playmobil interactive – The Secret of Pirate Island (a J!-ENT DVD Review)

“A family friendly film based on the playmobil toys which is interactive and helps children in their decision making process.  A film that remains true to the popular toyline, a film with enjoyable adventures and for the most part, this DVD is fun for children. Definitely an entertaining, interactive 3D film that is recommended for parents and their young children.”

Images courtesy of © 2009 Worldwide SPE Acquisitions Inc.  All Rights Reserved.

DVD TITLE: playmobil interactive – The Secret of Pirate Island

DURATION: 90 Minutes

DVD INFORMATION: Anamorphic Widescreen 1:78:1, English 5.1 Dolby Digital, French Dolby Surround

COMPANY: Sony Wonder/Sony Pictures Home Entertainment

RATED:  NOT RATED

RELEASE DATE:  October 13, 2009

Directed by Alexander E. Sokloff

Ahoy, matey! Your favorite Playmobil toys have come to life for the very first time, in an all-new swashbuckling adventure and you’re invited to join them! You’ll have a treasure chest full of fun with seven-year-old Jack and his big sister Amelia as they stow away on a pirate ship headed for the mysterious Pirate Island — a place filled with treasure and curious creatures. Can Jack and Amelia stay one step ahead of a bunch of wacky skeletons and get to the treasure before the pirates do?

The toy line known as Playmobil produced by Germany-based company Brandstatter Group has been a popular toyline in the United States and other countries since 1975.  The toys have been one of the most innovative toylines for children as kids can buy toys based on modern jobs or athletes to pirates, knights, princesses and more.

And to celebrate the popularity of the toyline, the first major DVD release titled “The Secret of Pirate Island” based on the toyline will be released under the playmobil interactive name.

In this DVD, the film revolves around a family which includes seven-year-old Jack and his older sister as they visit their grandparents.  Of course, the area where their grandparents live leads to a portal where the children can experience adventures. In this latest release, the playmobil theme revolves around the pirate characters.

But in this case, using your remote control, the viewer can select which adventure to participate in.  The decision can lead to an early ending to the film or a further continuation to the story. Of course, since this is a children’s DVD, even if a child choose a short ending, the child will get another chance to select the other ending or if they choose not to choose anything at all, the film will automatically select the longer, continuing version.  But what’s so fun about this release is that there is 27 story combinations.  So, for the most part, children will enjoy the chance to choose their storyline and possibly see the toy characters that they may be familiar with.

For parents, there are two versions that you can select on the menu.  The interactive version of “The Secret of Pirate Island” which is more or less 90 minutes long depending on the combinations selected or “Captain Gruff’s Favorite Movie” minus the interactive combinations and the movie is about 50 minutes long.

VIDEO & AUDIO:

“The Secret of Pirate Island” is a 3D CG film featuring vibrant colors and captures the toyline in CG format quite well.  The kids looks like the toys and the hands are like the toys but they are animated to show expression and also designed to show the characters like it’s plastic counterparts.  Granted, this is not a high-budget CG film, so don’t expect hyper-detailed backgrounds or environments but for the most part, the animation for this title is well-done.  Video is featured via anamorphic widescreen at 1:78:1.

As for audio, the film is presented in English 5.1 Dolby Digital and French Dolby Surround.  For those with home theaters, the film is front and center channel driven as the movie is dialogue and music-driven.

Subtitles are in English, French and Spanish.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

“playmobil interactive – The Secret of Pirate Island” comes with only two special features:

• Pirate Sing-a-Long – (1:53) One of the songs used on the film featuring the band (on the pirate ship) performing a song with the lyrics ala karaoke sing along at the bottom.
• Previews – Previews for Sony Wonder releases

As a guy who grew up with playmobil toys and my son having quite a bit of a collection for himself, I found this DVD release to be quite wonderful.

The world of playmobil and the characters and the look of the characters is animated quite well and for parents looking for an interactive film, “The Secret of Pirate Island” was absolutely fantastic as there are many scenes that require the children to make a decision (there are 27 story combinations) and thus, works quite well for the child or for parents watching along with their children.

For families wondering if the film can be scary, not at all.  The theme is adventure-based and there is a scene with an octopus, a mummy and skeletons but for the most part, it’s never scary at all.   They are animated in a way to be not offending whatsoever.  So, parents shouldn’t worry at all. It’s a family friendly film.  My 6-year-old, wasn’t scared at any of the scenes and for the most part, he was really getting involved with the interactive segments.

If there is anything that I do recommend is that if you have a DVD player that has a remote that needs to be closely focused towards their player, have your child positioned in a way where the signal is clear, so he/she doesn’t complain about the remote not working correctly.  The interactive version of the film does give adequate time to make a decision but it’s important that a child holds the remote correctly and that the remote has a clear signal.

For the playmobil collectors or parents wondering if the film is only pirate-themed, there are combinations that takes both Jack and Amelia to a medieval time or playing in their grandparents yard but those scenes are very short.  The film is definitely pirate-themed and since I typically see the pirated-themed toys at the stores, I’m guessing it’s a big seller for playmobil but I do hope there are more playmobil interactive releases that reflect their other toylines, which would definitely be wonderful.

There’s really nothing bad I can say about this DVD, for parents who are looking for a children’s interactive film on DVD, this is one of the better ones that I have seen thus far.  I wish there were interactive games included on the special features but overall, for its low price and what is included on this DVD, “playmobil interactive – The Secret of Pirate Island” is highly recommended!

CASTLE – The Complete First Season (a J!-ENT DVD Review)

“Featuring well-written storylines, enjoyable characters and an intriguing concept, the first season of “CASTLE” is highly entertaining, suspenseful and definitely fun!  ‘CASTLE – The Complete First Season’ is definitely worth checking out!”

Images courtesy of © abc studios/Disney. All Rights Reserved.

DVD TITLE: CASTLE – The Complete First Season

DURATION: 10 episodes (430 minutes)

DVD INFORMATION: Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound, French and Spanish Subtitles, Widescreen (1:78:1) – Enhanced for 16×9 Televisions

COMPANY: abc studios

RATED: TV PG

RELEASE DATE:  September 22, 2009

Created by Andrew J. Marlowe

Directed by Rob Bowman, Bryan Spicer, John Terlesky

Written by Andrew J. Marlow, David Grae, Moira Kirland, Barry Schindel

Executive Producer: Rob Bowman, Andrew W. Marlowe, Laurie Zaks, Armyan Bernstein, Rene Echevarria

Co-Executive Producer: Gabrielle G. Stanton, Harry Werksman

Producer: D. Howard Grigsby, David Grae

Co-Producer: Mark A. Altman, Steven Kriozere

Associate Producer: Suzanne Lauer

Supervising Producer: Charles Murray

Music by Robert Duncan, Mark Kilian

Cinematography by Bill Roe

Edited by Warren Bowman, Mark S. Manos, Marta Evry

Casting by Kendra Castleberry, Donna Rosenstein

Production Design by Alfred Sole

Art Direction by Jim Wallis, Gershon Ginsburg

Set Decoration by Christopher Marsteller

Costume Design by Salvador Perez Jr.

Starring:

Nathan Fillion as Richard Castle

Stana Katic as Detective Kate Beckett

Susan Sullivan as Martha rodgers

Ruben Santiago-Hudson as Captain Roy Montgomery

Molly C. Quinn as Alexis Castle

John Huertas as Detective Javier Esposito

Seamus Dever as Detective Kevin Ryan

Tamala Jones as Dr. Lanie Parish

Bailey Chase as WIll Sorenson

Dan Castellaneta as Judge Markway

Joseph C. Phillips as Mayor

A bestselling novelist (Nathan Fillion) and a New York City detective (Stana Katic) delve into real world crime, starting with a copycat killer who recreates the murder scenes depicted in his novels. Finding true life mysteries more stimulating than fiction, writer Richard Castle continues to offer his professional insights to Detective Kate Beckett— whether she wants them or not. Sparks fly and a hint of romance hangs in the air as these two strong personalities investigate some of the most puzzling crimes on the NYPD’s docket.

Witty, suspenseful and fresh!  The first season of “CASTLE” is the modern “Moonlighting” featuring a cool cast and each episode with an entertaining storyline.

“CASTLE” debuted on ABC as a mid-season replacement and began airing on March 2009.  Created by Andrew M. Marlowe (“Air Force One”, “End of Days” and “Hollyw Man”) and executive produced by Rob Bowman (“The A-Team”, “The X-Files”, “Day Break”) comes a new drama series on crime solving.

The first season which featured 10 episodes stars actor Nathan Fillion (“Firefly”, “Drive” and “Desperate Housewives”) as Richard Castle.  The famous mystery novelist who is adored by many but behind-the-scenes, he is a playboy who has an on-and-off fling with his ex-wife (who is an actress), another ex-wife who is his publisher and lives with his bright teenage daughter Alexis (Molly Quinn, “My One and Only”) and his meddlesome mother and former Broadway actress, Martha Rodgers (Susan Sullivan, “The Nine”, “Dharma & Greg”).

There is a lot of pressure on Nathan to create another book and with him stuck, his luck starts to change when he meets by-the-book Detective Kate Beckett (Stana Katic, “Heroes”, “The Spirit”, “Quantum of Solace”) who is investigating several murders which have taken place and the way that they were done were like the murders featured in several of his novels.   Because of his knowledge of how things end up with his books, he gets the opportunity to assist the detectives in their case.

Eventually, Richard Castle discovers that he can do several things in his life.  Write his new book based on Detective Beckett, see if he can woo Detective Beckett and most of all to investigate other murders which he can incorporate ideas for his new book.  At first, it seems implausible but with Castle being so well-known and friends with the mayor, Captain Montgomery (Ruben Santiago-Huds0n) will do what he can to make the mayor and his boss happy, so he allows Richard to tag along with Detective Beckett.

Needless to say, she’s not happy about it but with his skills of mystery writing and her skills as a detective, the two find out that together, they can be an effective duo in crime solving.  Also, joining Beckett are Detective Javier Esposito (Jon Huertas), Detective Kevin Ryan (Seamus Dever) and forensics doctor Dr. Lanie Parish (Tamala Jones).

“CASTLE – The Complete First Season” features 10 episodes on three discs.  Included are (spoiler-less summaries):

DISC: 1

• EPISODE 1 – Flowers For Your Graves – A copycat killer is on the loose and they are using Rick Castle’s novels as a source of ideas.  With the NYPD Detectives having a tough time with the case, Castle offers to assist the investigators.
• EPISODE 2 – Nanny McDead – A nanny is found dead inside a laundry machine and Investigator Beckett must find out who the killer is.  Meanwhile, Rick Castle pulls strings with the Mayor and Captain in using Beckett as a source of ideas for his upcoming book, thus allowing him to tag around Detective Beckett on cases.
• EPISODE 3 – Hell Hath no Fury – A body is found wrapped in a rug and Castle and Beckett and it appears to be a politician.  Who killed him?
• EPISODE 4 – Hedge Fund Homeboys – A man who once was from a wealthy family is found dead and while Beckett and Castle try to investigate, his friends try to do their best in stopping them.

DISC 2:

• EPISODE 5 – A Chill Goes Through Her Veins – A woman is found frozen, her husband is found dead.  Beckett and Castle investigate.
• EPISODE 6 – Always Buy Retail – Why are women who have been buying fake Gucci bags being targeted for death?
• EPISODE 7 – Home is Where the Heart Stops – Someone is murdering the rich and famous and robbing them of their jewelry.  Can Beckett and Castle stop the person before they commit another murder?
• EPISODE 8 – Ghosts – A woman is found dead in a bathtub filled with motor oil. And the woman who last spoke to her happens to be a mystery ghost writer.  Will Beckett and Castle find out who the true killer is?

DISC 3:

• EPISODE 9 – Little Girl Lost – A little girl has gone missing and for Detective Beckett, she is reunited with her former flame from the FBI.
• EPISODE 10 – A Death in the Family – Detective Beckett warned Rick Castle not to look into the death of her mother but wanting to help her, he does. Meanwhile, the two investigate the death of a plastic surgeon.

VIDEO & AUDIO:

“CASTLE – The Complete First Season” is presented in Widescreen (1:78:1) and is enhanced for 16×9 televisions.  The drama series is quite slick as it gives you the feel of New York and like many abc studios related DVD releases, Disney has always done a good job with their TV show transfers.  A show that balances outdoor and indoor shots with good lighting, the picture quality for “CASTLE” is pretty solid.  I didn’t see any major artifacting issues or low level noise that was distracting.

As for the audio, the series is presented in Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound.  The series is front and center channel driven with a few episodes (that involve gun fights) utilizing the surround channels.  The series does utilize quite a bit of music and for the most, the series is understandable and clear.

Subtitles are in English SDH, French and Spanish.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

“CASTLE – The Complete First Season” includes the following special features:

DISC 1:

• Audio Commentary for “Flowers For Your Grave” with Executive Producer Andrew Marlow, Executive Producer Rob Bowman, Actors Nathan Fillion, Stana Katic and Jon Huertas
  

DISC 2:

• Audio Commentary for “A Chill Goes Through Her Veins” with Executive Producer Andrew Marlow, Executive Producer Rob Bowman, Actors Nathan Fillion, Stana Katic, Jon Huertas and Molly Quinn
  

DISC 3:

• Audio Commentary for “A Death in the Family” with Executive Producer Andrew Marlow, Executive Producer Rob Bowman, Actors Nathan Fillion, Stana Katic, Jon Huertas and Molly Quinn
• Audio Commentary for “A Death in the Family” with Seamus Dever and  Jon Huertas
• Whodunit: The Genesis of Castle -(6:15) Andrew Marlowe talks about how he came up with the idea of “Castle”.  Interviews with crew and cast and behind-the-scenes of making the series.
• Castle’s Godfather – (7:16) Andrew Marlowe and Rob Bowman talk about how they got to work with Stephen J. Cannell (creator of “A-Team” and “Rockford Files”).
• Write-Along with Nathan Fillion – (9:07) A hilarious featurette featuring Nathan Fillion wanting to learn from Stephen J. Cannell.
• Misdemeanors: Bloopers & Outtakes – (2:37) First season bloopers.

“CASTLE” was definitely a surprise.  I can remember seeing the commercials during “LOST” but and for the most part, it kind of reminded me of the old “Moonlighting” years of crime investigation.  But after watching the first episode, I was instantly hooked.

Both Rick Castle and Detective Kate Beckett are just polar opposites but you know that there is this sexual attraction there that makes their chemistry work onscreen.  In a way, both are like Bruce Wayne (Batman) in the way they are keen in investigating things.  Castle, as a mystery writer and having done a lot of research, puts himself in the shoes of the criminal and thinks of the many possibilities that can exist between the characters.  Detective Beckett, almost having a similar tragic Bruce Wayne story is a by-the-book detective and for the most part, have their unique way of feeding off each other in terms of handling a case.  But Nathan Fillion and Stana Katic do a great job and have good chemistry onscreen.

So, far every episode has been intriguing, suspenseful and entertaining.  If there was one thing that tends to creep in my head that is more on the negative side, is just the serious aspects of a popular writer getting the opportunity to tag along a detective on her various cases.  I just have a hard time seeing the NYPD allowing such a thing and allowing a writer to get that close to the detectives.

Granted, this may seem a bit farfetched but overall, the writers make it work.  Each of the characters are actually quite enjoyable to watch, especially Castle’s meddling mother Martha and logical and intelligent daughter Alexis,  it’s good to see Castle pulled out of his element once in awhile. Beckett’s partners Detective Esposito and Ryan lend that serious but also comedic moment for the series.

The first season of “CASTLE” has been quite enjoyable thus far.  I’m glad to hear that the series has been green lighted for a second season because “CASTLE” has been nothing but entertaining, fun and a suspenseful drama series thus far.

“CASTLE – The Complete First Season” is definitely worth checking out!

30 ROCK – Season 3 (a J!-ENT DVD Review)

“Absolutely fantastic!  Fans of ’30 Rock’, the third season is another witty, hilarious and highly entertaining season.  And to make things even more better,  the third season of ’30 ROCK’ on DVD is full of special features  including seven audio commentary and many special features.  A solid release that is highly recommended!”

Images courtesy of © 2009 Universal Studios. All Rights Reserved.

DVD TITLE: 30 ROCK – SEASON 3

DURATION: 8 hrs. and 6 minutes (22 episodes on 3 Discs)

DVD INFORMATION: English Dolby Digital 5.1, English SDH, Anamorphic Widescreen 1:78:1

COMPANY: Universal Studios Home Entertainment

RATED: NOT RATED

RELEASE DATE:  September 22, 2009

Created by Tina Fey

Directed by Don Scardino, Gail Mancuso, Beth McCarthy-Miller, Scott Ellis

Written by Tina Fey, Robert Carlock, Jack Burditt, John Riggi, Matt Hubbard, Kay Cannon, Ron Weiner, Jon Pollack, Tami Sagher, Donald Glover

Executive Producer: Tina Fey, Jerry Kupfer, Matt Hubbard, Lorne Michaels, David Miner, Jeff Richmond, Jack Burditt, Robert Carlock, Marci Klein, John Riggi

Producer: Don Scardino, Alec Baldwin

Co-Producer: Irene Burns, Diana Schmidt

Associate Prodcuer: Shannon Fogarty

Consulting Producer: Jon Pollack

Music by Jeff Richmond

Cinematography by Matthew Clark

Edited by Ken Eluto and Meg Reticker

Casting by Jennifer McNamara

Production Design by Keith Raywood, Teresa Mastropierro

Art Direction by Peter Baran

Set Decoration by Jennifer Greenberg

Costume Design by Tom Broecker

Starring:

Tina Fey as Liz Lemon

Tracy Morgan as Tracy Jordan

Jane Krakowski as Jenna Maroney

Jack McBrayer as Kenneth Parcell

Scott Adsit as Pet Hornbeger

Judah Friedlander as Frank Rossitano

Alec Baldwin as Jack Donaghy

Katrina Bowden as Cerie

Keith Powell as Toofer

Maulik Pancholy as Jonathan

Kevin Brown as Dot Com

Grizz Chapman as Grizz

Lonny Ross as Josh Girard

John Lutz as Lutz

Alan Alda as Milton Green

Nancy O’Dell as herself

Paula Pell as Paula Hornberger

Donald Glover as Gay Kid

Tracie Jules as Gerhardt’s Friend

Bobbb’e J. Thompson as Tracy Jr.

Kay Cannon as Human Table

Brian Stack as Howard Jorgensen

Steve Buscemi as Lenny Wosniak

Todd Buonopane as Jeffrey Weinerslav

Jon Hamm as Dr. Drew Baird

Sue Galloway as Sue

Sherri Shepherd as Angie Jordan

Rip Torn as Don Geiss

Chris Parnell as Dr. Leo Spacerman

Dean Winters as Dennis Duffy

Salma Hayek as Elisa

Elaine Stritch as Colleen Donaghy

Meredith Vieira as Herself

Jennifer Aniston as Claire Harper

Re-enjoy the complete third season of the Primetime Emmy® and Golden Globe® Award-winning comedy 30 Rock, hailed by The New York Times as “its third season” and by The Sun as a “comedy… shown on NBC… [which is a] network.” Primetime Emmy®, Golden Globe® and SAG® Award winner (and show creator) Tina Fey and Primetime Emmy®, Golden Globe® and SAG® Award winner Alec Baldwin star as corporate executive Jack Donaghy and TV writer Liz Lemon (reverse respectively). Together, Jack and Liz manage the workplace chaos with no help from Liz’s loose-cannon stars Tracy Jordan and Jenna Maroney (Tracy Morgan and Jane Krakowski) and hapless NBC page Kenneth Parcell (Jack McBrayer). The end result is topless break-dancing, professional tetherball, geriatric kidnapping, bird murder, sexual espionage, Appalachian witchcraft, patricide, gay lion tattoos and important life lessons learned from Sasquatches. Join in the behind-the-scenes fun with lots of exclusive content and all 22 episodes of the acclaimed third season of 30 Rock from executive producer Lorne Michaels (Hot Rod).

“30 Rock”, the NBC sitcom that has the most Emmy Awards (22) for a single year for a comedy series.  An award-winning series that is critically acclaimed series that in its first and second year, despite being a series that critics raved about, the series has had its challenge due to its low viewership.

Fortunately, NBC has supported this series and greenlighted a fourth season because “30 ROCK” is unique and one of those rare delights that is on network television.  Humorous, entertaining but literally, just a fantastic comedy that has solid writing and a talented cast.

30 Rock is the shortened address of where NBC Studios is located in New York City, ala 30 Rockefeller Plaza.  The show revolves around the crew and the cast of the live sketch comedy “The Girlie Show” which is written by head writer Liz Lemon (Tina Fey, “Saturday Night Live”, “Baby Mama”, “Mean Girls”) and stars actress Jenna Maroney (Jane Krakowski, “Ally McBeal”).  But Liz’s boss, Jack Donaghy (Alec Baldwin, “Knots Landing”, “Beetlejuice”, “Pearl Harbor”) decides to add comedian Tracy Jordan (Tracy Morgan, “Saturday Night Live”, “Scare Tactics”) to spice up the show and rename it “TGS with Tracy Jordan”.

The show focuses on what goes behind-the-scenes of the creation of the show and what is going on in the personal lives of several of the main characters (primarily focusing on the lives of Liz Lemon and Jack Donaghy) and focuses on relationships and the unique friendship that Jack and Liz tend to develop, while the two deal with their own love life but also their interaction with the writers of TGS and the NBC Page Kenneth Parcell (Jack MacBrayer, “Forgetting Sarah Marshall”, “Arrested Development”).

“30 ROCK – Season 3″ features 22 episodes on three discs.  Included are (spoilerless summaries):

DISC: 1

• EPISODE 37 – DO-OVER – Liz wants to adopt but must must please the adoption evaluator (guest star Megan Mullally, “Will & Grace”).  Meanwhile, Jack returns and wants his job back.
• EPISODE 38 – BELIEVE IN THE STARS – During a flight back from Chicago, Liz tells her life to Oprah Winfrey.  Meanwhile, Tracy and Jenna try to outdo each other on who has the worst life.
• EPISODE 39 – THE ONE WITH THE CAST OF NIGHT COURT – Liz and Jenna’s friend Claire (guest star Jennifer Aniston, “Friends”, “Marley & Me”, “Office Space”) comes to visit and falls for Jack.  Meanwhile, Kenneth is depressed and Tracy tries to make him happy by reuniting the cast of “Night Court” (guest star Harry Anderson, Charles Robinson and Markie Post).
• EPISODE 40 – GAVIN VOLURE – Businessman Gavin Volure (Steve Martin) falls for Liz.  But Gavin has a big secret.
• EPISODE 41 – REUNION – Liz is convinced by Jack to go to her high school reunion and realizes how her fellow high school mates really feel about her.
• EPISODE 42 – CHRISTMAS SPECIAL – Liz takes pat in a charity to help underprivileged kids.  Meanwhile, Jack’s mother (Elaine Stritch) comes to visit and it stresses him out.
• EPISODE 43 – SENORA MACHO SOLO – Liz wants a child so bad that she mistakes a little person (Peter Dinklage) as a young boy.  Meanwhile, Jack starts to fall for his mother’s nurse Elisha (guest star Salma Hayek, “Ugly Betty”, “Traffic”, “Fools Rush In”).
• EPISODE 44 – FLU SHOT – Liz fights for the TGS staff to get flu shots but only a few shots are available.  Who will get them?  Meanwhile, Jack and Elisha want to spend more time with each other.

DISC 2:

• EPISODE 45 – Retreat to Move Forward - With the corporate retreat coming up, Jack makes Liz accompany him.
• EPISODE 46 – Generalissimo – Jack wants to get closer to Elisha but her mother despises him because a Spanish soap opera villain named Generalissimo looks exactly like him.
• EPISODE 47 – St. Valentine’s Day – Liz goes on a date with Drew and Jack goes to church with Elisha.
• EPISODE 48 – Larry King – Tracy has an interview on “Larry King Live” and gives out bad financial advise to viewers.
• EPISODE 49 – Goodbye, My Friend – Liz becomes friends with a pregnant teenager working at the donut shop.
• EPISODE 50 – The Fun Cooker – Liz has to go to jury duty and without her to lead, the TGS staff goes nuts without her.
• EPISODE 51 – The Bubble – Liz starts to learn that her boyfriend Drew is living in a bubble and not familiar with reality.
• EPISODE 52 – Apollo, Apollo – Liz’s ex-boyfriend Dennis returns and Jack plans his perfect 50th birthday.

DISC 3:

• EPISODE 53 – Cutbacks – With corporate budget cuts, the TGS crew worry about who will get fired.
• EPISODE 54 – Jackie Jormp-Jomp – With what happened in the last episode, Liz must learn to live her new life without TGS.
• EPISODE 55 – The Ones – With Jack thinking of taking the next step with Elisha, he goes to Tracy to learn about married life.
• EPISODE 56 – The Natural Order – Tracy and Liz experience something unique.   Meanwhile, Jenna adopts a pet Gibbon.
• EPISODE 57 – Mamma Mia – Liz and Tracy convince Jack to search for his real father.  Meanwhile, Tracy finds out that he may have an illegitimate child.
• EPISODE 58 – Kidney Now! – Jack’s father (Alan Alda) is going through major health problems, meanwhile Liz starts to get fame as a relationship expert.

VIDEO & AUDIO:

“30 ROCK – SEASON 3″ is presented in Anamorphic Widescreen 1:78:1.  The television series is shot via single camera and has that drama series style of quality.  But for the most part, the show is anamorphic widescreen and picture quality is satisfactory for what you would expect from television on DVD.

As for audio, audio is presented in English Dolby Digital 5.1.  For home theater owners with a receiver, the audio is front and channel driven with the dialogue being clear and understandable and the opening theme song coming quite lively.  But for the most part, the audio is satisfactory for a comedy.  Personally, I had my receiver set at stereo on all channels as my primary selection and preference in hearing the series.

Subtitles are presented in English SDH.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

“30 ROCK – Season 3″ includes quite a number of special features:

DISC 1:

• Flu Shot Episode Commentary with Tina Fey & Jeff Richmond

DISC 2:

• Goodbye, My Friend Commentary with Judah Friedlander & John Lutz
• The Bubble Commentary with Jon Hamm & Jack McBrayer
• Apollo, Apollo Commentary with Jack Burditt & Robert Carlock

DISC 3:

• The Ones Commentary with Jane Krakowski & Jack McBrayer
• Mamma Mia Commentary with Alan Alda
• Kidney Now! Commentary with Tina Fey & Jeff Richmond
• Behind-the-Scenes with the Muppets- (3:10) Tina Fey gives commentary about the Muppets being used on the show and designed after the cast.  Behind-the-scenes footage of how the Muppets are being used.
• 1-900-OKFace – (1:09) The embarrassing commercial of Liz Lemon’s first and only acting role as Bijou.
• Kidney Now! Table Read – (31:26) The table read for the show with video on the top of the cast going through their scripts and the actual script being shown on the bottom.
• Making of “He Needs a Kidney” - (12:23) The Making of Kidney! Now.  A featurette about the final episode of Season 3 which shows how music would become instrumental in this episode.
• Behind-the-Scenes Photo Gallery – (2:06) A photo montage of the crew and cast of “30 Rock”.
• Alec Baldwin’s SNL Monologue – (4:50) The opening monologue for Alec Baldwin’s appearance on “Saturday Night Live” with Jack McBrayer.
• Tracy Jordan’s Rant – (2:08) Tracy Jordan going off on the camera operator.
• Award Acceptance Speeches – Featuring award acceptance speeches for “Emmy’s – Outstanding Lead Actress – Comedy Series” (1:19), “Emmy’s – Outstanding Lead Actor – Comedy Series” (1:05) and “Golden Globes – Best Television Series – Musical or Comedy” (1:18).

I absolutely love “30 ROCK”.  The third season showed no signs of slowdown and every episode, you just want to laugh because the characters are hilarious but most of all, the writing is just top notch.  And all 22 episodes in the third season does not disappoint at all.

With the second season DVD release from last year, the show was really facing major challenges as the Writers Guild Strike really cut down on the episodes and no one knew if NBC was going to cancel the show but they gave it some time and next thing you know, the show won many awards.  The fact that the show has been nominated for 22 awards in 2009 alone is a testament of how people respect the show’s writing and its talent.  As mentioned earlier in my review, “30 ROCK” is one of those rare and unique shows on television and everything manages to work perfectly.

I’ve watched Season 3 on television and I couldn’t wait to watch the episodes again, that’s how much I really enjoy this series.  It’s witty, fun and comedy that is highly entertaining!  In fact, as for favorite episodes, there is just so many.  From finding out who Liz Lemon was talking to on the plane ride in the episode “Believe in the Stars”, to see the reuniting of the “Night Court” characters and also see Jennifer Aniston’s “Claire” getting into mischief in “The One with the Cast of Night Court”, Kenneth going on a date with a blind staffer with Tracy’s help in “St. Valentine’s Day”, Jack seeing a duplicate of himself on the Spanish soap opera in “Generalissimo” or Liz and Jack visiting Liz’s high school reunion in the episode titled “Reunion”.  There are just too many fantastic episodes from this third season, that I can’t see any fan being disappointed.

As for the DVD release of “30 ROCK – Season 3″, this DVD is literally a solid release.  Not only do you get all 22 episodes, 7 audio commentary (and the good news is that they give a variety of talent, even guest stars a chance to take part in the audio commentary) but you also get a good number of other special features that really round out this wonderful DVD release.  Overall, the show is wonderful and the only thing I can hope for is that Universal considers releasing “30 Rock” on Blu-ray via High Definition.

But there is nothing negative I can say about this release.   It’s a solid release and fans of the series will definitely get their money’s worth!  “30 ROCK – Season 3″ is highly recommended.

The Very First Alvin Show (a J!-ENT DVD Review)

“For fans of ‘Alvin and the Chipmunks’, this DVD release is awesome as you get the 1st episode (which aired back in 1961), the 1985 special ‘A Chipmunk Reunion’ and the 1990 special ‘The Chipmunks present Rockin’ Through the Decades’ hosted by Will Smith and featuring several celebrities celebrating 30 years of  music by Alvin and the Chipmunks.  A great starting point for families to introduce their children to ‘Alvin and the Chipmunks’ and a DVD release that is definitely recommended for the fans!”

Images courtesy of © 1961, 1985, 1991, 2009 Bagdasarian Productions LLC. All Rights Reserved.

DVD TITLE:  The Very First Alvin Show

DURATION: 74 minutes

DVD INFORMATION: Full Screen Format, Dolby Digital: English Stereo, English Mono

COMPANY: Paramount Home Entertainment

RATED: NOT RATED

RELEASE DATE:  September 8, 2009

Created by Ross Bagdasarian

Directed by Hal Ambro, Osmand Evans, Rudy Larriva, Gil Turner and Alan Zaslove

Executive Producer: Herbert Klynn

Produced by Jules Engel

Associate Produced by Leo Salkin

Music by Ross Bagdasarian, Charles E. King

Art Direction: Jules Engel

Featuring the voices of:

Ross Bagdasarian as Alvin, Simon, Theodore and David  Seville

The very first broadcast show of the classic Chipmunk series from 1961 that started it all, never released before on VHS or DVD! The Chipmunks humor, mischief and music are on full display! The DVD includes this classic episode, plus two additional episodes, “Rockin Through The Decades” and “A Chipmunk Reunion.”

When Ross Bagdasarian Sr. created the Alvin and the Chipmunks, I often wonder if he knew at the time of how popular those characters, their music and the animated series would be for American pop culture.

Popular for the music, it was in 1961 when the three went from being puppets to an animated show.  Bagdasarian using his stage name Dave Seville, the music composer and father/caretaker of three talented chipmunks who tend to get into a little mischief.

With 26 episodes shown on television, the 1961-1962 show titled “The Alvin Show” has only been featured on VHS back in 1994.  No DVD releases were made until this release titled “The Very First Alvin Show”.

Each episode contained two episodes and two musical segments.  In the first episode, the first segment is titled “Stanley the Eagle”.   With the Alvin, Simon and Theodore bored, the three discover an eagle in their back yard who somehow has forgotten to fly.  With Dave not so happy that a wild eagle is in his home, he calls the authorities to get the wild bird but Alvin and the Chipmunks come up with an idea to help the Stanley the eagle to escape.  The second segment features the scientist Clyde Crashup who tries to invent the sport “Baseball”.  The two musical segments are Alvin and the Chipmunks singing “Oh, Gondaliero! and “I Wish I Could Speak French”.

Although “The Very First Alvin Show” contains only the first episode, the DVD also contains two specials.

The first special is titled “A Chipmunk Reunion”, a 24-minute special shown on television back in 1985 and is about how Alvin and the Chipmunks lived with Dave Seville but the three going on a search of their real mother.

The second special is titled “The Chipmunks Present Rockin’ Through the Decades” which is a 23-minute special hosted by Will Smith (during the same year when Will Smith was on the NBC show “Fresh Prince of Bel Air”) and was shown on NBC back in 1990 and has been released once on VHS back in 1992.  The special shows Alvin and the Chipmunks singing a variety of songs from their first Christmas song back in the late 50′s to various covers of songs by Little Richard, Elvis Presley, Jimi Hendrix, Bob Dylan, Michael Jackson, Bruce Springsteen and many more.  The special featured the Alvin and the Chipmunks singing the songs or taking part in the actual music videos such as Michael Jackson’s “Beat It” and “Smooth Criminal”.

Also, the special featured talent such as Ben Vereen, Richard Moll, Kenny Loggins, Raven-Symone, Shelley Duvall, Markie Post, Little Richard and more.

VIDEO & AUDIO:

“The Very First Alvin Show” DVD is quite interesting.  For the very first broadcast in 1961, it looks quite clean and vibrant.  I often wondered if the first episode was remastered or if the original 1961 film stock was in great condition because it looks much better than a lot of the “Alvin and the Chipmunks” cartoons shown in the 80′s and 90′s.  Granted, the first episode was not as detailed or had the artistic backgrounds of the later animated series but on this DVD, it looks very good.

As for the specials, this is where see the aging from the 80′s and 90′s film stock.  We see scratches and dust throughout the first special “A Chipmunk Reunion” and it’s not clear and vibrant but the animation does show much more detail, especially in the artistic backgrounds.  But it was great to see a special that has never been released on DVD to appear on this DVD release.

As for “The Chipmunks Present Rockin’ Through the Decades”, this special fares much better and is a TV broadcast featuring a lot of mixed footage from the Chipmunks past up to the 1990′s.  So, certain scenes have different picture quality but for the most part, I didn’t notice any major scratches and very little dust.

As for audio, audio is presented in Dolby Digital and dialogue and music is clear and understandable.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

There are no special features included.  But there is a preview for upcoming “Alvin and the Chipmunk” DVD releases.

As a person who grew up on “Alvin and the Chipmunks”, the release of “The Very First Alvin Show” is a very awesome release.  Not only do you get the first episode featuring Alvin and the Chipmunks but you also get the special of how they were raised by Dave Seville and then you get the Alvin and the Chipmunks music special from 1990 hosted by Will Smith all on one DVD.

The incentive for many fans of the animated series is that the classic television show and the specials have not been made available on DVD only on VHS and that was back in the early 90′s. But now you can own it on DVD as we near the 50th Year anniversary of “Alvin and the Chipmunks”.

As mentioned on my the video and audio portion, the first episode from 1961 looks very good on DVD and I’m not sure if its remastered or restored (it doesn’t mention on the packaging) but for a 48-year-old episode, it looks fantastic!

The episodes are definitely family friendly and episodes that children can definitely get into and enjoy.  And to think that many generations have grown up with this animated series and now, you can share it with the next generation and your own children.  For my six-year-old son, he’s only familiar of hearing the “Chipmunks” Christmas song and “Alvin and the Chipmunks Goes to the Movies” is parodies of films that he is too young to be familiar with, but with the release of “The Very First Alvin Show”, it’s definitely a release that is a great starting point for parents to introduce to their children.

For “Alvin and the Chipmunks” fans, this DVD is highly recommended!

JONAS: Rockin’ the House – Volume 1 (a J!-ENT DVD Review)

“The first volume of ‘JONAS: Rockin’ the House’ features five episodes from season one of the Jonas Brother’s Disney Channel comedy show.  The DVD also features two unaired bonus episodes and a punk’d-like featurette know as ‘JO BRO’D’.  A DVD that Jonas Brothers fans will definitely enjoy and parents will definitely get their money’s worth!”

Images courtesy of © WDSHE All Rights Reserved. All Rights Reserved.

DVD TITLE: JONAS: Rockin’ the House – Volume 1

DURATION: 5 Episodes + 2 bonus episodes (113 minutes)

DVD INFORMATION: Dolby Digital 5.1, 2.0 Surround Sound, Full Screen (1:33:1), Subtitles: English

COMPANY: Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment

RATED: TV G

RELEASE DATE:  September 22, 2009

Directed by Jerry Levine, Linda Mendoza, Lev K. Spiro, Paul hoen, Savage Steve Holland, Sean McNamara, Jeremiah S. Chechik

Written by Michael Curtis, Roger S.H. Schulman

Executive Producer: Michael Curtis, Roger S.H. Schulman

Co-Executive Producer: Ivan Menchell

Producer: Greg Hamspon

Associate Producer: Nick Pavonetti

Line Producer as Chris Plourde

Music by Kenneth Burgomaster

Cinematography by John Simmons and Feliks Parnell

Edited by Steven Sprung

Casting by Barbie Block, Sally Stiner

Production Design by Michael Hynes

Art Direction by Diana Yates

Costume Design by Jane Janiger and Elizabeth Wheat

Starring:

Kevin Jonas as Kevin Lucas

Joe Jonas as Joe Lucas

Nick Jonas as Nick Lucas

Chelsea Staub as Stella Malone

Nicole Gale Anderson as Macy Misa

John Ducey as Tm Lucas

Frankie Jonas as Frankie Lucas

Rebecca Creskoff as Sandy Lucas

Bridgit Mendler as Penny

Five episodes of the latest smash-hit Disney Channel Original Series are available on DVD JONAS is the hottest rock band on the planet! Band members Nick, Kevin, and Joe Lucas are superstar pop idols who tear up the stage, night after night, causing severe outbreaks of JONAS induced hysteria. But behind the cool clothes and sleek guitars, they’re just three boys from New Jersey. These ultra-talented brothers are also best friends and still live at home with Mom, Dad, and little brother Frankie. At school, they hang out with lifelong friend and style guru Stella Malone who believes fashion is the sixth sense. And when their classmate – and major fan – Macy gets uncontrollably excited around them, usually someone’s going to get hurt. These brothers are probably the only superstar idols who still have to do the dishes, but they know how lucky they are to be living their dream.

The Jonas Brothers began development on their new Disney Channel Original Series which was set to premiere in January 2008 but due to the Guild Writers Strike, the series was delayed and premiered on television in May 2009.

The comedy series is reminiscent to another classic music-based comedy shows such as “The Partridge Family” or “The Monkeys” in which the storylines focus on a topic and is essentially a comedy series.  Also, similar to those classic shows, the Jonas Brothers perform a song relating to the show.

“JONAS” revolves around three brothers who are in a popular band known as JONAS.  Here is a summary of the primary characters of the show:

THE LUCAS FAMILY

Kevin Lucas (Kevin Jonas) - The elder brother who loves playing the guitar and his mind sometimes is way out there.  And typically the brother who is most willing to do wacky things.

Joe Lucas (Joe Jonas) – The cool member of the group who has a close relationship with the band’s fashion stylist and good friend Stella Malone (Chelsea Staub) but doesn’t want to hurt their friendship so he never shows any romantic interest in her.

Nick Lucas (Nick Jonas) -  The intelligent and calm brother who tries to knock some sense into his two older brothers.

Tom Lucas (John Ducey) – The father and the manager of the group

Sandy (Rebecca Creskoff) – The loving mother

Frankie Lucas (Frankie Jonas) – The younger brother and wants to be in the spotlight like his older brothers.

Other Characters:

Stella Malone (Chelsea Staub) -A childhood friend of the Lucas brothers, who literally grew up with Joe Jonas when they were young toddlers.  She is attracted to Joe but doesn’t want to ruin their friendship but she does get jealous when Joe has his attention set on other girls.

Macy Misa (Nicole Anderson) – Stella’s good friend and the band’s #1 fan who tends to cause the Lucas brothers some problems at times.

In the first volume of “JONAS: Rockin’ the House”, the DVD features the following episodes:

• Groovy Movies (Episode 2) – The guys want to surprise their mother with a gift but accidentally destroy a major prized possession.
• Wrong Song (Episode 1) – Nick is falling for a girl named Penny and his brothers are concerned that he’s falling head-over-heels to quickly for her.
• Pizza Girl (Episode 3) – All Lucas brothers are attracted to their pizza delivery girl and the brothers compete against each other on who can impress her first.
• Band’s Best Friend (Episode 5) - Carl, a childhood friend of the brothers come to visit but has ulterior motives on why he is visiting them.
• Chasing the Dream (Episode 6) - Kevin gives Macy a chance to become a backup singer but her vocals are very bad.  How will he break it to her that he can’t use her?
• BONUS EPISODE: Beauty and the Beat – The guys become judges for the “Miss Most Amazing Teen Competition”, but judging the girls become difficult when Stella becomes a contestant.
• BONUS EPISODE: Cold Shoulder - Kevin’s friend from Scandinavia comes to America but although Kevin loves her for her, everyone around them think that they are a strange couple.  Meanwhile, someone is posting pictures of the JONAS members on the fan website.

VIDEO & AUDIO:

“JONAS: Rockin’ the House – Volume 1″ is presented in Full Screen (1:33:1) and is presented in Dolby Digital 5.1 and 2.0 Surround Sound.  The picture quality is different from other Disney Channel shows in that it’s filmed like a drama series and is not in front of a live audience.   Audio quality is front and center channel-driven and dialogue is understandable and music is clear.

Subtitles are featured in English SDH and Spanish.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

“JONAS: Rockin’ the House – Volume 1″ comes with the following special features:

• BONUS EPISODES – Two unaired episodes: Beauty and the Beast and Cold Shoulder
• You Just Been Jo Bro’d! – Suprising Chelsea Staub – (11:19) Similar to a show like ‘Punk’d', the Jonas Brothers prank their co-star Chelsea Staub.
• Dylan & Cole Sprouse: Blu-Ray is Suite – (4:45) A featurette about Blu-ray and High Definition.
• Learn How to Take Your Favorite Movies on the Go – (1:03) A Featurette explaining what a Disney Digital Copy is.

As a guy who has reviewed many shows from female and male idol groups worldwide, “JONAS: Rockin’ the House – Volume 1″ is one of those shows that I found fun, but also campy but know that the series will more than likely appeal to the Jonas Brothers  fans.  And for fans, especially the parents, this is a solid DVD release that you’ll definitely get your money’s worth.

Some shows are just too campy such as “Groovy Movies” in which the brother’s try to re-enact their childhood home videos (after accidentally destroying the original copies of their mother’s home video collection) as a birthday present for their mom. Or the episode “Cold Shoulder” in which Kevin Lucas and his Scandinavian girlfriend start doing a dance similar to the 70′s “The Hustle” despite the chagrin of everyone watching them.  But then there are episodes that are just crazy and hilarious such as the bonus episode “BEAUTY & THE BEAT” in which the episode is very similar to the real life situation of what happened during the Miss Teen USA 2007 but for the character of Stella.

But for the most part, even the past classic shows of “The Partridge Family” and “The Monkeys” had their share of campiness as well, but it all comes down to the viewers and their fans and if they are entertained by it.  I grew up with the music-based show “Kids Inc.” (which starred the Black Eyed Peas member FERGIE) back in the late 80′s which is probably uber-campy now but at the time, as a child, I absolutely loved that show.  Nevertheless, this show is for the Jonas Brothers fans and for families looking for family-fun entertainment, “JONAS: Rockin’ the House – Volume 1″ is entertaining and fun.

And I think it was very cool for Disney to also include two bonus episodes along with the five that are included.  So, nevertheless, fans (especially the parents) are getting their money’s worth with this release.

So, for the Jonas Brothers fans, if you enjoyed “JONAS” on the Disney Channel, you’ll definitely enjoy volume 1 of “JONAS: Rockin’ the House” and for you, this DVD is definitely recommended!

Sgt. Frog – Season One, Part 1 (a J!-ENT Anime DVD Review)

“Unique, fun and gut-bursting humor!  “Sgt. Frog” is probably one of the most odd and crazy anime series you’ll ever see.  Hilarious in Japanese but the writing for the English dub definitely takes things up a notch!  Highly recommended!”

 

Image courtesy of © Mine Yoshizaki/Kadokawashoten, SUNRISE, TV TOKYO.  All Rights Reserved.

DVD TITLE: Sgt. Frog – Season One, Part 1

DURATION: 13 Episodes (325 Minutes)

DVD INFORMATION: 4:3, English 5.1 Dolby Surround Sound, Japanese Stereo

COMPANY: Sunrise TV/FUNimation Entertainment

RATED: TV PG

Release Date: September 8, 2009

Based on the manga by Mine Yoshizaki

Chief Director: Junichi Sato

Director: Yusuke Yamamoto

Series Composition by Mamiko Ikeda

Script by Hiroshi Yamaguchi, Kuniaki Kasahara, Mamiko Ikeda, Masahiro Yokotani, Satoru Nishizono, Yasuko Kobayashi

Character Design by Fumitoshi Oisaki

Animation Director: Asako Nishida

Sound Director: Yota Tsuruoka

Anime Production by Sunrise

Featuring the following voice talent:

Akiko Hiramatsu/Jamie Marchi as Aki Hinata

Chiwa Saito/Cherami Leigh as Natsumi Hinata

Houku Kuwashima/Leah Clark as Fuyuki Hinata

Haruna Ikezawa/Monica Rial as Momoka Nishizawa

Kumiko Watanabe/Todd Habekorn as Keroro

Etsuko Kozakura/Brina Palencia as Tamama

Jouji Nakata/Christopher R. Sabat as Giroro

Takehito Koyasu/Chuck Huber as Kururu

Takeshi Kusao/J. Michael Tatum as Dororo

Keiji Fujiwara/R. Bruce Elliott as Narrator

Mmiko Noto/Carrie Savage as Angol Mois

Keroro is Sergeant Frog – the leader f a platoon of warriors sent to conquer planet Earth.  But when the amphibious invaders discovered how much humans enjoy dissecting their comrades, the troops were scattered, the mission was aborted and Keroro was abandoned.  Now, this once proud soldier spends more time wielding a vacuum than he does the weapons of war.  It’s a far cry from the glory of battle, but hey, at least he’s got his own room.  And though the invasion may have slowed to a hop, Sergeant Frog still occasionally yearns to overcome his karaoke addiction and reassemble his troops.  Watch out world, the frogs are taking over.

Unique, fun and gut-bursting humor!  “Sgt. Frog” is probably one of the most odd and crazy anime series you’ll ever see.  Hilarious in Japanese but the writing for the English dub definitely takes things up a notch!

Since 1999, the manga series “Keroro Gunso” (aka “Sgt. Frog”)  by Mine Yoshizaki (“Arcade Gamer Fubuki”, “Chibi Kero” and “Seven of Seven”) has been entertaining readers.  Since 2004, the anime series has been entertaining viewers and both continue to be popular long-running series in Japan.  Now the award winning series gets its first US anime DVD release with the first 13 episodes now arriving in the US.

The anime series is directed by Yusuke Yamamoto (“Welcome to the NHK, “Sakura Taisen”, “Mobile Suit Victor Gundam” and Arjuna”) and features character designs by Fumitoshi Oisaki (“Romeo x Juliet”, “Ontama” and “Kaleido Star”).  The series is known for its use of parodies of pop culture and in the Japanese case, you will see a plenty of pop culture references to anime and video games.  While, the English dub features a slightly different script than the Japanese and utilizes American pop culture (which I will describe more in the video and audio segment of this review).

The series revolves around an alien race of frogs who have come to conquer the planet Earth.  But somehow along the way, things didn’t go as expected and the leader of the platoon, Sergeant Frog finds himself living with the Hinata family.  Always up to mischief and trying to find a way to conquer Earth, he is befriended by the weak and paranormal/supernatural obsessed boy Fuyuki, beaten to a pulp by his strong sister Natsumi and given a place to live by their mother (and manga editor) Aki who uses him as a source of ideas for her new manga.

With his obsession for Mobile Suit Gundam models, television and snacks, Sgt. Frog gets too used to human life, that is until his fellow platoon finds out that he has been neglecting his duties.

The main characters of “Sgt. Frog” are:

The Hinata Family

Fuyuki – A boy who just wants to be best friends with Sgt. Frog (Keroro) and always sees the positive in him.  An odd kid who is obsessed with paranormal and supernatural things, really doesn’t have any friends and runs a high school club based on the paranormal and supernatural with no members.  Possesses Keroro’s weapon of mass destruction (because his sister told him to hold on to it).

Natsumi – Athletic and very intuitive when it comes to what is going on in her home.  Natsumi is hot tempered and not very appreciative that her mother let Keroro live with them.  Whenever Keroro (and the other frogs) misbehave, she’s quick to beat him to a pulp.

Aki – The beautiful mother and a manga editor who lets Keroro live with the family.  Not for kindness but mostly to get ideas for her new manga.  She also gives Keroro one of the rooms to the house for him to live in but mainly because a ghost has been inhabiting the room and also because it’s messy and expects him to clean it up.

The Armpit Platoon consists of:

Sgt. Frog (Keroro) - The green frog is the leader of the platoon.  Despite being the sergeant of the platoon, he is quite a daft and lazy frog.  He enjoys building Mobile Suit Gundam models, eating and watching television.  He knows that each time something breaks, Aki and Natsumi Hinata will be on his case so he is somewhat mindful of the Hinata family.  Also knowing that if he does chores at home, he can use his allowance to buy Gundam models.  But he knows his role in Earth and that he and his platoon needs to conquer the Earth but most of the time his other hobbies get it in the way of that.

Corporal Giroro – The red frog with a scar on his face who happens to be a weapons expert.  Loves combat and is a gung-ho type of character.   He is the main person in the Platoon who has a disdain of Sgt. Frog’s leadership and is the one often yelling at him to remember their goal.  But he also has a soft side and that is the fact that he is attracted to Natsumi Hinata’s strength and temper.  So, much that he has fallen for her and will do what he can to protect her.  He lives in the back yard of the Hinata’s home and finds friendship in the neighborhood cat Mr. Furbottom.

Private Second Class Tamama – The black frog with a tadpole tail and the youngest and most experienced member of the Platoon.   When pushed, he can be quite destructive (shooting beams out of his mouth).  Known for his gas problems and also for his major jealousy complex.  He lives with the wealthy Momoka Nishizawa and gets everything he wants.  But is very jealous of the female alien Angol Mois (who is in love with Keroro) and gets very upset that someone else likes the Sgt.

Sergeant Major Kururu – The yellow frog and the platoon’s intelligence and strategic planning officer.    Very intelligent and loves building things but despite being a superior to Keroro, he defers to him because he’s somewhat of a mad scientist.  In someways, when testing his creations on Keroro, he enjoys seeing people getting in bad or painful situations the experimenting on those creations.  Also, loves listening to music in his earphones.  He originally was taken into the home of Mutsumi Saburo but has built a base under the home of the Hinatas.

Lance Corporal Dororo/Zeroro - The blue frog and a member of the Elite Assassin Squad and the Armpit Platoon.    Looks like a ninja by the mask he wears and is even more deadlier than Corporal Giroro.  When he was younger, he didn’t have any friends and was befriended by Keroro and Giroro (because he was rich and had a large collection of Gundam’s).  Each time he went out with Keroro, he would get hurt badly.  He is starting to learn that his friends when he was younger really weren’t that good of friends and thus, has resentment towards the Platoon (because they all forgot about him) and thus changed his name from Zeroro to Dororo.  Spends his time with ninja Koyuki Azumaya taking on aliens and protecting humankind (Pekopons).

Other significant characters:

Momoka Nishizawa – The daughter of a billionaire and very much in love with Fuyuki.  Does what she can to get close to Fuyuki but the emotions that she is feeling, doesn’t necessarily come out the way she wants when she says it.  Has a distrust towards any female near Fuyuki and can’t stand it when anyone interferes with her time with Fuyuki.  The alien frog Tamama stays at her place.

Mutsumi Saburo – Very intelligent and excels at almost everything.  A DJ and a lover of Gundam, he happens to be a guy who Natsumi Hinata likes but her brother Fuyuki doesn’t like him at all.  The alien frog Kururu once stayed with him and even taught Saburo some tricks.

Paul Moriyama – Momoko’s butler and guardian.  Known to have great fighting skills and has sworn his life to protect Momoko.

Angol Moa – An alien from another tribe.  Also known as the “King of Terror” wand was supposed to destroy Earth in July 1999 but arrives 500 years early and thus went to sleep in orbit.  She wakes up but finds out that she is five years late.  She is known for using a cell phone which she inputs in order to create a major weapon which can destroy the Earth and the ability to shoot powerful blasts.  But because of her love for Keroro, she will do what he says and thus, decides not to destroy the Earth.  Although she is doesn’t know it, she is the rival to Tamama (who can’t stand Angol Moa’s smile and kindness) and will do whatever she can to protect Keroro.

Koyuki Azumaya – A ninja who joins Natsumi’s school and has athletic ability that rivals Natsumi.  Friends with the alien frog Dororo and together they take on aliens who pose a threat to the Pekopons (Earthlings) and also has a thing about sniffing people.

Jessica Harpie -  A member of the galactic Interpol and catches criminals around the galaxy.

Omiyo – The ghost that lives in the Hinata house and occupies what is now Keroro’s room.

“Sgt. Frog – Season One, Part 1″ features a total of 13 episodes on two DVD’s.  Each episode consists of two mini-episodes, most often at times are related to each other. but sometimes you get two different stories per episode.  Here is a spoiler-less summary:

DISC 1:

• EPISODE 1-  Meet the Sergeant! – The introduction of Keroro and how he came to live with the Hinata family.
• EPISODE 2- Bag of Secrets! - We are introduced to Momoka Nishizawa who is in love with Fuyuki Hinata.  We are also introduced to the alien frog, Tamama.
• EPISODE 3 – Amphibian On the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown - With Tamama getting all the things he wants, Keroro is bored by living at the Hinata home.  Meanwhile, a mysterious thing has been spying on the Hinata’s.
• EPISODE 4 – Blood Violence Death Kill! – We are introduced to Corporal Giroro and Giroro comes up with an idea to make Keroro more of a warrior.
• EPISODE 5 – The Day Gundam Cried! – Keroro wants a Gundam at a toy store and needs Fuyuki’s help.
• EPISODE 6 – Ghost Kiss-Perer! – Momoka invites Fuyuki to a private island and next thing you know the Hinata family and frogs are all coming.  Will Fuyuki and her butler Paul be able to make Fuyuki like him?
• EPISODE 7 – Apocalypse Later! – The Lord of Terror makes her appearance.  Meanwhile, we learn that Tamama is jealous of her.

DISC 2:

• EPISODE 8 – Base: The Final Frontier! – Keroro builds a secret base inside the fridge.
• EPISODE 9 – Desperately Seeking Brains! – Mutsumi Saburo introduces a member of the Armpit Platoon… Kururu. Meanwhile, Kururu creates an age manipulation gun that can make anything many years younger and Aki Hinata volunteers.
• EPISODE 10 – Sgt. Frog versus the Cavitians of Cavity 9! – Keroro is suffering from a cavity (alien invaders have taken control of Keroro’s cavity) and Kururu comes up with an idea to take them on.
• EPISODE 11 – Fake It ‘Til You Make It! – Celebrities from a galactic TV show want to do a show on Earth at the Hinata home.
• EPISODE 12 – Pop Startled! – A pop star (a third runner-up of “Galactic Idol”) visits the Hinata home.  And Giroro loses his weapon’s sash.
• EPISODE 13 – Viper? I Hardly Knew Her! – The introduction of Dororo and Koyuki.

VIDEO & AUDIO:

“Sgt. Frog” is presented in 4:3.  For the most part, the entertaining part of “Sgt. Frog” are its characters but also the little Japanese pop culture references, especially Keroro’s love for “Gundam” (which the model kits are featured in the anime series).  The colors are vibrant and for a television show, the animation works great for this series.  Keroro and his members of the Armpit Platoon are frogs with a cool and cute character design, that it’s no surprise that this series has an extensive merchandise collection in Japan.

As for audio, the English dub is featured in Dolby Surround Sound and the Japanese is featured in stereo.  For the most part, I have watched both in English and Japanese and the voice acting on both are great.  As for audio quality, I preferred to watch the series with my receiver setting at stereo on all channels but for the most part, the English dialogue is front and center channel driven if watched via 5.1 Dolby Surround.

Now when it comes to audio and watching it on both languages, there is a difference between the English and Japanese version.  For the most part, the English version has a rewritten script that utilizes the same storyline as the Japanese version but features American pop culture references and more dialogue.  So, for example, when the Japanese dialogue is quiet, in the English dialogue, you may hear the narrator speaking.

Although I tend to prefer watching anime in Japanese, I have to admit that I found the English dub quite wild and crazy.  For example, during one scene in which Hinata siblings and the aliens meet a fellow Galactic pop star, in the Japanese dialogue there is discussion of how popular she is.  While in the English dub, they use “American Idol” references to showcase her popularity.

Granted, some people may not be familiar with the American pop culture references (especially since certain situations are taken from that time period, for example the Miley Cyrus and Asians comment) and may easily fly over the heads of those who are not familiar with American pop culture but for the most part, the rewritten screenplay by Jamie Marchi, Jared Hedges and Joel Bergen will easily make people laugh.  For those familiar with what Joel Bergen did with “Crayon Shin Chan” will know what kind of humor to expect from the series albeit a more PG rating.

Subtitles are featured in English.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

“Sgt. Frog – Season One, Part 1″ comes with the following special features:

• Pekopon Invasion Recon Data – Using your remote, you can cycle through various data such as the school uniforms, the vacuum cleaner, the watermelon, afro and more.
• Textless Opening Song – Ribbit March – (1:32) Textless opening theme
• Textless Closing Song – Afro Gunsou - (1:32) Textless closing theme
• Trailers – FUNimation Entertainment upcoming releases

Crazy, enjoyable and just all out fun!  I have to admit that I was completely unfamiliar with the story of “Sgt. Frog” before watching this DVD.  I knew about the character Keroro and the platoon members through the various merchandise seen at many Japanese and Chinese shops but I really didn’t know anything about the series.

And what can I say, after watching “Sgt. Frog – Season One, Part 1″,  I’ve become a fan!  I really don’t think anyone can be disappointed with this DVD set as its absolutely fresh, wild and crazy.  As people are wanting to find a series that is fun and unique, I think that anime fans that are into comedy-based series can find something to like about “Sgt. Frog”.

Having watched the episodes in Japanese and English, the Japanese version was hilarious but being an American and familiar with the pop culture references in the dialogue and the Japanese pop culture references on the show, I had a great time watching it with the English dub.  You can tell there was great care on the American side into utilizing the time of the series to create additional dialogue and of course, coming up with something new to make the characters much crazier for an American audience.

It’s important to note that FUNimation Entertainment went with the original names for the dub, so for those who saw the test episode on YouTube and were not satisfied with the name changes, FUNimation Entertainment did fix that up with only Giroro’s cat keeping the name “Mr. Furbottom” and the voice talent changed for the final cut.

As for the parents who are wondering if the show is safe for children, although the series is rated TV PG, there is no naughty talk or any profanity.

There is only one scene in episode 9 in which a young Aki Hinata (who looks like Fuyuki) is hugged by Momoka Nishizawa and in the process of that hug, Nishizawa who wraps her arm around Aki and her hands on the side of her chest, she wonders why Fuyuki has breasts.   And of course, there is a lot of mayhem and some fight scenes but seriously, the series is quite tame and is even aired to children in Japan (as evident by its targeted merchandise towards children in Japan) and various parts of the world.  And I also shared the series with my six-year-old son who absolutely loved the series.

Overall, this is an anime series that is worth purchasing!  For those who enjoyed “Crayon Shin Chan” (US dialogue version) may enjoy this much tamer but hilarious anime series.  But really, this series really can’t be compared to anything.  It’s that fresh, wild and crazy.  One can definitely expect “Sgt. Frog” to be a series that has cool and fun characters and outrageously written episodes, definitely make this anime series worth the purchase!

Highly recommended!

 

X-MEN VOLUME 4 – Marvel DVD Comic Book Collection (a J!-ENT DVD Review)

“Continuing the excitement of the classic X-Men animated series on DVD, Volume 4 includes a lot of cool episodes which include the ‘Proteus’, ‘Sanctuary’ and the ‘Beyond Good and Evil’ storylines.  For those who grew up with the X-Men during the 1990′s, expect to see storylines that are centered around Proteus, Magneto, the Acolytes, Silver Samurai, The Shadow King, Mr. Sinister, Apocalypse and more!”

Images courtesy of © MARVEL, X-MEN and all related characters and their distinctive likenesses thereof are trademarks of Marvel Characters, Inc. and are used with permission.© Buena Vista Home Entertainment, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

DVD TITLE: X-MEN VOLUME 4 (Marvel DVD Comic Book Collection)

DURATION: 322 Minutes (14 Episodes)

DVD INFORMATION: English, Dolby Digital Surround Sound, Fullscreen (1:33:1), French and Spanish Language Tracks, French and Spanish Subtitles

COMPANY: Marvel Entertainment Group/Buena Vista Home Entertainment

RATED: TV Y7 FV

RELEASE DATE:  September 15, 2009

Starring:

Cedric Smith as the voice of Professor Charles Xavier

Cal Dodd as the voice of Wolverine/Logan

Norm Spencer as the voice of Cyclops/Scott Summers

Lenore Zann as the voice of Rogue

George Buza as the voice of Beast/Doctor Henry “Hank” McCoy

Catherine Disher as the voice of Jean Grey/Phoenix

Iona Morris (1992) and Alison Sealy-Smith (1992-1997) as the voice of Storm/Ororo Munroe

Alyson Court as the voice of Jubilee/Jubilation Lee

Chris Potter as the voice of Gambit/Remy Lebeau

Lawrence Bayne as the voice of Cable, Erik the Redd

Payl Haddad as the voice of Nightcrawler/Kurt Wagner

Jeremy Ratchford as the voice of Banshee/Sean Cassidy

Lally Cadeau as the voice of Doctor Moira McTaggart

Ron Rubin as the voice of Morph

Marc Strange as the voice of Forge

Philip Akin as the voice of Bishop

David Hemblen as the voice of Magneto/Erik Lehnsherr

John Colicos and James Blendick as the voice of Apocalypse

Don Francks as the voice of Sabretooth/Victor Creed, Puck/Eugene Milton Judd, Shaman

Christopher Britton II as the voice of Mister Sinister/Nathaniel Essex

Rick Bennett as the voices of Juggernaut/Cain Marko and Colossus/Piotr Rasputin

The action reaches all-new heights in Volume 4 of the landmark X-Men animated series. With adventures adapted directly from the original Marvel® comic books, this collection is a rich piece of the X-Men legacy and a must-have for every X-Men fan. The X-Men must join forces with the heroes of the future when Apocalypse, a mighty mutant, is driven completely mad by his powers! Discover the stunning conclusion to the 4-part epic “Beyond Good And Evil” in this sensational 14-episode set.

The action and adventures continue in another action-packed volume of “X-MEN”.

For 46 years, the mutant superhero team known as “X-Men” have been a part of the lives of several generations.  I personally grew up with the the X-Men during the latest 70′s and early 80′s but became interested once again during the early 90′s when artist Jim Lee brought a new look and eventually created this incredible synergy amongst the fans.   A time when Chris Claremont was ending his run and the storylines would be be infused by more excitement from Fabien Nicieza and Scot Lobdell.

The 1990′s were quite an interesting time as collectors, including myself were overjoyed by anything X-related that came out.  “Uncanny X-Men”, “X-Men”, “X-Factor”, “X-Force”, “Generation X”, “Wolverine”, “Cable”, “X-Man” and various limited series and solo comics that many of us were hooked on at the time.

We were greeted with awesome storylines such as the “The X-Tinction Agenda”, “The Muir Island Saga”, “X-Cutioner’s Song”, “Fatal Attractions”, “Phalanx Covenant” and “Age of Apocalypse” from 1990-1995 and in addition to the excitement in the comic books (which would continue on with the action figures from Toy Biz), the animated series was one of those special events that took place in October 1992 on the Fox Network.

I can easily remember how many of my friends and fellow comic book collectors were excited for the series.  Although not exactly the same type of storyline from the comic books, the animated series captured the heart and soul of the X-Men and “X-Men: The Animated Series” would continue on through 1998.

Needless to say, the animated series is close to the heart for the diehard X-Men fan but also those who were young when the series came out, are now wanting to share the animated series with their own children.  And for me, it’s great to watch this series alongside my six-year-old son and seeing him enjoy the series as well.

On September 15, both “X-MEN VOLUME 3″ and “X-MEN VOLUME 4″ will be released as part of the Marvel DVD Comic Book Collection.

“X-MEN VOLUME 4″ comes with 14 episodes on two discs.  It’s important to note that according to Buena Vista Home Entertainment, “X-MEN VOLUME 4″ is going by how the episodes were aired and not by production episode number.  So, I will list the episodes with their episode # on the DVD but also their episode script #. Included are spoiler-less summaries:

DISC: 1

• EPISODE 49 (56) – Proteus (Part 1) - Moira MacTaggert asks Professor X for his help in finding her song Kevin (aka Proteus) who is missing.
• EPISODE 50 (47) – Proteus (Part 2) – When Kevin (Proteus) goes to find his father and his father finds out he is a mutant, Kevin doesn’t take it too well.  Will the X-Men be able to prevent him from creating mass destruction.
• EPISODE 51 (48) – Sanctuary (Part 1) - Magento tries to invite mutants to Asteroid M but Fabian Cortez betrays his leader and accuses the X-Men for Magneto’s disappearance.
  
• EPISODE 52 (49) – Sanctuary (Part 2) – Fabian Cortez assumes control of Asteroid M since Magneto is gone.
• EPISODE 53 (63) – Beyond Good and Evil (Part 1) – Apocalypse steals Cable’s time device.
• EPISODE 54 (64) – Beyond Good and Evil (Part 2) - Mr. Sinister kidnaps Professor X, Jean Grey and  Psylocke.
  
• EPISODE 55 (65) – Beyond Good and Evil (Part 3) – Cable tries to stop Apocalypse who is trying to use the psychics in order to destroy time.
• EPISODE 56 (66) – Beyond Good and Evil (Part 4) – The X-Men along with Cable, Bishop and Shard try to stop Apocalypse.

DISC 2:

• EPISODE 57 (62)  – Have Yourself a Morlock Little Christmas – The X-Men prepare for a merry Christmas until they meet a morlock named Leech.
• EPISODE 58 (60) – The Lotus and the Steel – Villagers in Japan beg for Wolverine’s help after the Silver Samurai and his bandits attack the village.
• EPISODE 59 (45) – Love in Vain – An alien spaceship crashes into the deserts of New Mexico and try to possess Wolverine.
• EPISODE 60 (52) – Secrets.  Not Long Buried – Cyclops takes on the Children of the Shadow, a mutant group that hates humans.
• EPISODE 61 (50) – Xavier Remembers – The Shadow King tries to possess Professor X, which leads to Jean Grey going against him.
• EPISODE 62 (58)- Family Ties – The X-Men take on High Evolutionary and his New Men.

VIDEO & AUDIO:

“X-MEN” the animated series is presented in full screen (1:33:1).  One thing that you will notice is that the animation does show its age.  Since the animation was created over 17-years ago, a lot of the animation is hand drawn and compared to many of the digital animated series that are show on television today, the animation doesn’t have that digital color vibrancy as newer animations and also, you will notice that the animation does has its share of scratches and dust (that a lot of classic animation have on DVD).

As for audio, audio is presented in Dolby 2.0 and is dialogue-driven (a French and Spanish language track is also included).  Unfortunately, the soundtrack is front channel driven but for those who have receivers capable of a setting to enable stereo on all channels, I found that to be the best setting to enjoy the series on my home theater system.

As for subtitles, “X-MEN VOLUME 4″ is provided in English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

There are no special features included on both DVD’s.

I was among the big X-Men fans who were highly anticipating the series and just loved it! Needless to say, I was such a fan that I had to purchase X-related title during the early 90′s including the old school Toy Biz action figures.   So, the “X-Men: The Animated Series” was like the icing on the cake for me.  As a collector of the X-Men comic books around that time period, to have a series based on Jim Lee’s character designs and a series with so much potential of showcasing a variety of enemies and characters, it was always a treat to find out who would be introduced in each episode.

In fact, during the hoopla and way before the Internet became part of our natural lives, many of the fans would communicate about the episodes through electronic BBS’s and show our happiness and excitement over the animated series, the action figure line and of course the many multiple X-Men related comic book series that flourished from the early 90′s.

For volume 4, the first disc contains the sagas “Proteus”, “Sanctuary” and “Beyond Good and Evil” on the first disc.  For the “Proteus” storyline, the Moira McTaggart and Professor X storylines often were deep in the comic books.  It would have been interesting if they had a storyline exploring Legion and Proteus but nevertheless, it was great to see Banshee in the episode.

As for “Sanctuary”, it was cool to see the Acolytes in animated format and to see a storyline that revolved around Fabian Cortez.  And “Beyond Good and Evil”, it was no surprise (especially during the early 90′s) that we would get storylines based on Apocalypse, Mr. Sinister and Cable.  If anything, during this time, I’ve always wanted more Cable and Bishop related storylines and sure enough, these four episodes were it.

For the second disc, a lot of the episodes started to feature on a character as “The Lotus and the Steel” would take on Logan’s Japan roots and have him go against Silver Samurai, “Love and Vain” would be a more Rogue-driven episode, “Secrets, Not Long Buried” primarily focusing on Cyclops and “Xavier Remembers” a more Jean Grey episode.

Now, there is one thing that is a big negative that hardcore fans of the animated series may find and that is the choice to feature the episodes via air date and not script #.  So, an episode such as “Beyond and Good and Evil” which are #63-#66 in script # is #53-#56 on the DVD.  But continuity was more effected in volume 3 than volume 4 by the episode listing.

Granted, I know there are hardcore fans who really take issue of the episode listing on this DVD series but knowing how long fans have waited for the series and knowing what’s done is done, this is probably the best we are going to get of the series in a long time (unless they remaster and restore it for a Blu-ray release in the future which I don’t know if that will ever happen).  So, with that being said, I still recommend the purchase of the series, especially if you have already purchased volume 1 and 2.

Overall, both “X-MEN VOLUME 3″ and “X-MEN VOLUME 4″ are both entertaining season sets covering seasons 3 and 4 and featured a lot of popular characters that were running in the comic books at that time.

For fans of the “X-MEN” animated series, despite the episode listing which is disconcerting for some, the episodes are still entertaining, action-packed and still fun to watch over 15 years later and yes… still worth owning!  “X-MEN: The Animated Series” fans, definitely worth having in your collection!

Dragon Ball – Season One (a J!-ENT Anime DVD Review)

“Enjoyable, addicting and absolutely awesome!  This is the animated series that introduced Goku, Bulma, Krillin, Yamcha and friends.  31 Episodes in one volume, you’re definitely getting your money’s worth with this release.  Highly recommended!”

 

Image courtesy of © 1986 STUDIO/SHUEISHA, TOEI ANIMATION.  All Rights Reserved.

DVD TITLE: Dragon Ball – Seasone One

DURATION: 31 Episodes, 5 DVD’s (745 Minutes)

DVD INFORMATION: 4:3, English Voice Track with Original Japanese music 5.1 Surround, Japanese Voice Track with Original Music Mono

COMPANY: Toei Animation/FUNimation Entertainment

RATED: TV 14

Release Date: August 25, 2009

Originally created by Akira Toriyama

Directed by Daisuke Nisho and Minoru Okazaki

Music by Shusuke Kikuchi

Character Designs by Minoru Maeda, Yuki Ikeda

Anime Production by Toei Anime

Featuring the following voice talent:

Masao Nozawa/Stephanie Nadolny as Son Goku

Hiromi Tsuru/Tiffany Vollmer as Bulma

Daisuke Gouri as Umigame

Eiko Yamada/Julie Franklin as Mai

Kenji Utsumi/Christopher R. Sabat as Shen Long

Kohei Miyauchi/Mike McFarland as Kame Sennin (Master Roshi)

Mayumi Shou/Laura Bailey as Chi Chi

Mayumi Tanaka as Krillin

Naoki Tatsuta/Brad Jackson as Oolong

Naoko Watanabe/Monika Antonelli as Pu’erh (Puar)

Christopher R. Sabat as Grandpa Gohan and Turtle

Shigeru Chiba/Chuck Huber as Pilaf

Tohru Furuya as Yamcha

Duncan Brannan as Monster Carrot

The greatest adventure of all time begins now!

Goku may be small, but this fearless warrior packs a punch as powerful as any on the planet.  Left alone after his grandfather’s and eating some more.  But all that changes on the day he meets Bulma – a bossy, blue-haired beauty with boys on the brain.  Together, they set out to track down the seven magic Dragon Balls and make the wish that they will change their lives forever.

And that’s just the beginning!  Goku also spends some time on Turtle Island where he and Krillin study martial arts under the legendary Master Roshi.  The old hermit may not look like much, but if his new pupils can find him a woman, he’ll make sure they’re ready to rumble at the upcoming World Martial Arts Tournament.

Season One of Dragon Ball is a must-have for everyone from the die-hard fan to the next generation of collectors.

It’s the series that started it all… “Dragon Ball”.  Originally, a manga series written and illustrated by Akira Toriyama for “Shonen Jump”, the manga series lasted from 1984 through 1995 and since the manga series has produced several anime series which include “Dragon Ball”, “Dragon Ball Z”, “Dragon Ball GT” and currently in Japan, a new HD broadcasting of “Dragon Ball Kai” and in 2009, an American live action film titled “Dragonball Evolution” was released worldwide.

“Dragon Ball” is the first arc of the series which aired in Japan from 1986 through 1989 and lasted for 153 episodes.  The series was released by Harmony Gold USA in the late 80′s and then by FUNimation Entertainment in 1995 and uncut episodes were released on DVD in 2003.

But now the episodes will be released in the USA for the first season of “Dragon Ball” for the first time uncut, remastered and digitally restored.

“Dragon Ball” focuses on Son Goku, a boy who is not familiar with any humans but his Grandpa Gohan.  One day, a teenage girl named Bulma uses her Dragon Ball radar to track down a Dragon Ball belonging to Goku.  Goku explains to her that he never seen any female humans before but his grandfather taught him to be nice to them.  He also explains that the Dragon Ball he has was given to him as a gift by his grandfather.

Bulma who has accumulated a few Dragon Balls herself wants to find the remaining Dragon Balls in order to grant herself a wish.  Goku decides to join her on her quest to find the Dragon Balls and along the way the two have their own set of challenges.

“Dragon Ball” focuses on the following characters:

Son Goku – Not much is known about Goku’s past.  He was found by a man he calls Grandpa Gohan and trained to be a boy who loves nature and people.  And has incredible strength and fighting ability.  He was warned by his grandfather to never look at the moon but one day he did and turned into a giant ape and accidentally killed his grandfather.  Although not too familiar with humans, he meets a female named Bulma for the first time who is trying to look for Dragon Balls.  Having own the #4 Dragon Ball which his grandfather gave him, he decides to join her on a quest to find the remaining Dragon Balls (seven total).

Bulma – A teenager who’s father is a scientist and owner of the Capsule Corporation.  A technology that people can store vehicles, homes and storage into a tiny capsule.  When thrown, the capsule turns into the actual object that was stored.  She’s rather impulsive and outspoken.  Her dream is to find the Dragon Ballas and make a wish in order to get a perfect boyfriend.

Oolong – A pig who has a fascination with women’s panties.  A perverted pig who once terrorized a village.  Has the ability to transform to anything for five minutes.  Attended a class with Puar in transforming but failed and never learned to stay in a object for more than five minutes.  He joins Bulma and Goku in their mission to find the Dragon Balls.

Yamcha – A banded who is accompanied by his shape-shifting animal Puar.  With his Wolf’s Fang Fist fighting ability, it was not strong enough to beat Goku and thus he ends up assisting both Goku and Bulma along the way in order to get the Dragon Balls.

Krillin – A former monk who has been bullied by his other monks.  He goes to Master Roshi for training and trains alongside Goku and becomes a rival but also good friends with him.

Master Roshi (Kamisama-sen) – An old lecherous man who trained Grandpa Gohan and the Ox King to fight.  Despite looking like an old man, he has a tremendous fighting ability and is known for his devasting attack known as the Kamehameha.  He then takes Goku and Krillin as his students.

Other Characters:

Puar – A shape shifting animal who can shape-shift for a long period of time and hangs around Yamcha.

The Ox-King - Many fear the Ox-King who rules Fire Mountain and is the father of Chi Chi.  Aside from his brute strength, this huge man is a goodhearted guy who just hated people for trying to steal from him.  He also cares deeply about his daughter and does everything to make her happy.

Chi Chi - A girl who is smitten with Goku and wants to marry him.  The daughter of the Ox-King.

Launch – A woman that Master Roshi likes and when normal, she’s a regular, innocent girl.  But when she sneezes, she becomes a whole new different woman with a bad attitude.

The Villains:

Emperor Pilaf – The main antagonist of Bulma and Goku who is trying to collect all the Dragon Balls.  He calls himself the emperor and expects Shu and Mai to find the Dragon Balls.

Shu – A ninja fox who works for Emperor Pilaf.  Tends to be a bit misunderstood and clumsy.

Mai - The gun-toting henchman for Emperor Pilaf.

Colonel Silver – The ruthless high-ranking official of the Red Ribbon Army who will squash anyone in his way in order to find the Dragon Balls.

Red Ribbon Army – Not much is known about the Red Ribbon Army but they are ruthless and are led by Colonel Silver.

“Dragon Ball – Season One” features a total of 31 episodes on five DVD’s.  Here is a spoiler-less summary of each episode:

DISC 1:

• EPISODE 1- Secret of the Dragon Balls – Bulma and Goku meet for the first time.
• EPISODE 2- The Emperor’s Quest – Another group looking for the Dragon Balls.
• EPISODE 3 – The Nimbus Cloud of Roshi – Goku tries to help a turtle get to his home.
• EPISODE 4 – Oolong the Terrible – Bulma and Goku find a Dragon Ball in a nearby village but the village has been terrorized by something called Oolong the Terrible.
• EPISODE 5 – Yamcha the Desert Bandit – Yamcha, the bandit from the desert challenges Goku.
• EPISODE 6 – Keep an Eye on the Dragon Balls – Oolong joins Bulma and Goku on their quest for the Dragon Balls.
• EPISODE 7 – The Ox-King on Fire Mountain – The next Dragon Ball may not be easy to find especially since its located inside the home of the Ox-King.

DISC 2:

• EPISODE 8 – The Kamehameha Wave – Goku and Chi Chi go to Master Roshi for help to calm the fire at Fire mountain.
• EPISODE 9 – Boss Rabbit’s Magic Touch – While at another village, a rabbit turns Bulma into a carrot.  Will Goku be able to beat this troublesome rabbit.
• EPISODE 10 – The Dragon Balls are Stolen – Emperor Pilaf and his group try to steal the Dragon Balls from Bulma.
• EPISODE 11 – The Penalty is Pinball – Emperor Pilaf traps the Goku and friends in a game of pinball.
• EPISODE 12 – A Wish to the Eternal Dragon – Who will make the wish to Shenlong after the Dragon Balls are gathered.
• EPISODE 13 – The Legend of Goku - Bulma and Oolong learn why Grandpa Gohan told Goku not to look at the moon.
• EPISODE 14 – Goku’s Rival – Goku meets his rival/training partner Krillin.

DISC 3:

• EPISODE 15 – Look Out for Launch – Goku and Krillin must find a date for Master Roshi in order to receive training.
• EPISODE 16 – Find that Stone! - Goku and Krillin continue to train while the woman Launch has a secret.
• EPISODE 17 – Milk Delivery – Goku and Krillin delivery milk as part of their training.
• EPISODE 18 – The Turtle Hermit Way – Will Goku and Krillin survive Master Roshi’s training.
• EPISODE 19 – The Tournament Begins – Goku and Krillin take part in their first World Martial Arts Tournament.
• EPISODE 20 – Elimination Round – Goku and Krillin take on their first opponents in the tournament.
• EPISODE 21 – Smells Like Trouble - Krillin must go against the very smelly and foul Bacterian.

DISC 4:

• EPISODE 22- Quarterfinals Begin – Yamcha fights an old man named Jackie Chun in the tournament.
• EPISODE 23 – Monster Beast Giran – Goku takes on the frightening beast Giran in the tournament.
• EPISODE 24 – Krillin’s Frantic Attack! – Krilllin takes on Jackie Chun in the semi-finals of the tournament.
• EPISODE 25 – Danger From Above – Goku takes on Nam in the semi-finals of the tournament.
• EPISODE 26 – The Grand Finals – The finals of the World Martial Arts Tournament featuring Goku vs. Jackie Chun.
• EPISODE 27 – Number One Under the Moon? – When a full moon comes out during the tournament, Goku changes to an ape.
• EPISODE 28 – The Final Blow – Jackie Chun must end the battle with Goku (in ape form) before anyone gets killed.

DISC 5:

• EPISODE 29 – The Roaming Lake – Goku looks for his grandfather’s Dragon Ball.
• EPISODE 30 – Pilaf and the Mystery Force - While Emperor Pilaf and his group search for the Dragon Ball, so is the mysterious Red Army.
• EPISODE 31- Wedding Plans? – One of the Dragon Balls is in the possession of the Ox-King and with Goku to return, will it be a grand wedding for Goku and Chi Chi?

VIDEO & AUDIO:

When I first saw “Dragon Ball”, it was probably back in 1992 and the quality of this raw Japanese video was so rough and hard to watch, it was just bad.  Several years later, I was able to catch the first few episodes that aired on television but the problem was that the schedule was inconsistent and our television network was quite bad.

So, it is great to see this uncut, remastered and digitally restored version on DVD.  Presented in its original format of 4:3, one thing I noticed is how good this anime series looked on DVD.  The series is nearly 25 years old and just watching it, FUNimation Entertainment did a great job in bringing this series out and making it look very good with only a hint of dust particles and scratches but for the most part, this remastered version definitely looked very good on DVD.

As for the audio, similar to the recent FUNimation Entertainment “Dragon Ball Z” and “Dragon Ball GT” releases, the English voice track with original Japanese music comes in 5.1 Surround, while the Japanese voice track is in its original Japanese mono.  I watched both English and Japanese and of course, there are some changes in the English dialogue (ie. Master Roshi  and in the Japanese track, Kamesama Sennen) and grew up watching the original Japanese version but for the most part, I have enjoyed the “Dragon Ball Z” and “Dragon Ball GT” dubwork that I found the English dubwork for “Dragon Ball” to be quite solid.  Dialogue is clear and understandable and for audio settings, for both audio tracks, I found the best setting for me was to select on my receiver “Stereo on all Channels”.

Subtitles are in English.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

“Dragom Ball – Season One” comes with the textless opening and closing theme songs and FUNimation Entertainment trailers.

Enjoyable, addicting and absolutely awesome!

That’s how I felt after watching the first season of “Dragon Ball”.  I thought it was absolutely fabulous that the FUNimation Entertainment has released the series uncut, remastered and digitally restored but to also release the first 31 episodes as a box set like they did with “Dragon Ball Z” and “Dragon Ball GT”.  For fans of any of the “Dragon Ball” series, not so long ago, it cost a lot of money just to purchase separate volumes of the series (which typically came with only a few episodes) and now, here we are several years later and definitely getting our money’s worth.

Also, to watch this series once again, not only was it a nostalgic time for me, it was just great to see the episodes and watching how fun, humorous and action-packed they were.  Each episode was absolutely addicting and it was great seeing how awesome of a fighter Master Roshi (Kamesama Sennen) was back then and just seeing how the story evolved pre-Dragon Ball Z. Also, to see Bulma and Yamcha during their younger years was fun as well.

Although “Dragon Ball” is not as intense or action-oriented like “Dragon Ball Z”, the series still manages to capture a lot of action and although this is Goku when he was much, much younger, even then, he was no slouch and had very good fighting ability.  And there was more emphasis on the storyline as well.

For parents wondering about the TV 14 rating, part of it is because Goku is nude quite a few times and also, when he finds out that females are not the same as males (and he hasn’t been around humans all that long), Goku tends to touch people in the crotch to see if they are male or female.  Also, during Krillin’s fight with Bacterium, there are things that the opponent does that you will never seen in a television series, let alone an animated series.  And the characters of Oolong and even Master Roshi are characters that are quite perverted.

As for the DVD, as mentioned, this is the best I have seen “Dragon Ball” look and 31 episodes for the first volume is pretty much a bargain for what it’s sold for.  Granted, I wish there were some special features included outside of textless theme songs but overall, you’re getting your money’s worth with these box set releases.

Granted, if I had to find a negative and wanted to be nitpicky, I can easily complain that the fifth disc only contains three episodes and that the Japanese audio track was not in Dolby Digital 5.1 but truthfully, 31 episodes is still plentiful and for purists, you do get the Japanese audio track in its original mono format.  Really, there is nothing I can really complain about this release.  It’s a very solid release that is affordable and just worth it!

Overall, “Dragon Ball – Season One” is another wonderful release from FUNimation Entertainment.  Fans of any of the “Dragon Ball” series will definitely want to make sure this one is in their collection.  Highly recommended!

 

Grey’s Anatomy – Complete Fifth Season – More Moments (a J!-ENT DVD Review)

“The fifth season of ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ was quite interesting as the season garnered hype onscreen and off.  The season may have started off with hokey, farfetched stories for the first half,  but the series redeems itself in the second with solid storytelling.  Definitely the most shocking and most entertaining season finale for the drama series thus far.  Overall, another entertaining season on DVD and a DVD boxset that Grey’s Anatomy’ fans will definitely want to have in their collection!”

Images courtesy of © abc studios. All Rights Reserved.

DVD TITLE: Grey’s Anatomy – Complete Fifth Season – More Moments

DURATION: 24 Episodes (1032 Minutes)

DVD INFORMATION: Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound, Spanish and French Subtitles, Widescreen (1:78:1) – Enhanced for 16×9 Televisions

COMPANY: abc studios

RATED: TV 14 DSLV

RELEASE DATE:  September 15, 2009

Created by Shonda Rhimes

Directed by Rob Corn, Jessica Yu and Randall Zisk

Written by Shonda Rhimes, Krista Vernoff, Stacy McKee, Tony Phelan, Joan Rater, Mark Wilding, Debora Cahn, Zoanne Clack, Allan Heinberg, Jenna Bans, William Harper and Peter Nowalk

Executive Producer: Betsy Beers, Shonda Rhimes, Krista Vernoff

Co-Executive Producer: Mark Wilding, Tony Phelan, Joan Rater

Producer: Tammy Ann Casper, Rob Corn, Linda Klein, Zoanne Clack

Consulting Producer: Debora Cahn

Supervising Producer: Jenna Bans

Associate Producer: Chris Van Dusen

Music by Danny Lux

Cinematography by Herbert Davis

Edited by Edward Ornelas, Susan Vaill, David Greenspan

Casting by John Brace, Linda Lowy, Will Stewart

Production Design by Donald Lee Harris

Set Decoration by Nicole Cramer

Costume Design by Mimi Melgaard

Starring:

Ellen Pompeo as Dr. Meredith Grey

Patrick Dempsey as Dr. Derek Shepherd

Dr. Cristina Yang as Sandra Oh

Katherine Heigl as Dr. Isobel ‘Izzie’ Stevens

T.R. Knight as Dr. George O’Malley

Eric Dane as Dr. Mark Sloan

Justin Chambers as Dr. Alex Karev

Sara Ramirez as Dr. Callie Torres

Chandra Wilson as Dr. Miranda Bailey

James Pickens Jr. as Dr. Richard Webber

Chyler Leigh as Dr. Lexie Grey

Kate Walsh as Dr. Addison Montgomery-Shepherd

Jeffrey Dean Morgan as Denny Duquette

Live for the moment.  The hottest show on television burns even brighter in its explosive fifth season.  Dive deeper into the lives and loves of Grey’s Anatomy in this sensational seven-disc set.

Your favorite characters struggle and thrive as they enter uncharted territories of life.  Discover what happens in the on-again, off-again world of Derek and Meredith, and witness the budding relationship between Cristina and Owen, Seattle Grace’s newest doctor.

Experience every heart-stopping moment of prime time’s sexiest, star-studded drama, complete with never-before-seen bonus features, including one extended episode on DVD.  It’s a must-have for any Grey’s Anatomy fan!

In 2005, “Grey’s Anatomy” became a critically acclaimed television series that would become ABC’s top rated dramas and winner of two Emmy and Golden Globe Awards.

Created by Shonda Rhimes (“Private Practice”), the drama series revolves around a group of interns and their experience at Seattle Grace Hospital.  As well, as a few of the other doctors of the hospital.  Throughout the first four seasons, we see these interns become residents and experience relationship problems and also the stress and challenges they had to become a resident doctor.

For season five, “Grey’s Anatomy” received its share of hype on entertainment magazines with rumors swirling of talent who were no longer going to be on the show and that tension was developing on the set.  For this fifth season, the season did start off with stories that seemed a bit farfetched and a tad bit hokey, but for the most part, redeemed itself for the second half with solid storytelling.

“Grey’s Anatomy” Season 5 focuses on the following main characters:

Dr. Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo, “Daredevil”, “Old School”) - A resident surgeon Seattle’s Grace Hospital who has an on-and-off again relationship with Dr. Derek Shepherd (Patrick Dempsey).  Best friends with Dr. Cristina Yang.

Dr. Cristina Yang (Sandra Oh, “Blindness”, “Arli$$”, “Sideways”) - A surgeon at Seattle’s Grace Hospital and a best friend of Dr. Meredith Grey, not afraid of confessing her emotions to her friends.  In earlier seasons, she was dating Dr. Preston Burke who left her on the day of their wedding.

Dr. Isobel “Izzie” Stevens (Katherine Heigl, “27 Date”, “Roswell”, “Knocked Up”) – A former model who used the money to pay for her medical school.  Izzue is a surgeon at Seattle Grace Hospital.   She lives with Meredith and earlier in the series, she falls for a heard patient named Denny Duquette.   Denny died and left millions of dollars to her, in which she went on to create a free clinic at Seattle Grace.  She also had a brief romantic fling with Dr. George O’Malley and thus both are close friends.  The fifth season focuses on Izzie as her relationship with Alex Karev grows and for some reason, is starting to see Denny again.

Dr. Derek Shepherd (Patrick Dempsey, “The Practice”, “Made of Honor”, “The Practice”, “Freedom Writers”) - The head of neurosurgery and was married to Dr. Addison Montgomery (“Private Practice”) who had an affair with his friend Dr. Mark Sloan.  Now has an off-and-on relationship with Dr. Meredith Grey.  Known as “McDreamy” to the Dr. Meredith Grey and her friends.

Dr. Mark Sloan (Eric Dane, “Marley & Me”, “X-Men: The Last Stand”, “Charmed”) - Once a best friend (and almost like family) to Dr. Derek Shepherd but had an affair with Derek’s wife, and definitely help lead towards their divorce.  Specializes in plastic surgery and often looked at as arrogant.  Has had sexual relations with Dr. Callie Torres.  Known to the female doctors as “McSteamy”.

Dr. Alex Karev (Justin Chambers, “Lakeview Terrace”, “Cold Case”, “The Wedding Planner”) - A doctor at Seattle’s Grace Hospital.  Abrasive towards the new interns and has an interest in Dr. Isobel Stevens.

Dr. George O’Malley (T.R. Knight, “The Last Request”) - An intern at Seattle’s Grace Hospital who was married to Dr. Callie Torres but had an affair with Dr. Isobel Stevens.  He is a good friend with Izzie and has failed his residency exam several times and is preparing to take it again.

Dr. Callie Torres (Sara Ramirez, “Baseball Wives”, “Chicago”) – A former chief resident at Seattle Grace Hospital and an orthopedic surgeon.  Was married with Dr. George O’Malley.  Later, she has a sexual relationship with Dr. Mark Sloan (in order to prove to herself that she is heterosexual)  but is now starting to understand her feelings that she has for cardiothoracic surgeon Erica Hahn.

Dr. Miranda Bailey (Chandra Wilson, “Philadelphia”) - A resident surgeon in charge of five interns (now residents). Known for her tough love and blunt comments.

Dr. Richard Webber (James Picken’s Jr., “Curb Your Enthusiasm, “The Lyon’s Den”, “Six Feet Under”) - The Chief of Surgery at Seattle Grace Hospital.  In earlier seasons, it is learned that he had an affair with Meredith’s mother.  Because of Seattle Grace’s ranking starts to suffer, he enforces tough rules on his doctors.

Dr. Lexie Grey (Chyler Leigh, “The Practice”, “Girls Club, “That ’80s Show”) – Dr. Meredith Grey’s sister (both are not really close to each other).  An intern at Seattle Grace Hospital and known for her photographic memory.   Has a sexual relationship with Dr. Alex Karev and is interested in Dr. George O’Malley.

Dr. Erica Hahn (Brooke Smith, “Crossing Jordan”, “Weeds”, “Law & Order”) - A cardiothoracic surgeon and workaholic doctor at Seattle Grace Hospital.  Becomes romantic with Dr. Callie Torres.

“Grey’s Anatomy – Complete Fifth Season – More Moments” features 24 episodes on six discs.  Included are (spoilerless summaries):

DISC: 1

• EPISODE 79- Dream a Little Dream of Me (Part 1) – Meredith and Derek try to work out their relationship, meanwhile Cristina is stabbed by an icicle.
• EPISODE 80 – Dream a Little Dream of Me (Part 2) – With Seattle Grace Hospital falling in rankings, Dr. Webber has tough rules in place for the doctors.
• EPISODE 81 – Here Comes the Flood – Dr. O’Malley retakes his residency exam, meanwhile the hospital is having major leak problems.
• EPISODE 82 – Brave New World – Meredith is shocked when Derek discovers her mother’s diary.  Meanwhile, Callie and Erica begin their sexual relationship.

DISC 2:

• EPISODE 83 – There’s No “I” in Team – Dr. Bailey heads a group of surgeons for a “Domino Procedure”. Lexie is dismayed that George never recognizes her.  Meanwhile, Callie goes to Dr. Sloan for help.
• EPISODE 84 – Life During Wartime – Dr. Owen Hunt becomes the new head of trauma and has problems with the methods of the doctors at Seattle Grace Hospital.
• EPISODE 85 – Rise Up – Derek feels that Cristina is interfering with his relationship with Meredith.  Meanwhile, the chief announces a contest for the residents.
• EPISODE 86 – These Ties That Bind – Meredith’s old friend Sadie (Melissa George) becomes an intern at Seattle Grace.  And a new surgeon, Virginia Dixon (Mary McDonnell) tries to bring order to the OR.

DISC 3:

• EPISODE 87 – In the Midnight Hour – Lexie and Sadie have a problem during surgery and thus Meredith, Cristina and Bailey try to help them out.
• EPISODE 88 – All By Myself – Cristina is award the contest for first solo surgery but the excitement is cut short as she has to give it up.  Meanwhile, Callie is getting a vibe that Sadie is flirting with her.
• EPISODE 89 – Wish You Were Here – An admittance of a death row inmate (played by Eric Stoltz) infuriates Dr. Shepard.  Meanwhile, Dr. Bailey teams up with Dr. Arizona Robbins, the new pediatric surgeon at Seattle Grace Hospital.
• EPISODE 90 – Sympathy for the Devil – Derek’s mother is in town and she meets Meredith for the first time.  Owen and Cristina go out on a date.

DISC 4:

• EPISODE 91 – Stairway to Heaven (Extended Episodes) - Izzie starts to see more and more of her deceased boyfriend Denny and comes to a full realization that something may be wrong with her.
• EPISODE 92 – Beat Your Heart Out – Derek plans to propose to Meredith and a cross-over with the characters of “Private Practice”.
• EPISODE 93 – Before and After – Continuing the cross-over with “Private Practice”, the doctors from Los Angeles: Addison, Naomi and Sam bring Archer to Seattle Grace Hospital.
• EPISODE 94 – An Honest Mistake – Continuing the cross-over with “Private Practice”, Derek and Addison collide over a pregnant patient who is dying.  Special Guest Star: Faye Dunaway.

DISC 5:

• EPISODE 95 – I Will Follow You Into the Dark - Izzie finds out the results from her health test while Dr. Shepard has problems after the death of a patient.
• EPISODE 96 – Stand By Me – Meredith does what she can to get Derek to come back to work.  Cristina has her first major solo surgery.
• EPISODE 97 – Elevator Love Letter - Derek has his first major surgery after his breakdown.  Meanwhile Owen seeks help for his post traumatic stress.
• EPISODE 98 – Sweet Surrender – Despite her receiving cancer treatment, Izzie wants to plan Derek and Meredith’s wedding.

DISC 6:

• EPISODE 99 – No Good at Saying Sorry (One More Chance) – Meredith and Derek prepare for their wedding, while Izzie receives a medical visit from her mother.
• EPISODE 100 – What a Difference a Day Makes – Meredith and Derek prepare for the big day but as they get ready for their wedding, a group of college students are injured in a major car accident during their graduation day.  But the day becomes a significant day for another couple.
• EPISODE 101 – Here’s to Future Days – Izzie must decide whether or not to undergo a risk surgery for her brain tumor, but the removal of it can lead to major problems.
• EPISODE 102 – Now or Never -  A man gets hit by a bus while trying to save a woman and the person who is hit, is someone everyone is familiar with. Meanwhile, Izzie recovers her memory but something bad happens to her.  The doctors of Seattle Grace Hospital try to rescue both the man and Izzie.

VIDEO & AUDIO:

“Grey’s Anatomy – Complete Fifth Season – More Moments” is presented in Widescreen (1:78:1) – Enhanced for 16×9 televisions.  When it comes to television drama series, “Grey’s Anatomy” is one of ABC’s highly rated dramas that although filmed in a hospital setting for the most part of the series, season five definitely indulges in beauty during a major wedding scene which featured solid cinematography. And speaking of the wedding, that was one of the most enchanting wedding scenes that I have seen in a drama series.  Absolutely beautiful!

For the most part, the series looks good on DVD, nice good closeups and skintones are natural and during low light scenes, I didn’t see any major noise or compression artifacts.   For the most part, the fifth season does look very good on DVD.

As for audio, the series is presented in Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound and the series is primarily dialogue and music driven.  Dialogue is clean and understandable, while the music has always played a major part for the series and definitely enhances certain scenes.  Personally, I found it much more appealing to have my receiver set at stereo on all channels.

The show is presented in English SDH, Spanish and French subtitles.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

“Grey’s Anatomy – Complete Fifth Season – More Moments” includes the following special features:

DISC 7:

• Dissecting Grey’s Anatomy – Unaired Scenes – A total of eleven unaired scenes with optional commentary with Creator/Executive Producer Shondra Rhimes and Executive Producer Betsy Beers.
• In Stitches: Season Five Outtakes – (4:03) Season five bloopers.
• 100th Episode: Tales from the O.R. – (18:30) The crew and talents talk about working on the show and how grateful they are to the fans.  Staff talk about the making of the series and keeping the medical segments factual and also the big wedding scene.
• Heaven Sent – (9:30) For fans of Denny Duquette (Jeffrey Dean Morgan), this featurette focuses on how Creator/Executive Producer Shondra Rhimes and Executive Producer Betsy Beers hired Jeffrey Dean Morgan for the role.  Jeffrey talks about how he auditioned for the role and the audience reaction and more.

I have to admit that when “Grey’s Anatomy” season five started, I thought the series has lost its vibe and was becoming another “ER” like-clone where stories would simply become to farfetched and hokey.  But during the second half of the season, things simply changed.  We started to get solid storylines that built-up to the best season finale for “Grey’s Anatomy” ever.

I think part of the mystique about the series this season was the hype and gossip about what was going on behind-the-scenes.  Who is leaving the show?  Who isn’t leaving the show?  Would we even care for Izzie due to Katherine Heigl’s behavior off-set?  The lesbian storyline.  The brain tumor storyline. Who is disgruntled?  Who isn’t being utilized all that much in the show.  So, many things that could have gone wrong… but in the end, it was the writing for the series that managed to win viewers all over again.

From the cross-over with “Private Practice”, the return of Denny, a wedding, many new characters and so much more… But personally, it was those final four episodes that made viewers remember why we stuck with over 100 episodes of this drama series.  Although, I can do without the icicle impaling  or the interns surgically experimenting on each other (which to me was just too campy).

As or the DVD, I was expecting episode commentaries (it would have been wonderful to hear commentary for the 1ooth episode and the season finale) and something a bit more for the special features section but for the most part, what is featured is quite satisfactory.

Overall, “Grey’s Anatomy – Complete Fifth Season – More Moments” may have started out a bit hokey and farfetched but the season redeemed itself right at the end and had its most significant season finale ever.  If you are a “Grey’s Anatomy” fan, one again, another DVD box set worth adding to your collection.

X-MEN VOLUME 3 – Marvel DVD Comic Book Collection (a J!-ENT DVD Review)

“Continuing the excitement of the classic X-Men animated series on DVD, volume 3 includes a lot of cool episodes which include the ‘Savage Land’ and ‘The Dark Phoenix’ sagas but also plenty of action-packed episodes featuring X-Factor, Iceman, the Juggernaut, Nightcrawler, Bishop, Ka-Zar,  Shard and more!”

Images courtesy of © MARVEL, X-MEN and all related characters and their distinctive likenesses thereof are trademarks of Marvel Characters, Inc. and are used with permission.© Buena Vista Home Entertainment, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

DVD TITLE: X-MEN VOLUME 3 (Marvel DVD Comic Book Collection)

DURATION: 345 Minutes (15 Episodes)

DVD INFORMATION: English, Dolby Digital Surround Sound, Fullscreen (1:33:1), French and Spanish Language Tracks, French and Spanish Subtitles

COMPANY: Marvel Entertainment Group/Buena Vista Home Entertainment

RATED: TV Y7 FV

RELEASE DATE:  September 15, 2009

Starring:

Cedric Smith as the voice of Professor Charles Xavier

Cal Dodd as the voice of Wolverine/Logan

Norm Spencer as the voice of Cyclops/Scott Summers

Lenore Zann as the voice of Rogue

George Buza as the voice of Beast/Doctor Henry “Hank” McCoy

Catherine Disher as the voice of Jean Grey/Phoenix

Iona Morris (1992) and Alison Sealy-Smith (1992-1997) as the voice of Storm/Ororo Munroe

Alyson Court as the voice of Jubilee/Jubilation Lee

Chris Potter as the voice of Gambit/Remy Lebeau

Lawrence Bayne as the voice of Cable, Erik the Redd

Payl Haddad as the voice of Nightcrawler/Kurt Wagner

Jeremy Ratchford as the voice of Banshee/Sean Cassidy

Lally Cadeau as the voice of Doctor Moira McTaggart

Ron Rubin as the voice of Morph

Marc Strange as the voice of Forge

Philip Akin as the voice of Bishop

David Hemblen as the voice of Magneto/Erik Lehnsherr

John Colicos and James Blendick as the voice of Apocalypse

Don Francks as the voice of Sabretooth/Victor Creed, Puck/Eugene Milton Judd, Shaman

Christopher Britton II as the voice of Mister Sinister/Nathaniel Essex

Rick Bennett as the voices of Juggernaut/Cain Marko and Colossus/Piotr Rasputin

The X-Men are back for more nonstop thrills and excitement in Volume 3 of the definitive animated series. Faithfully created from the pages of the original Marvel® comic books, these classic stories are a must-have for any X-Men fan! When the all-powerful Dark Phoenix inhabits the body of Jean Grey, The X-Men go to battle in order to save one of their own. Get into the action with 15 spine-tingling episodes, including the 4-part “Dark Phoenix” saga, in this collectible 2-disc set!

For 46 years, the mutant superhero team known as “X-Men” have been a part of the lives of several generations.  I personally grew up with the the X-Men during the latest 70′s and early 80′s but became interested once again during the early 90′s when artist Jim Lee brought a new look and eventually created this incredible synergy amongst the fans.   A time when Chris Claremont was ending his run and the storylines would be be infused by more excitement from Fabien Nicieza and Scot Lobdell.

We were greeted with awesome storylines such as the “The X-Tinction Agenda”, “The Muir Island Saga”, “X-Cutioner’s Song”, “Fatal Attractions”, “Phalanx Covenant” and “Age of Apocalypse” from 1990-1995 and in addition to the excitement in the comic books (which would continue on with the action figures from Toy Biz), the animated series was one of those special events that took place in October 1992 on the Fox Network.

I can easily remember how many of my friends and fellow comic book collectors were excited for the series.  Although not exactly the same type of storyline from the comic books, the animated series captured the heart and soul of the X-Men and “X-Men: The Animated Series” would continue on through 1998.

Needless to say, the animated series is close to the heart for the diehard X-Men fan but also those who were young when the series came out, are now wanting to share the animated series with their own children.  And for me, it’s great to watch this series alongside my six-year-old son and seeing him enjoy the series as well.

“X-MEN VOLUME 3″ comes with 15 episodes on two discs.  It’s important to note that according to Buena Vista Home Entertainment, “X-MEN VOLUME 3″ is going by how it was aired and not by production episode number.  So, I will list the episodes with their episode # on the DVD but also their episode script #. Included are spoiler-less summaries:

DISC: 1

• EPISODE 34 (38) – Savage Land, Strange Heart (Part 1) - Sauron kidnaps Storm in order to feed on her mutant energy.  The X-Men meanwhile team up with Ka-Zar.
• EPISODE 35 (39) – Savage Land, Strange Heart (Part 2) - With Storm becoming Garokk, Sauron wants to absorb her mutant energy.  the X-Men along with Ka-Zar try to put a stop to both Sauron.
• EPISODE 36 (35) – Obsession – A former horseman of Apocalypse, the Archangel wants his revenge.  Meanwhile, the X-Men try to help him.
• EPISODE 37 – The Dark Phoenix (Part 1) - The Phoenix takes over Jean’s body and now the Inner Circle Club want to that power.
• EPISODE 38 – The Dark Phoenix (Part 2) – The Inner Circle make their move and Professor X and Emma Frost battle against each other for psychic control of Jean. The Dark Phoenix is born.
• EPISODE 39 – The Dark Phoenix (Part 3) – The X-Men try to save Jean Grey from the Phoenix.
• EPISODE 40 – The Dark Phoenix (Part 4) – With Lilandra wanting the Phoenix (Jean Grey) dead, the X-Men must do what they can to protect her.

DISC 2:

• EPISODE 41 (37) – Cold Comfort – The X-Men find out that Bobby Drake (Iceman) has been breaking into a top-secret government installation.  Has Iceman become evil?  This episode features the X-Men vs. X-Factor.
• EPISODE 42 (44) – Orphan’s End – Cyclop discovers something important about Corsair.
• EPISODE 43 (46) – The Juggernaut Returns - Cain Marko (Juggernaut) loses his ruby of Cyttorak and someone else discovers it and becomes as powerful as the Juggernaut in order to impress women.
• EPISODE 44 (53) – Nightcrawler - Gambit, Rogue and Logan go on a trip to Germany.  But when Logan hears of stories of a demon hiding at a monastery, he goes to find out who this demon is.
• EPISODE 45 (61) – Weapon X, Lies and Video Tape – When Wolverine receives a postcard, it drives him mad and memories from the past start to consume him.
• EPISODE 46 (54) - One Man’s Worth (Part 1)- Trevor Fitzroy and Bantam team up with Master Mold and go back in time to kill Professor X.
  
• EPISODE 47 (55) - One Man’s Worth (Part 2) – Bishop, Shard team up with a Wolverine and Storm from another time in order to protect Professor X.
• EPISODE 48 (51) – Courage – Morph returns to the X-Men but is he ready to be part of the team?

VIDEO & AUDIO:

“X-MEN” the animated series is presented in full screen (1:33:1).  One thing that you will notice is that the animation does show its age.  Since the animation was created over 17-years ago, a lot of the animation is hand drawn and compared to many of the digital animated series that are show on television today, the animation doesn’t have that digital color vibrancy as newer animations and also, you will notice that the animation does has its share of scratches and dust (that a lot of classic animation have on DVD).

As for audio, audio is presented in Dolby 2.0 and is dialogue-driven (a French and Spanish language track is also included).  Unfortunately, the soundtrack is front channel driven but for those who have receivers capable of a setting to enable stereo on all channels, I found that to be the best setting to enjoy the series on my home theater system.

As for subtitles, “X-MEN VOLUME 3″ is provided in English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

There are no special features included on both DVD’s.

I was among the big X-Men fans who were highly anticipating the series and just loved it!  As a collector of the X-Men comic books around that time period, to have a series based on Jim Lee’s character designs and a series with so much potential of showcasing a variety of enemies and characters, it was always a treat to find out who would be introduced in each episode.

In fact, during the hoopla and way before the Internet became part of our natural lives, many of the fans would communicate about the episodes through electronic BBS’s and show our happiness and excitement over the animated series, the action figure line and of course the many multiple X-Men related comic book series that flourished from the early 90′s.

For volume 3, the first disc contains the “Savage Land” and “The Dark Phoenix”s saga but truthfully, I enjoyed the individual episodes on Disc 2 the best.  In fact, one of my favorite two episodes are the “One Man’s Worth” two-parter which are included in Volume 3.  It may not have a lot of the X-Men in the episode but I felt the storytelling was well done on those two episodes.

The “Dark Phoenix” episodes are episodes that I really wasn’t into back when the animation debuted.  Having read so many Dark Phoenix storylines, I wasn’t a big fan of the Inner Club storyline but I did enjoy the use of the Shi’ar.

Now, there is one thing that is a big negative that hardcore fans of the animated series may find and that is the choice to feature the episodes via air date and not script #.  For example, the episode “Orphan Ends” is about Cyclops and Corsair, an episode that takes place right after part 4 of “The Dark Phoenix Saga”, but on the DVD, the episode takes place after an Ice Man episode “Cold Comfort” and is a bit off.

Granted, I know there are hardcore fans who really take issue of the episode listing on this DVD series but knowing how long fans have waited for the series and knowing what’s done is done, this is probably the best we are going to get of the series in a long time (unless they remaster and restore it for a Blu-ray release in the future which I don’t know if that will ever happen).  So, with that being said, I still recommend the purchase of the series, especially if you have already purchased volume 1 and 2.

Overall, “X-MEN VOLUME 3″ is an entertaining set and with a total of 15-episodes.  This long awaited series ala season 3 and parts of season 4 is now out on DVD via this third volume and features appearances of more heroes and villains from the Marvel Universe!

For fans of the “X-MEN” animated series, despite the episode listing which is disconcerting for some, the episodes are still entertaining, action-packed and still fun to watch over 15 years later and yes… still worth owning!

“X-Men: The Animated Series” fans, another volume on DVD that is worthy of having in your collection!

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