DVD Box Series #5: I Love Lucy Collection 

Here we are again with another box set review. This time it is the I Love Lucy Box set. This series is an epic and important series that defined the sitcom. I used to watch this series a lot as a child and a teenager and to this day have been glad to have finally obtained this set.

  

The Packaging is rather solid containing a nice heart shaped box that has two little wallets containing the discs of the series. It also contains a nice booklet that has nice pictures and info on each episode of the series. My problem with these sets is that they tent to be prone to scratching and I worry about how long this series will last in the current case. The Hard plastic shell is also delecate and should not be opened too often otherwise it will break. Due to this flaw I can only give this a 7/10.

The content is really nice including all of the I love Lucy show including the original pilot, the Lucy & Desi comedy hour and the I love Lucy Movie. I am really pleased to see this show finally fully released and could easily pick an episode to watch over and over again. The cultural issues are still a little behind the time but at the same time it does give you a full impression and some of the comedy still works. Because of the fun acting and wonderful ensemble this is a series that will stand the test of time. 9/10

Of course when we talk about content lets talk bonus features. There are several featurettes and it includes old commercials as well as excerts from the original radio show that had started it all. You also get some restored opening animations as well as tv spots that make this a fun ride. I love Lucy the Movie is probably one of the best special features that gives you that extra boost. 8/10

In the end here is the summary:

Case:                                        7/10

Content:                                   9/10

Quality of the Show:                 8/10

            Total Rating:              8/10

Now I am sure you are asking yourself “where can I get this and what will it cost me?” I love dealoz.com as it helps me check many many stores at one time for the best deal. Rightstuff.com is also a good place for anime and asian sets when they start to go out of print. I will give you the best used and new price as per that site*.

*Please note that these deals change day to day so the prices could get better or worse. The prices are for these specific editions so you may find the show for a better deal.  

Average set:     New     $82.97 ebay

                        Used    $67.94 half.com 

I managed to find this particular set on amazon for about $60 when I originally bought it so you may still be able to get a deal there.

DVD Movie Review #3 Upstairs Downstairs Series 2

Here we are again for another review. This time we are doing a part of a series I've been slowly watching called upstairs downstairs. If you like Downton Abby this is the original series that spawned it all. It is a little drier than Downton but the drama is still there and it draws you in considerably as the series goes alone.

Today's review is of series two which takes place between 1908 and 1910. It begins with a wedding and covers multiple social issues having to do with setting up a new household with new servants entering the picture.

The drama continues as the household falls into peril and you ave to watch and see how the romance ends. This series comes together. The intermixing of different households and personalities takes shape as drama unfolds and different characters address issues such as unwanted pregnancy and blackmail.

The series also covers other political view of the day such as the suffragette movement and the difference between involvement by the aristocrats and the regular people. The coverage is very well done it comes together in the end with the death of the king with this season winning an Emmy award.

The series is in full color unlike series one and has shown some improvement in the picture quality. The music is of fair quality not really showing a great deal of variation. Of course picture and music qualities isn't too bad considering it was in the 70s. Of course if you are used to the excitement of Downton this will still take some getting used to. The acting is very well done and very believable I at times was moved by the drama.

The case is nothing special being your average 4 disc set in a regular dvd case. The special features are nice giving you several commentaries and interviews as well as part 2 of a very nice documentary on the making of the show.

Overall this is a quality series and part 2 is an improvement showing the series getting better as it goes. I will give this series a 7/10.

Used     $7.98     Ebay.com
New     $15.94    Half.com

DVD Movie Review #2 Uncle Sam

Well I know things are speeding up a bit but I am trying to keep my self at a pace not long after I've watched a film so here I go with my next review for Uncle Sam :)

You know I see this film in the movie store and you know I just had to get it how many people can resist a cover like this?

This movie is much better than I thought it would be but this could cause the same problem which is that it is a little too serious to be made full mockery of but not serious enough to be a truly scary movie. The movie follows a child and his mother who I think live with her sister in law as her husband "Sam" died in action and of course came back as an undead american hero with murder on his mind.

Well Among other things...

The movie's acting is not too terrible yet doesn't really warrant anything special which takes out the laughter factor. There are some amusing spots with many of the less desirable in the movie getting kills and of course having Issac Hayes involved makes everything better :)

Uncle Sam in the end is a lovely little tail of murder seen by most people many times and yet at the same time there is something lightly amusing about a man in an Uncle Sam Costume slaughtering everyone in sight.

With that I will wrap up and give this movie a raging of 4/10.

Used     $5.98    Half.com
New     $9.44    Ebay.com

DVD Movie Review #1 Elvira's Haunted Hills

Hello all! I am known as a very avid movie collector and have an extensive collection with over 3000 entries. I am as a writing exercise trying to increase my work by writing reviews of dvds in my collection as I watch them. As I am not always watching the special features right away I am will going to cover my take of the movie.

I have been a very sad horror junkie as I have been largely unfamiliar with Elvira's work being more familiar with Vampira. She of course decided to take a comical look at the classic horror genre with this movie. AS we all know which hills she's referring to.

This movie stars Elvira and her ever eager assistant as they make their way through good old world europe on the way to entertain. She of course is side tracked by a haunted adventure involving ghosts, mystery, murder and laughter in this quirky little homage adventure.

Let me start with what I liked about this particular adventure and that is of course the homage to the late Vincent price. If you are familiar with Price's movie coverage of Edgar Allen Poe's work then you will be slightly entertained by the numerous mentions in this film. It also takes a nice comical touch that lends it to be fun at times and letting you know that at no time you are to take this serious. The visual effects are actually surprisingly good for a film of this level.

Now I must say that as a negative this movie can get a little boring at times and the characters are grossly over or under acted. Elvira herself I am sad to say is pretty much just a pretty face with two "haunted hills" and not much in the acting talent. The story is a bit patched together and I am uncertain at times if they are all solidly connected.

Well otherwise I must say overall this film offers mild entertainment a few good homage points and some nice "haunted hills" but otherwise I'd say this film is a wash. 

In the End I give this film a 5/10 rating. 

Well in case you want to work on getting a copy of your own I have done some research and will give you the lowest used and new price available.

New:     $5.28  www.half.com 

Used:     $6.18 www.amazon.com

DVD Box Series #4: Batman the Animated Series

Well it has been a while since my last post and this is something I am hoping to remedy. During the last month and a half I have been working from 60-70 hours a week and well time gets away from you when you spend your time sleeping :)

I am reviewing the box set for Batman the animated series. This is probably one of my more cherished memories from my teenage years. This would come on and I'd be in front of the TV watching it along with Pinkie and the Brain, Freekazoid and Animaniacs on a Saturday morning. This series didn't run terribly long only having two seasons and each having a strange episode count (over 50 in the first season). This of course had a few spinoffs of its own including the superman animated series and the batman/superman animated series. I feel this series was instrumental in getting the superhero back into the entertainment business.

  

The Packaging is fairly solid being a rather large rectangular box dividing the set up into the 4 basic box sets that were released separately early on. The actual packaging included a nice full colored book but unfortunately the cases with the DVDs are a little flimsy making me worry a tad about the condition and preservation. Overall it is a pretty nice case but with the flaws involved I have to give it a 7/10. 

The content of the series itself is pretty high. The first season is excellently done and I must tell you I loved this series and unlike some series it has managed to withstand time and still be pretty darn good. The stories are gripping and the animation is well done...until season two. Season Two I feel lost something, the stories were a bit campier and the animation and figure design lost a lot of quality with little itty bittie bodies and large heads. As this is the case I would recommend if you do not get this set I would just get the first three box sets that contain season one and leave the last box set alone. Due to this balance I give the series a 7/10. 

Last but not least is the content. The booklet is very nice with early sketches and in full color and it includes 8 featurettes including a new one released on a special bonus disc with the series. There are are also some nice commentaries included with this set that do give insight into the series. I would say that this does help to make the set a better buy giving it 8/10 

In the end here is the summary:

Case:                                        7/10

Content:                                   7/10

Quality of the Show:                 8/10

            Total Rating:              7/10

Now I am sure you are asking yourself “where can I get this and what will it cost me?” I love dealoz.com as it helps me check many many stores at one time for the best deal. Rightstuff.com is also a good place for anime and asian sets when they start to go out of print. I will give you the best used and new price as per that site*.

*Please note that these deals change day to day so the prices could get better or worse. The prices are for these specific editions so you may find the show for a better deal.  

Average set:     New     $75.99 ebay

                        Used    $103.68 half.com 

I managed to find this particular set on ebay for about $50 when I originally bought it. I am glad I did. I'll leave you all with a nice pic I have of the whole kit and kaboodle.

DVD Box Series #3: Dark Shadows

Once again we are back to my DVD box set review where you get to witness really cool dvd sets and sometimes where to get them for yourself. As you can see the current series is dark shadows. I placed a poster from the more recent and better known version for our generation in order to give you all a little hook in. This review is for the older TV series which was very very widely popular amongst those in my mother and father's generation. This show aired for three years and had nearly 1,200 episodes as well as a few spin offs and TV movies. The star of this week though is the set they made to encapsulate this very massive show.   

The packaging is amazing for this set. It comes in a box over a foot tall. This box bears a resemblance to a coffin and opens up to display a marvelous collection of dvds that while placed together resemble the main character of the series. The DVDs are pretty tightly packed in with about 5 or six per dvd case which in my opinion is the only detractor. It has a very nice book that guides you through the various episodes and features with written interviews which is a nice extra to boot. I will give this case a 9/10.  

The show itself is from what I've read is pretty campy but has a nostalgia value to many and does drag you in when you get involved.  I would think it would have to be if you are going to be in for the long haul. The effects are cheap even by the standards of when the show was produced and has a hard time being scary which is plainly the show's intent. All the same this is an important one to have in any collection so I can give this a 6/10 for show content. 

Last but not least is the content that comes along with the show the special features are plentiful with behind the scenes features and plenty of cast interviews numbering in the hundreds. The Booklet as mentioned above is full of pictures and more interviews as well as show information. This set could keep a casual watcher busy for years. 10/10 Rating on Bonus features. 

In the end here is the summary:

Case:                                        9/10

Content:                                   6/10

Quality of the Show:                 10/10

            Total Rating:              8/10

Now I am sure you are asking yourself “where can I get this and what will it cost me?” I love dealoz.com as it helps me check many many stores at one time for the best deal. Rightstuff.com is also a good place for anime and asian sets when they start to go out of print. I will give you the best used and new price as per that site*.

*Please note that these deals change day to day so the prices could get better or worse. The prices are for these specific editions so you may find the show for a better deal.  

Average set:     New     $235.95 ebay

                        Used    $266.98 Amazon.com 

This set is one of those that waiting has helped the price. With an initial release price of over $400 this set was out of reach by many. I jumped on a version for $200 myself and though this is a limited set I have a feeling that the prices will still remain low as I doubt this item has sold much with the high price tag (Just don't wait too long). 

DVD Box Series #2 NIS America

Hello again I am going to pick anime as my next selection it as it makes up a lot of my collection. This time I am targeting a specific company as the releases are very similar in the packaging. NIS America has been known in the past for producing video games such as the Disgaea series they have since been regarded as a place that publishes premium video games that don't typically come to this side of the world. NIS decided to expand it's reach to the world of anime trying to find a title that is unlikely to get published here. They are even willing to take suggestions as to what series they release 

The packaging in this set is very nice the outer cover is a hard cardboard with two slim cases inside containing the DVD/Blurays and a hardcover colorfully illustrated book detailing different things from the series you have purchased. The booklet has a wonderful level of detail and the set makes for a wonderful display for any collector. I would give the case on these sets an 8/10. 

The special features on these sets are not a lot to look into unless you include the booklet which does give you nice inside pieces such as relationship charts scene explanations and more. The on disc features are kind of lacking so once you are finished with book you are just left with the show. I have to give this a 6/10 for the lack of on board content. 

Now these sets have varying quality depending on the show. NIS has managed to obtain some premium shows that you previously would not find elsewhere so you are usually guaranteed at least a fair quality show if not on the excellent level. Also many of the first run shows such as Wagnaria and Pandora Hearts came with disc quality problems so I will be putting this in my rating of a 6/10 

In the end here is the summary:

Case:                                        8/10

Content:                                   6/10

Quality of the Show:                 6/10

            Total Rating:              7/10

Now I am sure you are asking yourself “where can I get this and what will it cost me?” I love dealoz.com as it helps me check many many stores at one time for the best deal. Rightstuff.com is also a good place as these sets when they start to go out of print. I will give you the best used and new price as per that site*.

*Please note that these deals change day to day so the prices could get better or worse. The prices are for these specific editions so you may find the show for a better deal.  

Average set:     New     $41-150

                        Used    $30-180

Please keep in mind that these sets are premium and limited in their release so the prices go up once they have gone out of print. Happy Hunting!