Video Reviews 1-18-08.Qxp
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New On Video & DVD Rockford Files Season 5 This classic detective series successfully marries comedy with drama to cre- ate an Emmy-winning formula. The ever-charming James Garner plays the title character, Jim Rockford. Formerly imprisoned for a crime he didn't commit, Rockford now makes a (meager) living as a private eye living in Malibu--in a mobile home. Specializing in reopening closed cases, the aloof ex-con's investigations involve frequent run-ins with thieves, killers, and the police. With an irreverent wit and frequent beatings that separate him from other detective characters of the day, Rockford remains one of TV's most memorable men. This release includes all 22 episodes of the fifth season. Guest stars include Tom Selleck, Ed Harris, John Pleshette, and Harold Gould. Disc 1 includes the following episodes: "Heartaches of a Fool," "Rosendahl and Gilda Stern Are Dead," "The Jersey Bounce" and "White on White and Nearly Perfect." Additional Actors: Raymond O'Keefe, John Davey, Herb Armstrong, Robert Phillips, Mark Roberts, Joe E. Tata, Rita Moreno, Robert Loggia, Tom Selleck. Disc 2 includes the following episodes: "Kill the Messenger," "The Empty Frame," "A Three-Day Affair with a Thirty-Day Escrow" and "A Good Clean Bust with Sequel Rights." Additional Actors: Pat Finley, James Luisi, Luis Delgado, Ed Harris, Jonathan Goldsmith, Janis Paige, Richard Moll, Hector Elizondo, James B. Sikking, John Pleshette, Kathryn Harrold. Disc 3 includes the following episodes: "Black Mirror (Part 1)," "Black Mirror (Part 2)," "A Fast Count," "Local Man Eaten by Newspaper" and "With the French Heel Back, Can the Nehru Jacket Be Far Behind?" Additional Actors: Alan Manson, John Pleshette, Kathryn Harrold, Kenneth McMillan, Mary Frann, Bo Hopkins, Erin Gray, Rene Auberjonois, Michael Des Barres. Disc 4 includes the following episodes: "The Battle-Ax and the Exploding Cigar," "Guilt," "The Deuce," "The Man Who Saw the Alligators" and "The Return of the Black Shadow." Additional Actors: Marge Redmond, Sully Boyar, Lane Smith, Mitzi Hoag, Pat Crowley, Ted Shackelford, Richard Kelton, Mills Watson, Michael J. London, Paul Koslo. Disc 5 includes the following episodes: "A Material Difference," "Never Send a Boy King to Do a Man's Job (Part 1)," and "Never Send a Boy King to Do a Man's Job (Part 2)" and "A Different Drummer." Additional Actors: Michael McGuire, Joshua Bryant, Rod Browning, Pepper Martin, Gary Crosby, Todd Martin, Trisha Noble, Harlan Warde, David S. Cass Sr. Universal Family Guy Blue Harvest The Force is strong with this episode of Family Guy that devotes an entire hour to Star Wars Episode Iv: A New Hope. Seth McFarlane’s spoof-happy animated sitcom casts the Griffin family and other Quahog residents as characters from George Lucas’s sci-fi classic: patriarch Peter is Han Solo, wife Lois is Princess Leia, son Chris is Luke Skywalker, family dog Brian is Chewbacca, and baby Stewie continues his quest to kill Lois as the evil Darth Vader. From Mos Eisley to the Millennium Falcon, no element of Lucas’s beloved universe is safe from McFarlane’s hilarious satire. Family Guy Presents Blue Harvest includes four minutes of new material and inter- views with MacFarlane and the Jedi Master himself, Lucas. Fox When Harry Met Sally ... tracks a star-crossed pair as they repeatedly drift apart and meet again over a span of 13 years and gradually fall madly, deeply, passionately into friendship, a friendship ever tee- tering on the edge of love. Harry meets Sally when they share a car ride to New York City upon grad- uation from the University of Chicago. A few minutes into the trip, the conversation between woman- izing, neurotic Harry (Billy Crystal) and driven, equally neurotic Sally (Meg Ryan) becomes heatedly contentious. The question arises: Can a man and a woman be just friends? Harry contends this propo- sition is impossible, that sex will always come along to screw up the friendship. Sally is aghast and disagrees, proclaiming the idea a distinct possibility. The two part ways rather acrimoniously in New York but before long meet again and eventually decide to indeed be friends. As life’s mysterious coin- cidences pull Harry and Sally closer together, they share mystical, tender moments, confess secrets to each other, console each other, attend major holidays together, and do all the other things couples tra- ditionally do. The question then reemerges: Can Harry and Sally remain mere friends, or will they- must they fall in love? Fox She's Gota Have It formally introduced the name Spike Lee to audiences all over the world. The film, an intelligent comedy shot in black-and-white with one sequence of color, places--for among the first time--a young, bright African-American woman in the cinematic spotlight. Nola Darling (Tracy Camila Johns) is an attractive young woman with a problem--three problems to be exact. She is simultaneously being wooed by three hopeful, but hopeless, male suitors: Jamie (Tommy Redmond Hicks), a sensitive type who wants to settle down with her; Greer (John Canada Terrell), a narcissistic model who sees her as his trophy; and Mars Blackmon (Lee himself), an aggressive and funny bike messenger who makes her laugh. Nola is attracted to the best in each of them, but is unable to make up her mind as to whom she likes best. She even entertains the notion that something may be wrong with her, thinking perhaps she's oversexed. When a visit to a therapist fails to clear her mind, Nola finally comes to the realization that she must take control of her life. Lee’s feature-length debut fea- tures a lush jazz score by his father, Bill Lee, and demonstrates a witty, distinctive style. Fox The Simple Life Goes To Camp 5 Based on the simple premise of putting two extremely pampered, beautiful young women into situations most people would find highly ordinary, The Simple Life suc- ceeds on the merits of its hilariously clueless protagonists. Everyone's favorite heiresses are back for another round of their outrageous hit reality series. This time the newly reunited best buds Paris Hilton and Nicole Ritchie decide to bond over S'mores and bunk beds as they head to summer camp. There, they embark on a montage of ridiculous adventures, trying out the roles of camp counselors and more. Will they make it in the great outdoors? Find out with this collection of episodes presenting the entire fifth season. Fox Odd Couple Season 3 Their characters may have been brought to the big screen by Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau, but Tony Randall and Jack Klugman went on to match, and arguably surpass, their predecessors' portrayals with the classic 1970s television series The Odd Couple. Based on Neil Simon's hit Broadway play of the same name, the beloved sitcom chronicled the charmingly antago- nistic friendship between neat freak Felix Unger (Randall) and carefree slob Oscar Madison (Klugman), whose polar-opposite personalities hilariously clashed after they became unwilling room- mates following their respective divorces. Produced by TV impresario Garry Marshall (Happy Days, Laverne & Shirley), The Odd Couple stands as one of the true greats in television history. This collec- tion presents the Emmy Award-winning series' third season in its entirety. Disc 1 includes the follow- ing episodes: "Gloria, Hallelujah," "Big Mouth," "The Princess," "The Pen Is Mightier Than the Pencil," "The Odd Monks" and "I'm Dying of Unger." Additional Actors: Elinor Donahue, Penny Marshall, Janis Hansen, Al Molinaro, Shawn Michaels, Howard Cosell, Elliott Reid, Jack Collins, Richard Stahl. Disc 2 includes the following episodes: "The Odd Couples," "Felix's First Commercial," "The First Baby," "Oscar's Birthday," "Password" and "The Odd Father." Additional Actors: Jane Dulo, Janis Hansen, Al Molinaro, Brett Somers, Deacon Jones, Arthur Batanides, Louise Troy, Penny Marshall, Elinor Donahue, Betty White. Disc 3 includes the following episodes: "Don't Believe in Roomers," "Sometimes a Great Ocean," "I Gotta Be Me," "The Ides of April," "Myrna's Debut" and "The Hustler." Additional Actors: Joy Harmon, Marlyn Mason, Penny Marshall, Queenie Smith, Karl Swenson, Cliff Emmich, Vivian Bonnell, Joshua Shelley, Ralph Manza, Louis Guss. Disc 4 includes the following episodes: "My Strife in Court," "Let's Make a Deal," "Take My Furtniture, Please" and "The Murray Who Came to Dinner." Additional Actors: Al Molinaro, Elinor Donahue, Jill Jaress, Curt Conway, Garry Walberg, Monty Hall, Titos Vandis, Elvia Allman, Penny Marshall, Bubba Smith, Jane Dulo. Paramount Wedding Daze Anderson (Jason Biggs), having lost the girl of his dreams, accepts a dare to jump back into the dating scene by proposing marriage to the next girl he sees, love-starved waitress Katie (Isla Fisher). On a whim, she accepts, and the couple discovers the road to true love may not be as thorny as they once thought. Written and directed by Michael Ian Black, this charming romantic com- edy also stars Joe Pantoliano, Mark Consuelos and Michael Weston. Fox Mammoth When a meteor smashes into a local museum, it revives a partially frozen 40,000-year-old wooly mammoth. After the prehistoric beastie begins wreaking havoc in a small town, government agents join forces with the museum's curator and his B-movie-loving father to stop it. Packed with thrills, chills and laughs, this lovingly made sci-fi throwback stars Tom Skerritt, Summer Glau, Vincent Ventresca. 90 min. Anchor Bay New On Video & DVD Hawaii Five-0 Season 3 One of TV's longest-running crime dramas (only Law & OrdeR would sur- pass its record-setting 12-year run), the 1970s television series Hawaii Five-O captivated audiences with its smart and stylish take on the standard policier formula.