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JUSTICE LEAGUE!! 24!! NEWHART!! COMANCHE!! Herc's Super-Xciting Season-Box DVD Vault!!
SPOILER ALERT !!
I am – Hercules!!
Justice League: The New Frontier
is a marvelous PG-13 direct-to-DVD venture that takes DC’s superheroes well beyond “SuperFriends” and well beyond the Cartoon Network’s 21st century “Justice League.”
Hourman is a corpse, Batman a fugitive. Hal Jordan’s introductory sequence is capped with Jordan introducing a bullet to a clueless Korean bastard’s brainpan. Diana of Themyscira rescues Vietnamese women from their rape cages, stands by while the women ventilate their former captors with semi-automatic weapons, takes the girls out for a drink, then argues with Smallville’s Clark Kent about it.
Gratifying also is the fact that “Frontier” features as its central character Jordan, the Silver Age Green Lantern, who didn’t get to join “Justice League Unlimited” because his character was literally dead in the print DC Universe of the era.
Jordan was introduced to the readers of 1959 as a daredevil test pilot with Ferris Aircraft, and “Frontier” is an aviation-happy exercise that blends DC iconography with the spirit of real-life “Right Stuff” test pilots Chuck Yeager and Alan Shepard. It reminds us of how many superheroes carried pilot licenses: Jordan's wingmen come to include the Blackhawks, Bruce Wayne (Batplane!), Oliver Queen (Arrow Plane!), Ace Morgan (of The Challengers of the Unknown), and (a pre-Doom Patrol) Larry Trainor. Diana arrives in her blood-soaked inviso-plane. Even Barry Allen, the silver-age Flash, is outfitted with a nifty jetpack.
The whole movie is only about 75 minutes long and rockets with grace between dozens of DC icons. I love that Diana’s plane is, for once, truly invisible. I love that Will Magnus shows up but doesn’t get around to creating the Metal Men. I love that Ray Palmer shows up but never gets around to becoming The Atom. (The cover of my DVD is a bit of a cheat: Captain Marvey, Black Canary, Supergirl, Speedy, Metamorpho and the Metal Men barely make cameos, and only in the epilogue.)
It probably adds up to the best DC superhero cartoon yet made and leaves one thirsty for R-rated animated versions of “Watchman,” “The Authority,” “Miracleman,” “Global Frequency,” “Kingdom Come,” “Wanted” and “The Ultimates.”
The single-disc DVD version is $12.99 and comes with these extras:
* Audio commentary with Darwyn Cooke, who wrote and drew the graphic novel on which the movie is based. Learn that Colonel Kurtz from “Apocalypse Now” inspired his use of Wonder Woman in the story. Learn that Brooke Shields, who voiced aerospace heiress Carol Ferris, was Cooke’s favorite actor in the piece. Learn that Cooke has no idea why King Faraday was not in the scene in which Barry Allen was almost captured. Learn that Cooke has issues with some of the pacing of the film’s final battle.
* Audio commentary with executive produce Bruce Timm, supervising producer Mike Goguen, voice director Andrea Romano, director David Bullock, screenwriter Stand Berkowitz, and DC Comics exec Gregory Noveck. Learn that David Boreanaz recorded his bits weeks after everybody else did. Learn that early versions of the screenplay eliminated both Lois Lane and Wonder Woman, but Cooke insisted they be restored. Learn that the versatile Phil Morris, who plays King Faraday (and “Seinfeld” lawyer Jackie Chiles), is an avid comic collector.
* Documentary “Super Heroes United: The Complete Justice League History.” (41:03). Bruce Timm, Mark Waid and even Stan Lee recount the saga of superhero team-ups and shared universes. Learn that the Justice Society became a “League” because DC editor Julius Schwartz was a baseball fan. Learn that Marvel’s Fantastic Four were created because DC’s team-up book “Justice League of America” was selling so well. (Monstrous Ben Grimm was part of the team because horror – not superheroes – was hot at Marvel at the time.) Learn that Cooke’s Superman was inspired by the one in “The Dark Knight Returns.”
* “Sneak Peak: Batman Gotham Knight.” (10:09) A look at DC’s next animated DVD movie, due this summer and comprised of six interlocking stories by six anime directors. Deadshot, Killer Croc and Scarcrow all seem to figure prominently in the project.
The double-disc DVD version is $16.99. Warners didn’t provide the second disc, so I’m not sure what you get for that extra four bucks.
The Blu-ray edition is $20.95. Again, Warners didn’t forward a copy of this edition, so we cannot speak to its extras.
Something consumers need to know about the 1982-83 first season of “Newhart”: it was different from all of the series’ subsequent seasons. Season one was shot on videotape. Innkeeper/author Dick Loudon (Bob Newhart) did not host a talk show. The Stratford Inn’s maid was wealthy, virtuous Leslie Vanderkellen (Jennifer Holmes). The neighboring Minuteman Cafe was run by a chronic liar named Kirk Devane (Steven Kampmann), who was in love with Leslie. Larry (William Sanderson) and his silent brothers, Daryl and Daryl, had nothing to do with the café. Leslie’s materialistic cousin, Stephanie (Julia Duffy), appeared in only one first-season episode. TV producer Michael Harris (Peter Scolari) was nowhere in sight.
I remember thinking that this series was not as good as “The Bob Newhart Show” with Suzanne Pleshette and Bill Daily, but I also remember that I watched every episode of “Newhart” religiously.
“Comanche Moon,” which aired on CBS last month, is the fifth miniseries following the characters introduced in 1989’s “Lonesome Dove,” the others being “Return to Lonesome Dove” (1993), “Streets of Laredo” (1995) and “Dead Man’s Walk” (1996). Which is to say nothing of “Lonesome Dove: The Series” (1994) and “Lonesome Dove: The Outlaw Years” (1995).
Simon Wincer, who directed the original “Lonesome Dove” (as well as less-distinguished works like “Lightning Jack,” “Operation Dumbo Drop” and “Crocodile Dundee in Los Angeles”) directs from a teleplay by the Oscar-winning writing team of Larry McMurtry & Diana Ossana (“Streets of Laredo,” “Dead Man’s Walk,” “Brokeback Mountain”), adapted from McMurtry’s 1997 novel.
Karl Urban plays Woodrow F. Call, previously played by Tommy Lee Jones, Jon Voight, James Garner, Lee Majors and Jonny Lee Miller.
Steve Zahn plays Gus McCrae, previously played by Robert Duvall and David Arquette.
Linda Cardellini plays Clara Forsythe, previously played by Anjelica Huston, Barbara Hershey and Jennifer Garner.
Val Kilmer, who plays the talking car on “Knight Rider,” is in it too.
The critical reaction:
USA Today gives it two stars (out of four) and says:
… Leisurely paced, inconsistently performed, and produced on what seems to be a buck and a half, Comanche Moon doesn't so much complete the Lonesome Dove saga as cheapen it. … for the most part, it just feels phony, lifeless and halfhearted — which probably explains why CBS is throwing it up against American Idol. …
Entertainment Weekly gives it a “B-plus” and says:
… It's gutsy to take on roles made famous by Duvall and, in Urban's case, Tommy Lee Jones, but the actors have the good fortune of working from a character-rich script by McMurtry and Diana Ossana (who won Oscars for their Brokeback Mountain screenplay). …
The New York Times says:
… Mr. Jones gave Woodrow the air of a man battling desires buried deep inside him. Mr. Urban just seems neutered, which goes a long way to making “Comanche Moon” feel as if it were created from Styrofoam, its foundation easily blown across the prairie. … Unlike “Lonesome Dove” “Comanche Moon” is imperfectly cast, and I found myself regretting for the first time the appearance of the wonderful Rachel Griffiths. …
The Los Angeles Times says:
… there aren't a lot of reasons to watch this one, though it has its moments … "Comanche Moon" casts no spell; it's a pedestrian job … Diffuse, episodic and sometimes just daft, "Comanche Moon" lacks purpose -- and at great length. As a prequel to "Lonesome Dove," it is almost doomed to a lack of resolution, and most every story line here quietly expires in a puff of "Huh?" …
The Washington Post says:
… could well be that "Comanche Moon" is the best "Lonesome Dove" movie since the first … can't match the vitality of the original and lacks the star power -- and yet it probably has a larger number of captivating sequences than any other miniseries of recent years, plus a few performances that are knockouts. First among them is Val Kilmer, fat and grizzled as Capt. Inish Scull …
The San Francisco Chronicle says:
… Those who have seen the original miniseries or its sequels know many of the characters here and will know what will happen to them. Those who don't know the other "Dove" films won't be disappointed, however: "Comanche Moon" has its own appeal, thanks in large part to the script, Simon Wincer's skillful direction, some exquisite cinematography and, most of all, several outstanding performances. …
The Dallas Morning News says:
… What Mr. McMurtry does so well is draw unusual, genuine characters, and the better you know them, the more engaging they become. But with Comanche Moon, that will require sitting through a slower Sunday night installment before the people and the events take hold. …
The Seattle Post-Intelligencer says:
… It's time to accept that network television can no longer do right by the sweeping epic miniseries. They daid, suh. And if you demand proof of that, sit through the opening night of the six-hour "Comanche Moon." No one who has anything better to do should do that, but if you're stubborn enough to not believe one person's word, you're welcome to this thing. No harm in sampling natural alternatives to Ambien, right? …
The Boston Herald says:
… this three-night oater is hobbled by terrible production values and some fatal miscasting. Val Kilmer and Rachel Griffiths (“Brothers & Sisters”) are the biggest offenders. … a confusing mush of Western myth. This horse is going right to the glue factory.
The Boston Globe says:
… For the first hour of "Comanche Moon" … it looks as though the three-part miniseries might be a fabulous botch, a smorgasbord of bad acting and Western-movie stereotypes that's awesome in its awfulness. But gradually, the miniseries settles into a more mediocre middle ground that is merely tedious, simplistic, and disjointed, like a six-hour episode of "F Troop" without Larry Storch. …
The Hollywood Reporter says:
… blessed with some powerful scenes but too much lightweight patter. It's as if McMurtry and Ossana were so concerned about comparisons to the classic from which it's spun that they made sure it feels less like an homage than its own seriocomic creation. What results isn't worth three nights of anyone's life, even if it carves a collection of memorable moments into the mix. …
Variety says:
… tedious, at times cartoonishly bad prequel … Without putting too fine a point on it, the performances are pretty awful. Zahn is miscast, Urban ("The Lord of the Rings") nearly nonverbal, while Kilmer and Griffiths are so over the top, they seem to be performing in a "Saturday Night Live" spoof. Ditto for the large Native-American cast, whose dialogue sounds inordinately stilted even in translation.
Herc’s Popular Pricing Pantry
$19.99: Season Eight!
60% Off!!
The third and final and completely wonderful third season of “Veronica Mars” (the one with the 12-minute fourth-season “Veronica FBI” pilot among its extras) continues to sell at the moment for $19.99!! That’s 67% Off!! (It was $37.99 a few weeks ago.) The first two seasons have been momentarily encheapened as well:
$19.99 Veronica Mars: Season One <--- VASTLY ENCHEAPENED!!
$19.99 Veronica Mars: Season Two <--- VASTLY ENCHEAPENED!!
$19.99 Veronica Mars: Season Three <--- VASTLY ENCHEAPENED!!
Warner Bros. Home Video’s girlish generosity, it turns out, is not limited to Keith and Leann’s brainy daughter. All four seasons of “The O.C.” are available for $16.99!! That’s a whole season for a dollar less than the “Epic Movie” DVD and 72% off on the latter two seasons (the ones with Taylor Townsend and the mini-Coop and the episode that tells you how it all ends).
Also, all seven seasons of “Gilmore Girls” are down to $19.99 per season.
TV-on-DVD Calendar
Last Week
Coach 3.x
Cops: 20th Anniversary Edition
Dragonball Z 4.x
Father Ted: The Complete Series
He-Man and the Masters of the Universe: Vol. 1 (2002)
It's The Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown: Deluxe Edition
Lillie: The Complete Miniseries
Rides 4.x Vol. 2
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2.x Vol. 1
Walker: Texas Ranger 4.x
This Week
B.L. Stryker 1.x
Comanche Moon: The Complete Miniseries
The Color Honeymooners Vol. 2
Dark Shadows: The Beginning Vol. 3
Extras: Finale Special
Family Affair 5.x
The Fugitive 1.x Vol. 2
Ghost Hunters 3.x Vol. 2
Hotel Babylon 1.x
Highlander: The Source
The Invisible Man (2000)
Justice League: The New Frontier (1-Disc)
Justice League: The New Frontier (2-Disc)
Justice League: The New Frontier [Blu-ray]
Newhart 1.x
Punky Brewster 4.x
The Red Green Show 1999
Rough Diamond: The Complete Series
Smurfs 1.x Vol. 1
State of Play: The Complete Miniseries
Next Week
Archie's Funhouse: The Complete Series
Ben 10 3.x
Doctor Who: Destiny of the Daleks
Doctor Who: Planet of Evil
Flight 29 Down 2.x
Flight 29 Down Hotel Tango: The Series Finale
The Hogfather
Human Giant 1.x
The Kill Point: The Complete Miniseries
The Love Boat 1.x Vol. 1
Magnum, P.I. 8.x
The Pink Panther Vol. 6
Rides 4.x Vol. 3
SNL: Best of 2006/2007
SNL: Lost & Found in the '80s
Sorrell & Son: The Complete Miniseries <--- NEW!!
Storm Hawks: Collector's Set
Trading Spaces: Specials
March 11
Fantastic Four Vol. 3
Five Days: The Complete Miniseries
Last of the Summer Wine: Vintage 1976
Lil' Bush 1.x
Love American Style 1.x Vol. 2
Michael Palin: New Europe
The Mod Squad 1.x Vol. 2
One Foot in the Grave 3.x
One Foot in the Grave 4.x
Sam & Max: Freelance Police: The Complete Series
South Park: Imaginationland
Stargate SG-1: The Ark of Truth
30 Days 2.x
Tin Man: The Complete Miniseries
Tom & Jerry Tales Vol. 4
March 18
Adventures of Robin Hood 1.x
Battlestar Galactica 3.x
Bionic Woman Vol. 1
Bozo: Best Of Vol. 1
Bump! European Highlights
Bump! Scandanavia
Corneil & Bernie: The Complete Series
Dennis The Menace - Trouble, Trouble Everywhere
Greek: Chapter One
Justice League: The New Frontier [DVD/HD-DVD]
Married With Children 8.x
McHale's Navy 3.x
Pebbles & Bamm Bamm: The Complete Series
A Pup Named Scooby-Doo 1.x
The Real McCoys: Best Of Vol. 1
Route 66: Three Episodes
Steve Canyon: Special Edition
The Untouchables 2.x Vol. 1
The Wild Wild West 4.x
March 25
Arthur 10.x
Baldwin Hills 1.x
The Catherine Tate Show 2.x
Day Break: The Complete Series
Frisky Dingo 1.x
The Invisible Man (2000) 1.x
Jayce and the Wheeled Warriors Vol. 1
Midsomer Murders 10.x
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It's like a grotesque nightmare. Okay, I may be exaggerating but, still, I don't like it.
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Man, I miss Red Green. They always showed it on Vermont PBS when I lived in Boston, but they don't show it down here in sunny North Carolina.
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But I already own all 5 seasons.
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..is the worst character ever created for the small screen. She totally fucked up that show..
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Includes a half hour documentary on The Legion of Doom called the Pathology of a Super Villain (and it sounds like it's narrated by the guy who played Loomis in the Halloween remake), a retorospective by Darwyn Cooke about the adaptation of the comic to the film and three episodes of the Justice League series.
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After almost releasing the entire series on DVD back in October 07, still no signs that MTV will ever release it. The network has no issue releasing their moronic reality shows is quickly as possible, but they refuse to release one of the best sketch comedy shows ever shown on TV. Idiots.
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...contain an ANAMORPHIC version of Raising Arizona?
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FI-FUCKING-NALLY. http://tinyurl.com/3y7m5y. Only announced extra is a Sarah Jessica Parker interview reminiscing about her time on the show. So the release of Sex and the City: the movie yields one (and only one) good treat.
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Bret Micheals looks very...uhm...pretty.
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buys A Shot Of Love or Rock of Love on dvd, are there people out there who's life is so pathetic that get off on watchign stupid people act stupid to try and impress so girl (or guy) who they know it's not going to last iwthand I knew the first time I watched a Shot at Love that she would go for the guy, there was no way MTV would actually allow her ot pick the chick, espically the butch chick, maybe if she had gone with one of the blonde hair, big titty lesbians they might have allowed it
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Or will it be another WKRP debacle?
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Angel for $11 per season. Seinfeld and Veronica for $20. All versions of Star Trek $63??? Like I said, Paramount is delusional. This is why I buy all other tv series here in the U.S., usually from Amazon. But I get my Star Trek bootleg from China or download them.
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He has nice legs though from the look of it!
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You've gotta be kidding. More interviews to not watch? A shiny metal box with a digital clock? What, Fox - too many people picking up your box sets used for $15 so you have to come up with some crap pseudo way to make more money off of something that's already out instead of putting out something that ISN'T on DVD yet? Die in a fire.
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regular DVDs? Is it just the one advertised or all of them? Can Blu-Ray players play regular DVDs?
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It's misleading to not put Cedric The Entertainer and Mike Epps on the cover.
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Simply because it is finally happening. Season nine of Cheers is coming out. Cannot wait.
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That is, Amazon.com has sold out of the 5-season boxed set. Crap.
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Hotel Babylon is on R1, but Life on Mars isn't? Not fair.
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Was a complete crapfest. Bad story, bad dialogue, bad acting and bad effects. I couldn't even make it to the end. Buy the entire Pauly Shore movie collection before this one.
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ka-ching
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That was a show that definitely grew into its own over time and became consistently funnier. And when it finally took a bow it went out at the top of its game, with what was easily one of the all-time greatest series finales ever. I've been waiting YEARS for this to come to DVD and I'll gladly make room on my shelf for the entire series!
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Better "today only deal"
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=8622582&productCategoryId=cat02040&type=product&tab=8&id=1772967#productdetail
Still pricey for $315, but calculate the per-disc cost and it's pretty phenomenal. Amazon is selling it for over $600. -
I came in here expecting to find "24" info, and instead got this crap.
"Son of a BITCH!"
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Great series.
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I know that the show was obviously named after its star but here's an idea: you know how they NEVER said what the name of the town was? What if the town itself was called "Newhart"? So it would sorta be like an 80s version of Green Acres (which Newhart was a lot like anyway). Dick Louden, owner of the Stratford Inn located in beautiful quirky Newhart, Vermont. Has a nice ring to it, doesn't it?
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She's addicted to this kind of crap.
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Thanks to Canada's Space cable channel: http://tinyurl.com/2l8xua
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and up-rez 'em too. Check the specs, Bunky.
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http://tinyurl.com/2lrzfr. Signing her up should have been the FIRST order of business after the strike ended.
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Jeepers, that's like asking me to read Homer's original manuscript for The Iliad - it's all Greek to me! I need to Coles Notes version or at least one in a language I understand. I have a hunch BluRay can't play normal DVDs - is that correct? If so, why in the world would anyone choose BR over HDDVD? I guess it's kind of a moot point now, but I'm curious.
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My mother in law got Newhart Season 1. And after watching three episodes, I found myself captivated by how much of a deadpan BAD ASS Bob Newhart is.Comedy-wise, Newhart was funny in a way that I've not seen in a long time. Is it me or was the show filmed in later seasons? I don't know. But I wish I could go back in time and yell at my younger self to watch it when it was on television.
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