วันพฤหัสบดีที่ 29 ธันวาคม พ.ศ. 2554
Dollhouse: The Complete Second Season (DVD)
Dollhouse: The Complete Second Season from Twentieth Century Fox
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From creative mastermind Joss Whedon (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) comes the stunning final season of this sexy thriller that that will reveal all the secrets and complete your collection! As Dollhouse continues to provide its elite clientele with "actives"--human beings imprinted with the personas of whomever the client wants them to be--its mind-altering technology spins dangerously out of control. Now, an unlikely alliance must attempt to destroy the sinister corporation behind the facade. And, as the lovely, lethal active Echo (Eliza Dushku) struggles with the memories of her past, she must unlock the deadly secret that will ultimately determine the fate of all mankind.Add Dollhouse to the list of excellent TV shows cancelled far too soon. Of course, it's miraculous that Dollhouse made it to a second season at all. Television isn't generally receptive to complicated stories or moral ambiguity--and how else can you describe a series about people called "actives," whose minds are wiped clean so they can be imprinted with other personalities and rented out to the wealthy? As season 2 begins, former FBI agent Paul Ballard (Tahmoh Penikett, Battlestar Galactica) has joined the Dollhouse and become the handler for Echo (Eliza Dushku, Bring It On), the most popular active. But Ballard still hopes to bring the Dollhouse down, and when he discovers that Echo's mind is starting to accumulate a new, coherent personality, he keeps her secret and promises to help her.
Echo's developing self began as the season's dominant story, but halfway through the season creator Joss Whedon (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog) learned the show had been cancelled--so he decided to cram the events he'd planned for multiple seasons into the remaining episodes. The result is more like a zippy science-fiction novel than typical serial television. Some plot developments feel rushed, but overall the headlong pace revs up the excitement as the Dollhouse fights against its parent corporation and instigates what may be the end of civilization. The regular characters all develop in juicy ways and some actors from other Whedon series (like Firefly's Summer Glau and Angel's Alexis Denisof) get plum guest roles. The series has its weaknesses--some ideas seem clumsily grafted on from other science-fiction franchises--but the second season vastly improved upon the first, and Whedon's vivid characters and superb storytelling make Dollhouse a pleasure to watch. The DVD extras are substantive, particularly some deleted scenes that give additional heft to the season's developments. --Bret Fetzer more...
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วันพุธที่ 14 ธันวาคม พ.ศ. 2554
The Simpsons: The Complete Twentieth Season [Blu-ray] (Blu-ray)
The Simpsons: The Complete Twentieth Season [blu-ray] from Fox
Overview - Online Stores - Bestsellers in TV![The Simpsons: The Complete Twentieth Season [blu-ray]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51cjXbwg3CL._SL160_.jpg "The Simpsons: The Complete Twentieth Season [blu-ray]")
![The Simpsons: The Complete Twentieth Season [blu-ray] Image #1](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51cjXbwg3CL._SL30_.jpg "The Simpsons: The Complete Twentieth Season [blu-ray] Image #1")
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- Audio: English: 5.1 DTS HD Master Audio / Spanish: 5.0 Dolby Digital / French: 5.1 Dolby Digital
- Language: Dubbed: English, French & Spanish / Subtitled: English & Spanish
- Theatrical Aspect Ratio: Widescreen: 1.78:1
Disc 1: 218 Minutes
- Sex, Pies and Idiot Scrapes
- Lost Verizon
- Double, Double, Boy in Trouble
- Treehouse of Horror XIX
- Dangerous Curves
- Homer and Lisa Exchange Cross Words
- Mypods and Boomsticks
- The Burns and the Bees
- Lisa the Drama Queen
- Featurette - "The 20th Anniversary Special Sneak Peek by Morgan Spurlock"
Disc 2: 264 Minutes
- Take my Life, Please
- How the Test Was Won
- No Loan Again, Naturally
- Gone Maggie Gone
- In the Name of the Grandfather
- Wedding for Disaster
- Eeny Teeny Maya Moe
- The Good, the Sad and the Drugly
- Father Knows Worst
- Waverly Hills 9-0-2-1-D'oh
- Four Great Women and a Manicure
- Coming to Homerica
It makes good business sense to release The Complete 20th Season in advance of seasons 13 to 19. When an animated series ties (and has now surpassed) Gunsmoke as prime time's longest running show, attention must be paid (and exploited). But unlike previous sets, there are none of the extras Simpsonites have come to expect save for a less-than-4-minute ""sneak peek"" at Morgan Spurlock's excellent 20th-anniversary special. In trying to come up with just the right clever thing to say about that, one must look, as with everything in life, to an episode of The Simpsons, the one in which Bart discards a Where's Waldo book that eschews the usual crowd scenes for a single life-size illustration of Waldo. ""Man,"" Bart remarks, ""He's not even trying anymore."" --Donald Liebenson more...
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A Fox Dreaming: a collection of poems (Paperback)
A Fox Dreaming: A Collection Of Poems from
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0. Kitsune Dreams
A man once asked a fox,
"What do you dream about when you sleep in the fields?"
To which the fox replied,
"When foxes dream they visit another world."
Hearing this, the man said,
"That sounds wonderful. Can I go there?"
The fox grinned and answered,
"No, you cannot, because you're already here." more...
Arrested Development: The Complete Series (Seasons 1-3 Bundle) (DVD)
Arrested Development: The Complete Series (seasons 1-3 Bundle) from
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Season two
In this five-time Emmy®-winning comedy's hilarious second season, Michael Bluth, once again determined to be free of his dysfunctional family, packs up the car and his son George-Michael and heads for Arizona. But he's soon pulled over by the police who tell him that his father, George Sr., has broken out of prison. Due to the company's shady business deal with Iraq, Michael could face prison time, so he returns home to clear his name even as George Sr. secretly flees to Mexico, Tobias decides to be an understudy for the Blue Man Group, and Lucille begins a torrid affair with her husband's twin brother, Oscar.
Season three
In this Emmy®-winning comedy's hilarious third season, Michael Bluth finally realizes that it's his Uncle Oscar serving time in prison, not his father. Reluctant to spring Oscar due to the effect it may have on the family business, Michael decides that the only fair thing to do is to find his father and place him under house arrest. Yet once found, George Sr. insists he was tricked into working with the Iraqis, leaving Michael no choice but to investigate his father's outrageous claim. But it isn't until Michael and Buster go to Iraq on a rescue mission to save Gob that the depth of the devious plot is revealed...and Michael learns which family member is the real brains behind all the madness.
Season One: Winner of the Outstanding Comedy Series Emmy its first year out, Arrested Development is the kind of sitcom that gives you hope for television. A mockumentary-style exploration of the beleaguered Bluth family, it's one of those idiosyncratic shows that doesn't rely on a laugh track or a studio audience; it's shot more like a TV drama, albeit with an omniscient narrator (executive producer Ron Howard) overseeing the proceedings. Holding the Bluths together just barely is son Michael Bluth (Jason Bateman), the only normal guy in a family that's chock full of nuts. Hardworking and sensible, Michael's certain he's going to be given control of his family's Enron-style corporation upon the retirement of his father (Jeffrey Tambor). The fact that he's passed over instead for his mother (Jessica Walter) is only a blip when compared to his father's immediate arrest for dubious accounting practices, and the resulting freeze on the family's previously limitless wealth.
Bereft of money, and even less family love, the Bluths have to band together in their moment of need--not easy when everyone's looking out for number 1. In addition to his scabrous parents, Michael has to contend with his lothario older brother (Will Arnett), his basically useless younger brother (Tony Hale), his greedy twin sister (Portia DeRossi), and her sexually ambiguous husband (David Cross). Michael's only comrade in sanity is his son George Michael (Michael Cera), but then again, the teenage boy harbors a secret crush on his cousin (Alia Shawkat). A peerless ensemble led by the brilliant Bateman (who ever knew he could be this good?), all the actors are pitch-perfect in their roles, delivering the dryly funny, sometimes absurdist dialogue with the speed and flair of classic farce. The unusual tone of Arrested Development takes a bit of getting used to--it's far different from anything you'll see on TV, even HBO--but once you buy in to the Bluths' innumerable dysfunctions, you'll be laughing your head off for hours.--Mark Englehart
Season Two: The axe of cancellation dangled perilously over Arrested Development during its second season, but the award-winning comedy fought against fate to deliver a hilarious if scattershot 18 episodes (reduced from the original show order of 22), and stayed alive for the beginning of a third season. Most likely, the creators and actors knew the clock was ticking down, so they didn't hesitate to throw their all into these manic, hilarious episodes, which have only the thinnest of plot arcs but an electrifying energy that makes them hard to resist. Some of the story antics were more of the same: good son Michael (Jason Bateman) tries to keep his company afloat, but is often foiled by older brother Gob (Will Arnett); the precarious marriage of Lindsay (Portia de Rossi) and Tobias (David Cross) undergoes a trial separation; and young George-Michael (Michael Cera) fights his attraction to his cousin Maeby (Alia Shawkat). Other show developments, though, were new and stunningly, uproariously bizarre: Buster (Tony Hale) joins the army, but later finds his hand bitten off by a seal (yes, a real seal), and Oscar (Jeffrey Tambor), the hippie brother of jailed George Sr. (also Tambor), rekindles an affair with sister-in-law Lucille (Jessica Walter), which may have resulted in Buster's conception years ago.
Jokes flew fast and furious, as did guest stars--Ben Stiller, Julia Louis-Dreyfuss, Christine Taylor, Thomas Jane, Ed Begley Jr., Ione Skye, and Zach Braff among them--making it hard to keep straight who was doing what and why. No matter, as each of the episodes was in and of itself was a perfect gem of comedy, strung together by sharp writing and fantastic performances. In addition to the regular cast, both Liza Minnelli, reprising her role as "Lucille Two," and Martin Short, as an, um, eccentric family friend, deserve special mention, with the episode both appeared in, "Ready, Aim, Marry Me," a frenetic exercise in slapstick farce. Typical examples of the show's offbeat humor were found in "Afternoon Delight," in which various members of the Bluth family discover the true meaning of the '70s ballad, "Meet the Veals," wherein the Bluths encounter the conservative parents of George Michael's girlfriend, and "Motherboy XXX," surrounding an unsettling mother-son traditional dance. The entire cast cohered perfectly through this season, and their give and take provided a perfect balance among the actors, all of whom were even better than the previous year. However, it's Bateman who should be singled out as the show's anchor, mixing dry sarcasm with impeccable comic timing. Despite plummeting ratings, Arrested Development didn't just keep its head above water, it swam with grace and hilarity. --Mark Englehart
Season Three: Arrested Development--one of the greatest comedies in the history of television--went out in a blaze of glory. The truncated final season packed more biting humor per minute than ever before. In only 13 episodes, dozens of intertwining storylines spun in all directions: In addition to the overarching story about the fractious infighting of the Bluth family and the family's housing development company being investigated for treason in Iraq (a plot arc that comes to a dazzlingly surreal conclusion), the put-upon "good son" Michael Bluth (Jason Bateman, Teen Wolf Too) pursues romance with a lovely British woman (Charlize Theron, Monster) who turns out to be woefully inappropriate; swaggering magician Gob (Will Arnett, Monster-In-Law) flees from his newly-discovered teenage son while still pandering for the affection of his self-absorbed father (Jeffrey Tambor, The Larry Sanders Show); flighty Lindsay (Portia de Rossi, Ally McBeal) and her sexually blurry husband Tobias (David Cross, Mr. Show) both get the hots for the family's new lawyer, Bob Loblaw (Scott Baio, Charles in Charge); and much, much more. It's difficult to describe what makes Arrested Development so brilliant. The ensemble is uniformly superb (Jessica Walter, as the family's boozing, scheming matriarch, is particularly devastating this season) and the surprising guest stars (including Andy Richter, James Lipton, Justine Bateman, and many others) are perfectly cast; the characters' abominable behavior defies conventional television notions of "likability", yet they only grow more endearing the more you watch; the humor embraces wild slapstick and sharp satire, often within a single scene; and the nimble documentary style allows for sly glancing references to jokes and scenes from long-past episodes, rewarding devoted fans. But the key is that, no matter how screwball Arrested Development becomes, the show offers a rich, textured, and wonderfully coherent world in which these characters feel genuine, a world completely unlike the flat, plastic simulacrum offered by the average sitcom. Arrested Development was true to itself to the end. Its followers will cherish it forever. --Bret Fetzer
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วันอาทิตย์ที่ 11 ธันวาคม พ.ศ. 2554
Prison Break: Season Two (DVD)
Prison Break: Season Two from Fox
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After escaping from prison, Lincoln Burrows & Michael Scofield are on the run with one goal in mind â?" clear Lincolnâ??s name and uncover the hidden $5 million. At the close of Prison Break's terrific season 1, the motley crew of convicts successfully accomplished the title. So naturally, season 2 becomes about the manhunt, where the best-laid plans of Michael Scofield (Wentworth Miller)--concealed in his body tattoo with his escape route and hinted at throughout last season--get thrown for a loop. First, he and his convicted brother Lincoln (Dominic Purcell) are torn between fleeing the country and staying to clear Lincoln's name, which draws them deeper into a conspiracy that surpasses even the President of the United States (Patricia Wettig). Second, they're simultaneously pursued by Agent Kellerman (a terrific Paul Adelstein); prison warden Bellick (Wade Williams), now a bounty hunter; and a new pursuer: FBI agent Alexander Mahone (William Fichtner in all his bug-eyed glory), whose intelligence makes him a worthy foe to Michael, and whose pill-popping habit makes him just unstable enough to be interesting. There's also a new sinister lackey for the Company named Bill Kim (Reggie Lee, whose constant grimacing smile is a result of being instructed to act like a "customer service representative" while arranging for characters to be killed off, the actor reveals in commentary). Meanwhile, the other escapees scatter across the county, eluding the FBI as they try to reunite with their loved ones--Abruzzi (Peter Stormare), C-Note (Rockmond Dunbar), and Sucre (Amaury Nolasco)--or settle scores (in the case of T-Bag, played by Robert Knepper). But lest you think the series will split in 10 different directions, there's always the money hidden in Utah by fellow prisoner Westmoreland that will eventually lead them to cross paths again.
Season 2, taking place outside prison walls, doesn't have the claustrophobic tension of season 1; instead, it becomes one long Fugitive-esque chase, which lost interest every time it kept shifting to different characters' storylines. There are more baits-and-switches than you'd care to keep track of, and more than a little suspended disbelief. But the intriguing center of the drama will always be the way Michael's forced to think on his feet when his grand plans hit their snags, whereas in Fox River he was most assuredly in control (it also forces Miller's stoic acting to loosen up a little). Moreover, his unexpected feelings for Dr. Sara Tancredi (Sarah Wayne Callies), who was found overdosed in her apartment at the end of season 1, further complicates Michael's disappearance plans. The DVD includes several candid commentaries by cast members and show creators, and an Easter egg that alludes to the "death wall" (number of casualties) the show's writers kept in production offices. --Ellen A. Kim Features: Condition: New, Format: DVD, Full Screen; Box set; Color; Dolby more...
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The Pirates of Plagiarism (Hardcover)
The Pirates Of Plagiarism from
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In this hilarious introduction to plagiarism, readers will ultimately discover that when it comes to real treasure there is an awful lot of it--right in their own minds! Ages 4 - 8 more...
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Red Fox Tail
Red Fox Tail from Haute Dauge
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This all natural fox tail is large and fluffy, without a bone. The fox hide is thinner than some other hides. Features: This is a natural fox tail. more...