The Big Comfy Couch - The Complete Fifth Season - 2 DVD Set with Bonus Disc (Amazon.com Exclusive)

Season 5
So do great for children of all ages! Even my 9 year old loves it! The characters really grow on you, I was so sad when they stopped making this but so happy it is on Amazon Prime for all to see! It is a classic and will surely stand the test of time!





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Life With Father - William Powell, Irene Dunne - 1947

Best Version I've Seen on DVD
Excellent, nostalgic film based on a turn-of-the-century family and their odd, eccentric, but lovable and topsy-turvy life. Beautifully restored version - best I've ever seen.

Love the picture quality, audio - everything about this film - really cinema quality. Reminds us of a time and place when life was simpler, sweeter, and certainly more innocent.

I watch this film over and over again. It's witty, sad, and hysterically funny in parts. This film is a slice of history; a look into the lives of what a real American family was like, but sadly will probably never be again. At least we can view this film frequently to remind us all of how good times were way back when......

If you purchase any version of this film, be sure to get the Moving Picture Archive release. You will not be disappointed.

BEWARE this version is edited!!
Beware this is a PAL transfer and is 5 minutes shorter than US release. Transfer is good however it is shameful that the running time of 113 minutes is not stated! It's a cheap DVD-R to boot!!



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The Politician's Wife

The politican's wife is a force to be reckoned with.
The Politician's Wife plays out in three installments, each lasting a little over an hour. This playing time is needed to allow for the intricate plotting of this complex drama. In the first part Flora Matlock, wife of Tory minister and rising star Duncan Matlock, learns that her husband has been unfaithful to her. This infidelity is ironic given that Duncan represents the family in the conservative English government. At first Flora is surprised and angry. We watch as she packs her bags to leave her husband. Before she finishes her packing she gets pressure from all sides to support her husband. She gives in to the manipulations of the men who want to keep Duncan in power. A little later on Flora learns from Duncan's assistant that the affair with an escort girl, Jennifer Cairn, lasted for a year or so. She is given pictures and an audio tape documenting Duncan's infidelity.

In part two Flora, an exceptionally bright and capable woman, plots Duncan's downfall...

A Strong, Satisfying and Amusing Story of Political Revenge
This is an enormously satisying British television program involving political hypocrisy, personal corruption and revenge. It's a mixture of cynical humor and serious political observations. And it features great acting all around.

Duncan Matlock (Trevor Eve) is an up-and-coming Tory politician who's specialities are family values and ambition. He's married to Flora Matlock (Juliet Stevenson), who loves him and who has supported his climb up the Tory ranks for years. She's the epitome of the perfect political wife...smart, wealthy, loyal, socially adept but with a human touch, great at looking entranced at her husband on stage while he gives his speeches about values and family. When it's discovered he's had an affair with a former prostitute (Minnie Driver), she is devestated, but he pleads for forgiveness saying it was only a passing weakness. The Tory damage-control team, headed by Sir Donald Frazier (Ian Bannen), after weighing things for a bit, decides to swing behind...

A Political Morality Tale for All Times
This is one of the great revenge stories of all times. Paula Milne has written the script to a three-part miniseries seen not too long ago on Masterpiece Theatre called "The Politician's Wife." The Minister for Family (of all people) is caught in a love nest scandal. And like a certain President's wife of recent memory, his spouse is expected by The Party to stand behind him. Well, she does-and in the most original way possible. As all the Old Boys rally behind this despicable lowlife, the wife uses that very system of disinformation to get back a bit of her own. Just how she does it and with what results I refuse to say, because I want you to savor this jaundiced view of inner-party workings and how they destroy whatever traces of humanity those concerned might have had once.

Well, this show is now yours for the viewing on an Acorn Media DVD (AMP 7117), and I suggest you grab it. It is due to appear on July 6, 2004; but I wanted to give you lots of warning.

The disgusting...

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Orthodox Stance

Best Boxing Film Of The Century!
Jason Hutt brings to the screen a true story of a real fighter in every sense of the word. Dmitriy Salita grows equally as a skilled boxer, a religious Jew and most importantly as a man with a robust level of integrity. As the film progresses one becomes wrapped up in the personal and professional life of Dmetriy Salita rather than in only the actual boxing, which is spectacularly chronicled by Mr. Hutt. I was fascinated by the way all the women in the audience were captivated and empathetically enrolled into the story. Well worth the viewing time!

An amazing story
Though I'm a fan of boxing films (especially covering the era up through Ali), I think this film will appeal to those not usually drawn to boxing. Given the demands of the sport, boxing films often have a quasi-spiritual, almost monastic feel to them. This film has a double dose of that since the boxer in question, Dmitriy Salita, is not only a Ukranian-born immigrant to Brooklyn, but an observant, Orthodox Jew.

Orthodox Stance, like the best documentaries, leaves you wondering if the director simply lucked onto an amazing story. The answer in this case is yes--for the main character is incredibly compelling--and no--for this film is skillfully made (staying out of the way of the various personalities while allowing them to speak for themselves) and then assembled into something truly memorable. A great film full of great scenes, Orthodox Stance has stayed with me since seeing it over a year ago. Highly recommended.

Amazing movie!
Very well directed, and a very compelling character - this film breaks new ground. The main character is presented in an authentic and genuine way, and those around him add to his unfolding life saga. I heartily recommend!

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Journey of the Universe: An Epic Story of Cosmic, Earth and Human Transformation

Wow! The Next "Cosmos" and "Power of Myth" rolled into one
I caught this when it was on PBS and I absolutely loved it. A beautifully crafted, information packed romp through the history of the universe, the film makes you feel highly connected to the universe, the Earth and each other. If you liked Carl Sagan's "Cosmos" or Joseph Campbell's "Power of Myth," this is for you.

Excellent Film
I enjoyed watching this with my wife and daughter. This film is a great way to learn the interconnectedness of it all and to teach our daughter our history on a macro scale. Definitely worth watching!

A must see for all who breathe!
Journey of the Universe tells us of a voyage, a unique 14 billion year ongoing expedition where we, as humans, now stand at the crossroads playing the integral role of potentially controlling how the ensuing chapters shall progress. Journey of the Universe is a story of science. It is the story of history, of memory and of future. It is equally the unfolding story of the humanities.

Journey of the Universe is an epic tale told through hundreds of thousands, and millions of millions of little tiny stories that are being told all at the same time. It is a self-energizing tale of process, and an accounting of self-awareness; not just of the self-awareness of humankind, but the self-awareness that each living cell of each plant of each life form has inherent within it. It is animal to land, land and water to atmosphere, plants to air, earth to sun, solar system to universe and so on. It is the tale of the weaver, and of the knitting of each element to the other that then...

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Sourlands

Great Film!
This is a wonderfully moving documentary that I cannot praise enough! Shared stories from farmers, hunters, environmentalists, naturalists, business entrepreneurs, and the interconnected community thriving in and near the Sourlands of New Jersey. I spent four years in this area personally and loved to watch a movie give glimpses into the lives of people working so hard to protect both the land and its inhabitants, be it man, plant, or animal.
It was a realistic take on the sometimes overwhelming problem we face with today's environment, but gave hope and solid examples of how people are trying their best to help a place they love.

Sourlands Film Compelling, Beautiful, Practical Source of Hope
This film brings the Sourlands to life through a series of irresistible character studies, modeled after John McPhee's approach to The Pine Barrens.

Four lively segments focus on Farm, Forest, Sustainable Technology, and the Future.

Photography is stunning, and these Sourlands people unique and memorable.

For all the ecological perils which lace the Sourlands, --pivotal bird habitat and water source--, this is a film of hope.

One learns a multiplicity of steps available to one person, one family, one neighborhood, in the restoration of nature in our time and in our region.

Carolyn Edelmann, Community Relations Associate, D&R Greenway Land Trust

A message of hope amidst environmental degradation
Sourlands is the name given to a largely undeveloped area of New Jersey. It has remained that way because the soil is of poor quality and it is strewn with boulders. It is also one of the few remaining natural habitats for several species, including migratory birds and amphibians.
However, to the inhabitants featured in this film, it is a great place to live, work, farm and invent and integrate new ways to be green. Many are transplants that felt the urge to become more in tune with nature and moved into the Sourlands. All are determined to incorporate energy saving technologies into their dwellings, one man's "castle" runs on hydrogen, there are solar panels, greenhouses, organic farms and people inventing simple ways to monitor and reduce energy usage.
The primary message from the film is that carbon emissions must be reduced and that the most effective way to do that is for each person to alter their behavior. For some, that involves massive investments in solar panels...

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Vexed: Series 2

After a rocky first episode, a super sophomore season
If the first season brought you here, you will be delighted to know that Jack is as clueless and self-absorbed as ever (and we are the better for it).

But the second season opener threatens to take that away from us, as Jack seems more tame (though not too tame to turn a murder into a car-shopping opportunity)--though then the season settles down for all the outrageous quips and preposterous situations you watch this for, all in the name of British crime fighting. So be patient. After the slow season opener, you get five follow-on episodes of great fun.

Season two mixes up the show a bit--a new partner (Miranda Raison), who gets her share of screen time, and an occasional foray into situations other than murder. And first episode aside, the season is stronger for her addition. Raison is a more rounded character, and she hold her own on screen.

The rest of the fine ensemble cast is intact. So if you loved the first season, there is twice as much to...

Great Crime Show
I have always been a fan of crime television. There is something about a good murder mystery that really gets your adrenaline pumping. When the show in question also features a strong female lead, its even better. DI Georgia Dixon and her partner DI Jack Armstrong provide almost as much humor as they do suspense in this fun show and they bumble through crime scenes and sometimes only solve them thanks to luck being on their side. The two of them couldn't be more different, and yet they somehow make it work. You'll laugh, you'll bite your nails, and you will relate to this two very human characters.With the amazing Vexed Series Two on DVD, you will be getting 365 minutes of back to back action that will leave you at the edge of your seat. Just sit back and enjoy British drama at its best. I had never seen Vexed before getting this DVD set to review, but let me tell you, once I got it I was so enthralled I watched the complete set in only a few days.

Great fun
Comparisons to Vexed Series 1 are inevitable, and to my mind Series 2 comes out on top.

We started watching Vexed because of Lucy Punch (whom we loved in Doc Martin), but really her character in Vexed seemed kind of world-weary and with issues of her own. On the other hand, Jack and George really offset each other to bring out the humor. George's issues are more about her own sense of perfectionism, which works better for a comedy. She manages to make Jack seem more of a lovable doofus whereas in Series 1 he sometimes seemed more like a jerk. George and Jack get into some very funny situations, and it's really peripheral that they are solving crimes. Toby Stephens and Miranda Raison have great chemistry. I hope they work together again.

Both seasons are recommended, but Series 2 is the maraschino cherry and umbrella on the cocktail.

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