MONDOmagazine » TV on DVD Reviews

Fringe Season Two Review

television — Wed, 20 Oct 2010 17:29:53 +0000

Fringe Season Two J.J. Abrams, Jeff Pinkner, J.H. Wyman and Bryan Burk (Executive Producers) Warner Brother, 2009-2010. By Miles Baker A year ago, I reviewed the first season of Fringe. I got a review copy, and it’s polite to post them as quickly as possible, I burned through the first season in a few days, watching it whenever I [...]

Red Dwarf: Back to Earth reviewed

television — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 19:24:47 +0000

Red Dwarf: Return to Earth Directed by Doug Naylor BBC Video By Miles Baker As a movie… Red Dwarf: Return to Earth will not thrill Red Dwarf fans. As a DVD set… Red Dwarf: Return to Earth will thrill Red Dwarf fans As a newcomer to the series… Start somewhere else. I’m a causal fan of the Red Dwarf series. I’ve only watched a couple [...]

Fringe Season One Review

television — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 03:47:32 +0000

Fringe Season One Created by J.J. Abrams, Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci Warner Brothers. By Miles Baker Never judge a show based on seeing five minutes of it. I did that with Buffy the Vampire Slayer and ended up regretting it eight years later. The same thing happened with Friday Night Lights, but the time period was shorter. With [...]

Torchwood: Children of Earth Reviewed

television — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 05:00:45 +0000

Torchwood: Children of Earth Directed by Euros Lyn By Miles Baker If you were looking for a place to get into the Doctor Who revival this is the place. I had been looking for such a place for the last two years — I grew up in a house where Who was worshiped, even naming a cat after [...]

Pushing Daises Season Two Review

television — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 05:00:47 +0000

By Miles Baker The facts were these: Miles Andrew Baker was 27 years, 1 month, 23 days old when he watched Pushing Daises for the first time. His parents had bought him the DVD box set for his birthday even though he had never seen the show before. Shortly after popping the present into the DVD [...]

Quantum Leap: Season One

television — Sun, 14 Jan 2007 05:47:17 +0000

Universal Studios, 2004

By Rebecca Harrison Posted January 14th, 2007 I recently read a book called How to Succeed with Women (shut up!) and one of the top tips for starting conversations was to carry around something peculiar. They suggested a large stuffed animal, which is cool, if you're looking to meet 7-year-olds (and if you are, report to your nearest police station). My suggestion — and frankly, this will help you succeed with anyone — is to carry around a copy of any season of Quantum Leap. Donald P. Bellisario's classic show, which ran from 1989 to 1993, followed the time-traveling adventures of Dr. Sam Beckett and his holographic friend from the future, Al Calavicci. Though technically a science fiction show in premise, Quantum Leap tended to focus more on character growth and development, instead of resolving the question of who was leaping Sam or why the Quantum Leap project went wrong (the intent of the project was controlled time travel — not getting stuck in time). Instead, the show always focused tightly on the overarching theme that one person can change the world through positively affecting the lives of individuals. [...]

Justice League Unlimited: Season 1 DVD

television — Sun, 14 Jan 2007 05:45:16 +0000

Warner Brothers Home Video, 2006 By Owen K. Craig Series developers Bruce Timm and Paul Dini get comics. They understand what makes them work, they understand why superheroes appeal to people, and they understand what comics fans - both adult and child - are looking for. It can't be easy developing a show aimed at both kids and adults, but Timm and Dini have repeatedly succeeded in finding that balance. Justice League Unlimited is no exception. The original Justice League series ran for two seasons before the announcement that the show’s format was changing - the cast was expanded in order to allow for a wider selection of characters. DC Comics opened their vaults and told the producers to go nuts. Which is kind of like letting a fat German kid loose in a Lindt chocolate store. There are a few notable (and unfortunate) exceptions. I, for one, really wish a Blue Beetle/Booster Gold episode had been possible. Despite the expanded number of characters, the show still managed to balance a focus on the "big seven" seen in the first two seasons (that's Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Flash, Green Lantern, Hawkgirl and J'onn J'onzz for all you Marvel zombies out there), with characters that people may not be as familiar with. It's a real plus for longtime DC fans to get to see characters like The Question or Green Arrow, and for the uninitiated maybe the show will introduce some new favourite characters. [...]

How I Met Your Mother: Season 1 DVDs Reviewed

television — Sun, 14 Jan 2007 05:42:51 +0000

Fox Home Entertainment, 2006 By Owen K. Craig The sitcom is dead. At least that was the buzz around the watercooler, and I bought into it as much as anyone else. Single-camera shows like Scrubs, The Office and the much-mourned Arrested Development have been dominating the airwaves (in terms of quality if not in viewership) leaving traditional, four-camera, laugh-track heavy sitcoms in the dust. With shows like these, it's hard not to be wary anytime one hears the cringe-inducing sound of a studio audience. I was ready to drive the nail into the sitcom's coffin and pledge to never again watch another. Boy was I wrong. When creating How I Met Your Mother, Carter Bays and Craig Thomas were told they were crazy to use the sitcom style, but they insisted. It's a gambit that pays off. The show sports a friendly, easily accessible style that welcomes in viewers and makes the characters relatable, especially when played by such likable actors. The framework of the show (and, in effect, the show's gimic) features Ted Mosby in the year 2030 (voiced by Bob Saget) telling his children the story of how he met their mother (thus the title). This framework provides the narration for the bulk of the show, which takes place in the present. Here we meet the younger Ted (Josh Radnor), a man watching his best friends Marshall and Lily (Jason Segal and Alyson Hannigan) get engaged. Ted is sick of being single and is looking for something more serious when he meets his dream girl, Robin (Cobie Smulders). [...]