Super Ping

Based on a Richard Hooker novel of the same name, MASH was released in 1970 as a full-length feature film by 20th Century Fox before experiencing widespread success as a groundbreaking television sitcom in the Fall of 1972. The show’s brilliant integration of drama and comedy made it one of the most celebrated shows in TV history, culminating in an eleven year prime time series stint. The 1983 series finale of MASH made history as the program with the single largest audience in television history, beating out several SuperBowls and the fabled “Who Shot J.R.” episode of Dallas. With the proliferation of new television mediums, it’s a record likely to never be broken…

The sitcom is set in South Korea during American involvement in the Korea War (with M*A*S*H standing for “Mobile Army Surgical Hospital”). Buffered from the front lines by a mountain range and a minefield, the men and women of MASH were tasked with patching up wounded American soldiers. Unique to its genre, the cast of MASH was unusually large. Surgeons Dr. Benjamin Pierce (Alan Alda) and Dr. “Trapper” John McIntyre (Wayne Rogers) play the roles of excellent doctors who enjoy women and booze, while Dr. Frank Burns (Larry Linville) and Nurse Practitioner Margaret “Hot Lips” Houlihan (Loretta Swit) play foil to the two men’s shenanigans (due to a contract dispute, Rogers’ character was later replaced by Dr. B.J. Hunnicutt - played by Mike Farrell). The character of Frank Burns was also later replaced by Dr. Charles Emerson Winchester (David Ogden Stiers)…

Corporal Max Klinger (Jamie Farr) provides comic relief with his early attempts to procure a discharge by dressing in women’s clothing, and Father Francis Mulcahy (William Christopher) adds flavor to a diverse cast of characters. Also rounding out the cast are Lt. Col. Henry Blake (McLean Stevenson), Corporal Walter “Radar” O’Reilly (Gary Burghoff), and Col. Sherman Potter (Harry Morgan)…

The MASH DVD offers a number of hilarious episodes including the series premiere in which Hawkeye Pierce and Trapper John McIntyre learn that their houseboy, Ho-John, got accepted to Hawkeye’s alma mater. In order to raise money for Ho-John’s trip to the United States, the two auction off a weekend pass to Tokyo with Nurse Dish and celebrate the college acceptance with a lavish party… Other notable episodes from Season 1 include “The Moose” in which a GI arrives at camp with a Korean female slave he purchased, and “Cease-Fire” in which the MASH camp prematurely celebrates a purported cease-fire which never takes place…

Below is a list of episodes included on the MASH (Season 1) DVD:

Episode 1 (The Pilot) Air Date: 09-17-1972
Episode 2 (To Market, to Market) Air Date: 09-24-1972
Episode 3 (Requiem for a Lightweight) Air Date: 10-01-1972
Episode 4 (Chief Surgeon Who?) Air Date: 10-08-1972
Episode 5 (The Moose) Air Date: 10-15-1972
Episode 6 (Yankee Doodle Doctor) Air Date: 10-22-1972
Episode 7 (Bananas, Crackers, and Nuts) Air Date: 11-05-1972
Episode 8 (Cowboy) Air Date: 11-12-1972
Episode 9 (Henry, Please Come Home) Air Date: 11-19-1972
Episode 10 (I Hate a Mystery) Air Date: 11-26-1972
Episode 11 (Germ Warfare) Air Date: 12-10-1972
Episode 12 (Dear Dad) Air Date: 12-17-1972
Episode 13 (Edwina) Air Date: 12-24-1972
Episode 14 (Love Story) Air Date: 01-07-1973
Episode 15 (Tuttle) Air Date: 01-14-1973
Episode 16 (The Ringbanger) Air Date: 01-21-1973
Episode 17 (Sometimes You Hear the Bullet) Air Date: 01-28-1973
Episode 18 (Dear Dad, Again) Air Date: 02-04-1973
Episode 19 (The Long-John Flap) Air Date: 02-17-1973
Episode 20 (The Army-Navy Game) Air Date: 02-25-1973
Episode 21 (Sticky Wicket) Air Date: 03-04-1973
Episode 22 (Major Fred C. Dobbs) Air Date: 03-11-1973
Episode 23 (Cease-Fire) Air Date: 03-18-1973
Episode 24 (Showtime) Air Date: 03-25-1973

About the Author

Britt Gillette is author of The DVD Report, a blog where you can find more reviews like this one of the MASH (DVD).

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Nominated for 17 Emmys in its short four-year run, Soap premiered in the Fall of 1977 as one of the most controversial shows in American television history (and all before a single episode ever aired). The show was opposed by many groups who thought its subject matter would be too mature for a prime-time audience. But Soap never overstepped its bounds, and the show became an instant smash hit with its brilliant and satirical spoofs of classic daytime programming. Sporting an all-star cast and talented producers, the show spawned successful spin-off Benson in 1979, a series that launched Robert Guillaume’s career to a whole new level…

Set in suburban Connecticut, Soap follows the lives of two sisters - Jessica Tate (Katherine Helmond), a wealthy yet dim elitist, and Mary Campbell (Cathryn Damon), a housewife in a more traditional blue-collar atmosphere. But regardless of their social station in life, neither woman manages to escape the scandal and intrigue surrounding a typical soap opera family. Jessica’s daughter Corrine (Diana Canova) is smitten with a priest, yet they are both having an affair with the same tennis pro. Meanwhile, Jessica and her husband Chester (Robert Mandan) incessantly cheat on one another. As for the other side of the family, Mary’s husband Burt (Richard Mulligan) is certifiably insane, her son Danny (Ted Wass) is a mobster, stepson Jodie (Billy Crystal) is an out-of-the-closet homosexual, and all of them are caught up in a family filled with promiscuous infidelities and quite possibly murder! Throw in the insubordinate and sarcastic Tate butler Benson (Guillaume), and Soap holds its own as one of the funniest sitcoms in TV history…

The Soap DVD features a number of hilarious episodes including the series premiere in which the audience learns the background of the two differing, yet similar, families. Jessica overhears Chester making plans to meet his mistress just before she meets her own lover, a local tennis pro named Peter. Jessica leaves Peter just before Corinne arrives for a lesson of her own… Meanwhile, the Campbells are beset by a rift between Danny and Burt, and Burt reveals to Mary that his inability to perform in the bedroom is a result of guilt from having killed her first husband… Other notable episodes from Season 1 include Episode 4 in which Jessica and Corrine encounter each other in Peter’s apartment, and Episode 25 in which Charles Lefkowitz (Sorrell Booke of Dukes of Hazzard fame) orders Danny to marry Elaine or else he will kill the entire Campbell family…

Below is a list of episodes included on the Soap (Season 1) DVD:

Episode 1 (Episode 1) Air Date: 09-13-1977
Episode 2 (Episode 2) Air Date: 09-20-1977
Episode 3 (Episode 3) Air Date: 09-27-1977
Episode 4 (Episode 4) Air Date: 10-04-1977
Episode 5 (Episode 5) Air Date: 10-04-1977
Episode 6 (Episode 6) Air Date: 10-25-1977
Episode 7 (Episode 7) Air Date: 11-01-1977
Episode 8 (Episode Air Date: 11-08-1977
Episode 9 (Episode 9) Air Date: 11-15-1977
Episode 10 (Episode 10) Air Date: 11-22-1977
Episode 11 (Episode 11) Air Date: 11-29-1977
Episode 12 (Episode 12) Air Date: 12-06-1977
Episode 13 (Episode 13) Air Date: 12-13-1977
Episode 14 (Episode 14) Air Date: 12-27-1977
Episode 15 (Episode 15) Air Date: 01-03-1978
Episode 16 (Episode 16) Air Date: 01-10-1978
Episode 17 (Episode 17) Air Date: 01-17-1978
Episode 18 (Episode 18) Air Date: 01-24-1978
Episode 19 (Episode 19) Air Date: 02-07-1978
Episode 20 (Episode 20) Air Date: 02-14-1978
Episode 21 (Episode 21) Air Date: 02-21-1978
Episode 22 (Episode 22) Air Date: 02-28-1978
Episode 23 (Episode 23) Air Date: 03-14-1978
Episode 24 (Episode 24) Air Date: 03-21-1978
Episode 25 (Episode 25) Air Date: 03-28-1978

Britt Gillette is author of The DVD Report, a blog where you can find more reviews like this one of the Soap (DVD).

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Whether or not you’re an avid reader, you certainly had to hear about the book “The DaVinci Code”. It was only on the top of the best sellers list for more weeks than one can count. Dan Brown must be one of the richest men in the world right now. And it was a no brainer that somebody was going to turn this masterpiece of a novel into a movie. And what better person to do that than Ron Howard? With past great movies under his belt like “A Beautiful Mind”, Howard was sure to produce a work of art.

Well, things didn’t quite turn out the way he had planned, at least not as far as the critics were concerned. Maybe the biggest problem with this movie was the first problem they encountered before the movie was even cast. Howard wanted Harrison Ford to play the lead role in this film. Ask anybody on the streets and they would have told you that Ford would have been the perfect choice for the part. But he was either not available or didn’t want to do it. The reports vary depending on who you ask. So Howard went to his next choice, Tom Hanks.

Hanks is certainly an accomplished actor, having turned in some great performances in films like “Apollo 13″ and “Philadelphia”. But critics literally tore Hanks and his female costar Audrey Tautou to shreds. They called their performances wooden and uninspiring. One critic said the most exciting scene in the movie was when they were in the library discussing the history of Christ. That is pretty sad for what’s supposed to be an action movie. Another critic said the movie actually seemed longer than the book.

But the worst part of this whole production is that it appears to be so bad that reviews of it are actually posted on rottentomatoes.com. This is a web site that only posts reviews of really bad movies. For this one to appear on this web site is truly a disaster. Some of the comments should make Ron Howard want to hide under his bed. One critic said “Duller than watching DaVinci’s paint dry”. That’s quite a mouthful.

But not all the reviews were 100% bad. There were some kudos to Ian McKellen who most critics say turned in a delightful performance and saved the movie from being a total disaster. This should come as no surprise to anyone as McKellen has always been at the top of his game no matter what he does. His performances in “X-Men” and “Lord Of The Rings” should be enough to convince anyone that he is one very talented actor.

So just what went wrong with the DaVinci Code? How could such a great novel turn into such a mess of a movie? Some critics say that Howard tried to play it too safe and had too much plodding dialogue which just slowed down the pace. Others said that Hanks was just the wrong person for the role of Langdon. Whatever the reason, the movie and the book are definitely worlds apart in terms of achievement.

Michael Russell
Your Independent guide to Films.

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Directed and written by Terrence Malick, the talented artist behind The Thin Red Line (1998), great anticipation surrounded the release of The New World. The project was bold and ambitious enough to peak one’s interest, but unfortunately, the film could not deliver on its promise. Entire scenes drift by with nothing in particular being achieved to either advance the plot, the theme, or the premise of the film. Unfittingly, the soundtrack featured blaring snippets of concert music reminiscent of Richard Wagner, which would be great if The New World took place in 19th Century Venice instead of 17th Century America. Much more should be expected from James Horner whose brilliant work has enhanced such films as Field of Dreams, Braveheart, Legends of the Fall, and Titanic. The New World soundtrack is disaster almost on par with the latter film.

The rest of film isn’t much better. Although it vividly illustrates the limitless possibility of early Jamestown and the majesty of the unspoiled wilderness surrounding it, the visual images are offset by poor dialogue and what seems to be an overly zealous attempt to manufacture a poetic awe-inspiring masterpiece of a film. Nevertheless, The New World does manage to summon images of the first European settlers and the hardship they must have faced. From this standpoint, one can say it has some reflective value for those who appreciate human history…

The New World begins by following the life of Captain John Smith (Colin Farrell). Landing in the New World with a convoy of Englishmen, he happens upon the Native American kingdom of Powhatan (August Schellenberg). Of course, most of the world knows the basic plotline. Smith’s life is spared when his body is covered by Powhatan’s beautiful daughter, Pocahontas (Q’Orianka Kilcher). Kilcher certainly displays the requisite physical beauty to portray the princess, but the script gives her little with which to work. Although a subject of controversy among historians, the film plays up the angle of a possible love affair between Smith and Pocahontas, but it accurately records her eventual marriage to John Rolfe (Christian Bale) and the couple’s celebrated trip to London. But The New World’s problems don’t stem from historical accuracy, but rather from the fact that the preceding paragraph is a detailed account of everything that happens in a tedious two-hour fifteen-minute snoozer. In short, it’s long and boring.

As much as the film failed to live up to expectations, this much can be said for The New World: it accurately portrays the landscape of southeastern Virginia. That alone makes it immensely superior to Disney’s Pocahontas which featured non-indigenous animals and forests peppered with waterfalls. Unfortunately, an entire generation of children gathered their personal knowledge of local geography from that film. From the perspective of set design, wardrobe, historical underpinnings, and the mere beauty of its images, The New World is a film to behold. However, from the standpoint of dialogue, plot, direction, and performance, The New World is an utter flop. Unless you’re a history buff, and specifically a Jamestown junkie, avoid the film at all costs…

Britt’s Rating: 4.7/10

About the Author

Britt Gillette is author of The DVD Report, a blog where you can find more reviews like this one of The New World (DVD).

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Widely considered one of the best drama series on TV, The West Wing appeared in Fall 1999 to great media fanfare. Surrounded by various individual staffers such as Claudia “C.J.” Cregg (Allison Janney), Josh Lyman (Bradley Whitford), Sam Seaborn (Rob Lowe), Toby Ziegler (Richard Schiff), Leo McGarry (John Spencer), and Charlie Young (Dule Hill), the president makes his best attempt to govern the executive branch. The West Wing follows the daily exploits of the president and his loyal staffers as they work to keep the White House efficiently humming. But job stress and personal problems put a strain on each staffer’s relationship to his colleagues…

The West Wing (Season 5) DVD offers a number of dramatic episodes including the season premiere “7A WF 83429″ in which tensions between Walken and Bartlett’s staffs continue to flare while the search for Zoey continues. Meanwhile, the death of Shareef triggers a terrorist bombing at a movie theater in Turkey which kills eighty people including members of the US military… Other notable episodes from Season 5 include “Constituency of One” in which Amy Parker participates in a personal lobbying effort that incurs the wrath of Bartlett, and “An Khe” in which Bartlett deploys an elite SEAL team to help rescue the pilots of a downed Navy plane that crashed in North Korean territory…

Below is a list of episodes included on The West Wing (Season 5) DVD:

Episode 89 (7A WF 83429) Air Date: 09-24-2003
Episode 90 (The Dogs of War) Air Date: 10-01-2003
Episode 91 (Jefferson Lives) Air Date: 10-08-2003
Episode 92 (Han) Air Date: 10-22-2003
Episode 93 (Constituency of One) Air Date: 10-29-2003
Episode 94 (Disaster Relief) Air Date: 11-05-2003
Episode 95 (Separation of Powers) Air Date: 11-12-2003
Episode 96 (Shutdown) Air Date: 11-19-2003
Episode 97 (Abu el Banat) Air Date: 12-03-2003
Episode 98 (The Stormy Present) Air Date: 01-07-2004
Episode 99 (The Benign Prerogative) Air Date: 01-14-2004
Episode 100 (Slow News Day) Air Date: 02-04-2004
Episode 101 (The Warfare of Genghis Khan) Air Date: 02-11-2004
Episode 102 (An Khe) Air Date: 02-18-2004
Episode 103 (Full Disclosure) Air Date: 02-25-2004
Episode 104 (Eppur Si Muove) Air Date: 03-03-2004
Episode 105 (The Supremes) Air Date: 03-24-2004
Episode 106 (Access) Air Date: 03-31-2004
Episode 107 (Talking Points) Air Date: 04-21-2004
Episode 108 (No Exit) Air Date: 04-28-2004
Episode 109 (Gaza) Air Date: 05-12-2004
Episode 110 (Memorial Day) Air Date: 05-19-2004

Britt Gillette is author of The DVD Report, a blog where you can find more reviews like this one of The West Wing (Season 5) DVD.

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One of the great children’s classics by C.S. Lewis, is brought to the screen in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. Set in wartime England, its plot has the four Pevensie children sent out of London for their safety. They end up in the country house of the eccentric Prof. Digory Kirke, and like all children removed from their usual source of fun and amusement, they’re bored, bored, bored.

Then one day, Lucy begins poking into things, and one of them is the very odd wardrobe of the professor’s. What she sees inside, is not the professor’s clothes, but a world encased in snow. The others of course, don’t believe her, since they haven’t found anything half so interesting. But eventually they give in to their own curiosity, and all enter the wardrobe to find themselves transported to the world of Narnia, where an evil White Witch has created an eternal winter, that will never see a Christmas.

Meeting up with the kind and caring lion Aslan who rules the strange land, the children begin their trek towards defeating the witch. But along the way, one will fall behind and join the very forces of evil they are trying to defeat. Amongst the mysteries of talking animals, mythical creatures and magic spells, the children must free Narnia from the perilous cold, and one of their own, from dangers that could destroy them.

This movie was extremely engaging from beginning to end, even at a long 2 hour and 20 minute running time. Perhaps, it’s because it was one of my favorite novels growing up, but the young actors were quite engaging and Tilda Swinton was superb as the White Witch.

Just one note of caution to parents: The movie was rated “Parental Guidance Suggested” and parents should be aware. The movie definitely has numerous violent scenes and it’s certainly not for little ones.

Director: Andrew Adamson

Producers: Perry Moore, Philip Steuer, Andrew Adamson

Starring: Tilda Swinton, James McAvoy, James Cosmo, Jim Broadbent, Elizabeth Hawthorne

Alice Flegel is a movie fanatic that reveals exactly which movies are living up to the hype & which are better left for DVD. Check her DVD & movie reviews before you lay down cold-hard cash at the movie theatre. Already seen The Chronicles of Narnia? Write your own Chronicles of Narnia Review

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Before Ennis and Jack got together at Brokeback Mountain in Wyoming, Mark and George met in a small coastal town in North Carolina. Mark is a soft-spoken drifter hoping to save endangered Loggerhead turtles and George is a lonely motel owner. Writer-director Tim Kirkman says the gay romance is only part of the story, however. The themes of adoption rights and repressed emotions also are interwoven throughout the independent film.

Released on DVD in March 2006, “Loggerheads” enjoyed a limited theatrical release in 2005 preceded by film festival screenings across the country.

Kirkman says the film was inspired by the true story of what happened to his friend when she gave up her baby for adoption. She later contacted the same agency in an effort to locate the child, but in accordance with North Carolina’s laws was denied any information about his whereabouts. Eventually she hired a private investigator to help her.

Each of the three interconnected stories takes place in a different year over Mother’s Day weekend. “I chose Mother’s Day because it’s a volatile emotional moment for adopted kids, birth parents, and all parents really, and the events in the story are rooted in Mother’s Day,” Kirkman says. “I think it’s an interesting narrative devise to have the stories take place at the same time, three years apart. Each character comes to a decision because of someone else, so it logically can’t take place at the same time.”

Shot entirely in North Carolina, “Loggerheads” is set in three different geographic areas of the state so that the locations — Asheville, Kurie Beach, and Eden — actually become characters within the story. The cast includes Bonnie Hunt, Kip Pardue, Tess Harper, Chris Sarandon, Michael Kelly, and Michael Learned.

Although getting top-notch actors to clear their schedules presented a challenge, Kirkman says he’s the luckiest guy in the world for getting such a wonderful cast.

“We finally got the perfect cast because they all responded to the script,” he says. “I love that these Academy Award-nominated actors came to do my little movie. Independent directors rely on these seasoned veterans to support us and tell the stories that Hollywood doesn’t want to tell.”

Originally “Loggerheads” contained only two stories: A middle-aged woman searches for the son she gave up for adoption; and an HIV-positive drifter arrives in a small coastal town to save endangered loggerhead turtles that nest there.

The film now provides three points of view for the same event. “Originally I just used two viewpoints, but felt like something was missing,” Kirkman says. “I later added the third prong of the triad and included the story of the adoptive parents. It’s a dramatic point in all of their lives.”

To help him develop the story, he relied on his friend’s version of events and her son’s journal entries. “The story of the adoptive parents is important and had to be added,” he says. “My brother and sister are both adopted, so I was looking at something right in my own backyard, but it wasn’t exactly in my own backyard.”

Beautifully shot and sensitively portrayed, “Loggerheads” is part love story, part family drama, and part tragedy. Watch it with an open mind…and a box of tissues.

Copyright 2006 Leslie Halpern

Leslie Halpern is the author of “Reel Romance. The Lovers’ Guide to the 100 Best Date Movies” (Taylor Trade Publishing), a book that reviews date movies for couples and suggests romantic ideas inspired by these films. A Central Florida-based entertainment writer, Leslie also wrote “Dreams on Film. The Cinematic Struggle Between Art and Science” (McFarland & Co.) and more than a thousand articles in trade and consumer magazines. Visit her website at http://home.cfl.rr.com/lesliehalpern/leslie_halpern.htm

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As parents we often wonder why there is not better programming on TV for our kids. We see so much sex and violence and wonder why it is in such abundance. If we could design our own programming for our kids and all their TV shows; what might the look like?

How would your program be any different or make a difference in the future? How would you promote it? Would you use celebrities? And if you did get some good PR and your program did catch some synergy from the Famous Actors, Movie Stars, Rock Stars and Artists for public relations then what? What if it became as popular and widely used as you would like thru such promotions? And are artists themselves any more moral than us parents who would be buying the product for our kids? What if it were on TV free would you want those famous people to be your kids roll models, as aren’t they a little hypocritical as well in their own flamboyant lifestyles?

What I find interesting is that, I myself never once did any drugs, did everything right and was attacked along the way and learned that all the myth of what we stood for was a lie. Now I see artists like “Bono” telling the world and others how to live their lives? Well, gee whiz, isn’t it interesting that this gentleman of less moral fiber than us, is telling you and I how to live, what to think, who to vote for, how to feel and now asking us to re-live the lie again thru our children?

So then with your new TV program, how are you going to make it, promote it and get it on the air? How will you make it popular to coax the kids into watching it and after it is all said and done, will it actually be any better than the crap we are complaining about right now? Think on this in 2006, as there has to be a better way.

“Lance Winslow” - Online Think Tank forum board. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; http://www.WorldThinkTank.net/wttbbs/

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Based on the bestselling novel by Candace Bushnell, the HBO original series Sex And The City took the television world by storm following its release in the summer of 1998. Following the exploits of four young and educated female friends living and working in New York City, the show revolves around the various relationships and life problems experienced by each member of the group. Sporting an experienced and talented cast, the show has developed a strong, borderline fanatic following…

Sarah Jessica Parker (the de facto lead character of the show) stars as Carrie Bradshaw, a popular sex columnist for a local newspaper who travels in numerous Manhattan social circles. Carrie is engaged in a tempestuous on-again, off-again relationship with a mystery man always referred to as “Mr. Big”. The young urban professional shares her life with three best friends who have similarly interesting jobs - Miranda Hobbs (Cynthia Nixon), a lawyer tired of being single given the societal ramifications; Samantha Jones (Kim Cattrall), a promiscuous publicist who enjoys non-exclusive relationships; and Charlotte McDougal (Kristin Davis), an art museum curator who is relatively less open about her sexuality… Together, the women seek each other’s advice on the ever-present and varying predicaments in which they find their romantic relationships…

The Sex And The City (Season 6) DVD features a number of hilarious episodes including the season premiere “To Market, To Market” in which Carrie is of the opinion that her personal stock has skyrocketed due to her recent date with Jack Berger, and Samantha is brought to ecstasy by a stockbroker neighbor. Meanwhile, Miranda and Charlotte experience frustrations in their respective relationships… Other notable episodes from Season 6 include “The Perfect Present” in which Carrie discovers Berger’s “ex-file,” and “One” in which Carrie begins dating internationally renowned artist, Alexander Petrovsky…

Below is a list of episodes included on the Sex And The City (Season 6) DVDs:

Season 6, Part 1

Episode 75 (To Market, To Market) Air Date: 06-22-2003
Episode 76 (Great Sexpectations) Air Date: 06-29-2003
Episode 77 (The Perfect Present) Air Date: 07-06-2003
Episode 78 (Pick-A-Little, Talk-A-Little) Air Date: 07-13-2003
Episode 79 (Lights, Camera, Relationship) Air Date: 07-20-2003
Episode 80 (Hop, Skip, and a Week) Air Date: 07-27-2003
Episode 81 (The Post-It Always Sticks Twice) Air Date: 08-03-2003
Episode 82 (The Catch) Air Date: 08-10-2003
Episode 83 (A Woman’s Right to Shoes) Air Date: 08-17-2003
Episode 84 (Boy, Interrupted) Air Date: 08-24-2003
Episode 85 (The Domino Effect) Air Date: 09-07-2003
Episode 86 (One) Air Date: 09-14-2003

Season 6, Part 2

Episode 87 (Let There Be Light) Air Date: 01-04-2004
Episode 88 (The Ick Factor) Air Date: 01-11-2004
Episode 89 (Catch-38) Air Date: 01-18-2004
Episode 90 (Out of the Frying Pan) Air Date: 01-25-2004
Episode 91 (The Cold War) Air Date: 02-01-2004
Episode 92 (Splat!) Air Date: 02-08-2004
Episode 93 (An American Girl in Paris: Part 1) Air Date: 02-15-2004
Episode 94 (An American Girl in Paris: Part 2) Air Date: 02-22-2004

About the Author

Britt Gillette is author of The DVD Report, a blog where you can find more reviews like this one of the Sex And The City (Season 6) DVD.

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One of the funniest and most outrageous comedies of 2005, Wedding Crashers will have you falling out of your chair with laughter. Directed by the underrated David Dobkin, the film features now veteran Hollywood funny men Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn in their first film together as the central headliners. TV writers Steve Faber and Bob Fisher author the screenplay, a breakout hit for both, that has to be considered one of the best written comedies of the year. Of course, it helps to have the perfect comic duo delivering the lines, and Wedding Crashers offers just that. The onscreen personas of Vaughn and Wilson compliment each other extremely well, providing a flux between the laid back approach of Wilson and the fast talking banter of Vaughn.

Wedding Crashers follows the lives of two business partners and best friends, John Beckwith (Owen Wilson) and Jeremy Grey (Vince Vaughn). Making their living as divorce counselors, they often mediate between warring couples. But in reality, neither man is married himself. They are, however, loyally dedicated to a set of principles: the wedding crasher rules. Adhering to a specific set of intricately engineered rules for crashing weddings, John and Jeremy share a common passion for wedding receptions and carefree bridesmaids.

When the new wedding season arrives, the two set out in earnest to schmooze with relatives, deliver masterful toasts, and conquer as many beautiful women as possible. No race, religion, or social caste is left untouched by their elite wedding crashing skills. But as the wedding season comes to a close with the ultimate crescendo, the wedding of Treasury Secretary William Cleary’s (Christopher Walken) daughter, the duo’s perfectly laid plans go awry. While chasing after the Secretary’s remaining two daughters, Claire (Rachel McAdams) and Gloria (Isla Fisher), the unthinkable occurs. John breaks a rule by harboring genuine feelings for Claire. Things are further exacerbated when John breaks another rule and accepts an invitation to spend the weekend with the Cleary family so he can get closer to Claire. Masquerading as distant relatives, John must fend off the advances of Claire’s mother Kathleen (Jane Seymour) while also attempting to eliminate Claire’s pompous boyfriend Zach (Bradley Cooper). Meanwhile, Jeremy is tortured by an extended weekend with the clingy and borderline insane Gloria and her crazy brother Todd (Keir O’Donnell). As John gets closer to falling in love with Claire, Zach gets closer to blowing the lid off their wedding crasher conspiracy…

Utterly hilarious in every way, Wedding Crashers features some of the funniest movie scenes of 2005. A brief appearance by Will Ferrell who plays the role of Chazz Reinhold, one of the original wedding crashers, makes the film doubly hilarious. Apparently, Chazz has discovered that grieving women at funerals are easier to pick up than bridesmaids. So, of course, he turns to funeral crashing. The comic sequence where Vince Vaughn gets demolished playing football is ancient slapstick, but hilarious nonetheless. Isla Fisher can be annoying at times, but her character is so ridiculously insane that it become funny to watch her after a while, and some of the pick-up lines and wedding crasher techniques are just as entertaining. Overall, Wedding Crashers is a film you’ll probably want to watch more than once. If anything, just to catch the laughs you missed the first time around…

Britt Gillette is author of The DVD Report, a blog where you can find more reviews like this one of the Wedding Crashers (DVD).

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