The Panopticon Singularity

By Charles Stross [with NOTES and additions from my own research to update]

http://www.antipope.org/charlie/rant/panopticon-essay.html

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Author’s note: This essay was originally commissioned by Alex Steffen for the projected 111st issue of Whole Earth Review, which was to focus on the Singularity. Sadly, WER effectively ceased publication with issue 110, and (the shorter, WER-edited version of) this article is not among the content you can find on their web site. I’m therefore releasing this draft.

I originally wrote this in early 2002. I have not updated the content significantly — I think it provides a useful historical context — but have checked and, where necessary, modified the URLs. Where I have made additions to the text, they are noted.

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The 18th century utopian philosopher Jeremy Bentham’s panopticon was a prison; a circle of cells with windows facing inwards, towards a tower, wherein jailers could look out and inspect the prisoners at any time, unseen by their subjects.

Though originally proposed as a humane experiment in penal reform in 1785, Bentham’s idea has eerie resonances today. One of the risks of the technologies that may give rise to a singularity is that they may also permit the construction of a Panopticon society — a police state characterised by omniscient surveillance and mechanical law enforcement.

Note that I am not using the term “panopticon singularity” in the same sense as Vinge’s Singularity (which describes the emergence of strongly superhuman intelligence through either artificial intelligence breakthroughs or progress in augmenting human intelligence), but in a new sense: the emergence of a situation in which human behaviour is deterministically governed by processes outside human control. (To give an example: currently it is illegal to smoke cannabis, but many people do so. After a panopticon singularity, it will not only be illegal but impossible.) The development of a panopticon singularity does not preclude the development of a Vingean singularity; indeed, one may potentiate (or suppress) the other. I would also like to note that the idea has been discussed in fictional form by Vinge. [A Deepness in the Sky - a Zones of Thought book]

Moore’s Law states that the price of integrated circuitry falls exponentially over time. The tools of surveillance today are based on integrated circuits: unlike the grim secret policemen of the 20th century’s totalitarian regimes they’re getting cheaper, so that an intelligence agency with a fixed budget can hope to expand the breadth of its surveillance rapidly. In the wake of the events of September 11th, 2001, the inevitable calls for something to be done have segued into criticism of the west’s intelligence apparatus: and like all bureaucratic agencies, their response to a failure is to redouble their efforts in the same direction as before. (If at first you don’t succeed, try harder.)

It is worth noting that while the effectiveness of human-based surveillance organizations is dependent on the number of people involved — and indeed may grow more slowly than the work force, due to the overheads of coordinating and administering the organization — systems of mechanised surveillance may well increase in efficiency as a power function of the number of deployed monitoring points. (For example: if you attempt to monitor a single email server, you can only sample the traffic from those users whose correspondence flows through it, but if you can monitor the mail servers of the largest ISPs you can monitor virtually everything without needing to monitor all the email client systems. Almost all traffic flows between two mail servers, and most traffic flows through just a few major ISPs at some point.) Moreover, it may be possible to expand an automated surveillance network indefinitely by simply adding machines, whereas it is difficult to expand a human organization beyond a certain point without having knock-on effects on the macroeconomic scale (e.g. by sucking up a significant proportion of the labour force).

Here’s a shopping-list of ten technologies for the police state of the next decade, and estimates of when they’ll be available. Of necessity, the emphasis is on the UK — but it could happen where you live, too: and the prognosis for the next twenty years is much scarier.

Smart cameras

Availability: today.

The UK leads the world in closed circuit surveillance of public places, with over two [2004: four] million cameras watching sixty million people. Cameras are cheaper than cops, and act as a force multiplier, letting one officer watch dozens of locations. They can see in the dark, too. But today’s cameras are limited. The panopticon state will want cheaper cameras: powered by solar panels and networked using high-bandwidth wireless technology so that they can be installed easily, small so that they’re unobtrusive, and equipped with on-board image analysis software. A pilot study in the London borough of Lambeth is already using face recognition software running on computers monitoring the camera network to alert officers when known troublemakers appear on the streets. Tomorrow’s smart cameras will ignore boring scenes and focus on locations where suspicious activities are occuring.

(Experience suggests that cameras don’t reduce crime — they just move it to places where there’s no surveillance, or displace it into types of crime that aren’t readily visible. So the logical response of the crime-fighting bureaucracy is to install more cameras …)

NOTE:

Here is information from the site of the leading manufacturer of the software that deals with the problems of CCTV:

First:

The CCTV Problem

“Closed Circuit Television cameras (CCTV) have always been crucial in supplying surveillance and security in the fight against crime.

However, all too often, CCTV has been reduced to a retrospective, forensic role; examining what went wrong and helping investigators in the aftermath of a crime.

The efficiency of CCTV systems is further blighted by the inability of the operator to pick up all the information that is being displayed.

Studies show, “After 12 minutes of continuous video monitoring an operator will often miss up to 45% of screen activity. After 22 minutes of viewing, up to 95% is overlooked.” (Security Oz, Oct / Nov 2002)” http://www.ipsotek.com/html/cctv.php

THEN:

“The Ipsotek Visual Intelligence Suite™ is the premier software package for pro-active surveillance of high-risk environments.

The Visual Intelligence Suite™ features flexible behavioural algorithms which are used for a variety of applications where human operators struggle to keep track of risks and threats as they arise:

• Border Security
• Suspect Packages
• Counter-terrorism
• Abandoned Vehicles
• Site Security
• ATM Surfing / PIN theft
• Prostitution & Kerb Crawling
• Graffiti
• Vandalism
• Abnormal Motion of Cars/People
• Muggings
• Anti-Social Behaviour
• Unauthorised Plant Removal
• Unauthorised Maintenance
• Disaster Recovery Site Protection
• Art Galleries & High Value Retail Items
• Critical Infrastructure Protection
• Platform Suicide
• Overcrowding, Vector Analysis
• Retail Fraud
• Iconic Buildings
• Trackside Intrusion

Please follow the links for further analysis of intrusion, suspect packages, loitering & overcrowding. – (so following them leads to:)

Intrusion

“Many competitors offer simple intrusion alerts based on motion detection, but the VI suite goes much further. Multiple areas of interest can be set within a single field-of-view and can be customised according to their sensitivity or interest.

Again, the instant replay feature allows the attendant security personnel to review and appropriate the correct response at the touch of a button.

Continual refinement of the video algorithms and an understanding of the depth of perception has virtually eliminated false positives from birds, paper bags, stray dogs or any other unwanted foreign intrusion.”

Suspect Packages

“Ipsotek’s Visual Intelligence Platform has unrivalled abandoned package detection rates due to the background learning nature of the software

It can recognise abandoned packages, secreted away under benches or partially hidden behind pillars, regardless of the levels of footfall interference. The instant alert replay feature allows the attendant operator to identify the culprit and take appropriate action, at the touch of a screen.

The ability to recognise stationary objects that are not part of the background can also be used to highlight collapsed or unconscious persons as well as illegally parked vehicles. This is just one example of how the flexibility inherent in Ipsotek’s algorithms allows the software to focus on the problems that have been identified.”

Loitering

“Loitering is the term used to describe a person standing around without any obvious purpose. This behaviour is often displayed by prostitutes, drug dealers, muggers ad PIN surfers ( card fraud experts)

There is also strong evidence to suggest that those intent on committing suicide by jumping onto the subway tracks will wait until several trains have passed before finally plucking up courage to commit the act.

The Visual Intelligence Platform™ can recognise loitering regardless of changeable ambient light conditions or overcrowding.”

Overcrowding / Congestion

“Overcrowding can be a serious threat to life. With sports stadiums boasting ever larger capacities and the continued popularity and growth of festivals, the ability to monitor and control crowds is becoming ever more crucial if we are to avoid a repeat occurrence of some of the tragic disasters of the past.

Ipsotek’s Vector Analysis algorithms can track individual movements within the crowded scenes, displaying them motion trends and thereby allowing operators to predicts where pressure will be greatest and react accordingly.

Vector Analysis also highlights discrepancies from the expected motion trends. Ticket touts and pickpockets thrive in dense, moving crowds; working against the flow, allowing them to gain maximum exposure to others in the shortest possible amount of time.”

NOW, back to the Ipsotek site:

“The Visual Intelligence Platform™ detects unusual activity by recognising behavioural patterns pre-programmed into the computer’s memory. Once any of the selected behaviour pattern is detected, the computer notifies CCTV operators, staff or management to the potential threat using visual and audio alerts. The technology then instantly reverses and replays the incident at the touch of a screen for users to examine.

It is at the discretion of the attendant operator to then take the appropriate action.

Unlike many other ‘real-time’ solutions offered on the market, Ipsotek can work equally effectively under ambient light conditions. Thus Ipsotek software is ideally suited to application in both indoor and outdoor environments, regardless of inclement weather or natural light variations.”

See demos at: http://www.ipsotek.com/html/demos.php

http://www.ipsotek.com/html/ipsotek.php

NOTE:

“British citizens live under the most intense surveillance on this planet. By the millennium’s dawn, there was one CCTV camera for every 14 people in the UK; work in a major city, and it’s likely you’ll be filmed at least 300 times per day. In the face of flawed technology and political duplicity, Gordon Brown’s cabinet is pressing ahead with plans to introduce identity cards which will be compulsory in all but name. This country already has the largest DNA database in the world (four million files) and our personal telephone records could soon be available to more than 650 governmental bodies. Prudence or paranoia? Novacon 37’s programme stared into Today, recalled the Past and extrapolated the Britain of Tomorrow.” http://www.novacon37.org.uk/

Peer to peer surveillance networks

Availability: 1-5 years.

Today’s camera networks are hard-wired and static. But cameras and wireless technology are already converging in the shape of smartphones. Soon, surveillance cameras will take on much of the monitoring tasks that today require Police control centres: using gait analysis and face recognition to pick up suspects, handing off surveillance between cameras as suspects move around, using other cameras as wireless routers to avoid network congestion and dead zones. The ability to tap into home webcams, private security cameras, and Neighbourhood Watch schemes will extend coverage out of public spaces and into the private realm. Many British cities already require retail establishments to install CCTV: the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act (2001) gives the Police the right to demand access to electronic data — including camera feeds. Ultimately the panopticon society needs cameras to be as common as street lights.

(Looking on the bright side: London Transport is experimenting with smart cameras that can identify potential suicides on underground train platforms by their movement patterns, which differ from those of commuters. So p2p surveillance cameras will help the trains run on time …)

NOTE:

“Camera software, dubbed Cromatica, is being developed at London’s Kingston University to help improve security on public transport systems but it could be used on a wider scale.

It works by detecting differences in the images shown on the screen.

For example, background changes indicate a crowd of people and possible congestion. If there is a lot of movement in the images, it could indicate a fight.”

Preventing suicide

“It could detect unattended bags, people who are loitering or even predict if someone is going to commit suicide by throwing themselves on the track,” said its inventor Dr Sergio Velastin.”

From above link: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/1953770.stm

See also: http://www.325collective.com/social-control_surveillance_capital.html

AND, lest you think this is purely U.K.:

“All Things Considered, October 26, 2007 · Chicago already has an elaborate network of surveillance cameras to detect crime — 560 cameras with plans to install 100 more.

Now, the city is teaming with IBM to launch what is being billed as the most advanced video security network in the United States: a system that could be programmed to recognize and warn authorities of suspicious behavior, such as a backpack left in a park or the same truck circling a high-rise several times.

IBM’s Roger Rehayem says smart cameras using analytic software can send out alerts for vehicles of certain colors, models and makes. And if a camera is positioned right, it can pick out license plates or even recognize faces….

Chicago officials say they’re not completely sold yet on the smart surveillance technology. They say visual and audio advancements, such as gunshot recognition, just haven’t been perfected enough yet to justify the cost of installing smart surveillance cameras citywide.” http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=15673544

ALSO:

“Triggered Response

Dec 8, 2005, By Jim McKay

The sound of gunshots in high-crime neighborhoods may or may not move residents to call 911. In some neighborhoods, the sound of gunfire is unfortunately part of the landscape, and when they do call, residents can’t always be sure where the sound came from.
So what if the gunshot automatically triggered a 911 call, and captured video of the shooter? Police in Chicago are hoping to curb gun violence with technology that does just that.
The technology — Smart Sensor Enabled Neural Threat Recognition and Identification (SENTRI) — recognizes the sound of a gunshot within a two-block radius, pinpoints the location of the shot with a surveillance camera, focuses on the location, and in less than 1 second, places a 911 call.
The goal is to use the devices to prevent homicides in areas known for gang activity and gun violence.
Continued Vigilance
Chicago successfully deployed 53 surveillance cameras over the years, and has deployed the gunshot-recognition technology in about one-third of those. The cameras, by themselves, were credited with reducing the city’s 2004 crime rate to its lowest level since 1965 — sexual assault is down 5 percent from the previous year, robbery is down 8 percent, aggravated assault is down 5 percent, and total violent crime is down 7 percent — and it is hoped the SENTRI system will provide even more ammunition against crime.” http://www.govtech.com/gt/97507

AND:

The Sentri Solution: A New Age in Law Enforcement:

“Safety Dynamics specializes in the use of smart sensors for threat recognition and localization. Safety Dynamics is currently selling and supporting a system for law enforcement called SENTRI (Sensor Enabled Neural Threat Recognition and Identification). The system is a breakthrough technology that recognizes gunshots and explosions and sends range and bearing details to cameras which can then locate the source of the event.”http://www.safetydynamics.net/products.html

So, it is here, now.

Gait analysis

Availability: now to 5 years.

Ever since the first slow-motion film footage, it’s been clear that people and animals move their limbs in unique ways — ways that depend on the relative dimensions of the underlying bone structure. Computer recognition of human faces has proven to be difficult and unreliable, and it’s prone to disguise: it’s much harder to change the length of your legs or the way you walk.

Researchers at Imperial College, London, and elsewhere have been working on using gait analysis as a tool for remote biometric identification of individuals, by deriving a unique gait signature from video footage of their movement.

(When gait analysis collides with ubiquitous peer-to-peer smart cameras, expect bank robbers to start wearing long skirts.)

NOTE:

See the paper on “People Detection and Recognition using Gait for Automated Visual Surveillance by Imed Bouchrika and M S Nixon, University of Southampton, UK, presented at The Institute of Engineering and Technology at a conference on Crime and Security in London, 13-14th June, 2006: http://www.cs.nott.ac.uk/~lmg/IETConf_VisualSurveillPeopleRecogGait.pdf

So, this is here, now.

Terahertz radar

Availability: 2-8 years.

Very short wavelength radio waves can be tuned to penetrate some solid and semi-solid surfaces (such as clothing or drywall), and return much higher resolution images than conventional radar. A lot of work is going into domesticating this frequency range, with funding by NIST focussing in particular on developing lightweight short-range radar systems. Terahertz radar can pick up concealed hard objects — such as a gun or a knife worn under outer clothing — at a range of several metres; when it arrives, it’ll provide the panopticon society’s enforcers with something close to Superman’s X-ray vision.

(If they can see through walls, why bother with a search warrant?)

NOTE: See the same conference as above: “Advances in Through Wall Radar for Search, Rescue and Security Applications by Hugh Burchett, Imaging Detection and Tracking Group Leader, Cambridge Consultants, UK, presented at The Institute of Engineering and Technology at a conference on Crime and Security in London, 13-14th June, 2006: http://www.cs.nott.ac.uk/~lmg/IETConf_ThroughWallRadar.pdf

ALSO:

Physical optics modelling of millimetre-wave personnel scanners

Pattern Recognition Letters, Volume 27 , Issue 15 (November 2006),
Special issue on vision for crime detection and prevention, Pages: 1852 – 1862 by Beatriz Grafulla-González, Katia Lebart, and Andrew R. Harvey

“We describe the physical-optics modelling of a millimetre-wave imaging system intended to enable automated detection of threats hidden under clothes. This paper outlines the theoretical basis of the formation of millimetre-wave images and provides the model of the simulated imaging system. Results of simulated images are presented and the validation with real ones is carried out. Finally, we present a brief study of the potential materials to be classified in this system.” abstract http://portal.acm.org/citation.cfm?id=1226520.1226532

ALSO:

“Is it possible to screen everyone that enters­—or exits—your facility, without screeching your operations to a virtual halt? Do you know what your visitors, customers, patrons, constituents and staff may be hiding without stopping and questioning each one? Would you like an easier way to know who to search or where to look?

The BIS-WDS^® GEN 2…

• Provides standoff threat detection without requiring subjects to stand still
• Detects concealed objects in as little as 0.5 second
• Presents a full-body area at the 10-foot optimal focal point
• Does not image specific body details, eliminating personal privacy issues
• Transmits no radiation or energy of any kind
• Integrates seamlessly with ancillary devices, enabling remote operation and event traps

Plus it can be…

• Monitored remotely
• In real time
• Without requiring cooperation
• Without a physical pat down

Can you see what they’re hiding? The BIS-WDS^® GEN 2 Can!” http://www.brijot.com/products/index.php

“See what you’re missing!
Some locations—like airports and other critical transportation hubs, have already invested in security screening technologies like X-ray machines, metal detectors, and added security staff.
But those technologies can’t see explosive materials, liquids and gels, or thick packets of currency. GEN 2 can be integrated into your existing security strategy, and by imaging subjects in motion, it can be used to direct subjects into secondary screening lanes for further investigation, focusing security efforts and eliminating profiling or ineffective random screening.” http://www.brijot.com/applicationsmarketsolutions/airport-and-transportation.php

“Stem the tide of product shrinkage!
Loss prevention personnel will find the GEN 2 invaluable in identifying hidden objects exiting a facility. The system can image metals, wood, electronic devices, bottles of liquor… even fresh or frozen foods! Managers and security personnel can pat down employees virtually without physical contact. Event logging functionality records the detection, providing ideal documentation in the event of an employee termination or theft prosecution.” http://www.brijot.com/applicationsmarketsolutions/lossprevention.php

“Proven Results –
Office of Law Enforcement Technology Commercialization (OLETC)
The GEN 2 system received positive, top-line results from its operational assessment trial of the GEN 2 Object Detection and People Screening System performed by the Office of Law Enforcement Technology Commercialization (OLETC) during a pilot trial at the Baltimore Police Department Headquarters Building. The results confirm state of the art screening technology characterized by advance capabilities beyond those offered by more traditional screening options such as metal detectors.
View full report details click here (link to white paper).” http://www.brijot.com/deploymentsandtrials/deployments.php

This is here now, and has been used in the U.S.

Celldar

Availability: 3-10 years.

Cellphones emit microwave radiation at similar wavelengths to radar systems. Celldar is a passive radar system that listens to the signals reflected by cellphone emitters. When a solid object passes between a transmitter and a cellphone it reduces the signal strength at a receiver.

Celldar was originally designed as a military system that would use reflected cellphone emissions to locate aircraft passing above the protected area. However, by correlating signal strength across a wide number of cellular transceivers (both base stations and phone handsets) in real time it should be possible to build up a picture of what objects are in the vicinity. Subtract the known locations of buildings, and you’ve got a system that can place any inhabited area under radar surveillance — by telephone. (As Rodney King demonstrated, we can already be tracked by cellphone. Now the panopticon society can place us under radar surveillance by phone. And as phones exchange data at ever higher bandwidth, the frequencies will shorten towards the terahertz range. Nude phone calling will take on an entirely different meaning …)

NOTE:
“CELLDAR™

“The CELLDAR™ passive radar system is now under joint development by ourselves and BAE Systems and is the world’s first passive radar to use cell phone basestation signals.” http://www.roke.co.uk/skills/radar/

OR:

“The Missouri Department of Transportation has begun anonymously monitoring cell phone signals as a high-tech way of tracking vehicle speeds and warning motorists of traffic jams. The goal is for motorists to get real-time traffic information over the Internet or road signs.

Privacy concerns have slowed down the Missouri project – the largest of its kind nationally – which was supposed to have been deployed statewide by summer 2006 under a contract with Markham, Canada-based Delcan Corp.” http://www.dailywireless.org/2007/09/21/celldar-monitoring-traffic-via-cell-radiation/

Ubiquitous RFID ‘dust’

Availability: 1-5 years.

Radio Frequency ID chips are used for tagging commercial produce. Unlike today’s simple anti-shoplifting tags in books and CD’s, the next generation will be cheap (costing one or two cents each), tiny (sand-grain sized), and smart enough to uniquely identify any individual manufactured product, by serial number as well as type and vendor. They can be embedded in plastic, wood, food, or fabric, and by remotely interrogating the RFID chips in your clothing or posessions the panopticon society’s agencies can tell a lot about you — like, what you’re reading, what you just ate, and maybe where you’ve been if they get cheap enough to scatter like dust. More insidiously, because each copy of a manufactured item will be uniquely identifiable, they’ll be able to tell not only what you’re reading, but where you bought it. RFID chips are injectable, too, so you won’t be able to misplace your identity by accident.

(And if the panopticon police don’t like the books you’re reading or the DVDs you’re watching, maybe they can use your tag fingerprint to order up a new you?)

NOTE:

In order to be use-friendly, one of the manufacturers of RDIF launched this site: http://www.discoverrfid.org/

And there is a Journal devoted to it: http://www.rfidjournal.com/

And the next generation IS here:

“Hitachi Develops World’s Smallest RFID Chip”
October 26, 2007 – Sarah Gingichashvili, The Future of Things (TOFT)

“The Japanese giant Hitachi has developed the world’s smallest and thinnest Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) chip. Measuring only 0.15 x 0.15 millimeters in size and 7.5 micrometers thick, the wireless chip is a smaller version of the previous record holder – Hitachi’s 0.4 x 0.4 mm “Micro-Chip”.

Miniature RFID chips may also have advanced military applications such as smartdust. Smartdust is the concept of wireless MEMS (Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems) sensors that can detect anything from light and temperature to vibrations. Using a large amount of sensors is not a new concept – the U.S. military experimented with this idea already during the Vietnam War (Operation Igloo White). While the older sensors were relatively large and only somewhat effective, Professor Christopher Pister from UC Berkeley suggested in 2001 to create a new type of micro sensor that could theoretically be as small as a grain of sand. Research into this idea is ongoing and is being funded by DARPA (the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency). What was only a theoretical concept in 2001 has now become a reality with the latest development by Hitachi, and could find its way to intelligence agencies across the world.

RFID chips are also a source for increasing controversy surrounding issues of privacy. An RFID chip can be used to track the location of unsuspecting individuals who have bought products that include RFID tags in their package. Having miniature cheap RFID chips, such as those developed by Hitachi, implanted inside anything we buy might make many people feel very uncomfortable. However, big businesses believe that consumers’ fears are dwarfed by the benefits of RFID chips, which include reduced theft, digital real time inventory, and better information on consumer shopping habits.” http://www.tfot.info/news/1032/hitachi-develops-worlds-smallest-rfid-chip.html

Trusted computing and Digital Rights Management

Availability: now-5 years.

Trusted Computing doesn’t mean computers you can trust: it means computers that intellectual property corporations can trust. Microsoft’s Palladium software (due in a future Windows release [2004: due in Windows Longhorn, renamed to NGSCB]) and Intel’s TPCA architecture are both components of a trusted computing platform. The purpose of trusted computing is to enforce Digital Rights Management — that is, to allow information providers to control what you do with the information, not to protect your rights.

Disney will be able to sell you DVDs that will decrypt and run on a Palladium platform, but which you won’t be able to copy. Microsoft will be able to lease you software that stops working if you forget to pay the rental. Want to cut and paste a paragraph from your physics text book into that essay you’re writing? DRM enforced by TCPA will prevent you (and snitch to the publisher’s copyright lawyers). Essentially, TPCA will install a secret policeman into every microprocessor. PCs stop being general purpose machines and turn into Windows on the panopticon state. It’s not about mere legal copyright protection; as Professor Lawrence Lessig points out, the rights that software and media companies want to reserve go far beyond their legal rights under copyright law.

If the trusted computing folks get their way, to ensure control they’ll need to pass legislation to outlaw alternative media. Jaron Lanier predicts that today’s microphones, speakers and camcorders could become contraband; and in case this sounds outlandish and paranoid, the US senate has seen more than one bill, (most prominent among them, the Consumer Broadband and Digital Television Promotion Act) that would require DRM interlocks in all analog-to-digital conversion electronics in order to prevent illicit copying.

(Presumably he wasn’t thinking of aircraft instrumentation, cardiac monitors, or machine tools at the time, but under the proposed law they would need copy-prevention interlocks as well … )

WIKI says about DRM and TCPA and Palladium:

“The Next-Generation Secure Computing Base (NGSCB), formerly known as Palladium, is a software architecture designed by Microsoft which is expected to implement parts of the controversial “Trusted Computing” concept on future versions of the Microsoft Windows operating system. NGSCB is part of Microsoft’s Trustworthy Computing initiative. Microsoft’s stated aim for NGSCB is to increase the security and privacy of computer users, but critics assert that the technology will not only fail to solve the majority of contemporary IT security problems, but also result in an increase in vendor lock-in and thus a reduction in competition in the IT marketplace.

NGSCB relies on hardware technology designed by members of the Trusted Computing Group (TCG), which provides a number of security-related features, including fast random number generation, a secure cryptographic co-processor, and the ability to hold cryptographic keys in a manner that makes them extremely difficult to retrieve, even to the machine’s owner. It is this latter ability that makes remote attestation of the hardware and software configuration of an NGSCB-enabled computer possible, and to which the opponents of the scheme chiefly object. Several computer manufacturers are selling computers with the Trusted Platform Module chip, notably the Dell OptiPlex GX620.”

“NGSCB and Trusted Computing can be used to intentionally and arbitrarily lock certain users out from use of certain files, products and services, for example to lock out users of a competing product, potentially leading to severe vendor lock-in. This is analogous to a contemporary problem in which many businesses feel compelled to purchase and use Microsoft Word in order to be compatible with associates who use that software. Today this problem is partially solved by products such as OpenOffice.org which provide limited compatibility with Microsoft Office file formats. Under NGSCB, if Microsoft Word were to encrypt documents it produced, no other application would be able to decrypt them, regardless of its ability to read the underlying file format.”

“When originally announced, NGSCB was expected to be part of the then next major version of the Windows Operating System, Windows Vista (then known as Longhorn). However, in May 2004, Microsoft was reported to have shelved the NGSCB project. This was quickly denied by Microsoft who released a press release stating that they were instead “revisiting” their plans. The majority of features of NGSCB are now not expected to be available until well after the release of Windows Vista. However, Vista includes “BitLocker“, which can make use of a Trusted Platform Module chip to facilitate secure startup and full-drive encryption. TPMs are already integrated in many systems using Intel’s Core 2 Duo processors or AMD’s Athlon 64 processors using the AM2 socket.” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Next-Generation_Secure_Computing_Base

FROM windows itself:

“Our first delivery on the vision is a hardware based security feature in Longhorn [Vista] called Secure Startup. Secure Startup utilizes a Trusted Platform Module (TPM 1.2) to improve PC security and it meets some of the most critical requirements we heard from our customers-specifically, the capability to ensure that the PC running Longhorn starts in a known-good state, as well as protection of data from unauthorized access through full volume encryption.

Subsequent to Secure Startup, Microsoft will be focused on continuing to build other aspects of the NGSCB vision. These will complement Secure Startup to enable a broad range of new secure computing solutions. The technical specifications, timing and delivery vehicles are TBD.” http://www.microsoft.com/resources/ngscb/default.mspx

Cognitive radio

Availability: now-10 years.

Radio waves can travel through one another without interacting. Radio ‘interference’ happens when radio transceivers use dumb encoding schemes that don’t let multiple channels share the same wavelength: interference is a side-effect of poor design, not a fundamental limit on wireless communications.

With fast microprocessors it’s possible to decode any radio-frequency signal on the fly in software, by performing Fourier analysis on the raw signal rather than by using hard-wired circuitry. Software radios can be reconfigured on the fly to use new encoding schemes or frequencies. Some such encoding schemes work to avoid interference; so-called cognitive radio transcievers take account of other transmitters in the neighbourhood and negotiate with them to allocate each system a free frequency. (The 802.11 wireless networking protocols are one early example of this in action.) SR doesn’t sound like a tool of the panopticon society until you put them together with celldar and TCPA. Cellphones and computers are on a collision course. If the PC becomes a phone, and every computer comes with a built-in secret policeman _and_ can be configured in software, the panopticon’s power becomes enormous: remote interrogation of RFID dust in your vicinity will let the authorities know who you’re associating with, reconfiguration of phones into celldar receivers will let them see what you’re doing, and plain old-fashioned bugging will let them listen in. If they can be bothered.

(Invest in tinfoil hat manufacturers; it’s the future of headgear!)

NOTE:

Scientific American Magazine – March, 2006

Cognitive Radio

“Engineers are now working to bring that kind of flexible operating intelligence to future radios, cell phones and other wireless communications devices. During the coming decade, cognitive radio technology should enable nearly any wireless system to locate and link to any locally available unused radio spectrum to best serve the consumer. Employing adaptive software, these smart devices could reconfigure their communications functions to meet the demands of the transmission network or the user.

Cognitive radio technology will know what to do based on prior experience. On the morning drive to work, for instance, it would measure the propagation characteristics, signal strength and transmission quality of the different bands as it rides along with you. The cognitive radio unit would thus build an internal database that defines how it should best operate in different places and at specific times of day. In contrast, the frequency bands and transmission protocol parameters of current wireless systems have been mostly fixed.” http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?chanID=sa006&colID=1&articleID=000C7B72-2374-13F6-A37483414B7F0000

Lab-on-a-chip chemical analysers

Availability: now-5 years.

Microtechnology, unlike nanotechnology, is here today. By building motors, gears, pumps, and instruments onto silicon wafers using the same lithographic techniques that are used for making microcircuitry, engineers are making it possible to build extremely small — and cheap — analytical laboratories. Devices under development include gas chromatography analysers, mass spectroscopes, flow cytometers, and a portable DNA analyser small enough to fit in a briefcase. The panopticon society is lavish with its technologies: what today would occupy a Police department’s forensic lab, will tomorrow fit into a box the size of a palmtop computer.

(And they won’t have to send that urine sample to a lab in order to work out that you were in the same room as somebody who smoked a joint two weeks ago.)

SEE:

https://www-eng.llnl.gov/mic_nano/mic_nano.html

http://www.mitsi.com/

and here’s one from the above company:

“The Miniature DVR with built in color pinhole camera, battery, and monitor with video motion and sound activation. Ideal for Investigations in hospitals, offices, retail or hotel rooms – anywhere you need to be in and out quickly. Options available such as external camera connection, body worn and network connection shown in MD-2000 model below.”

OR from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratories (LLNL):

“A dime-sized amplifier makes fiber-optic communications faster and clearer. A portable DNA analyzer helps detect and identify organisms in the field, including human remains and biological warfare agents. A tiny gripper inserted in a blood vessel treats aneurysms in the brain to ward off potential strokes. What do these technologies have in common? Each one is smaller than any comparable product, opening up a host of new applications. And each originated in Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory’s Microtechnology Center.” https://www.llnl.gov/str/Mariella.html

Data mining

Availability: -5 years to +10 years

Total Information Awareness. Department of Homeland Security. NSA. ECHELON. This article was emailed to Whole Earth Review’s staff; by including these keywords it almost certainly caught the attention of ECHELON, the data mining operation run by the NSA and its associated intelligence agencies. ECHELON has monitored all internet, telephone, fax, telex, and radio traffic for years, hoovering up the data. But analysing electronic intelligence is like trying to drink water from a firehose; the problem is identifying relevant information, because for every Al Qaida operative discussing the next bomb plot, a million internet denizens are speculating and gossiping about the same topic. And if the infoglut seems bad now, wait until your every walk down the high street generates megabytes of tracking data. The Department of Homeland Security is just one of the most obvious agencies trying to tackle the information surplus generated by the embryonic panopticon society. The techniques they propose to use entail linking up access to a variety of public and private databases, from credit rating agencies and the INS to library lending records, ISP email and web server logs, and anything else they can get their hands on. The idea is to spot terrorists and wrongdoers pre-emptively by detecting patterns of suspicious behaviour.

The trouble is, data mining by cross-linking databases can generate false inferences. Imagine your HMO with access to your web browsing records. Your sister asks you to find her some books about living with AIDS, to pass on to a friend; you go look on Amazon.com, researching the topic, and all the HMO knows is that you’re looking for help on living with AIDS. And how does the Department of Homeland Society know whether I’m planning a terrorist act … or doing my research before writing a novel about a terrorist incident? To make matters worse, many databases contain corrupt information, either by accident or malice. The more combinations of possible corrupt data you scan, the more errors creep into your analysis. But to combat these problems, the Office of Information Awareness is proposing to develop new analytical techniques that track connections between people — where they shop, how they travel, who they know — in the hope that if they throw enough data at the problem the errors will go away.

(Guess they think they need the panopticon surveillance system, then. After all, if data mining never worked in the past, obviously you can make it work by throwing more data at it …)

The pressure to adopt these technologies springs from our existing political discourse as we struggle to confront ill-defined threats. We live in a dangerous world: widespread use of high technology means that individuals can take actions that are disruptive out of all proportion to their numbers. Human nature being what it is, we want to be safe: the promise of a high-tech surveillance “fix” that will identify terrorists or malefactors before they hurt us is a great lure.

But acts of mass terror exist at one end of a scale that begins with the parking ticket, the taping of a CD for personal use in a Walkman, a possibly-defamatory statement about a colleague sent in private email to a friend, a mistakenly ommitted cash receipt when compiling the annual tax return … the list is endless, and to a police authority with absolute knowledge and a robotic compulsion to Enforce The Law, we would all, ultimately, be found guilty of something.

This brings up a first major point: legislators do not pass laws in the expectation that everybody who violates them will automatically be caught and punished. Rather, they often pass new laws in order to send a message — to their voters (that they’re doing something about their concerns) and to the criminals (that if caught they will be dealt with harshly). There is a well-known presumption that criminals are acting rationally (in the economic sense) and their behaviour is influenced by the perceived reward for a successful crime, and both the risk and severity of punishment. This theory is implicitly taken into account by legislators when they draft legislation, because in our current state of affairs most crimes go undetected and unreported. A panopticon singularity would completely invalidate these assumptions.

Furthermore: many old laws are retained despite widespread unpopularity, because a vocal minority support them. An estimated 30 percent of the British population have smoked cannabis, currently an offense carrying a maximum penalty of 6 months’ imprisonment (despite rumours of its decriminalization), and an absolute majority of under-50’s supports decriminalization, but advocating a “soft on drugs” line was perceived as political suicide until very recently because roughly 25% of the population were strongly opposed.

Some old laws, which may not match current social norms, are retained because it is easier to ignore them than to repeal them. In Massachusetts, the crime of fornication — any sex act with someone you’re not married to — carries a 3 month prison sentence. Many towns, states, and countries have archaic laws still on the books that dictate what people must wear, how they must behave, and things they must do — laws which have fallen into disuse, and which are inappropriate to enforce. (There’s one town in Texas where since the 19th century it has been illegal for women to wear patent leather shoes, lest a male see something unmentionable reflected in them; and in London, until 1998 all taxis were required to carry a bale of hay in case their horse needed a quick bite to eat. Diesel and petrol powered cabs included.)

These laws, and others like them, highlight the fact that with a few exceptions (mostly major felonies) our legal systems were not designed with universal enforcement in mind. But universal enforcement is exactly what we’ll get if these surveillance technologies come together to produce a panopticon singularity.

A second important side-effect of panopticon surveillance is the chilling effect it exerts on otherwise lawful activities. If you believe your activities on the net are being monitored for signs of terrorist intent, would you dare do the research to write that thriller? Nobody (with any common sense) cracks a joke in the waiting line at airport security — we’re all afraid of attracting the unwelcome attention of people in uniform with no sense of humour whatsoever. Now imagine the straitjacket policing of aviation security extended into every aspect of daily life, with unblinking and remorseless surveillance of everything you do and say. Worse: imagine that the enforcers are machines, tireless and efficient and incapable of turning a blind eye.

Surveillance need not even stop at our skin; the ability to monitor our speech and track our biological signs (for example: pulse, pupillary dilation, or possibly hormone and neurotransmitter levels) may lead to attempts to monitor thoughts as well as deeds. What starts with attempts to identify paedophile predators before they strike may end with discrimination against people believed to be at risk of “addictive behaviour” — howsoever that might be defined — or of harbouring anti-social attitudes.

We are all criminals, if you dig far enough: we’ve broken the speed limit, forgotten to file official papers in time, made false statements (often because we misremembered some fact), failed to pay for services, and so on. These are minor offenses — relatively few of us are deliberate criminals. But even if we aren’t active felons we are all potential criminals, and a case can be — and is being — made for keeping us all under surveillance, all the time.

A Panopticon Singularity is the logical outcome if the burgeoning technologies of the singularity are funneled into automating law enforcement. Previous police states were limited by manpower, but the panopticon singularity substitutes technology, and ultimately replaces human conscience with a brilliant but merciless prosthesis.

If a panopticon singularity emerges, you’d be well advised to stay away from Massachusetts if you and your partner aren’t married. Don’t think about smoking a joint unless you want to see the inside of one of the labour camps where over 50% of the population sooner or later go. Don’t jaywalk, chew gum in public, smoke, exceed the speed limit, stand in front of fire exit routes, or wear clothing that violates the city dress code (passed on the nod in 1892, and never repealed because everybody knew nobody would enforce it and it would take up valuable legislative time). You won’t be able to watch those old DVD’s of ‘Friends’ you copied during the naughty oughties because if you stick them in your player it’ll call the copyright police on you. You’d better not spend too much time at the bar, or your insurance premiums will rocket and your boss might ask you to undergo therapy. You might be able to read a library book or play a round of a computer game, but your computer will be counting the words you read and monitoring your pulse so that it can bill you for the excitement it has delivered.

And don’t think you can escape by going and living in a log cabin in the middle of nowhere. It is in the nature of every police state that the most heinous offense of all is attempting to escape from it. And after all, if you’re innocent, why are you trying to hide?” http://www.antipope.org/charlie/rant/panopticon-essay.html

TO ADD TO THIS:

“The Ambiguous Panopticon: Foucault and the Codes of Cyberspace” by Mark Winokur, from ctheory.net

“David Lyon’s The Electronic Eye: The Rise of Surveillance Society — contains a lengthy discussion of the way in which panopticism is defined by “uncertainty as a means of subordination” (in other words by how the authoritarian gaze is unverifiable), his discussion of panopticism per se is largely concerned with the various data-collecting agencies that use the Internet to exert an external coercion on the individual, not with how such authority is internalized: ‘The prison-like society, where invisible observers track our digital footprints, does indeed seem panoptic.’ A little less often, scholars are interested in the ways that the Net limits our ability to think outside the Net, in other words in questions about discourse and discipline.”

From the footnotes: David Lyon, The Electronic Eye: The Rise of Surveillance Society, Minneapolis, MN: University of Minneapolis Press, 1994, p. 65.

“An even more recent book states the case more baldly: “[W]e have every reason to believe that cyberspace, left to itself, will not fulfill the promise of freedom. Left to itself, cyberspace will become a perfect tool of control” (Lawrence Lessig, Code and Other Laws of Cyberspace, NY: Basic Books, 2000, pp. 5-6).”

http://www.ctheory.net/articles.aspx?id=371#_ednref4

AND check out the articles in the Surveillance and Society’s “Foucault and Panopticism Revisited” issue of their Journal: http://www.surveillance-and-society.org/journalv1i3.htm

AND check out this article on some recent comments on the Panopticon Society and what is happening in Britain with ID cards and iris scans, etc.:http://www.wombles.org.uk/article2007061046.php

AND read “Who is watching you?” by Deborah Pierce, Seattle Press On-line, http://archive.seattlepressonline.com/article-9464.html

AND for more from the Correctional News, CN Nov/Dec 06, Facility of the Month Nov/Dec 2006:

” A Centrifugal Force: A Round Addition in El Paso County, Colo., Updates a Historic Design”

” Each of the tower’s three floors contains a control room and an additional mezzanine level for extra bed space, giving the facility the appearance of having six floors.

“It’s based on the concentric ring theory,” says Greg Gulliksen, project architect. “The hub is the central control area in the middle; the next ring out is a circulation area around the control room; the next ring out is the dayroom; and the last ring contains the sleeping areas and the shower and toilet area.”

Each ward contains nine dormitory-style sleeping bays where inmates are grouped together without doors or bars. Each bay contains eight bunk beds and eight lockers.”

http://www.correctionalnews.com/ME2/Audiences/dirmod.asp?sid=&nm=&type=Publishing&mod=Publications%3A%3AArticle&mid=8F3A7027421841978F18BE895F87F791&tier=4&id=88327817A39E494AA4A426AF092D33D2

AND I saved the best for last:

The NYPD Panopticon Imprisons Harlem”, November 27, 2006, David W. Boles’ Urban Semiotic

“The Panopticon — a prison so built radially that a guard at a central position can see all the prisoners – is also known as the infamous and ever-vigilant Foucauldian unblinking eye of authority watching every move a prisoner makes while remaining rough and ready to strike punishment as often as needed, has come to the streets of Harlem as “Sky Watch.”

The Sky Watch, about two stories tall, consists of a booth for a cop that stands atop a tower that collapses when the officer is ready to leave.

The booth, which gives the cop a line of sight from 20 feet up, has four cameras, a high-powered spotlight and various sensors. The digital cameras, which continue recording when the booth is unstaffed, save the video to a hard drive.

The units, which cost from $40,000 to $100,000 apiece, are also being used by the U.S. Border Patrol and cops in Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Dallas and Fort Worth.

NYPD spokesman Paul Browne said the department has leased one or two of the devices and hopes to eventually have five.

Since they’re moveable, they’re more flexible than fixed cameras.

One tower was installed about three weeks ago at 129th Street and Malcolm X Boulevard in Harlem – drawing cheers and jeers.

What does this mean for the innocent residents of Harlem who now live in an open-air prison?

Here’s a traditional prison Panopticon where a central watchtower sits at the center of the structure surrounded by prisoners in their cells. The prisoners cannot see the watchtower but sunlight pouring through outer windowed cell walls shows all movement of the prisoners in shadow to the unblinking Panopticonic eye:

[Several tiers of inmates in this round cell block at Stateville Prison near Joliet, Illinois, are easily visible from the guard tower in the middle.]

Here’s the Harlem Sky Watch box in action — have you ever seen an uglier obelisk wannabe? — where the sentry tower becomes the center tower of the Panopticon while the buildings and apartments surrounding it become the windowed prison cells from which there is no escape from the unblinking eye of punishment:

A watched cauldron never boils, but an observed populace ultimately overthrows its gaoler.

Just who are being protected in Harlem and just who are being watched?

The unblinking eye of authority stings us all from the NYPD Harlem Panopticon and we are all made more guilty because of it ominous presence.” http://urbansemiotic.com/2006/11/27/the-nypd-panopticon-imprisons-harlem/

SO, BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING YOU!

The Ultimate SciFi DVD Boxed Set Collection – Part II

This is Part II of the Ultimate Sci-Fi boxed set collection. This includes some lesser known shows, and some hard to find ones, but the links on the show’s name all lead to places you can obtain them. Some are British, some from the 70s. I tired to stay within the Sci-Fi genre, but some paranormal/fantasy ones just begged to be included. I will do a later post on just Fantasy/Paranormal, as there are plenty of those that are great, and deserve mention.

Star Trek Voyager – The Complete Seasons 1-7

Product Details

• Actors: Star Trek Voyager
• Format: Box set, Color, Dolby
• Language: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 47
• Rating:
• Studio: Paramount
• DVD Release Date: December 21, 2004
• Run Time: 7782 minutes

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
STAR TREK VOYAGER details the adventures of the Starfleet’s most adventurous starship, the U.S.S. Voyager, as it is led by Captain Kathryn Janeway (Mulgrew) on missions into deep space.

Star Trek Enterprise – The Complete Seasons 1-4

Product Details

• Actors: Star Trek Enterprise
• Format: Closed-captioned, NTSC
• Language: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
• Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
• Number of discs: 27
• Rating:
• Studio: Paramount
• DVD Release Date: November 1, 2005
• Run Time: 4223 minutes

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Set in the 22nd century, a hundred years before James T. Kirk helmed the famous starship of the same name, ENTERPRISE takes place in an era when interstellar travel is still in its infancy. Captain Jonathan Archer (Scott Bakula) has assembled a crew of brave explorers to chart the galaxy on a revolutionary spacecraft: Enterprise NX-01. As the first human beings to venture into deep space, these pioneers will experience the wonder and mystery of the final frontier as they seek out new life and new civilizations.

Star Trek Deep Space Nine – The Complete Seasons 1-7

Product Details

• Actors: Rene Auberjonois, Michael Dorn, Alexander Siddig
• Directors: Rene Auberjonois, Michael Dorn, Alexander Siddig, Corey Allen, Reza Badiyi
• Format: Box set, Color, NTSC
• Language: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 48
• Rating:
• Studio: Paramount
• DVD Release Date: October 26, 2004
• Run Time: 8006 minutes

Amazon Customer Review

“Star Trek Deep Space Nine will always be the cult within the cult. Although not as popular as the other Star Trek spin-offs(even the anemic Voyager who had the benefit of the UPN network behind it), it has the diehard follwing of Trekker Niners who’ll easily attest that DS9 was the best Trek show ever.

Unlike the other spin-offs,the show as well as the characters evolved in its seven seasons. Notably the lead character Benjamin Sisko (Avery Brooks) who started as a brooding arbitrator of a rundown space station. In the later seasons, the character was injected with the same passion that fueled Kirk and Picard,becoming a great Captain as well as accepting his role as the Bajoran’s Emissary and in the end, joined the Bajoran prophets.Sisko’s crew includes first officer/Bajoran liaison Major Kira Nerys (Nana Visitor),Trill science officer Jadzia Dax (Terry Farrell), Chief Medical Officer Dr Julian Bashir (Alexander Siddig), Chief of Operations Miles O’Brien (Colm Meaney) and changeling Security Chief Odo (Rene Abourjonios). Station residences includes Ferengi Barkeeper Quark (Armin Shimmerman), Cardassian Tailor, former spy Garak (Andy Robinson) and Sisko’s son Jake (Cirroc Lofton).

Although known as the darkest of all the Trek shows (despite having some of the most humorous episodes in the entire franchise) DS9 has the most complex storytelling ever to come out of Gene Roddenberry’s universe.

In season one we have the humble beginnings of the station formerly known as Terok Nor. Sisko was more of an administrator than the passionate individual he is to become, Kira Nerys is unsettlingly fiesty, Julian Bashir rates high on the arrogent meter, and Jadzia Dax comes off as somewhat aloof. The shakedown season still plays better than the latter seasons of any of the following Trek Series(Voyager,Enterprise). The standout episodes include Past Prologue, Captive Pursuit, Progress, In The Hands Of The Prophets, and Duet, which in many opinion, is the best ever DS9 episode.

With the final season of TNG over shadowing,as well as the upcoming Voyager series in the wings, DS9 was trying to find it’s footing in the second season. Besides character development,we see the seeds of events begin to evolve, including the rise (and eventual downfalls) of Kai Winn & Gul Dukat,the re-introduction of The Original Series “Mirror, Mirror” Universe, as well as the dreaded Dominion.

The standout episodes includes Cardassians, Whispers, Blood Oath, The Maquis, The Wire, and The Collaborator. Season two ends with the ominous The Jem’hadar, preparing us for a direction never seen in Star Trek.

With the Dominion threat, and the introdution of the battleship,Defiant, DS9’s third season was finally coming into it’s own.

Along with more character development in the lead as well as the supporting cast(Garak, Dukat, Kai Winn, Rom & Nog), the writing was even stronger than before with great episodes such as House Of Quark, Civil Defense, Second Skin, Visionary, Past Tense, and Explorers. Also introduced in this season are Leeta, Ishka (“Moogie”), Brunt, Shaakar, and Lt. Commander Eddington.

Unfortunately with Star Trek Generations hitting the big screen, and Star Trek Voyager’s big premire, DS9 was lost in the shuffle. But it would use it’s underdog status to emerge as the greatest Trek series the following season.

The final ingredient that was needed in DS9, Worf becomes a member of the crew in the fourth season, and it will never be the same again.

Not only it was Starfleet’s Klingon officer’s introduction, but Way of the Warrior was DS9’s most exciting episode (it’s the equivalent of TNG’s Best Of Both Worlds), dealing with the Federation-Klingon Empire relation being strained and underminded by the Dominion, which concluded with the greatest battle scenes ever seen on televised Trek.

Sisko, promoted to Captain in the previous season, finally emerges as a commanding presence, in part to his image makover including a bald head & goatee.

Many classic episodes including WOTW, The Visitor, Little Green Men, Our Man Bashir, Rejoined, The Sons Of Mogh, Bar Association, Hard Time, and Broken Link which concludes with a surprise ending for the season.

This is the season where the writers & producers realise that the show will never come close to being the success that TNG was, and decided to make the show something to be proud of and making it’s place be known in the Star Trek Universe.

DS9’s fifth season proves there is so much more to the show once described about a station that didn’t “go anywhere.” When most TV shows wear out their welcome by season five,ST-DS9 just kept getting better. One of the factors is the strong writing, as well as the characters evolution (Worf & Dax’s romantic relationship, Bashir’s genetic enhancement secret) and such classic episodes as Looking For Par’Mach In All The Wrong Places, The Ship, Children Of Time, By Inferno’s Light/In Purgatory’s Shadow, and Trials and Tribble-ation (featuring the original ST crew).

The season ends with the beginning of the Dominion War which has been building up since Season Three.

In the sixth season, you come to realise that it’s far removed from the premise of a darker edgier Trek of the first two seasons, only to emerge as the greatest Trek show of all time.

The writing had become more ambitious than any other latter day Trek Series (TNG, VOY, ENT),and it was only the penultimate season. The six-part Dominion War Arc (including classic episodes A Time To Stand, Rocks & Shoals, The Sacrifice Of Angels) showed the producers going for broke as well as establishing DS9 as a show that’s not afraid to take chances.

The best season six episodes are too many to list(….Cordially Invited…, Waltz, Far Beyond The Stars, Inquisition, His Way, Reckoning, The Valient), but it’s In The Pale Moonlight that is the highlight of the entire season (as well as my 3rd favorite episode behind season one’s “Duet”,and four’s “The Way Of The Warrior”) as Captain Sisko wrestles with his conscience as Garak helps him to dupe the Romulans into joining their efforts in the war. The season ends on a dark tone with “Tears Of The Prophet” in which Jadzia Dax is killed by a Pah-Wraith possessed Dukat.

Although season six staked DS9’s claim as Star Trek’s best ever show,the seventh, and finale season of DS9, coming after a three season winning streak, hits a bump during the season, yet it was still superior than any other show of it’s genre.
The death of Jadzia Dax somewhat took the wind out of the series, and the new Dax, Ezri(Nicole DeBoer) an unprepared new Trill host, was written as”Ally McTrill,” only to emerge as more comfortable with the roll as the show wound down.
Some episodes ranged from mediocre (Prodigal Daughter) to downright weak (The Emperor’s New Cloak, Extreme Measures). Aside from the Finale Arc (including Penumbra, Strange Bedfellows, Tacken To The Wind & Dogs Of War), Take Me Out To The Holosuite, The Siege at AR 558, Chimara and Inter Arma… ranks as some of DS9’s greatest episodes. The ten part finale arc which ended with What You Leave Behind closed the show on a fitting yet premature ending.

Paramount released the DVD sets throughout 2003 (the tenth anniversary of DS9) as well as insatiate the many fans of this brilliant yet overlooked show (hopefully a series of TV movies in the future), reminding us of how great DS9 was, and that hopefully we’ll return to her someday.
Ten Favorite Episodes
1.Duet (first season)
2.The Way Of The Warrior (fourth season)
3.In The Pale Moonlight (Sixth Season)
4.The Visitor (Fourth Season)
5.The Seige at AR-558 (Seventh Season)
6.Trials and Tribble-ations (fifth season)
7. …You Are Cordially Invited(sixth season)
8.Looking For Par’Mach In All The Wrong Places (fith season)
9.Take Me Out To The Holosuite (seventh season)
10.Far Beyond The Stars (sixth season)”

Star Trek The Animated Series – The Animated Adventures of Gene Roddenberry’s Star Trek

Product Details

• Actors: Majel Barrett
• Directors: Bill Reed
• Format: Box set, Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, NTSC
• Language: English, Spanish
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 4
• Rating:
• Studio: Paramount
• DVD Release Date: November 21, 2006
• Run Time: 526 minutes

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
Star Trek: The Animated Series is often referred to as Star Trek’s “fourth season” because it was created in 1973, four years after the third and final season of the original series, and because most of the original cast provided the voices. William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, DeForest Kelley, James Doohan, Nichelle Nichols, George Takei, and Majel Barrett reprised their characters, and some contributed other voices as well. The only major omission was Walter Koenig’s Chekov, who was replaced at the navigation console by Lieutenant Arex, the three-armed alien who most prominently represented the series’ freedom to create non-humanoid characters. (Koenig did write an episode.) And while the animation is crude at best, the stories are solid sci-fi (penned by some of Star Trek’s veteran writers including DC Fontana and David Gerrold, all of whom received prominent opening credits), explored the Star Trek mythos, and elevated the series above typical Saturday-morning fare. For example, “Yesteryear” goes back to Spock’s early years on Vulcan, continuing some explorations from the original series’ “Journey to Babel,” and offers the familiar voice of Mark Lenard as Sarek. “One of Our Planets Is Missing” raises some interesting philosophical questions about the value of life, and “More Tribbles, More Troubles” and “Mudd’s Passion” revisit favorite characters. Star Trek: The Animated Series lasted just barely over one season, but it won the franchise’s only Emmy (for Outstanding Entertainment Children’s Series in 1975) and some of its ideas were embraced by future series. Trekkers who know it only by reputation will find it a valuable part of the Star Trek canon. In addition to the series’ 22 half-hour episodes, the DVD set includes “Drawn to the Final Frontier: The Making of Star Trek: The Animated Series,” a 24-minute featurette including interviews with the producers and writers (but not actors) on how the series was created and why it still holds up; “What’s the Star Trek Connection?”, a glossary of characters and themes common to the animated series and other series; a storyboard gallery; and a brief text history. Writer David Gerrold and producer David Wise contribute audio commentaries on three and one episode, respectively, and the ever-reliable Michael Okuda and Denise Okuda provide text commentary on three other episodes.

Product Description
Boldly continuing where Star Trek: The Original Series left off, these animated adventures chart the progress of Captain Kirk and his crew in a universe unconstrained by “real-life” cinematography! With all characters voiced by their original actors, join Kirk, Spock, Bones and the crew for 22 new adventures: to boldly go where no animation has gone before!

V – The Complete Series

Product Details

• Actors: Duncan Regehr
• Directors: Victor Lobl, Earl Bellamy, Ray Austin, John Florea
• Format: Box set, Closed-captioned, Color, DVD-Video, Subtitled, NTSC
• Language: English
• Subtitles: English, French, Spanish
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 3
• Rating:
• Studio: Warner Home Video
• DVD Release Date: July 27, 2004
• Run Time: 897 minutes

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
They came for water. And for food. And as it turned out, we were the food. But humanity bravely resisted – a struggle seen in the hit miniseries V and V: The Final Battle. Yet the war continues. The heroic conflict comes to a surprising outcome in V: The Series, presented complete and uncut in this 3-disc, 19-episode set. Once again, Earth is the main battleground. But now the aliens whose human guise hides their true reptilian natures are wiser. They believe the secret to their survival on Earth lies in the DNA of the newly born half-human, half-spaceling Starchild. They intend to capture her. But that’s something the world’s Resistance Fighters cannot allow.

The Complete UFO Megaset

Product Details

• Actors: Complete UFO Megaset
• Format: Box set, Color, DVD-Video, Full Screen, NTSC
• Language: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 8
• Rating:
• Studio: A&E Home Video
• DVD Release Date: October 28, 2003
• Run Time: 1352 minutes

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
UFO was Gerry Anderson’s first live-action TV series after a decade of producing such children’s animated classics as Stingray (1963) and Thunderbirds (1964). The premise of UFO, which ran for a single season of 26 episodes in 1970, was like a more serious version of Anderson’s Captain Scarlet (1967): in the near future of 1980, a high-tech secret organization, SHADO, waged covert war against mysterious alien attackers. Ed Bishop played the American head of SHADO–he had been previously featured in Captain Scarlet and Anderson’s Doppelganger (1969)–though in all other respects this was a thoroughly British production. As with all Anderson series, UFO evidenced remarkable technological inventiveness and groundbreaking production values, coupled with startling lapses in fundamental logic too numerous to list.

Much more adult in story and content than earlier Anderson productions, and surprisingly dark with its pragmatic view of human nature and downbeat endings, the show now seems like a forerunner of The X-Files and the equally short-lived Dark Skies (1996). Barry Gray’s memorable theme and atmospheric music greatly enhanced the overall impact. Stylishly made, though terribly sexist by current standards and featuring eye-catching costumes more fitted for a campy dress party than the front line of a futuristic war, this cult classic eventually evolved into Space: 1999 (1975).

The UFO DVDs have been beautifully designed and produced. The mono sound is exceptionally strong, and the restored and remastered picture is almost unbelievably good for a 1970 TV show. With barely a flaw anywhere, the episodes look so clear, colorful, and detailed that they could have been filmed last week. This eight-disc megaset features all 26 episodes.

Voyagers! – The Complete Series

Product Details

• Actors: Meeno Peluce, Jon-Erik Hexum
• Format: Box set, Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, Full Screen, Subtitled, NTSC
• Language: English
• Subtitles: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 4
• Rating:
• Studio: Universal Studios
• DVD Release Date: July 17, 2007
• Run Time: 972 minutes

Amazon Customer Review

“This is a blast from the past from 25 years ago–I remember it very fondly! Phineas Bogg is a Voyager–a person who is supposed to travel through time and give history a push from time to time so that the proper things take place. The machine that he uses malfunctions a lot, he doesn’t have a lot of knowledege about history, and he accidentally ends up in the bedroom of a boy named Jeffrey Jones in 1982, an orphan who knows a lot about history. He ends up traveling with Bogg, going from one adventure to the next. Not as heavy handed and preachy as Quantum Leap (which I loved, too)–a fun series, great family entertainment, kids should like it.

One thing I remember is that whenever Meeno and Jon-Erik did interviews, they always spoke as if they were an equal team. Jon-Erik never spoke of Meeno as just a kid. On screen, they had a very nice relationship. The kid’s cute, the guy’s hunky, and the adventures are fun.

Generally in each episode, the voyagers drop into one scenario, leave at the first commercial break to another, solve the second problem, then take knowledge from that second scenario back to the first to solve the initial problem. Some of the links are that of situations (Spartacus and Tubbman have slavery in common), and others involve learning a trick to get out of the first (Salem and Houdini).

Here are the episodes–title and topic:
Pilot–Time Traveler and orphan meet
Created Equal (Spartacus and Harriet Tubman)
Bully and Billy (Teddy Roosevelt and Billy the Kid)
Agents of Satan (Salem witch trials and Harry Houdini)
Worlds Apart (Lawrence of Arabia and Thomas Edison)
Cleo and the Babe (Cleopatra is brought to 1920s New York/Lucy Luciano)
The Day the Rebs took Lincoln (Civil War and London/Dickens)
Old Hickory and the Pirate (War of 1812/New Orleans)
The Travels of Marco Polo…and Friends (1930s New York/Isaac Wolfstein)
An Arrow Pointing East (Lindburgh then Robin Hood)
Merry Christmas, Bogg (George Washington then Samuel Gompers)
Buffalo Bill and Annie Oakely Play the Palace (Queen Victoria)
The Trial of Phineas Bogg (Bogg is on trial back home)
Sneak Attack (Pearl Harbor plus young Bill Cody/Pony Express)
Voyagers of the Titanic (plus rabies and Pasteur)
Pursuit (WWII/Werner von Braun)
Destiny’s Choice (FDR in 1924 Hollywood)
All Fall Down (1938, boxing, Joe Louis)
Barrier’s of Sound (1890s Texas, Ike’s mom)
Jack’s Back (Jack the Ripper)

Some guest stars: Ed Begley, Jr., Gregory Itzin (twice!), Lance LeGault, Tricia O’Neil, Michael Fox (the reason M. J. Fox had to add the J?), Jonathan Frakes, Anne Lockhart, Dana Elcar, Frank Marth, and Julia Duffy.”

Earth 2 – The Complete Series

Product Details

• Directors: Janet Davidson, Félix Enríquez Alcalá, Frank De Palma, Daniel Sackheim, Joe Ann Fogle
• Format: Box set, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, Full Screen, NTSC
• Language: English
• Subtitles: English, Spanish
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 3
• Rating:
• Studio: Universal Studios
• DVD Release Date: July 19, 2005
• Run Time: 1025 minutes

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
A science-fiction series with an ecological theme, EARTH 2 only ran for one season on NBC, and all 22 episodes of the program are collected here. In the distant future, the surface of the Earth has been largely destroyed, and mankind lives in space stations orbiting the planet. A group of space colonists, led by Devon Adair (Debrah Farentino) and John Danzinger (Clancy Brown), are sent to a far off planet to prepare it for colonization by the surviving population of Earth. But a mishap sends them careening off-course, crash landing thousands of miles from the proper camp site. EARTH 2 follows the band of colonists as they traverse the planet, encountering dangerous aliens and other humans who view them with distrust and suspicion. By tackling issues like ecology and colonization, EARTH 2 engages important ideas and themes in an entertaining fashion.

The Prisoner – Complete Series Megaset (40th Anniversary Edition)

Product Details

• Actors: Patrick McGoohan
• Format: Box set, Closed-captioned, Collector’s Edition, Color, Original recording remastered, NTSC
• Language: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 10
• Rating:
• Studio: A&E Home Video
• DVD Release Date: July 25, 2006
• Run Time: 884 minutes

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com essential video
If a top-level spy decided he didn’t want to be a spy anymore, could he just walk into HQ and hand in his resignation? With all that classified knowledge in his head, would he be allowed to become a civilian again, free to go about his life? The answer, according to the stylish, brilliantly conceived 1960s British TV series The Prisoner, is a resounding no. In fact, instead of receiving a gold watch for his years of faithful service, our hero (played by Patrick McGoohan) is followed home to his London flat and knocked unconscious. When he awakens, he finds himself in a picturesque village where everyone is known by a number. Where is it? Why was he brought here? And, most important, how does he leave?

As we learn in Episode 1, Number 6 can’t leave. The Village’s “citizens” might dress colorfully and stroll around its manicured gardens while a band plays bouncy Strauss marches, but the place is actually a prison. Surveillance is near total, and if all else fails, there’s always the large, mysterious white ball that subdues potential escapees by temporarily smothering them. Who runs the Village? An ever-changing Number 2, who wants to know why Number 6 resigned. If he’d only cooperate, he’s told, life can be made very pleasant. “I’ve resigned,” he fumes. “I will not be pushed, filed, stamped, indexed, briefed, debriefed, or numbered. My life is my own.” So sets the stage for the ultimate battle of wills: Number 6’s struggle to retain his privacy, sanity, and individuality against the array of psychological and physical methods the Village uses to break him.

So does he ever escape? And does he ever find out who Number 1 is? “Questions are a burden to others,” the Village saying goes. “Answers, a prison for oneself.” Within this complete 17-episode set (which contains the entire series), all is revealed. Or is it? –Steve Landau

Product Description
Patrick McGoohan’s classic 17-episode British TV series, THE PRISONER, has been mesmerizing American viewers since its CBS debut in the summer of 1968. Now, just in time for its 40th anniversary A&E presents this definitive collector’s edition of the cult classic series. Fully restored and digitally remastered, THE PRISONER is presented in the fan-preferred episode order, offering a chronological interpretation of perhaps the most unusual and challenging television series ever filmed. After resigning from a top-secret position, a man is abducted from his London home and taken to a mysterious place known only as The Village. Residents of The Village, known only by numbers, are held captive on account of their valuable knowledge. The Prisoner–Number Six–must protect his mind in order to preserve his humanity while he struggles to discover the identity of Number One and achieve freedom by escaping from the repressive grasp of his captors. Set includes all 17 complete color episodes: Arrival / Free For All / Dance of the Dead / Checkmate / The Chimes of Big Ben / A, B, and C / The General / The Schizoid Man / Many Happy Returns / It’s Your Funeral / A Change of Mind / Hammer Into Anvil / Do Not Forsake Me Oh My Darling / Living In Harmony / The Girl Who Was Death / Once Upon a Time / Fall Out DVD Features: Ultra-rare original footage of the 1966 location shooting, accompanied by commentary with Bernie Williams; Bonus Program: THE PRISONER VIDEO COMPANION; Rare, Alternate Version of the Episode “The Chimes of Big Ben”; Rarely Seen “Foreign File Cabinet” Footage; Rarely Seen “Textless” Intro & Outro; Original Broadcast Trailers; Original Series Promotional Trailer; Gallery of Original Production and Promotional Materials; Production Stills Galleries; Interactive Map of the Village; Prisoner Trivia; Interactive Menus; Scene Selection NEW LIMITED EDITION COLLECTOR’S BOOKLET: 60 Fully Illustrated Pages; Hidden Mysteries Surrounding THE PRISONER; Complete Series Guide of All 17 Episodes; Detailed Color Fold-out Map of The Village.”

Space 1999 – 30th Anniversary Edition Megaset (17DVD)

Product Details

• Actors: Martin Landau, Barbara Bain, Barry Morse, Nick Tate, Catherine Schell
• Directors: Kevin Connor, Val Guest, Bob Brooks (III), Robert Lynn (II)
• Format: Box set, Color, DVD-Video, NTSC
• Language: English, Spanish
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 17
• Rating:
• Studio: A&E Home Video
• DVD Release Date: July 31, 2007
• Run Time: 2496 minutes

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
When it was first broadcast in 1975, there had never been a more lavishly produced science fiction TV series than Space: 1999, a British production whose budget for the first of its two seasons ran an astounding £3.25 million. What keeps us fans enthralled after all these years has only partly to due with the first-rate production values, the plausibly constructed spaceship models, and expert special effects. The tone of the show is one of scientific dispassion, setting it apart from its TV sci-fi predecessors such as Star Trek, whose mood was more convivial. Our heroes here are in dire circumstances that require cool heads as a survival trait. Those circumstances: the 311 crew members of Moonbase Alpha experience a cataclysm that causes the moon to break away from Earth’s orbit and travel endlessly through space, turning our heroes into unintentional explorers. No TV series has created a more palpable feel of hard science fiction than this.

Of course the show is not without its detractors; it has been soundly lambasted for its many scientific errors. No less august a figure than Isaac Asimov criticized the show for its premise in the opening episode, “Breakaway,” which had nuclear explosions on the “dark side of the moon” somehow propelling it out of Earth’s orbit and flying through space without regard to any physical laws. In “Earthbound,” aliens traveling to Earth state it will take them 75 years to reach their destination, making one wonder why it didn’t take the moon that long to encounter the aliens. While these are serious complaints, fans tend to remember the scientific seriousness of the series and the sense of awe created by the many strange creatures and phenomena that the crew members encounter on their journey through the galaxy.

The Space: 1999 30th Anniversary Mega Set collects all 48 episodes broadcast over the show’s two seasons, contained on 17 DVDs that include vintage interviews, production stills, TV promotional spots, and interactive menus, and some material that was not seen in the original U.S. broadcasts has been restored. The episodes do not use the 2005 high-def remasters, so this is essentially the same as the 2002 Mega Set, but at a fraction of the shelf space (the Thinpak packaging is nicely compact) and a fraction of the price. –Jim Gay

Product Description
All 48 episodes of this acclaimed space adventure are contained in this complete collection, digitally remastered from the original 35mm film, plus bonus footage, featured extras, and much more! With its progressive plotlines, an outstanding cast, and astonishing special effects from Oscar® winner Brian Johnson (Alien, The Empire Strikes Back), SPACE: 1999 has secured its place as one of the most thought-provoking series of the 21st century—and beyond.

Alien Nation – The Complete Series

Product Details

• Actors: Gary Graham, Eric Pierpoint, Michele Scarabelli, Lauren Woodland, Sean Six
• Directors: Kenneth Johnson, Harry Longstreet
• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD-Video, Full Screen, Subtitled, NTSC
• Language: English
• Subtitles: English, Spanish
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 6
• Rating:
• Studio: 20th Century Fox
• DVD Release Date: January 3, 2006
• Run Time: 989 minutes

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
As Newcomers — fugitive slaves from the planet Tencton — Detective George Francisco and his family face prejudice and intolerance as they struggle to assimilate to life on their adopted planet. Together with his human partner, hard-edged Detective Matt Sikes, George walks the beat in Slagtown, Los Angeles, a Newcomer slum teeming with vice and corruption. More than just another cop show or science fiction show, Alien Nation utilizes a unique and exciting blend of action, suspense, humor, and social drama to explore the sociology of what it means to be an outsider striving to fit in.

Alien Nation – Ultimate Movie Collection

Product Details

• Actors: Alien Nation-Ultimate Movie Collection
• Format: Box set, Color, DVD-Video, NTSC
• Language: English, Spanish
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 3
• Rating:
• Studio: 20th Century Fox
• DVD Release Date: April 15, 2008
• Run Time: 447 minutes

Amazon Customer Review

“Dark Horizon is on its own disc. The other four movies are on 2 flipper discs–one movie per side. All the movies have a Ken Johnson commentary track. The first four movies have “Making of” featurettes that are a bit dry, but have some great nuggets. The first four also have gag reels. All the movies have a wide of array of stills in a photo gallery.
The last movie’s disc side includes a 25-minute reunion taped at Johnson’s home in January 2007. Everyone’s there except for Sean Six/Buck. It’s amazing! I got a warm feeling just watching! It opens with candid meet and greets and sitting down to a meal. They gather in a circle next, and really start to talk. The actors talk about being cast, about make-up, about the movies, and about the reaction from various ethnic groups, among other things. There are some great behind-the-scenes shots from the original series that I’ve never seen anywhere else.

Dark Horizon is fine, but man, were they hitting on all four cylinders for the second movie–Body and Soul. It features an excellent story and script, a satisfying Matt and Cathy story, and a few twists and turns that you won’t expect. Everything that made the series great is on display in the second movie–the comic timing, the chemistry between the actors, the jokes, the names, you name it, it’s there–it’s like a time machine back to the good old days of the show’s weekly run. The last three are just as good–the atmosphere and feeling of the season is there in full force. I wasn’t crazy about George’s promotion at the end of the original series because it wrecked the detectives’ dynamic, but found that they dealt with it very well in the movies for both characters.

Buck and Emily don’t have much to do in the first two movies, but they come into their own in the last three. Cathy and Matt’s romance evolves beautifully throughout. If you think of the five movies as 10 episodes of Alien Nation–it’s like a whole half season.

Pocket put out 8 Alien Nation novels and novelizations back in the day, so we had those to get over the cliffhanger when the complete series set came out a couple of years ago. But that wasn’t good enough, frankly. Thank goodness these are on dvd at last! Now we really have the complete series available on dvd.”

1. “Dark Horizon”- 1994
2. “Body and Soul”-1995
3. “The Enemy Within”- 1996
4. “Millennium”-1996
5. “The Udara Legacy”-1997

Roswell – Seasons 1-3

Product Details

• Format: NTSC
• Language: English
• DVD Release Date: November 14, 2006

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Opening with a Dido theme song and featuring character-driven, sweet-natured melodrama, Roswell was a show with a surprisingly dedicated fandom, who twice won it reprieve from cancellation. One of its main strengths was, of course, the extent to which its premise–alien teenagers trying to sort out their identities while emotionally involved with their human contemporaries–was a free-floating metaphor for race and sexuality issues. Another was the strong ensemble that its cast developed: you believed in the strangeness of the alien trio and the well-intentioned normality of their three human friends. Jason Behr gave the alien Max a quiet authority and Majendra Delfino took the sidekick role of Maria and gave it both intensity and fine comic timing. It was also a show in which you were never sure which adults you could trust–William Sadleir trod a fine line of ambiguity as the local sheriff and Julie Benz was silkily sinister as an FBI agent. Anyone who ever loved this show will want these DVDs–and many others may want to find out what the fuss was about.

Roswell is presented in 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen. The special features include commentaries by writer Jason Katims, the directors, and various cast members as well as featurettes. The commentaries are unusually insightful on the casting process, and the discs also include the auditions for the part of Tess as well as deleted scenes and a music video. –Roz Kaveney

Steven Spielberg Presents Taken

Product Details

• Actors: Julie Benz, Catherine Dent, Jason Gray-Stanford, Tina Holmes, Michael Moriarty
• Format: Anamorphic, Box set, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD-Video, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
• Language: English, French
• Subtitles: English, French, Spanish
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
• Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
• Number of discs: 6
• Rating:
• Studio: Dreamworks Video
• DVD Release Date: October 21, 2003
• Run Time: 885 minutes

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
Steven Spielberg’s alien abduction opus Taken is what happens when you cross-breed Close Encounters of the Third Kind with The Waltons. Obviously flushed with the success of the TV miniseries Band of Brothers, Spielberg’s Dreamworks studio has created an equally epic 10-part story chronicling 50 years of habitual abduction over several generations of three American families. Beginning with the most notorious alien cover-up in U.S. history, the 1947 “crash” at Roswell, New Mexico, Taken introduces the “Greys” and the families they routinely abduct, probe, and, in a couple of cases, impregnate over the course of the ten 90-minute episodes. The three families are: the Keys, from which first Russell, then his son Jessie, then grandson Danny, are all abducted; the Clarkes, who are descended from a liaison between lonely put-upon housewife Sally Clarke and one of the Roswell crash survivors; and the Crawfords, the ruthless G-men who are committed to uncovering the purpose behind the alien visitations at any cost.

It’s this question that forms the main thread of the story: but even though the Greys’ actions are at best ambiguous and at worst hostile, the viewer can’t help feeling that after all this systematic abuse of their human test subjects the aliens will in the end present them with a cure for cancer. In fact, Taken is Spielberg at his most touchy-feely: for all its science fiction trappings it’s basically a soap opera, lacking the sinister undercurrent of either Dark Skies or The X-Files. Nevertheless, it’s an engaging series with decent performances–most notably Joel Gretsch as psychotic Owen Crawford–good special effects, and an engaging enough storyline to make it entertaining, if somewhat disposable, TV.

The Ray Bradbury Theater – Complete Series (65 Episodes)

Product Details

• Actors: William Shatner, Jeff Goldblum, Leslie Nielson, Peter O’Toole, Eddie Albert
• Format: Box set, Closed-captioned, Color, DVD-Video, NTSC
• Language: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 5
• Rating:
• Studio: Echo Bridge Home Entertainment
• DVD Release Date: January 11, 2005
• Run Time: 1571 minutes

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Featuring 65 Episodes! Entranced by magicians, comic strips, and science-fiction magazines, Ray Bradbury began “educating” himself at the Los Angeles Library three to five times a week. By twenty-seven years of age he “graduated,” having written over several million words. In his early twenties, he supported himself by selling newspapers on street corners and writing for radio programs such as Suspense, Escape, CBS Radio Playhouse, and X Minus One. Bradbury has now written over one thousand short stories–400 of which have been published in such magazines as The New Yorker, The New Republican, The Saturday Evening Post, Amazing Stories, Colliers, Dime Detective and McCall’s. He has also written for Alfred Hitchcock Presents and for Rod Serling’s The Twilight Zone. And now, showcased in this 5 DVD set are some of Ray Bradbury’s finest works.

Threshold – The Complete Series

Product Details

• Directors: Norberto Barba, David S. Goyer, John Showalter, Tim Matheson, Peter Hyams
• Format: Box set, Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, Widescreen, NTSC
• Language: English
• Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
• Number of discs: 4
• Rating:
• Studio: Paramount
• DVD Release Date: August 22, 2006
• Run Time: 555 minutes

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
THRESHOLD is a suspenseful drama about a team of experts who are assembled when the U.S. Navy makes a chilling discovery: an extra terrestrial craft has landed in the mid-Atlantic ocean. Dr. Molly Anne Caffrey (Carla Gugino) is a government contingency analyst whose job is to devise response plans for worst-case scenarios. In a single instant, her life changes when one of those plans–THRESHOLD–is activated by Deputy National Security Advisor J.T. Baylock (Charles S. Dutton). Armed only with her hypothetical strategy to address the appearance of aliens on earth, Caffrey now finds herself thrust in the midst of a global crisis. She hand-picks a team of eclectic specialists to prepare for first contact: Dr. Nigel Fenway (Brent Spiner), a disillusioned NASA microbiologist; Lucas Pegg (Rob Benedict), a brilliant but neurotic physicist; Arthur Ramsey (Peter Dinklage), an expert in languages and mathematics; and Cavennaugh (Brian Van Holt), a highly trained covert operative with a mysterious past. Together, they decipher the intention of the craft, the fate of the ship’s crew and begin preparations for the possibility of a crisis situation–an alien invasion.

Land of the Giants – The Full Series (The Giant Collection)

Product Details

• Directors: Sobey Martin, Harry Harris
• Format: Box set, Color, Dubbed, DVD-Video, Subtitled, NTSC
• Language: English
• Subtitles: English, Spanish
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 9
• Rating:
• Studio: 20th Century Fox
• DVD Release Date: July 24, 2007
• Run Time: 2658 minutes

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
Premiering on ABC in 1968 and lasting just 51 episodes before its cancellation in 1970, Irwin Allen’s fantasy series Land of the Giants has built a sizable (if you’ll pardon the pun) fan base in subsequent decades thanks to its mix of adventure, science fiction, and camp; now those dedicated fans can enjoy the entire series in an impressive set that features a wealth of extras. The template for Giants is remarkably similar to that of Allen’s Lost in Space; here, the passengers and crew of the commercial spacecraft The Spindrift encounters a mysterious energy force en route to London and finds themselves on a planet which parallels Earth in every way save one – its inhabitants are twelve times the size of the marooned crew. The protagonists are less tightly knit than Space’s astronaut family Robinson – in fact, pilots Gary Conway and Don Marshall regularly butt heads with architect Don Matheson and entertainer Deanna Lund – though all seem to agree that orphan Stefan Arngrim is cute as a button and Kurt Kasznar is as much a pain in the neck as Dr. Smith (amusingly, Jonathan Harris turns up in this set in the episode “Pay the Piper”). But The Spindrift castaways’ adventures are less juvenile than those of the later Lost in Space episodes, and the special effects (which cost the network a record-setting $250,000 per episode) are impressive for the period. The nine-DVD set for Land of the Giantscontains the series’ entire network run, as well as the unaired pilot, which offers a similar take on the debut episode, “The Crash,” minus John Williams’ jazzy theme and other elements. Most of the surviving cast members (Kasznar passed away in 1979, and Heather Young is not included) is featured in interviews about their experiences on the show, and there are several home videos of producer Allen directing the program and interacting with the over sized props and sets. Also featured on the discs are galleries of publicity shots, episodic photos, show merchandise and of the photogenic Ms. Lund, and the MAD Magazine parody. Meanwhile, buyers can also pursue a reproduction of the comic book adaptation and a booklet with more cast interviews and photos, and check out a set of trading cards, a Spindrift key chain and crew iron-on patch – all of which is contained in the set’s clever carrying case, which reproduces a wooden cage that held the Giants‘ heroes in one episode. Though casual admirers may balk at the Giant Collection price tag, diehards will undoubtedly appreciate having the entire set and quality extras at their disposal.

Product Description
After their sub-orbital space craft is drawn into a space warp, the passengers and crew of the Spindrift, crash into a planet where everything is 12 times its normal size!

Starhunter 2300: The Complete Series

Product Details

• Directors: Roger Gartland, Colin Bucksey, David Wheatley
• Format: Box set, Closed-captioned, Color, DVD-Video, Full Screen, NTSC
• Language: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 6
• Rating:
• Studio: Image Entertainment
• DVD Release Date: November 23, 2004
• Run Time: 1050 minutes

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
In the 23rd century, humanity has spread to the stars and planets in Earth’s solar system. Civilization is a patchwork of a hundred worlds, most with weak governments and weaker laws. It is a golden age for criminals who exploit this lawlessness and use the incredible technology of the future to prey on others. A former luxury space liner, the Tulip, is now a bounty-hunting vessel commanded by Travis Montana (Sunset Beach’s Clive Robertson) who searches the galaxy in search of his father. He’s joined on his quest by comic hunter Rudolpho, plucky Percy, holographic first mate Carvaggio, sexy special services officer Callista and bad boy Marcus. Now the fight for justice is set among the stars? and the showdown is about to begin. Perfect for Fans of New Sci-Fi TV Favorites Farscape, Stargate SG-1 and Babylon 5! Episodes include: Rebirth, Star Crossed, Biocrime, Chasing Janus, Spaceman, Becoming Shiva, The Third Thing, Torment, Painless, Skin Deep, Supermax Redux, Pandora’s Box, Stitch in Time, The Prisoner, Kate, Rivals, Heir and the Spare, Just Politics, Negative Energy, License to Fill, Hyperspace I & II.

The Crow (Collector’s Series Boxed Set)

Product Details

• Actors: Brandon Lee, Rochelle Davis, Ernie Hudson, Michael Wincott, Ling Bai
• Directors: Alex Proyas, Bharat Nalluri, Tim Pope
• Format: Box set, Closed-captioned, Color, DVD-Video, Letterboxed, NTSC
• Language: English, French
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
• Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
• Number of discs: 3
• Rating:
• Studio: Dimension
• DVD Release Date: March 20, 2001
• Run Time: 294 minutes

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
The collection includes THE CROW: Legendary Brandon Lee plays Eric Draven, a rock guitarist who, along with his finacee, is killed by a ruthless gang of criminals. One year after his death, Eric returns — watched over by a hypnotic crow — to seek revenge. THE CROW: CITY OF ANGELS: The murder victim (Vincent Perez) of an evil drug cartel is brought back to life by a mysterious crow to exact revenge on his killers one by one! THE CROW: SALVATION: Wrongly executed for the murder of his girlfriend, Alex Corvis (Eric Mabius) returns to find the real killer — aided by his girlfriend’s sister (Kirsten Dunst) … and the mysterious crow!

The Crow: Stairway To Heaven – The Complete Series

Product Details

• Actors: Mark Dacascos
• Directors: Bryce Zabel
• Format: Box set, Closed-captioned, Color, DVD-Video, NTSC
• Language: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 5
• Rating:
• Studio: Arts Alliance America
• DVD Release Date: July 24, 2007
• Run Time: 968 minutes

Amazon Customer Review

“The Crow: Stairway to Heaven” takes its place on the “Canceled To Soon” list. It really was a wonderful story that put a new perspective on the “Crow” mythos. In this show, Eric Draven’s story became one of redemption and Mark Dacascos played him beautifully. The show also featured wonderful performances by Marc Gomez (as Albrecht), Katie Stuart (as Sarah), and Sabine Karsenti (as Shelly). People have been waiting for this show to come out on DVD for a long time (the show ran for one season from 1998 to 1999), so it’s great that it’s finally here. I look forward to revisiting the episodes and seeing what extras come in this 4-disc set.”

Jim Henson’s Fantasy Film Collection – (Labyrinth / MirrorMask / The Dark Crystal)

Product Details

• Actors: Jim Henson’s Fantasy Film Collection
• Format: Box set, Closed-captioned, Color, DVD-Video, NTSC
• Language: English
• Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
• Number of discs: 3
• Rating:
• Studio: Sony Pictures
• DVD Release Date: September 5, 2006
• Run Time: 298 minutes

Amazon Customer Review

“Of course, we all remember Jim Henson for bringing us those fuzzy, adorable animal puppets and their variety show.
But Henson also produced some very memorable, intriguing fantasy films, and after his death his production company has continued that tradition. “The Jim Henson Family Film Collection” brings together three classic films from Henson and his company, as well as an accompanying book of unknown content.
“Labyrinth” becomes a problem for teenage Sarah, who is stuck babysitting her crying baby stepbrother. But when she idly wished that the goblins would steal him, she never expected it to happen — or that the Goblin King Jareth (David Bowie) would challenge her if she tries to get her brother back.
Now Sarah has only thirteen hours to navigate a changing, hazardous maze, with Jareth’s castle at the center of it. To find her way, she will have to befriend strange creatures and avoid lethal bogs, nasty fairies, head-jugglers, and finally Jareth himself — or her brother will be turned into a goblin himself.

“The Dark Crystal” is the heart of this movie, where on another world, there are two strange races — the enormous, gentle, peaceful Mystics, and the nasty, vulture-like, vicious Skekses. They are somehow connected to a massive crystal that was broken long ago, and now a shard is missing from it. What’s more, three suns are about to come into conjunction, and the shard has to be back in place.

The Mystics have cared for one of the last Gelflings, an orphan named Jen. As the conjunction approaches, they send him out to find the lost shard. Along the way, Jen finds new friends who assist him in his quest, including another Gelfling. But can they avoid the Skekses? And what will happen when the suns line up, and the crystal is completed?
These movies were created in whole by Jim Henson, and even in the darker moments, they have his unmistakeable stamp. More recent — and quite different in tone — is “Mirrormask,” which instead has the stamp of writer Neil Gaiman, and seems like a warped “Alice in Wonderland.” But Henson’s production company does a great job with all the weird special effects.

In “Mirrormask,” we’re introduced to Helena (Stephanie Leonidas), a young circus girl who longs for a “normal” life, and makes elaborate, otherworldly drawings. But one night her mother collapses, and needs life-saving surgery. The guilt-ridden Helena is suddenly whisked into a world that looks very like her drawings, where everyone has a mask — and the beautiful queen of light (who looks a lot like Helena’s mom) is in a coma.

Helena is determined to wake the queen, and gets juggler Valentine (Jason Barry) to accompany her on her quest for the mysterious Mirrormask. But the stakes become higher when the forces of darkness — and their eerie queen — target Helena, and she finds that a dark duplicate of herself has taken over her life. Now Helena must somehow defeat the dark forces, with her mother’s life — and her own — hanging in the balance.

All three of these movies are classics of one type or another, and each embraces a different kind of fantasy. One is about wanting to be swept into an idyllic fantasy life. One is entirely of another world. And one is about the dangers of the other world.

To top it off, three are coming-of-age stories, whether for a teenage girl or a Muppet Gelfling — they all focus on someone pursuing something that can save what is important to them, and growing as a person along the way. The scripting tends to be tight and a little wry. Sometimes it gets goofy, but well-acted (and in Bowie’s case, well-sung).
What’s more, the styles of each movie change: “Dark Crystal” is very fantastical and serious, even with some gross, dark parts, while “Labyrinth” is more kiddy-friendly and Muppety, with the little chivalrous fox (though Bowie’s tight pants are a BIG distraction). And “Mirrormask” has a different style altogether, with lots of shadowy buildings, eerie lighting, fleshy masks, wide bodies and tentacle-like limbs.

The “Jim Henson Fantasy Films” are a good collection of films, showing off Henson’s more fantastical side. Definitely worth seeing.”

Millennium – Seasons 1-3

Product Details

• Format: NTSC
• Number of discs: 18
• DVD Release Date: November 14, 2006

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
Millennium – The Complete First Season
Millennium marked the second major television series created by Chris Carter, who’d already made his name as the brains behind The X-Files. And, like its predecessor, it shares a lot of the same themes–it’s a crime thriller that gradually unfolds into a grand conspiracy involving the government and the fate of the entire world. Agent Frank Black (Lance Henriksen) is a former FBI agent who has transplanted his family from Washington, D.C. to Seattle, after suffering something of a breakdown. He’s an expert criminal profiler–arguably the best, thanks to his ability to “see” into the minds of killers–and he fears for the safety of his wife and young daughter. In Seattle, he joins the mysterious Millennium Group, an agency of freelance crime-busters who investigate particularly brutal crimes. As a result, Millennium is downright bleak viewing, as Black jumps from horrific slaying to horrific slaying. Moreover, there’s a growing sense of unease about the workings of the Millennium Group, so that in typical Chris Carter fashion, you don’t know who to trust. With its pre-Y2K angst and overwhelming darkness, as well as its general humorlessness, Millennium hasn’t dated as well as The X-Files. Still, thanks to Carter’s vision and Henriksen’s compelling take on the tortured Black, it’s difficult not to get hooked.

Millennium – The Complete Second Season
The groundbreaking show Millennium was about to take a new, visionary direction in its second season. Millennium could have continued its successful formula of introducing new, apocalyptic “Se7en-esque” serial killers for Frank Black (Lance Henriksen) to hunt down. But as any viewer can attest, it was the exploration of the mysterious “Millennium Group” and Frank Black’s role that held the key to the show’s potential longevity. And who better to build a mythos for the Millennium than the minds behind The X-Files: producer/writer team Glenn Morgan and James Wong. Stepping in when Chris Carter stepped aside, Morgan and Wong immediately began to focus season 2 not on the killers and their impact on Armageddon, but on Frank Black and his struggle for his personal stability and sanity. The Millennium Group, whose identify and function was never really explored in season 1, now becomes a central entity in season 2 complete with its own Masonic-like mythology.

Millennium – The Complete Third Season
In the third season of Millennium, we find Frank Black (Lance Henriksen) a widower and a single father who is completely disillusioned with the Millennium group and their evil intentions. Hell-bent on revenge, Frank rejoins the FBI, gets a new partner, Special Agent Emma Hollis (Klea Scott), and launches a personal crusade to dismantle and expose the Millennium Group. Interestingly, the visionary, quirky, X-Files mythos-like direction in which the producer-writer team of Glenn Morgan and James Wong took Millennium in season 2 didn’t sit well with many fans. Now that a good chunk of the Earth’s population had been wiped out by the Group’s killer plague, which also claimed Frank’s wife Catherine (Megan Gallagher), Chris Carter decided to take the helm once again and redirect season 3 back to the dark, apocalyptic crime-fighting genre in which it was intended. The mythos element is still present, but season 3 is a definite return to the look and feel of season 1 where most of the episodes are individual dark crime stories. The scripts in season 3 are consistently sharp (especially Ken Horton’s and Chip Johannessen’s), and the interesting, new dynamics introduced could have easily carried the show onward for many more seasons. Sadly, it was never meant to be. Like an apocalyptic metaphor, one of the best-written, best-produced, and most-influential shows of the 1990s would be canceled at the end of season 3, less than one year before the year 2000. Fans were left to wonder about the future of Frank Black, Jordan, and the success of his personal vendetta. Fortunately, The X-Files was still going strong at the time and fans got a bit of closure with The X-Files’ season 7 tie-in episode “Millennium” (included on this DVD set).

NOTE: The following movie sets are not Sci-Fi as such, but because of their paranomoral elemenets and the “essential” nature of them, I am including them here, rather than in the Fantasy/paranormal group. My call…

The Exorcist – The Complete Anthology (The Exorcist/ The Exorcist- Unrated/ The Exorcist II: The Heretic/ The Exorcist III/ The Exorcist: The Beginning/ The Exorcist: Dominion)

Product Details

• Actors: Stellan Skarsgård, Gabriel Mann, Clara Bellar, Billy Crawford (II), Ralph Brown
• Directors: Paul Schrader, John Boorman, Renny Harlin
• Format: Box set, Closed-captioned, Color, DVD-Video, Full Screen, Widescreen, NTSC
• Language: English, Spanish
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
• Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
• Number of discs: 6
• Rating:
• Studio: Warner Home Video
• DVD Release Date: October 10, 2006
• Run Time: 700 minutes

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Here it is. The scream of the crop. The fear is here. And so is the hope. Because at their center are intrepid souls who dare to look evil in the eye and vanquish it. From The Exorcist (presented in its Original Theatrical Version and the 2000 Version You’ve Never Seen) to the shocks and surprise of Exorcist II: The Heretic and The Exorcist III to the two versions (by two different directors) of Dominion/The Beginning, this DVD set comprises the scariest and most fascinating collection of movies in modern horror.

The Exorcist (25th Anniversary Special Edition) Product Details

• Actors: Jason Miller, Ellen Burstyn, Max von Sydow, Lee J. Cobb, Kitty Winn
• Directors: William Friedkin
• Format: Anamorphic, Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, Widescreen, NTSC
• Subtitles: English, French
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
• Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rating:
• Studio: Warner Home Video
• DVD Release Date: December 1, 1998
• Run Time: 197 minute

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com essential video
Director William Friedkin was a hot ticket in Hollywood after the success of The French Connection, and he turned heads (in more ways than one) when he decided to make The Exorcist as his follow-up film. Adapted by William Peter Blatty from his controversial bestseller, this shocking 1973 thriller set an intense and often-copied milestone for screen terror with its unflinching depiction of a young girl (Linda Blair) who is possessed by an evil spirit. Jason Miller and Max von Sydow are perfectly cast as the priests who risk their sanity and their lives to administer the rites of demonic exorcism. Ellen Burstyn plays Blair’s mother, who can only stand by in horror as her daughter’s body is wracked by Satanic disfiguration. One of the most frightening films ever made, The Exorcist was mysteriously plagued by trouble during production, and the years since have not diminished its capacity to disturb even the most stoic viewers. The film is presented in letterbox format on digital video disc, with a remastered soundtrack that’s guaranteed to curdle your blood. The 25th-anniversary Special Edition DVD of The Exorcist is packed with bonus features, including a 74-minute documentary titled The Fear of God: The Making of The Exorcist, which includes interviews with cast and crew, audio commentary by William Friedkin and author William Peter Blatty, a special introduction by Friedkin, theatrical trailers and TV spots, and DVD-exclusive coverage of the film’s storyboards and production design.

Product Description
An innocent girl is evilly possessed — and a doubting priest becomes her last hope. Linda Blair and Ellen Burstyn in the two-time Academy Award(R) winner that shocked the world.

DVD Features:
Audio Commentary:Separate Commentaries by Friedkin & Blatty
Other:“Fear of God” 3 trailers Nwe Interviews
TV Spot:6 TV Spots: “Beyond Comprehension”, “You Too Can See The Exorcist”, “Between Science and Superstition”, “The Movie You’ve Been Waiting For”, “Nobody Expected It”, “Life Had Been Good”

The Exorcist (The Version You’ve Never Seen)

Product Details

• Actors: Jason Miller, Ellen Burstyn, Max von Sydow, Lee J. Cobb, Kitty Winn
• Directors: William Friedkin
• Format: AC-3, Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
• Language: English
• Subtitles: French, Portuguese
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
• Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rating:
• Studio: Warner Home Video
• DVD Release Date: December 26, 2000
• Run Time: 132 minutes

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com essential video
Director William Friedkin was a hot ticket in Hollywood after the success of The French Connection, and he turned heads (in more ways than one) when he decided to make The Exorcist as his follow-up film. Adapted by William Peter Blatty from his controversial bestseller, this shocking 1973 thriller set an intense and often-copied milestone for screen terror with its unflinching depiction of a young girl (Linda Blair) who is possessed by an evil spirit. Jason Miller and Max von Sydow are perfectly cast as the priests who risk their sanity and their lives to administer the rites of demonic exorcism, and Ellen Burstyn plays Blair’s mother, who can only stand by in horror as her daughter’s body is wracked by satanic disfiguration. One of the most frightening films ever made with a soundtrack that’s guaranteed to curl your blood, The Exorcist was mysteriously plagued by troubles during production, and the years have not diminished its capacity to disturb even the most stoical viewers. Don’t say you weren’t warned! –Jeff Shannon

DVD features
Although it was endorsed by director William Friedkin (reportedly with some reluctance), this “new” version of The Exorcist was criticized by many as a marketing ploy, and now exists for perpetual debate among horror fans. In addition to a few more subtly inserted “subliminals” of demonic imagery, 12 minutes of previously unseen footage focus on four new scenes: the series of physical tests (spinal tap, etc.) that Regan (Linda Blair) must endure; a post-ritual scene between priests Karras (Jason Miller) and Merrin (Max von Sydow), in which Merrin postulates that Satan is targeting them in order to make them despair and doubt their faith; a different version of the famous “spider-walk” scene (shown as an outtake in the previous special edition DVD’s making-of documentary), in which Regan eerily walks down stairs in an upside-down, crablike movement, with blood dripping from her mouth; and a new ending, in which Father Dyer (Rev. William O’Malley) meets Lieutenant Kinderman (Lee J. Cobb) and the two of them share a casual chat about movies, echoing Kinderman’s earlier talk with Father Karras. This final change was viewed by many as the most egregious, destroying the closing note of the original version. Fans and critics alike found much more to praise in the spectacular remixing and remastering of the film’s original soundtrack, which is now scarier than ever in Dolby Digital 5.1-channel surround sound.

Forbidden Planet (Ultimate Collector’s Edition)

Product Details

• Actors: Walter Pidgeon, Anne Francis, Leslie Nielsen, Warren Stevens, Jack Kelly
• Directors: Fred M. Wilcox
• Format: AC-3, Box set, Closed-captioned, Collector’s Edition, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD-Video, Original recording remastered, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
• Language: English
• Subtitles: English, French, Spanish
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
• Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
• Number of discs: 2
• Rating:
• Studio: Warner Home Video
• DVD Release Date: November 14, 2006
• Run Time: 98 minutes

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com essential video
This 1956 pop adaptation of Shakespeare’s The Tempest is one of the best, most influential science fiction movies ever made. Its space explorers are the models for the crew of Star Trek’s Enterprise, and the film’s robot is clearly the prototype for Robby in Lost in Space. Walter Pidgeon is the Prospero figure, presiding over a paradisiacal world with his lovely young daughter and their servile droid. When the crew of a spaceship lands on the planet, they become aware of a sinister invisible force that threatens to destroy them. Great special effects and a bizarre electronic score help make this movie as fresh, imaginative, and fun as it was when first released. –Amazon.com

On the DVDs
Nestled in a metal collector’s box decorated with variations of original promo art, the colorfully designed 2-disc 50th Anniversary Edition of Forbidden Planet (also available separately) comes in a slip-covered fold-out case accompanied by a pocket of 17 miniature lobby card reproductions (eight for Forbidden Planet, nine for the 1957 companion movie The Invisible Boy). On disc 1, Forbidden Planet is presented with a new digital transfer from restored picture and audio elements, with soundtrack remastered in Dolby Digital 5.1, offering considerable improvement over the film’s previous DVD release. A selection of deleted scenes were taken from a faded and scratchy 16-millimeter “work print” that had originally been viewed by composers Louis and Bebe Barron as they were creating the film’s unique electronic score; they consist of full or partial scenes cut from the final film–mostly for good reason, but collectors (and those who first saw this rare material on the original Criterion Collection laserdisc) will welcome their inclusion here. The “lost footage” is crude special-effects test footage, again primarily of interest to sci-fi historians and aficionados. Given the fact that the original “Robby the Robot” cost over $100,000 to build in 1955, it’s easy to see why MGM wanted to get their money’s worth: An excerpt from the 1950s TV series “MGM Parade” shows Forbidden Planet star Walter Pigeon appearing briefly with Robby, and the popular robot gets even more attention as a guest star in “The Robot Client,” an episode of the Thin Man TV series (starring Peter Lawford and Phyllis Kirk) that originally aired on Feb. 28, 1958. Disc 1 also includes a gallery of seven science-fiction movie trailers dating from 1953’s The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms to 1960’s The Time Machine.

Disc 2 begins with 1957’s The Invisible Boy, a still-enjoyable B-movie that served as Robby’s post-Forbidden Planet showcase. Here, filmdom’s favorite automaton plays sidekick to a young boy (Richard Eyer) who turns invisible when he gets caught up in a super-computer’s scheme of global domination. Also included are three documentaries, all of them very good to excellent: In addition to reuniting the surviving cast members of the ‘56 classic (including Leslie Nielsen, Anne Francis, Richard Anderson, Warren Stevens, and Earl Holliman), “Amazing! Exploring the Far Reaches of Forbidden Planet” is an appreciative tribute to Forbidden Planet with some of Hollywood’s foremost sci-fi fans including special effects masters Dennis Muren and Phil Tippett, SF movie expert Bill Warren, and others. “Robby the Robot: Engineering a Sci-Fi Icon” is a featurette about the robot’s design, creation, and pop-cultural history, featuring original “Robby” designer Robert Kinoshita, Bill Malone (current owner of the original Robby), and Fred “The Robot Man” Barton, a lifelong robot fanatic builds fully authorized, full-scale Robby replicas for sci-fi fans with deep pockets. Closing out disc 2 is “Watch the Skies!: Science Fiction, the 1950s and Us,” a 2005 documentary from Turner Classic Movies, written and directed by Time magazine critic Richard Schickel. It’s a thoroughly comprehensive survey of ’50s sci-fi and its influence on the next generation of film directors, including engaging interviews with George Lucas, Steven Spielberg, John Carpenter, Ridley Scott and James Cameron.

Last but certainly not least, the Ultimate Collector’s Edition of Forbidden Planet comes with a highly detailed three-inch tall die-cast replica of Robby the Robot. Should you display it proudly on your toy shelf or keep it in its cellophane wrapper? That’s a tough call for devoted Robby fans… so you’ll just have to decide for yourself!

Product Description
This 1956 cult classic, regarded as one of the most influential science fiction movies ever made, now has an all new Ultimate Collector’s Edition featuring remastered film and audio. Loaded with hours of bonuses, vintage memorabilia, a Robby the Robot replica, and collectible packaging, this all new edition is ready for the Sci-Fi fanatic.

Neon Genesis Evangelion – Perfect Collection

Product Details

• Actors: Yûko Miyamura, Kôichi Yamadera, Tomokazu Seki, Tetsuya Iwanaga, Junko Iwao
• Directors: Kazuya Tsurumaki, Hiroyuki Ishidô, Hideaki Anno
• Format: Animated, Box set, Color, DVD-Video, NTSC
• Language: English, Japanese
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 8
• Rating:
• Studio: Adv Films
• DVD Release Date: April 9, 2002
• Run Time: 650 minutes

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com essential video
A benchmark series in the history of anime, Hideaki Anno’s Neon Genesis Evangelion is one of the most widely discussed in anime. It’s not the first series to combine mecha (futuristic machines, especially robots) with theology and a character-driven story, but it does so exceptionally well. The designs of the robots by Ikuto Yamashita are strikingly original; the questions raised about the future of the human race stimulate viewers’ imaginations and the characters show a depth of personality rare in anime. The story is set in 2015, 15 years after a cataclysmic explosion in Antarctica that caused the ice cap to melt, killing a large portion of the Earth’s population. Although it was reported as a meteor impact, the explosion was caused by human interaction with Adam, the first of a series of powerful, sentient creatures known as “Angels” to appear on Earth. To defend against their depredations, humans rely on NERV, a secret agency dedicated to destroying the Angels with their gargantuan robot suits called Evas. Only teenagers with special psychic powers can pilot the Evas, and the best pilot is the repressed 14-year-old Shinji Ikari, who is a more interesting, believable character than standard mecha pilots. The two final chapters of the Evangelion series (which originally ran in 1995-96) are highly philosophical ruminations that satisfied neither Anno nor the viewers. The episodes were remade as the theatrical features; however, only the original 26 episodes appear in this set. Not rated; suitable for ages 14 and up: Brief nudity, violence, sexual humor, and complex adult themes.

Crime Traveller: Complete Series

Product Details

• Actors: Crime Traveller
• Format: Box set, Color, DVD-Video, NTSC
• Language: English
• Region: All Regions
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 3
• Rating:
• Studio: Bfs Entertainment
• DVD Release Date: January 15, 2008
• Run Time: 390 minutes

BBC Review

“A year on from Paul McGann’s ill-fated 1996 Doctor Who revival, the BBC presented a new time-travelling series for Saturday nights. Created by Anthony Horowitz, it followed the exploits of detective Jeff Slade (Michael French) and time machine-owning forensic scientist Holly Turner (Chloë Annett). Together the duo ventured back to the recent past to bust crime.

The show’s comic approach masked some smart plotting and involved thinking about the mechanics of time travel. Trips to the future were outlawed (“It doesn’t exist”), while meeting yourself in the past was prohibited lest it caused a “temporal schism”. Most importantly, travellers had to be back in front of the machine at the moment they’d embarked on their journey, or be caught in a “loop of infinity”. Cue numerous mad dashes at the climax of each episode.

Despite a cheeky cameo by a police box in episode six, Crime Traveller was lampooned by critics for not being Doctor Who – and cancelled after just one series.”

Space Academy: The Complete Series

Product Details

• Actors: Brian Tochi
• Directors: Arthur H. Nadel
• Format: Box set, Color, DVD-Video, NTSC
• Language: English
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 4
• Rating:
• Studio: Bci / Eclipse
• DVD Release Date: January 16, 2007

Amazon Customer Review

“Who could forget that the year Star Wars blasted its way across cinemas that Space Academy launched on CBS Saturday mornings? The SA was a man-made planetoid built upon a large asteroid in space that was navigated by way of an interstellar star drive and commanded by Lost In Space’s Dr. Smith, Jonathan Harris, who played 300 year-old Commander Isaac Gampu. The SA contained several really cool space shuttles or “Seekers” that allowed them to take off-campus expeditions to nearby planets. The Seekers were basically designed after the Ark II vehicle (minus the wheels) which had been Filmation’s previous live-action Saturday morning sci-fi entry. The culturally diverse and co-ed students attending the SA included Lt. Adrian played by Maggie Cooper, Lt. Laura Gentry played by Pamelyn Ferdin (the voice of Lucy from the Peanuts and Sally on Sealab 2020) and her brother Captain Chris Gentry played by Ric Carrott, Lt. Paul Jerome played by Ty Henderson, Tee-Gar Soom played by Brian Tochi (the voice of Leonardo in the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles films), and Loki played by Eric Greene along with a funky robot named Peepo (voiced by She-Ra Erika Scheimer) who looked as though he could have been the distant cousin of Buck Rogers’ Twiki. The students each had some kind of special skills and abilities like telekinesis and invisibility which were attributes used to overcome hostile situations and the stories generally involved plots that included some kind of moral for kids by teaching them the consequences about making the right choices but who really cared? For its day, this show boasted some of the best visual effects on television (cheezy by today’s standards of course) with detailed scale models and stop-motion aliens. What kid wouldn’t be intrigued by this show at that age? Bell-bottoms and blue-screens never looked so passe but for those of us who were glued to the television every Saturday morning in the 1970’s should find this old-school fun and a somewhat embarrassing nostalgic trip down memory lane.

In 1978, Space Academy was revamped into the successful spin-off serial Jason of Star Command starring Craig Littler as Jason and Sid Haig as the evil space pirate Dragos and it recycled the Space Academy sets and models which became Star Command under the command of Star Trek’s James Doohan and the Seekers were “upgraded” into the sleeker Starfire crafts. It was mentioned that Star Command was actually a special secret section of Space Academy although there was never any crossover between the two shows.

It’s hard to believe that after 30 years BCI-Eclipse will finally release the complete series on DVD featuring all 15 episodes of this rarely-seen vintage 70’s Saturday morning show on 4 discs including audio commentary on two episodes “Phantom Planet” and “Countdown” with Filmation producer Lou Scheimer and stars Ric Carrott, Brian Tochi, Eric Greene, and Special Effects Supervisor Chuck Comisky, and hosted by Andy Mangels. Special features also include:
* Featurette – “Back to School with Space Academy”
* Behind-the Scenes photo gallery
* Cast Reunion photo gallery with interview clips
* Memorabilia photo gallery with interview clips
* Promotional photo gallery
* Booklet with Episode Guide and Trivia
* All 15 Scripts (DVD-ROM)
* Series Bible (DVD-ROM)
* Easter Eggs
* Trailers – Ink & Paint Previews
All 15 Episodes:
1. The Survivors of Zalonm
2. Castaways in Time and Space
3. Hide and Seek
4. Countdown
5. There’s No Place Like Home
6. The Rocks of Janus
7. Monkey Business
8. The Phantom Planet
9. Planet of Fire
10. Life Begins at 300
11. The Cheat
12. My Favorite Marcia
13. Space Hookey
14. Star Legend
15. Johnny Sunseed

Ark II: The Complete Series

Product Details

• Actors: Ark 2
• Format: Box set, Color, DVD-Video, NTSC
• Language: English, Spanish
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 4
• Rating:
• Studio: Bci / Eclipse
• DVD Release Date: November 7, 2006

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
The 1970s children’s show ARK II reflected that decade’s ecological concerns with the sci-fi adventures of three human scientists–leader Jonah (Terry Lester) medic Ruth (Jean Marie Hon) and tech genius Samuel (Jose Flores)–who along with their talking chimpanzee Adam travelled in their high-tech vehicle to right the wrongs of the environmentally ravaged 25th century. This collection presents the fun conscientious and charmingly dated series in its entirety for a total of 15 episodes.

Space Above and Beyond – The Complete Series

Product Details

• Directors: Félix Enríquez Alcalá, Charles Martin Smith, Thomas J. Wright, Winrich Kolbe
• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD-Video, Subtitled, NTSC
• Language: English
• Subtitles: English, Spanish
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 5
• Rating:
• Studio: 20th Century Fox
• DVD Release Date: November 8, 2005
• Run Time: 1032 minutes

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
The science fiction series Space Above and Beyond, which enjoyed a brief run in the 1995-96 season, was created by X-Files producers Glen Morgan and James Wong as a revision of the classic war series Combat!. Set in the not-too-distant future, Space Above and Beyond follows the adventures of five inexperienced Marines of the 58th Squadron, who are involved in a war against the Chigs, a race of aliens bent on conquering the Earth. Morgan and Wong gave their main characters intriguing personalities–Nathan West (Morgan Weisser) has joined the Marines to save a girlfriend captured by the aliens, while Rodney Rowland’s Cooper is an artificially created human whose service is inspired by a desire to escape the violent prejudice he faces on Earth. The action and stories are gritty and dramatic, and put a fresh spin on traditional wartime stories–highlights include “The Enemy,” in which the 58th is stranded behind enemy lines; “Toy Soldiers,” in which West’s younger brother is serving under a dangerously reckless lieutenant; and the two-part “If They Lay Us Down to Rest…” and “Tell Our Moms We Done Our Best,” which brought the series to a close with the Earth on the verge of peace talks with the aliens as the military launches a perilous operation. Commentary by Morgan and Wong and the cast would have been welcome, especially if the plans for the unseen second season could’ve been revealed, but unfortunately, no supplemental features are included in this slickly produced, no-frills set.

Product Description
This 5-disc DVD set includes all 23 episodes including the two-part pilot episode! Its the year 2063. After 150 years of deep space exploration, the people of Earth feel certain they are alone in the universe. Then word comes that two Earth outposts light-years away from home have been brutally attacked by an advanced alien civilization. Now the new young recruits of the United States Marine Corps Space Aviator Calvary are heading for the front lines of space in the toughest battle the world has ever faced. Thrust into an intergalactic war beyond imagination, these untested fighter pilots suddenly find themselves waging a life-and-death struggle to protect Earth and to save mankind from total annihilation.

Starhunter – The Complete Series

Product Details

• Actors: Starhunter
• Format: Color, DVD-Video, NTSC, Widescreen
• Language: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 4
• Rating:
• Studio: Echo Bridge Home Entertainment
• DVD Release Date: May 29, 2007
• Run Time: 1056 minutes

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
This Complete Sci-Fi Series in a Deluxe Foil 4-Disc Package Features 22 Episodes on Four DVDs and Includes Unrated Bonus Footage! The year is 2275. Earth has colonized the entire solar system, but things are dangerous out there. Enter Dante Montana (Michael Paré, BloodRayne, Crash Landing), a reluctant bounty hunter haunted by his past, who, along with his crew, travels the universe in pursuit of dangerous interplanetary criminals, including The Raiders–an evil force that Dante believes kidnapped his son. Meanwhile, covert forces are waging a desperate war to unlock the secrets of the Divinity Cluster–powerful knowledge that in the wrong hands would mean universal domination…

Seaquest DSV – Season One

Product Details

• Directors: Bill L. Norton, Casey O. Rohrs, Gabrielle Beaumont, James A. Contner, Bruce Seth Green
• Format: Box set, Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, Full Screen, Subtitled, NTSC
• Language: English
• Subtitles: English, French, Spanish
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 4
• Rating:
• Studio: Universal Studios
• DVD Release Date: December 26, 2005
• Run Time: 1096 minutes

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
An enormously ambitious television series from executive producer Steven Spielberg and series creator Rockne S. O’Bannon (Farscape, Alien Nation), seaQuest DSV made a valiant attempt to present a thoughtful and socially conscious science-fiction series on par with Star Trek to a ’90s audience (which had already latched onto Star Trek: The Next Generation), but struggled with mediocre scripts and special effects for most of its three seasons (1993-96). The first season, however, embodies much of the ambition and scope its producers envisioned, starting with the two-hour television movie to introduces retired officer Cmdr. Nathan Bridger (a grim-faced Roy Scheider) to the crew of the underwater vessel seaQuest DSV. The pilot feature is well helmed by Scheider, and offers an agreeable mix of fiction and fact (oceanographer Dr. Robert Ballard served as technical advisor for the series), as well as considerable action and excitement for an expensive network series. Unfortunately, despite the best efforts of the cast (which included Stephanie Beacham as the ship’s fetching doctor and the late Jonathan Brandis as a teen science whiz), the show’s momentum faltered under the weight of corny embellishments such as its talking dolphin, Darwin (a genetically engineered human with gills would join the fray in the show’s second season) and episodes like “Knight of Shadows,” which offered a hoary possession storyline, or “Photon Bullet,” which hinges on underwater computer hackers. The series would alternate between intriguing stories (like the suspenseful “Games”) and ill-advised ones for much of its remaining seasons, which also saw cast changes (most notably, the departure of Scheider) in an attempt to revive audiences’ flagging interest. All 23 episodes of the first season are included on this four-disc set, as well as a decent selection of deleted scenes from nine episodes, including the pilot.

Product Description
Travel to the spectacular undersea world of seaQuest DSV as all 23 groundbreaking episodes from the epic first season surface on DVD. The amazing adventure begins in the mid-21st century, as humankind expands its undersea colonization efforts and a tenuous world peace is enforced by the United Earth Oceans (UEO). In order to protect the fledgling underwater colonies from unknown dangers and hostile invaders lurking in the depths of Earth’s last frontier, the UEO recruits Captain Nathan Bridger (Roy Scheider) to command the high-tech battle submarine seaQuest and its diverse and eclectic crew. Along for the ride are a roster of stellar guest stars, including Charlton Heston, William Shatner, Seth Green, Kellie Martin and Kent McCord. Now on DVD for the first time ever, with exclusive never-before-seen footage, the Emmy® Award-winning seaQuest DSV is sure to make waves with thrill-seekers everywhere!

Seaquest DSV: Season Two

Sliders – The First and Second Seasons

Product Details

• Directors: Allan Eastman, Jim Charleston, David Livingston, Colin Bucksey, John McPherson
• Format: Box set, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, Full Screen, Subtitled, NTSC
• Language: English
• Subtitles: French, Spanish
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 6
• Rating:
• Studio: Universal Studios
• DVD Release Date: August 3, 2004
• Run Time: 1019 minutes

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
Though often and unfairly dismissed as a Quantum Leap clone, the Fox TV series Sliders earned a substantial fan base thanks to its intriguing central premise–the existence of multiple alternate realities–and impressive special effects, both of which get a fine showcase in this six-disc DVD set. Jerry O’Connell leads the appealing cast as a college student who accidentally discovers a portal into alternate dimensions; with the help of his professor (Lord of the Rings‘ John Rhys-Davies), a spunky Girl Friday (Sabrina Lloyd), and a soul crooner (Cleavant Derricks), O’Connell encounters a host of strange parallel Earths, including a British-ruled United States and one where dinosaurs roam a national park. All nine episodes of the 1995 debut season and the 12-episode second season from ‘96, as well as the pilot from ‘95, are included in the aesthetically impressive set; extras, however, are limited to commentary by creators Tracy Torme and Robert K. Weiss on the pilot episode, and a making-of featurette with O’Connell and Derricks.

From the Back Cover
Quinn (Jerry O’Connell), a brilliant grad student, has created a device that opens a wormhole to an infinite number of parallel universes where history has taken a different paths. His first test trip goes awry, stranding his physics professor, Arturo (John Rhys-Davies), his friend, Wade (Sabrina Lloyd), and a bystander Rembrandt “Crying Man” Brown in parallel San Francisos.

Now this foursome of Sliders must travel from one alternate reality to another in the hope of somehow finding their way home.

Sliders – Third Season

Sliders: The Fourth Season

Quantum Leap – The Complete First Season

Product Details

• Directors: Chris Ruppenthal, John Cullum, Paul Brown (III), Bob Hulme, Stuart Margolin
• Format: Box set, Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, Full Screen, Subtitled, NTSC
• Language: English
• Subtitles: French, Spanish
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 3
• Rating:
• Studio: Universal Studios
• DVD Release Date: June 8, 2004
• Run Time: 428 minutes

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
They’ll be dancing (well, leaping maybe) in the streets now that the first season of Quantum Leap, voted one of the 25 best cult series ever by TV Guide, has come to home video, a decade after its final year (1994) on the air (the pilot episode was released on DVD in ‘98). And why shouldn’t they? This is a show, called “an imaginative diversion” by one critic, with a good premise that’s cleverly and skillfully conceived, written, acted, and produced–ample evidence of which is spread out over three discs, each containing three episodes (plus some fairly meager extras) from the first season.

Scott Bakula, in the role that made him a star, plays Sam Beckett, a scientist who’s part of a time-travel experiment that “went a little… ka-ka.” Unable to return to his own time, and aided only by Al (Dean Stockwell, whose rapport with Bakula is one of the series’ most appealing elements), his cigar-smoking, peculiar-dressing, sex-obsessed, holographic “enabler,” Sam “leaps” unpredictably from one time period and person to another, usually completely out of his element (as a pilot, a boxer, a cowboy, an English lit professor, even an elderly black man in segregated ’50s Alabama) and always in a situation that needs to be “made right” before he can leap onward. Generous helpings of humor, drama, physical action, and sentimentality (this is TV, after all) keep things moving, as do references to many other classic films and genres (Driving Miss Daisy in “The Color of Truth,” Casablanca in “Play it Again, Seymour,” boxing in general in “The Right Hand of God”) and what creator Donald Bellisario calls the occasional “kiss with history” (Sam crosses paths with the young Buddy Holly and Michael Jackson, among others). It doesn’t all work, as Quantum Leap occasionally becomes too cute and facile for its own good. But that and the set’s paucity of bonus material (limited to one passable featurette and brief episode intros by Bakula) are the only real shortcomings of a boxed set that will likely earn multiple spins in the DVD player.

Product Description
Theorizing that one could time travel within his own lifetime, Dr. Sam Beckett stepped into the Quantum Leap accelerator and Vanished…He woke to find himself trapped in the past, facing mirror images that were not his own and driven by an unknown force to change history for the better. His only guide on this journey is Al, an observer from his own time, who appears in the form of a hologram that only Sam can see and hear. And so Dr. Beckett finds himself leaping from life to life, striving to put right what once went wrong and hoping each time that his next leap will be the leap home.

Quantum Leap – The Complete Third Season

Quantum Leap – The Complete Fourth Season

Quantum Leap – The Complete Fifth Season

Lost in Space – Seasons 1 – 3

Product Details

• Format: NTSC
• Number of discs: 5
• DVD Release Date: March 25, 2008

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com [Season One]
Lost in Space began life in 1965 as a science-fiction take on The Swiss Family Robinson. Produced by Irwin Allen, then in the midst of his run of spectacular-but-childish TV sci-fi (before he became the master of big-screen disaster movies), the show featured a family of all-American space colonists cast away on a mysterious planet. Gradually the whole thing devolved into a silly (but sometimes fun) exercise in childish camp. This boxed set includes all 29 black and white episodes from the first season (with a burst of color at the end of the last show–a foretaste of the garish look of the remaining two seasons) along with “No Place to Hide,” the expensive pilot show that sold the series but prompted Allen to revamp the whole premise in comic mode when network execs responded best to its unintended humor.

“No Place to Hide” has action scenes that cropped up in the first six regular episodes but is missing several of the show’s trademark aspects, most notably that infectious theme from Johnny Williams (later, John Williams of Star Wars fame) and the scheming presence of Dr. Smith (Jonathan Harris) and his alternately menacing and comical robot (“It does not compute”). As the series progresses (or degenerates, depending on your taste), Harris’s Smith changes from pantomime villain, a saboteur who is trying to kill the family, into pantomime idiot whose foolishness, cowardice, and avarice are an endless source of plots. It mostly makes do with the regular cast plus an array of shaggy-suited, snarling aliens, but you do get sterling ham from visiting astronauts such as Warren Oates (“Welcome Stranger”), Robby the Robot from Forbidden Planet (“War of the Robots”), and a very young Kurt Russell (“The Challenge”). Stories about surviving on an alien world give way to lifts from fairy tale, myth, and old movies as Smith gets hold of a wishing cap, becomes a giant, is chosen as a sacrificial king, turns the children over to an alien zoo, squeaks in fright as a werewolf approaches, or is cursed with a platinum Midas touch.

Knight Rider Seasons 1 – 4 Bundle DVD Set

Product Details

• Format: Box set, Closed-captioned, Full Screen, Subtitled, NTSC
• Subtitles: French, Spanish
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
• Number of discs: 12
• Studio: Universal Studios

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Complete Seasons 1, 2, 3, and 4 of Knight Rider on DVD. US Version. Region 1. Factory Sealed. /// Michael Long is a crimefighter who is seriously wounded during his work. Nursed back to health by a mysterious benefactor (chairman of the Knight Industries), he regains consciousness a new man with a new face and a new name: Michael Knight. His mysterious benefactor (through the guise of associate Devon Miles) provides Michael with equipment and support so that he can continue his crime fighting work. The most notable piece of equipment supplied, is “KITT”, a high-performance sports car fitted with artificial intelligence.

NOTE: The Red Dwarf series comes from the BBCAmerica store, but I believe it can be found on Amazon.

Red Dwarf: The Complete Collection

Red Dwarf: Series I & II

The Complete Series One and Two! A radiation leak wipes out the crew of the mining ship Red Dwarf, leaving Dave Lister as the only survivor and after 3 million years in suspended animation, the last human in the universe.

DVD Fullscreen

Red Dwarf: Series III & IV

Ge ready for more crazy antics and wild chaos from outer space with the crew of the mining ship Red Dwarf!

DVD Widescreen

Red Dwarf: Series V & VI

Female droids…evil doppelgangers…and a cactus in a very private place! The slobbiest, most wacked-out bunch of spacebums ever to set foot in an alternate reality is back for more crazy antics and outer-space chaos.

DVD Fullscreen

Red Dwarf: Series VII

After a temporary bout of deadness, the Dwarfers find themselves solving one of the biggest conspiracy plots of all time, before Ace Rimmer drops in with the challenge of Rimmer’s life.

DVD Fullscreen

Red Dwarf: Series VIII

The nanobots have populated the ship with its original crew. This is especially good news for Rimmer, who is now a lot less dead, but is extremely bad news for everyone else.

DVD Fullscreen

These that follow don’t come from Amazon, but from http://www.dvdavenue.tv/themes/sci-fi.html and one other site, so the information is presented in a slightly different format, and I have had to make slight corrections in grammar, etc..

Witchblade – Seasons 1-2

DVD SPECS
Video Format: Normal Screen
Special Features: None
Menu’s Yes (Interactive Menu for quick and easy
episode selection)
Commercials: None
Language Tracks: English
Subtitle Tracks: None
Rating: Not Rated
Product Packaging: Standard DVD Cases with
Professional, Full Color Artwork
Region Code: 0 (Region-Free – Plays Worldwide)
DVD Format: Format-Free DVD-R (Plays in both
PAL and NTSC DVD players

Witchblade was premiered on the 1st of June 2001 and lasted on the 1st of August 2002. The series was created by Marc Silvestri and J.D. Zeik and it has two (2) seasons with twenty-three (23) episodes. It follows the exploits of a police detective who fights crime with the help of an ancient and powerful weapon.

Sara Pezzini portrayed by Yancy Butler, a homicide detective for the New York Police Department (NYPD) and while finding justice she came into contact with a very powerful, ancient, intelligent weapon known as the Witchblade. Kenneth Irons portrayed by Anthony Cistaro, the evil mastermind. Other characters are Jake McCartey portrayed by David Chocachi; Ian Nottingham portrayed by Eric Etebari; Danny Woo portrayed by Will Yun Lee; Gallo portrayed by Conrad Dunn; and many others.

• Witchblade DVD is a collection of 12 DVDs in a 3 box set as shown above, all episodes are organize from pilot to finale.
• With custom artwork and episode guides so you can find your favorite episode at anytime
• The Witchblade DVD collection are formatted region free so they will play on any DVD player, DVD-ROM X-Box or PS2 Worldwide
• All DVDs are presented in full screen, commercial free and unedited. Exactly the same as it was shown in American television.
• Presented in English
• This item has not been rated

7 Days – Seasons 1-3

DVD SPECS
Video Format: Normal Screen
Special Features: None
Menu’s Yes (Interactive Menu for quick and easy
episode selection)
Commercials: None
Language Tracks: English
Subtitle Tracks: None
Rating: Not Rated
Product Packaging: Standard DVD Cases with
Professional, Full Color Artwork
Region Code: 0 (Region-Free – Plays Worldwide)
DVD Format: Format-Free DVD-R (Plays in both
PAL and NTSC DVD players)

7 Days was premiered on the 7th of October 1998 and lasted on the 29th of May 2001. The series was created by Christopher and Zachary Crowe and it has three (3) seasons and sixty-six (66) episodes. It follows the exploit of a man who can travel back in time seven days before the disaster had happened.

United States National Security Agency developed a time traveling device known as Project Backstep. The project allows a person to back step exactly seven days before the disaster happened and for him to prevent it from happening. U.S. Navy lieutenant Francis Parker, also known as Frank, (portrayed by Jonathan LaPaglia) was the project chrononaut. He qualified for the job because he has high tolerance for pain, he has a good memory, and has had a psychiatric problem that gave him a very flexible mind set. He was joined by Dr. Bradley Talmadge portrayed by Alan Scarfe as the head of the Project Backstep; Nathan Ramsey portrayed by Nick Searcy as head of security of the Project Backstep; and Captain Craig Donovan portrayed by Don Franklin as the backup chrononaut.

• 7 Days DVD is a collection of 15 DVDs in a 3 box set as shown above, all episodes are organize from pilot to finale.
• The 7 Days DVD collection also includes custom artwork and episode guides so you can find your favorite episode at anytime.
• 7 Days DVD collection are formatted region free so they will play on any DVD player, DVD-ROM X-Box or PS2 Worldwide”
• All DVDs are presented in full screen, commercial free and unedited. Exactly the same as it was shown in American television
• Presented in English
• This item has not been rated

Time Traxx – Seasons 1-2

DVD SPECS
Video Format: Normal Screen
Special Features: None
Menu’s Yes (Interactive Menu for quick and easy
episode selection)
Commercials: None
Language Tracks: English
Subtitle Tracks: None
Rating: Not Rated
Product Packaging: Standard DVD Cases with
Professional, Full Color Artwork
Region Code: 0 (Region-Free – Plays Worldwide)
DVD Format: Format-Free DVD-R (Plays in both
PAL and NTSC DVD players)

Time Trax debuted on the 20th of January 1993 and ended on the 3rd of December 1994. The series was created by Harve Bennett, Jeffrey Hayes, and Grant Rosenberg and it has two (2) seasons with forty-four (44) episodes. It follows the exploits of a police officer from the 22nd century who goes back to the present time and chases the fugitives who travel to our time using a time machine called Trax.

Darien Lambert, portrayed by Dale Midkiff, was a detective sent back to 1993 to get as many fugitives from their time as possible. He was assisted by SELMA, a powerful computer and disguised as a MasterCard. He encountered fugitives such as Dr. Mordecai Sahmbi, Charlie Burke and Sepp Dietrich among others.

• The Time Trax DVD is a collection of 11 DVDs in a box set as shown above, all 100% in chronological order from the pilot to the finale
• The Time Trax DVD collection also includes custom artwork and episode guides so you can find your favorite episode at anytime
• The Time Trax DVD collection are formatted region free so they will play on any DVD player, DVD-ROM X-Box or PS2 Worldwide
• Presented in full screen format – exactly as it was shown on television
• Presented in English
• This item has not been rated

War Of The Worlds – Seasons 1-2

DVD SPECS
Video Format: Normal Screen
Special Features: None
Menu’s Yes (Interactive Menu for quick and easy
episode selection)
Commercials: None
Language Tracks: English
Subtitle Tracks: None
Rating: Not Rated
Product Packaging: Standard DVD Cases with
Professional, Full Color Artwork
Region Code: 0 (Region-Free – Plays Worldwide)
DVD Format: Format-Free DVD-R (Plays in both
PAL and NTSC DVD players)

War of the World debuted on the 10th of October 1988 and ended on the 14th of May 1990. The series was created by Greg Strangis and it has two (2) seasons with forty-two (42) episodes. The series follows the exploits of a team who fight against the aliens who want to invade the Earth.

The group that was formed by the government consisted of: Dr. Harrison Blackwood, portrayed by Jared Martin, a astrophysicist who led the team, (they were named The Blackwood Project). Dr. Suzanne McCullough, portrayed by Lynda Mason Green, a microbiologist and a single mother with her daughter named Debi. They were also joined by the computer genius and a friend to Blackwood named Norton Drake, portrayed by Philip Akin, and Lt. Col. Paul Ironhorse, portrayed by Richard Chaves, a very conservative native American military man.

War of The Worlds DVD is a collection of 8 DVDs in a box set as shown above, all 100% in chronological order from the pilot to the finale

War of The Worlds DVD collection includes custom artwork and episode guides so you can find your favorite episode at anytime

War of The Worlds DVD collection are formatted region free so they will play on any DVD player, DVD-ROM X-Box or PS2 Worldwide

All DVD’s are presented in full screen. Exactly the same as it was shown in American television.

Presented in English

This item has not been ratedJake 2.0

DVD SPECS
Video Format: Normal Screen
Special Features: None
Menu’s Yes (Interactive Menu for quick and easy
episode selection)
Commercials: None
Language Tracks: English
Subtitle Tracks: None
Rating: Not Rated
Product Packaging: Standard DVD Cases with
Professional, Full Color Artwork
Region Code: 0 (Region-Free – Plays Worldwide)
DVD Format: Format-Free DVD-R (Plays in both
PAL and NTSC DVD players)

Jake 2.0 was an American television series about Jake Foley, a computer technician for the super-secret National Security Agency (NSA) and became a secret agent after a freak accident at the Agency. Jake was exposed to a liquid containing top-secret nanites, which are now giving him mind-boggling powers. He possesses superhuman strength, lightning-fast speed, heightened hearing, razor sharp vision and telepathic abilities to communicate with computers.
Jake 2.0 was originally aired from September 10, 2003 until December 17, 2003 on the UPN network. The story centered on Jake Foley as he straddles two different worlds: his life as the world’s mightiest secret agent, and keeping his secret from the outside world, including his friends, family and congressional staffer, Sarah Heywood, for whom he secretly pines.

• Jake 2.0 DVD is a collection of 3 DVDs in a box set as shown above, all 100% in chronological order from the pilot to the finale
• Jake 2.0 DVD collection also includes custom artwork and episode guides so you can find your favorite episode at anytime
• Jake 2.0 DVD collection are formatted region free so they will play on any DVD player, DVD-ROM X-Box or PS2 Worldwide
• Presented in full screen format – exactly as it was shown on television
• Presented in English
• This item has not been rated

First Wave – Seasons 1-3

DVD SPECS
Video Format: Normal Screen
Special Features: None
Menu’s Yes (Interactive Menu for quick and easy
episode selection)
Commercials: None
Language Tracks: English
Subtitle Tracks: None
Rating: Not Rated
Product Packaging: Standard DVD Cases with
Professional, Full Color Artwork
Region Code: 0 (Region-Free – Plays Worldwide)
DVD Format: Format-Free DVD-R (Plays in both
PAL and NTSC DVD players)

First Wave premiered on the 9th of September 1998 and lasted to the 28th of February 2001. The series was created by Chris Brancato and it has three (3) seasons with sixty-six (66) episodes. It follows the exploits of a security specialist who was once a thief and was now part of an experiment to test humans.

Lawrence Kincade Foster or much known as Cade, has a great life after being a thief before; he is now a security specialist with a beautiful wife and nice house. Unfortunately he was used as subject 117 in an experiment against the Gua aliens without him knowing it and being the subject of the experiment, his life will be ruined (which includes his wife’s murder and Cade being framed for it). The Gua intend to enslave humanity and to conquer and finally destroy the human race. Cade was to stop the three waves intended by Gua. With the help of Eddie Nambulous, a computer hacker and Joshua, one of the Gua but who does not believe that the invasion of the Earth was necessary, and so he helps Cade and Eddie to stop his people from the invasion itself.

• The First Wave DVD is a collection of 8 DVDs in a box set as shown above, all 100% in chronological order from the pilot to the finale
• The First Wave DVD also includes custom artwork and episode guides so you can find your favorite episode at anytime.
• The First Wave DVD collection are formatted region free so they will play on any DVD player, DVD-ROM X-Box or PS2 Worldwide
• First Wave DVD is presented in full screen format – exactly as it was shown on television
• Presented in English
• This item has not been rated

Tek War – Seasons 1-2

DVD SPECS
Video Format: Normal Screen
Special Features: None
Menu’s Yes (Interactive Menu for quick and easy
episode selection)
Commercials: None
Language Tracks: English
Subtitle Tracks: None
Rating: Not Rated
Product Packaging: Standard DVD Cases with
Professional, Full Color Artwork
Region Code: 0 (Region-Free – Plays Worldwide)
DVD Format: Format-Free DVD-R (Plays in both
PAL and NTSC DVD players)

Tek War debuted on the 23rd of January 1994 and ended on the 9th of February 1996. The series was based on the novels written by William Shatner and it has two (2) seasons with twenty-two (22) episodes. It focused on a computerized mind-altering drug known as Tek.

Jake Cardigan, portrayed by Greg Evigan, was sentenced to 15 years imprisonment. He was framed for dealing with the addictive drug, Tek, four years before. But fortunately he was released earlier that the 15 years sentenced.

• Tek War DVD is a collection of DVDs in a box set as shown above, all 100% in chronological order from the pilot to the finale
• Tek War DVD collection also includes custom artwork and episode guides so you can find your favorite episode at anytime
• Tek War DVD collection are formatted region free so they will play on any DVD player, DVD-ROM X-Box or PS2 Worldwide
• Presented in full screen format – exactly as it was shown on television
• Presented in English
• This item has not been rated

Time Cop – Season 1

DVD SPECS
Video Format: Normal Screen
Special Features: None
Menu’s Yes (Interactive Menu for quick and easy
episode selection)
Commercials: None
Language Tracks: English
Subtitle Tracks: None
Rating: Not Rated
Product Packaging: Standard DVD Cases with
Professional, Full Color Artwork
Region Code: 0 (Region-Free – Plays Worldwide)
DVD Format: Format-Free DVD-R (Plays in both
PAL and NTSC DVD players)

Time Cop premiered on the 22nd of September 1997 and lasted on the 18th of July 1998. The series was created by Mike Richardson and Mark Verheiden, and it had only one (1) season with only nine (9) episodes. It follows the exploits of an agent who tracked down criminals who were trying to change the past.

Jack Logan, portrayed by Ted King, was the best agent of the Time Enforcement Commission or TEC. They were formed to tracked down time-criminals who had plans to change the past. He was joined by Captain Gene Matuzek, portrayed by Don Stark; Dale Easter, portrayed by Kurt Fuller as the historian; and Claire Hemmings, portrayed by Cristi Conaway as the science/tech advisor.

Blakes 7 – Seasons 1-4

DVD SPECS
Video Format: Normal Screen
Special Features: None
Menu’s Yes (Interactive Menu for quick and easy
episode selection)
Commercials: None
Language Tracks: English
Subtitle Tracks: None
Rating: Not Rated
Product Packaging: Standard DVD Cases with
Professional, Full Color Artwork
Region Code: 0 (Region-Free – Plays Worldwide)
DVD Format: Format-Free DVD-R (Plays in both
PAL and NTSC DVD players)

Blake’s 7 debuted on the 1st of January 1978 and ended on the 1st of December 1981. The series was created by Terry Nation and has four (4) seasons with fifty-two (52) episodes. It follows the exploits of a group of reluctant rebels fighting against the forces of the totalitarian Earth Federation.

Roj Blake, portrayed by Gareth Thomas, was one of several convicted and sentenced to deportation to a penal colony on a remote planet. But he and the others escaped while being transported and they obtained an advanced alien spacecraft named the Liberator, which they used to strike back against the Federation. Unfortunately the other convicts are reluctant to follow Blake’s plan. The other rebels are Kerr Avon, portrayed by Paul Darrow, the computer genius; Jenna Stannis, portrayed by Sally Knyvette, the beautiful smuggler; Vila Restal, portrayed by Michael Keating, the thief; Olag Gan, portrayed by David Jackson, the murderer who killed his girlfriend; Cally, portrayed by Jan Chappell, an alien and with telepathic and psychic abilities; and Zen, voiced by Peter Tuddenham, the master computer in the Liberator spacecraft.

• The Blake’s 7 DVD is a complete collection, all episodes are organize from pilot to finale.
• Blake’s 7 DVD collection also includes custom artwork and episode guides so you can find your favorite episode at anytime
• The Blake’s 7 DVD collection are formatted region free so they will play on any DVD player, DVD-ROM X-Box or PS2 Worldwide
• All DVDs are presented in full screen, commercial free and unedited. Exactly the same as it was shown in American television.
• Presented in English
• This item has not been rated

Dark Skies – Season 1

DVD SPECS
Video Format: Nomal Screen
Special Features: None
Menu’s Yes (Interactive Menu for quick and easy
episode selection)
Commercials: None
Language Tracks: English
Subtitle Tracks: None
Rating: Not Rated
Product Packaging: Standard DVD Cases with
Professional, Full Color Artwork
Region Code: 0 (Region-Free – Plays Worldwide)
DVD Format: Format-Free DVD-R (Plays in both
PAL and NTSC DVD players)

Dark Skies premiered on 21st of September 1996 on NBC and was later return by the Sci-Fi Channel. The series was created by Bryce Zabel and it had only (1) season with (19) episodes. It follows that the history we know was just a lie.

John Loengard and Kim Sayers attempt numerous plans to thwart the alien’s hive, most of which are tied to historical events and figures. The pair must stay one step ahead of a covert government agency, Majestic-12 – their task is to maintain the conspiracy of silence while fighting the aliens.

• The Dark Skies DVD is a collection of 3 DVDs in a boxed set as shown above, all 100% in chronological order from the pilot to the finale.
• The Dark Skies DVD collection also includes custom artwork and episode guides so you can find your favorite episode at anytime.
• The Dark Skies DVD collection are formatted region free so they will play on any DVD player, DVD-ROM X-Box or PS2 Worldwide.
• All DVDs are presented in full screen. Exactly the same as it was shown in American television.
• Presented in English
• This item has not been rated

Salvage

DVD SPECS
Video Format: Normal Screen
Special Features: None
Menu’s Yes (Interactive Menu for quick and easy
episode selection)
Commercials: None
Language Tracks: English
Subtitle Tracks: None
Rating: Not Rated
Product Packaging: Standard DVD Cases with
Professional, Full Color Artwork
Region Code: 0 (Region-Free – Plays Worldwide)
DVD Format: Format-Free DVD-R (Plays in both
PAL and NTSC DVD players)

Salvage 1 was a science fiction series that premiered on the 20th of January 1979 and lasted to the 28th of May 1979. The series, produced by ABC, has sixteen (16) episodes.

The story started with Harry Broderick’s (Andy Griffith) dream to build a build a spaceship, go to the moon, salvage all the junk that’s up there, bring it back and sell it. Harry Broderick owns the Jettison Scrap and Salvage Company. To make his dream real he invited Addison “Skip” Carmichael (Joel Higgins) a former astraunaut and and Melanie “Mel” Slozar (Trish Stewart) a NASA fuel expert to establish a team.

The team created a spaceship and called Vulture and that is where all adventures of the team started.

• Salvage 1 DVD is a collection of DVDs in a box set as shown above, all 100% in chronological order from the pilot to the finale
• Salvage 1 DVD collection also includes custom artwork and episode guides so you can find your favorite episode at anytime
• Salvage 1 DVD collection are formatted region free so they will play on any DVD player, DVD-ROM X-Box or PS2 Worldwide
• Presented in full screen format – exactly as it was shown on television
• Presented in English
• This item has not been rated

Tripods

The Tripods, a revolutionary cult TV series by BBC, aired on September 1984 to December 1985, and was based on the science-fiction books of John Christopher. The story is about how humanity has been conquered and enslaved by the “Tripods,” huge metallic-looking aliens. The series also featured other non-humanoid aliens.

• Tripods DVD is a collection of 41 DVDs in a 6 box set as shown above, all 100% in chronological order from the pilot to the finale.
• Tripods DVD includes custom artwork and episode guides so you can find your favorite episode at anytime.
• The Tripods DVD collection is formatted region free so they will play on any DVD player, DVD-ROM X-Box or PS2 Worldwide.
• All DVDs are presented in full screen. Exactly the same as it was shown in American television.
• Presented in English
• This item has not been rated

DVD SPECS
Video Format: Normal Screen
Special Features: None
Menu’s Yes (Interactive Menu for quick and easy
episode selection)
Commercials: None
Language Tracks: English
Subtitle Tracks: None
Rating: Not Rated
Product Packaging: Standard DVD Cases with
Professional, Full Color Artwork
Region Code: 0 (Region-Free – Plays Worldwide)
DVD Format: Format-Free DVD-R (Plays in both
PAL and NTSC DVD players)

Starman (series)

DVD SPECS
Video Format: Normal Screen
Special Features: None
Menu’s Yes (Interactive Menu for quick and easy
episode selection)
Commercials: None
Language Tracks: English
Subtitle Tracks: None
Rating: Not Rated
Product Packaging: Standard DVD Cases with
Professional, Full Color Artwork
Region Code: 0 (Region-Free – Plays Worldwide)
DVD Format: Format-Free DVD-R (Plays in both
PAL and NTSC DVD players)

Starman is a sci-fi tv series that premiered on September 19, 1986 and ended on May 2, 1987. This series originally came from 1984 film of the same title. Starring Christopher Barnes and Robert Hays, under the direction of John Carpenter.

Set 15 years before the film, in the series, the alien returns to find and assist the child he fathered 15 years before on his visit to Earth When he arrives, he takes on the identity of Paul Forrester, highly paid freelance photographer with a rather wild reputation killed in a helicopter accident. He finds the child (Scott Hayden) and his mother (Jenny) have been separated. Paul convinces Scott to help him to locate Jenny, his friend from his first visit to Earth. Unfortunately, their search is plagued by George Fox, a paranoid government agent who feels Paul and Scott are dangerous and wants to capture, examine, and probably kill them.

• Starman DVD is a collection of DVDs in a box set as shown above, all 100% in chronological order from the pilot to the finale
• Starman DVD collection also includes custom artwork and episode guides so you can find your favorite episode at anytime
• Starman DVD collection are formatted region free so they will play on any DVD player, DVD-ROM X-Box or PS2 Worldwide
• Presented in full screen format – exactly as it was shown on television
• Presented in English
• This item has not been rated

Space Rangers

• Running Time: 278 mins
• Region: 2
• Main Language: English
• Product Number: 665967
• Production Years: 1993

In the year 2104, new worlds have been discovered and civilisations have been established all across the galaxy. On the frontier, the Space Rangers, a group of volunteers, have agreed to help uphold the law and protect the innocent from the threat of the “Banshies.” Led by Captain John Boon, the Rangers are a mixture of characters, including: Doc, Jojo, Kincaid and the alien Zylyn. Features all six episodes: Fort Hope, Banshies, The Replacements, Death Before Dishonour, The Trial and The Entertainer.

Starring:

Jeff Kaake, Marjorie Monoghan, Cary-Hiroyuli Tagawa, Jack McGee, Clint Howard, Danny Quinn

Directed by:

Ben Bolt, Thom Eberhardt, David Burton Morris, Mikael Salomon

Happy Viewing and watch out for the next part – the collection grows…

Classic Reads for Pre-teens and Teens – some old, some new Part II

This is a list of classic books, both old and new or “instant classics” for the younger set. Some are suitable for reading aloud (esp. the ones marked as best for 4-8 yr olds), and all are suitable for most ages over 8. Even older teens might like the ones marked for younger readers. Because these are “classics,” the age boundaries are more for reading/comprehension level, rather than a guide to content, with some noted exceptions.

I invite you to look through the list, and find some that might make suitable reading or read-a-loud stories to share. Check Scholastic.com for many reprints of classics. They are one of the biggest publishers out there for these books, and for that they should be commended. Part III will be coming soon.

The Seventeenth Swap by Eloise Jarvis McGraw

WordPress.com Tags: Pre-teen, Teen, Books

Ages 9-12. “Eric Greene needs $17.99 fast. He wants to buy his young crippled friend Jimmy a pair of outrageous red cowboy boots that are on sale for one week.

But how can Eric get the cash that quickly? He has no money, but he does have a plan. He can swap for the boots. So he begins a series of wheelings and dealings with some fascinating people.

And along the way, Eric learns some very surprising things about himself – and that makes the seventeenth swap the best swap of all.” Book Description

Smoky the Cowhorse by Will James

Ages 9-12. “Smoky knows only one way of life: freedom. Living on the open range, he is free to go where he wants and to do what he wants. And he knows what he has to do to survive. He can beat any enemy, whether it be a rattlesnake or a hungry wolf. He is as much a part of the Wild West as it is of him, and Smoky can’t imagine anything else.

But then he comes across a new enemy, one that walks on two legs and makes funny sounds. Smoky can’t beat this enemy the way he has all the others. But does he really want to? Or could giving up some of his freedom mean getting something in return that’s even more valuable?” Book Description

“There have been many horse stories. But not one of them can compare with this book.” New York Times Book Review

“One of the finest horse stories ever told.” Herald Tribune

White Fang by Jack London

Ages 12 and up. “Gr. 6-8. Ed Young, whose haunting illustrations of the wolf made his Caldecott- winning Lon Po Po (1989) so memorable, was well chosen as the illustrator for the Scribner Illustrated Classics edition of White Fang. Jack London’s 1906 novel. As many will remember, London tells the story of a wolf-dog who endures great cruelty before he comes to know human kindness. The 12 pastel illustrations illuminate the text with their dramatic use of light and dark, sensitively delineated forms, and soft, subtle shades of color. A handsome new edition of a longtime favorite.” Booklist

The Call of the Wild by Jack London

Ages 12 and up. “First published in 1903, The Call of the Wild is regarded as Jack London’s masterpiece. Based on London’s experiences as a gold prospector in the Canadian wilderness and his ideas about nature and the struggle for existence, The Call of the Wild is a tale about unbreakable spirit and the fight for survival in the frozen Alaskan Klondike.” Book Description

Misty of Chincoteague by Marguerite Henry

Ages 9-12. ” On an island off the coasts of Virginia and Maryland lives a centuries-old band of wild ponies. Among them is the most mysterious of all, Phantom, a rarely seen mare that eludes all efforts to capture her–that is, until a young boy and girl lay eyes on her and determine that they can’t live without her. The frenzied roundup that follows on the next “Pony Penning Day” does indeed bring Phantom into their lives, in a way they never would have suspected. Phantom would forever be a creature of the wild. But her gentle, loyal colt Misty is another story altogether.

Marguerite Henry’s Newbery Honor Book has captivated generations of boys and girls both with its thrilling descriptions of true incidents from the tiny island of Chincoteague, and its realistic yet wonderfully magical atmosphere. This story of an animal brought into captivity poignantly reveals the powerful opposing forces of humans and nature. Wesley Dennis’s pen-and-ink ponies are masterfully depicted with rippling muscles, shaggy coats, and free spirits. (Ages 9 to 12).” Amazon

Stormy, Misty’s Foal by Marguerite Henry and Wesley Dennis

Ages 9-12. “A raging storm slashes across Assateague and Chincoteague islands. Water is everywhere! The wild ponies and the people must battle for their lives.

In the midst of the storm, Misty-the famous mare of Chincoteague-is about to give birth. Paul and Maureen are frantic with worry as the storm rages on… will Misty and her colt survive?

This is the thrilling story of the hurricane that destroyed the wild herds of Assateague, and how strength and love helped rebuild them.” Book Description

Sea Star: Orphan of Chincoteague by Marguerite Henry and Wesley Dennis

Ages 9-12. “Movie men have come to Chincoteague to film the annual Pony Penning, and Paul and Maureen are thrilled — until they learn that the producers want to buy their beloved Misty. Reluctantly, they agree to sell in order to send their uncle to college. But how will they ever fill the lonely place that Misty leaves behind?

Finding an orphaned colt helps Paul and Maureen deal with their loss, and they soon discover that little Sea Star needs them just as much as they need him.” Book Description

King of the Wind: The Story of the Goldophin Arabians by Marguerite Henry and Wesley Dennis

Ages 9-12. “Grade 4-8-The Newbery Medal-winning tale about a stallion, a stable boy, and their globe-spanning adventures.” School Library Journal

Brighty: Of the Grand Canyon by Marguerite Henry

Ages 9-12. “Grade 3-6-Marguerite Henry’s book (Rand McNally, 1953) is based on actual incidents in the life of a Grand Canyon burro. Brighty loves his life of independence along the Bright Angel Creek for which he was named, going to the rim in the summer and down to the canyon floor in winter. He is present as President Theodore Roosevelt discusses the beauty and grandeur of the Canyon and how it should be preserved for the American people. Brighty is the first to walk the historic bridge connecting the north and south rims. Befriended by prospectors, government men and campers, Brighty alternately helps his friends and runs free as the spirit moves him. His friend and companion, Old Timer, a prospector, is murdered by a claim jumper. A saddened Brighty searches for the killer, an adventure which runs through the book.” School Library Journal

Justin Morgan Had A Horse by Marguerite Henry

Ages 9-12. “Joel’s face suddenly lit up as if he had thought of something for the first time. He spoke now to the horse, as though he were the one that mattered. “Why, come to think of it, you’re just like us, Bub. You’re American! That’s what you are. American!”

In 1791 a Vermont schoolmaster by the name of Justin Morgan comes home with a two-year-old colt named Little Bub. Taken as payment for an outstanding debt, the little colt doesn’t seem like he is worth much, but the kindly teacher asks one of his students, Joel Goss, to train him. Joel knows the horse has great potential, and soon word about Little Bub spreads throughout the entire Northeast for his ability to outwork, outrun, outtrot, and outwalk any horse in the area.

This is the extraordinary tale of a little workhorse, who, after being born in obscurity, becomes one of the greatest breeding stallions of all time. In this true story Newbery Medal-winning author Marguerite Henry and artist Wesley Dennis celebrate the life of the only horse ever to establish a breed all by himself — the Morgan.” Book Description

“…a thing of beauty in every respect and a treasured addition to the home library.” Washington Post

Born to Trot by Marguerite Henry

Ages 9-12. “Gibson can hear the beat of the horses’ hooves against the track. Trotter are the world to him.

But all he ever does is practice. He’s still too young and inexperienced to drive in a real race.

Only he knows he’s ready for the big league. If people would give him a chance, then they would know it, too.

Gib’s chance comes in a filly named Rosalind. Now Gib can prove that he’s man enough to train a

champion. But does he really have what it takes? Can he and Rosalind go all the way to win the Hambletonian, the greatest race of all?” Book Description

“…packed with information as well as vivid accounts of exciting races.” The New York Times

Big Red by Jim Kjelgaard

Ages 9-12. “From the moment Danny sees the beautiful Irish setter, he knows Red is the dog for him. Fast and smart, strong and noble, Red is the only dog Danny wants by his side. Soon, neither boy nor dog can stand to be apart. Together Danny and Red face many dangers in the harsh Wintapi wilderness that they call home. But the greatest test of their courage and friendship will come from an enemy more cunning than any they’ve known before–a bear who is the undisputed king of the wilderness, a savage killer called Old Majesty.” Book Description

Irish Red by Jim Kjelgaard

Ages 9-12. “

For all his champion Irish setter blood, Mike was a misfit. Danny Pickett and his father tried everything to train him, but it was the pup himself who finally proved that he was a champion.” Book Description

“A worthy sequel…a rousing story.” –Library Journal

Outlaw Red by Jim Kjelgaard

Ages 9-12. “He was Sean, a champion, the biggest, handsomest son of Big Red, the famous Irish setter. Bursting with hunting instincts, he fretted under his pampered kennel life, and longed for the wilds. Then suddenly his life changed. He found himself on his own in the Wintapi wilderness, lost, his human protectors gone. An outlaw, he was hunted and shot at by the hill men. How Sean learned to survive amidst constant danger, how he challenged a coyote killer to save his mate, is a stirring tale of bravery and an exciting wilderness adventure. It is also the heartwarming story of another unwilling outlaw–the boy who loved Sean and wanted him for his own.” Book Description

Gentle Ben by Walt Morey

Ages 9-12. “The Alaskan wilderness is a lonely place for Mark Andersen, especially after the death of his brother. But Mark finds a friend named Ben, who happens to be an Alaskan brown bear. Ben and Mark form a special bond, but the townspeople are determined to destroy it. It is only through the strength of an enduring friendship that Ben—and Mark—have a chance of being saved.” Book Description

The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare

Ages 9-12. “Forced to leave her sunny Caribbean home for the bleak Connecticut Colony, Kit Tyler is filled with trepidation. As they sail up the river to Kit’s new home, the teasing and moodiness of a young sailor named Nat doesn’t help. Still, her unsinkable spirit soon bobs back up. What this spirited teenager doesn’t count on, however, is how her aunt and uncle’s stern Puritan community will view her. In the colonies of 1687, a girl who swims, wears silk and satin gowns, and talks back to her elders is not only headstrong, she is in grave danger of being regarded as a witch. When Kit befriends an old Quaker woman known as the Witch of Blackbird Pond, it is more than the ascetics can take: soon Kit is defending her life. Who can she count on as she confronts these angry and suspicious townspeople?

A thoroughly exciting and rewarding Newbery Medal winner and ALA Notable Children’s Book, Elizabeth George Speare’s The Witch of Blackbird Pond brings this frightening period of witch hysteria to life. Readers will wonder at the power of the mob mentality, and the need for communities in desperate times–even current times–to find a scapegoat. (Ages 9 and older).” Amazon

Calico Captive by Elizabeth George Speare

Ages 9-12. “In the year 1754, the stillness of Charlestown, New Hampshire, is shattered by the terrifying cries of an Indian raid. Young Miriam Willard, on a day that had promised new happiness, finds herself instead a captive on a forest trail, caught up in the ebb and flow of the French and Indian War. It is a harrowing march north. Miriam can only force herself to the next stopping place, the next small portion of food, the next icy stream to be crossed. At the end of the trail waits a life of hard work and, perhaps, even a life of slavery. Mingled with her thoughts of Phineas Whitney, her sweetheart on his way to Harvard, is the crying of her sister’s baby, Captive, born on the trail. Miriam and her companions finally reach Montreal, a city of shifting loyalties filled with the intrigue of war, and here, by a sudden twist of fortune, Miriam meets the prominent Du Quesne family, who introduce her to a life she has never imagined. Based on an actual narrative diary published in 1807, Calico Captive skillfully reenacts an absorbing facet of history.” Book Description

“Vital and vivid, this short novel based on the actual captivity of a pre-Revolutionary girl of Charlestown, New Hampshire, presents American history with force and verve.” Kirkus Reviews
“Superior historical fiction.” Horn Book
“Convincing historical romance set during the French and Indian War.” Booklist, ALA

Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor

Ages 9-12. “In all Mildred D. Taylor’s unforgettable novels she recounts “not only the joy of growing up in a large and supportive family, but my own feelings of being faced with segregation and bigotry.” Her Newbery Medal-winning Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry tells the story of one African American family, fighting to stay together and strong in the face of brutal racist attacks, illness, poverty, and betrayal in the Deep South of the 1930s. Nine-year-old Cassie Logan, growing up protected by her loving family, has never had reason to suspect that any white person could consider her inferior or wish her harm. But during the course of one devastating year when her community begins to be ripped apart by angry night riders threatening African Americans, she and her three brothers come to understand why the land they own means so much to their Papa. “Look out there, Cassie girl. All that belongs to you. You ain’t never had to live on nobody’s place but your own and long as I live and the family survives, you’ll never have to. That’s important. You may not understand that now but one day you will. Then you’ll see.”

Twenty-five years after it was first published, this special anniversary edition of the classic strikes as deep and powerful a note as ever. Taylor’s vivid portrayal of ugly racism and the poignancy of Cassie’s bewilderment and gradual toughening against social injustice and the men and women who perpetuate it, will remain with readers forever. Two award-winning sequels, Let the Circle Be Unbroken and The Road to Memphis, and a long-awaited prequel, The Land, continue the profoundly moving tale of the Logan family. (Ages 9 and older)” Amazon

The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle by Avi

Ages 9-12. “Told in the form of a recollection, these “confessions” cover 13-year-old Charlotte’s eventful 1832 transatlantic crossing. She begins her trip a prim schoolgirl returning home to her American family from England. From the start, there is something wrong with the Seahawk : the families that were to serve as Charlotte’s chaperones do not arrive, and the unsavory crew warns her not to make the trip. When the crew rebels, Charlotte first sides with the civilized Captain Jaggerty, but before long she realizes that he is a sadist and–the only female aboard–she joins the crew as a seaman. Charlotte is charged with murder and sentenced to be hanged before the trip is over, but ends up in command of the Seahawk by the time it reaches its destination. Charlotte’s repressive Puritanical family refuses to believe her tale, and the girl returns to the sea. Charlotte’s story is a gem of nautical adventure, and Avi’s control of tone calls to mind William Golding’s 1980s trilogy of historical novels of the sea. Never wavering from its 19th century setting, the novel offers suspense and entertainment modern-day readers will enjoy. Ages 11-13.” Publishers Weekly

Across Five Aprils by Irene Hunt

Ages 9-12. “Grades 4-8–This beautifully written novel offers valuable insights into the difficulties faced by families and communities caught up in the political, economic, and personal upheavals of war. The events of the Civil War unfold Across Five Aprils (Berkley Pub., 1986) in this moving story by Newbery Award winner, Irene Hunt. It is set in southern Illinois where Jethro Creighton, an intelligent, hardworking boy, is growing into manhood as his brothers and a beloved teacher leave to fight in the Union and Confederate armies. Hunt presents a balanced look at both sides of the conflict, and includes interesting information on lesser-known leaders and battles. Of course, Abraham Lincoln is a frequent topic of conversation, and Jethro even receives a letter from his fellow Illinoian.” School Library Journal

Invincible Louisa: The Story of the Author of Little Women by Cornelia Meigs

Ages 9-12. “The fascinating life of Louisa May Alcott, from her happy childhood to her successful career as a writer. Children who loved Little Women will enjoy reading about the real-life Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy.” Book Description

The Twenty-One Balloons by William Pene du Bois

Ages 9-12. “Professor William Waterman Sherman intends to fly across the Pacific Ocean. But through a twist of fate, he lands on Krakatoa, and discovers a world of unimaginable wealth, eccentric inhabitants, and incredible balloon inventions. Winner of the 1948 Newbery Medal, this classic fantasy-adventure is now available in a handsome new edition.” Book Description

“William Pene du Bois combines his rich imagination, scientific tastes, and brilliant artistry to tell a story that has no age limit.” The Horn Book

In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson by Bette Bao Lord

Ages 9-12. “Shirley Temple Wong sails from China to America with a heart full of dreams.Her new home is Brooklyn, New York. America is indeed a land full of wonders, but Shirley doesn’t know any English, so it’s hard to make friends. Then a miracle-baseball-happens. It is 1947, and Jackie Robinson, star of the Brooklyn Dodgers, is everyone’s hero. Jackie Robinson is proving that a black man, the grandson of a slave, can make a difference in America and for Shirley as well, on the ball field and off, America becomes the land of opportunity.” Book Description

Firework-Maker’s Daughter by Philip Pullman

Ages 9-12. “A thousand miles ago, in a country east of the jungle and south of the mountains, there lived a firework-maker called Lalchand and his daughter, Lila.”

Lila, the heroine of Philip Pullman’s charming fable, was, as a baby, “a cross little thing, always crying and refusing her food, but Lalchand built a cradle for her in the corner of the workshop, where she could see the sparks play and listen to the fizz and crackle of the gunpowder.” Once out of her cradle, she showed a marked talent for pyrotechnics, even inventing her own fireworks with names like Tumbling Demons and Shimmering Coins. Nevertheless, when Lila tells her father she’d like to become a master firework-maker, he’s shocked. Firework-making is no job for a girl, he tells her; besides, with her burned fingers and singed eyebrows, he’s afraid he’ll never be able to find a husband for her.

If Lalchand is horrified by Lila’s ambitions, his daughter is equally appalled by the prospect of a husband. Instead, she decides to run away to Mount Merapi, where every firework-maker must go to claim some of the royal sulphur from Razvani the Fire-Fiend. Lila’s adventures on the road to Merapi alternate with those of her best friend, Chulak, and his talking white elephant, Hamlet, who set out after her when they learn something that could mean life or death for Lila. Along the way, they meet pirates, wild animals, and supernatural beings of every stripe until, at last, Lila must face the scariest obstacle of all: her own fear. Pullman invests The Firework-Maker’s Daughter with wit, wonder, and more than a few goose bumps. The charm of the prose is reflected in the black and white illustrations by S. Saelig Gallagher that punctuate this slim novel. Though not as sophisticated as Pullman’s remarkable fantasy novels The Golden Compass and The Subtle Knife, this engaging story does share a courageous heroine, an exciting adventure, and a singular philosophy that ties everything together in a deeply satisfying denouement. (Ages 9 to 12).” Amazon

The Railway Children by E. Nesbit

Ages 9-12. “Nearly a hundred years after its original publication, The Railway Children is still one of E. Nesbit’s most beloved and delightful stories. Roberta, Peter, and Phyllis were very happy living in a comfortable house surrounded by a cook and servants and two loving parents, until one evening when there was a knock at the door and their father was mysteriously taken away by two men. Suddenly alone, their mother moves the family to a small cottage in the countryside. There, the children begin a series of exciting adventures, from saving a train filled with passengers from a landslide, to rescuing a baby from a fire, to aiding a penniless Russian exile, to eventually unraveling the mystery of their father’s disappearance. Featuring a new jacket illustration by Caldecott medalist Paul O. Zelinsky, as well as all nineteen of the original black-and-white line drawings by C. E. Brock, this classic story is perfect for home and classroom libraries.” Book Description

The House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer

Ages 12 and up. “

Fields of white opium poppies stretch away over the hills, and uniformed workers bend over the rows, harvesting the juice. This is the empire of Matteo Alacran, a feudal drug lord in the country of Opium, which lies between the United States and Aztlan, formerly Mexico. Field work, or any menial tasks, are done by “eejits,” humans in whose brains computer chips have been installed to insure docility. Alacran, or El Patron, has lived 140 years with the help of transplants from a series of clones, a common practice among rich men in this world. The intelligence of clones is usually destroyed at birth, but Matt, the latest of Alacran’s doubles, has been spared because he belongs to El Patron. He grows up in the family’s mansion, alternately caged and despised as an animal and pampered and educated as El Patron’s favorite. Gradually he realizes the fate that is in store for him, and with the help of Tam Lin, his bluff and kind Scottish bodyguard, he escapes to Aztlan. There he and other “lost children” are trapped in a more subtle kind of slavery before Matt can return to Opium to take his rightful place and transform his country.

Nancy Farmer, a two-time Newbery honoree, surpasses even her marvelous novel, The Ear, The Eye and the Arm in the breathless action and fascinating characters of The House of the Scorpion. Readers will be reminded of Orson Scott Card’s Ender in Matt’s persistence and courage in the face of a world that intends to use him for its own purposes, and of Louis Sachar’s Holes in the camaraderie of imprisoned boys and the layers of meaning embedded in this irresistibly compelling story. (Ages 12 and older).” Amazon

Pictures of Hollis Woods by Patricia Reilly Giff

Ages 9-12. “Giff (Lily s Crossing; All the Way Home) again introduces a carefully delineated and sympathetic heroine in this quiet contemporary novel. Artistically talented Hollis Woods, age 12, has made a habit of running away from foster homes, but she s found a place on Long Island where she wants to stay for a while. She immediately bonds with Josie, her new guardian, who is a slightly eccentric, retired art teacher. Yet Hollis is far from content. She worries about Josie s increasing forgetfulness, and she sorely misses her last foster family, the Regans, whom she left under tense circumstances that are only gradually made clear. Giff intersperses tender scenes demonstrating Hollis s growing affection for Josie with memories of the Regans, whose images Hollis preserves in her sketchbook. Pictures of motherly Izzy Regan, her architect husband and their mischievous yet compassionate son, Steven, sensitively express the young artist s conception of a perfect family. As readers become intimately acquainted with Hollis, they will come to understand her fears, regrets and longings, and will root for her as she pursues her dream of finding a home where she belongs. Ages 8-13.” Publishers Weekly

The Great Turkey Walk by Kathleen Karr

Ages 9-12. “”I’ve always been fond of birds, poultry in particular.” From that first sentence, readers will gobble up Karr’s (Oh, Those Harper Girls!) hilarious novel of a boy who resolves to walk 1000 turkeys from the Show-Me state to Denver, Colorado. Simon, who’s 15 and newly graduated from the third grade, may not be too bright, but he figures he can make his fortune by buying Mr. Buffey’s bronze turkeys for a quarter apiece and selling them in Denver for $5 each. With his schoolteacher as an investor, Simon picks up a former drunk and a runaway slave to be his partners, and starts herding those turkeys 900 miles down the road. In their travels, they encounter a raging river and a swarm of locusts, each of which the turkeys conquer. But peskiest of all, they’re tailed by Simon’s no-good father, a circus strongman, who decides he wants in on the deal. The gifted Karr has a cheerful, sassy down-home writing style and a perfect pitch for dialogue (she also has an authoritative knowledge of poultry, having grown up on a New Jersey chicken farm). A bonus: the tale is based in truth?there really were turkey drives in the American West. Ages 10-up.” Publishers Weekly

Old Yeller by Fred Gipson

Ages 9-12. “When a novel like Huckleberry Finn, or The Yearling, comes along it defies customary adjectives because of the intensity of the respouse it evokes in the reader. Such a book, we submit, is Old Yeller; to read this eloquently simple story of a boy and his dog in the Texas hill country is an unforgettable and deeply moving experience.

With Old Yeller,Fred Gipsin secured his place as one of the finest novelists in America. The book was published to instant acclaim and has become one of the most beloved children’s classics ever written. Since its publication in 1956, Old Yeller has won countless awards, including the 1957 Newbery Honor. Mr. Gipson’s other works include both fiction and non-fiction. He grew up in the Texas hill country and died in 1973.” Book Description

Lad: A Dog by Albert Payson Terhune

Ages 6 and up. “First published in 1919, Albert Payson Terhune’s Lad: A Dog is actually a collection of immensely popular magazine stories. The hero is an extraordinary collie named Lad, “a thoroughbred in spirit as well as in blood.” In each tale, Lad exhibits his pure strength of character as he fights off burglars, rescues an invalid child from a poisonous snake, wins ribbons in dog shows, and otherwise leads a dog-hero’s life. This is a period piece–a threatened puppy is described, for example, as “a blinking pygmy who gallantly essayed to growl defiance”–and that touch of fustian is all part of Terhune’s enduring charm. Because the stories didn’t originally appear together, there’s considerable repetition: nearly every story with a fight scene has the same authorial mini-lecture on the difference in fighting technique between collies and bulldogs. But Lad is a character who has poked his muzzle into a million hearts, and new generations of dog lovers will also appreciate his loyalty and courage. As Terhune himself wrote, “few… bothered to praise the stories, themselves. But all of them praised Lad, which pleased me far better.” (Ages 6 and older).” Amazon

Lassie Come-Home by Eric Knight

Ages 9-12. “Lassie is Joe’s prize collie and constant companion. But when Joe’s father loses his job, Lassie must be sold. Three times she escapes from her new owner, and three times she returns home to Joe, until finally she is taken to the remotest part of Scotland-too far a journey for any dog to make alone. But Lassie is not just any dog. First published in 1940, Lassie Come-Home has become one of the best-loved dog stories in the world.” Book Description

Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls

Ages 9-12. “Author Wilson Rawls spent his boyhood much like the character of this book, Billy Colman, roaming the Ozarks of northeastern Oklahoma with his bluetick hound. A straightforward, shoot-from-the-hip storyteller with a searingly honest voice, Rawls is well-loved for this powerful 1961 classic and the award-winning novel Summer of the Monkeys. In Where the Red Fern Grows, Billy and his precious coonhound pups romp relentlessly through the Ozarks, trying to “tree” the elusive raccoon. In time, the inseparable trio wins the coveted gold cup in the annual coon-hunt contest, captures the wily ghost coon, and bravely fights with a mountain lion. When the victory over the mountain lion turns to tragedy, Billy grieves, but learns the beautiful old Native American legend of the sacred red fern that grows over the graves of his dogs. This unforgettable classic belongs on every child’s bookshelf. (Ages 9 and up).” Amazon

The Incredible Journey by Sheila Burnford

Ages 9-12. “Instinct told them that the way home lay to the west. And so the doughty young Labrador retriever, the roguish bull terrier and the indomitable Siamese set out through the Canadian wilderness. Separately, they would soon have died. But, together, the three house pets faced starvation, exposure, and wild forest animals to make their way home to the family they love. The Incredible Journey is one of the great children’s stories of all time–and has been popular ever since its debut in 1961.” Book Description

Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo

Ages 9-12. “Because of Winn-Dixie, a big, ugly, happy dog, 10-year-old Opal learns 10 things about her long-gone mother from her preacher father. Because of Winn-Dixie, Opal makes new friends among the somewhat unusual residents of her new hometown, Naomi, Florida. Because of Winn-Dixie, Opal begins to find her place in the world and let go of some of the sadness left by her mother’s abandonment seven years earlier.

With her newly adopted, goofy pooch at her side, Opal explores her bittersweet world and learns to listen to other people’s lives. This warm and winning book hosts an unforgettable cast of characters, including a librarian who fought off a bear with a copy of War and Peace, an ex-con pet-store clerk who plays sweet music to his animal charges, and the neighborhood “witch,” a nearly blind woman who sees with her heart. Part Frankie (The Member of the Wedding), part Scout (To Kill a Mockingbird), Opal brings her own unique and wonderful voice to a story of friendship, loneliness, and acceptance. Opal’s down-home charm and dead-on honesty will earn her friends and fans far beyond the confines of Naomi, Florida. (Ages 9 and older).” Amazon

The Borrowers by Mary Norton

Ages 9-12. “Anyone who has ever entertained the notion of “little people” living furtively among us will adore this artfully spun classic. The Borrowers–a Carnegie Medal winner, a Lewis Carroll Shelf Award book, and an ALA Distinguished Book–has stolen the hearts of thousands of readers since its 1953 publication. Mary Norton (1903-1993) creates a make-believe world in which tiny people live hidden from humankind beneath the floorboards of a quiet country house in England.

Pod, Homily, and daughter Arrietty of the diminutive Clock family outfit their subterranean quarters with the tidbits and trinkets they’ve “borrowed” from “human beans,” employing matchboxes for storage and postage stamps for paintings. Readers will delight in the resourceful way the Borrowers recycle household objects. For example, “Homily had made her a small pair of Turkish bloomers from two glove fingers for ‘knocking about in the mornings.’”

The persistent pilfering goes undetected until a boy (with a ferret!) comes to live in the country house. Curiosity drives Arrietty to commit the worst mistake a Borrower can make: she allows herself to be seen. This engaging, sometimes hair-raisingly suspenseful adventure is recounted in the kind, eloquent voice of narrator Mrs. May, whose brother might–just might–have seen an actual Borrower in the country house many years ago. (Ages 9 to 12).” Amazon

Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli

Ages 9-12. “Maniac Magee is a folk story about a boy, a very excitable boy. One that can outrun dogs, hit a home run off the best pitcher in the neighborhood, tie a knot no one can undo. “Kid’s gotta be a maniac,” is what the folks in Two Mills say. It’s also the story of how this boy, Jeffrey Lionel “Maniac” Magee, confronts racism in a small town, tries to find a home where there is none and attempts to soothe tensions between rival factions on the tough side of town. Presented as a folk tale, it’s the stuff of storytelling. “The history of a kid,” says Jerry Spinelli, “is one part fact, two parts legend, and three parts snowball.” And for this kid, four parts of fun. Maniac Magee won the 1991 Newbery Medal.” Amazon

Number the Stars by Lois Lowry

Ages 9-12. “The evacuation of Jews from Nazi-held Denmark is one of the great untold stories of World War II. On September 29, 1943, word got out in Denmark that Jews were to be detained and then sent to the death camps. Within hours the Danish resistance, population and police arranged a small flotilla to herd 7,000 Jews to Sweden. Lois Lowry fictionalizes a true-story account to bring this courageous tale to life. She brings the experience to life through the eyes of 10-year-old Annemarie Johannesen, whose family harbors her best friend, Ellen Rosen, on the eve of the round-up and helps smuggles Ellen’s family out of the country. Number the Stars won the 1990 Newbery Medal.” Amazon

Mr. Popper’s Penguins by Richard Atwater

Ages 6-10. “More than 60 years have not dated this wonderfully absurd tale–it still makes kids (and parents) laugh out loud. Poor Mr. Popper isn’t exactly unhappy; he just wishes he had seen something of the world before meeting Mrs. Popper and settling down. Most of all, he wishes he had seen the Poles, and spends his spare time between house-painting jobs reading all about polar explorations. Admiral Drake, in response to Mr. Popper’s fan letter, sends him a penguin; life at 432 Proudfoot Avenue is never the same again. From one penguin living in the icebox, the Popper family grows to include 12 penguins, all of whom must be fed. Thus is born “Popper’s Performing Penguins, First Time on Any Stage, Direct from the South Pole.” Their adventures while on tour are hilarious, with numerous slapstick moments as the penguins disrupt other acts and invade hotels. Classic chapter-a-night fun. (Ages 5 to 10).” Amazon

Holes by Louis Sachar

Ages 9-12. “If you take a bad boy and make him dig a hole every day in the hot sun, it will turn him into a good boy.” Such is the reigning philosophy at Camp Green Lake, a juvenile detention facility where there is no lake, and there are no happy campers. In place of what used to be “the largest lake in Texas” is now a dry, flat, sunburned wasteland, pocked with countless identical holes dug by boys improving their character. Stanley Yelnats, of palindromic name and ill-fated pedigree, has landed at Camp Green Lake because it seemed a better option than jail. No matter that his conviction was all a case of mistaken identity, the Yelnats family has become accustomed to a long history of bad luck, thanks to their “no-good-dirty-rotten-pig-stealing-great-great-grandfather!” Despite his innocence, Stanley is quickly enmeshed in the Camp Green Lake routine: rising before dawn to dig a hole five feet deep and five feet in diameter; learning how to get along with the Lord of the Flies-styled pack of boys in Group D; and fearing the warden, who paints her fingernails with rattlesnake venom. But when Stanley realizes that the boys may not just be digging to build character–that in fact the warden is seeking something specific–the plot gets as thick as the irony.

It’s a strange story, but strangely compelling and lovely too. Louis Sachar uses poker-faced understatement to create a bizarre but believable landscape–a place where Major Major Major Major of Catch-22 would feel right at home. But while there is humor and absurdity here, there is also a deep understanding of friendship and a searing compassion for society’s underdogs. As Stanley unknowingly begins to fulfill his destiny–the dual plots coming together to reveal that fate has big plans in store–we can’t help but cheer for the good guys, and all the Yelnats everywhere. (Ages 10 and older)” Amazon

The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin

Ages 9-12. “When an eccentric millionaire dies mysteriously, sixteen very unlikely people are gathered together for the reading of the will . . . and what a will it is!” Book Description

“A supersharp mystery . . . Confoundingly clever, and very funny.” Booklist, starred review

Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis

Ages 9-12. “As in his Newbery Honor-winning debut, The Watsons Go to BirminghamA1963, Curtis draws on a remarkable and disarming mix of comedy and pathos, this time to describe the travails and adventures of a 10-year-old African-American orphan in Depression-era Michigan. Bud is fed up with the cruel treatment he has received at various foster homes, and after being locked up for the night in a shed with a swarm of angry hornets, he decides to run away. His goal: to reach the man, he on the flimsiest of evidence, believes to be his father, jazz musician Herman E. Calloway. Relying on his own ingenuity and good luck, Bud makes it to Grand Rapids, where his “father” owns a club. Calloway, who is much older and grouchier than Bud imagined, is none too thrilled to meet a boy claiming to be his long-lost son. It is the other members of his band Steady Eddie, Mr. Jimmy, Doug the Thug, Doo-Doo Bug Cross, Dirty Deed Breed and motherly Miss Thomas, who make Bud feel like he has finally arrived home. While the grim conditions of the times and the harshness of Bud’s circumstances are authentically depicted, Curtis shines on them an aura of hope and optimism. And even when he sets up a daunting scenario, he makes readers laugh, for example, mopping floors for the rejecting Calloway, Bud pretends the mop is “that underwater boat in the book Momma read to me, Twenty Thousand Leaks Under the Sea.” Bud’s journey, punctuated by Dickensian twists in plot and enlivened by a host of memorable personalities, will keep readers engrossed from first page to last. Ages 9-12.” Publishers Weekly

Shiloh by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor

Ages 9-12. “When 11-year-old Marty Preston chances upon a mistreated beagle pup in his hometown of Friendly, West Virginia, he is not prepared for the ethical questions he has to face. Should he return the dog to its owner, only to have the animal abused again? Should he tell his parents? Should he steal food to help the poor creature? Marty’s efforts to cope with these questions provides the moral backbone for this story, which is presented in a language and manner that will be understood by third- and fourth-grade readers. The heart and beauty of this 1992 Newbery Medal winner lies in lessons children will take away with them. Amazon

James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl

Ages 9-12. “When James drops magic crystals by the peach tree, the toy peach starts growing, and before long, it’s as big as a house, with a secret entranceway.” Book Description

The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett

Ages 9-12. “Mistress Mary is quite contrary until she helps her garden grow. Along the way, she manages to cure her sickly cousin Colin, who is every bit as imperious as she. These two are sullen little peas in a pod, closed up in a gloomy old manor on the Yorkshire moors of England, until a locked-up garden captures their imaginations and puts the blush of a wild rose in their cheeks; “It was the sweetest, most mysterious-looking place any one could imagine. The high walls which shut it in were covered with the leafless stems of roses which were so thick, that they matted together…. ‘No wonder it is still,’ Mary whispered. ‘I am the first person who has spoken here for ten years.’” As new life sprouts from the earth, Mary and Colin’s sour natures begin to sweeten. For anyone who has ever felt afraid to live and love, The Secret Garden’s portrayal of reawakening spirits will thrill and rejuvenate. Frances Hodgson Burnett creates characters so strong and distinct, young readers continue to identify with them even 85 years after they were conceived. (Ages 9 to 12). Amazon

A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett

Ages 9-12. “Sara Crewe is a gifted and well-mannered child, and Captain Crewe, her father, is an extraordinary wealthy man. So Miss Minchin, headmistress of Sara’s new boarding school in London, is pleased to treat Sara as her star pupil–a pampered little princess.

But suddenly, one dreadful day, Sara’s world collapses around her. All of her lovely things are taken from her and she is forbidden to associate with her friends. Her father has died penniless in India.

Miss Minchin can now show her greedy and meanspirited nature to its fullest. The little princess is reduced to a shabby drudge. But Sara does not break, and with the help of a monkey, an Indian lascar, and the strange, ailing gentleman next door, she not only survives her sufferings but help those around her.” Book Description

Encyclopedia Brown, Boy Detective by Donald J. Sobol

Ages 9-12. “Leroy Brown, aka Encyclopedia Brown, is Idaville neighborhood’s ten-year-old star detective. With an uncanny knack for trivia, he solves mysteries for the neighborhood kids through his own detective agency. But his dad also happens to be the chief of the Idaville police department, and every night around the dinner table, Encyclopedia helps him solve his most baffling crimes. And with ten confounding mysteries in each book, not only does Encyclopedia have a chance to solve them, but the reader is given all the clues as well. Interactive and chock full of interesting bits of information—it’s classic Encyclopedia Brown!” Book Description

Animal Farm by George Orwell

Ages Y/A. “Since its publication in 1946, George Orwell’s fable of a workers’ revolution gone wrong has rivaled Hemingway’s The Old Man and the Sea as the Shortest Serious Novel It’s OK to Write a Book Report About. (The latter is three pages longer and less fun to read.) Fueled by Orwell’s intense disillusionment with Soviet Communism, Animal Farm is a nearly perfect piece of writing, both an engaging story and an allegory that actually works. When the downtrodden beasts of Manor Farm oust their drunken human master and take over management of the land, all are awash in collectivist zeal. Everyone willingly works overtime, productivity soars, and for one brief, glorious season, every belly is full. The animals’ Seven Commandment credo is painted in big white letters on the barn. All animals are equal. No animal shall drink alcohol, wear clothes, sleep in a bed, or kill a fellow four-footed creature. Those that go upon four legs or wings are friends and the two-legged are, by definition, the enemy. Too soon, however, the pigs, who have styled themselves leaders by virtue of their intelligence, succumb to the temptations of privilege and power. “We pigs are brainworkers. The whole management and organisation of the farm depend on us. Day and night, we are watching over your welfare. It is for your sake that we drink that milk and eat those apples.” While this swinish brotherhood sells out the revolution, cynically editing the Seven Commandments to excuse their violence and greed, the common animals are once again left hungry and exhausted, no better off than in the days when humans ran the farm. Satire Animal Farm may be, but it’s a stony reader who remains unmoved when the stalwart workhorse, Boxer, having given his all to his comrades, is sold to the glue factory to buy booze for the pigs. Orwell’s view of Communism is bleak indeed, but given the history of the Russian people since 1917, his pessimism has an air of prophecy.” Amazon

Lord of the Flies by William Golding

Ages Y/A. “William Golding’s classic tale about a group of English schoolboys who are plane-wrecked on a deserted island is just as chilling and relevant today as when it was first published in 1954. At first, the stranded boys cooperate, attempting to gather food, make shelters, and maintain signal fires. Overseeing their efforts are Ralph, “the boy with fair hair,” and Piggy, Ralph’s chubby, wisdom-dispensing sidekick whose thick spectacles come in handy for lighting fires. Although Ralph tries to impose order and delegate responsibility, there are many in their number who would rather swim, play, or hunt the island’s wild pig population. Soon Ralph’s rules are being ignored or challenged outright. His fiercest antagonist is Jack, the redheaded leader of the pig hunters, who manages to lure away many of the boys to join his band of painted savages. The situation deteriorates as the trappings of civilization continue to fall away, until Ralph discovers that instead of being hunters, he and Piggy have become the hunted: “He forgot his words, his hunger and thirst, and became fear; hopeless fear on flying feet.” Golding’s gripping novel explores the boundary between human reason and animal instinct, all on the brutal playing field of adolescent competition.” Amazon

The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger

Ages Y/A. “Since his debut in 1951 as The Catcher in the Rye, Holden Caulfield has been synonymous with “cynical adolescent.” Holden narrates the story of a couple of days in his sixteen-year-old life, just after he’s been expelled from prep school, in a slang that sounds edgy even today and keeps this novel on banned book lists. It begins,

“If you really want to hear about it, the first thing you’ll probably want to know is where I was born and what my lousy childhood was like, and how my parents were occupied and all before they had me, and all that David Copperfield kind of crap, but I don’t feel like going into it, if you want to know the truth. In the first place, that stuff bores me, and in the second place, my parents would have about two hemorrhages apiece if I told anything pretty personal about them.”

His constant wry observations about what he encounters, from teachers to phonies (the two of course are not mutually exclusive) capture the essence of the eternal teenage experience of alienation.” Amazon

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

Ages Y/A. ““When he was nearly thirteen, my brother Jem got his arm badly broken at the elbow…. When enough years had gone by to enable us to look back on them, we sometimes discussed the events leading to his accident. I maintain that the Ewells started it all, but Jem, who was four years my senior, said it started long before that. He said it began the summer Dill came to us, when Dill first gave us the idea of making Boo Radley come out.”

Set in the small Southern town of Maycomb, Alabama, during the Depression, To Kill a Mockingbird follows three years in the life of 8-year-old Scout Finch, her brother, Jem, and their father, Atticus–three years punctuated by the arrest and eventual trial of a young black man accused of raping a white woman. Though her story explores big themes, Harper Lee chooses to tell it through the eyes of a child. The result is a tough and tender novel of race, class, justice, and the pain of growing up.

Like the slow-moving occupants of her fictional town, Lee takes her time getting to the heart of her tale; we first meet the Finches the summer before Scout’s first year at school. She, her brother, and Dill Harris, a boy who spends the summers with his aunt in Maycomb, while away the hours reenacting scenes from Dracula and plotting ways to get a peek at the town bogeyman, Boo Radley. At first the circumstances surrounding the alleged rape of Mayella Ewell, the daughter of a drunk and violent white farmer, barely penetrate the children’s consciousness. Then Atticus is called on to defend the accused, Tom Robinson, and soon Scout and Jem find themselves caught up in events beyond their understanding. During the trial, the town exhibits its ugly side, but Lee offers plenty of counterbalance as well–in the struggle of an elderly woman to overcome her morphine habit before she dies; in the heroism of Atticus Finch, standing up for what he knows is right; and finally in Scout’s hard-won understanding that most people are essentially kind “when you really see them.” By turns funny, wise, and heartbreaking, To Kill a Mockingbird is one classic that continues to speak to new generations, and deserves to be reread often.” Amazon

Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck

Ages Y/A. “Novella by John Steinbeck, published in 1937. The tragic story, given poignancy by its objective narrative, is about the complex bond between two migrant laborers. The book, which was adapted by Steinbeck into a three-act play (produced 1937), earned him national renown. The plot centers on George Milton and Lennie Small, itinerant ranch hands who dream of one day owning a small farm. George acts as a father figure to Lennie, who is large and simpleminded, calming him and helping to rein in his immense physical strength. When Lennie accidentally kills the ranch owner’s flirtatious daughter-in-law, George shoots his friend rather than allow him to be captured by a vengeful lynch mob.” Merriam Webster Encyclopedia of Literature

The Outsiders by S. E. Hinton

Ages 12 and up. “According to Ponyboy, there are two kinds of people in the world: greasers and socs. A soc (short for “social”) has money, can get away with just about anything, and has an attitude longer than a limousine. A greaser, on the other hand, always lives on the outside and needs to watch his back. Ponyboy is a greaser, and he’s always been proud of it, even willing to rumble against a gang of socs for the sake of his fellow greasers–until one terrible night when his friend Johnny kills a soc. The murder gets under Ponyboy’s skin, causing his bifurcated world to crumble and teaching him that pain feels the same whether a soc or a greaser. This classic, written by S. E. Hinton when she was 16 years old, is as profound today as it was when it was first published in 1967.” Amazon

The Old Man and The Sea by Ernest Hemingway

Ages Y/A. “The Old Man and the Sea is one of Hemingway’s most enduring works. Told in language of great simplicity and power, it is the story of an old Cuban fisherman, down on his luck, and his supreme ordeal — a relentless, agonizing battle with a giant marlin far out in the Gulf Stream. Here Hemingway recasts, in strikingly contemporary style, the classic theme of courage in the face of defeat, of personal triumph won from loss. Written in 1952, this hugely successful novella confirmed his power and presence in the literary world and played a large part in his winning the 1954 Nobel Prize for Literature.” Book Description

Stuart Little by E. B. White

Ages 9-12. “How terribly surprised the Little family must have been when their second child turned out to be a small mouse. Apparently familiar with the axiom that “when in New York City, anything can happen,” the Littles accept young Stuart into their family unquestioningly–with the exception of Snowbell the cat who is unable to overcome his instinctive dislike for the little mouse. They build him a bed from a matchbox, and supply him with all of the accoutrements a young mouse could need. Mrs. Little even fashions him a suit, because baby clothes would obviously be unsuitable for such a sophisticated mouse. In return, Stuart helps his tall family with errant Ping-Pong balls that roll outside of their reach.

E. B. White takes Stuart on a hero’s quest across the American countryside, introducing the mouse–and the reader–to a myriad of delightful characters. Little finds himself embroiled in one adventure after another from the excitement of racing sailboats to the unseen horrors of substitute teaching. This is a story of leaving home for the first time, of growing up, and ultimately of discovering oneself. At times, doesn’t everyone feel like the sole mouse in a family–and a world–of extremely tall people? (Ages 9 to 12).” Amazon

The Apprenticeship of Lucas Whitaker by Cynthia DeFelice

Ages 9-12. “Gr. 5-8. Lucas’ entire family has died, one by one, of tuberculosis, known as consumption in the mid-1800s. Wandering through the Connecticut countryside in grief, Lucas ends up becoming the new apprentice to Dr. Uriah M. Beecher, also the local dentist, apothecary, barber, and undertaker. Lucas’ new community is being decimated by consumption, and the local people want to try a technique rumored to work: digging up the remains of the first family member to die, removing and burning the heart, and breathing in the smoke. Dr. Beecher is certain this is useless at best, but Lucas feels sure it is worth a try. DeFelice skillfully gives readers enough historical information to see the reasoning behind the macabre practice and creates in Lucas a flesh and blood boy going through a most difficult time. Hand this title to students who have been assigned historical fiction and consider olden times to be boring.” Booklist

The Ballad of Lucy Whipple by Karen Cushman

Ages 9-12. “When California Morning Whipple’s widowed mother uproots her family from their comfortable Massachusetts environs and moves them to a rough mining camp called Lucky Diggins in the Sierras, California Morning resents the upheaval. Desperately wanting to control something in her own life, she decides to be called Lucy, and as Lucy she grows and changes in her strange and challenging new environment. Here Karen Cushman helps the American Gold Rush spring to colorful life, just as she did for medieval England in her previous two books, Catherine, Called Birdy and The Midwife’s Apprentice, which won Newbery Honor status and a Newbery Medal respectively. For ages 8-12.” Amazon

The Castle in the Attic by Elizabeth Winthrop

Ages 9-12. “Grade 4-6 A satisfying quest fantasy with a strong element of modern realism which will appeal to a wide range of readers. Ten-year-old William is so distraught at the idea of his beloved housekeeper/nanny Mrs. Phillips returning to England that, with the aid of a magic token, he shrinks her into the size of the toy knight which inhabits a wooden castle that has been passed down in her family for generations. To undo his rash deed, William must be miniaturized himself and accompany the silver knight, Sir Simon, on a quest to overthrow Alastor, a wicked magician who long ago usurped the throne of what should have been Sir Simon’s kingdom. William’s pure and gentle heart enables him to triumph over both the magician and his own childish yearning to possess Mrs. Phillips. The plot is carefully constructed. William’s real-life situation is a strong component of the story rather than a device whereby he can enter the fantasy world. His too-busy parents and his struggle to be mature enough to let Mrs. Phillips go are juxtaposed with his quest and struggle to defeat Alastor. Both William and Mrs. Phillips are sympathetic, well-developed characters. In contrast, William’s pediatrician mother and architect father are sketchy, both in William’s emotional life and in the author’s realization of them. Adults may find the theme that a pure heart can triumph over evil is a bit overstated, and fantasy buffs may desire a more fully developed fantasy world, but for young readers new to fantasy this will be successful.” School Library Journal

Crispin : The Cross of Lead by Avi

Ages 9-12. “Set in 14th-century England, Avi’s (The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle) 50th book begins with a funeral, that of a village outcast whose past is shrouded in mystery and whose adolescent son is known only as “Asta’s son.” Mired in grief for his mother, the boy learns his given name, Crispin, from the village priest, although his presumably dead father’s identity remains obscure. The words etched on his mother’s treasured lead cross may provide some clue, but the priest is murdered before he can tell the illiterate lad what they say. Worse, Crispin is fingered for the murder by the manor steward, who declares him a “wolf’s head” wanted dead or alive, preferably dead. Crispin flees, and falls in with a traveling juggler. “I have no name,” Crispin tells Bear, whose rough manners and appearance mask a tender heart. “No home, no kin, no place in this world.” How the boy learns his true identity (he’s the bastard son of the lord of the manor) and finds his place in the world makes for a rattling fine yarn. Avi’s plot is engineered for maximum thrills, with twists, turns and treachery aplenty, but it’s the compellingly drawn relationship between Crispin and Bear that provides the heart of this story. A page turner to delight Avi’s fans, it will leave readers hoping for a sequel. Ages 8-12.” Publishers Weekly

A Long Way From Chicago

Ages 9-12. “Newberry Award winner! National Book Award Finalist! A novel in stories. Joey remembers the days of childhood when he and his sister, Mary Alice, visited their grandmother.” Book Description

A Year Down Yonder by Richard Peck

Ages 9-12. “Grandma Dowdel’s back! She’s just as feisty and terrifying and goodhearted as she was in Richard Peck’s A Long Way from Chicago, and every bit as funny. In the first book, a Newberry Honor winner, Grandma’s rampages were seen through the eyes of her grandson Joey, who, with his sister, Mary Alice, was sent down from Chicago for a week every summer to visit. But now it’s 1937 and Joey has gone off to work for the Civilian Conservation Corps, while 15-year-old Mary Alice has to go stay with Grandma alone–for a whole year, maybe longer. From the very first moment when she arrives at the depot clutching her Philco portable radio and her cat, Bootsie, Mary Alice knows it won’t be easy. And it’s not. She has to sleep alone in the attic, attend a hick town school where in spite of her worn-out coat she’s “the rich girl from Chicago,” and be an accomplice in Grandma’s outrageous schemes to run the town her own way–and do good while nobody’s looking. But being Grandma’s sidekick is always interesting, and by the end of the year, Mary Alice has grown to see the formidable love in the heart of her formidable Grandma.

Peck is at his best with these hilarious stories that rest solidly within the American literary tradition of Mark Twain and Bret Harte. Teachers will cherish them as great read-alouds, and older teens will gain historical perspective from this lively picture of the depression years in small-town America. (Ages 12 and older).” Amazon

Hatchet by Gary Paulsen

Ages 14 and up. “Grade 8-12 Brian Robeson, 13, is the only passenger on a small plane flying him to visit his father in the Canadian wilderness when the pilot has a heart attack and dies. The plane drifts off course and finally crashes into a small lake. Miraculously Brian is able to swim free of the plane, arriving on a sandy tree-lined shore with only his clothing, a tattered windbreaker, and the hatchet his mother had given him as a present. The novel chronicles in gritty detail Brian’s mistakes, setbacks, and small triumphs as, with the help of the hatchet, he manages to survive the 54 days alone in the wilderness. Paulsen effectively shows readers how Brian learns patienceto watch, listen, and think before he actsas he attempts to build a fire, to fish and hunt, and to make his home under a rock overhang safe and comfortable. An epilogue discussing the lasting effects of Brian’s stay in the wilderness and his dim chance of survival had winter come upon him before rescue adds credibility to the story. Paulsen tells a fine adventure story, but the sub-plot concerning Brian’s preoccupation with his parents’ divorce seems a bit forced and detracts from the book. As he did in Dogsong (Bradbury, 1985), Paulsen emphasizes character growth through a careful balancing of specific details of survival with the protagonist’s thoughts and emotions.” School Library Journal

“This Newbery Honor book is a dramatic, heart-stopping story of a boy who, following a plane crash in the Canadian wilderness, must learn to survive with only a hatchet and his own wits. Ages 12-up.” Publishers Weekly

The River by Gary Paulsen

Ages 10 and up. “In a boxed review, PW praised the “terse, heart-stopping prose” of this follow-up to Hatchet : “The new adventure is as riveting as its predecessor . . . the psychological terrain of the sequel is fresh and distinct.” Ages 10-14. Publishers Weekly

This sequel to Gary Paulsen’s award-winning Hatchet, finds fifteen-year-old Brian returning to the Canadian wilderness where he had been stranded alone after a plane crash two years earlier. The story is self-contained, not dependent on its predecessor. AudioFile

Soldier’s Heart : Being the Story of the Enlistment and Due Service of the Boy Charley Goddard in the First Minnesota Volunteers by Gary Paulsen

Ages 12 andup. “In spare, almost biblical prose, Gary Paulsen writes of the horrors of combat in a Civil War novella that puts a powerful, more contemporary spin on Stephen Crane’s classic The Red Badge of Courage. Based on the life of a real boy, it tells the story of Charley Goddard, who lies his way into the Union Army at the age of 15. Charley has never been anyplace beyond Winona, Minnesota, and thinks war would be a great adventure. And it is–at first–as his regiment marches off through cheering crowds and pretty, flag-waving girls. But then comes the battle. Charley screams, “Make it stop now!” disbelieving that anything so horrible could be real. Paulsen is unsparing in the details of what actually happens on the battlefield: the living men suddenly blown into pieces, the agony and fear, the noise and terror, the stinking corpses. After many battles, Charley is wounded and sent home an old man before he is 20, his will to live destroyed by combat fatigue–leaving him with a “soldier’s heart.” Paulsen has received the Margaret A. Edwards Award, the ALAN Award, and several Newbery Honor awards for previous work, but this superb, small masterpiece transcends any of his earlier titles in its remarkable, memorable intensity and power. (Ages 12 to 15).” Amazon

Although many of these books have been made into movies, I purposefully left those off for now – I will do a matching list later. But I wanted to focus on the books, and encourage kids to read, rather than just watch the movie version. Enjoy! Part III and At the Movies for Classic Kids coming soon…

The Ultimate Sci-Fi DVD Boxed Set collection, part I

This is of course, my own idea on what is the ‘ultimate collection,” but I think I’ve covered most of the best here. This is a dream list – there are less expensive sets, and or copies of some of these movies and TV series, but this IS the ultimate collection! Much of it is TV, although there is a nice smattering of movies collected together or as add-ons to series. Since I already covered most of the regular movies in my Sci-Fi Movie Night posts, I will refrain from repeating those, unless they “add” to a collection, or are very special editions – Like the Blade Runner one – of course, Mark Harris said it best in his Future Schlock article on whether Sci-Fi is dead (EW – 1/11/08) – “Personally I’m holding out for a Super Platinum Deluxe Psychotic Edition, which will arrive in a crate containing 47 discs and Ridley Scott himself, who will hang out with you and then rewire your home sound system.” Sometimes, it seems all to true, as the editions get bigger and glossier, and contain more and more bonus material and different versions, etc. One of them listed in this three part piece contains, I believe, 5 editions of the same movie! Unless noted, all comments are from Amazon, and thus I will not use Quote marks, or attribute each piece to them. I have added a few comments of my own below, but this is about the DVDs, not my opinions! Some of these I hadn’t heard of, others I have watched all my life, over and over.

So sit back, get your Visa ready, and dream…

Alien Quadrilogy (Alien/ Aliens /Alien 3 /Alien Resurrection)

Product Details

• Actors: Sigourney Weaver, Carrie Henn, Michael Biehn, Lance Henriksen, Paul Reiser
• Directors: James Cameron, David Fincher, Ridley Scott
• Format: DTS Surround Sound, Anamorphic, Box set, Closed-captioned, Color, DVD-Video, Widescreen, Dolby, NTSC
• Language: English, Spanish
• Subtitles: English, Spanish
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
• Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
• Number of discs: 9
• Rating:
• Studio: 20th Century Fox
• DVD Release Date: December 2, 2003
• Run Time: 145 minutes

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com essential video
“The Alien Quadrilogy is a nine-disc boxed set devoted to the four Alien films. Although previously available on DVD as the Alien Legacy, here they have been repackaged with vastly more extras and with upgraded sound and picture. For anyone who hasn’t been in hypersleep for the last 25 years, this series needs no introduction, though for the first time each film now comes in both original and “special edition” form.

Alien (1979) was so perfect it didn’t need fixing, and Ridley Scott’s 2003 director’s cut is fiddling for the sake of fiddling. Watch it once, then return to the majestic, perfectly paced original. Conversely, the special edition of James Cameron’s Aliens (1986) is the definitive version, though it’s nice to finally have the theatrical cut on DVD for comparison. Most interesting is the alternative Alien 3 (1992). This isn’t a “director’s cut”–David Fincher refused to have any involvement with this release–but a 1991 work-print that runs 29 minutes longer than the theatrical version, and has now been restored, remastered, and finished off with (unfortunately) cheap new CGI. Still, it’s truly fascinating, offering a different insight into a flawed masterpiece. The expanded opening is visually breathtaking, the central firestorm is much longer, and a subplot involving Paul McGann’s character adds considerable depth to story. The ending is also subtly but significantly different. Alien: Resurrection (1997) always was a mess with a handful of brilliant scenes, and the special edition just makes it eight minutes longer.

The Alien Quadrilogy offers the first and fourth films with DTS soundtracks, the others having still fine Dolby Digital 5.1 presentation. All four films sound fantastic, with much low-level detail revealed for the first time. Each is anamorphically enhanced at the correct original aspect ratio, and the prints and transfers are superlative. Every film offers a commentary track that lends insight into the creative process–though the Scott-only commentary and isolated music score from the first Alien DVD release are missing here.

Each movie is complemented by a separate disc packed with hours of seriously detailed documentaries (all presented in full-screen with clips letterboxed), thousands of photos, production stills, and storyboards, giving a level of inside information for the dedicated buff only surpassed by the Lord of the Rings extended DVD sets. A ninth DVD compiles miscellaneous material, including an hourlong documentary and even all the extras from the old Alien laserdisc. “Exhaustive” hardly beings to describe the Alien Quadrilogy, a set that establishes the new DVD benchmark for retrospective releases and looks unlikely to be surpassed for some time.”

Blade Runner (Five-Disc Ultimate Collector’s Edition)

Product Details

• Actors: Harrison Ford, Sean Young, Rutger Hauer
• Directors: Ridley Scott
• Format: Subtitled, NTSC
• Language: English, French
• Subtitles: English, French, Spanish
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
• Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
• Number of discs: 5
• Rating:
• Studio: Warner Bros.
• DVD Release Date: December 18, 2007
• Run Time: 578 minutes

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com essential video
When Ridley Scott’s cut of Blade Runner was finally released in 1993, one had to wonder why the studio hadn’t done it right the first time–11 years earlier. This version is so much better, mostly because of what’s been eliminated (the ludicrous and redundant voice-over narration and the phony happy ending) rather than what’s been added (a bit more character development and a brief unicorn dream). Star Harrison Ford originally recorded the narration under duress at the insistence of Warner Bros. executives who thought the story needed further “explanation”; he later confessed that he thought if he did it badly they wouldn’t use it. (Moral: Never overestimate the taste of movie executives.) The movie’s spectacular futuristic vision of Los Angeles–a perpetually dark and rainy metropolis that’s the nightmare antithesis of “Sunny Southern California”–is still its most seductive feature, an otherworldly atmosphere in which you can immerse yourself. The movie’s shadowy visual style, along with its classic private-detective/murder-mystery plot line (with Ford on the trail of a murderous android, or “replicant”), makes Blade Runner one of the few science fiction pictures to legitimately claim a place in the film noir tradition. And, as in the best noir, the sleuth discovers a whole lot more (about himself and the people he encounters) than he anticipates…. With Sean Young, Edward James Olmos, Daryl Hannah, Rutger Hauer, and M. Emmet Walsh. –Jim Emerson

Product Description
“Visually spectacular, intensely action-packed and powerfully prophetic since its debut, Blade Runner returns in Ridley Scott’s definitive Final Cut, including extended scenes and never-before-seen special effects. In a signature role as 21st-century detective Rick Deckard, Harrison Ford brings his masculine-yet-vulnerable presence to this stylish noir thriller. In a future of high-tech possibility soured by urban and social decay, Deckard hunts for fugitive, murderous replicants – and is drawn to a mystery woman whose secrets may undermine his soul. This spectacular 5-Disc Set includes all five version of the legendary Sci-Fi film from Director Ridley Scott – the definitive Final Cut with all new 5.1 audio, three additional versions of the film, and the rare Work Print version – in addition to the in-depth feature length documentary “Dangerous Days”, and one complete disc of bonus content including over 80-minutes of never-before-seen deleted scenes. The Ultimate Collector’s Edition is packaged in a limited edition, numbered “Deckard” briefcase and features rare and collectable memorabilia such as a Spinner car replica, Unicorn figurine, Illustration and Photo cards, and a lenticular Motion Film Clip in lucite. This is the ultimate collection that no fan should be without! Also available in HD-DVD and Blu-Ray Disc.”

The Lord of the Rings – The Motion Picture Trilogy (Platinum Series Special Extended Edition)

Product Details

• Actors: Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Viggo Mortensen, Sean Astin, Sean Bean
• Directors: Peter Jackson
• Format: Box set, DTS Surround Sound, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
• Language: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
• Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
• Number of discs: 12
• Rating:
• Studio: New Line Home Entertainment
• DVD Release Date: December 14, 2004
• Run Time: 681 minutes

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
“The extended editions of Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings present the greatest trilogy in film history in the most ambitious sets in DVD history. In bringing J.R.R. Tolkien’s nearly unfilmable work to the screen, Jackson benefited from extraordinary special effects, evocative New Zealand locales, and an exceptionally well-chosen cast, but most of all from his own adaptation with co-writers Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens, preserving Tolkien’s vision and often his very words, but also making logical changes to accommodate the medium of film. While purists complained about these changes and about characters and scenes left out of the films, the almost two additional hours of material in the extended editions (about 11 hours total) help appease them by delving more deeply into Tolkien’s music, the characters, and loose ends that enrich the story, such as an explanation of the Faramir-Denethor relationship, and the appearance of the Mouth of Sauron at the gates of Mordor. In addition, the extended editions offer more bridge material between the films, further confirming that the trilogy is really one long film presented in three pieces (which is why it’s the greatest trilogy ever–there’s no weak link). The scene of Galadriel’s gifts to the Fellowship added to the first film proves significant over the course of the story, while the new Faramir scene at the end of the second film helps set up the third and the new Saruman scene at the beginning of the third film helps conclude the plot of the second.

To top it all off, the extended editions offer four discs per film: two for the longer movie, plus four commentary tracks and stupendous DTS 6.1 ES sound; and two for the bonus material, which covers just about everything from script creation to special effects. The argument was that fans would need both versions because the bonus material is completely different, but the features on the theatrical releases are so vastly inferior that the only reason a fan would need them would be if they wanted to watch the shorter versions they saw in theaters (the last of which, The Return of the King, merely won 11 Oscars). The LOTR extended editions without exception have set the DVD standard by providing a richer film experience that pulls the three films together and further embraces Tolkien’s world, a reference-quality home theater experience, and generous, intelligent, and engrossing bonus features.”

Product Description
“This critically acclaimed epic trilogy follows the quest undertaken by the hobbit, Frodo Baggins, and his fellowship of companions to save Middle-earth by destroying the One Ring and defeating the evil forces of the Dark Lord Sauron. With new and extended scenes carefully added back into the film, the 12-disc set also includes hours of bonus features. “

Twilight Zone: The Complete Definitive Collection

Product Details

• Actors: Twilight Zone
• Format: NTSC, Subtitled
• Language: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 28
• Rating:
• Studio: Image Entertainment
• DVD Release Date: October 3, 2006
• Run Time: 4524 minutes

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com [from Season One]
Submitted for your approval: The Twilight Zone’s inaugural season, all 36 episodes complete with Rod Serling’s original promos for the following week’s episode, not seen since their original broadcast. To discuss television’s greatest anthology series whose title has become pop culture shorthand for the bizarre and supernatural is to immediately become like Albert Brooks and Dan Aykroyd in Twilight Zone: The Movie; a can-you-top-this recall of famous shocks and favorite twists. Several essential episodes hail from this season, among them, “Time Enough at Last” starring Burgess Meredith as a bespectacled bookworm who is the lone survivor of an atomic blast; “The After-Hours” starring Anne Francis as a department store shopper haunted by mannequins; and the profoundly disturbing “The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street,” in which fear and prejudice turns neighbor against neighbor (and, by the by, whose alien observers inspired Kang and Kodos on The Simpsons).

From an unsettlingly persistent hitchhiker to a malevolent slot machine, The Twilight Zone’s first season did plumb “the pit of man’s fears.” One forgets how moving the series could be. Three of this season’s most memorable and enduring episodes are the poignant and primal “stop-the-world-I-want-to-get-off fantasies, “Walking Distance,” “A Stop at Willougby” and “The Sixteen-Millimeter Shrine,” in which desperate characters seek refuge in a simpler past. Serling’s few stabs at comedy (“Mr. Bevis,” “The Mighty Casey”) have not aged well, but the series finale, “A World of His Own,” starring Keenan Wynn as a playwright whose fictional characters come to life, has a brilliant capper. The episodes are more deliberately paced than one might remember. Less patient younger viewers might be anxious to get to the payoffs, but once they settle into the rhythm, they will savor the literate writing and the performances by such veteran actors as Ed Wynn, Everett Sloan, and Ida Lupino, and newcomers such as Jack Klugman. The extras, including the unaired version of the pilot episode, “Where is Everybody?”, audio commentaries and recollections, and a Serling college lecture, truly take this six-disc set to another dimension. –Donald Liebenson

Product Description
For the first time ever find all 156 complete episodes of Rod Serling’s groundbreaking series in one box set packed with exciting extras! Travel to another dimension of sight and sound again and again through these stellar remastered high-definition film transfers.Extras include the fascinating Serling bio-documentary Submitted for Your Approval compelling interviews with the show’s writers the series’ unaired pilot audio commentaries with Martin Landau Leonard Nimoy Cliff Robertson and much much more!

Twilight Zone – The Movie

Product Details

• Actors: Dan Aykroyd, Albert Brooks, Vic Morrow, Doug McGrath, Charles Hallahan
• Directors: Joe Dante, Steven Spielberg, George Miller (II)
• Format: AC-3, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD-Video, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
• Language: English
• Subtitles: English, Portuguese
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
• Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rating:
• Studio: Warner Home Video
• DVD Release Date: October 9, 2007
• Run Time: 101 minutes

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
A highly anticipated release for fantasy fans in the summer of 1983, Twilight Zone: The Movie presents three adaptations of classic episodes (and one original story) from Rod Serling’s anthology series by a quartet of the biggest directors in Hollywood. With Stephen Spielberg (also the film’s co-producer), John Landis, George Miller (The Road Warrior, Happy Feet), and Joe Dante behind the camera for this portmanteau feature, one might expect Serling’s episodes to positively gleam with star power, but the truth is that Twilight Zone: The Movie is a hit-and-miss affair. Landis opens with an amusing nod to the original series’ pop-culture appeal with Dan Aykroyd and Albert Brooks riffing on their favorite episodes before a hair-raising shock finale; unfortunately, his second offering is a bland morality plan about racial tolerance that will forever be overshadowed by the accident that claimed the lives of star Vic Morrow and two child actors during shooting. Spielberg’s take on George Clayton Johnson’s “Kick the Can” looks lovely and is well performed by its cast (especially Scatman Crothers), but it struggles to bear up under the weight of treacley sentiment so common to the director’s films at the time. Dante’s version of Jerome Bixby’s “It’s A Good Life” (about a boy with monstrous powers) is rife with his trademark energy and black humor (and his cast of regular players, including Kevin McCarthy and William Schallert, strike the right balance of terror and comedy). But it’s Miller’s revamp of Richard Matheson’s legendary “Nightmare at 20,000 Feet” that delivers the biggest payoff, thanks to John Lithgow’s super-charged turn as a nervous airline passenger who’s convinced he’s seen a monster tampering with the plane’s wing. Burgess Meredith (himself a veteran of the original TZ) provides narration; the widescreen DVD features no extras save for the original trailer and a remastered digital transfer. –Paul Gaita
Product Description
Four short horrorific tales are anthologized in this film as a tributeto rod serling and his popular tv series.

Planet of the Apes – The Legacy Collection (Planet of the Apes [1968] / Beneath the / Escape from the / Conquest of the / Battle for the)

Product Details

• Actors: Roddy McDowall, Claude Akins, Natalie Trundy, Severn Darden, Lew Ayres
• Directors: J. Lee Thompson, Don Taylor, Ted Post
• Format: AC-3, Box set, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, THX, Widescreen, NTSC
• Language: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 6
• Rating:
• Studio: 20th Century Fox
• DVD Release Date: March 28, 2006
• Run Time: 605 minutes

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com essential video [From the original movie]
Many early science fiction films are now, quite inadvertently (and in most cases undeservedly), objects of camp attention: we laugh at the silly makeup, tin-can special effects, and the naive “high-tech” dialogue. Planet of the Apes is no such film. Its intelligent script, frightening costuming, and savagely effective conclusion (which needs no big-budget special effects to augment its impact) remain both potent and relevant. When Colonel George Taylor (the fabulous Charlton Heston) crash lands his spacecraft on what seems to be an unfamiliar planet, he is captured and held prisoner by a dominant race of hyperrational, articulate apes. However, the ape community is riven with internal dissention, centered in no small part on its policy toward humans, who, on this planet, are treated as mindless animals. Befriended and ultimately assisted by the more liberal simians, Taylor escapes–only to find a more terrifying obstacle confronting his return home. Heavy-handed object lessons abound–the ubiquity of generational warfare, the inflexibility of dogma, the cruelty of prejudice–and the didactic fingerprints of Rod Serling are very much in evidence here. But director Franklin Schaffner has a dark, pop-apocalyptic sci-fi vision all his own, and time has not dulled the monumental emotional impact of the film’s climactic payoff shot. If you don’t know what I’m talking about here, you owe it to yourself to check out this stone classic, and even if you do, see it with fresh eyes; and don’t be surprised if you get the chills all over again… and again… and again. –Miles Bethany

Product Description
Disk 1: *Planet of the Apes (‘68)

Disk 2: *Escape from the Planet of the Apes

Disk 3: *Conquest for the Planet of the Apes

Disk 4: *Battle for the Planet of the Apes

Disk 5: *Beneath the Planet of the Apes

Disk 6: *Behind the Planet of the Apes (bonus disc) *Documentary ”Behind the Planet of the Apes” *Planet of the Apes trailer *Beneath the Planet of the Apes trailer *Escape from the Planet of the Apes trailer *Conquest of the Planet of the Apes trailer *Battle for the Planet of the Apes trailer *Planet of the Apes Cross Promotion trailer *TV Spot for Behind the Planet of the Apes *Fox Interactive Presents: Behind the Scenes of the Planet of the Apes game

Planet of the Apes (Special Edition)

Product Details

• Actors: Mark Wahlberg, Tim Roth, Helena Bonham Carter, Michael Clarke Duncan, Paul Giamatti
• Directors: Tim Burton
• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DTS Surround Sound, DVD-Video, Special Edition, Widescreen, NTSC
• Language: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
• Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rating:
• Studio: 20th Century Fox
• DVD Release Date: February 11, 2003
• Run Time: 124 minutes

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
Billed as a “reimagining” of the original 1968 film, Tim Burton’s extraordinary Planet of the Apes constantly borders on greatness, adhering to the spirit of Pierre Boulle’s original novel while exploring fresh and inventive ideas and paying honorable tribute to the ‘68 sci-fi classic. Burton’s gifts for eccentric inspiration and visual ingenuity make this a movie that’s as entertaining as it is provocative, beginning with Rick Baker’s best-ever ape makeup (hand that man an Oscar®!), and continuing through the surprisingly nuanced performances and breathtaking production design. Add to all this an intelligent screenplay that turns Boulle’s speculative reversal–the dominance of apes over humans–into a provocative study of civil rights and civil war. The film finally goes too far with a woefully misguided ending that pays weak homage to the original, but everything preceding that misfire is astonishingly right.

While attempting the space-pod retrieval of a chimpanzee test pilot, Major Leo Davidson (Mark Wahlberg) enters a magnetic storm that propels him into the distant future, where he crash-lands on the ape-ruled planet. Among the primitively civilized apes, treatment of enslaved humans is a divisive issue: senator’s daughter Ari (Helena Bonham Carter) advocates equality while the ruthless General Thade (Tim Roth) promotes extermination. While Davidson ignites a human rebellion, this conflict is explored with admirable depth and emotion, and sharp dialogue allows Burton’s exceptional cast to bring remarkable expressiveness to their embattled ape characters, most notably in the comic relief of orangutan slave trader Limbo (played to perfection by Paul Giamatti). Classic lines from the original film are cleverly reversed (including an unbilled cameo for Charlton Heston, in ape regalia as Thade’s dying father), and while this tale of interspecies warfare leads to an ironic conclusion that’s not altogether satisfying, it still bears the ripe fruit of a timeless what-if idea. –Jeff Shannon
Product Description
After a spectacular crash-landing on an uncharted planet, brash astronaut Leo Davidson (Mark Wahlberg) finds himself trapped in a savage world where talking apes dominate the human race. Desperate to find a way home, Leo must evade the invincible gorilla army led by ruthless General Thade (Tim Roth) and his most trusted warrior, Attar (Michael Clarke Duncan). Now the pulse-pounding race is on to reach a sacred temple that may hold the shocking secrets of mankind’s past – and the last hope for it’s salvation!

Planet of the Apes: The Complete TV Series

Product Details

• Actors: Planet of the Apes-TV Series
• Format: Color, Dubbed, DVD-Video, Full Screen, Subtitled, NTSC
• Language: English
• Subtitles: Spanish
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 4
• Rating:
• Studio: 20th Century Fox
• DVD Release Date: October 3, 2006
• Run Time: 696 minutes

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
After their spacecraft travels through a time warp, two astronauts (Ron Harper, James Naughton) from 1981 crash-land back on Earth in the year 3085 – a time when intelligent apes rule and humans have been reduced to servants or pets. Captured by the apes and sentenced to death, they are saved by a curious chimpanzee name Galen (Roddy McDowall). But now all three are on the run, trying to keep one step ahead of the gorilla army led by General Urko (Mark Lenard), who is determined to kill the renegades.

OR if that isn’t enough:

Planet of the Apes – The Ultimate DVD Collection

Product Details

• Actors: Estella Warren, Ralph Winter, Paul Giamatti, Rick Heinrichs, Colleen Atwood
• Directors: Thomas C. Grane, J. Lee Thompson, David Comtois
• Format: AC-3, Box set, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, THX, Widescreen, NTSC
• Language: English
• Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
• Number of discs: 14
• Rating:
• Studio: 20th Century Fox
• DVD Release Date: March 28, 2006
• Run Time: 1564 minutes

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
While provoking neither the decades of spin-offs of the Star Trek franchise or the cultural staying power of the Star Wars universe, Planet of the Apes nonetheless lives in the hearts of many a Sunday afternoon TV-watcher. A high water mark for prosthetic movie magic, this primate-vs-man epic–spanning four movies, a TV series, and an animated series–was as integral to the 1970s as Led Zeppelin or muscle cars. So how to properly pay tribute to a science fiction franchise about intelligent apes roaming a post-apocalyptic earth?

In a freaking ape head boxed set, man.

It’s true. 20th Century Fox packaged the entire run–movies, TV series, animated series, and the 2001 Tim Burton remake–in Caesar’s head. Actually, the 14 discs are efficiently packaged in a fold-out book that slides into the bust’s back. The bust is smartly dressed in green canvas, with zippers that don’t actually lead to pockets. The hair is a luxurious mane that could have been wasted on at least three toupes. Put this masterpiece of DVD packaging on a shelf and watch it catch the gaze of everyone who walks into the room. Unfortunately, the set does not come with any supplemental reading material; an essay or two on the impact of Planet of the Apes would have been nice. The set is limited to 10,000 copies and comes with a numbered certificate of authenticity. For those who don’t want to commit to the full ape head experience, most of the discs in this set–sans the animated series, TV show, and Tim Burton remake–can be had in the Planet of the Apes Legacy Boxset –Ryan Boudinot

Back to the Future – The Complete Trilogy (Widescreen Edition)

Product Details

• Actors: Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson, Crispin Glover, Thomas F. Wilson
• Directors: Robert Zemeckis
• Format: Anamorphic, Box set, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
• Language: English, French
• Subtitles: Spanish
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
• Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
• Number of discs: 3
• Rating:
• Studio: Universal Studios
• DVD Release Date: January 25, 2005
• Run Time: 342 minutes

Amazon.com essential video
Filmmaker Robert Zemeckis topped his breakaway hit Romancing the Stone with Back to the Future, a joyous comedy with a dazzling hook: what would it be like to meet your parents in their youth? Billed as a special-effects comedy, the imaginative film (the top box-office smash of 1985) has staying power because of the heart behind Zemeckis and Bob Gale’s script. High schooler Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox, during the height of his TV success) is catapulted back to the ’50s where he sees his parents in their teens, and accidentally changes the history of how Mom and Dad met. Filled with the humorous ideology of the ’50s, filtered through the knowledge of the ’80s (actor Ronald Reagan is president, ha!), the film comes off as a Twilight Zone episode written by Preston Sturges. Filled with memorable effects and two wonderfully off-key, perfectly cast performances: Christopher Lloyd as the crazy scientist who builds the time machine (a DeLorean luxury car) and Crispin Glover as Marty’s geeky dad. –Doug Thomas

Critics and audiences didn’t seem too happy with Back to the Future, Part II, the inventive, perhaps too clever sequel. Director Zemeckis and cast bent over backwards to add layers of time-travel complication, and while it surely exercises the brain it isn’t necessarily funny in the same way that its predecessor was. It’s well worth a visit, though, just to appreciate the imagination that went into it, particularly in a finale that has Marty watching his own actions from the first film. –Tom Keogh

Shot back-to-back with the second chapter in the trilogy, Back to the Future, Part III is less hectic than that film and has the same sweet spirit of the first, albeit in a whole new setting. This time, Marty ends up in the Old West of 1885, trying to prevent the death of mad scientist Christopher Lloyd at the hands of gunman Buford “Mad Dog” Tannen (Thomas F. Wilson, who had a recurring role as the bully Biff). Director Zemeckis successfully blends exciting special effects with the traditions of a Western and comes up with something original and fun. –Tom Keogh
Product Description
Experience theiComplete Trilogy!
Presented by Steven Spielberg, directed by Oscar® winner Robert Zemeckis and starring time travelers Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd, the phenomenally popular Back To The Future films literally changed the future of the adventure movie genre. Now, this unprecedented Back To The Future DVD Trilogy immerses you in all the breathtaking action, outrageous comedy and sheer moviemaking magic of one of the most brilliantly inventive, wildly entertaining motion picture triumphs in Hollywood history!

Buffy The Vampire Slayer – Collector’s Set (40 discs)

Product Details

• Actors: Sarah Michelle Gellar, Alyson Hannigan, Nicholas Brendon, Anthony Head, James Marsters
• Directors: Joss Whedon
• Format: Box set, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
• Language: English, Spanish
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 40
• Rating:
• Studio: 20th Century Fox
• DVD Release Date: August 1, 2006

Amazon.com
From its charming and angst-ridden first season to the darker, apocalyptic final one, Buffy the Vampire Slayer succeeds on many levels, and in a fresher and more authentic way than the shows that came before or after it. How lucky, then, that with the release of its boxed set of seasons 1-7, you can have the estimable pleasure of watching a near-decade of Buffy in any order you choose. (And we have some ideas about how that should be done.)

First: rest assured that there’s no shame in coming to Buffy late, even if you initially turned your nose up at the winsome Sarah Michelle Gellar kicking the hell out of vampires (in Buffy-lingo, vamps), demons, and other evil-doers. Perhaps you did so because, well, it looked sort of science-fiction-like with all that monster latex. Start with season 3 and see that Buffy offers something for everyone, and the sooner you succumb to it, the quicker you’ll appreciate how textured and riveting a drama it is.

Why season 3? Because it offers you a winning cast of characters who have fallen from innocence: their hearts have been broken, their egos trampled in typically vicious high-school style, and as a result, they’ve begun to realize how fallible they are. As much as they try, there are always more monsters, or a bigger evil. Despite this, or perhaps because of it, the core crew remains something of a unit–there’s the smart girl, Willow (Alyson Hannigan) who dreams of saving the day by downloading the plans to City Hall’s sewer tunnels and mapping a route to safety. There are the ne’r do wells–the vampire Spike (James Marsters), who both clashes with and aspires to love Buffy; the tortured and torturing Angel (David Boreanz); the pretty, popular girl with an empty heart (Charisma Carpenter); and the teenage everyman, Xander (Nicholas Brendon).

Then there’s Buffy herself, who in the course of seven seasons morphs from a sarcastic teenager in a minidress to a heroine whose tragic flaw is an abiding desire to be a “normal” girl. On a lesser note, with the boxed set you can watch the fashion transformation of Buffy from mall rat to Prada-wearing, kickboxing diva with enviable highlights. (There was the unfortunate bob of season 2, but it’s a forgivable lapse.) At least the storyline merits the transformations: every time Buffy has to end a relationship she cuts her hair, shedding both the pain and her vulnerability.

In addition to the well-wrought teenage emotional landscape, Buffy deftly takes on more universal themes–power, politics, death, morality–as the series matures in seasons 4-6. And apart from a few missteps that haven’t aged particularly well (“I Robot” in season 1 comes to mind), most episodes feel as harrowing and as richly drawn as they did at first viewing. That’s about as much as you can ask for any form of entertainment: that it offer an escape from the viewer’s workaday world and entry into one in which the heroine (ideally one with leather pants) overcomes demons far more troubling than one’s own. –Megan Halverson
Product Description
*Seasons 1-7 on each disc

Bonus Disc: **Introduction by Joss Whedon **Back to the Hellmouth: A Conversation with Creators and Cast **Breaking Barriers: It’s Not a Chick Fight Thing **Love Bites: Relationships in the Buffyverse **Evil Fiends **Buffy: An Unlikely Role Model **Buffy Cast and Crew: Favorite Episodes

Angel – Complete Series Collector’s Set

Product Details

• Actors: David Boreanaz
• Format: Box set, Color, DVD-Video, NTSC
• Language: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
• Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
• Number of discs: 30
• Rating:
• Studio: 20th Century Fox
• DVD Release Date: October 30, 2007

Editorial Reviews [For Season one -the complete boxed set didn't have a review listed]

Amazon.com
He’s hunky, he’s brooding, he’s a do-gooder, and he was Buffy’s first boyfriend. Angel, the tortured vampire destined to walk the earth with a soul, got his own series after three seasons on Buffy the Vampire Slayer and did what any new star might do: he moved to L.A. (the City of Angels–get it?) and set up shop. Angel (co-created by Buffy mastermind Joss Whedon) finds the titular vampire (David Boreanaz) as a kind of supernatural private investigator, fighting evil one case at a time and, like his ex-girlfriend, keeping the world from getting destroyed by vengeful demons and such.

A darker, more film noir version of Buffy, Angel lacked the peppy humor that permeated Sunnydale but more than made up for it in its soul-wrenching gravitas, and it elevated Boreanaz to leading-man status, a role he filled out ably and then some. Initially, the stoic vampire was paired with Irish demon Doyle (the late Glenn Quinn) and fellow Sunnydale transplant Cordelia (Charisma Carpenter), but Angel finally found its footing when Doyle was dispatched (giving his powers of precognition to Cordelia) and replaced by Buffy alum Wesley (Alexis Denisof), a fallen watcher who, like his friends, was hoping for a new start in L.A. However, pesky law firm Wolfram and Hart (a front for the demon mafia, as it were) reared its ugly head and discovered Angel’s presence, thus setting the stage for a battle of good and evil–and if you’re a regular Joss Whedon fan, you know that it’s a never-ending war.

This first season features guest appearances by various Buffy characters, including werewolf boy Oz (Seth Green), rogue slayer Faith (Eliza Dushku), deliciously evil vamp Darla (Julie Benz), and Buffy herself (Sarah Michelle Gellar), all of whom helped get the show off and running in style. –Mark Englehart
Product Description
HIS TIME HAS COME . . . Now you can own the entire first season of ANGEL. All 22 classic episodes are available for the first time in this exclusive 6-disc collector’s edition. From “City of,” “In the Dark” and “I Will Remember You” to “Hero,” “Sanctuary” and “To Shanshu in L.A.,” these Season One episodes are a must for every Angel and Buffy fan.

Product Description [for the complete boxed set]
ANGEL SEASON 1 (6 DISCS) ANGEL SEASON 2 (6 DISCS) ANGEL SEASON 3 (6 DISCS) ANGEL SEASON 4 (6 DISCS) ANGEL SEASON 5 (6 DISCS)

**COMPANION BOOKLET **LETTER TO FANS FROM JOSS WHEDON

Firefly – The Complete Series

Product Details

• Actors: Nathan Fillion, Gina Torres, Alan Tudyk, Morena Baccarin, Adam Baldwin
• Directors: Joss Whedon, Tim Minear, Vern Gillum
• Format: Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, DVD-Video, Widescreen, NTSC
• Language: English
• Subtitles: English, Spanish
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
• Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
• Number of discs: 4
• Rating:
• Studio: 20th Century Fox
• DVD Release Date: December 9, 2003
• Run Time: 675 minutes

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

As the 2005 theatrical release of Serenity made clear, Firefly was a science fiction concept that deserved a second chance. Devoted fans (or “Browncoats”) knew it all along, and with this well-packaged DVD set, those who missed the show’s original broadcasts can see what they missed. Creator Joss Whedon’s ambitious science-fiction Western (Whedon’s third series after Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel) was canceled after only 11 of these 14 episodes had aired on the Fox network, but history has proven that its demise was woefully premature. Whedon’s generic hybrid got off to a shaky start when network executives demanded an action-packed one-hour premiere (“The Train Job”); in hindsight the intended two-hour pilot (also titled “Serenity,” and oddly enough, the final episode aired) provides a better introduction to the show’s concept and splendid ensemble cast. Obsessive fans can debate the quirky logic of combining spaceships with direct parallels to frontier America (it’s 500 years in the future, and embattled humankind has expanded into the galaxy, where undeveloped “outer rim” planets struggle with the equivalent of Old West accommodations), but Whedon and his gifted co-writers and directors make it work, at least well enough to fashion a credible context from the incongruous culture-clashing of past, present, and future technologies, along with a polyglot language (the result of two dominant superpowers) that combines English with an abundance of Chinese slang.

What makes it work is Whedon’s delightfully well-chosen cast and their nine well-developed characters–a typically Whedon-esque extended family–each providing a unique perspective on their adventures aboard Serenity, the junky but beloved “Firefly-class” starship they call home. As a veteran of the disadvantaged Independent faction’s war against the all-powerful planetary Alliance (think of it as Underdogs vs. Overlords), Serenity captain Malcolm Reynolds (Nathan Fillion) leads his compact crew on a quest for survival. They’re renegades with an amoral agenda, taking any job that pays well, but Firefly’s complex tapestry of right and wrong (and peace vs. violence) is richer and deeper than it first appears. Tantalizing clues about Blue Sun (an insidious mega-corporation with a mysteriously evil agenda), its ties to the Alliance, and the traumatizing use of Serenity’s resident stowaway (Summer Glau) as a guinea pig in the development of advanced warfare were clear indications Firefly was heading for exciting revelations that were precluded by the series’ cancellation. Fortunately, the big-screen Serenity (which can be enjoyed independently of the series) ensured that Whedon’s wild extraterrestrial west had not seen its final sunset. Its very existence confirms that these 14 episodes (and enjoyable bonus features) will endure as irrefutable proof Fox made a glaring mistake in canceling the series. –Jeff Shannon

Product Description
Five hundred years in the future there’s a whole new frontier, and the crew of the Firefly-class spaceship Serenity is eager to stake a claim on the action. They’ll take any job, legal or illegal, to keep fuel in the tanks and food on the table. But things get a bit more complicated after they take on a passenger wanted by the new totalitarian Alliance regime. Now they find themselves on the run, desperate to steer clear of Alliance ships and the flesh-eating Reavers who live on the fringes of space.

Serenity (Collector’s Edition)

Product Details

• Actors: Nathan Fillion, Gina Torres, Alan Tudyk, Morena Baccarin, Adam Baldwin
• Directors: Joss Whedon
• Format: AC-3, Collector’s Edition, Color, Dolby, DTS Surround Sound, Dubbed, DVD-Video, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
• Language: English
• Subtitles: English, French, Spanish
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
• Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
• Number of discs: 2
• Rating:
• Studio: Universal Studios
• DVD Release Date: August 21, 2007
• Run Time: 187 minutes

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
Serenity offers perfect proof that Firefly deserved a better fate than premature TV cancellation. Joss Whedon’s acclaimed sci-fi Western hybrid series was ideally suited (in Browncoats, of course) for a big-screen conversion, and this action-packed adventure allows Whedon to fill in the Firefly backstory, especially the history and mystery of the spaceship Serenity’s volatile and traumatized stowaway, River Tam (Summer Glau). Her lethal skills as a programmed “weapon” makes her a coveted prize for the power-hungry planetary Alliance, represented here by an Operative (Chiwetel Ejiofor) who’ll stop at nothing to retrieve River from Serenity’s protective crew. We still get all the quip-filled dialogue and ass-kicking action that we’ve come to expect from the creator of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, but Whedon goes a talented step further here, blessing his established ensemble cast with a more fully-developed dynamic of endearing relationships. Serenity’s cast is led with well-balanced depth and humor by Nathan Fillion as Captain Mal Reynolds, whose maverick spirit is matched by his devotion to crewmates Wash (Alan Tudyk), Zoe (Gina Torres), fun-loving fighter Jayne (Adam Baldwin), engineer Kaylee (Jewel Staite), doctor Simon (Sean Maher), and Mal’s former flame Inara (Morena Baccarin), who plays a pivotal role in Whedon’s briskly-paced plot. As many critics agreed, Serenity offered all the fun and breezy excitement that was missing from George Lucas’s latter-day Star Wars epics, and Whedon leaves an opening for a continuing franchise that never feels cheap or commercially opportunistic. With the mega-corporate mysteries of Blue Sun yet to be explored, it’s a safe bet we haven’t seen the last of the good ship Serenity. –Jeff Shannon
Product Description
Serenity, the action-packed event that delivers thrilling non-stop adventure, incredible battles in dangerous worlds and spectacular visual effects, is now available in a Special 2-Disc Collector’s Edition containing all-new bonus content and never-seen-before footage! With over 30 minutes of all-new special features and special collectible packaging, the Serenity – Collector’s Edition is a must own for all true Sci-Fi and Joss Whedon fans! All-new 2-disc edition will include 6 completely new bonus elements including cast & filmmaker commentary. Will also include all bonus features from previous release.

All New Bonus Features:
-Extended Scenes (6:45)
-Take A Walk on Serenity (4:00) Cast and Crew take us on a special tour of the Serenity space ship
-A Filmmaker’s Journey (19:49) Take A Journey with Joss Whedon from script to the big screen
-The Green Clan (3:03) An expose on Cinematographer Jack Green and his team
-Sci-Fi Inside: Serenity (21:41) Hosted by Adam Baldwin, an in-depth look at the film that was resurrected from a cancelled television show, as well as its supportive culture.
-Session 416 (7:52) These internet pieces document a portion of River’s participation in a psychological study and her interactions with her therapist.
-Feature Commentary with Director Joss Whedon and Cast Members Nathan Fillion, Adam Baldwin, Summer Glau, and Ron Glass

Jurassic Park Adventure Pack (Jurassic Park/ The Lost World: Jurassic Park/ Jurassic Park III)

Product Details

• Actors: Rona Benson, Blake Michael Bryan, Laura Dern, John Diehl, Bruce French
• Directors: Joe Johnston
• Format: Box set, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD-Video, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
• Language: English
• Subtitles: Spanish
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
• Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
• Number of discs: 3
• Rating:
• Studio: Universal Studios
• DVD Release Date: November 29, 2005
• Run Time: 349 minutes

Amazon.com
Jurassic Park
Steven Spielberg’s 1993 mega-hit rivals Jaws as the most intense and frightening film he’d ever made prior to Schindler’s List, but it was also among his weakest stories. Based on Michael Crichton’s novel about an island amusement park populated by cloned dinosaurs, the film works best as a thrill ride with none of the interesting human dynamics of Spielberg’s Jaws. That lapse proves unfortunate, but there’s no shortage of raw terror as a rampaging T-rex and nasty raptors try to make fast food out of the cast. The effects are still astonishing (despite the fact that the computer-generated technology has since been improved upon) and at times primeval, such as the sight of a herd of whatever-they-are scampering through a valley. –Tom Keogh

The Lost World – Jurassic Park
In the low tradition of knockoff horror flicks best seen (or not seen) on a drive-in movie screen, Steven Spielberg’s sequel to Jurassic Park is a poorly conceived, ill-organized film that lacks story and logic. Screenwriter David Koepp strings along a number of loose ideas while Jeff Goldblum returns as Ian Malcolm, the quirky chaos theoretician who now reluctantly agrees to go to another island where cloned dinosaurs are roaming freely. Along with his girlfriend (Julianne Moore) and daughter, Malcolm has to deal with hunters, environmentalists, and corporate swine who stupidly bring back a big dino to Southern California, where it runs amok, of course. Spielberg doesn’t seem to care that the pieces of this project don’t add up to a real movie, so he hams it up with big, scary moments (with none of the artfulness of those in Jurassic Park) and smart-aleck visual gags (a yapping dog in a suburb mysteriously disappears when a hungry T-rex stomps by). A complete bust.–Tom Keogh

Jurassic Park III
Surpassing expectations to qualify as an above-average sequel, Jurassic Park III is nothing more or less than a satisfying popcorn adventure. A little cheesier than the first two Jurassic blockbusters, it’s a big B movie with big B-list stars (including Laura Dern, briefly reprising her Jurassic Park role), and eight years of advancing computer-generated-image technology give it a sharp edge over its predecessors. While adopting the jungle spirit of King Kong, the movie refines Michael Crichton’s original premise, and its dinosaurs are even more realistic, their behavior more detailed, and their variety–including flying pteranodons and a new villain, the spinosaurus–more dazzling and threatening than ever. These advancements justify the sequel, and its contrived plot is just clever enough to span 90 minutes without wearing out its welcome.

Posing as wealthy tourists, an adventurous couple (William H. Macy, Téa Leoni) convince paleontologist Alan Grant (Sam Neill) and his protégé (Allesandro Nivola) to act as tour guides on a flyover trip to Isla Sorna, the ill-fated “Site B” where all hell broke loose in The Lost World: Jurassic Park. In truth, they’re on a search-and-rescue mission to find their missing son (Trevor Morgan), and their plane crash is just the first of several enjoyably suspenseful sequences. Director Joe Johnston (October Sky) embraces the formulaic plot as a series of atmospheric set pieces, placing new and familiar dinosaurs in misty rainforests, fiery lakes, and mysterious valleys, turning JP3 into a thrill ride with impressive highlights (including a T. rex versus spinosaurus smack-down), adequate doses of wry humor (from the cowriters of Election), and an upbeat ending that’s corny but appropriate, proving that the symptoms of sequelitis needn’t be fatal. –Jeff Shannon

Stargate SG-1 – The Complete Series Collection

Product Details

• Actors: Stargate Sg1
• Format: Full Screen, Surround Sound, HiFi Sound, NTSC
• Language: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
• Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
• Number of discs: 54
• Rating:
• Studio: MGM (Video & DVD)
• DVD Release Date: October 9, 2007
• Run Time: 9900 minutes

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com [From Season One]
Hollywood’s film archives overflow with the carcasses of dismal movies based on lame ’60s and ’70s television shows, a syndrome that shows no sign of abating. But here’s evidence that the reverse effect, turning a movie into a TV series, can have surprisingly positive results. Indeed, based on the 21 episodes produced for the first season of Stargate SG-1, it could be argued that this show is significantly better than the 1994 feature it’s derived from.

The central conceit of the original Stargate–the existence of an artificially created “wormhole” through which one can travel to different worlds light years away from Earth–was an intriguing one. In seizing on the obvious possibilities for expanding on that premise, series executive producers-writers Jonathan Glassner and Brad Wright have smartly retained some of the film’s basic elements (its amalgam of myth and theoretical hokum, or the ongoing clash of wills between scientists and soldiers), while adding a variety of fresh ideas (including new characters, new locations, and a welcome dose of humor, much of it supplied by Richard Dean Anderson, MacGyver himself, who replaces Kurt Russell in the central role of Colonel Jack O’Neill). The result is a show with multidimensional heroes and villains and consistently compelling story lines (many of them introduced in the pilot and carried forward through subsequent episodes) balancing excellent special effects and production values. All this and full frontal nudity, too (at least in the aforementioned pilot). Who can resist?

The first season is spread out over five DVDs; the 100-minute pilot shares the first volume with two other episodes, while discs 2 to 5 contain anywhere from three to five shows each. Sound and visuals (in widescreen format) alike will take full advantage of any home system’s capabilities. But aside from language and subtitle options, bonus features are limited to brief featurettes that play like commercials and provide little in the way of background information or insight (there are no features at all on the first disc). Then again, if you really want to know what that symbol on Teal’c’s forehead means, or why the nasty, parasitic Goa’ulds look a lot like the fledgling stomach monsters in the Alien series, there is no doubt a Web site out there just for you. –Sam Graham

Amazon.com [From Season Ten]
If this five-disc, 20-episode, tenth season set really is the end of Stargate SG-1–and considering the number of reprieves the show has already had and the rumors of various movie spin-offs, not to mention the fact that the final installment is entitled “Unending,” who knows?–then the folks responsible for this durable sci-fi series can be proud that they finished it off in style, with a run of episodes that are for the most part highly entertaining, exciting, and fun, offering resolution if not complete closure. And if sharks were jumped, at least they were small ones. As was the case in Season 9, and to a large extent in Season 8 as well, original series star Richard Dean Anderson is little in evidence here. Portraying Lt. Col. Cameron Mitchell, Ben Browder, who came to Stargate SG-1 from the underrated Farscape, is now entrenched as leader of SG-1, the Stargate project’s ace team in the field, joining series veterans Amanda Tapping, Christopher Judge, and Michael Shanks (as Samantha Carter, Teal’c, and Daniel Jackson, respectively). Most notably, fellow Farscape alum Claudia Black has an ever-expanding role as Vala, whose cheeky wit and irreverence bring a consistent spark to the proceedings. The big, bad villains known as Ori are back as well. We still can’t see them–they are, after all, “ascended beings,” represented by the blind, monk-like Priors, who roam the universe intoning “Hallowed are the Ori” and ensuring that all will submit to their will (the element of scary religious fanaticism remains as relevant as ever). But the Ori are also still the most implacable, irresistible force our heroes have ever encountered; nothing less than the fate of the entire galaxy is at stake (again)! And now there’s an added twist: the Ori have a frontwoman, if you will, whose powers make the Priors look like pikers. Known as Adria (or “the Orici” to believers), this beautiful young woman (played by Morena Baccarin) also happens to be the daughter of Vala, whom the Ori chose to bring their demon seed into the world; the uneasy (to say the least) Adria-Vala relationship provides many intriguing moments. On the minus side, the show tends to break its own rules (for instance, for a character who’s supposed to be invincible, Adria often seems awfully, well, vincible), and the commingling of Arthurian legend, Greek, Roman, and Egyptian myth, magic, and other sources is occasionally over-the-top, even for this franchise. Some episodes are plot-heavy, bogged down by too many characters (past bad guys like the Goa’uld, and Ba’al reappear, as do several Stargate Atlantis principals in one episode) or excessive techno-rap about time dilation fields, flux capacitors, and something called the Clava Thessara Infinitas (don’t ask). Episodes in which the writers move away from the central Ori theme are less than stellar; “200″ exists mostly as an opportunity to make fun of the TV business and is as irrelevant and silly as “Citizen Joe,” the worst episode from Season 8. And finally, without revealing details, suffice to say that “Unending,” which offers a possible fate for our heroes before totally pulling its punches, may frustrate some longtime adherents. By and large, though, Stargate SG-1 has all the elements–humor, action, great effects, good story-telling and acting, characters you care about–to more than justify its ten-year run. It will be missed. Special features are again bountiful, including audio commentary on all episodes, various featurettes, and five “directors series” entries devoted to particular episodes. –Sam Graham

Product Description
Episode Description: Disc 1- 5: Stargate SG-1 Season 1 Disc 6-10: Starage SG-1 Season 2 Disc 11-15: Stargate SG-1 Season 3 Disc 16-20: Stargate SG-1 Season 4 Disc 21-25: Stargate SG-1 Season 5 Disc 26-30: Stargate SG-1 Season 6 Disc 31-35: Stargate SG-1 Season 7 Disc 36-40: Stargate SG-1 Season 8 Disc 41-45: Stargate SG-1 Season 9 Disc 46-50: Stargate SG-1 Season 10

Disc 51: Bonus Disc 1 **Ark of Truth Promo **Continuum Promo **”Stargate SG-1: The Lowdown (SG-1 Season 7)” **From Stargate to Atlantis: The Lowdown (SG-1 Season 8 & Atlantis Season 1) **Behind the Stargate: Secrets Revealed (SG-1 Season 8 & Atlantis Season 1)

Disc 52: Bonus Disc 2 **”Sci Fi Inside: Stargate SG-1’s 200th Episode (SG-1 Season 10)” **”Behind the Mythology of Stargate SG-1 (SG-1 Seasons 1-10)” **Stargate SG-1: True Science

Disc 53: Bonus Disc 3 ***Season Three: **Timeline to the Future **Part 1: Legacy of the Gate **Part II: Secrets of the Gate **Part III: Beyond the Gate

***Season Four: **SG-1 Video Diary: Teryl Rothery **”Stargate SG-1 Season 5: Gateway to Adventure ” **Stargate SG-1: The 100th Episode

***Season Five: **SG-1 Video Diary: Don S. Davis

***Season Six: **”SG-1 Directors Series: Smoke and Mirrors” **SG-1 Directors Series: The Changeling **SG-1 Directors Series: Memento **SG-1 Directors Series: Prophecy **SG-1 Video Diary: Richard Dean Anderson Paradise Lost”

Disc 54: Bonus Disc 4 ***Season Seven: **SG-1 Directors Series: Revisions **SG-1 Directors Series: Heroes **SG-1 Directors Series: Resurrection **”Behind the Scenes: Journey Inside Lost City” **The Storyboard Process **”Bra’tac vs. Ronan: Designing the Fight” **Stargate Magic: Inside the Lab **Richard Dean Anderson: “My Life as a Mime”

***Season Eight: **”Beyond the Gate: A Convention Experience with Amanda Tapping” **”Beyond the Gate: A Convention Experience with Michael Shanks” **SG-1 Directors Series: Threads **Profile On: Joseph Mallozzi and Paul Mullie **The Last Day of Teal’C **SG-1 Directors Series: Moebius **”Stargate SG-1 Alliance: The Making of The Video Game”

Stargate – The Ark of Truth

Product Details

• Actors: Ben Browder, Amanda Tapping, Christopher Judge, Michael Shanks, Claudia Black
• Format: AC-3, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD-Video, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
• Language: English
• Subtitles: English, Spanish
• Region: All Regions
• Aspect Ratio: 1.77:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rating:
• Studio: MGM (Video & DVD)
• DVD Release Date: March 11, 2008
• Run Time: 97 minutes

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Blasting off where the Sci-Fi Channelâ??s longest running show, Stargate SG-1, left off, this thrilling feature thrusts the Stargate team â?” Daniel Jackson (Michael Shanks), Vala (Claudia Black), Tealâ??c (Christopher Judge), Sam (Amanda Tapping) and Cam (Ben Browder) â?” into their biggest challenge yet. In search of an Ancient artifact they hope can defeat the oppressive Ori, the team not only learns that the Ori are set to launch a final assault on Earth, but a double-crossing I.O. operative is aboard the Odyssey! Also starring Beau Bridges, this pulse-pounder is loaded with enough suspense, humor and action to fill a galaxy!

Stargate (Ultimate Edition)

Product Details

• Actors: Kurt Russell, James Spader, Viveca Lindfors, Alexis Cruz, Mili Avital
• Directors: Roland Emmerich
• Format: Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DTS Surround Sound, DVD-Video, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
• Language: English
• Subtitles: Spanish
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
• Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rating:
• Studio: Lions Gate
• DVD Release Date: February 17, 2003
• Run Time: 119 minutes

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
Before they unleashed the idiotic mayhem of Independence Day and Godzilla, the idea-stealing team of director Roland Emmerich and producer-screenwriter Dean Devlin concocted this hokey hit about the discovery of an ancient portal capable of zipping travelers to “the other side of the known universe.” James Spader plays the Egyptologist who successfully translates the Stargate’s hieroglyphic code, and then joins a hawkish military unit (led by Kurt Russell) on a reconnaissance mission to see what’s on the other side. They arrive on a desert world with cultural (and apparently supernatural) ties to Earth’s ancient Egypt, where the sun god Ra (played by Jaye Davidson from The Crying Game) rules a population of slaves with armored minions and startlingly advanced technology. After being warmly welcomed into the slave camp, the earthlings encourage and support a rebellion, and while Russell threatens to blow up the Stargate to prevent its use by enemy forces, the movie collapses into a senseless series of action scenes and grandiose explosions. It’s all pretty ridiculous, but Stargate found a large and appreciative audience, spawned a cable-TV series, and continues to attract science fiction fans who are more than willing to forgive its considerable faults. –Jeff Shannon
DVD features
Nothing beats a sci-fi movie with wall-shaking sound, and the Stargate Ultimate Edition delivers the goods with 6.1 DTS ES and 5.1 Dolby Digital EX. Yes, Stargate has been released on DVD numerous times, but this 2003 version is the best yet, with improved sound and a generally clean picture that’s now anamorphically enhanced for widescreen televisions. Note: The current Stargate Ultimate Edition is a stripped-down version with only a featurette and commentary track. The Ultimate Edition originally released in 2003 included the combination of the theatrical cut and director’s cut (nine minutes longer), and a 23-minute making-of feature that concentrated on the film’s design and production. –David Horiuchi

Stargate Atlantis – The Complete Seasons 1 and 2

Product Details

• Format: NTSC
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
• DVD Release Date: March 20, 2007

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Stargate Atlantis – The Complete First Season: It’s not a franchise on the order of Law & Order, CSI, or Star Trek–not yet, anyway–but with Stargate Atlantis, a more than worthy successor to SG-1, Stargate is becoming a nice little cottage industry in itself. The premise, in a nutshell: The Ancients, the greatest race the universe has ever known (or something like that), abandoned Earth millions of years ago, taking Atlantis with them; they then sunk the entire city in order to escape the clutches of the dreaded Wraith, an implacable bunch of villains who nourish themselves by sucking the life from humans. Now, as the two-hour “Rising” pilot details, a new team has gained access to the legendary city. Once they arrive, Atlantis loses the power to sustain its protective shield and rises to the surface, and thus begin the team’s adventures (i.e., using the stargate to travel to other planets in the Pegasus galaxy, encountering aliens both hostile and friendly, and trying to defeat the Wraith, or at least stay out of their way).

Jack O’Neill (Richard Dean Anderson), SG-1’s driving force, is missed, but Atlantis has a strong replacement in Major John Sheppard (Joe Flanigan), easily the most charismatic member of the new team. Like O’Neill, Sheppard is a wiseacre and a loose cannon, as well as a superb pilot with an innate understanding of the Ancients’ arcane technology. His humor, humanity and conscience provide a welcome contrast to the other characters, especially brilliant-but-neurotic Dr. Rodney McKay (David Hewlett) and ultra-serious project leader Dr. Elizabeth Weir (Torri Higginson), who has little to do but give orders and stand up for her people. The Wraith, who resemble a vampire mutation of the albino blues guitarist Johnny Winter, are the focus of most of these 19 episodes (including the pilot). These bad boys will stop at nothing–nothing, I tell you!–in their quest to snack their way through every galaxy in the universe, with Earth their ultimate feeding ground. And while the final four episodes, dealing with the Wraith’s massive attack on Atlantis, end with an unsatisfying cliffhanger (basically, nothing is resolved), earlier shows effectively keep their ominous presence in the forefront. The episodes in which the Wraith play little or no active role are often compelling as well, including “Thirty Eight Minutes” (one of our heroes’ “puddle jumper” spacecraft gets stuck in the stargate), “Childhood’s End” (we meet a race whose members are convinced that only ritual suicide is keeping the Wraith at bay), and “The Eye” (a planet-size hurricane/tsunami bears down on Atlantis). As is the case with SG-1, the visual effects work, especially by TV standards, is excellent; in fact, one might wish for bit more cool sci-fi action and less talk in some of the episodes. Special effects include commentary (by directors, writers, and/or actors) for every episode, as well as the occasional behind-the-scenes featurette. –Sam Graham

Stargate Atlantis – The Complete Second Season: If Stargate Atlantis isn’t the coolest sci-fi series on television, this five-disc, 20-episode box set from the second season (2005-06) offers ample evidence that it’s right up there. The writing is good; the stories are intriguing, and the science part of the equation is credible enough to justify our suspension of disbelief. The characters are for the most part well-defined, and the acting, while perhaps not Emmy-caliber, is just fine. The action is exciting, the effects work impressive, the costumes and sets first-rate. But what Atlantis really has going for it is the presence of some of the baddest bad guys in the cosmos: the Wraith.

With their flowing white locks, cat-like eyes, pale, almost translucent skin, and teeth so bad they’d make the British blush, the Wraith rock. They also have a constant need to feed–on humans, of course–and are a serious threat not only to Atlantis but to the entire known universe, including good ol’ Earth. And although there are occasional diversions, the producers and writers have wisely kept the focus on these implacable antagonists; in fact, the newest member of the team, one Ronon Dex (played by the dreadlocked and hunky Jason Momoa), is a “runner” who escaped the Wraith’s clutches, was a fugitive for years before being found by our heroes, and specializes in dispatching the villains with cold precision. In the course of the season, via single episodes and several multi-parters, the Stargate team, commanded by Dr. Elizabeth Weir (Torri Higginson in the show’s least interesting role) and led by insouciant Major John Sheppard (Joe Flanigan), with genius-neurotic Dr. Rodney McKay (David Hewlett) handling the scientific intricacies and yet another doc, Carson Beckett (Paul McGillion, affecting a Scottish brogue), overseeing medical matters, deals with the enemy on many fronts. Lt. Ford (Rainbow Sun Francks) defects after assuming Wraith-like characteristics. The team experiments with a “retrovirus” designed to turn Wraiths into humans (the results are decidedly mixed). They encounter a human who raised a Wraith female from childhood and insists she’s just like us (she’s not). They’re captured and imprisoned on a Wraith “hive” ship. And in the final episode, the humans and the Wraiths even form an alliance of supposedly mutual convenience (the episode is a cliffhanger that awaits resolution until Season Three, but anyone who thought this “partnership” was a good idea for our side clearly hasn’t been paying attention). As was the case with the Season One set, bonus materials are generous, including audio commentary (by actors, directors, and others) on every episode, various featurettes, photos, and more. Now if only there were a few Wraith interviews… –Sam Graham

Stargate Atlantis – The Complete Third Season

Stargate Atlantis – Rising (Pilot Episode)

Product Details

• Actors: Joe Flanigan, Torri Higginson, Rachel Luttrell, Rainbow Francks, David Hewlett
• Directors: Martin Wood
• Format: AC-3, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, Widescreen, NTSC
• Language: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
• Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rating:
• Studio: MGM (Video & DVD)
• DVD Release Date: June 7, 2005
• Run Time: 88 minutes

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
There are those who may regard it as old wine in a new bottle, but that doesn’t mean that Stargate Atlantis doesn’t have something to offer to both newcomers and fans of Stargate SG-1, the franchise from which it evolved. Co-creators and executive producers Brad Wright and Robert C. Cooper, both of whom worked on the earlier show, have concocted an appealing premise for this spin-off, in which the so-called Ancients abandoned Earth millions of years earlier, taking their city (i.e., Atlantis) with them. Now, a new team has gained access (via the Stargate, the “wormhole” our heroes use to travel to different worlds) to the legendary sunken city, where new adventures and deadly new enemies await. Stargate SG-1 stars Richard Dean Anderson and Michael Shanks make appearances in this series premiere, but the focus is on the new characters. Of these, Joe Flanigan excels as the insouciant Major John Sheppard, an Air Force pilot unexpectedly recruited for the new mission because of his preternatural ability to interface with the Ancients’ wondrous technology. The new leader is Dr. Elizabeth Weir (Torri Higginson), a role that is neither especially well-written nor well-played. The new monster-villains, replacing the trusty old Goa’uld, are the Wraith, whose name is actually cooler than they are; they may eat humans, in addition to being all-powerful (natch), but they tend to come off like refugees from The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Overall, the production values and special effects remain top-notch, especially for television, and the story itself is OK. But while Stargate Atlantis is certainly promising, it has a ways to go to equal its predecessor, which remains one of the best-made, most compelling sci-fi programs on television. –Sam Graham
Product Description
When SG-1 discovers what it believes to be the remnants of the Lost City of the Ancients ? the originators of the Stargates ? Stargate Command launches an investigation. A new team of explorers, headed by civilian Dr. Elizabeth Weir, travels to the distant Pegasus Galaxy, where it discovers an advanced but deserted city on the ocean floor, a group of nomadic humans and a deadly enemy that feeds on humans as an energy source!

The X-Files: The Ultimate Collection

Product Details

• Actors: David Duchovny, Gillian Anderson
• Directors: Chris Carter
• Format: Box set, Color, DVD-Video, NTSC
• Language: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 61
• Rating:
• Studio: 20th Century Fox
• DVD Release Date: November 6, 2007

Amazon Customer Revuiew

“This product, according to Fox, gathers together all nine seasons, the film, and the Mythology Threads featurettes off the Mythology collections. The nine seasons are thankfully in the original release format, with all special features included. The feature film appears to have the same contents as the current DVD release as well. As for the featurettes, they appear on a disc of their own.
For a box set this big (61 discs), it’s priced fairly reasonably as opposed to the 9-season collection that can be found elsewhere on Amazon. However, Fox needs to make sure this is the last time they re-dip the series; maybe they should release it on Blu-Ray to make the HD fanboys happy.
Be warned: if you bought the initial season-by-season releases (not the slimpaks) and the movie separately, there’s nothing new here. The featurettes on the last disc are also nothing new, as they appeared on the pointless Mythology arc sets that were released on DVD a while back. However, for anyone new to the series or anyone who’s been hesitating to buy the series on DVD, this is a great pickup for its price.”

The Ultimate Matrix Collection (The Matrix/ The Matrix Reloaded/ The Matrix Revolutions/ The Animatrix)

Product Details

• Actors: Ray Anthony (III), Christine Anu, Andy Arness, Alima Ashton-Sheibu, Helmut Bakaitis
• Directors: Larry Wachowski, Andy Wachowski
• Format: Box set, Closed-captioned, Color, DVD-Video, NTSC
• Language: English, Spanish, French
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
• Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
• Number of discs: 10
• Rating:
• Studio: Warner Home Video
• DVD Release Date: December 7, 2004
• Run Time: 618 minutes

Amazon.com essential video [The Matrix]
By following up their debut thriller Bound with the 1999 box-office smash The Matrix, the codirecting Wachowski brothers–Andy and Larry–annihilated any suggestion of a sophomore jinx, crafting one of the most exhilarating sci-fi/action movies of the 1990s. Set in the not too distant future in an insipid, characterless city, we find a young man named Neo (Keanu Reeves). A software techie by day and a computer hacker by night, he sits alone at home by his monitor, waiting for a sign, a signal–from what or whom he doesn’t know–until one night, a mysterious woman named Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss) seeks him out and introduces him to that faceless character he has been waiting for: Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne). A messiah of sorts, Morpheus presents Neo with the truth about his world by shedding light on the dark secrets that have troubled him for so long: “You’ve felt it your entire life, that there’s something wrong with the world. You don’t know what it is, but it’s there, like a splinter in your mind, driving you mad.” Ultimately, Morpheus illustrates to Neo what the Matrix is–a reality beyond reality that controls all of their lives, in a way that Neo can barely comprehend.

Neo thus embarks on an adventure that is both terrifying and enthralling. Pitted against an enemy that transcends human concepts of evil, Morpheus and his team must train Neo to believe that he is the chosen champion of their fight. With mind-boggling, technically innovative special effects and a thought-provoking script that owes a debt of inspiration to the legacy of cyberpunk fiction, this is much more than an out-and-out action yarn; it’s a thinking man’s journey into the realm of futuristic fantasy, a dreamscape full of eye candy that will satisfy sci-fi, kung fu, action, and adventure fans alike. Although the film is headlined by Reeves and Fishburne–who both turn in fine performances–much of the fun and excitement should be attributed to Moss, who flawlessly mixes vulnerability with immense strength, making other contemporary female heroines look timid by comparison. And if we were going to cast a vote for most dastardly movie villain of 1999, it would have to go to Hugo Weaving, who plays the feckless, semipsychotic Agent Smith with panache and edginess. As the film’s box-office profits soared, the Wachowski brothers announced that The Matrix is merely the first chapter in a cinematically dazzling franchise–a chapter that is arguably superior to the other sci-fi smash of 1999 (you know… the one starring Jar Jar Binks). –Jeremy Storey

Amazon.com [The Matrix Reloaded]
Considering the lofty expectations that preceded it, The Matrix Reloaded triumphs where most sequels fail. It would be impossible to match the fresh audacity that made The Matrix a global phenomenon in 1999, but in continuing the exploits of rebellious Neo (Keanu Reeves), Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne), and Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss) as they struggle to save the human sanctuary of Zion from invading machines, the codirecting Wachowski brothers have their priorities well in order. They offer the obligatory bigger and better highlights (including the impressive “Burly Brawl” and freeway chase sequences) while remaining focused on cleverly plotting the middle of a brain-teasing trilogy that ends with The Matrix Revolutions. The metaphysical underpinnings can be dismissed or scrutinized, and choosing the latter course (this is, after all, an epic about choice and free will) leads to astonishing repercussions that made Reloaded an explosive hit with critics and hardcore fans alike. As the centerpiece of a multimedia franchise, this dynamic sequel ends with a cliffhanger that virtually guarantees a mind-blowing conclusion. –Jeff Shannon

Amazon.com [The Matrix Revolutions]
Despite the inevitable law of diminishing returns, The Matrix Revolutions is quite satisfying as an adrenalized action epic, marking yet another milestone in the exponential evolution of computer-generated special effects. That may not be enough to satisfy hardcore Matrix fans who turned the Wachowski Brothers’ hacker mythology into a quasi-religious pop-cultural phenomenon, but there’s no denying that the trilogy goes out with a cosmic bang instead of the whimper that many expected. Picking up precisely where The Matrix Reloaded left off, this 130-minute finale finds Neo (Keanu Reeves) at a virtual junction, defending the besieged human enclave of Zion by confronting the attacking machines on their home turf, while humans combat swarms of tentacled mechanical sentinels as Zion’s fate lies in the balance. It all amounts to a blaze of CGI glory, devoid of all but the shallowest emotions, and so full of metaphysical hokum that the trilogy’s detractors can gloat with I-told-you-so sarcasm. And yet, Revolutions still succeeds as a slick, exciting hybrid of cinema and video game, operating by its own internal logic with enough forward momentum to make the whole trilogy seem like a thrilling, magnificent dream. – Jeff Shannon

Amazon.com [Animatrix]
Matrix writer-directors Larry and Andy Wachowski commissioned seven artists from Japan, America and Korea to make nine short films set in the world of their feature trilogy. Some of the top anime directors contributed to this anthology, including Yoshiaki Kawajiri (Ninja Scroll), Koji Morimoto (Robot Carnival), and Shinchiro Watanabe (Cowboy Bebop). Some of the films tie directly into the narrative of the live-action movies. Drawn in a style reminiscent of Jean “Moebius” Giraud, Mahiro Maeda’s The Second Renaissance (Part I & Part II) depicts the human-machine wars that caused the enslavement of humanity and the creation of the Matrix. The duel between two flamboyantly costumed Kabuki warriors in Kawajiri’s Program is an expanded version of the cybernetic training Neo (Keanu Reeves) undergoes in the first Matrix film. Watanabe evokes the look of old newspaper photographs in A Detective Story, which falls outside the storyline of the features. Fast-paced, violent and grim, The Animatrix is an uneven but intriguing compilation that represents a new level in the ongoing cross-pollination between Japanese animation and American live action. (Not rated, suitable for ages 16 and older: considerable violence, violence against women, grotesque imagery, brief nudity, alcohol use) –Charles Solomon

Product Description
The definitive ten-disc DVD set, The Ultimate Matrix Collection features all three films in the trilogy together for the first time ever with a newly remastered picture and sound for The Matrix. Also included is the companion piece The Matrix Revisited and the best-selling The Animatrix, plus five entirely new DVDs packed solid with brand-new supplemental materials that encompass every aspect of the Matrix universe, including two new audio commentaries on each film, Enter the Matrix video game footage, 106 deep-delving featurettes/ documentaries and much more!

DVD Features:
Additional Scenes:Filmed for Enter the Matrix video game
Audio Commentary:The Philosophers: Dr. Cornel West and Ken Wilber; The Critics: Todd McCarthy, John Powers and David Thomson
DVD ROM Features
Documentary
Easter Eggs
Featurette
Introduction:by the Wachowski Brothers
Music Video
Photo gallery
Storyboards
TV Spot
Theatrical Trailer

Harry Potter Years 1-5 Limited Edition Gift Set

Product Details

• Actors: Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint
• Format: Anamorphic, Box set, Color, Limited Edition, Widescreen, NTSC
• Language: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
• Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1
• Number of discs: 12
• Rating:
• Studio: Warner Home Video
• DVD Release Date: December 11, 2007

Product Description
The Harry Potter Limited Edition Giftset includes Harry Potters Years 1-5, a Harry Potter DVD game Hogwarts Challenge, along with a bonus disc containing over 2 hours of enhanced content, an exclusive “Harry Potter’s Bookmark Collection”, and collectible trading cards.

Star Wars Trilogy (Widescreen Edition with Bonus Disc)

Product Details

• Actors: Carrie Fisher, Peter Mayhew, James Earl Jones, Harrison Ford
• Directors: George Lucas
• Format: Anamorphic, Box set, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD-Video, Subtitled, THX, Widescreen, NTSC
• Language: English, Spanish
• Subtitles: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
• Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
• Number of discs: 4
• Rating:
• Studio: 20th Century Fox
• DVD Release Date: September 21, 2004
• Run Time: 388 minutes

Amazon.com essential video
Was George Lucas’s Star Wars Trilogy, the most anticipated DVD release ever, worth the wait? You bet. It’s a must-have for any home theater, looking great, sounding great, and supplemented by generous bonus features.

The Movies

The Star Wars Trilogy had the rare distinction of becoming a cultural phenomenon, a defining event for its generation. On its surface, George Lucas’s story is a rollicking and humorous space fantasy that owes debts to more influences than one can count on two hands, but filmgoers became entranced by its basic struggle of good vs. evil “a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away,” its dazzling special effects, and a mythology of Jedi knights, the Force, and droids. Over the course of three films–A New Hope (1977), The Empire Strikes Back (1980), and Return of the Jedi (1983)–Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill), Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher), and the roguish Han Solo (Harrison Ford) join the Rebel alliance in a galactic war against the Empire, the menacing Darth Vader (David Prowse, voiced by James Earl Jones), and eventually the all-powerful Emperor (Ian McDiarmid). Empire is generally considered the best of the films and Jedi the most uneven, but all three are vastly superior to the more technologically impressive prequels that followed, Episode I, The Phantom Menace (1999) and Episode II, Attack of the Clones (2002).

How Are the Picture and Sound?

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Thanks to a new digital transfer, you’ve never seen C-3PO glow so golden, and Darth Vader’s helmet is as black as the Dark Side.

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In a word, spectacular. Thanks to a new digital transfer, you’ve never seen C-3PO glow so golden, and Darth Vader’s helmet is as black as the Dark Side. And at the climactic scene of A New Hope, see if the Dolby 5.1 EX sound doesn’t knock you back in your chair. Other audio options are Dolby 2.0 Surround in English, Spanish, and French. (Sorry, DTS fans, but previous Star Wars DVDs didn’t have DTS either.) There have been a few quibbles with the audio on A New Hope, however. A few seconds of Peter Cushing’s dialogue (“Then name the system!”) are distorted, and the music (but not the sound effects) is reversed in the rear channels. For example, in the final scene, the brass is in the front right channel but the back left channel (from the viewer’s perspective), and the strings are in the left front and back right. The result feels like the instruments are crossing through the viewer.What’s Been Changed?
The rumors are true: Lucas made more changes to the films for their DVD debut. Hayden Christensen (Anakin Skywalker) has been added to a scene in Jedi, Ian McDiarmid (the Emperor) replaces Clive Revill with slightly revised lines in Empire, Temuera Morrison has rerecorded Boba Fett’s minimal dialogue, and some other small details have been altered. Yes, these changes mean that the Star Wars films are no longer the ones you saw 20 years ago, but these brief changes hardly affect the films, and they do make sense in the overall continuity of the two trilogies. It’s not like a digitized Ewan McGregor has replaced Alec Guiness’s scenes, and the infamous changes made for the 1997 special-edition versions were much more intrusive (of course, those are in the DVD versions as well).

How Are the Bonus Features?

Toplining is Empire of Dreams: The Story of the Star Wars Trilogy, a 150-minute documentary incorporating not only the usual making-of nuts and bolts but also the political workings of the movie studios and the difficulties Lucas had getting his vision to the screen (for example, after resigning from the Directors’ Guild, he lost his first choice for director of Jedi: Steven Spielberg). It’s a little adulatory, but it has plenty to interest any fan. The three substantial featurettes are “The Characters of Star Wars” (19 min.), which discusses the development of the characters we all know and love, “The Birth of the Lightsaber” (15 min.), about the creation and evolution of a Jedi’s ultimate weapon, and “The Force Is with Them: The Legacy of Star Wars” (15 min.), in which filmmakers such as Peter Jackson, Ridley Scott, and James Cameron talk about how they and the industry were affected by the films and Lucas’s technological developments in visual effects, sound, and computer animation.

The bonus features are excellent and along the same lines as those created for The Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones. Each film has a commentary track, recorded by Lucas, Ben Burtt (sound design), Dennis Muren (visual effects), and Carrie Fisher, with Irvin Kershner joining in on the film he directed, The Empire Strikes Back. Recorded separately and skillfully edited together (with supertitles to identify who is speaking), the tracks lack the energy of group commentaries, but they’re enjoyable and informative, with a nice mix of overall vision (Lucas), technical details (Burtt, Muren, Kershner), and actor’s perspective (Fisher). Interestingly, they discuss some of the 1997 changes (Mos Eisley creatures, the new Jabba the Hutt scene) but not those made for the DVDs.

There’s also a sampler of the Xbox game Star Wars: Battlefront, which lets the player reenact classic film scenarios (blast Ewoks in the battle of Endor!); trailers and TV spots from the films’ many releases; and a nine-minute preview of the last film in the series, Episode III, Revenge of the Sith (here identified by an earlier working title, The Return of Darth Vader). Small extra touches include anamorphic widescreen motion menus with dialogue, original poster artwork on the discs, and a whopping 50 chapter stops for each film.

“The Force Is Strong with This One”
The Star Wars Trilogy is an outstanding DVD set that lives up to the anticipation. There will always be resentment that the original versions of the films are not available as well, but George Lucas maintains that these are the versions he always wanted to make. If fans are able to put this debate aside, they can enjoy the adventures of Luke, Leia, and Han for years to come. –David Horiuchi
Product Description
Includes:
* Episode IV, A New Hope
Commentary by George Lucas, Ben Burtt, Dennis Muren, and Carrie Fisher
* Episode V, The Empire Strikes Back
Commentary by George Lucas, Irvin Kershner, Ben Burtt, Dennis Muren, and Carrie Fisher
* Episode VI, Return of the Jedi
Commentary by George Lucas, Ben Burtt, Dennis Muren, and Carrie Fisher

* “Empire of Dreams: The Story of the Star Wars Trilogy,” the most comprehensive feature-length documentary ever produced on the Star Wars saga, and never-before-seen footage from the making of all three films
* Featurettes: The Legendary Creatures of Star Wars, The Birth of the Lightsaber, The Legacy of Star Wars
* Teasers, trailers, TV spots, still galleries
* Playable Xbox demo of the new Lucasarts game Star Wars Battlefront
* The making of the Episode III videogame
* Exclusive preview of Star Wars: Episode III

Gene Roddenberry’s Andromeda: Slipstream Collection

Product Details

• Directors: Philip David Segal
• Format: Anamorphic, Box set, Widescreen, Closed-captioned
• Language: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
• Aspect Ratio: 1.77:1
• Number of discs: 50
• Rating:
• Studio: A.D.V. Films
• DVD Release Date: October 3, 2006
• Run Time: 5500 minutes

Amazon Customer Review

“I was pleasantly surprised by this. The product details don’t mention it at all, but this IS a “thinpaks” release. The set contains all episodes of seasons 1-5 on 50 discs in 25 dual-disc thinkpaks, packaged in a sturdy, cardboard box. The box is much smaller than the Amazon product photo makes it appear. Placed sideways on your bookshelf it will take up less room than the First Season box set. The artwork on the outer sleeves of each thinpak is the same as previous releases. Artwork on the spines of all thinpaks, when viewed together, portray the Amdromeda Ascendant comin’ at ya! The discs in this collection are single-sided, unlike the double-sided discs in the 2-5 season box sets. The content and episodes on the discs are the same as in previous releases. If you already own the previous releases, this may not interest you much. However, if you didn’t like the double-sided discs of the season 2-5 sets and would like the space this set will save on your shelves, it IS worth getting.”

Battlestar Galactica – The Complete Epic Series (Limited Edition Cylon Head Packaging)

Product Details

• Actors: Battlestar Galactica
• Format: Box set, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, Full Screen, Subtitled, NTSC
• Language: English
• Subtitles: English, French, Spanish
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 6
• Rating:
• Studio: Universal Studios
• DVD Release Date: October 21, 2003
• Run Time: 1161 minutes

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover
In the deepest reaches of space, the fight to save all human life from extinction has begun in this science fiction adventure that launched the Battlestar Galactica phenomenon! Hopeful for lasting peace following centuries of intense warfare, the Twelve Colonies gather to sign a treaty with their dreaded enemies, The Cylons. But after an act of treachery on the eve of the ceremony, the Cylons launch a devastating surprise attack, destroying the Colonies’ home planets and most of their military strength. A lone flagship battlestar, the Galactica, remains to aid the surviving colonists on their epic journey for a new home to a far-off legendary planet -Earth. They must survive the pursuing Cylons in a series of epic battles that will determine the fate of the human race in this non-stop action-packed classic filled with cutting-edge special effects by John Dykstra (“Star Wars,” “Spider-Man”).

Battlestar Galactica (2003 Miniseries)

Product Details

• Actors: Edward James Olmos, Mary McDonnell, Katee Sackhoff, Jamie Bamber, James Callis
• Directors: Michael Rymer
• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, Subtitled, Widescreen, Miniseries, NTSC
• Language: English
• Subtitles: English, French, Spanish
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
• Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rating:
• Studio: Universal Studios
• DVD Release Date: December 28, 2004
• Run Time: 183 minutes

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
Despite voluminous protest and nitpicking criticism from loyal fans of the original 1978-80 TV series, the 2003 version of Battlestar Galactica turned out surprisingly well for viewers with a tolerance for change. Originally broadcast on the Sci-Fi Channel in December 2003 and conceived by Star Trek: The Next Generation alumnus Ronald D. Moore as the pilot episode for a “reimagined” TV series, this four-hour “miniseries” reprises the basic premise of the original show while giving a major overhaul (including some changes in gender) to several characters and plot elements. Gone are the flowing robes, disco-era hairstyles, and mock-Egyptian fighter helmets, and thankfully there’s not a fluffy “daggit” in sight… at least, not yet. Also missing are the “chrome toaster” Cylons, replaced by new, more formidable varieties of the invading Cylon enemy, including “Number Six” in hot red skirts and ample cleavage, who tricks the human genius Baltar into a scenario that nearly annihilates the human inhabitants of 12 colonial worlds.

Thus begins the epic battle and eventual retreat of a “ragtag fleet” of humans, searching for the mythical planet Earth under the military command of Adama (Edward James Olmos) and the political leadership of Laura Roslin (Mary McDonnell), a former secretary of education, 43rd in line of succession and rising to the occasion of her unexpected Presidency. As directed by Michael Rymer (Queen of the Damned), Moore’s ambitious teleplay also includes newfangled CGI space battles (featuring “handheld” camera moves and subdued sound effects for “enhanced realism”), a dysfunctional Col. Tigh (Michael Hogan) who’s provoked into action by the insubordinate Starbuck (Katee Sackhoff), and a father-son reunion steeped in familial tragedy. To fans of the original BG series, many of these changes are blasphemous, but for the most part they work–including an ominous cliffhanger ending. The remade Galactica is brimming with smart, well-drawn characters ripe with dramatic potential, and it readily qualifies as serious-minded science fiction, even as it gives BG loyalists ample fuel for lively debate. –Jeff Shannon

Battlestar Galactica – Season One

Product Details

• Actors: Edward James Olmos, Jamie Bamber
• Format: Box set, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, Widescreen, NTSC
• Language: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
• Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
• Number of discs: 5
• Rating:
• Studio: Universal Studios
• DVD Release Date: September 20, 2005
• Run Time: 756 minutes

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
Battlestar Galactica’s Edward James Olmos wasn’t kidding when he said “the series is even better than the miniseries.” As developed by sci-fi TV veteran Ronald D. Moore, the “reimagined” BG is exactly what it claims to be: a drama for grown-ups in a science-fiction setting. The mature intelligence of the series is its greatest asset, from the tenuous respect between Galactica’s militarily principled commander Adama (Olmos) and politically astute President Roslin (Mary McDonnell) to the barely suppressed passion between ace Viper pilot “Apollo” (a.k.a. Adama’s son Lee, played by Jamie Bamber) and the brashly insubordinate Starbuck (Katee Sackhoff), whose multifaceted character is just one of many first-season highlights. Picking up where the miniseries ended (it’s included here, sparing the need for separate purchase), season 1 opens with the riveting, Hugo Award-winning episode “33,” in which Galactica and the “ragtag fleet” of colonial survivors begin their quest for the legendary 13th colony planet Earth, while being pursued with clockwork regularity by the Cylons, who’ve now occupied the colonial planet of Caprica. The fleet’s hard-fought survival forms (1) the primary side of the series’ three-part structure, shared with (2) the apparent psychosis of Dr. Gaius Baltar (James Callis) whose every thought and move are monitored by various incarnations of Number Six (Tricia Helfer), the seemingly omniscient Cylon ultravixen who follows a master plan somehow connected to (3) the Caprican survival ordeal of crash-landed pilots “Helo” (Tahmoh Penikett) and “Boomer” (Grace Park), whose simultaneous presence on Galactica is further evidence that 12 multicopied models of Cylons, in human form, are gathering their forces.

With remarkably consistent quality, each of these 13 episodes deepens the dynamics of these fascinating characters and suspenseful situations. While BG relies on finely nuanced performances, solid direction, and satisfying personal and political drama to build its strong emotional foundation, the action/adventure elements are equally impressive, especially in “The Hand of God,” a pivotal episode in which the show’s dazzling visual effects get a particularly impressive showcase. Original BG series star Richard Hatch appears in two politically charged episodes (he’s a better actor now, too), and with the threat of civil war among the fleet, season 1 ends with an exceptional cliffhanger that’s totally unexpected while connecting the plot threads of all preceding episodes. To the credit of everyone involved, this is frackin’ good television.

DVD features
The fifth disc in Battlestar Galactica’s season 1 set is highlighted by eight comprehensive featurettes covering all aspects of the series, from its miniseries origins to standard surveys of production design, visual effects, and particulars of plot and character. For hardcore fans and anyone interested in TV production, nine out of 13 episodes, plus the disc 1 miniseries, are accompanied by intelligent and informative commentary originally provided as BG website podcasts, mostly by series developer and writer Ronald D. Moore, who provides tantalizing clues about developments in season 2. The “Series Lowdown” is a cast-and-crew promotional program originally broadcast to attract SciFi Channel viewers who were initially reluctant to embrace a “reimagined” Battlestar Galactica. The strategy worked: First-season ratings left no doubt that the new BG was as good as–and in many ways better than–the original. –Jeff Shannon

Battlestar Galactica – Season 2.0 (Episodes 1-10)

Battlestar Galactica: Season 2.5 (Episodes 11-20)

Battlestar Galactica – Season Three

Battlestar Galactica – Razor (Unrated Extended Cut)

Product Details

• Actors: Edward James Olmos
• Format: AC-3, Animated, Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
• Language: English
• Subtitles: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
• Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rating:
• Studio: Universal Studios
• DVD Release Date: December 4, 2007
• Run Time: 101 minutes

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
Battlestar Galactica: Razor was an oasis for BSG fans–when the double-length episode aired in November 2007, it was the only new material broadcast during the 12-month gap between seasons 3 and 4. But although it sets up some events in season 4, chronologically Razor is a prequel taking place within season 2, when Galactica had unexpectedly met up with a fellow Battlestar, Pegasus. The central character is new, Kendra Shaw (Stephanie Jacobsen), who becomes the XO after Lee Adama (Jamie Bamber) takes command of the Pegasus. Shaw’s promotion is controversial among Starbuck (Katee Sackhoff) and others because Shaw learned the trade under the previous commander of the Pegasus, Admiral Cain (Michelle Forbes), who lived by her own wartime rules. The central conflict in Razor involves the Pegasus trying to rescue a Raptor crew from the Cylons. During the mission Shaw flashes back to 10 months earlier, and her experiences in the immediate aftermath of the Cylons’ wipeout of Caprica influence how she handles this mission and its implications of a new Cylon-human hybrid. Razor is a riveting adventure, full of the top writing, great acting, and dark end-of-humanity vision that makes Battlestar Galactica the best show on television (that is, when it’s actually on). Fans will also enjoy the appearance of old-school Cylons, and the revelation that Gaius is not the only one who fell for the wiles of Number 6 (Tricia Helfer).

The unrated and extended DVD runs 103 minutes, about 16 minutes longer than the Sci-Fi Channel broadcast. There’s a brief bit of extra gore from Admiral Cain, and young William “Husker” Adama’s (Nico Cortez, nicely channeling Edward James Olmos) mission in the last days of the first Cylon war is now 10 minutes instead of 5, including a spectacular aerial battle. In another new sequence, at the moment when Cain tells Shaw “Sometimes we have to leave people behind so that we can go on,” there’s a flashback to Cain’s experiences in the first Cylon war. Among the bonus features is the complete 19-minute minisode version of Husker’s Cylon encounter (previously viewable on Sci-Fi Channel’s website) and two deleted scenes. Featurettes include “The Look of Battlestar Galactica” and “My Favorite Episode So Far” (“33″ gets a lot of mentions from the cast and crew), and there are a trailer and 2.5-minute “sneak peek” at season 4 (mostly interviewing people who don’t know what’s going to happen, though Tricia Helfer mentions a new version of herself). In a commentary track for the extended edition, executive producer Ronald D. Moore and writer Michael Taylor discuss how the episode came together (they refer to Razor as episodes as 1-2 of season 4) amid some serious restructuring and bits of trivia, such as how they cast Stephanie Jacobsen in the pivotal role even though she had never watched the show. –David Horiuchi

Battlestar Galactica 1980 – The Complete Epic Series

Product Details

• Directors: Vince Edwards
• Format: Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, Full Screen, Subtitled, NTSC
• Language: English
• Subtitles: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 2
• Rating:
• Studio: Universal Studios
• DVD Release Date: December 23, 2007
• Run Time: 481 minutes

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Galactica 1980 lands on DVD for the first time ever! With all ten thrilling episodes on two discs, see what happens when the original Battlestar Galactica crew finally makes the long-anticipated descent to Earth. With time running out and the Cylons closing in on their trail, Commander Adama and the Galactica must work harder than ever before to help Earth create the technology necessary for battle. Along for the action-packed fight are such stellar guest stars as Dirk Benedict, Brion James, Dennis Haysbert and more! It’s an epic adventure unlike any other, and an absolute must-have for any Battlestar Galactica collection!

Star Trek The Original Series – The Complete Seasons 1-3

Product Details

• Actors: William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, George Takei, DeForest Kelley, Nichelle Nichols
• Format: Box set, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, Full Screen, NTSC
• Language: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 22
• Rating:
• Studio: Paramount
• DVD Release Date: December 14, 2004
• Run Time: 4117 minutes

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
The facts have become legend. Star Trek, the NBC series that premiered on September 8, 1966, has become a touchstone of international popular culture. It struggled through three seasons that included cancellation and last-minute revival, and turned its creator, Gene Roddenberry, into the progenitor of an intergalactic phenomenon. Eventually expanding to encompass five separate TV series, an ongoing slate of feature films, and a fan base larger than the population of many third-world countries, the Star Trek universe began not with a Big Bang but with a cautious experiment in network TV programming. Even before its premiere episode (“The Man Trap”) was aired, Star Trek had struggled to attain warp-drive velocity, barely making it into the fall ‘66 NBC lineup.

The series’ original pilot, “The Cage,” featured Jeffrey Hunter as U.S.S. Enterprise captain Christopher Pike–a variation of the role that would eventually catapult William Shatner to TV stardom. Filmed in 1964, the pilot was rejected by NBC the following year, but the network made a rare decision to order a second pilot. “Where No Man Has Gone Before” was filmed in 1965, and only one character from the previous pilot remained–a pointy-eared alien named Spock (played by Leonard Nimoy), whom Roddenberry had retained despite network disapproval. The second pilot was accepted, and production on Star Trek began in earnest with the filming of its first regular episode, “The Corbomite Maneuver.”

Never a ratings success despite a growing population of devoted fans, Star Trek was canceled after its second season, prompting a letter-writing campaign that resulted in the series’ third-season renewal. It was a mixed blessing, since Roddenberry had departed as producer to protest the network’s neglect, and Star Trek’s third season contained most of the series’ weakest episodes. And yet, the show continued to “to explore strange new worlds…to seek out new life and new civilizations…to boldly go where no man [a phrase later amended to "no one"] has gone before.”

There were milestones along the way. The first interracial kiss on network primetime TV (between Shatner and series co-star Nichelle Nichols) furthered a richly positive and expansive view of a better, nobler future for humankind. The series offered a timelessly appealing balance of humor, imagination, and character depth. And at least one episode (Harlan Ellison’s “The City on the Edge of Forever”) ranks among the finest science fiction stories in any popular medium. Beloved by long-time fans in spite of its cheesy sets and costumes, and the now-dated trappings of late-1960s American culture, “classic Trek” has aged remarkably well, and its sense of adventure and idealism continues to live long and prosper. –Jeff Shannon

The three 2004 DVD sets collect all 79 episodes of the show, including “The Cage” in both a restored color version and the original, never-aired version that alternates between color and black and white. Each set is supplemented by over an hour of featurettes incorporating new and old interviews with Shatner, Nimoy, other cast members, and producers, and there’s also some vintage footage of Gene Roddenberry. Accompanying the 20-minute seasonal recaps (“To Boldly Go…”) are a number of interesting featurettes: “The Birth of a Timeless Legacy” examines the two pilot episodes and the development of the crew; “Sci-Fi Visionaries” discusses the series’ great science fiction writers; Nimoy debunks various rumors in “Reflections of Spock”; “Kirk, Spock & Bones: The Great Trio” focuses on the interplay among Kirk, Spock, and Dr. McCoy (DeForest Kelley); and, in what is probably his last Star Trek appearance, James Doohan (Scotty), slowed by Alzheimer’s but still with a twinkle in his eye, recalls his voiceover roles and his favorite episodes. As they’ve done for many of the feature-film special editions, Michael Okuda and Denise Okuda provide a pop-up text commentary on four of the episodes filled with history, trivia, and dry wit. It’s the first commentary of any kind for a Star Trek TV show, but an audio commentary is still overdue. The technical specs are mostly the same as other Trek TV series–Dolby 5.1, English subtitles–but with the welcome addition of the episode trailers. The plastic cases are an attempt to replicate some of the fun packaging of the series’ European DVD releases, but it’s a bit clunky, and the paper sleeve around the disc case seems awkward and crude. Still, the sets are a vast improvement both in terms of shelf space and bonus features compared to the old two-episode discs, which were released before full-season boxed sets became the model for television DVDs. –David Horiuchi
Product Description
Space. The Final Frontier. The U.S.S. Enterprise embarks on a five year mission to explore the galaxy. The Enterprise is under the command of Captain James T. Kirk. The First Officer is Mr. Spock, from the planet Vulcan. The Chief Medical Officer is Dr. Leonard ‘Bones’ McCoy. With a determined crew, the Enterprise encounters Klingons, Romulans, time paradoxes, tribbles and genetic supermen lead by Khan Noonian Singh. Their mission is to explore strange new worlds, to seek new life and new civilizations, to boldly go where no man has gone before.

Star Trek: The Next Generation – Complete Series

Product Details

• Format: Box set, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, NTSC
• Language: English, Spanish
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 49
• Rating:
• Studio: Paramount
• DVD Release Date: October 2, 2007
• Run Time: 8085 minutes

Amazon.com
After Star Wars and the successful big-screen Star Trek adventures, it’s perhaps not so surprising that Gene Roddenberry managed to convince purse string-wielding studio heads in the 1980s that a Next Generation would be both possible and profitable. But the political climate had changed considerably since the 1960s, the Cold War had wound down, and we were now living in the Age of Greed. To be successful a second time, Star Trek had to change too.

A writer’s guide was composed with which to sell and define where the Trek universe was in the 24th Century. The United Federation of Planets was a more appealing ideology to an America keen to see where the Reagan/Gorbachev faceoff was taking them. Starfleet’s meritocratic philosophy had always embraced all races and species. Now Earth’s utopian history, featuring the abolishment of poverty, was brandished prominently and proudly. The new Enterprise, NCC 1701-D, was no longer a ship of war but an exploration vessel carrying families. The ethical and ethnical flagship also carried a former enemy (the Klingon Worf, played by Michael Dorn), and its Chief Engineer (Geordi LaForge) was blind and black. From every politically correct viewpoint, Paramount executives thought the future looked just swell!

Roddenberry’s feminism now contrasted a pilot episode featuring ship’s Counsellor Troi (Marina Sirtis) in a mini-skirt with her ongoing inner strengths and also those of Dr. Crusher (Gates McFadden) and the short-lived Tasha Yar (Denise Crosby). The arrival of Whoopi Goldberg in season 2 as mystic barkeep Guinan is a great example of the good the original Trek did for racial groups–Goldberg has stated that she was inspired to become an actress in large part through seeing Nichelle Nichols’ Uhura. Her credibility as an actress helped enormously alongside the strong central performances of Patrick Stewart (Captain Picard), Jonathan Frakes (First Officer Will Riker), and Brent Spiner (Data) in defining another wholly believable environment once again populated with well-defined characters. Star Trek, it turned out, did not depend for its success on any single group of actors.

Like its predecessor in the 1960s, TNG pioneered visual effects on TV, making it an increasingly jaw-dropping show to look at. And thanks also to the enduring success of the original show, phasers, tricorders, communicators and even phase inverters were already familiar to most viewers. But while technology was a useful tool in most crises, it now frequently seemed to be the cause of them too, as the show’s writers continually warned about the dangers of over-reliance on technology (the Borg were the ultimate expression of this maxim). The word “technobabble” came to describe a weakness in many TNG scripts, which sacrificed the social and political allegories of the original and relied instead upon invented technological faults and their equally fictitious resolutions to provide drama within the Enterprise’s self-contained society. (The holodeck’s safety protocol override seemed to be next to the light switch given the number of times crew members were trapped within.) This emphasis on scientific jargon appealed strongly to an audience who were growing up for the first time in the late 1980s with the home computer–and gave rise to the clichéd image of the nerdy Trek fan.

Like in the original Trek, it was in the stories themselves that much of the show’s success is to be found. That pesky Prime Directive kept moral dilemmas afloat (“Justice”/”Who Watches the Watchers?”/”First Contact”). More “what if” scenarios came out of time-travel episodes (“Cause and Effect”/”Time’s Arrow”/”Yesterday’s Enterprise”). And there were some episodes that touched on the political world, such as “The Arsenal of Freedom” questioning the supply of arms, “Chain of Command” decrying the torture of political prisoners and “The Defector”, which was called “The Cuban Missile Crisis of The Neutral Zone” by its writer. The show ran for more than twice as many episodes as its progenitor and therefore had more time to explore wider ranging issues. But the choice of issues illustrates the change in the social climate that had occurred with the passing of a couple of decades. “Angel One” covered sexism; “The Outcast” was about homosexuality; “Symbiosis”–drug addiction; “The High Ground”–terrorism; “Ethics”–euthanasia; “Darmok”–language barriers; and “Journey’s End”–displacement of Indians from their homeland. It would have been unthinkable for the original series to have tackled most of these.

TNG could so easily have been a failure, but it wasn’t. It survived a writer’s strike in its second year, the tragic death of Roddenberry just after Trek’s 25th anniversary in 1991, and plenty of competition from would-be rival franchises. Yes, its maintenance of an optimistic future was appealing, but the strong stories and readily identifiable characters ensured the viewers’ continuing loyalty. –Paul Tonks
Product Description
Finally, the complete, epic sci-fi television series, Star Trek: The Next Generation is available in a complete series set for the first time ever. Celebrate the 20th Anniversary of the landmark series and own all 176 classic episodes in one definitive collector’s boxed set, featuring all-new special features. This is the definitive release that fans have been waiting for!

NOTE: The other series are in Parts II & III.

Star Trek Movie Set (The Motion Picture/ The Wrath of Khan/ The Search for Spock/ The Voyage Home/ The Final Frontier/ The Undiscovered Country/ Generations/ First Contact/ Insurrection/ Nemesis)

Product Details

• Actors: Star Trek
• Format: Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
• Language: English, Spanish
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
• Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1
• Number of discs: 20
• Rating:
• Studio: Paramount
• DVD Release Date: October 4, 2005
• Run Time: 1141 minutes

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
Spanning two decades and countless light years of interstellar adventure, Star Trek: The Motion Pictures Collection is a testament to the enduring goodwill of Gene Roddenberry’s optimistic sci-fi concept. Long before Star Wars sparked an explosion of big-screen science fiction, Roddenberry had planned a second Star Trek TV series; the project fizzled, but its pilot script evolved into the first film in Paramount’s most lucrative movie franchise. Despite its sluggish pace and bland “pajama” costuming, Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979) offered a welcomed reunion of the “Classic Trek” cast, packed with Douglas Trumbull’s still-dazzling special effects. Trekkers were even more ecstatic when The Wrath of Khan (1982) revived the spirit of the original series, even though director Nicholas Meyer was a Trek neophyte. With Leonard Nimoy directing, The Search for Spock (1984) began where Khan left off, with a thrilling (albeit contrived) obligation to resurrect the formerly ill-fated Mr. Spock.

A box-office smash, Nimoy’s The Voyage Home (1986) is the franchise’s most accessible adventure–a high point offset by William Shatner’s comparatively dreadful Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (1989). Meyer (and his penchant for quoting Shakespeare) returned for The Undiscovered Country (1991), a conspiracy thriller that put the series back on track, inspiring fans to invoke the “even number” rule in rating their franchise favorites. Generations (1994) gracefully passed the torch to TV’s The Next Generation, bidding farewell to Captain Kirk with honor and integrity intact. Highlighted by the evolving humanity of Brent Spiner’s android Lt. Cmdr. Data, First Contact (1996) explored Star Trek history with a logical (hint) surprise encounter, and Insurrection (1998) provided an adequate expansion of the successful NextGen series. Taken as a whole, these ten films demonstrate the consistent vitality of Roddenberry’s original vision, stoking any Trekker’s appetite for “ongoing missions” in Nemesis and beyond. –Jeff Shannon Most of the feature films were released early in the DVD era, but are represented here in their vastly improved two-disc special editions, which boast widescreen anamorphic pictures, director’s cuts of the first two films, numerous commentary tracks by cast and crew, humorous and informative trivia subtitle tracks by Michael and Denise Okuda, and a wide variety of new and vintage documentaries and galleries.

Babylon 5 – The Movie Collection

Product Details

• Actors: Bruce Boxleitner, Jerry Doyle, Jeff Conaway, Carrie Dobro, Peter Woodward
• Directors: Michael Vejar, Richard Compton, Jesús Salvador Treviño
• Format: AC-3, Anamorphic, Box set, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, Full Screen, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
• Language: English
• Subtitles: English, French, Portuguese, Spanish
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
• Aspect Ratio: 1.77:1
• Number of discs: 5
• Rating:
• Studio: Warner Home Video
• DVD Release Date: August 17, 2004
• Run Time: 471 minutes

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
The Babylon 5 pilot movie The Gathering was originally broadcast in 1993 a full year ahead of the regular show. A somewhat dull tale of an attempt to assassinate Koch, the Vorlon ambassador to B5, the feature served to introduce Commander Jeffery Sinclair (Michael O’Hare) and Security Chief Michael Garibaldi (Jerry Doyle) as well as familiarize the audience with the unique environment of a five-mile-long space station in the year 2257. Missing many of the main cast, and suffering from a leaden pace and mediocre music score, series creator J Michael Straczynski later improved The Gathering by tightening the cut for a special edition (the version released on DVD), adding some deleted character moments and commissioning a new score from series composer Christopher Franke.

Four new TV movies were part of the deal to syndicate Babylon 5. In the Beginning is a prelude set 10 years before Babylon 5, telling the story of the Earth-Minbari war. Told retrospectively, many of the mysteries revealed gradually in the main series are recounted, making the show a collection of spoilers for newcomers while adding little for established fans. It is effective to see events only previously talked about, and enjoyable to have most of the main cast playing younger versions of themselves. River of Souls is a self-contained adventure featuring a return of the Soul Hunters from Season One, while Thirdspace offers a spectacular Lovecraftian space opera which slots into the saga after the end of the Shadow War. A Call to Arms is the most important of the TV films, laying the ground for the future TV series Crusade. Set five years after the Shadow War, it tells the story of a Drahk revenge attack on Earth. A final showcase for Bruce Boxleitner as Sheridan, t