VISIONS OF SCOTLAND-DOCUMENTARY DVD REVIEW

A short blurb from Acorn Media about Visions Of Scotland- A Stunning tour of its ancient cities and heather-clad hills! See bonny Scotland, as you never could, even on the most lavish tour.

The newest documentary in the “Visions Of” series is the “Visions Of Scotland”! I have a personal interest in this particular view of Scotland. My grandmother was born at the turn of the last century (1907 to be exact) in a small fishing village call Lossiemouth at the upper tip of Scotland. I have never been there but my Father-In Law went there and sent back pictures. Scotland is rich with history and it castles and this program sure shows that! Again filmed by Roy Hammond, the views and countryside is absolutely breathtaking!! This disc like the one on England has bonus footage as well. In fact, it has 6 more minutes of footage than the other one. Acorn Media has done a wonderful job with the packaging and DVD authoring of these discs.

VIDEO

The video quality is fantastic! The documentary is done on videotape but is stunning! Excellent quality. The documentary runs approx 88 mins


Audio

Was originally recorded in Mono. It is also Mono on this set.

Disc 1- 1. Opening, Selkirk, Edinburgh
2. Dunfermline, St. Andrews, Perth, Dundee
3. Scone Palace, Grampian Mountains
4. Highlands, Loch Ness, Inverness
5. Craoghhaven, Isle of Mull, Oban
6. Inveraray, Loch Lomond, Stirling
7. Doune, Glasgow
8. Central Valley
9. Credits

Extras

Disc 1: Bonus footage not shown on TV (25:16)

Verdict

I really loved this program! Buying this program would perfectly book end the Visions of England and make a great gift for any anglophile! Fantastic!


Rating; *****!

VISIONS OF ENGLAND-DOCUMENTARY DVD REVIEW

A short blurb from Acorn Media about Visions Of England- See the natural beauty and man-made wonders of England from a stunning vantage point! A helicopter-mounted camera surveys this land of history and mysteries, literature and fairy tales, castles and conquerors.

I had first seen this documentary on PBS a year or two ago and was totally mesmerized and in awe of this aerial view of England! It is a wonderful idea and job that photographer Roy Hammond did with simply filming from the underbelly of a helicopter and pointing out the countryside and cites of England while being wonderfully narrated by Franca Barchiesi. What I personally enjoy about the program is its eclectic soundtrack and with easy, nice pans and swoops over the countryside that many places in England you would never see. The disc also has 19 minutes of bonus footage not seen on TV which gives you even more depth to this country. It is also filmed in Widescreen that gives you a movie theater feel.

VIDEO

The video quality is stunning! The documentary is done on video but looks fabulous! It is also in Widescreen. The documentary runs approx with bonus footage 94 minutes.


Audio

Was originally recorded in Mono. It is also Mono on this disc.

Disc 1- 1. Opening, Dover, Martello Tower, Town of Battle, Bodiam Castle

2. Eastbourne, Palace Pier, Royal Pavilion, Isle of Wight, Carisbrooke Castle, Osborne House, Southampton, Salisbury Cathedral, Winchester Cathedral, Stonehenge

3. Stourhead, Uffington White Horse, Hadrian’s Wall, Fountains Abbey, Bempton Cliffs, Flamborough Lighthouse, Hunber Bridge, York, Castle Howard

4. Blackpool, Liverpool, Queen Square, Severn Road Bridge, Exmoor National Park, Dunster Castle, Cheddar, Wells Cathedral, Bath

5. Newmarket, Cotswolds, Cambridge, Kings College, Stratford-upon-Avon, Royal Shakespeare Theater, Blenheim Palace, Oxford, London

6. Thames River, London Eye, Houses of Parliament, Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, Marble Arch, British Museum, Admiralty Arch, Trafalgar Square, Piccadilly Circus, Baker Street

7. Price Albert Memorial, Royal Albert Hall, Covent Garden, Hyde Park, Kensington Palace, Kew Gardens, Regent’s Park, Tower Bridge, Tower Of London, Globe Theatre, Westminster Abbey, Harrods

8. Royal Naval College, Royal Observatory, Thames Flood Barrier, Canterbury, Channel Tunnel

9. Credits



Extras

Disc 1: 19 minutes of bonus footage that was not shown on PBS.

Verdict

What a wonderful DVD this is! I cannot say enough about this program. Please buy and experience the other DVDs in the “Visions Of” series. You’ll be glad you did!


Rating; *****!

SHADOW WARRIORS SERIES 1 TV DVD REVIEW

A blurb from Ronin Entertainment about Shadow Warriors Season 1: When a small child suddenly becomes the Shogun of feudal-era Japan, evil plots and treachery begin to fill the corridors of power. Exiled ninja clan leader Hattori Hanzo (Chiba) now disguised as the humble owner of a bathhouse, is secretly reenlisted by one of the Shogun’s most trusted allies to help keep the peace.

I have never seen this show but have heard of it and am a big fan of Sonny Chiba! The Shadow Warriors was a series that lasted 5 seasons that dealt with the ninjas that protected the king of Japan back in the 16th century. The show ran from 1980 to 1985. This was one of Quentin Tarantino’s favorite shows and had Sonny Chiba in his Kill Bill movies as the character Hattori Hanzo that was the same as in the series! When this show was on TV here in the states it was edited for nudity. These prints are the original Japanese versions, uncut with the nudity left in. There is a way of watching the series either in Japanese or with English subtitles. There is also a new interview with Sonny Chiba in Japanese with English subtitles as well. This box set comprises the first 27 episodes of the series with an 8-page color booklet with linear notes from the show.

VIDEO

The video quality is very good! Not digitally remastered, but from very good film prints. Episodes are also uncut.

Audio

Was originally recorded in Mono. Audio is in original Japanese language but with English subtitles.

Disc 1-Side A
1. “Tigers Sharpen Their Claws in a Storm”
2. “A Female Leopard, Hiding in the Dark”
Side B
1. “A Devil Called Onshu Highway”
2. “The Spring Of Kyoto: The Trick of the Black Teeth”

Disc 2-Side A
1. “Soft Skin Sunk Into a Whirlpool”
2. “The Woman Disappeared Into the Port”
Side B
1. “The Target is a Mystery Woman”
2. “Infiltration! The Ladies Chambers Night & Day”

Disc 3-Side A
1. “The Female Ninja’s May In Shadows”
2. “The Black Hair Burned With the Grudge”
Side B
1. “A Bride and a Murderous Fiend”
2. “Kill Night Spiders Even If They Are Parents”


Disc 4- Side A
1. “Midnight Beauty”
2. “The Shogun Disappeared! The Plot of the Female Foxes”
Side B
1. “Mysterious Priest, Inviting Hell”
2. “Don’t Get Involved With Dangerous Women”

Disc 5-Side A
1. “The Living Shadow Shogun”
2. “The Killer In The Eyes”
Side B
1. “Palace of the Bloodsucking Women”
2. “I’m Going To Be Killed”


Disc 6-Side A
1. “Hiding! The Hole Of Snakes”
2. “The Dreadful Instigator”
Side B
1. “The Red Eyes of the Snake Are A Death Sentence”
2. “Shudder! Sacrifice of the Virgin?

Disc 7-Side A
1. “The Trick Ceiling of the Tragic Love”
2. “The Ominous Place: The Cursed Flute”
Side B
1. “Intrusion! 24 Hours in the Woman’s Bath”



Extras

Disc 1: None

Disc 2: None

Disc 3: None

Disc 4: None

Disc 5: None

Disc 6: None

Disc 7: Interview-New Interview with Sonny Chiba (In Japanese with English Subtitles) (15:00) appox.

Verdict

This is a well-done series and this 7-disc set is well worth the money for the story and history behind the Shadow Warriors. I can’t wait for Season 2!


Rating: *****!

SATURDAY MORNING MEMORIES-THE GHOSTBUSTERS TV DVD REVIEW

A blurb from BCI Eclipse about The Ghost Busters: The Complete Series: From their run-down office, Spencer, Tracy and Kong take on assignments no mere mortal could face. Good thing that Spencer and Kong have their super-smart gorilla Tracy on their team! In the super-secret missions assigned to them by the mysterious “Zero” the trio of bumbling detectives confront phantoms, vampires, werewolves, the Frankenstein monster, mobsters, Vikings, magicians and even a devilish dummy! Prepare to laugh and scream at the outlandish and bizarre antics of the Ghost Busters!

I would wait until 11 am in the morning every Saturday on our CBS affiliate to watch “The Ghostbusters” with Forrest Tucker, Larry Storch and Bob Burns. At that age I thought that the show was very funny and well done. Thirty-Two years later I still think the show is funny but the memory cheats a little bit. The show also brought some new faces to television and quite a few old favorites! A few of them being Billy Barty, Bernie Kopell and Jim Backus. This set is a nice tribute to the show with interviews with the producer and voice of “Zero”, Lou Schimer and the person who was Tracy the Gorilla, Bob Burns. Also with the set is a bonus episode from the Animated Ghostbusters series with galleries, Easter Eggs, and scripts to all 15 episodes.

VIDEO

The video quality is great! The show was shot on videotape but with no dropouts at all. There is a Play All Feature on each disc.

Audio

Was originally recorded in Mono. Is also in Mono but very clear!

Disc 1-Side A
1. “The Maltese Monkey”-with Johnny Brown and Billy Barty
2. “Dr Whatshisname”-with Bernie Kopell
3. “The Canterville Ghost”-with Ted Knight and Kathy Garver
4. “Who’s Afraid of The Big Bad Wolf?”
5. “The Flying Dutchman”-with Stanley Adams
Side B
1. “The Dummy’s Revenge”
2. “A Worthless Gauze”-with Barbara Rhoades
3. “Which Witch is Which? -with Huntz Hall
4. “They Went Thataway”-with Marty Ingels
5. “The Vampire’s Apprentice”-with Dena Dietrich

Disc 2-Side A
1. “Jekyll & Hyde-Together, for the First Time!”-with Joe E Ross
2. “Only Ghosts Have Wings”-with Howard Morris
3. “The Vikings Have Landed”-with Jim Backus and Lisa Todd
4. “Merlin, The Magician”-Carl Ballentine and Huntz Hall
5. “The Abominable Snowman”


Extras

Disc 1: None

Disc 2: Side B
Interviews-Lou Scheimer (09:08)
Bob Burns (“Tracy”) (14:37)
Original Bumpers form the show (2)
Photo & Art Galleries:
Behind The Scenes (17 Photos)
Promotional (26 Photos)
Tracy The Gorilla (23 Photos)
Bonus Episode: Animated Ghostbusters-“I’ll Be A Son Of A Ghostbuster”
DVD-Rom- Scripts to all 15 Episodes
Easter Eggs

Verdict

A neat little show that was a long time coming to DVD. Well worth buying for your Filmation collection.


Rating: *****!


This review is my 50th review since this blog site started. I wanted to thank a few companies for this. I would like to thank Acorn Media, BCI Eclipse, A & E Home Video and Paramount Home Video. Without them this site would not be possible. I would also like to thank Eric Jamborsky and Jim O’Rear for their help as well.

THE UNTOUCHABLES SEASON 1 VOLUME 1 DVD REVIEW

A blurb from Paramount about The Untouchables Season 1 Volume 1: The Untouchables comes to DVD for the first time, featuring the first 14 of 28 Season One episodes, plus “The Scarface Mob” the seamless movie version of the groundbreaking two-part pilot first broadcast on the Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse. The hit show starred Emmy winner Robert Stack as real life Chicago gangbuster and prohibition agent Eliot Ness, famous for bringing down the notorious Al Capone.

In the mid to late 1970’s the local UHF channel in my area where I was growing up in Tampa, Florida had The Untouchables on the air! Well written and acted with a vast array of stars each week, it was the show to watch! I have read that the mafia did not like the popularity of the show and was going to have the producer Desi Arnez assassinated but changed their minds. The series starred Robert Stack as Crime-fighter Eliot Ness and his hand picked group of agents that kept Chicago as clean as possible in the turbulent 20’s and 30’s as well as finally capturing Al Capone. This set has the pilot 2- part episode that was made into a theatrical film, which is on this set, and the first 14 episodes that are digitally remastered. I know that some people do not like the split season sets. I don’t mind them doing it that way only if they bring out the entire series on DVD instead of putting out one season or two and not the full run.

VIDEO

The video quality is great! The series has been remastered from its original negatives. Each episode runs approx 50 minutes. There is a Play All feature on each disc.

Audio

Was originally recorded in Mono. The DVD’s are in mono as well.

Disc 1- 1. “The Scarface Mob” with-Keenan Wynn, Neville Brand (98 minutes)
2. “The Empty Chair” with-Nehemiah Persoff
3. “Ma Barker and Her Boys” with-Claire Trevor, Louise Fletcher

Disc 2- 1. “The George “Bugs” Moran Story” with-Lloyd Nolan, Jack Warden
2. “The Jake Lingle Killing” with-Jack Lord, Herb Vigran
3. “Ain’t We Got Fun?” with-Cameron Mitchell, Phyllis Coates
4. “Vincent “Mad Dog” Coll” with-Clu Gugagher , Dick Miller

Disc 3- 1. “Mexican Stake-Out” with-Martin Landau, Vince Edwards
2. “The Artichoke King” with-Jack Weston, Mike Mazurki
3. “The Tri-State Gang” with-Alan Hale, William Bendix, Stanley Adams
4. “The Dutch Schultz Story” with-David White and Marion Ross

Disc 4-1. “You Can’t Pick The Number” with-Darryl Hickman, Whitt Bissell
2. “The Underground Railway” with-Cliff Robertson
3. “Syndicate Sanctuary” with-Anthony Caruso and Jack Elam
4. “The Noise Of Death” with-J.Carroll Naish and Henry Silva

Extras

Disc 1: Introduction of the two episodes from “The Scarface Mob” by Desi Arnez and Walter Wenchell

Disc 2: None

Disc 3: None

Disc 4: None

Verdict

One of the best crime fighting series to come out of the late 50’s to early 60’series. I hope that Paramount goes ahead with a Season 1 Volume 2 and then the rest of the series!

Rating; *****!

CHARMED SEASON 1 DVD REVIEW

A blurb from Paramount about Charmed: The Complete First Season: The discovery that they are descendants of a long line of witches finds three sisters battling demons and warlocks-and occasionally each other. Each exciting episode in this richly layered series is a supernatural adventure brewing with suspense and humor.

My son got me hooked on this show! The show is about three sisters that are white witches that have a secret “Book Of Shadows” to control evil! One sister Prue can move objects; the other sister Piper that can freeze time and sister Phoebe can see the future! The Spelling Company that has produced “Beverly Hills 90210 and “The Love Boat” created the show. I like this show for the writing and the situations that the sisters get themselves into and out of. The first season set is a “Vanilla” edition, meaning just the episodes and no special features. That doesn’t matter; the shows stand on its own. This set has the first 22 episodes of the series.

VIDEO

The video quality is great! Episodes are also uncut.

Audio

Was originally recorded in Mono. Audio quality is mono but very clear!

Disc 1- 1. “Something Wicca This Way Comes”
2. “I’ve Got You Under My Skin”
3. “Thank You For Not Morphing”
4. “Dead Man Dating”

Disc 2- 1. “Dream Sorcerer”
2. “The Wedding From Hell”
3. “The Fourth Sister”
4. “The Truth Is Out There And It Hurts”

Disc 3- 1. “The Witch Is Back”
2. “Wicca Envy”
3. “Feats Of Clay”
4. “The Wendigo”

Disc 4- 1. “From Fear To Eternity”
2. “Secrets And Guys”
3. “Is There A Woogy In The House?”
4. “Which Prue Is It Anyway?”

Disc 5- 1. “That 70’s Episode”
2. “When Bad Warlocks Turn Good”
3. “Out Of Sight”
4. “The Power Of Two”


Disc 6-1. “Love Hurts”
2. “Déjà vu All Over Again”-with David Carradine

Extras

Disc 1: None

Disc 2: None

Disc 3: None

Disc 4: None

Disc 5: None

Disc 6: None


Verdict

I really like this series! The video and audio quality are great. A good series to get hooked on. I highly recommend it!



Rating: ****!

CHARMED SEASON 2 DVD REVIEW

A blurb from Paramount about Charmed: The Complete Second Season: The Halliwell sisters are back…and they’re got “the Power of Three!” Charmed: The Complete Second Season casts a spell of excitement, adventure and fun as Prue (Shannen Doherty), Piper (Hollie Marie Combs), and Phoebe (Alyssa Milano) continue their journey as modern-day witches. This season their foes are stronger and their powers are growing. And the supernatural has even more unique ways of disrupting their drama-filled personal lives just when they seem to get it together.

The show about three sisters that are white witches are back with a second season of exciting episodes! From the season opener which pits the sisters battling an old foe that attempts to render them powerless to the suspense filled season finale, each episode continues to work its magic! The second season set is also a “Vanilla” edition, meaning just the episodes and no special features. This set has the second 22 episodes of the series.

VIDEO

The video quality is great! Episodes are also uncut.

Audio

Was originally recorded in Mono. Audio quality is mono but very clear!

Disc 1- 1. “Witch Trial”
2. “Morality Bites”
3. “The Painted World”
4. “The Devil’s Music”

Disc 2- 1. “ She’s A Man, Baby, A Man!”
2. “That Old Black Magic”
3. “They’re Everywhere”
4. “P3 H2O”

Disc 3- 1. “Ms. Hellfire”
2. “Heartbreak City”
3. “Reckless Abandon”
4. “Awakened”

Disc 4- 1. “Animal Pragmatism”
2. “Pardon My Past”
3. “Give Me A Sign”
4. “Murphy’s Luck”

Disc 5- 1. “How To Make A Quilt Out Of Americans”
2. “Chick Flick”
3. “Ex Libris”
4. “Astral Monkey”


Disc 6-1. “Apocalypse Not”
2. “Be Careful What You Witch For”

Extras

Disc 1: None

Disc 2: None

Disc 3: None

Disc 4: None

Disc 5: None

Disc 6: None


Verdict

The video and audio quality are great. I can’t wait for season 3!



Rating: ****!