Bones: The Complete Fifth Season

An Explosive, Emotive, and Heart-Pounding Thrill Ride
At the beginning of the fifth season of the wildly popular forensic drama "Bones," many viewers tuned in trepidatiously after the spectacularly strange fourth season finale. Thankfully, all fears were allayed and relieved when the fifth season kicked into high gear in the very first episode and maintained that pace throughout the season; "Bones"' fifth season is perhaps its greatest yet.

The one thing that has always set "Bones" apart from the countless other procedurals on the airwaves right now is the focus on the characters solving the crimes rather than the crimes themselves, and the strength of this approach shines through brilliantly in every episode of this season.

David Boreanaz and Emily Deschanel return to the roles of Booth and Bones and deliver their strongest performances yet as each character is shaken to their core. As Booth struggles to regain his sense of self, he has to confront the knowledge of his feelings for his partner, while Bones herself...

A critical but ignored strength of this amazing show
I absolutely love this show. It might be the most amazingly well-crafted t.v. show ever, along many dimensions. I agree with all of the positive comments of other reviewers. I don't have one negative comment to make, even though, I, too, miss Zach and thought he was a terrific character, well-acted. I even think the Daisy character provides an important role in the balance of the cast, as long as she is not there all the time. No show is complete without little jabs from a distracting annoyance. (Remember Eddie Haskell on "Leave it to Beaver?")
On the other hand, EVERY review that I read left out what, to me, may be the most important dimension of the show. The unspeakable gore and horrifying plots would be meaningless and perhaps sadistic if regarded as entertainment alone. The scientists, each using his or her unique area of expertise, employ the most subtle of clues to recreate an individual's identity and dignity. In addition, often the victim's family and friends...

STILL THE BEST
BONES is far, and away better than all of the other procedurals on the air. The two leads ( Emily Deschanel, and David Boreanaz ) are hands down the best romantic couple around, and the supporting cast is pitch-perfect. The only disappointment I felt about season 5 was that I had half-hoped that Zach might return. The cases are as gruesome as ever, but are never allowed to take away from the developement of the characters. Can't wait for season 6.

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The Holiday [Blu-ray]

The cinematic equivalent of a hot fudge sundae.
Nancy Meyers' "The Holiday" has been seriously dissed by most of America's film critics--including one who suggested that any man who goes to see it should be forced to pay with a crucial part of his anatomy instead of money. "The Holiday" is indeed a prime example of what is condecendingly known as a "chick flick," and it's not a movie you can make great claims for. But "The Holiday" succeeds outstandingly in living up to its title; it provides an audience with a two-hour vacation filled with charming, likable actors playing charming, likable characters. The movie is set during the Christmas holidays in which two women with man problems--Iris (Kate Winslet), an English journalist, and Amanda (Cameron Diaz), an L.A. producer of film trailers--meet over the Internet. On a whim, they decide to switch houses for Christmas; Amanda ends up in Iris's picture-postcard-pretty cottage in Surrey, Iris in Amanda's luxurious, gated mansion in Beverly Hills. There, they discover new romantic...

Nancy Meyers' best film to date!
Two women. Two failed relationships. Two houses. One great romantic comedy. The Holiday is the story of two women, Iris (Kate Winslet in a poignant performance) and Amanda (Cameron Diaz), who swap houses for two weeks thinking it will help them get over their relationship problems. Amanda will take Iris's house in a small cottage just outside of London, and Iris will stay at Amanda's house in L.A. They will both meet someone who will help them mend their heart.

Let's get one thing out of the way: Yes, this is a chick flick, but a damn fine one at that! I'm not much of a fan of the genre, nor of Nancy Meyers' films, but when I saw this in theatres with my girlfriend last December, I loved it. I thought the film would've lost some of its charm on second viewing, but it hasn't lost one bit of it. With a running time of 136 minutes, you'd think it would drag but it feels like a 90-minute film.

The film has a few surprises and most of all, a great subplot around...

The First Romantic Comedy Masterpiece of the 2000s
I don't think this decade has had much success with romantic comedies, but trust me that with "The Holiday", the 2000s have never looked better. I consider this film to be one that extracts the finest performances from Jude Law, Kate Winslet and Cameron Diaz EVER, and once you see it, you will know what I mean.

Kate Winslet has acted in many good movies ("Hideous Kinky", "Holy Smoke", "Iris") but its ironic that her most poignant and well-written role comes in "The Holiday". You probably know the story already - its about two women on two different continents who swap houses and lives after a chance meeting on the Internet - but the treatment and above all, the DIALOGUE, is what drives this romantic comedy to the heights of that most rare animal - a cinema classic.

And thats what "The Holiday" is. I honestly think that a genuine, feel-good film such as this should be embraced by the Oscar group, instead of their focus on typical epic films such as "Babel" and...

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Justified: The Complete First Season [Blu-ray]

Loving this show is Justifiable
As a heartbroken fan of Nip/Tuck, which just ended its 6 season run, I was keeping an eye out for another FX show I could enjoy. With FX, original series can be either hit (Nip/Tuck, Dirt) or miss (The Riches). Justified is a show I normally wouldn't have looked at even once. Being a city girl at heart, I'm not a fan of westerns or anything country. One thing I am a fan of is Timothy Olyphant. When I saw one of my favorite actors (brilliant in "Hitman") was going to be in a new show, I of course had to watch. A pleasant surprise awaited me.

It's as if Timothy Olyphant was born to be US Marshal Raylan Givens, a good ol' country boy with personal issues. After shooting a man in Miami old west style ("It was justified"), Raylan is punished by being sent back to his old home town in Kentucky to work the local cases, many involving people he knows. His estranged father, former best-friend-turned-criminal, an old flame and a complicated ex wife round out the engaging cast of...

Justified deserves to be seen
Never saw Timothy Olyphant until the promos for Justified and he was just an actor. Until the pilot episode and then I was hooked. He is a gem and becomes Raylan Givens. I have now taken time to see other movies and shows he has been in and I say again, he steps into the boots and puts on the hat...and Raylan Givens is alive and well. The humor on this show is subtle but wonderful. FX likes their shows edgy and this is edgy but great. We are now about to see episode 5 and if you have not given it a chance, please do. You will have no regrets. The supporting cast blends like good cheese to his fine wine. Again give this show a look-see and be amazed.

A.k.a.: "In the Heat of the Night, the Kentucky Edition"...
Well, it is set in Eastern Kentucky, rather then in Sparta, Mississippi; still, Justified is bound to resonate with any fan of the groundbreaking In the Heat of the Night series: small-town-in-a-big-World problems being solved creatively in 60 minutes or less, but without the annoyingly preachy tone that In the Heat of the Night would sometimes assume. A definite positive! You'll have fun making character comparisons between the two shows (can you find a "Bubba"? how about a "Luanne"?).

Let me first note that Justified is a very new show; so far, only six episodes have been aired. However, the episodes carry such an unusually high degree of promise, I feel confident rating the series, even at this early stage, with the top score.

The story is simple: deputy U.S. Marshal Raylan Givens (Timothy Olyphant) brings too much negative attention to himself by killing one Miami thug too many... He is therefore relegated to a remote post to cool his heels. Unfortunately for...

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Star Trek: The Original Series - Season Two (Remastered Edition)

A Dream Come True
Ever since I watched the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode "Trials and Tribble-ations" back in 1996 and saw the classic Enterprise displayed with modern effects, I dreamed about one day seeing the entire Orignal Series retouched in such a magnificent way. 10 years later, that dream came true. Granted, the series does still retain that 60's feel (especially with the bombastic style of the music, and of course the "military uniform" mini-skirts), there was so much of it that made for great television even for today. The effects being updated really gives the series credibility and believability for viewers and allows the original series to fit in properly with all the incarnations that came afterward. Bringing it to High-Definition was truly a great idea, and the live-action image quality is drastically improved, so much so that at times it gives the series an entirely new feel!

Agreed by both casual viewers as well as die-hard fans, the second season of "Star Trek"...

A classic series.
I was in high school when Star Trek originally ran. Even with the cheesy special effects and overacting, it was a show that we looked forward to every week. With the US in a foreign war, it was no wonder that a show would be so popular with a Prime Directive of non-interference. Here is a synopsis of the episodes in the second season.

1. Amok Time: Spock must return to Vulcan to complete a mating ceremony.

2. Who Mourns for Adonis?: The God Apollo invites the crew to his planet. One female crew member falls in love with him.

3. The Changeling: A probe has changed from its original purpose to seek out life to a new purpose of destroying all imperfect life forms.

4. Mirror, Mirror: A transporter malfunction send Kirk, Scott, McCoy, and Uhura into an alternate universe where the Galactic Empire is based on terror, treachery, and force.

5. The Apple: A planet is beautiful but the plants shoot deadly needles and rocks...

A picture so clear that you see the greatness...and the flaws
Star trek has been written about probably more than any show. From its countless pop culture references, to it examination of political and social commentaries, Star Trek has been talked about ad nauseam. Given the vast amount of writings, in some ways, its almost arrogant to try and add something new. However, if you're reading this, you're probably not as interested in a review of the series and episodes as much as you're interested in whether the Blu Ray is worth getting. I will say this new Blu-ray is something rather special. The picture is amazing, and I feel almost like I'm watching the show again for the first time, kind of like when you've heard a joke a hundred times, but then one day you hear it a little different and you laugh, like its new but familiar as well.

However, the trouble is that the Blu ray is almost too good. I can tell when the make up meshes with real skint. I can tell when a punch misses the target. In fact, the Blu Ray is so clear that...

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Grey's Anatomy - The Complete First Season

One Of 2005's Best New Shows
I'm a huge fan of medical dramas and originally I really didn't see how this show could differ itself from any other average medical show. I got hooked in the first five minutes and I've been watching ever since. Now that ER is sort of past its prime Grey's Anatomy can easy claim the title as the best medical drama on television.

What really differs the show from any other medical show I've seen is the character development. The character development helped keep me interested and I felt I got to know Meredith and the other interns. I also got a feel for the hardships being an intern is and how much work goes into becoming a doctor. You also get a feeling of connection with the interns because of how much we find out about them. Dr. Shepherd, Dr. Bailey, and Dr. Burke help them along the way and offer some good advice. It's very informative and I've learned a few things watching it.

Overall I think Grey's Anatomy is one of the best and most addictive shows on TV...

Best Medical Drama in Years
When I first heard about Grey's Anatomy I thought this would be another boring medical soap opera angst-fest, but it was so much more. The cast has geniuine chemistry, not just between Shepard and Meredith, but between everyone. The characters are all fantastic, with their little quirks that have us begging for more than what the 1st season offered.

The patients they see also have us wanting more from the characters. Its like ER that the patients any of the patients can die at any time. Its not cheesy in that the ones we love manage to live, because, on several occasions, they have died when its least expected.

By having an outstanding storyline (with a jaw-dropping cliffhanger) and fantastic chemistry, the show manages to stand out among the many medical dramas seen over the years. Even though the 1st season is a bit short, its still worth checking out.

The Entire Cast is Magical -- Best Show of the Season
When teasers were first aired for this show last season, I couldn't have been less interested. I wasn't familiar with any of the main actors so no one caught my attention nor am I particularly fond of "hospital" shows. I made no effort to catch the pilot but somehow found myself in front of the television when it came on. After the first 15 minutes, I was seriously hooked and haven't dared to miss an episode since -- it's THAT good! This is the only television show I actually watch while it's airing. Normally, if I want to watch something, I'll record it for later viewing (commercials drive me crazy) but "Grey's Anatomy" is the one show I HAVE to watch along with 20+ million other people in America. I love all of the regular characters and am consistently amazed by their overall chemistry with each other. Having said that, I am especially impressed by, and adore, Sandra Oh who plays Cristina Yang. In a stellar cast, she is a standout. She's acerbic, witty, carelessly abrupt...

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Smallville: The Complete Tenth Season

Smallville as a Whole - 5 Stars
I'm not someone that knows the Superman mythos. I'm not familiar with all the DC Comics characters. I did watch a couple of the Christopher Reeve Superman movies as a child and so I know the basics of Clark Kent, Lois Lane and Lex Luthor, but other than that...I know nothing. And I'm glad because I think this is what makes it easier for me to enjoy ALL of Smallville. I had no expectations and thus I was not disappointed in the overall story of Smallville. The story that I was always interested in was, of course, Clark Kent. Let's face it...this story is about him and how he deals with life and with his destiny. That's it...and to see him struggle with it all was refreshing to see, at least to me. He wasn't this perfect being that knew where his place in "history" was...he had to figure it out which is where all the drama of Smallville began...Clark "dealing" with life...which included over protective parents, a first love (Lana Lang) who could never quite trust him, a friend...

"Smallville" ends its epic run with a compelling tenth season
MAJOR SPOILERS FOLLOW

The tenth season of "Smallville" is a tremendous ride to a stirring final episode. It is a great sendoff overall for what is arguably the finest television series of its entire genre.

Beginning with "Lazarus," the season propels Clark on a fantastic journey. Pulled back from death in the season premiere by Lois Lane, the love of his life, Clark must face a freakishly cloned Lex Luthor, played extremely well in the premiere by Mackenzie Gray. Additionally, Clark must contend with the knowledge that an evil supernatural being known as Darkseid threatens to dominate the Earth. John Schneider also returns in the first episode as Johnathan Kent, Clark's departed Earthly father, now a spirit guide for him.

The season's second episode "Shield," is an important show for the Suicide Squad, Amanda Waller's corrupt fighting force. The group of radically violent superhero supporters comes to the forefront as the primary villains in the...

Smallville Season 10, out on top
I've been watching Smallville since it's premier on October 16th 2001. Lets be honest folks, this series started out so strong, it just wasn't really Superman like... in the beginning. That doesn't make it bad tho, it all comes together in due time. Character development on this show has been superior to most other shows. I put the characterization level to Joss Whedon's Buffy: Anya and Cordelia (through Angel) who have been 2 of the most fleshed out characters in my television watching history. Each character on this show has his or her own place, and their development is top notch. The show finally develops into what it will become in season 4 and the introduction of Lois Lane. Smokin hot Erica Durance!!!! Her chemistry with Tom Welling has been undeniable since she first found him in that field. Unfortunately (And fortunately) Season 7 brought about the end of creators Al Gough and Miles Millar's run on the series! This is bad, as they are fantastic with what they do, and how they...

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Fred Claus

Judge for yourself
I read many reviews from both Amazon and other print sources and the overwhelming reaction to Fred Claus was one of disappointment and worse. This won't be the first nor last time I am glad I looked into something for myself instead of trusting others. I don't know if it is my own sordid, pathetic personal life history or what, but this movie touched me and I left the movie emotionally moved and struck by how something advertised as your typical holiday comedy fare (read: stupid and infantile) could have delivered such a blow to my heart.
Vince Vaughn, who is the Bill Murray of his generation, delivers an endearing performance, Paul Giamatti is, as always, brilliant, and the rest of the cast is very good. The plot is simple enough but the undercurrent of family relationships and how they can influence people throughout their life hit me hard. One last positive - the soundtrack is a wonderful mix of seasonal favorites old and new with the bonus of a haunting Silent Night by Sinead...

A good Christmas 2007 movie
For the month or so as well as the past year or two, Hollywood has been releasing a string of disappointing or downright bad Christmas movies (The Golden Compass, Happy Feet, Deck the Halls). Thankfully, Fred Claus was a pleasant surprise.

I agree with some of the reviews. This is not the funniest Christmas movie that I have seen. Then again, it does not really need to be. Vaughn is funny overall. He was funnier than he was in 'The Break-Up' (not hard to do). It is generally a good story with a fair amount of good laughs along with a good, semi-touching story.

The other thing I do when I see a Christmas movie is ask "Do I want to add this to my movie collection when it comes out on DVD?" My answer is definitely yes.

In summary, it is fairly good movie. It is worth seeing. You decide after that if it is good enough to add to the home Christmas movie collection.

Quirky Happy Christmas Film
Vince Vaughn makes an excellent jaded older brother of Santa Claus. Only Vince Vaughn can play such a sarcastic character and pull-off also having a heart of gold. It's similar to his character in Dodgeball, but with a little more bite. His clever wit alone makes this film worth seeing. Paul Giamatti makes an excellent St. Nick - a seemingly perfect and nice Santa Claus who is also very human (imagine a chubby Claus maniacally driving a snowmobile through Santa's village). The film is fresh for adults, while still being cute, and has a happy ending full of all the Christmas cheese one expects from a Christmas film. Overall the film is very satisfying. The true estimate of a good film lies in the number of watches it has, and this film has several.

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Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Widescreen Edition)

No Extended Cut
I guess I shouldn't be surprised. As you know, Warner Brothers has officially announced the Ultimate Editions of years 5 and 6. The product descriptions are quite wordy. There's a lot of talk about how fans should be excited about these new releases. But there are two words missing from the descriptions of both these products: Extended Cut.

What sold me and so many other fans was the extended cuts. And so I began collecting the Ultimate Editions. And what excited me even more was the idea of more extended cuts to come, especially for The Order of the Phoenix.

Then Prisoner of Azkaban and Goblit of fire Ultimate Editions came out, and of course, there were no extended cuts. And Warner Bros. spun us a tale of directors and their creative preferences. And so, we all said "fair enough" (although I, for one, never quite bought that explanation). Still, I had hopes for Order of the phonex and Half blood prince. Director David Yates is on record talking about having to...

The longest Harry Potter book gets whittled down to the shortest Harry Potter film
I think that when you take the longest Harry Potter book and turn it into the shortest Harry Potter film, that a large number of complaints by fans as to what has been cut will be inevitable after they watch "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix." Not that this means that the legions of fans will be bitterly disappointed by the film version, but rather that there will be regrets over not getting to see favorite scenes on the screen. For example, Quidditch is completely out of the film, denying Ron of his best moments in the sun (start singing "Weasley is our king"). So do not be surprised when your mind keeps shifting to what has been cut and distracting you from time to time while watching this summer's latest blockbuster.

When last we left our hero, Harry fell victim to a trap to bring back Lord Voldermort, which cost Cedric Diggory his life. The Ministry of Magic wants things hushed up, but Dumbledore tells the students at Hogwarts that Diggory was murdered and...

No extended cut - why bother
If you already have Order of the Phoenix in the two disc set as originally released, then why buy this edition. Oh, yeah, there's the third disc. Not a good enough reason. I'm a musician, so I bought the Ultimate edition of Goblet of Fire to get words from the composers, but neither Hooper nor Desplat have lived up to the level of music set by Williams and Doyle in the first four movies.

What made the first two Ultimate Editions wonderful was the presence of the "Extended cut". I bought them specifically for that. As witnessed on ABC Family, the added footed from the "Deleted Scenes" doesn't add much, but it makes scenes have a firmer pace. In the theatrical cut, particularly in Order of the Phoenix, the pace was juttery, totally lacking in the flow it needed. It may not have been just the script that reeked. I'm thinking David Yates was just getting used to directing a big movie. Just because it's in the middle of the series doesn't mean fans don't realize how...

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Gilmore Girls: The Complete Sixth Season

And now for something Different
I have been a fan of the 'Gilmore Girls' since the second episode of the series (I never saw the pilot until the DVD release), and ever since that episode I had been hooked into this wonderful, magical, comedic, and heartfilled world with these characters.

Season six starts off on a much different note, taking the show in a direction that it has never been: What would things be like if Lorelai and Rory where no longer friends, and never spoke? After the rift between mother and daughter at the end of the fifth season, Rory dropped out of Yale and moved in with her Grandparents, aliennating her mother, who was eccentially at a loss for words on the entire subject.

Trying to make up for each other's loss Rory starts to go down a path of wallowing and denial as her relationship with Logan gets more and more serious. Lorelai on the otherhand has a wedding to plan and a new dog to take care off.

Season Six while not as good of an overall quality as season...

Sad Lorelai, In A Controversial Season
Lorelai Gilmore, as played by the wonderful Lauren Graham, is usually the merriest of characters, a wellspring of fun and laughter. However, in this sixth season of "Gilmore Girls" she is forced to cope with levels of disappointment and heartache unprecedented in the show's history. The first half of the season Lorelai is estranged from her usually "freakishly close" daughter, Rory (angelic Alexis Bledel); and in the second half she watches in anguish as her fiance and soulmate Luke (Scott Patterson) slips away from her.

Some fans of the series were upset by the Lorelai's rift (including reportedly Graham herself) but I thought it was a daring move by the writers. Rory has always been a little too good to be entirely believable, and it was interesting to watch Bledel's fine work at displaying Rory's bafflement in screwing up her life. Graham also shone as she showed Lorelai's stoicism and trademark mental toughness as well as the grief lurking underneath. When the...

Season 6 was OK, but this DVD set is horrible
First, I'm not a kid, but I don't want my personal details attached to this review. Having said that, I didn't particularly care for where the show went in this season. I think that the quality of the writing seriously decreased since season 5.

Having said that, I find serious faults with this DVD release:

1. Instead of the book style of the previous five seasons, wherein each disc has it's own plastic "page", this set has the six discs on three pages, with two overlapping discs per page. This makes it incredibly frustrating when taking out or putting back the bottom disc of each page (because you have to take out both discs, then put the top disc back).

2. There are NO ENGLISH SUBTITLES! I used this feature quite often in the previous five seasons for two primary reasons: a) because the characters talk so fast, it's sometimes hard for me to understand them; and b) because it's hard for me to understand Michel. Warner Bros apparently decided in...

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The Story of Film: An Odyssey

A Highly Idiosyncratic and Stimulating Survey
May 8, 2102: Since the time I originally posted some comments on this superb documentary essay, "The Story of Film: An Odyssey," I have re-watched all 15 hours of it twice. Several of my friends are cinephiles and college film professors who have been anxious to share this viewing experience with me. This explains my insanity, as it were. Lots of nice dinners at my house and lots of "The Story of Film." Needless to say, everybody I know finds something missing: an important director, an important individual film. Everybody hates something that Cousins loves. (He is is full of hyperbolic praise for the most surprising things.) But we all agree -- this is a stunning achievement. One of the greatest things about it, by the way, is that it makes you want to see hundreds of movies again or for the first time. If I had the energy, I would remove almost all the negative remarks I have made below -- but best to leave it as it stands. I do have to add, however, not one of my friends has any...

Americans. Let's learn to listen.
This is an EXCELLENT foray into the beautiful world of global film. But the comments about Cousins' accent are merely a reflection of an uneducated American public. Who says that any accent is "correct." Such is not feasible.

However, I get it, y'all (that was intentional). I was initially put off, like many people, by his accent and had to think about my response. Then I realized that other English-speaking dialects create a different sense of what the narrator is saying and Cousins is no accepttion. I thought he was hyberbolicaly arrogant until I listened enough to realize that his brogue is merely his brogue, just like any region of America or any English speaking country. And, most importantly, I realized that the series is decidely a personal, passionate love letter to cinema, with no attempt to represent an historical compendium. Resistance to his voice actually illuminates the profundity of his point of view: the world is made up of different voices, experiences,...

I guess I'm learning? about? Ulster?
My copy of THE STORY OF FILM arrived yesterday and I dove into it immediately.

I have watched the first 3 episodes and so far am really glad I sprang for this set, and I can imagine re-watching it often. Already I am caught up in Cousins' approach, and he continually offers insights I've not encountered elsewhere.

I agree somewhat with the previous reviewer; Cousins perhaps was not the best choice to narrate his own project. To my American ears, his Ulster accent makes each? sentence? sounds as if? it is a question? It is becoming disconcerting. I have been watching Kevin Brownlow's & David Gill's HOLLYWOOD (Thames TV) series, and James Mason's narration is so wonderful in that, but HOLLYWOOD is a less personal approach than THE STORY OF FILM is, I think, intended to be.

The price is reasonable for this immense documentary, considering the number of film clips involved*. (*Christian Marclay's masterpiece THE CLOCK is comprises a virtually uncountable...

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