March 31st, 2010 by admin
The quintessential Christmas classic, It’s A Wonderful Life has dominated the holiday TV landscape with its timeless story of love, friendship, and a kind man’s exceedingly relevant life. Filmed in 1947, this Frank Capra masterpiece debuted in theaters to what could best be described as a lukewarm reception. Yet it quickly rose in stature following repeated annual television airings in the 1960s, a Christmas tradition that continues to this day. Centered around the life of George Bailey (Jimmy Stewart), a likeable, ambitious resident of Bedford Falls who harbors dreams of grandeur, the film sets out to portray a viewpoint of a world in which the divine’s ultimate plan may be far different from our own. Yet the result of that plan is far better than we could ever imagine…
As the film begins, we gain a glimpse into the life and times of a young George Bailey, an upstanding and studious fellow who manages to avert two potential disasters by the age of ten. Under the employ of neighborhood druggist Mr. Gower, Bailey prevents the delivery of a poison prescription, and while enjoying the boyhood wonders of the local ice pond, he rescues his younger brother from certain death by pulling him from a patch of broken ice.
From these early years, the story jumps several years into the future, where a grown up and infectiously optimistic George harbors wild dreams of world travel, exploration, and the construction of large buildings. But inevitably, he stays in Bedford Falls in order to carry on the family business, the small yet popular Bailey Savings & Loan (the only financial institution in Bedford Falls not owned by the unmerciful tycoon Mr. Potter). As the years pass, Bailey must deal with his own family problems, his unfulfilled dreams, and the burdens of the Great Depression. Along the way, he’s tempted with offers of vast wealth and travel opportunities by the conniving Potter, but he always turns him down, opting to work for the benefit of the community instead.
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March 30th, 2010 by admin
Nominated for 17 Emmys in its short four-year stint, In Living Color is widely considered the best skit comedy show since SNL. Created by the multitalented star Keenen Ivory Wayans (the eldest child from a large and talented family), the 30-minute TV show became an instant hit for emerging big network competitor FOX in the spring of 1990. Showcasing the talents of the Wayans family (especially blockbuster talent Damon Wayans), along with initial cast members David Alan Grier, Tommy Davidson, Kim Coles, T’keyah “Crystal” Keymah, Kelly Coffield, and Jim Carrey (who would use the show as a springboard to smash hit movie career that would begin with Ace Ventura: Pet Detective in 1994), In Living Color quickly achieved the status of TV cult icon…
Along with clever, cutting-edge writing, In Living Color featured a plethora of talented cast members who would move on to enormously successful Hollywood careers. The show’s dance troop, The Fly Girls, hired an ambitious dancer named Jennifer Lopez for the show’s final season, and Season 2 of the show involved the hire of Oscar Award-winning actor Jamie Foxx (of Collateral and Ray). For its final season, In Living Color also featured notable appearances by comedian Chris Rock. Along the way, the series would create a number of legendary recurring characters such as Homey D. Clown (Damon Wayans), Fire Marshall Bill (Jim Carrey), and Men on Film (Damon Wayans & David Alan Grier)…
The In Living Color DVD features a number of hilarious episodes including the series premiere in which the show begins with a skit entitled “Love Connection”. Jim Carrey stars as Chuck Woolery, trying to bring together star-crossed lovers Mike Tyson (Keenen Ivory Wayans) and Robin Givens (Kim Coles). This first episode also features the first appearance of the popular characters from the skit “Men on Film”. Other notable episodes from Season 1 include “Introducing… Homey D. Clown” in which the world first meets an ex-con turned clown who refuses to engage in any clown-like acts, and “Anton in the People’s Court” which features the skits “M.C. Hammer Video” and “Ted Turner’s Very Colorized Classics – The Kid”…
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March 29th, 2010 by admin
One of the best date films of 2005, In Her Shoes is a dramatic relationship comedy that doesn’t take itself too seriously. Directed by Curtis Hanson, the hand behind such films as 8 Mile (2002), LA Confidential (1997), and The Hand That Rocks The Cradle (1992), the film is successful in a genre where so many of its peers have miserably failed. The casting is superb, and the onscreen interaction between the various characters creates a realistic impression of wavering love and conflict. Based on the novel by Jennifer Weiner, it weaves a tale of two sisters with differing lifestyles and a lifetime of personal baggage…
In Her Shoes begins with the latest installment of an ongoing personality clash between sisters Rose (Toni Collette) and Maggie (Cameron Diaz) Feller. When the shy and reserved Rose is approached by the most eligible bachelor in her law firm, the two hit it off quite nicely. But Maggie ruins the affair when she shows up on Rose’s doorstep and steals the man away with her unrelenting flirtations. After constant feuding, Rose kicks Maggie out while contemplating her own future. She takes a leave of absence from her law firm and contemplates dog walking as an alternative career path. Along the way, she encounters another colleague from the firm, Simon Stein (Mark Feuerstein). The two strike up a romantic relationship, but Rose’s past threatens to ruin the whole thing.
Meanwhile, Maggie discovers the two have a long-lost grandmother, Ella Hirsch (Shirley MacLaine), who lives in Florida. With no one left to leech off of, Maggie heads straight for Ella’s retirement community. But Ella has no intention of being a human punching bag, and for the first time in her life, Maggie meets someone who won’t put up with her perpetual self-centeredness and grossly inconsiderate behavior. It’s a stand-off certain to change the lives of everyone involved…
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March 28th, 2010 by admin
Recipient of widespread critical and audience acclaim, I Love Lucy is by far one of the greatest, if not the greatest, comedy series in television history. It literally revolutionized the TV landscape forever with its creative thinking, live studio audience, experimental camera angles, and top-notch writing. Created by the talented husband and wife team of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz, I Love Lucy became the most celebrated show of its time and helped usher in a whole new era in the American entertainment experience…
The I Love Lucy (Season 5) DVD offers a number of hilarious episodes including the season premiere “Lucy Visits Grauman’s” in which Lucy is wrapping up her extended trip to Hollywood where she’s collected a number of oddball collectibles, such as a tin can run over by Cary Grant’s car and a napkin used by Lana Turner. But when Lucy learns that John Wayne’s imprints on a concrete block in front of Grauman’s Chinese Theater have come loose, she decides to steal a real souvenir to take home… Other notable episodes from Season 5 include “Lucy Goes to a Rodeo” in which Lucy confuses Ricky’s performance on a “radio show” with his performance in a “rodeo show,” and “Paris at Last” in which Lucy’s trip to Paris is marked by her quest to find a famous artist whose paintings will one day be valuable, but the only artist she meets is a con artist who steals her blind…
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March 26th, 2010 by admin
Real-life husband and wife Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz play the fictional roles of Lucy and Ricky Ricardo on I Love Lucy, one of the most beloved and celebrated television series ever produced. Living in a New York City apartment, Lucy and her neighbor/best friend Ethel Mertz often engage in outrageous shennanigans while husbands Ricky and Fred try to foil their schemes. Lucille Ball is the obvious star of the show with her likeable onscreen persona and goofy antics. A true television classic, I Love Lucy is the real must-see TV…
The I Love Lucy (Season 4) DVD offers a number of hilarious episodes including the season premiere “Lucy Cries Wolf” in which Lucy becomes uncertain of Ricky’s dedication to her welfare and safety. Despite Ricky’s assurances that he will rush home in the middle of his act if she were in danger, Lucy decides to put Ricky’s promise to the test… Other notable episodes from Season 4 include “The Business Manager” in which Ricky hires a business manager to take control of the Ricardo household budget, and “Getting Ready” in which the Ricardo’s and the Mertz’s decide to drive to Hollywood in a 25-year-old used Cadillac purchased by Fred…
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March 25th, 2010 by admin
Critically acclaimed as one of the best, if not greatest, television comedy series ever created, I Love Lucy struck an even bigger chord with audience. Beloved by members of every age group of Americans over the past five decades, the show is the product of talented husband and wife duo Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz. The show literally revolutionized the TV landscape, deploying techniques that are, in many cases, still used today. Brilliantly written and making full use of the comedic genius of Lucille Ball, I Love Lucy is in a class by itself…
The I Love Lucy (Season 3) DVD offers a number of hilarious episodes including the season premiere “The Girls Go Into Business” in which Lucy and Ethel buy a dress shop, and then struggle with all things business-related including what to name the store. When they fail to sell a single dress, they’re forced to sell off the shop… Other notable episodes include “Equal Rights” in which Lucy and Ethel demand equal rights (which prompts Fred and Ricky to ask for four separate checks for their dinner). When the girls can’t pay, they must wash dishes. And “Oil Wells” in which the Ricardo’s and the Mertz’s get a hot stock tip from their new Texas neighbors, prompting them to investigate as to whether the new couple is a pair of swindlers…
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March 24th, 2010 by admin
Widely regarded as one of the best, if not the greatest, sitcom in TV history, I Love Lucy marked the beginning of the television era. Created by husband and wife team Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz, the series completely changed its industry with its use of a live audience and the deployment of more than one camera angle. The product of true comic genius, I Love Lucy’s ability to entertain audiences of every age remains as relevant today as it was upon its first inception…
The I Love Lucy (Season 2) DVD offers a number of hilarious episodes including the season premiere “The Anniversary Present” in which Ricky is spending time with a beautiful neighbor who is helping him find the perfect anniversary present for Lucy. But Lucy and Ethel are convinced that Ricky is having an affair, and they set out to spy on the two “home wreckers”… Other notable episodes from Season 2 include “Redecorating” in which Lucy unwittingly sells all the furniture after Fred and Ricky conspire to tell her she’s won a home decorating contest, and “The Camping Trip” in which Ricky tries to keep Lucy (and Ethel) from horning in on his and Fred’s camping retreat by taking her on a “trial run” (which he plans to make a miserable experience). But Ricky doesn’t know that Lucy’s on to his scheme, and she’s determined to turn the tables on him…
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March 23rd, 2010 by admin
Widely considered one of the greatest, if not the greatest, show in television history, I Love Lucy signaled the ascendance of the prime time TV era. The brainchild of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz, I Love Lucy revolutionized the television industry with its extensive use of a live audience and the employment of multiple camera angles. The result of true comic genius, the show’s ability to entertain is just as relevant today as it was fifty years ago…
Real-life couple Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz play the prominent roles of Lucy and Ricky Ricardo, a married couple living in a New York apartment complex. Ricky is a Cuban-born band leader who wows night clubs with his act, while Lucy is a homemaker. Lucy and Ricky’s best friends are landlords Fred and Ethel Mertz who often become intertwined in Lucy’s get-rich-quick schemes, screwball ideas, and comic shenanigans. Former masters of the stage, the cast comes across as a likeable bunch, with Lucille Ball stealing the show with her goofy antics and brilliant facial contortions. If ever there were a television classic, then I Love Lucy is it…
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March 21st, 2010 by admin
Think history is boring? Think again! I Claudius is proof that an educational film can also be one of the most popular and entertaining series ever produced. A 1976 mini-series, starring many of the best known theatrical performers of its day, I Claudius is one of, if not the, greatest productions chronicling the history of the Roman Empire. Covering the period from the later years of Augustus’s rule as the first emperor of Rome to the death of Emperor Claudius, I Claudius takes a look at the social and political underpinnings and developments of the Roman Empire through the eyes of Claudius, an often overlooked member of the emperor’s family. An epic in the true sense of the word, I Claudius should be on every film buff’s viewing list…
A young male connected to the family line of Emperor Augustus, Claudius suffers from a strange limp and an odd stutter which make him appear to be a simple-minded youth. But Claudius maintains a keen intellect, and he observes the events around him with meticulous precision. As the end of Augustus’s long reign as emperor nears its end, the ruler is in desperate search of an heir. But what he doesn’t know is that his wife Livia is determined to see her son from a previous marriage, Tiberius, ascend to the throne. As such, Livia will stop at nothing to murder and ruin those who stand in the way – such as far more noble and deserving heir Germanicus. Through drowning, poisoning, and less subtle means, she insures Tiberius becomes the next in the line of succession…
Meanwhile, Claudius observes from the shadows as the ambitious Sejanus (Patrick Stewart) conspires to obtain the throne and the infamous Caligula rises to power. When his relative is murdered because of his terrible reign of insanity, Claudius is thrust upon the throne, and he attempts to rule with a firm hand of justice and restore the republic to its rightful place of power…
Wrought with suspense, I Claudius will make its viewers question how any human survived the era known as the ancient Roman Empire. The murders, double-crossings, and various affairs seem to be drawn from a fictional paperback found on drugstore shelves – not in the pages of a history book. But I Claudius stays true to the written account of Roman Emperor Claudius who wrote his memoirs during the few years of his reign as the supreme leader of the greatest empire ever to exist on Earth. The result is a story more intriguing than any book or film since produced…
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March 19th, 2010 by admin
Recipient of 3 Emmy nominations, Hunter is widely considered one of the premiere action/detective dramas of its time. Much like Tom Selleck’s Magnum, P.I., Fred Dryer’s Hunter had a knack for attracting a TV audience to his unique persona, an onscreen charisma that carried an otherwise so-so series through a nine-season run. Created by Frank Lupo, brains behind the smash hit The A-Team (1982) and writer for the hit series Battlestar Galactica (1978), Magnum, P.I. (1980), and Walker, Texas Ranger (1993), Hunter is constructed on the overused concept of a maverick police officer who breaks the rules, but never gets fired because he’s so good. Despite its formulaic approach, Hunter is pure entertainment for all those who love 1980s action dramas…
The Hunter (Season 2) DVD features a number of action-packed episodes including the season premiere “Case X” in which Dee Dee goes undercover as a prospective model when a modeling agent’s clients start turning up dead. When Hunter and Dee Dee discover that the modeling agent is sending his clients to a photographer who specializes in filming porn, the two get closer to discovering the true identity of the murderer… Other notable episodes from Season 2 include “The Big Fall” in which Hunter and Dee Dee must discover the identity of the murderer who killed the star witness under their protection or else risk being pinned with the rap themselves, and “Death Machine” in which Hunter and Dee Dee must investigate a series of underworld murders ordered by a jewel smuggler who was ripped off for over two million dollars by a pair of petty burglars…
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