Sales Rank:346 List Price: $59.95 Lowest New Price: $25.99 Lowest Used Price: $29.00 MPAA Rating: NR (Not Rated)
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"Are you ready for this?" quintessential cop on the edge Vic Mackey (Michael Chiklis) asks his longtime nemesis, Councilman David Aceveda (Benito Martinez) in the season finale. With more than a year between seasons, we're always ready for The Shield, which rivals The Wire not only in quality (not everyone is ready to play at this level, as Mackey states at one point) but also in the lack of appreciation for one of television's very best shows. Again, another great season, and another Emmy snub. There ought to be a law. There is much more to The Shield than its shocking and brutal violence and language. This penultimate season, which turns the heat on Mackey, a one-man good cop/bad cop, to boil, is "all kinds of personal" for its intimately observed characters. Mackey is obsessed with finding out who killed Strike Force member Lem, while Kavanaugh (Forest Whitaker), just as obsessed with taking Mackey down, recklessly crosses the line to "frame a guilty man." Meanwhile, Mackey keeps moving the line as he relentlessly pursues the drug kingpin he has judged responsible for Lem's death, going so far as to stage a faux kidnapping of his suspect's girlfriend. In one of the season's most excruciating scenes, he turns chain-wielding executioner. What viewers know, but Mackey initially does not, is that the killer is a guilt-ridden Shane (Walton Goggins), Mackey's best friend. Shane, ultimately exiled from the Strike Force, becomes embroiled in an ill-fated association with the daughter of Armenian mob boss, putting Mackey's family in peril. Back at the Barn, newly promoted Claudette Wyms (CCH Pounder) is under intense pressure as the precinct's body count mounts. Her former partner, Dutch (Jay Karnes) develops a crush on Tina (Paula Garces), the pretty new cop he is mentoring. She has a one-night stand with hotshot Kevin Hiatt (Alex O'Loughlin), the new guy whom Wyms fears may learn too much from Mackey or not enough. The tension builds inexorably to a season finale that fulfills all expectations, in which the resourceful Mackey, facing a review board hearing, must scramble to save his badge, resulting in a surprising alliance that bodes well for the final season. "Trust me," he states at one point, "There's a way out. There always is." From first episode to last, The Shield's sixth season is gripping, gut-wrenching stuff. To quote Shane: "Put another one in the win column." --Donald Liebenson
Sales Rank:1845 List Price: $241.98 Lowest New Price: $140.84 Lowest Used Price: $133.06 MPAA Rating: NR (Not Rated)
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I Love Lucy
Lucille Ball
Desi Arnaz
William Frawley
Vivian Vance
The Whole McGillicuddy: All 9 Seasons! All 194 Episodes! Fall in love again and again with the timeless comedy that entertains generation after generation. This special 34-disc DVD collection contains every hilarious episode of every classic season of I Love Lucy--from the Lost Pilot to the The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour shows. Join Lucy, Ricky, Fred and Ethel for non-stop laughter as you savor every magical moment of the greatest sitcom of all time.
Includes all new special features including I Love Lucy: The Movie, the first Fully-Colorized I Love Lucy episode, I Love Lucy at the 6th Annual Emmy® Awards, highlights of Lucy & Desi's First Joint TV Appearance, and hours of bonus features from the individual complete season releases!
Sales Rank:818 List Price: $59.98 Lowest New Price: $23.78 Lowest Used Price: $21.00 MPAA Rating: NR (Not Rated)
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Tommy Schlamme
Chris Misiano
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Martin Sheen
Bradley Whitford
With the ghost of creator Aaron Sorkin fully expunged from the spotlit soundstage maze representing that most busy portion of the White House, the sixth season of The West Wing is less a return to form than it is a remaking of the things that were best about the show in the first place. There's C.J. and Josh throwing high-speed dialogue at each other; there's the tension and personality arc as characters are back in step with their original realization; there's the overarching story that runs throughout the 22 episodes along with the self-contained mini-dramas within each one; there are the new people who bind themselves to plots that are alternately tidy and messy, just like real life. The taking-stock the show's creative minds clearly did after a roundly drubbed season five had a lot of help from the necessity of thinking ahead to a new crop of faces and places as the Bartlett administration starts winding down its second term. Some of the plot points may be a little hard to swallow: Would C.J. really deserve to take over the Chief of Staff position? Would Josh really walk away from his dream job to pursue the seeming nightmare of running a presidential campaign for not-a-chance-in-hell Rep. Santos (Jimmy Smits)? Thankfully the answer turns out to be yes in these fully crafted episodes, even as they still sometimes ring with the people-don't-really-talk-that-way banter that makes up most of the conversation in the Oval Office or hallways of the elaborate set.
Jimmy Smits isn't the only welcome new regular face in season six. Alan Alda grandly returns to the medium that made him with effortless authority playing Republican senator and front-running aspirant to the West Wing's throne, Arnold Vinick. From his modest introduction, to the nuances of personality that slip through over the course of the season, Vinick is definitely one of the people we want to see more of. Adding her own personal flair and tweaking the subtleties of the scripts is Lily Tomlin as President Jed's protective secretary. Gary Cole plays smarmy and vapid with elan as the Vice President who believes he's heir apparent, and disgraced ex-VP Tim Matheson returns from the political graveyard, unbelievably believing he has a chance to win his party's nomination. The politics are still integral to the drama, with fiery President Martin Sheen refusing to go gentle into that good night of professional or personal shadows. The late, great John Spencer also brings poignancy to his last days as ex-Chief of Staff Leo McGarry, scenes made all the more touching by the actor's death in 2005. As with its best early seasons, The West Wing again proves that strong writing, top-flite production design, and authoritative acting always covers flashes of skepticism and makes great TV.--Ted Fry
Sales Rank:800 List Price: $26.98 Lowest New Price: $15.71 Lowest Used Price: $14.93 MPAA Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
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Rona Benson
Blake Michael Bryan
Laura Dern
John Diehl
Bruce French
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
Sales Rank:1105 List Price: $39.99 Lowest New Price: $29.99 Lowest Used Price: $29.99 MPAA Rating: NR (Not Rated)
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Jim Henson
Frank Oz
Jerry Nelson
Dave Goelz
Steve Whitmire
An iconic variety show that ran from 1976 to 1981, The Muppet Show was a masterpiece of puppetry and slapstick humor as well as a showcase for the best musical and comic talent of its day. Season three ran 1978-1979 and featured 26 famous guest stars, including Roy Clark, Pearl Bailey, Jean Stapleton, Harry Belefonte, Danny Kaye, Cheryl Ladd, Raquel Welch, Roy Rogers, Dale Evans, and Sylvester Stallone. Some of the most unique episodes of the season were the Lynn Redgrave show, in which she and all the Muppets used the entire show to re-enact the story of Robin Hood; the Loretta Lynn episode, which was ostensibly filmed at the railroad station when the theater was being fumigated; and the visual effects-laden Alice Cooper episode. Other notable moments include Liberace's performances of everything from a Chopin Nocturne to a Boogie Woogie piece, Gilda Radner's amusing musical rendition from Gilbert and Sullivan's operetta "Carrots of Penzance" (or was that "Parrots of Penzance," or "Pirates of Penzance?"), and Danny Kaye's appearance as the Swedish Chef's uncle. Naturally, the season features all your favorite Muppet characters like Kermit, Miss Piggy, Gonzo, Fozzie Bear, Scooter, Rowlf, Crazy Harry, Beaker, and Animal as well as the beloved skits Muppet Labs, Pigs in Space, Swedish Chef, Veterinarian's Hospital, and Muppet Newsflash. Truly timeless entertainment for all ages, this third season of The Muppet Show is just as adept at bringing back memories as it is making new ones. --Tami Horiuchi
Sales Rank:529 List Price: $84.98 Lowest New Price: $38.00 Lowest Used Price: $35.00 MPAA Rating: NR (Not Rated)
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Marg Helgenberger
Jorja Fox
The eighth season of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation begins with the answer to the previous season's cliffhanger: Yes, CSI Sara Sidle (Jorja Fox) survives. But fans of this top-rated crime procedural won't be able to breathe a sigh of relief. By the end of the 17 episodes--which originally aired during the 2007-2008 television season--two fan favorites will be gone. This year, CSI explores the complicated romance between Sara and head CSI Gil Grissom (William Petersen). But the storyline is weaved in so well with the gruesome cases that their relationship is never overpowering to the viewer. Though the show was truncated due to the Writers Guild strike, the flow of the series doesn't lose any momentum--not even with the loss of cast members or even episodes that center on peripheral supporting characters. Fellow CSIs Catherine Willows (Marg Helgenberger), Nick Stokes (George Eads), and Warrick Brown (Gary Dourdan) return to help solve seemingly unsolvable cases. But not all of the best moments involve whodunits. Some of the most compelling vignettes revolve around Warrick, who is battling a nasty prescription drug addiction as he tries to navigate his way through a messy divorce. Longtime fans of the series may remember child genius Hannah West (portrayed chillingly by Juliette Goglia), who helped get her brother acquitted of a murder charge in season six. She is back after her brother is once again charged with homicide. Sara--who had wrongfully believed that Hannah was just an innocent little girl--finds herself unable to distance herself from this case. There is a crossover ratings stunt episode with Jack Malone (Anthony LaPaglia) visiting from CBS' other drama Without a Trace. While both LaPaglia and Petersen are formidable, there really isn't room for both of them on one show. And let's face it, Petersen's our guy. --Jae-Ha Kim
Sales Rank:1924 List Price: $64.98 Lowest New Price: $25.99 Lowest Used Price: $20.48 MPAA Rating: G (General Audience)
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Howard Swift
Joseph Barbera
William Hanna
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Don Messick
Casey Kasem
Nicole Jaffe
Frank Welker
Stefanianna Christopherson
Chuck Jones and other great studio animators sneered at the cheap look and lazy craftsmanship of Hanna Barbera's television cartoons in the 1960s, but there's no question HB's original, 35-year-old Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! is enduringly beloved. The Complete First and Second Seasons includes all 25 stories first broadcast from September '69 to October '71, a growth period in which canine hero Scooby's voice (by Don Messick, who also voiced The Jetsons's pup, Astro) was gradually refined from murky garble to Scoob's more familiar, "Rrroowwrr"-inflected, human-like speech. This set also represents the pre-frills Scooby-Doo: no guest appearances by Don Knotts or Batman, no Scrappy-Doo--just adventure and occasional bubblegum pop tunes by Danny Janssen and sundry co-writers (e.g., "Pretty Mary Sunlite" in the episode "Don't Fool with a Phantom").
Watching all the shows back-to-back reveals evolving complexity in the scripts. Over time, Scooby-Doo's creators added multiple bad guys in cahoots with major villains, and developed sub-plots, backstories, and even appealing allies and friends of Mystery, Inc., a traveling band of young debunkers of supernatural phenomena. Riding around in their psychedelic Mystery Van, preppie leader Fred and his friends--haughty Daphne, brainy Velma, quasi-hippie Shaggy, and Shaggy's best pal, Scooby, an excitable Great Dane--chase down and are chased by alleged ghouls who generally turn out to be venal humans running various scams.
Included here is Scooby-Doo's premiere, "What a Night for a Knight," in which the gang looks into the disappearance of a noted archaeologist and end up in a "haunted" museum. The fun "Go Away Ghost Ship" finds our heroes helping a shipping company daunted by the apparent ghost of pirate Red Beard, while the silly classic "A Tiki Scare Is No Fair" concerns a Hawaiian vacation for Mystery, Inc. disrupted by a witch doctor. --Tom Keogh