rated: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: MPI HOME VIDEO
DVD Release Date: May 20, 2014
Run Time: 90 minutes

Film: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Extras: 1/2 out of 5 stars

“Weekend of a Champion” is a lost film from one of the world’s greatest filmmakers and given a new life after 40 years, being restored and including new footage. Roman Polanski produced this and also stepped in front of the camera for a thrilling inside look at racing great Jackie Stewart’s attempt to win the 1971 Monaco Grand Prix. This film has been nearly forgotten and is quite hot coming off its return to movie screens. Polanski recently found, restored and recut the film along with adding a new epilogue showing Polanski and Stewart revisiting the events of the film in present-day Monaco.

Official Premise: In 1971, Oscar-winning filmmaker and racing fan Roman Polanski (The Pianist, Chinatown, Rosemary’s Baby, Tess) spent a weekend with world champion Formula One driver Jackie Stewart as he attempted to win the Monaco Grand Prix, one of the premier events in the sport. Polanski was given intimate access to Stewart’s world for three days, both on the track and off. The result was an extraordinarily rare glimpse into the life of a gifted athlete at the height of his powers.

The only special feature included on this DVD is a trailer, which is a little disappointing. If Polanski spent the time to recut and restore this film, I would have loved to see a little bit of new extras as well. Obviously if you could the new epilogue that this is a little bit different. If you had a chance to see this film back in the day, you will find that the new footage features Polanski and Stewart today talking about their friendship over the last 40 years as well as the changing of racing and life in general. A real treat for any Polanski fan and Grand Prix fan for sure!

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DVD Review “Maverick: The Complete Fifth Season”

Starring: Jack Kelly, Marie Windsor, Sig Ruman, Reginald Owen, Kathleen Crowley, Jim Backus
Distributed by: Warner Archive
MPAA Rating: Not Rated
Running Time: 650 minutes

Our Score: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Every good thing comes to an end. The legend of the West, Jack Kelly returns in the role of Bart Maverick, sans James Gardner in the role of Bret for the fifth and final season of “Maverick”. This was a great show and a strong ending season as well. I wasn’t sure how it was going to hold up without Gardner but I really enjoyed Bart riding solo. Notable guest stars this season include Marie Windsor, Sig Ruman, Reginald Owen, Kathleen Crowley and Jim Backus. Like past seasons, there are no additional special features includes besides this short 13-episode season.

Official Premise: This 3-Disc, 13-Episode Collection closes out the original series run with Jack Kelly riding solo as Bart Maverick. When the series originally aired, these new episodes were ran alternating weeks with re-runs featuring Garner’s Bret Maverick from series 1-3. Kelly’s Bart gets plenty of time to shine as this season pits the wily card sharp up against crooked senators, four-flushing bankers, glamorous grifters, wish-granting leprechauns, and Bonanza-spoofing ranchers.

Even though “Maverick: The Complete Fifth Season” marks the end of the series, the Maverick brothers would end up returning again, with Garner playing Bret in “The New Maverick” TV movie (1978) and the “Bret Maverick” series (1981-82), both guest-starring Kelly as Bart. In the word of old Pappy “You can’t keep a good cardsharp and con artist down.” That’s not even counting the 1994 remake with Mel Gibson and Jodie Foster either. It’s been 20 years and James Gardner is still kicking, I think it about time for another revival…am I right or what?

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DVD Review “Without a Trace: The Complete Seventh Season”

Starring: Anthony La Paglia, Poppy Montgomery, Marianne Jean-Baptiste, Roselyn Sanchez, Eric Close, Enrique Murciano
Distributed by: Warner Archive
Rating: Not Rated
Running Time: 1024 minutes

Our Score: 3.5 out of 5 stars

“Without a Trace” is a police procedural television drama series that originally aired on CBS from September 26, 2002 to May 19, 2009. It followed a group called the Missing Persons Unit (MPU) of the FBI in New York City. The seventh season was also the last for this show. In fact, it was announced on the finale night for this one that their will not be an eight season. This show really had some wit to it and really packed a solid cast. It was also one of the rare shows like “Castle” that in fact got better with each season. Thanks to Warner Archive for keeping this show alive as it has been releasing each season on DVD. I would have loved to seen this get the Blu-ray treatment like the recently released “The Mentalist” DVD is better than nothing. Like the past seasons as well, no additional special features included aside from the 24 episodes. A must purchase if you are a fan of the show to complete your series collection.

Official Premise: Senior agent Jack Malone (Anthony LaPaglia) is a tough, compassionate professional who, until recently, was the head of the special New York based FBI task force known as the Missing Persons Squad. Demoted after his renegade style got him into trouble one too many times, Jack still knows all too well that every second counts when someone vanishes, and begrudgingly adjusts to life with his new boss and the new head of the squad, Clark Medina (recurring guest star Steven Weber). Despite their best efforts, the team members are only human. As the agents work on varied and complicated cases, details about their personal lives continue to unfold. This season, Samantha Spade (Poppy Montgomery) deals with being a single mom and resourceful agent Elena Delgado (Roselyn Sanchez) recovers from a recent and unpleasant custody battle with her ex.

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DVD Review “The Bob Newhart Show: The Complete Series”

Actors: Bob Newhart, Suzanne Pleshette, Marcia Wallace
Directors: Peter Bonerz
Number of discs: 19
Rated: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: Shout! Factory
DVD Release Date: May 27, 2014
Run Time: 3180 minutes

Series: 5 out of 5 stars
Extras: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Dr. Hartley will see you now… Shout! Factory is bringing the The Complete Series of “The Bob Newhart Show” home to you in a spectacular 19-DVD box set. This iconic TV show is still relevant and extremely funny today. Bob Newhart has always been a riot and even still continues to co-starring recently in CBS’ hit sitcom, “The Big Bang Theory”. Originally airing on CBS from 1972 to 1978, this show is no question of the best television shows of all-time. I feel that if a show is able to still be this funny after all these years that it deserves to be considered a legend. I look at TV today in disgust as our programming is garage compared to real shows like “The Bob Newhart Show”. This is a must for an true classic TV fan out there.

Official Premise: This sitcom classic stars the incomparable Bob Newhart as Dr. Robert Hartley, a Chicago psychologist who finds himself surrounded by some unusual and neurotic characters on the job, as well as at home! Hartley faces an uphill battle to not lose patience with his patients, but with the support of his quick-witted wife Emily (Suzanne Pleshette), you can count on him to conduct a healthy session of laugh therapy in all 142 episodes of The Bob Newhart Show. An outstanding supporting cast is on call to back up Newhart and Pleshette, including Bill Daily (I Dream of Jeannie), Peter Bonerz (Man on the Moon), Jack Riley (Rugrats, Spaceballs), and Marcia Wallace (The Simpsons).

The box set includes new interviews with Bob Newhart, Jack Riley, Bill Daily, Peter Bonerz, and Michael Zinberg called “Group Therapy” (2014). There is “The Bob Newhart Show 19th Anniversary (1991)” special included, which is a one-hour clip show which finds the show’s characters in the present day. There are audio commentaries tracks with Bob Newhart, Marcia Wallace, David Davis, Peter Bonerz, Fred Willard, Jim Burrows, Suzanne Pleshette, Tom Poston and Jack Riley. There is a very funny Gag Reel included. Lastly there is a 40-page collectible booklet wrapping up this fine release.

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DVD Review “Godzilla: The Complete Animated Series”

Actors: Ian Ziering, Malcom Danare, Rino Romano, Charity James, Brigitte Bako
Number of discs: 4
Rated: Unrated
Studio: Mill Creek Entertainment
DVD Release Date: April 29, 2014
Run Time: 854 minutes

Series: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Yes…yes, we all know how much the U.S. 1998 remake of “Godzilla” sucked. This animated series was a way to cash in on the Godzilla madness but for those who hated the film didn’t pay any attention to this show. It’s run on TV was ended short airing 38 out of 40 produced episodes. I have to admit, I never watched this during the original airing since I was among those who did quite hate the ’98 film but thanks to Netflix, I decided to give this show a go recently. Yes, it is a cheap 90’s cartoon but I am also a sucker for 90’s cartoons. If you are looking to dumb down your brain and just watch some Godzilla related goodness in animated form, this show isn’t as bad as I would have thought. Plus for the cheap price (you can get it new from Amazon Marketplace for around $5 bucks), it is totally worth it. Also did I mention the star of “Sharknado”, Ian Ziering, also voices the main characer!? Bonus cheese!

Official Premise After helping take down Godzilla, biologist Dr. Nick Tatopoulos (voice of Ian Ziering) stumbles upon his hatchling, who bonds with the scientist as a parental figure. Recruiting his own environmentally-directed research outfit HEAT (Humanitarian Environmental Analysis Team) Nick sets out to study not only this new generation, but also to investigate the increasing reports of monsters of all types and other environmental anomalies menacing the Earth. Each exciting episode is a pulse-pounding monster-hunt driven by Nick’s team accompanied by their 300-foot giant reptile as they travel the globe defending humankind against mutant threats.

Disc 1 includes the following episodes: “New Family – Part 1”; “New Family – Part 2”; “Talkin’ Trash”; “D.O.A”; “The Winter Of Our Discontent”; “Cat And Mouse”; “Leviathan”;, “What Dreams May Come”; “Hive” and “Bird Of Paradise”. Disc 2 includes the following episodes: “Freeze “; “DeadLoch”; “Competition”; “Bug Out”; “Monster War – Part 1”; “Monster War – Part 2”; “Monster War – Part 3”; “An Early Frost”; “What A Long Strange Trip It’s Been” and “Web Site”

Disc 3 includes the following episodes: “Wedding Bells Blew”; “Juggernaut”; “Shafted”; “Trust No One”; “Lizard Season”; “The Ballad Of Gens Du Marias”; “Ring Of Fire”; “Protector”; “Vision”; “Freak Show”. Last but not least disc 4 includes the following episodes: “Metamorphosis”; “Where Is Thy Sting?”; “Underground Movement”; “The Twister”; “S.C.A.L.E.”; “Future Shock”; “End Of The Line”; “Area 51”; “Tourist Trap” and “Cash Of The Titans”. So if you can count these all add up to 40 episodes, so this cheap DVD also includes for the first time ever the 2 unaired episodes and the series available as complete. Calling all hardcore “Godzilla” fans like myself that are in overdrive waiting for this months new film, this is your answer!

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DVD Review “Locker 13”

Actors: Krista Allen, Rick Hoffman and Tatyana Ali
Directors: Bruce Dellis, Jason Marsden, Matthew Mebane, Adam Montierth and Donovan Montierth
Rated: R
Studio: Brothers’ Ink Productions
Running Time: 95 minutes

Our Score: 0.5 out of 5 stars

I’d never heard of “Locker 13”, but after one grueling hour and a half, I still wish I hadn’t. After a doing a bit of research, I found out that “Locker 13” is the baby project of five misguided directors who took their dreams to Kickstarter, in the hopes of finding some s̶u̶c̶k̶e̶r̶s̶ contributors. It’s ironic that they raised the bare minimum ($25,000) and that’s how much of an effort I feel they put into this. I really hate to rag on an independent movie with good intentions, but “Locker 13” is simply one of the worst anthology movies I’ve ever seen.

“Locker 13” features four short stories with a wraparound story. So like most anthology movies, what’s the common running theme in all of them? It’s a haphazard ethical argument about making the correct life decisions. The wrap around story involves a newly hired janitor at an Old West themed park (a story that’s been begging to be heard *eye roll*) being told multiple stories about the random items they encounter that all gravitate towards a mysterious old locker. The enveloping tale doesn’t ever really tell us why this sagely old employee is recounting all these stories or how he even knows about them. He just does.

Our stories include: A boxer with lethal gloves, but he doesn’t seem to regret the deadly powers they give him. We have a secret society that tells bad jokes and smokes cigars and like all standard exclusive clubs, there’s an initiation process. There’s a random suicidal individual on a rooftop, whose choice to end his own life is interrupted by an arbitrary stranger. Then there’s a misogynistic story that I won’t even bother you with. One after another, they play like a string of rejected “Twilight Zone” episodes.

It feels as though each individual director/writer built their story without any perception of what everyone else was working on, nor did they seem to concern themselves with tying up their pieces to boost the overall wrap. This is evident by the third story where a man threatens to kill a suicidal individual to show him how much he actually values life. I actually re-watched it thinking there was some meta-commentary on this preposterous situation, but I was wrong. It’s just terrible writing.

I wasn’t going to fault the acting in a movie with a $300,000 budget, but once Jon Polito (Miller’s Crossing and Barton Fink) showed up, I felt the directors could have at least gone big or just stayed at home and refunded their Kickstarter faithful. I’m sure there are other fantastic cameos in this movie, but they’re crammed in between so many disposable dime store performers, their skills are hindered.

I feel like there’s a poor salute being made to other anthology films as well as B-movie storylines. While some material is tongue in cheek, the majority of it feels like unwanted short stories or art school projects used to help hone the craft of filmmakers. Simply put, the stories never engage the audience or seem concerned about constructing a storyline that can thrill, scare, and intrigue or even amuse the audience. Instead of just going back to the

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DVD Review “The Suspect”

Starring: Mekhi Phifer and William Sadler
Rated: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: Image Entertainment
Release Date: April 22, 2014
Run Time: 98 minutes

Film: 4 out of 5 stars
Extras: 3 out of 5 stars

A mysterious black man is stopped by the local lawman. His hands dirty, he has no identification and tells the deputy that he’s out “looking at some property.” The man is taken into custody and questioned about a recent bank robbery. “Why are you asking me,” he asks. “I’m not the only black man in this town.” Oops.

A smartly written thriller full of fine performances, “The Suspect” reveals itself, though a series of flashbacks, to be much more than your standard bank robbery yarn. Pitting the accused title character (Phifer) against the judgmental town sheriff(Sadler), the two engage in a battle of wits that, if you’re not paying attention, will leave you wondering what you missed.

This is truly the time of new filmmakers planting their flags. I was amazed to learn that this is writer/director Stuart Connelly’s first feature film. His script continues to add layers to the story as the film progresses and his work behind the camera shows a keen knack for keeping the story moving without giving away too much. Truly one of the most impressive debuts I’ve seen in a long time.

On screen, both Phifer and Sadler shine. I’m a huge fan of Sadler’s and I always welcome the chance to see him on-screen. Phifer matches him line for line, the two of them “dancing” with each other, trying to see who will blink first. Supporting work by Derek Roche’ as Sadler’s deputy and Sterling K. Brown as “the other Suspect” also stand out.

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DVD Review “The Mr. Magoo Theatrical Collection (1949-1959)”

Actors: Jim Backus
Number of discs: 4
Rated: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: Shout! Factory
DVD Release Date: April 22, 2014
Run Time: 420 minutes

Films: 4 out of 5 stars
Extras: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Oh Shout! Factory, you’ve done it again! “The Mr. Magoo Theatrical Collection (1949-1959)” is a brand new special edition edition 4-DVD set available for the first time. Included on the DVD are all 53 theatrical cartoons, including 12 cartoons in anamorphic widescreen for the first time. If that isn’t enough, there is also the feature film “1001 Arabian Nights”. These have shorts never looked better and in fact they actually have been newly remastered and delivered in their original theatrical aspect ratios. A must own for again Magoo fan!

Mr. Magoo has delivered laughs to the world for more than six decades. Voiced by the multitalented comedic actor Jim Backus (“Gilligan Island”) who gave life to the character of Quincy Magoo or better known simply as good ole Mr. Magoo. The character has starred in two Academy Award winning theatrical shorts, three television series and two television specials. Watching these for the first time in many years was a real treat and I also enjoyed sharing these with my 2 year old daughter, who dug these as well. I think it is a about time that Mr. Magoo makes a come back and this is a great way to get this started.

To be honest with you, I was happy with the 53 theatrical cartoons and the feature film “1001 Arabian Nights”. These are a great collection item for fans but there is still more included in this release There are some pretty great extras included as well. There is the vintage documentary “A Princess For Magoo: The Making Of 1001 Arabian Nights”, whihc looks into the film. There is an interview with film critic and historian Leonard Maltin taking about the near-sighted character. There is a documentary on UPA & Mr. Magoo. Lastly and best yet are 14 commentaries tracks on these cartoons, which is worth the purchase alone.

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DVD Reviews “The FBI: The First-Seventh Seasons”

Cast: Efrem Zimbalist, Jr., Philip Abbott, Stephen Brooks, William Reynolds, Lynn Loring
Seasons 1-7
Made-To Order DVD
Distributed: Warner Archive
Rating: Not Rated

Series Score: 4 out of 5 stars

“The FBI” was a long running crime drama, which spanned from 1965-1974. It ran 240 episodes over 9 seasons. The show starts Lynn Loring, Efrem Zimbalist, Jr. and Stephen Brooks. He was replaced by William Reynolds after the second season. This show is known for delivering some great up and coming and also established talent for guest appearances (see below fore more). What is also most interesting about this show is that it continued to be successful throughout it run and in fact the sixth and seventh seasons where its most popular. J. Edgar Hoover was even a series consultantfor this show until his death in 1972. Fans of this show should get this seasons, while they are available!

Warner Archive is responsible for giving this show a revisited life on DVD. They have been releasing each season since 2011. Season seven is the latest to come out this year and I have a feeling that they should be able to wrap up the remaining two seasons as well before the end of 2014. They are made-to-order and will not be produced forever, so I expect these to become quite rare once the eight and ninth season are released and the series is complete.d They seasons have not been fully restored by Warner Bros but they are taken from the highest quality transfer available. So these episodes might show a little age but they are still impressive on DVD.

“The FBI: The First Season Part One” Official Premise: From the files of the crime-fighting agency! Drawing in large part from actual Bureau investigations, The FBI is on the case with an exciting 4-Disc Collection of Season One’s First 16 Episodes from the fondly remembered series that ran from 1965 to 1974. Agent Lewis Erskine (Efrem Zimbalist, Jr.) and Special Agent Jim Rhodes (Stephen Brooks) rely on real-life FBI detection techniques (and the occasional hunch) as they track lawbreakers ranging from organized crime bosses and extortionists to saboteurs and escaped convicts.

“The FBI: The First Season Part Two” Official Premise: More action-packed stories from the files of the crime-fighting agency! Drawing in large part from actual Bureau investigations, The FBI is on the case with an exciting 4-Disc Collection of Season One Episodes 17-32 from the fondly remembered series that ran from 1965 to 1974. Agent Lewis Erskine (Efrem Zimbalist, Jr.) and Special Agent Jim Rhodes (Stephen Brooks) rely on real-life FBI detection techniques (and the occasional hunch) as they track lawbreakers ranging from political assassins and smugglers to spies and terrorists bent on destroying the U.S. Supreme Court building.

Season one packed some really amazing guest stars including Robert Blake, Beau Bridges, Dabney Coleman, Robert Duvall, Jack Klugman, Leslie Neilsen, Burt Reynolds, Ed Asner, Lew Ayres, Ed Begley, Charles Bronson, Colleen Dewhurst, Arthur Hill, Paul Lukas, Kevin McCarthy and Kurt Russell.

“The FBI: The Second Season Part One” Offcial Premise: The Sixties were kicking into full swing as The FBI moved into its sophomore season. Agents Erskine (Efrem Zimbalist, Jr., more taciturn than ever) and Rhodes (Stephen Brooks) are dispatched to the far-flung corners of the USA by Assistant Director Ward (Philip Abbott) to tackle the big ones – kidnapping, extortion, murder, espionage and terror. Produced with full government cooperation with stories drawn from the real files of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, The FBI set a new high mark in the depiction of law enforcement on television, giving viewers TV that was equally thrilling as it was realistic.

“The FBI: The Second Season Part Two” Official Premise: The second half of The FBI’s sophomore season sees Agents Erskine ((Efrem Zimbalist, Jr.) and Rhodes (Stephen Brooks) battling threats both foreign and domestic at the behest of Assistant Director Ward (Philip Abbott). The action amps up to all-star heights in the two-part episode “The Executioners,” in which the agents take on a fractured La Cosa Nostra.

Season two saw the return of Robert Blake along with Ralph Meeker, Jack Lord, Richard Anderson, Fritz Weaver, Suzanne Pleshette, Ralph Bellamy, Gene Hackman, Alejandro Rey, Louis Jourdan, Peter Graves, Jessica Walter, Bradford Dillman, Charles Grodin, William Wellman, Jr, Walter Pidgeon, Telly Savalas, Susan Strasberg, Celeste Holm and Robert Duvall.

“The FBI: The Third Season Part One” Official Premise: Shortly before the Summer of Love signaled a radical shift in popular culture, the smartly dressed agents of The FBI marshaled their talents to keep the nations safe from a myriad of menaces both foreign and domestic. Under the auspices of legendary executive producer Quinn Martin, The FBI’s third season had the craft of creating teleplays “produced with full government cooperation and based on real FBI cases” down to a science – well before today’s forensic descendants. Special guest stars playing victims and victimizers of the Cold War and the war on crime waged by Inspector Erskine (Efrem Zimbalist Jr.) and Special Agent Colby (William Reynolds).

“The FBI: The Third Season Part Two” Official Premise: They’re straight arrows, all right – and they’re aimed right at our country’s foes. The second half of The FBI’s third season sees the nation’s enemies take a decided turn to the worst. Bank robbers, blackmailers, saboteurs, defectors, embezzlers, their victims and accomplices. Among the specific case crimes drawn from the real files of the FBI and tackled by Erskine (Efrem Zimbalist Jr.) and company in this compendium are espionage, extortion, kidnapping, murder and interstate transport. So strap on your badge and fire up the Ford.

Season three includes film noir queen Phyllis Thaxter, ’60s siren Carol Lynley, and stage and screen stalwarts Henry Silva, Kevin McCarthy, William Windom, Anne Baxter, Bradford Dillman, Lynn Bari, Fritz Weaver, Robert Walker and Suzanne Pleshette and the return of Ed Asner with Martin Sheen as a deadly pair of kidnapping brothers.

“The FBI: The Fourth Season” Official Premise: As the Summer of Love faded to the winter of our national discontent in the fall of 1968, Inspector Erskine (Efrem Zimbalist, Jr.), Special Agent Colby (William Reynolds), and Assistant Director Ward (Philip Abbott) continue to battle the nation’s enemies, foreign and domestic. Delivering drama at the height of its powers, The FBI’s well-oiled machine of TV talent continued to draw in the star power – both the iconic and the up-and-coming.

Season four delivers appearances from golden age great Ralph Bellamy, TV superstar Chad Everett as well as include Dawn Wells, Susan Strasberg, Dorothy Provine, Cicely Tyson, Lynda Day, Gene Tierney, Dean Stockwell, Robert Duvall, Harrison Ford, James Caan, and young teenage Ron Howard.

“The FBI: The Complete Fifth Season” Official Premise: As the Sixties come to an end and a new decade begins, it’s business as usual for Inspector Lewis Erskine (Efrem Zimbalist, Jr.) and the men and women of the FBI as they continue to protect America from enemies within, in this hard-hitting fifth season collection. Inspired by actual cases and produced with the personal support of J. Edgar Hoover, these 26 action-packed episodes find Erskine, Special Agent Tom Colby (William Reynolds) and assistant director Arthur Ward (Philip Abbott) on the hunt for murderers, kidnappers, bank robbers, hijackers, extortionists, communist spies and more.

Season five’s guest stars include now Oscar winners Robert Duvall (again) and Jeff Bridges, Hitchcock femmes Vera Miles and Laraine Day, Anne Francis, Sam Elliott, Jack Klugman, David Cassidy, Joe Don Baker, Cicely Tyson and Harrison Ford (again).

“The FBI: The Complete Sixth Season” Official Premise: At the dawn of the Seventies the Culture War captured as much attention as the Cold War, and the storylines seen in this sixth season of The FBI (drawn from real Bureau files) reflected this. While still on the watch for saboteurs and spies acting as agents for foreign powers, the dedicated crimebusters of the Bureau, as personified by Inspector Erskine (Efrem Zimbalist, Jr.), Special Agent Colby (William Reynolds), and Assistant Director Ward (Philip Abbott) were just as likely to be tasked with tracking down psychotic Vietnam veterans or stopping college kids with a terrorist bent.

“The FBI: The Complete Seventh Season” Official Premise: As the 70s came into its own, the intrepid agents of the FBI saw the Cold War and the Culture War cool down, but the domestic war on crime start to come to a boil. Whether its suburban salesmen roiling with self-loathing who plan the perfect crime (Bradford Dillman) and don¹t care who they cross in the process (an ice-cold Clu Gulager), crushed lumber merchants with a fail-proof kidnap cache (John Colicos), or syndicate-raised hit-men with the heart of an angel (Martin Sheen, redeemed by Meg Foster), the intrepid professionals of the bureau, Inspector Erskine (Efrem Zimbalist, Jr.), Special Agent Colby (William Reynolds) and Assistant Director Ward (Philip Abbott) have the savvy and the science to bring them all to heel.

Season six continues the trend of great guest stars including Martin Sheen (again), Joan Van Ark, Billy Dee Williams, Robert Loggia, Bradford Dillman, Dabney Coleman, Suzanne Pleshette, and William Shatner (playing as a rogue customs officer turned drug dealer!).
Guest stars from season seven include Lindsay Wagner, Mark Hamill, Dabney Coleman, Stefanie Powers and Vic Tayback. So if you are a fan of this show, I couldn’t recommend these seasons enough.

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Enter to Win “The Good Witch’s Garden” on DVD [ENDED]

To celebrate the release of “The Good Witch’s Garden” on DVD, Media Mikes is excited to giveaway one (1) copy of the film on DVD. If you would like to enter for your chance to win one of this prize, please leave us a comment below or send us an email with your favorite “Good Witch” film in the series. This giveaway will remain open until May 2nd at Noon, Eastern Time. This is open to our readers in US and Canada only. One entry per person, per household. All other entries will be considered invalid. Media Mikes will randomly select winners. Winners will be alerted via email.

Cassandra Cassie Nightingale has settled into Middleton and is busy making a home of Grey House. Her boyfriend, Sheriff Jake Russell, and his kids are happy to have Cassie in the neighborhood, but she has yet to gain the trust of some people in town. Before long, a stranger rolls into town with papers entitling him to legal ownership of Grey House. Before she knows it, Cassie is left without a home and is convinced Middleton isn t where she belongs. Ultimately, everyone will learn holding on too tightly to something can make it more likely that thing will slip through your fingers.

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DVD Review “Broadchurch: The Complete First Season”

Actors: David Tennant, Olivia Colman, Jodie Whittaker, David Bradley, Arthur Darvill
Created by: Chris Chibnall
Number of discs: 3
Rated: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: Entertainment One
DVD Release Date: April 1, 2014
Run Time: 394 minutes

Season: 4 out of 5 stars
Extras: 2.5 out of 5 stars

David Tennant can honestly do no wrong. He won us all over in his portrayal of the the 10th Doctor in the BBC hit revival series of “Doctor Who”. His latest series “Broadchurch” introduces us to Detective Inspector Alec Hardy, another role in which he nails. The show is a serial drama/thriller which centres on the death of an eleven-year-old boy, and the search for his killer. Just in the first season this show netted very high ratings and much critical acclaim. I really enjoyed this show and I am glad to see it finally get a US release. I wish Entertainment One could have given it a Blu-ray like in the UK personally. If you love David Tennant (who doesn’t), then I highly recommend this series.

Official Premise: Two detectives – the strong yet compassionate Detective Sergeant, Ellie Miller, and the by-the-book Detective Inspector, Alec Hardy – are brought together to solve the murder of an eleven year-old boy on a picturesque beach in a small coastal town. Under the glare of the media spotlight, the two race to find the killer, while the clock ticks and the mystery deepens.

Fun fact, Tennant’s co-star in this show Olivia Colman plays Detective Sergeant Ellie Miller. She also appeared in episode 5.1 of “Doctor Who” called “The Eleventh Hour” but missed Tennant’s reign by one episode. “Broadchurch: The Complete First Season” comes as a three-disc set contain all eight episodes. In terms of special features there is a making of featurette “Broadchurch: Behind the Scenes” and a few Deleted Scenes included. I would have loved to see some commentary tracks on these episodes which were originally included in the UK Blu-ray release.

Well “Broadchurch” fans, reassured since series 2 of this show is in currently development. If you don’t believe me watch the last episdoe of this season and you will see that “Broadchurch Will Return”. But wait there is more. Fox is also producing a US remake of “Broadchurch” to air in the 2014–15 season, called “Gracepoint”…and wait for it…David Tennant is playing the lead (again) detective named Emmett Carver. So it is going to be a broad future for this show. Keep it coming!

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Filed Under: DVD/Blu-Ray Reviews Tagged With: broadchurch, complete, dvd, review, season

DVD Review “Camp Dread”

Starring: Eric Roberts and Danielle Harris
Directed by: Harrison Smith
Not Rated
Studio: Image Entertainment
Running time: 1 hour 34 mins
Release date: April 15, 2014

Our Score: 1 out of 5 stars

The newly released “Camp Dread” is everything you think it is, yet nothing like you would hope. I have now viewed this movie twice. One reason for this is because I was trying to understand the premise. I understood the premise as a movie, but I couldn’t fully decipher what the characters within the story thought it was.

The second reason I watched this film twice was to double the on-screen time of Danielle Harris, turning her whopping four minutes and thirty seconds of screen-time into a full nine minutes. That’s correct, Danielle Harris, whose visage is on the cover art, is only in this movie for four minutes and thirty seconds. It is her character that bookends the story.

OFFICIAL SYNOPSIS: Julian Barrett (Roberts) was the director of the 1980’s “Summer Camp” series of horror films. However, as the series ended so did his career. In an attempt to raise funding for a reboot of his glorious franchise, Julian returns to the camp where he filmed his beloved series. Under the guise of filming a reality TV show with a group of angst-ridden twenty-somethings, his aim is to use this footage as a visual storyboard for his reboot.

The movie begins with a group of people seemingly auditioning for a reality TV series. But when the group arrives at the camp setting it is made known that they are somewhat court-ordered to be there for therapy. They HAVE to be there, yet they were auditioning? At the same time, Rachel Steele (Felissa Rose) arrives. She is the actress whom starred in the “Summer Camp” series; but since then she returned to school and became a therapist. Showing off her skills as a therapist, she proceeds to read private and intimate information of each one of the campers aloud to the entire group; sharing the personal tragedies and traumas that each character has encountered.

Barrett also explains to his campers that they are part of a game of survival, and they all have the opportunity to win $1 million. The story has now become ‘Survivor’ meets ‘The Hunger Games’ as the campers must attend therapy while avoiding a pretend killer whom will take them out of the game; while simultaneously preparing the camp for its re-opening, and still all being a part of the reality TV show whose footage will be used as a storyboard for the reboot of the “Summer Camp” film.

Did you follow all of that?

This is why I had to watch it twice. The story is so convoluted that it borders on making no sense whatsoever.

Besides using the ridiculous gimmick of placing cameras all over the grounds, each camper has a camera attached to their chest; the footage from which I don’t ever recall seeing. The characters are in their twenties, as is repeated in the movie several times, yet they are all portrayed as if they were teen-agers. The characters are one-note and cookie-cutter, they bring no depth or substance to the story at all. There is not one character that doesn’t fall into an obvious cliché’. The dialogue is stilted and obvious; the punch-line to any joke is easy to predict before the set-up is finished.

This movie is not scary, nor is it funny enough to be a satire or a dark comedy. To quote Julian Barrett, “That would be funny… if that were funny.” And for a movie with the tag-line: ‘Pitch Your Tent. Dig Your Grave.’ there should have been at least one tent in the movie: which there is not, since they all stay in cabins.

The only positives I have for “Camp Dread” is that it’s a good-looking cast. The men and women both aren’t bad to look at for an hour and twenty minutes. I also respect the use of practical gore effects over any computer-generated ones. The gore effects are decent enough, yet there are not enough of them for a movie of this genre. There also is a slight twist at the end of the movie, but by the time you get there it doesn’t matter. And when you fully analyze it you see how outlandish it really is.

For being the two main stars, Eric Roberts and Danielle Harris are both underutilized. Roberts could have done his scenes half-asleep and he would still be the best thing about this movie. Likewise, seeing Felissa Rose back in a “Summer Camp” setting is a nice touch of nostalgia; but all it really does is point out how good this movie is not. If you come upon this movie streaming on-line, it’s worth watching with a few friends, a bowl of popcorn and some rum; but there is no need to rush out and track a copy down. If you do watch it, though, watch it twice. That way it feels like it actually is a Danielle Harris movie. If I may suggest a better title: “Camp Dreadful!”

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Filed Under: DVD/Blu-Ray Reviews Tagged With: camp, dread, dvd, review

Win a Special 20 Episode DVD of “The Dick Van Dyke Show” [ENDED]

It’s one of the greatest television series of all time, introducing viewers to Rob Petrie, his lovely wife, Laura, and the whole gang from “The Alan Brady Show.” Now Media Mikes has teamed up with Image Entertainment, an RLJ Entertainment brand, to give (2) lucky readers a copy of the new compilation DVD release of “The Dick Van Dyke Show: Classic Mary Tyler Moore Episodes.”

The DVD contains 20 full length and unforgettable episodes featuring television icon Mary Tyler Moore.
Sit back, relax, and get ready to laugh as you join lovely Laura Petrie (Moore) and her husband Rob (Dick Van Dyke) in Carl Reiner’s groundbreaking, Emmy Award-winning series, consistently ranked among the top television sitcoms of all-time. This time, it’s all about Mary!

Episodes include must-see favorites Never Bathe on Saturday (Laura gets her toe caught in a bath spout), Coast to Coast Big Mouth (Laura blurts out a big secret on national TV), My Blonde-Haired Brunette (an insecure Laura disastrously dyes her hair), and many more timeless classics.

Complete Episode Listing:
• Oh How We Met the Night That We Danced
• My Blonde-Haired Brunette
• The Curious Thing About Women
• The Two Faces of Rob
• My Husband Is a Check-Grabber
• Ray Murdock’s X-Ray
• Laura’s Little Lie
• Very Old Shoes, Very Old Rice
• The Life and Love of Joe Coogan
• My Part-Time Wife
• October Eve
• Teacher’s Petrie
• My Mother Can Beat Up My Father
• Pink Pills and Purple Patients
• Never Bathe on Saturday
• Show of Hands
• Coast to Coast Big Mouth
• See Rob Write, Write, Rob, Write
• The Curse of the Petrie People
• Long Night’s Journey into Day

Special Features Include:

Audio commentaries with Carl Reiner and Dick Van Dyke on select episodes
Remembering “Oh, Rob!”
Original Commercials

All you have to do is register below and let us know which “Classic TV” show (1975 and before)
you’d like to see released on DVD. Two random readers will be chosen and will be notified by
email. This contest is open through noon on Sunday, April 20, 2014. Good luck!

 

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Filed Under: Giveaways Tagged With: 20, dick, dvd, dyke, episode, show, ...

DVD Review “The Practice: The Final Season”

Actors: James Spader, Steve Harris, Camryn Manheim, Michael Badalucco
Directors: Dennis Smith
Number of discs: 6
Rated: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: Shout! Factory
DVD Release Date: April 15, 2014
Run Time: 960 minutes

Our Score: 4 out of 5 stars

I have to admit, I had never seen David E. Kelley’s Emmy® Award-winning legal drama but I was a HUGE fan of “Boston Legal”, which was this shows spin-off. This eighth and final season of “The Practice” was really awesome and perfectly set up the pass for the equally critically acclaimed spin-off, “Boston Legal”. I am never usually a big fan of law shows but David E. Kelley really knows how to deliver a powerful show.

This season introduced us to not only the debut of Alan Shore, but early appearances from Tara Wilson (Rhona Mitra), Catherine Piper (Betty White), Sally Heep (Lake Bell)… and the legendary attorney Denny Crane (William Shatner). The Alan Shore/Denny Crane relationship was something that can never be recreated on TV. Absolute thing of beauty. This final season of “The Practice” is a must-own for fans of “Boston Legal”.

Official Premise: Major upheavals have left Ellenor (Camryn Manheim), Eugene (Steve Harris) and Jimmy (Michael Badalucco) in charge of the firm. In an attempt to rebuild their ranks, Ellenor hires an old friend: the enigmatic and ethically-challenged Alan Shore (James Spader). Shore’s brilliant-yet-highly-unorthodox methods succeed in winning big cases — but will they also threaten the future of the firm?

I know this show has never received a Blu-ray release but I would have loved to see this season get that treatment. Just like I have been holding out buying the complete series of “Boston Legal” until they get released on Blu-ray. There are no additional special features on this release besides the 22 episodes. I would have loved to had some commentary tracks included on these episodes from the cast/crew.

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Filed Under: DVD/Blu-Ray Reviews Tagged With: dvd, final, practice, review, season
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