Good old MST3K! One of the greatest shows in television history and yet I can never seem to find time to watch the box sets as they come in. This set, Volume 12, is the last set to be released by Rhino. All subsequent volumes are being released by Shout Entertainment. Not to worry, of course as the Shout discs are just as good content-wise and are released in thinpacks and not the nasty Digi-paks that Rhino used.

The Rebel Set: Now here's a movie that sounded good on paper but ultimately falls flat. It has tons of character and television actors but the plot is boring and really makes no sense at times. The riffing is average but not memorable. Honestly it's a below average episode.

Secret Agent Super Dragon: Now here's a fun and crappy spy thriller from the swingin' 60s. Ray Danton stars in this Italian take off of the James Bond super spy film genre. There's modestly hot women and some half decent fights. To quote my brother, "The film would've been good with the actors and the premise had it had a real plot and made by competant people."

The riffing on this one was quite good although no lines stuck in my head afterwards. Certainly not bad for a Joel episode.

The Starfighters: Oh God, please don't ever let the Air Force take me. I have the utmost respect for our service men and women but by George this film was a pain to watch. For some reason I think my cousin who spent 20 years in the Air Force would love this film. At least the host segments are hilarious.

Parts the Clonus Horror: Ugh! I HATE THIS MOVIE! Honestly, there are few MST3K epsisodes I can't watch and this is one of them. The film is disturbing and thus probably met its goal of shocking the audience into an anti-cloning stance. I just mourn for the waste of such talents as Peter Graves and Keenan Wynn. Ironically this film was remade into the Michael Bay crapfest known as "The Island."

At least the host segments are funny.

All in all a good set. There are two more sets after this one that I need to get around to watching soon. As of this writing I already have half of Vol. 13 watched so it may be sooner than I think.

Labels: Comedy, MST3K, TV Shows

Tonight in the middle of a marathon of shows I managed to finish up the first volume of the 1972 tokusatsu series, Kikaida (aka Kikaider.)

Kikaida is about a humanoid robot named Jiro who was created by Dr. Komyoji to fight against the evil Destructoids (evil robots) of the DARK organization that the doctor was forced to build. He goes around fighting a new monster each week while he and Dr. Komyoji's children seaarch for their lost father.

The show is really just another of the many Japanese live action shows for children made in the 1970s with one major exception, every character here is human sized. As is the case with these types of shows, everything is rather silly since the target audience was the under 10 year old male demographic so don't take it too seriously.

DARK is a strange organization lead by the sinister and somewhat eccentric Professor Gill. For whatever reason their main robots have names and characteristics consisting of a color and an animal. Their foot solders on the other hand look like luchadors from Mexican wrestling and they go around chanting "DARK" in a rather annoying fashion similar to the Miniblin from The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker.

Kikaida is a lot of fun but if I have to say anything bad about the release it's that it's rather expensive. I know that such niche shows are seldom cheap, though I have been spoiled by the releases of Iron King and Super Robot Red Baron as well as all the super cheap subtitled Godzilla and kaiju releases. I could definitely see myself picking up the rest of this show tomorrow if it averaged out to $1 or so an episode but for now I'll just keep watching the used bins, Amazon and eBay for the rest.

Labels: Japanese, Tokusatsu, TV Shows

Ahh more Good Eats! It's no secret that I absolutely love this show. The mix of science and cooking is pure genius and honestly there's nothing I can really say about this show that I haven't said before.

On this collection so far I haven't tried any of the new recipes though I have considered trying some of the Wonton recipes. Sushi and Pad Thai ... not so much. I may make the Egg Nog this Christmastime sans alcohol of course.

All in all a good solid collection. Pick it up at your local Target and be sure and catch the show on the Food Network.

Labels: Good Eats, TV Shows

It's no secret that I love cooking. I also am a big fan of science and comedy. Thus, it's no big surprise that I am a huge fan of Good Eats. Alton Brown mixes comedy, science and a lot of fun with his cooking to create some culinary masterpieces and some darn entertaining TV.

In this collection AB explores a bunch of different topics like fish, poultry and some meat shows. Personally I expect to at least try the chicken dissection and hopefully try making a good duck.

Labels: Good Eats, TV Shows

Classic tokusatsu fans rejoice! Iron King is here!

Iron King is a 26 episode series made in the vein of Ultraman and other such super heroes. Japan is under attack by various groups and, of course, they employ the latest monster robots. So who does Japan have to protect themselves against such treachery? Well a singing cowboy tough guy and his goofball red hat wearing sidekick who just happens to have the ability to transform into a giant robot super hero.

The show is excellent and really has a way about it that is unlike anything I've ever seen. There's tons of action and in the first two thirds of the series very interesting plot lines with bands of ancient Japanese nomads seeking revenge against the Yamato people. Later in the series the show shifts the enemies to aliens and the whole thing takes a turn downhill.

Still, despite a lackluster third story arc, I can heartily recommend Iron King to anyone who likes this sort of thing. Tokusatsu and kaiju fans will probably already own it but even if you're not a usual fan and you like weird Japanese stuff, this could be for you.

By the way, I used to be convinced that there were just some things that would never see a release here in America legally. I never thought even after the Ultraman discs were released that we'd see gems like this. What's next? Well BCI has some more series in the works including the already released Super Robot: Red Baron.

Labels: sci-fi, Tokusatsu, TV Shows

Now, I don't often blog about things other than DVDs after watching what I just watched I think I have enough to say.

To set up the situation I had a long work week and once I got out of college I went home and after dinner I went to my room to relax and fell asleep. Of course 8 hours from 7:00PM is 3:00 AM so after waking up refreshed and relaxed, I found I had to spend some quiet time without waking people up. Since I'm usually on the PC, I decided instead to forgo the internet and check out the boob tube. Outside of the movies I'd seen a hundred times and the usual paid infomercials promoting the newest food chopper to tell me that my knives and food processor are worthless I stumbled on Noggin (or the N as I guess it's called now) and they had something on called "The Best Years."

From the little research I did (which merely consisted of a quick Wiki search) it is an ongoing teen drama sitcom from Canada, yet set in the US although one character was mentioned to be Canadian. It centers around love, relationships and classwork. Basically it's like every other teen show out there but there's no parents. Also in typical fashion the actors are all played by people in their late twenties who should be well out of college by now.

As a 24 year old who just graduated from a small college, I really do wonder where colleges like this are. I went to school, had two jobs, joined clubs and managed to make some good friends. And yes, I even had some romantic relationships as well but the highly fictional account of what college life is like, doesn't really make sense to me.

Of course, what I should realize is that I am not the target audience for this show. Actually neither are college students. This show is for kids who have yet to go to college or even graduate high school. Much in the same way I was watching Saved by the Bell religiously in elementary school and then watching the New Class through middle school I grew to realize that school isn't like what they show on the TV.

I guess if I have any other comments about this show is that it seems to follow the same shallow course that all the rest of these shows do. With plot twists centering around kisses and pushes and other teen-safe drama elements these kids lead an entirely shallow life centering around sex and their own selfish interests. Even the elements of friendship here are more seen as just ways to satisfy self-interest. Just once would I like to see a drama show with a decent human as a character.

My younger sister who is 20 would probably eat this show up. Personally, I think Canada can have it back.

Labels: TV Shows

Lifting up my week is Rhino's newest installment of their MST3K box sets. They are sticking to the standard format of four movies per volume and are still including a few goodies here and there. I always have high hopes on these sets and this one is no exception.

Ring of Terror is the first episode on the disc and is the weakest of the bunch. This season 2 episode was unfortunately too dull for my tastes as it's obvious that the gang is still getting the knack of writing the riffing. The real saver here was an episode of the incredibly rediculous Undersea Kingdom serial.

The Indestructible Man has Lon Chaney Jr. in the roll of "the Butcher" who is a killer brought back from the dead thanks to some goofy amateur scientists with a station wagon. The film is total garbage but the riffing is top notch. I also loved the end segment with Mike Nelson and Kevin Murphy as cops.

Tormented is actually the best source film of the four. Bert I. Gordon actually wrote a rather interesting little ghost story and despite the lack of budget this film holds up quite well. The only problem that I had with it was that I did not seem to blame the lead as much as the movie seems to have wanted me to and I found myself hating the ghost as much as he did.

This disc also has a great interview with Bert I. Gordon, his daughter (and Tormented actress) Susan Gordon and the guy who played the beatnik sailor. It's quite informative and while there is some back-patting by all throughout the interview I will agree with them that Susan Gordon was quite the child actress and her performance as the cute little sister was first rate.

Finishing out the set was the absolute best episode that Mystery Science Theater 3000 ever did. Horrors of Spider Island was the third to last episode Best Brains did before closing down for good and was one of the few episodes I was able to watch on its first broadcast. Ever since then I have nearly worn out my VHS (and later DVD-R) recordings of it.

The brilliance of this episode is two-fold. First off the film is a total turkey and yet is completely watchable by anyone with a warped sense of humor and a love for Eastern European women showing their breasts (and there are many of you, I'm sure.) Secondly the riffing has some of the greatest lines ever. I find myself quoting the film at times when appropriate or inappropriate for that matter.

If you need a reason to buy the set, then I question your status as a MSTie. Buy this set today!

Highest Recommendation!!

Labels: Comedy, MST3K, TV Shows

Tales of Tomorrow - Vol. 1:

Now here is something different. EastWest has released four episodes of the now public domain TV series, Tales of Tomorrow. This like many early TV shows was shown in an anthology format with a different cast and story each week. There were also quite a few stars here such as Leslie Neilson, Lon Chaney Jr., Brian Keith and Thomas Mitchell. Many of the rest were Hollywood character actors and bit players.

As with much early television this was produced with a budget of nothing and the kinescoped prints do nothing to hide the cheapness of what was supposed to be Martian terrain and saddest of all when Leslie Neilson uses a geiger counter the clicks come from what sounds like someone hitting two drumsticks together.

The cheapness could be overlooked if the plots were decent but the plots just didn't have the
writing that later series such as the Outer Limits, One Step Beyond and, of course, the Twilight Zone would be forever remembered for.

Watch it as a curiosity but nothing else.

Labels: Cheap DVDs, Dollar DVD, TV Shows

To kick off the new direction of the website, I am making my first blog entry that is not about a dvd.

Sherman's March: Here we have a dramatic retelling of Sherman's famous March to the Sea campaign as well as his exploits leading up until the end of the war. It was typical in History Channel fare in regards to its presentation. Edward Herrmann was the narrator, as is typical and they used a documentary and reenactment format common to all their specials.

The reenactments were decent enough although the actor portraying Grant seemed a bit weak. Sherman was passable although for some reason I just didn't feel his acting was genuine.

This aired on the History Channel back on April 22 although I am just now able to watch it.

Labels: History, TV Shows

Mystery Science Theater 3000 Collection: Volume 10: At last I am able to see this sadly out of print set of MST3K goodness.

Godzilla vs. Megalon: Hailing from season 2 is this film which many consider to be Godzilla's weakest entry. Joel and the Bots have fun with this one and the commentary is good but it just doesn't have the polish that later episodes would have. The real weakness happens to be in the host segments, most specifically the rather mean one aimed at Orville Redenbacher and his grandson. Sadly, this was the episode which made the set go out of print as Rhino was acting under the assumption that the film was still public domain. They weren't the first to make that mistake and I'm sure not the last.

Swamp Diamonds: Now here's a movie that certainly banks more on star power than on content. The sad part is their stars really weren't A-list, at least not yet. Mike Conners (billed as "Touch Conners" ) goes into the bayou with his girlfriend only to meet up with a couple of escaped female prisoners (and one undercover cop) looking for some diamonds their ex boyfriends stashed before getting the electric chair.

This episode is decent with Joel and the Bots doing a good job at riffing a really terrible movie. The real gems here, if you pardon the pun, are the fact that the girls are pretty hot. Of course, Beverly Garland was always nice to look at and it's somewhat interesting to see her as a tough killer, even after watching the putrid episode, Gunslinger.

Of course what else is good is that the episode features one of my favorite shorts (MST'ed and plain) What to Do on a Date.

Teenage Strangler: Another terrible movie that equates to one of the best Comedy Central episodes I've ever seen. In this film Jimmy, a local teenager, gets blamed for some horrific strangling that is going on. Don't give away the bland and boring ending of "Teenage Strangler."

Also on this episode is the normally hilarious short, "Is This Love?" where a crazy gal decides to elope with her "football player" boyfriend much to the disapproval of her parents and all good sense. I used to laugh at this episode a lot but when you see someone make the same mistake at home, it becomes harder to laugh at.

Rounding out disc three is Poopie volume 2. This was a collection of outtakes originally sold through the old info club but now is here for all the world to see. Or at least those fortunate to get Vol. 10.

The Giant Spider Invasion: The last disc takes us to the Sci-Fi years with one of the most putrid movies to ever be released to theaters. Starring a cast of "has-beens" and set in Wisconsin this film is about some alien spiders who crash land and start attacking cattle. There's also a lot of putrid looking rednecks being attacked in some rather unpleasant surroundings.

I don't know if this film accurately portrays Wisconsin, or at least parts of Wisconsin. I know that after watching this film I no longer wish to visit it. Of course, Step by Step was set in Wisconsin so if TV is to be believed, they may have cleaned up a bit since then.

Rounding out the set is another fantastic extra in the form of the MST3K video Jukebox. Included are videos of many of the songs done by the gang over the years. While they did not have the Gamera songs, like I had hoped, it was still a nice compilation.

Seeing MST3K Box 10 out of print is nothing short of a tragedy. I know there are a lot of MST3K fans, like myself, who had to pay through the nose for this after it became impossible to find. Perhaps Rhino could rerelease it as a three disc set in the future.

Either way, I can't wait for box 11 which is slated for release sometime this summer. This time I won't goof around and it will be preordered.

Labels: Comedy, TV Shows

Thomas & Friends: Milkshake Muddle: Here's the newest release from Thomas featuring a few episodes from season 9. This is about standard for the releases before with a few lesson heavy stories, some "educational" stuff in the middle and then a song or two.

I think I've covered everything Thomas before in previous posts but I do feel that some things do need to be said. First is that no matter how much I whine, moan and grown, the product will not improve. That is because HIT could care less about the guy who is 24 watching this stuff and really is only interested in those who are around 4 years old and watching this.

I have given up and I somewhat have accepted that all future releases will be just like this one where stories are based on a less (not spreading rumors or working together) and less upon the whole character driven stories of before. Engines will drive themselves and the purpose of the whole railway will be for children's parties.

We'll never see Culdee tell the story of Godred becoming smaller and smaller but we will get a new engine each week.

Labels: Thomas, TV Shows

Under the Umbrella Tree: Volume 4: Rounding out the collection is the fourth and hopefully not last volume of Under the Umbrella Tree. We anticipated this volume more than any other with the only possible exception being Volume Three. This was mostly due to the selection of episodes. All of these I remember but sadly have not seen in at least 10 years.

First on the disc is "Gloria Gets Rough." This story talks about gender roles, unnecessary violence and how playing football in the house is not a good idea. Actually it's about Gloria being upset that some boys won't let her play football so she decides to play rough with Iggy and Jacob. The episode handles it all well and offers some alternatives.

Next up is "Private" where Jacob can't learn to respect other people's privacy. After that is a favorite of mine, "The Aqua Show" where the gang puts on a show in the bathroom. I especially loved Iggy as a fish.

Finally is another of the half hour shows, "Ready to Learn." In this special Jacob starts a flying school, Holly tries to learn computers and Iggy and Gloria start school for the first time. This is one of the best specials and has some genuinely laugh out loud moments.

All in all the set is quite nice and I will be holding a vigil every night until Volume 5 is released.

Labels: Family, TV Shows

Under the Umbrella Tree: Volume 3: When I have a good DVD series, I just can't stop watching it. This is no more true than in one of my childhood favorites, Under the Umbrella Tree.

Most of the episodes I remembered quite well and several I was quite anticipating such as "To the Dentist," "Jacob's Girlfriends" and especially "Going Bananas."

The presentation of these discs is quite nice. I really love how they bring out the puppets to introduce the episodes. I am also glad to learn that the child narrator was not original and we can actually hear the theme song. Also we get to see the original slightly different opening on Bananas as that was made earlier in the series.

As anything else I say will just be a repeat of the last two, I will merely say that this is a show which I will buy any and all future releases of. Here's hoping we can get more soon.

In closing, I feel it best to sing a song.
It's National Banana Day! We'll peel our frowns away! It's time to shout, "Hooray!" "For National Banana Day!

Labels: Family, TV Shows

Under the Umbrella Tree: Volume 2: Continuing where volume one left off is this collection of three more regular adventures of the Umbrella Tree gang along with one of the half hour specials.

The disc starts out with an episode I remembered distinctly but had not seen in at least 10 years. Chez Iggy (which translates to Iggy's Place) is the story of Iggy who, after inventing a new salad, decides to open a pretend restaurant in the basement. Unfortunately he learns that restaurant work is much more work than he thought.

Next up is "Hanky Panky" where, as the title suggests, the gang all come down with colds so Holly teaches them to blow their noses on their new handkerchiefs. Unfortunately they end up playing with their hankies more than actually blowing their nose.

After that is The Gingerbread House which is the first story on either of the discs which we already had on our old videos. This is not a bad thing, however as our tapes were not in the best of shape.

The real jewel of the disc is the half hour Valentine's Day special. This one is where the gang really learns what love is and what it means to love. Holly has a secret admirer and Jacob is sweet on Meghan (played by a young but still smoking hot Stacie Mistysyn of Degrassi fame.) It's a lot of fun with some good songs and like the others, I highly recommend it.

Labels: Family, TV Shows

Under the Umbrella Tree: Volume 1: Due to being quite busy this week, coupled with some personal events I had taken a sort of sabbatical from my DVD viewing. This could not last forever as today I received what is perhaps one of my most anticipated DVDs to date.

Back in the late Eighties and early Nineties there was a show on Canadian TV show called Under the Umbrella Tree which, thankfully, was brought to the US via the Disney Channel. As a child my brother, my sisters and I were always glued to the TV whenever it was on and the few episodes we managed to (very badly) record onto VHS were watched so many times that the tape nearly wore out.

When I found out that UTUT had come to DVD I was initially disappointed that it was not in season sets and would be released as "Best Of" collections. Even more disappointing was the fact that the DVD would not be sold via normal retail outlets. Still, I happily handed over the $15 each via the Cinerio website and impatiently waited for the postman to deliver it.

The show is about a woman named Holly who lives with her three anthropomorphic puppet roommates: Iggy, Gloria and Jacob. The show is, in all honesty, much like any other in terms of set up and plots but the real charm comes in the execution. Iggy, Gloria and Jacob are very believable and likable characters. The stories themselves are not always lesson orientated as far too many children's shows insist on being.

Even though it is a pain to order them, I recommend this DVD to anyone. If you haven't seen this, you might not get the nostalgic feel I have but I would then suggest you show it to your kids as they should love it.

Labels: Family, TV Shows

Good Eats with Alton Brown: Sweet Somethings: Sometimes I wonder if I really need to say anything about the stuff that I really like? I suppose that while it is somewhat obvious as to what my verdict will be, I think I should at least say a few words about this set.

As Alton Brown himself admits, he has a bit of a sweet tooth and many of the episodes featured on here reflect that as they are all about dessert. We learn about pudding, chocolate, gelatin and other dessert foods with ABs signature mix of wit and science. I believe that segments of Good Eats could be used in middle school chemistry classes to show a little bit of how this stuff applies to the real world.

Of course, this is another good set and worth buying.

Labels: Cooking, TV Shows

Good Eats with Alton Brown: More Super Sweets, Family Favorites, Say Cheese: Here we have three more discs of episodes of the best cooking show currently on TV. I really don't know what exactly there is to say about Good Eats that I didn't cover on the other two sets I have. Basically Alton Brown is the Bill Nye of cooking shows and he lends his humor and knowledge of cooking science to make food interesting.

I recommend Good Eats sets even before I watch them so anything else would be saying too much.

Labels: Comedy, Cooking, TV Shows

One Step Beyond: In 1959 two shows about the paranormal would debut. One of them was The Twilight Zone and the other was this show, One Step Beyond. While on the surface they seem to be similar shows they are quite different and while OSB is not quite, in my view, up to the level of the Twilight Zone it is certainly worth watching.

I bought this DVD due to its cover, or rather who was on the cover. Here was a classic TV show on DVD for a dollar with one episode featuring the late, great Charles Bronson. He plays the part of a boxer with a premonition of death wonderfully and the episode surely left me on the edge of my seat. The other episodes were alright but not really as interesting as the Bronson one.

The print on this DVD leaves much to be desired. Sadly, or perhaps fortunately, this show fell in the public domain and while we may never have seen these shows again if they were still copyrighted, the prints are so worn that it is hardly worth anything but a dollar.

Labels: Dollar DVD, TV Shows

Count Duckula: The Complete First Season: Ever have a show that you watched as a kid and then you went back to it years later and the magic was gone? Sadly, this is the fate of Duckula. It was one of my favorite shows growing up and while some of the humor does make me laugh, especially the jokes on the various British dialects that people have but as a whole, I guess I lost my taste for the macabre humor the show exhibited.

What's interesting is that as kids my brother Charley was not into Duckula much and now he loves the show. Go figure!

Labels: Cartoons, TV Shows

Thomas & Friends: On Site With Thomas: The last of my Thomas DVDs are finally in so with work lasting until midnight this week, I had to find something to do during the long hours at the help desk.

This disc, as the cover suggest centers around the construction machines like Jack. Thomas and Percy make small appearances along with Sir Topham Hatt but most of the disc is about Miss Jenny and her construction equipment. This is not necessarily a bad thing but at times I felt more like I was watching Bob the Builder than Thomas.

Labels: Thomas, TV Shows

Thomas & Friends: Thomas' Halloween Adventures: I know that I am a month late on this one but I didn't get it until the Deep Discount DVD sale. While I am no fan of Halloween I am somewhat of a completionist when it comes to Thomas.

The material here is a collection of previously released material on other discs with a Halloween theme. Sadly, I didn't check this one out and just picked it up for completion's sake. It's too bad as I doubt I would have bought it had I known.

Pass on this one unless you must have every Thomas DVD.

Labels: Thomas, TV Shows

Thomas & Friends: Hooray For Thomas & Other Adventures: In the recent Deep Discount Super Sale, I got a lot of Christmas shopping done. I tried not to buy much for myself but I did get most of the Thomas DVDs that I had not yet bought. Having some free time when the girls were on the PC allowed me to watch this while waiting for dinner.

Most of the stories are in the new style where absolutely all railway rules and regulations are gone. Of course, as someone told me, in the world of train regulations trains don't exactly talk. Putting this aside the episodes are quite interesting at times and some are pretty well written and directed, especially the episodes which feature good human character dialog. I like seeing how they bring Sir Topham Hatt and Lady Hatt more into the stories and keep things consistent by referencing older characters like Jem Cole.

I have mixed feelings about these new Thomas DVDs as a regular reader could easily point out. However I've decided either the episodes are getting better or they are starting to grow on me. Although it probably helped that they did not have the annoying CGI bumpers or Dora the Explorer like games. This release proves that the stories stand well on their own without the annoying extras just as they did when I was a kid.

Labels: Thomas, TV Shows

The Critic: The Complete Series: Here is another release which for reasons unknown to me, I never picked up. Luckily for my birthday my parents bought me this set and I watched it within a week.

The show centers around film critic Jay Sherman and his life on and off camera. Since his job is that of a film critic the show features many film parodies of both (then) current films as well as a few classics thrown in as well. Jay also has exploits in his love life as well as his professional life. This makes for some very funny TV in a very well done DVD box set.

The Critic was one of those shows which network execs and a lot of the public never really grasped onto and at the same time garnered critical acclaim and a sort of cult following. It went one season at ABC before being canceled and then moved to FOX before getting canned for good. There was an attempt to revive the show on 2000 via the internet but sadly, these episodes are but a mere shadow of the great show that once was.

I was one of those devoted few who was glued to the TV each week to see what Jay was going to make fun of next. It is somewhat ironic that The Critic routinely had the theme that quality was something that people in Hollywood were no longer interested in and yet the show proved that by being canceled. It boggles the mind to see shows like the Critic getting canned after two years when crap like the Simpsons won't die.

On a side note, while I doubt the Critic had much of an effect on my childhood outside of remembering various catchphrases to the show. I can say that as someone who is something of an amateur film critic I have a great admiration for those who can stomach to see just about every film released each year. Since I have no where near the strength to sit through one Keanu Reeves film I limit this blog only to films that I watch by choice. I have debated over the years of including DVDs that I do not own as well as films I catch on TCM but as of now, I think I will stick to this format.

Labels: TV Shows

Thomas & Friends: Come Ride the Rails: Do you ever feel sometimes that you are clinging to a TV show long after it jumped the shark? I'm sure a lot of people felt that way when they watched Steve Urkel went up into space, or when Elmo took over Sesame Street. I really do feel that with each new DVD of Thomas & Friends I buy, I watch the show sink more and more into a big ugly mess. One only needs to look at my other entries here on the blog to see that.

One good addition on this was a feature to skip all the nonsense between the episodes and just watch the stories. It sure saves the skip button on my DVD remote from getting a workout.

Labels: Thomas, TV Shows

Good Eats with Alton Brown: Meats, Sweets and Holiday Treats: Following up on the last Good Eats DVD, I decided to watch the other one I bought as part of the Target sale. After watching it I can see that this is an earlier volume but it really didn't make much difference watching them out of order.

The episodes shown are solid and funny. I especially liked the DVD with episodes devoted to meat. All of this cooking has made me want to expand my independence and learn how to cook more. I really feel that one can't get through life very far without some cooking skills.

There are many reasons I have yet to post much lately. College has unfortunately cut into my precious DVD time and this takes away from my ability to watch DVDs at my helpdesk job as well.

On the bright side, this is the first blog post made on my new computer. It is a 13" MacBook with a 2.0Ghz processor. I plan on upgrading the RAM at some point but with money the way it is, I'm good for now.

Labels: TV Shows

Good Eats with Alton Brown: Breakfast Eats, Super Sweets and American Greats: A very long title for a collection of episodes from the classic Food Network show equals an incredibly enjoyable way to spend a few hours. I was able to watch all nine episodes plus the extras in one day, and with my schedule and drive that is saying something.

Alton Brown can be best described as somewhat of the Bill Nye of cooking shows. He gives a lot of science explained through amusing skits, chalkboard diagrams and just plain silliness. He also has some pretty nice looking recipes even if my allergies forbid me from trying some. At least I could appreciate his homemade microwave popcorn. Goodbye Pop Weavers cheap crap at Wal*Mart.

So remember to stock up on Kosher Salt and head on over to Target and pick this one up. You won't regret it; trust me.

Labels: TV Shows

Princess Gwenevere & the Jewel Riders: Wizard's Peak: Digiview has officially moved themselves up from the one dollar line all the way up to $4 for their new, officially licensed BKN cartoons. While the last bunch, Roswell and Skysurfer, remained at $1, for some reason Digiview felt that this series was more demanding of a somewhat higher release and even put it in a full sized white case to boot! They also cut the BKN promos if they weren't cut already, yet failed to synch the cover name to the video which identifies the show as "Starla & the Jewel Riders."

I really wish that they had left this release at the $1 price point as I wouldn't feel so bad about the money I wasted. That's right, the series was one of the worst pieces of garbage animation ever. First they used every cliche of what is supposed to attract young females: cute talking animals, simplistic plots about friendship and the mandatory pink and purple color palette. Of course, they even went one further and added the ultimate little girl attracting element: a pegasus unicorn!

What plot of the show there is basally is about a quest to get some sort of jewels that Merlin lost in a fight with the villain, Lady Kale. They have run ins with the bad guys and ride their unicorns, discuss outfits and basically make every male in the audience lose their lunch. I can take She-Ra, which this show does its best to imitate by the way, and yet I just can't stomach this.

Labels: Cartoons, TV Shows

Thomas & Friends: Tales from the Tracks: More episodes from the long passed its prime show. Watching Thomas is in some ways like watching an actual train wreck: it's bad and it just gets worse but you keep watching it. As I seem to be buying and watching these, I should at least offer some criticism of what is wrong with the show and perhaps what could be fixed.

The first thing I would change is to get back to reality. Trains do not have free will over where they go and don't go. These are done by the driver, signalmen, shunters et. all. The early stories acknowledged this and even used it for plot points. It seems now that engines just go off on their own and do as they please. This is also extended in that very little actual railway business seems to happen on the Island of Sodor. While the railways used to be used in Awdry's stories for moving passengers, shunting, hauling goods trains and the like, the engines are now there only for whatever whim the Fat Controller has for the day. (e.g. The kids need ice cream so we'll send Thomas for that!) The Rev. Awdry stressed realism in his stories (as real as talking engines can be) with many of his stories being based on actual events. That respect for the way a railway was run should be extended to the show as it once was.

My final gripe would be how political correctness has hit Thomas. While the original stories were written in the 40s and thus some question them as outdated, this is not an excuse for neglecting older characters to push female characters like Emily. The PC police have also added black people in the crowds. The worst has to be that Thomas readily takes part in the "War on Christmas." The same show that had a Christmas episode now refers to Christmas as the "winter holiday season." Gag me with a spoon.

So that's the state of things on Sodor. I think the only saving grace is that the Thin Controller is introduced, even if he is called Mr. Percival. Perhaps someone at HIT is reading the books? I doubt it very much. In the meantime can we please have the Season 2 boxset?

Labels: Thomas, TV Shows

Thomas & Friends : Percy's Chocolate Crunch: Here is another collection of Thomas & Friends episodes which are good as far as the newer episodes go. The highlight was definately the episode with the opera singer. There's also one story featuring the narrow guage railway, which is always welcome in my book.

I'm afraid that Thomas DVDs have become a bit routine and it's very hard to rate them. If you enjoy this sort of thing you already know what to expect.

Labels: Thomas, TV Shows

Thomas & Friends: Salty's Secret: Continuing with the Thomas kick I've been on with the new arrivals from Deep Discount. Included here are six stories and three more characters are introduced with a side effect of three more toys to sell. The stories are standard Thomas the Tank Engine fare post Awdry.

What I do like is how human characters like the fogman as well as Trevor's driver, Jem Cole, are brought up and mentioned.

On a side note, while generally I don't enjoy all of the Sing-Along songs, I did really enjoy this one, "James the Really Splendid Engine."

Now that the Deep Discount items are in, my backlog is back up to 215. I suppose I should get cracking!

Labels: Thomas, TV Shows

Thomas & Friends : Thomas & The Jet Engine: When the Deep Discount DVD sale came around, it was time to fill in some of the gaps in my collection. I decided to get a bunch of the Thomas DVDs I did not have. This one came in today and of course, I had to watch it.

The stories on this disc are more of the ridiculous nature that strays from the original stories by the Rev. Awdry. The title story is filled with silliness that makes me wonder if the people at HIT understand what the appeal of Thomas is. For all her faults Britt Allcroft at least made the show entertaining. Oh how I pine for more of those grand stories that the Awdry's did. If only HIT and Christopher Awdry could reconcile.

Labels: Thomas, TV Shows

Thomas & Friends: Make Someone Happy: This one was quite good and is before the total shark jump. It doesn't have the flaws the new show has and is still quite interesting. I give this one a thumbs up and it will probably be watched around the house several times in the next few weeks.

Sailor Moon: Season 1 - Disc 6: More goodness with Sailor Moon finished.

Labels: Thomas, TV Shows

Thomas & Friends: Steamies vs. Diesels: There's very little battle n this one and with only four episodes I would call this quite the ripoff if you get it for full price.

One side note that I wish to speak about is the new director, Steve Asquith. His style is much different than David Mitton, whose style was to set it up like a children's book with very little animation outside of the trains rolling along and the eyes moving. Camera pans were almost non-existant so despite the poor scriptwriting and bad music, I have to comment Steve Asquith for adding interesting little touches here and there.

Labels: Thomas, TV Shows

Thomas & Friends: It's Great to Be An Engine: I got this in a dual set at Wal*Mart with Steamies and Diesels for $14.88 for the pair.

As I see more and more of the new Thomas episodes, the more I realize that the show has jumped the shark. The shows are being made more and more for smaller children. That is not to say that I don't enjoy the fantastic model work, cinematography and the like. The weakness is instead in the writing staff. As the age of steam becomes a more and more distant memory, there are fewer and fewer people who remember what it was like when the Reverend Awdry wrote the original stories.

If I could offer some more critiques to those who write for Thomas, it would be to do more research on the Railway Series and British railways in general. Also, stop talking down to your audience and stop the "moral of the story" centered episodes.

Labels: Thomas, TV Shows

Thomas & Friends: Spills & Chills: As my Thomas collection nears completion, I finished watching this volume which has Alec Baldwin doing the voices. It's not bad, actually with the exception of the Boulder episode (too unbelievable) but I especially liked how Stephen and Bridget Hatt made appearances again. It's always nice to see continuity.

Labels: Thomas, TV Shows

Thomas & Friends: Calling All Engines: Let's face it, Thomas the Tank Engine has jumped the shark and thus has reached the point of no return. In the last DVD, I commented how the shows were too simplified and too unrealistic. I know that engines can't talk but at least railway terms and rules were kept. This event was just bordering on rediculous. For example, the dream sequences made me really want to take the disc out and stop watching.

To those behind Thomas (HIT Entertainment) for your own good, please, PLEASE hire Christopher Awdry at all costs or at least some writers who can remain faithful to the original stories.

Labels: Thomas, TV Shows

Thomas & The Really Brave Engines: While the original source material long used up, and the whole deal of Christopher Awdry no longer writing Thomas stories, the series was bound to run out of ideas sooner or later. While the stories are nothing new (Toby's Windmill is a near carbon copy of Henry's Forest) they are still entertaining. The biggest gripes I have is that the classic theme is gone. In its place is a sort of rinky dink theme accompanied with CGI! Sorry Thomas, but you've jumped the shark.

Labels: Thomas, TV Shows

One more I forgot to write about last night.

Thomas & Friends: Thomas & His Friends Help Out: I have this on VHS but it was nice to get the DVD, I guess. It came in a boxset with two other discs I didn't have, but it was nice to see on DVD.

Labels: Thomas, TV Shows

Okay, in recent days I have received five dvds that I ordered and watched that many and thus the backlog barely has blipped. Of course this means that I have a nice collection to talk about.

Thomas & Friends: New Friends for Thomas & Other Adventures: This was my first experience to the mad world of the post Carlin episodes of Thomas and so I watched it first. Michael Angelis of Coronation Street narrated this American release like he has narrated all the British ones since Ringo left the show in 1991. The narration wasn't bad but I found that the moving away from the main engines and making stories about all these new engines gives HIT a chance to sell toys, but removes itself from the Rev. Awdry's stories too much.

Thomas & Friends: James & The Red Balloon: More Thomas, this time with Alec Baldwin as the narrator. He's alright, but certainly not as good as Ringo was. I did like how Edward got a story based around him. He was always a favorite of mine and I felt that the first engine was always neglected. New stories from the Skarloey Railway is also welcome as well, even if Rusty does look a little fat.

Thomas & Friends: Cranky Bugs & Other Thomas Stories: While the title character of Cranky from this disc is a rather boring and unexciting edition to Sodor, the disc really shines with Lady Hatt's Birthday Party. Seeing the Fat Controller working as a fireman and falling into a mud puddle made it worth the price of the disc alone.

Thomas & Friends: Best of Gordon: A decent collection with George Carlin and Alec Baldwin episodes. While I prefer the Ringo Star dubs, it was nice to get some of the older stories on DVD, although with Thomas, I end up double and sometimes triple dipping.

King Kong The Animated Series Volume 1: The old Rankin Bass show is finally on DVD. While the animation wasn't really much better than other Japanese made shows of the time like Speed Racer, it was a lot of fun to watch. When King Kong originally aired, there was another cartoon that ran with it called Tom of T.H.U.M.B. about a secret agent janitor who was shrunk, along with his Asian comrade, by some top secret ray the government was making for some unknown purpose. Anyway, the two fight against the group M.A.D (Maladjusted, Antisocial and just Darn Mean) All fun stuff and for under $10 I recommend any animation fan pick these releases up.

Labels: Cartoons, Thomas, TV Shows