Unlike the MPAA we do not assign
one
inscrutable rating based on age, but 3 objective ratings for SEX/NUDITY, VIOLENCE/GORE
and PROFANITY on a scale of 0 to 10, from lowest to highest,
depending on quantity and context.
The holidays are almost upon us
and we plan to help you do your shopping with our
guide to gifts that are worthwhile and just plain
fun. This is a work in progress, so check it out
often, as we compile our recommendations, based on
choices by our critics.
For
anyone who grew up in the '60s "Get Smart," was as much of a must-see for those
with a developed sense of humor as "The Daily Show." Disguised as a sitcom, it
was also a penetrating satire on the Cold War. It is undoubtedly a TV classic,
but it also seems relevant -- and funny -- today. And now the whole collection
is available from Time Life. All 138 original episodes of the Emmy®
Award-winning series, each remastered and restored for flawless clarity on 25
DVDs. There are also 9 hours of bonus materials, including never-before-seen
bloopers, interviews and commentaries and rare TV footage, It all comes in a
special phone booth collector's box with photos and booklets for each season. It
is therefore our top pick of the year.
Love
it or hate it, "Twin Peaks" became one of television's most talked about and
watched series. This is surely the definitive editions, with all 29 episodes
plus both the original and European versions of the pilot. The series garnered
18 Emmy® nominations over the course of its two-season run and co-creators David
Lynch and Mark Frost, as well as a large number of the cast and crew are
participating in this new 10-disc collection. The set also includes "Greetings
from Twin Peaks" collectable postcards and a plethora of special features,
including cast and crew interviews and rare footage and deleted scenes. The
image has been newly remastered and viewers have the option of enjoying the
episodes in either new 5.1 Surround Sound or the original 2.0 network television
audio.
What
do eight works of art from different eras have in common? Why choose these eight
as, ostensibly, the most significant? Does art (or rather "Art") still have
anything to tell us about human nature and civilization? Is visual imagination
still relevant? Well, Simon Schama aims to tell you. Traversing time from the
world of baroque Rome to revolutionary Paris via the civil-war massacres of 20th
century Spain and the excitement of avant-garde 1950s New York, Schama uses a
combination of dramatic reconstruction, spectacular photography and his
idiosyncratic personal style to tell stories that provide necessary context to
these masterpieces. Extras features include revealing and funny commentary
tracks by Schama and his co-producer.
Michael
Moore's documentary looks at the state of the insurance-based healthcare system
in the United States, and compares it with the universal healthcare systems
available in other countries, such as France, Canada, Britain and Cuba. His
conclusions are that healthcare is more accessible, more affordable and of a
higher quality in other countries. Indeed, the U.S. is the only industrialized
country without free health care provided by the government, and with millions
of people who cannot seek medical help when in need and therefore many people
die, while health insurance companies maximize profits by denying as many health
care claims as possible.
Sci-fi
comedies are hard to do, let alone sci-fi sitcoms. American TV may have tried
with Mork and Mindy, but the result was lackluster, and I'd be hard-pressed to
even call it sci-fi. On the other hand, the BBC had done a fantastic job at this
hybrid genre, first with Red Dwarf and now with My Hero. The beauty of the show
is in not bothering with FX -- which stateside define sci-fi -- and instead
concentrating on character-based comedy.
Genius
has released four martial arts masterpieces by Hong Kong's famed Shaw Brothers
on DVD, as they should be seen: In their proper aspect ratio, in the original
Mandarin and Cantonese, and with a crisp transfer. Add oodles of extras and this
is a must-have collection for any action fan.
Most
Americans know Rowan Atkinson as the modern Tati, Mr. Bean, from a couple of
rather middling movies. A few anglophiles may know him as Mr. Bean and The Black
Adder from the British TV series that made him famous, and which are far better
than his cinematic forays. But I suspect few know how versatile Atkinson's
comedy can be and how inspired a writer of witty sketches he can be. Well,
here's your chance, since this is one of funniest DVDs to be released this year.
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