The Corner Penthouse

Hot Springs Hotel was a late night softcore adult comedy series that aired on Showtime in 1997 and 1998. I've always liked the show because of its wackiness and likable cast of characters. It didn't hurt that Samantha Phillips is pretty and hot.... or maybe just pretty hot :-) Oddly, the simulated sex scenes are the one thing that I really DIDN'T like about the show. I don't see the appeal in people *pretending* to have sex. Anyway, I taped all 15 episodes during the series original run and was hoping that this "Complete Series" set could replace those videotapes. It should be noted that prior to this "Complete Series" set, only 14 of the 15 episodes were released on DVD - and they were released in two-episode pairs at a considerably high price (even higher now since those seven DVDs are out of print). I was smart enough to avoid those individual releases. I really wish that I were smart enough to avoid this "Complete Series" release, too.

For most, if not all, of the episodes, the audio and video gets more and more off sync as the episode plays on. By the end it is SO off sync that it can't even be watched. A good example of this is in Disc 1, Episode 1 ("Money Trouble"). Go ahead to 22:12, which is near the end of the episode, and you'll see that the words are not matching the lip movements at all! None of the episodes I taped off of Showtime in 1997/1998 have this problem.

I've also noticed on at least two occasions some rather crude cuts where footage is repeated twice, thus making the audio and video even MORE off sync. Here are two examples:

* Disc 1, Episode 6 "Beauty Pageant" - At 22:17 footage is repeated and jumps around. The episode I taped off of Showtime in 1997/1998 does not have this problem. In fact, the Showtime TV broadcast episode uses different footage than the DVD in the spot where all the editing occurs. On the TV broadcast, the contestants are on stage as the winner is announced. On the DVD, the stage is empty, but all of a sudden is filled with the contestants when the winner speaks.

Here are two completely safe for work video clips that show the defect, and what the video *should* look like:



* Disc 2, Episode 1 "Theo & The Model" - At 20:55 footage is repeated as the transition is made from the couple having sex to them lying in bed talking. The episode I taped off of Showtime in 1997/1998 does not have this problem. In fact, after the transition, in the TV broadcast, the camera pans from the bedside table to the couple; but this panning is cut on the DVD due to the odd editing that happens.

I e-mailed Taurus Entertainment, the company that owns the show and made the DVD, to find out if these problems were fixed and new DVDs were made. After several weeks, and a few e-mails, they never got back to me.

I know that these defects are in all copies of the DVD set because I found some copies of the episodes online that were ripped from someone else's DVD set, and they contain the same defects.

I also find it odd that the episodes on the DVDs have shorter runtimes than the episodes I taped from Showtime, even though there's an extra logo screen added at the start of each episode on the DVDs that wasn't on the Showtime broadcasts.

Oh, and it was kind of silly to devote a whole disc to less than 11 minutes of footage. With Disc 2 having one less episode than Disc 1, surely the Behind the Scenes featurette and Photo Slideshow could have fit onto Disc 2. Speaking of the photo slideshow on Disc 3, the images are really bad quality, with lots of jaggies and other low-quality artifacts. The images Taurus Entertainment has on their website for the series, as small as they are, are higher quality than what's on the DVD.

After waiting 10+ years for the entire series to be released on DVD, for the quality to be this poor is an absolute insult. As a big fan of the series, and as someone who expects quality from the DVDs and Blu-ray discs that I buy, I'm highly disappointed with the Hot Springs Hotel: The Complete Series DVD set.

For those who may want to know, here's a list of the episodes on the DVDs and a brief synopsis of each.

DISC 1
------
1. MONEY TROUBLE (25:50)
Kat and Randy inherit the hotel from their Aunt Betty. We are introduced to Lacy, Kat's best friend and Theo, who they find hitchhiking by the side of the road. The initial excitement of owning this gorgeous resort is short-lived when they learn the back is ready to foreclose.

2. CHEERLEADERS (26:11)
Randy's desire to book a group of cheerleaders into the hotel overrides his logic, as he offers them a health conscious weekend with absolutely nothing healthy to offer. Kat attempts to distract the Coach of the team into a romantic weekend for Kat, as she and the Coach raise a little spirit on the sidelines.

3. TRAVELS WITH TRAVIS (26:03)
A good review from famed travel correspondent Travis Jones would go a long way for Hot Springs Hotel, but Randy has booked the Women Without Clothes club at the same time, on the same floor! Hilarity, and a little romance, ensues when Kat and Randy attempt to keep the two sides from meeting.

4. MOVIE PEOPLE (26:05)
Randy has cut a deal with a motion picture company for them to stay and shoot at the hotel. Only, he's arranged for their stay to be paid on deferment, which in Hollywood lingo means NEVER! Whenever Randy gets suspicious of them, they just give him a promotion on the film. How can he find time to argue with them when he's "auditioning" the most gorgeous girls in the world...and they're naked.

5. CORPORATE RAIDERS (26:08)
The "Queen of Takeovers" has aimed her sights on the Hot Springs Hotel. She's met her match in Kat, but unfortunately for the hotel, she takes full advantage of Randy's amorous ways and tricks him into signing away his half of the hotel, making a dangerous partnership between Kat and the Queen.

6. BEAUTY PAGEANT (25:51)
Travis makes a return visit when he stages the Miss Palm Desert beauty contest at the hotel. While Kat does all she can to keep Randy and Theo away from the contestants, her heart is being broken by the two-timing Travis.

7. ROCK STAR (26:01)
When a famous rock star want to lay low, Kat checks him into the hotel, incognito. If this works out, just think of the clientele that could grace these hallways. He's given a full line of credit and access to the entire staff; the place is his. Kat changes her tune when Lacey discovers out the rock star is flat broke. They immediately tell his fan club of his whereabouts and proceed to sell off every item they can get their hands on...right down to the very boxer shorts he's wearing.

8.BACHELORETTE PARTY (25:54)
Once upon a time, Lacey's best friend Stacy stole her boyfriend Chris away in the most devious manner. Now, years later, Stacy is engaged to Chris and has returned to rub it in Lacey's face by holding her bachelorette party at the hotel. The usually cool Lacey digs in her heels and goes toe to toe with her archenemy.

DISC 2
------
9. THEO & THE MODEL (25:55)
Lacey's sister Diane arrives for a visit, with her modeling agent, Dan. It's hard enough for Kat to keep Randy away from this attractive young girl, but Theo is spending his vacation at the hotel and she must divert his attention as well. Lacey would help but she is far too distracted by Dan. But things are not always as they appear, for it seems Diane is the little heartbreaker, and it is Randy and Theo who should watch their backs...and all their body parts.

10. TO YOUR HEALTH (26:00)
Heath Inspectors make a surprise visit to the Hot Springs Hotel and Randy and Kat have to convince them that the hotel can pass inspection...by and means necessary, and that's where the trouble starts.

11. HOLE IN ONE (26:02)
Randy books a group of sexy women golfers to play in Hot Springs Hotel's first annual golf tournament. One slight problem...they have no course! But between the hotel's famously potent drink, the Waki-Tiki, and Kat's ingenious plan to turn the grounds into a golf course, the tournament is a rousing success.

12. A.W.O.L. (25:43)
Randy comes to the aid of three adorable female soldiers who are out in the desert on maneuvers. He offers them and afternoon of sun, fun and Waki-Tikis. Meanwhile Lacy has insisted on Kat taking the day off and getting a makeover. Upon returning, looking gorgeous as ever, Kat is mistaken for one of the missing soldiers by their Drill Sergeant...and that's when the fun begins. War is hell, but peacetime can be oh, so sexy.

13. LAYOUT (24:50)
Randy comes up with the brilliant idea to shoot the girls of the Hot Springs Hotel for a promotional calendar. It is a very hot and steamy shoot, as the girls sensuously bare it all for the camera.

14. GIRLS IN THE BAND (25:49)
Always the humanitarian, Kat goes to great lengths to throw a formal benefit to save the roadrunner. The evening has all the makings of a rousing success, until Randy informs Kat he has canceled the chamber quartet and booked a country western band in their place. Can the smooth talking, sweet singing cowboy Chuck, right the reins or will Kat send everyone riding off into the sunset?

15. FANTASY (25:53)
The fantasies of Randy, Kat, Lacey, Theo and the girls are revealed in a very "special" episode of Hot Springs Hotel.

DISC 3
------
* Vintage Behind The Scenes Featurette (8:34)
* Slideshow (2:06, with 26 images)

I bought the OCZ StealthXStream 600 Watt Power Supply (PSU) on July 19, 2007 for $94.99 from Micro Center in Westbury, New York four days after I bought all of the other parts I used to assemble my own computer. It came with a 36 months (3 years) manufacturer's warranty. So, of course, it chose to die on February 24, 2011, which is 43 months (3 years 7 months) later. It's like OCZ manufactured it to last just long enough for the warranty to expire :-)

Some reviewers on Amazon had their PSUs die in 10 months, 8 months, 2-3 months, or even 2 weeks! So it looks like I was actually lucky that mine lasted as long as it did. Still, I've owned computers since 1992/1993, and none of the PSUs in them have ever died. This OCZ unit was the first to die. So, that alone, doesn't rate it very high in my book, in spite of it lasting longer than others have reported.

The new PSU I just bought from NewEgg is a Sigma Focus SP700B 700W (800W Peak) ATX12V power supply, which set me back $69.94 ($59.99 + $9.65 shipping). NewEgg claims that it has a 3 years manufacturer's warranty, though I can find no proof of that on the packaging or on the Sigma website. Of course, I'm hoping that it lasts MANY years - a lot longer than three - so I shouldn't have to even worry about the warranty.

Included in the TNA Anthology: The Epic Set box set are the following three pay-per-views:

* Victory Road 2004 (November 7, 2004) [TNA's first three-hour PPV]
* Turning Point 2004 (December 5, 2004) [TNA's second three-hour PPV]
* Lockdown 2005 (April 24, 2005) [TNA's first all-steel cage PPV]

Each PPV is split across two single-layer discs, as this was before TNA started using dual-layer discs. I'm not very found of this, as I prefer for each event to be shown as one continuous three-hour program, but there's nothing us fans could do about it now. TNA isn't going to re-release new DVDs of these old PPVs. So we just have to live with the minor inconvenience of ejecting one disc and inserting another into the player to watch each event. Bonus features are on the second disc of each PPV, in case you were wondering.

You should be aware that if you buy this set online, the three Disc 1's MIGHT be loose in the cases. The first box set I ordered from Amazon had the first and third Disc 1's loose (Turning Point was the one that stayed put), while the second box set had all three Disc 1's loose. All of the loose discs were scratched as a result of being loose and moving around while being shipped. I had to return the first set because the scratches caused glitches when playing one of the discs. The scratches on the second set looked bad, but thankfully the discs played fine.

There are lots of reviews of the three PPV's that cover the matches and give you the reviewer's opinions on them. So I'm not going to say anything about that - though I did enjoy all of the matches, some a little more than others - rather I'm going to go into detail about the alterations that exist in the DVDs, when compared to the original live broadcasts.

I don't have the original live broadcasts of Victory Road 2004 and Turning Point 2004, so I don't know for sure if there are any alterations, but there *might* be in the Michael Shane (now Matt Bentley) matches. You see, all instances of the name "Michael Shane" in commentary and on-screen graphics had to be changed to "Matt Bentley" for legal reasons. This is because in July 2005, Matt Bentley was forced to refrain from using the "Michael Shane" alias, which he had used for his entire career, following threats of legal action from World Wrestling Entertainment, the employers of Mike Shane (one of the Gymini twins at the time), who had trademarked his name, something Bentley had neglected to do.

Bentley appears in the Victory Road 2004 PPV in the battle royale on Disc 1 (Chapter 2). He enters at 12:42 and is eliminated around 27:57. Bentley's match in the Turning Point 2004 PPV is on Disc 1 (Chapter 3) from 21:54 to 35:30. In all likelihood, he originally used the name Michael Shane at these two events, so the commentary was probably re-recorded on the DVDs.

Now, the Lockdown 2005 PPV is one I have on tape, so I can give you complete details as to what was altered. In fact, Lockdown 2005 was the first 3-hour TNA PPV I ever ordered, and the only one until Hardcore Justice 2010.

DISC 1
======
-- The 10-second long "This is TNA: The new face of professional wrestling" intro, which preceded the live program, has been removed from the DVD.

-- For legal reasons (the name was already copyrighted by another wrestler, then working for WWE), the wrestler known as "Michael Shane" had to have all instances of his name changed to "Matt Bentley". The first alteration is in the video package that precedes the match, where a screen that read "Shane", now reads "Bentley". When Michael/Matt comes out for the match, the graphic shown at the bottom of the screen was changed from "Michael Shane" to "Matt Bentley w/ Trinity". The biggest change is that the commentary from Don West and Mike Tenay has been completely changed (re-recorded) for the entire match. It's interesting to note that the name "Michael Shane" still appears on the entrance video playing in the background when he makes his entrance, and you can still hear the ring announcer announce him as "Michael Shane" behind the commentary at 40:17.

-- The Daniels/Skipper video package (which is the last footage on Disc 1) that precedes their match was much longer in the original live broadcast. It stayed on the shot of the team on the entrance ramp longer, then followed for a minute or two with more footage and narration, before showing the black & white Turning Point footage. The DVD cuts from a brief bit of the entrance ramp opening footage right to the Turning Point footage.

DISC 2
======
-- For legal reasons (WWE claimed copyright ownership), the wrestler known as "The Outlaw" had to have all instances of his name blurred or silenced out, with the name changed to "Kip James" on the DVD packaging and new commentary. The first alteration is in the backstage segment with Dusty Rhodes where he picks the name of the next Lethal Lottery combatant. He picks "The Outlaw", but the words are silenced out, thus leaving DVD viewers in the dark as to who just got picked (unless they could read Dusty's lips). In the video package that follows the Dusty segment, a few instances of "The Outlaw" are silenced out. The name "Outlaw" is blurred out on the pre-match line-up screen. Finally, the commentary from Don West and Mike Tenay has been completely changed (re-recorded) for the entire match.

-- The DVD cuts out the Hard Justice 2005 ad at the end, originally shown on the live broadcast in between the end of the Styles/Abyss match and the TNA copyright ending.


The Lockdown 2005 DVD is dedicated to Chris Candido, who broke his leg at the live event, which lead to the post-surgery blood clot that caused his death four days later on April 28, 2005. Since I did the research, I'd like to give you some information about the Chris Candido bonus features.

CHRIS CANDIDO BONUS FEATURE NOTES
=================================
-- The first match - Chris Candido and The Naturals (Chase Stevens & Andy Douglas) vs. Petey Williams (with Scott D'Amore), Elix Skipper, and Mikey Batts - was from the March 4, 2005 episode of Impact!

-- The second match - The Naturals (with Chris Candido) vs. America's Most Wanted (Lance Storm & Chris Harris) - was taped on April 26, 2005, and aired on the April 29, 2005 episode of Impact! on Fox Sports Net. This episode was filmed and completed just before he passed away, but was dedicated to Chris with a photographic "In Memory of Chris Candido" screen at the start, and a photographic "Chris Candido, 1972-2005" screen at the end. This was his final wrestling appearance.

-- The Xplosion outtakes were filmed about two weeks before he died, according to Jeremy Borash's exclusive comments on the Forever Hardcore DVD-R (which includes the same footage in chapter 42 of the main program - it's not on the retail DVD). According to Borash, he was bandaged up and in a wheelchair because he was working an angle where he was supposedly injured as a result of getting beat up by Kevin Nash.


Since I taped the April 29, 2005 episode of Impact!, in which the second Candido match originally appeared, here are some notes on the differences between the original broadcast and the DVD.

* The original broadcast had a "Tag Team Championship" graphic over the initial close-up of the lights.

* The original broadcast had an "Impact!" on-screen graphic at the bottom of the screen naming each competitor as they entered: "The Naturals, Chris Candido" and "America's Most Wanted".

* The original broadcast had a 30 minute countdown banner across the top of the screen (with "The Naturals vs AMW" on the left and the Fox Sport Net logo on the right) for the entire match duration. This is the "Fox Box" that Mike Tenay refers to at 9:27.

* In the original broadcast, 3 times during the match the Lockdown results would appear in a banner at the bottom of the screen.

* In the original broadcast from 17:10 to 17:17 there was a white banner at the top of the screen (right below the countdown banner) advertising the following month's Hard Justice pay-per-view. It was accompanied by a sound effect when it appeared and disappeared, which is still heard on the DVD!

* The original broadcast at 18:30 there was a quick shot of a crowd member holding a nice AMW sign, which is missing from the DVD as it remains on the shot of the action that preceded and followed this crowd shot.

* In the original broadcast from 19:21 to 19:29 there was a small Hard Justice logo in the bottom right corner of the screen advertising the following month's pay-per-view.

* In the original broadcast from 21:26 to 21:32 there was a white banner at the top of the screen (right below the countdown banner) advertising the Jeff Jarrett vs. AJ Styles match on May 15th (at the Hard Justice PPV). It was accompanied by a sound effect when it appeared and disappeared, which is still heard on the DVD!

* In the original broadcast, after the post-match comments, there was a replay of a shot of Candido on the floor by the side of the ring holding the belts, while Tenay's voiceover mentioned the matches for next week's show. This was immediately followed by another Candido tribute screen which used a frame from that belt-holding shot.

And that concludes this analysis of the alterations between the original broadcasts and the DVDs. The two biggest alterations in the Lockdown 2005 event are the result of legal name changes, so while I don't like the changes, I can't blame TNA for them. Though I do think it's sad they let WWE claim copyright ownership of "The Outlaw" without fighting it. There's no reason TNA should have left out the "This is TNA" intro (it's on the other two PPVs), and shorten down the Daniels/Skipper video package, as there was PLENTY of room for those extra few minutes on the disc. So that's not forgivable. And I only mentioned the removal of the Hard Justice 2005 ad at the end just to be complete. That's definitely no great loss.

The changes to the Impact! match featuring The Naturals (with Chris Candido) vs. America's Most Wanted are, for the most part, completely welcome. Watching the original tape from 2005, it was really sad that Fox Sports Net (FSN) forced TNA to put up that stupid countdown banner across the top of the screen for the entirety of the match. Like anybody really cares about time limits anymore in wrestling. The constant banner ads for the next PPV and scrolling Lockdown results on the bottom just added to the screen clutter. So I'm happy that all of that crud is gone on the DVD. Though I do find it funny that the PPV banner ad sound effect is still there. I don't like that TNA removed the "Tag Team Championship" graphic and entrance name graphics as they added to the presentation. That initial close-up of the lights looks naked without the graphic over it. I still don't know what to make of the removal of the quick shot of the crowd member holding the AMW sign. The sign had a really nice drawing on it, and was certainly worth showing a quick shot of. It's not like there was any real action going on in the match for those 3 or 4 seconds, anyway.

That is all.

Way back in 1991, Michael Jackson released the song "Black or White" as a single from his album, Dangerous. The song is a fusion of pop rock, dance and hip hop, which Epic Records described as "a rock 'n' roll dance song about racial harmony". The music video for "Black or White" was directed by John Landis, who previously directed Jackson's "Thriller" music video. There are three versions of the music video. Let's take a quick look at them...

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Here we are at the seventh, and final, season of the Melissa Joan Hart series, Sabrina The Teenage Witch. Our fair Sabrina has left college and has now joined the workforce as a journalist for Scorch magazine. The first episode of the season, "Total Sabrina Live", provides the conclusion to the Season 6 finale ("I Fall To Pieces"); but with no "previously on" segment to explain what's happened before, it doesn't make any sense to new viewers.

Even though I've seen most of the episodes over the years, originally on ABC & The WB and in syndication, this is the first of the Sabrina season sets that I've purchased (not counting all of the animated series DVDs). Even though I like the series, it is not a show that I feel compelled to buy on DVD. However, the inclusion of the "Sabrina Goes To Rome" TV movie from 1998 is what enticed me to purchase this set. Sadly, I'm highly disappointed by how many of the episodes are edited. Here, take a look at the episode list with runtimes, and see if you can figure which episodes are edited.

01. Total Sabrina Live (September 20, 2002) (21:39)
02. The Big Head (September 27, 2002) (22:08)
03. Call Me Crazy (October 4, 2002) (21:13)
04. Shift Happens (October 11, 2002) (22:08)
05. Free Sabrina (October 18, 2002) (22:07)
06. Sabrina Unplugged (November 1, 2002) (22:05) [Scooby-Doo & Shaggy appearance retained]
07. Witch Way Out (November 8, 2002) (20:45)
08. Bada-Ping (November 15, 2002) (21:23)
09. It's A Hot, Hot, Hot, Hot Christmas (December 6, 2002) (21:58)
10. Ping, Ping A Song (January 10, 2003) (21:50)
11. The Lyin', The Witch And The Wardrobe (January 17, 2003) (21:08)
12. In Sabrina We Trust (January 24, 2003) (22:08)
13. Sabrina In Wonderland (January 31, 2003) (22:08)
14. Present Perfect (February 7, 2003) (22:08)
15. Cirque Du Sabrina (February 14, 2003) (22:08)
16. Getting To Nose You (February 21, 2003) (21:22)
17. Romance Looming (February 27, 2003) (22:08)
18. Spellmanian Slip (March 20, 2003) (22:08)
19. You Slay Me (March 27, 2003) (22:05)
20. Fish Tale (April 17, 2003) (22:07)
21&22. What A Witch Wants / Soul Mates (April 24, 2003) (44:00)

If you didn't figure it out, I think it's safe to say that any episodes under 22 minutes in length are edited, except for maybe the Christmas episode since it's only 2 seconds under. That's 7 out of 22 episodes (excluding the Christmas episode). I don't know if the previous season sets were this highly edited, but I think that it's shameful for Paramount to charge full price for a set that has one-third of its episodic content edited - and possible more with music replaced. Granted, Paramount at least makes note of this on the back of the case - "Some episodes may be edited from their original network versions" and "Music has been changed for this home entertainment version" - but that's the same standard text they put on the cases for all of their TV series releases, whether it's actually true or not.

Here's a quick, and likely incomplete, list of edits:

* Witch Way Out - VERY heavily edited, as noted by the runtime. About 1 minute 20 seconds removed, including a performance by The Goo Goo Dolls (at 8:47 and 10:55?). The group is referenced in what little remains of the episode, and some comments make no sense now that the performance has been removed.

* Bada-Ping - It seems that an Avril Lavigne performance was cut out at 2:25.

* Getting To Nose You - It seems that a Sixpence None The Richer performance was cut out, and the music replaced in the background of the fight scene.

* Soul Mates - From what multiple sources tell me, at the very end when Sabrina runs out of her wedding to meet Harvey, originally "Running" by No Doubt was playing in the background. That song has been replaced by either a different song, or a different artist performing the song.

You know, considering this was the season that Sabrina worked at MUSIC MAGAZINE, with many appearances by musical artists performing their hits, the series producers should have made darn sure that they got home video rights to the songs. TV shows getting released on DVD wasn't an entirely unknown phenomenon back in 2002-2003.

BONUS FEATURE: Sabrina Goes To Rome

This was the first of two Sabrina series TV movies that aired on ABC as part of "The Wonderful World of Disney". Sabrina Goes To Rome aired on October 4, 1998, during season 3, and is presented here in its original 4:3 aspect ratio with stereo audio and Enghlish subtitles. On this DVD, it has a runtime of 1:26:49.

• Edits - None.
• Music Replacements - None.

All of the music that I remember being there is still there on the DVD: "Sky Fits Heaven" by Madonna still opens the movie, while "Crush" by Jennifer Paige remains at 40:29, and Carl Orff's "Gassenhauer" is heard during the end credits. If music were to be replaced, these would have been the first to go. The runtime matches the length I wrote on the label of my original ABC recording, so that's a good sign, too. Perhaps the music licensing was done differently because it's technically a "movie" and not an "episode".

I am disappointed that Paramount didn't include the 1999 TV movie Sabrina Down Under as a second bonus feature, as I don't see it very likely that Paramount will put it out on DVD at a later date. There are no more seasons of the TV series in which to bundle it, and if they were going to put it out by itself, they would have done so already. I mean, the logical thing to do would have been to put out both TV movies - Rome & Down Under - in one "double feature" set. Instead of doing that, they chose to put Rome in this final season set. So where does that leave Down Under?

Before I conclude this review, I'd like to bring two things to the attention of the purists out there. (1) The Viacom logo at the end has been replaced with a new CBS Television Distribution logo on all episodes and the TV movie. (2) Even though the last two episodes were originally broadcast on The WB as one hour-long episode, they were produced as and meant to be shown as two separate episodes, and should have been included that way on this DVD set (which is how they're currently shown in syndication). I believe that the wishes of the filmmakers takes precedence over how they were originally broadcast.

All in all, it's an okay set. The last season certainly isn't as good as the first three - the series lost its charm when the gorgeous Jenna Leigh Green left the show and Sabrina left high school - but it's not as bad as the stuff on TV these days.


2017 UPDATE - Paramount finally released Sabrina Down Under (1999) on DVD, which I reviewed here. I wonder what prompted Paramount to release this last bit of Melissa Joan Hart Sabrina stuff nearly seven years after the rest. I really wish Paramount would have paired it with Rome as a "double feature" release.

The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Movie Collection (alt listing) consists of the three original live-action Turtles films from the early-to-mid 1990s, and the computer-animated TMNT film from 2007, along with a sheet of temporary tattoos - all packaged in a standard plastic keepcase, with two double-sided pages inside, one disc per side. The tattoos are stored under the literature clips on the inside cover, and there's nothing on the inside back cover.


Each of the four discs is a bit-for-bit copy (a "disc image") of a previous DVD release. All four movies are 16:9 widescreen, with Turtles 2 & 3 also containing 4:3 fullscreen versions. (Full disc specs are below.) Apparently in the original releases, Turtles 1 & TMNT were dual-sided discs with widescreen on one side and fullscreen on the other - and they only used the widescreen sides for this re-release. That's fine with me.


These same four discs (with the same disc art) and temporary tattoos are also available in a "25th Anniversary Collector's Edition" box set, which adds in some cloth masks and puts the discs in what appears to be a round CD holder, which is then apparently stored in an outer cardboard box with the masks.

I bought the "Movie Collection" release for $25 at Walmart, which had a sticker on front proclaiming "Only At Wal*Mart - Includes Turtle Tattoos". Since the tattoos are available in the "25th Anniversary Collector's Edition" box set, it must be the standard packaging that's exclusive to Walmart.


I like that it's in standard packaging, and doesn't include the masks and CD holder that I have no desire to buy, but I wish the price were significantly cheaper. What hurts even more is that less than a year after I bought it, Warner Bros. put out the 4 Film Favorites - Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles two-disc DVD set, which includes all of the same video content (one "disc image" per disc side), but usually sells in Target for $9.99 - two and a half times LESS than what I paid!

2017 UPDATE - The discs from the Blu-ray collectors set have been repackaged in the 4 Film Favorites - Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Blu-Ray four-disc set, which retails for $20. That's a much better value than any of the DVD sets.

TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES
* Year: 1990
* Runtime: 1:33:23
* Video Format: 16:9 Widescreen
* DVD Production Date: February 27, 2003 (Nero InfoTool gives this date, but it should be 1998 or 1999)
* Region: 1
* Layers: 1
* Audio Languages: English, French
* Subtitle Languages: English, Spanish, French
* Extras: The T-Files (character biographies of Donatello, Michaelangelo, Leonardo, Raphael, Splinter, The Shredder), Theatrical Trailer, "Sewer Maze" Game, "Monkey Trouble" Trailer, "The Adventures Of Pinocchio" Trailer, "Theodore Rex" Trailer.
* Notes: This is a live-action movie.

TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES II: THE SECRET OF THE OOZE
* Year: 1991
* Runtime: 1:28:19
* Video Format: 16:9 Widescreen, 4:3 Fullscreen
* DVD Production Date: July 2, 2002 (Nero InfoTool gives this date, but it should be 1998 or 1999)
* Region: 1
* Layers: 2
* Audio Languages: English
* Subtitle Languages: English
* Extras: Theatrical Trailer, "Pick That Flick" Game.
* Notes: This is a live-action movie.

TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES III
* Year: 1993
* Runtime: 1:35:33
* Video Format: 16:9 Widescreen, 4:3 Fullscreen
* DVD Production Date: July 18, 2002 (Nero InfoTool gives this date, but it should be 1998 or 1999)
* Region: 1
* Layers: 2
* Audio Languages: English
* Subtitle Languages: English
* Extras: Theatrical Trailer, "Pick That Flick" Game.
* Notes: This is a live-action movie.

TMNT
* Year: 2007
* Runtime: 1:26:45
* Video Format: 16:9 Widescreen
* DVD Production Date: May 18, 2007
* Region: 1
* Layers: 1
* Audio Languages: English, Spanish, French
* Subtitle Languages: English, Spanish, French
* Extras: Commentary with writer/director Kevin Munroe, Alternate Opening (with forced commentary by Kevin Munroe), Alternate Ending Temp/Scratch Test (with forced commentary by Kevin Munroe), "Mikey's Birthday Party" Full Sequence (with forced commentary by Kevin Munroe), "Raphael's Rough House Fight" Test (with forced commentary by Kevin Munroe), "Monsters Come Alive" Storyboard Comparison (with forced commentary by Kevin Munroe), "Donny's Digital Data Files" Featurette, "Rooftop Workout" Rough Scene (with forced commentary by Kevin Munroe), "Still Wanna Fight" Temp/Scratch Test (with forced commentary by Kevin Munroe), "Splinter Gets Cake" Additional Scene (with forced commentary by Kevin Munroe), Internet Reel, "Voice Talent First Look" Featurette
* Notes: This is a computer-animated movie. The back of the case incorrectly lists a Fullscreen copy, in addition to the Widescreen copy.

That is all.

The Rock: The Peoples' Champion VHS (not to be confused with The Rock: The People's Champ VHS) is a short, 30 minute sampler of promo and match highlights from The Rock's feud with The Corporation, featuring Triple H and The Undertaker. Nothing is shown in its entirety, and all cuss words are bleeped. Here's the rundown of clips:

01. Raw Is War - April 26, 1999 (promo & match)
02. Raw Is War - May 3, 1999 (promo)
03. Sunday Night Heat - May 16, 1999 (promo)
04. Raw Is War - May 17, 1999 (match)
05. Sunday Night Heat - May 23, 1999 (promo) [the night Owen Hart died]
06. Raw Is War - June 7, 1999 (match)
07. King Of The Ring Match History Package
08. King Of The Ring - June 28, 1999 (promo & match)
09. Raw Is War - July 5, 1999 (match)
10. Sunday Night Heat - July 11, 1999 (promo)

Besides being short and incomplete, this tape was duplicated in the inferior EP/SLP speed. So you may have to adjust the tracking on your VCR to get an optimal picture.

The lack of bar code on the box, and "sampler" nature of the video, leads me to believe this was given out as a freebie with a Pay Per View purchase back in 1999. I have a Best of Wrestlemania tape I got around 1999/2000 as a PPV mail-in freebie, so I think this tape was originally obtained in that manner as well. (I picked it up from a church's tag sale for less than a buck.)

There's a WWF DVD entitled The Rock: The People's Champ that was released in 2000. I would think that that DVD would contain the complete promos and matches that are sampled on this tape, but after reading KlownArt's review - which states that "this DVD starts around WWE King Of The Ring 1999 and ends at The Rock's Royal Rumble win at WWE Royal Rumble 2000" - I'm thinking that this material won't be found on that DVD.

There are a bunch of other Rock DVDs out there - Know Your Role, Just Bring It, and the more-recent The Most Electrifying Man in Sports Entertainment - but I highly doubt that any of them would contain ALL of the complete promos and matches that are sampled on this tape. (At best you'd probably get a complete promo or match here or there.) So, short of finding a good tape trader, this tape, as sparse and edited as it might be, might be the only way to obtain some of these promos and matches.

The other day I saw the Commando / The Marine Double Feature and several other titles in the "20th Century Fox 75th Anniversary Double Feature" series at BJ's Wholesale Club, each priced at $6.99. I was tempted to buy a few of them, but since they don't give any DVD specs (video format, languages, subtitles, extras) at all on the back, I did not want to take a chance getting ripped off in a major way. This is the first time I've seen a DVD release from a major studio that didn't give the DVD specs on the back of the case. I guess Fox didn't want you to know what you were buying until AFTER you opened the case and played the discs.

I decided that I'd chance it with just one selection and hope for the best. Unfortunately, I didn't get the best, I got the WORST!

Neither movie is 16:9 anamorphic widescreen. The Marine is 4:3 fullscreen, which is bad, but Commando is even worse - it's 4:3 LETTERBOX! The Commando disc was originally mastered and released in 1999 - OVER TEN YEARS AGO! Why haven't all of the studios destroyed their 4:3 letterbox masters (and the DVDs made from them) so they never see the light of day again? Fox should not keep putting this pathetic Commando disc, or any of their old 4:3 letterbox DVDs, out in new packagings.

Neither movie is inducive to viewing on a widescreen TV, with Commando being horrible to watch due to the movie image getting windowboxed (blackness on all four sides) since there's black bars in the video above and below the movie image, and the TV will add black bars on the sides due to the video being 4:3.

What makes all of this really sad is that widescreen masters of both films exist - and in theatrical and director's/unrated cuts, too. The Commando "Director's Cut" DVD is in 16:9 anamorphic widescreen and includes both the R-Rated Theatrical and Unrated versions of the film. The The Marine "Unrated" DVD is in 16:9 anamorphic widescreen and includes both the PG-13-Rated Theatrical and Unrated versions of the film. Both DVDs also have more extras than the discs included in this release.

I'm okay with only getting the theatrical versions of both films, and having practically no extras, but to not have both films in 16:9 anamorphic widescreen when those masters DO exist, is not acceptable.

I was tempted to buy the Mr. & Mrs. Smith/True Lies double feature (and maybe Garfield 1 & 2 as well), but after getting ripped off with cruddy letterbox and fullscreen versions, without any real bonus features, I certainly won't be buying any more titles in the collection.

By the way, some (all?) copies in the "20th Century Fox 75th Anniversary Double Feature" collection have a sticker on the front advertising a "limited edition movie poster". Unfortunately, this is NOT a freebie included in the case. You have visit the website listed on the back of the sticker and enter the code found on the back of the sticker. You can choose which poster you want, but you will need to pay $4.95 for shipping/handling ($11.95 for Canada). The posters are nice - various film icons atop the 20th Century Fox logo - but are not worth the price to some (like me). There's an insert card included in the case which shows the design of eight of the posters, so you can see what some of them look like without visiting the website.

COMMANDO
* Year: 1985
* Runtime: 1:30:08
* Video Format: 4:3 Letterbox
* DVD Production Date: February 22, 1999
* Region: 1
* Layers: 1
* Audio Languages: English, French
* Subtitle Languages: English, Spanish
* Extras: Theatrical Trailer

THE MARINE
* Year: 2006
* Runtime: 1:31:16
* Video Format: 4:3 Fullscreen.
* DVD Production Date: December 5, 2006
* Region: 1 (presumably)
* Layers: 2
* Audio Languages: English, French, Spanish
* Subtitle Languages: English, Spanish
* Extras: Making Of Featurette, Theatrical Trailer.

This is not really a review, but more of a specifications and bonus features list intended to give all of you the details on exactly what you will find in several of Warner Bros. "4 Film Favorites" DVD sets. All of the info below was originally written in July 2010.

Warner Brothers/New Line's "4 Film Favorites" is a series of two-disc sets consisting of four films that are part of a series/franchise or center around a common theme. Each disc is dual-sided, with the contents of each side being a bit-for-bit copy (a "disc image") of a previous DVD release. (Note: More recent releases in the series simply put four DVDs into the case instead of re-pressing them as dual-sided discs.) Usually the very first DVD release of a film is used as the master for each side, which could be either single-layer or dual-layer. If the DVD master that is used first came out at the infancy of DVD production (the late 1990s), there may be little to no extras, and even a poor film transfer when compared to a later re-release. Also, if that original release was a two-disc set, or a dual-sided disc (see: Lethal Weapon 4), only Disc 1 or Side A will be used. The "4 Film Favorites" line is priced with the budget-conscience consumer in mind, with Target having the lowest price at 9.99 each (occasionally on sale for 8.99). Other stores will inevitably be priced higher, though I don't recommend paying more than ten dollars for each two-disc set.



BATMAN
* Year: 1989
* Runtime: 2:06:10
* Video Format: 16:9 Widescreen
* DVD Production Date: February 8, 1997
* Region: 1
* Layers: 1
* Audio Languages: English, French
* Subtitle Languages: English, Spanish, French
* Extras: Cast & Crew Bios & Filmographies (Jack Nicholson, Michael Keaton, Kim Basinger, Robert Wuhl, Pat Hingle, Billy Dee Willians, Michael Gough, Jack Palance, Tim Burton), Production Notes (8 screens).

BATMAN RETURNS
* Year: 1992
* Runtime: 2:06:23
* Video Format: 16:9 Widescreen
* DVD Production Date: April 9, 1997
* Region: 1
* Layers: 1
* Audio Languages: English, French
* Subtitle Languages: English, Spanish, French
* Extras: Cast & Crew Bios & Filmographies (Michael Keaton, Danny DeVito, Michelle Pfeiffer, Christopher Walken, Michael Gough, Pat Hingle, Michael Murphy, Tim Burton), Production Notes (Special Effects, Hero & Villains [Batman, The Penguin, Catwoman], The Screenwriter, The Composer).

BATMAN FOREVER
* Year: 1995
* Runtime: 2:01:31
* Video Format: 16:9 Widescreen
* DVD Production Date: April 24, 1997
* Region: 1
* Layers: 1
* Audio Languages: English, French
* Subtitle Languages: English, Spanish, French
* Extras: Cast & Crew Bios & Filmographies (Val Kilmer, Tommy Lee Jones, Jim Carrey, Nicole Kidman, Chris O'Donnell, Michael Gough, Pat Hingle, Joel Schumacher), Production Notes (Additional Actors, Behind The Scenes, New Villains New Hero, Bob Kane).

BATMAN & ROBIN
* Year: 1997
* Runtime: 2:04:45
* Video Format: 16:9 Widescreen
* DVD Production Date: September 23, 1997
* Region: 1
* Layers: 1
* Audio Languages: English, French
* Subtitle Languages: English, Spanish, French
* Extras: Cast & Crew Bios & Filmographies (Arnold Schwarzenegger, George Clooney, Chris O'Donnell, Uma Thurman, Alicia Silverstone, Michael Gough, Pat Hingle, Elle Macpherson, Stephen Goldblatt, Akiva Goldsman, Peter Macgregor-Scott, Joel Schumacher), Production Notes (Bob Kane And The Birth Of Batman, Creating The New Story, Friends And Foes, Recreating Gotham City, The Batmobile, The Redbird, The Freezemobile, Special Effects, The Costumes, Special Makeup).



BLADE
* Year: 1998
* Runtime: 2:00:07
* Video Format: 16:9 Widescreen
* DVD Production Date: February 25, 2002 (Nero InfoTool gives this date, but it should be 1998 or 1999)
* Region: 1
* Layers: 2
* Audio Languages: English
* Subtitle Languages: English
* Extras: Commentary by Wesley Snipes and others (Stephen Dorff, David S. Goyer, Theo Van De Sande, Kirk M. Petruccelli, Peter Frankfurt), Isolated Score with Commentary by composer Mark Isham, "La Magra" Featurette, "Designing Blade" Featurette, "The Origins Of Blade" Featurette, "The Blood Tide" Featurette, "House Of Erebus" (explanation of the twelve Vampire Glyphs), "Pencil To Post" Sketch Gallery, Cast & Crew Bios & Filmographies (Wesley Snipes, Stephen Dorff, Kris Kristofferson, N'Bushe Wright, Donal Logue, Stephen Norrington, David S. Goyer, Peter Frankfurt, Theo Van De Sade, Kirk M. Petruccelli, Mark Isham), Theatrical Trailer, DVD-ROM Content (Entire Screenplay).
* Notes: The back of the case incorrectly lists "Real Time Storyboards While You Watch The Movie" as an extra.

BLADE II
* Year: 2002
* Runtime: 1:56:43
* Video Format: 16:9 Widescreen
* DVD Production Date: October 14, 2003
* Region: 1
* Layers: 2
* Audio Languages: English
* Subtitle Languages: English
* Extras: None

BLADE: TRINITY
* Year: 2004
* Runtime: 1:52:46
* Video Format: 16:9 Widescreen, 4:3 Fullscreen
* DVD Production Date: February 25, 2005
* Region: 1
* Layers: 2
* Audio Languages: English
* Subtitle Languages: English, Spanish
* Extras: None
* Notes: This is the R-Rated Theatrical cut (an Unrated cut also exists). This is actually Disc 1 from what was originally a two-disc set. The back of the case incorrectly lists 2 commentaries and an isolated score track as extras.

BLADE: HOUSE OF CHTHON
* Year: 2006
* Runtime: 1:28:40
* Video Format: 16:9 Widescreen
* DVD Production Date: February 7, 2008
* Region: 1
* Layers: 2
* Audio Languages: English
* Subtitle Languages: English, Spanish
* Extras: Commentary by director Peter O'Fallon, Commentary by writers David Goyer and Geoff Johns, "Turning Blade" Documentary, 8 Spike TV Promos, DVD Ads (The Butterfly Effect 2, Undisputed II: Last Man Standing, Tenacious D In The Pick Of Destiny, Pan's Labyrinth, The Number 23, Superman: Doomsday, Doctor Strange).
* This is the feature-length premiere episode of the "Blade: The Series" television series that aired on Spike in 2006. This is also Disc 1 in the Blade: The Series - The Complete Series DVD set.



RUSH HOUR
* Year: 1998
* Runtime: 1:37:42
* Video Format: 16:9 Widescreen
* DVD Production Date: June 3, 2004 (Nero InfoTool gives this date, but it should be 1998 or 1999)
* Region: 1
* Layers: 2
* Audio Languages: English
* Subtitle Languages: English
* Extras: Commentary by director Brett Ratner, Isolated Score with Optional Commentary by composer Lalo Schifrin, Deleted Scenes, "A Piece Of The Action: Behind The Scenes Of Rush Hour" Featurette, Theatrical Trailer, "Whatever Happened To Mason Reese?" Short Film (with Optional Commentary by Brett Ratner), Heavy D "Nuttin' But Love" Music Video (with Optional Commentary by Brett Ratner), Dru Hill "How Deep Is Your Love" Music Video (with Optional Commentary by Brett Ratner), Cast & Crew Bios & Filmographies (Chris Tucker, Jackie Chan, Tom Wilkinson, Julia Hsu, Elizabeth Pena, Tzi Ma, Brett Ratner, Roger Birnbaum, Arthur Sarkissian, Jonathan Glickman, Jim Kouf, Ross LaManna, Adam Greenberg, Robb Wilson King, Sharen Davis, Mark Helfrich, Lalo Schifrin), DVD-ROM Content.
* Easter Eggs: Use your Remote Control to go to Title 4, then advance to Chapter 3 of the Disc and you will see "Evil Luke Lee", an early short film by director Brett Ratner (with optional commentary by Brett Ratner). This short is normally accessible only through the DVD-ROM content.

RUSH HOUR 2
* Year: 2001
* Runtime: 1:29:58
* Video Format: 16:9 Widescreen
* DVD Production Date: December 12, 2005
* Region: 1
* Layers: 2
* Audio Languages: English
* Subtitle Languages: English
* Extras: Commentary by director Brett Ratner and Writer Jeff Nathanson, Infinifilm Fact Track (branch out to featurettes during the film), "Jackie Chan's Hong Kong Introduction" Featurette, "Culture Clash: West Meets East" Featurette, "Language Barrier" Featurette, "Attaining International Stardom" Featurette, "Kung Fu Choreography" Featurette, "Making Magic Out Of Mire" Featurette, Evolution Of A Scene: Chicken Chop" Featurette, Evolution Of A Scene: "The Bomb" Featurette, Evolution Of A Scene: "Slide For Life" Featurette, "Fashion Of Rush Hour 2" Featurette, Visual Effects Deconstruction: Embassy Explosion Scene (4 Angles - plus an introduction by Visual Effects Supervisor Kevin Lingenfelser), 9 Deleted Scenes (with Optional Commentary by Brett Ratner), Outtakes, "Lady Luck" Short Film (with Optional Commentary by Brett Ratner), 3 Theatrical Trailers, Cast & Crew Filmographies (Jackie Chan, Alan King, Brett Ratner, Roselyn Sanchez, Chris Tucker, Harris Yulin, Zhang Ziyi), DVD-ROM Contest.
* Easter Eggs: (1) Go to Scene Selection and flip through to the Chapters "7-8". Highlight the Question Mark above the Dragon on the left and press Enter for a "Lord Of The Rings: Fellowship Of The Ring" trailer. (2) Go to Scene Selection and flip through to the Chapters "15-16". Highlight the Question Mark above the Number 7 on the left and press Enter for another "Lord Of The Rings: Fellowship Of The Ring" trailer.

RUSH HOUR 3
* Year: 2007
* Runtime: 1:30:42
* Video Format: 16:9 Widescreen, 4:3 Fullscreen
* DVD Production Date: January 16, 2008
* Region: 1
* Layers: 2
* Audio Languages: English
* Subtitle Languages: English, Spanish
* Extras: Theatrical Trailer, "Be Kind Rewind" Trailer, "Blade: House of Chthon" Trailer, "Ocean's Thirteen" Trailer.
* Notes: The back of the case incorrectly lists a commentary track, which is only an extra on Disc 1 of the 2-Disc Edition. The master used here is from the 1-Disc Widescreen/Fullscreen Edition.

MONEY TALKS
* Year: 1997
* Runtime: 1:35:42
* Video Format: 16:9 Widescreen
* DVD Production Date: February 27, 2002 (Nero InfoTool gives this date, but it should be 1997 or 1998)
* Region: 1
* Layers: 1
* Audio Languages: English, French
* Subtitle Languages: English, Spanish, French
* Extras: Theatrical Trailer, Cast Bios & Filmographies (Chris Tucker, Charlie Sheen, Paul Sorvino, Heather Locklear), Clips of Chris Tucker in "Friday" and "House Party 3" are hidden in his filmography, A clip of Charlie Sheen in "National Lampoon's Loaded Weapon 1" is hidden in his filmography.



If you buy this release and the 4 Film Favorites - Cop Comedy Collection, you will essentially get the entire Police Academy - The Complete Collection box set for a fraction of the price - along with National Lampoon's Loaded Weapon 1 as a bonus movie (it's the fourth film on the Cop Comedy Collection). If you also buy the Police Academy - 20th Anniversary Special Edition, which is selling for about five bucks as I write this, and slip that disc into the 4 Film Favorites case, you will truly complete the set.

POLICE ACADEMY
* Year: 1984
* Runtime: 1:36:18
* Video Format: 4:3 Fullscreen (open matte)
* DVD Production Date: September 2, 1997
* Region: All
* Layers: 1
* Audio Languages: English
* Subtitle Languages: English, Spanish, French
* Extras: Cast & Crew Bios & Filmographies (Steve Guttenberg, Kim Cattrall, Bubba Smith, George Gaynes, G.W. Bailey, Neal Israel & Pat Proft, Hugh Wilson), "An Idea Hatched" two screens of text notes, "On Location" two screens of text notes, Trailers for all 7 Police Academy films.
* Notes: The back of the case incorrectly lists the format and extras from the 2004 "20th Anniversary Special Edition". The PA1 trailer is missing the narration, the first six trailers are 4:3 fullscreen, the last is 4:3 cropped letterbox.

POLICE ACADEMY 2: THEIR FIRST ASSIGNMENT
* Year: 1985
* Runtime: 1:27:00
* Video Format: 16:9 Widescreen
* DVD Production Date: January 15, 2004
* Region: 1, 4
* Layers: 1
* Audio Languages: English, French
* Subtitle Languages: English, French, Spanish
* Extras: "Accidental Heroes: The Best Of" Featurette, Theatrical Trailer.

POLICE ACADEMY 3: BACK IN TRAINING
* Year: 1986
* Runtime: 1:23:37
* Video Format: 16:9 Widescreen
* DVD Production Date: January 20, 2004
* Region: 1, 4
* Layers: 1
* Audio Languages: English, French
* Subtitle Languages: English, French, Spanish
* Extras: "All Washed Up: Floating Memories" Featurette, Theatrical Trailer.

POLICE ACADEMY 4: CITIZENS ON PATROL
* Year: 1987
* Runtime: 1:27:07
* Video Format: 4:3 Fullscreen
* DVD Production Date: January 23, 2004
* Region: 1, 4
* Layers: 1
* Audio Languages: English, French
* Subtitle Languages: English, French, Spanish
* Extras: "Remembering A Lofty Investigation" Featurette, Additional Scenes, Theatrical Trailer, Easter Egg.



If you buy this release and the 4 Film Favorites - Police Academy 1-4 Collection: 4 Film Favorites, you will essentially get the entire Police Academy - The Complete Collection box set for a fraction of the price - along with National Lampoon's Loaded Weapon 1 as a bonus movie (it's the fourth film on the Cop Comedy Collection). If you also buy the Police Academy - 20th Anniversary Special Edition, and slip that disc into the Police Academy 1-4 Collection case, you will truly complete the set.

POLICE ACADEMY 5: ASSIGNMENT MIAMI BEACH
* Year: 1988
* Runtime: 1:29:41
* Video Format: 4:3 Fullscreen
* DVD Production Date: January 23, 2004
* Region: 1, 4
* Layers: 1
* Audio Languages: English, French
* Subtitle Languages: English, French, Spanish
* Extras: "Mistaken Identity: Case Reopened" Featurette, Theatrical Trailer.

POLICE ACADEMY 6: CITY UNDER SEIGE
* Year: 1989
* Runtime: 1:23:47
* Video Format: 16:9 Widescreen
* DVD Production Date: January 19, 2004
* Region: 1, 4
* Layers: 1
* Audio Languages: English, French
* Subtitle Languages: English, French, Spanish
* Extras: "Unholy Alliance: A Retrospective" Featurette, Theatrical Trailer.

POLICE ACADEMY: MISSION TO MOSCOW
* Year: 1994
* Runtime: 1:22:33
* Video Format: 16:9 Widescreen
* DVD Production Date: January 21, 2004
* Region: 1, 4
* Layers: 1
* Audio Languages: English, French
* Subtitle Languages: English, French, Spanish
* Extras: "Underneath The Mission" Featurette, Theatrical Trailer.

NATIONAL LAMPOON'S LOADED WEAPON 1
* Year: 1993
* Runtime: 1:22:30
* Video Format: 16:9 Widescreen, 4:3 Fullscreen
* DVD Production Date: April 19, 2002
* Region: 1
* Layers: 2
* Audio Languages: English
* Subtitle Languages: English
* Extras: Theatrical Trailer, Cast/Crew Filmographies (Emilio Esteves, Samuel L. Jackson, Jon Lovitz, Tim Curry, Kathy Ireland, William Shatner, Gene Quintano). Trailers for "The Long Kiss Goodnight" and "Menace II Society" are hidden in the Samuel L. Jackson filmography.



THE MATRIX
* Year: 1999
* Runtime: 2:16:13
* Video Format: 16:9 Widescreen
* DVD Production Date: August 2, 1999
* Region: 1
* Layers: 2
* Audio Languages: English
* Subtitle Languages: English
* Extras: Commentary by Carrie-Anne Moss and visual effects supervisor John Gaeta and editor Zach Staenberg, Music-Only Track with Commentary by composer Don Davis, "Making The Matrix" Featurette, Cast & Crew Bios & Filmographies (Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss, Hugo Weaving, Joe Pantoliano, Joel Silver, The Wachowski Brothers), "Follow the White Rabbit" Feature (giving access to 9 behind the scenes featurettes at various points in the movie), DVD-ROM Content.
* Easter Eggs: (1) The Red Pill on the bottom of the Special Features screen leads you to the "What Is Bullet Time?" featurette. (2) In the Wachowski Brothers section of Cast And Crew, there is another Red Pill, taking you to the "What Is The Concept?" featurette.

THE MATRIX RELOADED
* Year: 2003
* Runtime: 2:18:09
* Video Format: 16:9 Widescreen
* DVD Production Date: July 14, 2003
* Region: 1
* Layers: 2
* Audio Languages: English, French
* Subtitle Languages: English, Spanish, French
* Extras: None
* Notes: This is actually Disc 1 from what was originally a two-disc set.

THE MATRIX REVOLUTIONS
* Year: 2003
* Runtime: 2:09:06
* Video Format: 16:9 Widescreen
* DVD Production Date: February 2, 2004
* Region: 1
* Layers: 2
* Audio Languages: English, French
* Subtitle Languages: English, Spanish, French
* Extras: Theatrical Trailer, "The Matrix" Teaser Trailer, "The Matrix Reloaded" Teaser Trailer, "The Animatrix" Teaser Trailer, DVD-ROM Content.
* Notes: This is actually Disc 1 from what was originally a two-disc set.

THE ANIMATRIX
* Year: 2003
* Runtime: 1:41:00
* Video Format: 16:9 Widescreen
* DVD Production Date: May 1, 2003
* Region: 1, 2, 3, 4
* Layers: 2
* Audio Languages: English, Japanese
* Subtitle Languages: English, Spanish, French
* Extras: Commentary by director Yoshiaki Kawajiri on "Program" (in Japanese, with English subtitles), Commentary by director Mahiro Maeda on "The Second Renaissance Part 1" (in Japanese, with English subtitles), Commentary by director Mahiro Maeda on "The Second Renaissance Part 2" (in Japanese, with English subtitles), Commentary by director Takeshi Kokie on "World Record" (in Japanese, with English subtitles), "Making Final Flight Of The Osiris" Featurette, "Making The Second Renaissance Parts 1 And 2" Featurette, "Making Kid's Story And Detective Story" Featurette, "Making Program" Featurette, "Making World Record" Featurette, "Making Beyond" Featurette, "Making Matriculated" Featurette, "Scrolls To Screen: The History And Culture Of Anime" Featurette, "Enter The Matrix: In The Making" Video Game Featurette, Directors & Segment Producers Biographies (Peter Chung, Andy Jones, Yoshiaki Kawajiri, Takeshi Koike, Mahiro Maeda, Koji Morimoto, Shinichiro Watanabe, Michael Arias, Hiroaki Takeuchi, Eiko Tanaka).



OCEAN'S 11
* Year: 1960
* Runtime: 2:07:17
* Video Format: 16:9 Widescreen
* DVD Production Date: September 10, 2001
* Region: 1
* Layers: 2
* Audio Languages: English, French
* Subtitle Languages: English, Spanish, French
* Extras: Commentary by Frank Sinatra Jr. and Angie Dickinson, Interactive Las Vegas Then and Now Map Casino Vignettes, The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson Excerpt Featuring Guest Host Frank Sinatra and Angie Dickinson, Cast & Crew Filmographies (Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., Peter Lawford, Angie Dickinson), 2 Theatrical Trailers.
* Easter Eggs: (1) On the Special Features menu, press LEFT to highlight a poker chip on the pile. Press Enter to view a clip about the Las Vegas Gambling Museum. (2) On the "Map Of Vegas" menu, watch The Sands casino video. After viewing the video, select it again to see a different video showing the implosion of the casino in November 1996.

OCEAN'S ELEVEN
* Year: 2001
* Runtime: 1:56:27
* Video Format: 16:9 Widescreen
* DVD Production Date: March 7, 2002
* Region: 1
* Layers: 2
* Audio Languages: English, French
* Subtitle Languages: English, Spanish, French
* Extras: Commentary by Matt Damon and Andy Garcia and Brad Pitt, Commentary by director Steven Soderbergh and screenwriter Ted Griffin, "The Making Of Ocean's Eleven" Featurette, "The Look Of The Con" Featurette, Cast Filmographies (George Clooney, Matt Damon, Andy Garcia, Brad Pitt, Julia Roberts), 3 Theatrical Trailers, "Are You In Or Out?" DVD-ROM Game.

OCEAN'S TWELVE
* Year: 2004
* Runtime: 2:05:10
* Video Format: 16:9 Widescreen
* DVD Production Date: February 8, 2005
* Region: 1
* Layers: 2
* Audio Languages: English
* Subtitle Languages: English, Spanish, French
* Extras: Theatrical Trailer.

OCEAN'S THIRTEEN
* Year: 2007
* Runtime: 2:01:59
* Video Format: 16:9 Widescreen
* DVD Production Date: August 29, 2007
* Region: 1
* Layers: 2
* Audio Languages: English, Spanish, French
* Subtitle Languages: English, Spanish, French
* Extras: Additional Scenes, "Vegas: An Opulent Illusion" Featurette, "Jerry Weintraub Walk And Talk: The Producer Takes Us On A Casino Set Tour" Featurette.



SUPERMAN: THE MOVIE
* Year: 1978
* Runtime: 2:22:57
* Video Format: 16:9 Widescreen
* DVD Production Date: December 5, 2006
* Region: 1, 2, 3, 4
* Layers: 2
* Audio Languages: English, French
* Subtitle Languages: English, Spanish, French
* Extras: Commentary by executive producer Ilya Salkind and producer Pierre Spengler, Teaser Trailer, Theatrical Trailer, TV Spot.
* Notes: This is actually Disc 1 from what was originally a four-disc set. This is the PG-Rated Theatrical cut of the film (an Extended cut also exists).

SUPERMAN II
* Year: 1980
* Runtime: 2:07:20
* Video Format: 16:9 Widescreen
* DVD Production Date: August 1, 2006
* Region: 1, 2, 3, 4
* Layers: 2
* Audio Languages: English, French
* Subtitle Languages: English, Spanish, French
* Extras: Commentary by executive producer Ilya Salkind and producer Pierre Spengler, "Superman's Souffle" Deleted Scene, Theatrical Trailer.
* Notes: This is actually Disc 1 from what was originally a two-disc set. This is the PG-Rated Theatrical cut of the film (a "Richard Donner Cut" also exists).

SUPERMAN III
* Year: 1983
* Runtime: 2:04:54
* Video Format: 16:9 Widescreen
* DVD Production Date: July 19, 2006
* Region: 1, 2, 3, 4
* Layers: 2
* Audio Languages: English, French
* Subtitle Languages: English, Spanish, French
* Extras: Commentary by executive producer Ilya Salkind and producer Pierre Spengler, "The Making Of Superman III" Vintage TV Special, 11 Deleted Scenes, Theatrical Trailer.

SUPERMAN IV: THE QUEST FOR PEACE
* Year: 1987
* Runtime: 1:29:42
* Video Format: 16:9 Widescreen
* DVD Production Date: July 25, 2006
* Region: 1, 2, 3, 4
* Layers: 2
* Audio Languages: English, French
* Subtitle Languages: English, Spanish, French
* Extras: Commentary by screenwriter Mark Rosenthal, 15 Deleted Scenes, Theatrical Trailer.

That is all.

Since July 2007 I've owned an Acer AL1917WAbd 19" LCD Monitor. It works great and I've never had a problem with it. However, with the recent purchase of a Blu-ray drive, it no longer meets my needs as it's not in a 16:9 aspect ratio (it's 16:10) and it's not HDCP-compliant (a requirement for Blu-ray playback). So I went online and looked for an affordable monitor that met those two new requirements, and also has a DVI-D input and is physically no wider than 18 inches (the maximum amount of space I have available on my desk for a monitor). I found a monitor that met all four of my requirements, but I sure had a heap of trouble with it since practically day one. Here's a nice detailed timeline of the ordeal I went through.

09/30/2009 - Purchased the LG W1943TB-PF Black 18.5" 16:9 Widescreen LCD Monitor brand-new for 119.95 from Newegg, in spite of their horrendous Monitor Replacement Only Return Policy which states that "there must be a minimum of 8 dead pixels to declare an LCD display defective and eligible for return" within 30 days of purchase. Since the Acer LCD monitor never gave me a single problem in 2 1/2 years of use, I figured that I wouldn't have any with the LG monitor, and so that horrendous return policy didn't scare me away.

10/01/1009 - Received the monitor via UPS. On it's SECOND USE, in less than a week of ownership, I noticed a big ugly black spot in the screen! It was on the left side, where it got in the way of my work. I work frequently in word processing applications, which have a white background, so it very easy to see. Since I never experienced this phenomena with the Acer monitor, I went online to see what it was. I've learned that it's known as a "dead pixel", and apparently there's nothing that can fix it - as opposed to a "stuck pixel", which apparently CAN be fixed.

Newegg specifically mentioned that a minimum of eight dead pixels has to be present before they would take it back, so I didn't bother wasting my time trying to return it to them - though in retrospect maybe I should have lied about how many dead pixels there were and tried doing an exchange with them, because the alternative was much worse. Instead, I contacted LG customer service to see if they would honor the three year warranty. I originally made the mistake of using the newly-learned phrase "dead pixel" in my transmission to them, which resulted in an e-mail that read, "Unfortunately that is a standard that they [Newegg] use based off of all LCD monitor manufactures. We would have the same policy to have the repaired/replaced only if the unit had that many pixels out." I waited a week or two and tried contacting them again, this time only referring to the defect as a "black spot" (which is what I was calling it until I learned the proper terminology online). This time I had better luck, as they allowed me to exchange it for another monitor in a process that they call a "Standard Swap".

10/29/2009 - First Swap claim was initiated via e-mail, but would not get processed until I had the chance to call customer service two weeks later. I couldn't even file the claim through their online form as the monitor isn't even listed on their website!

11/16/2009 - First Swap claim was processed, monitor was shipped to LG on 11/19/2009.

Now before I go any further, I want to provide the complete parts list for the brand-new monitor:

-- W1943TB-PF Monitor.
-- W1943TB-PF Monitor Stand.
-- DVI-D Signal Cable.
-- 15-Pin D-Sub Signal Cable (standard VGA cable).
-- Power Cord.
-- W1943TB-PF Drivers/Users Guide disc (an actual factory-pressed disc, not a CD-R).
-- W1943TB-PF Easy Setup Guide paper.
-- Standard LG Monitor Warranty Information Sheet.


In the Swap instructions letter that I was e-mailed (along with a pre-paid FedEx label to print out), I was told in bold capital underlined letters, "PLEASE SEND ACCESSORIES (CABLES. CORDS, REMOTES. MANUALS ETC.)" So I included every single one of those items listed above in the package that I sent to LG. To this day I still have not received the last three items back. Granted, they're not required for the normal operation of the monitor (even though the Quick Start Guide says to use the drivers on the disc instead of the standard Windows plug & play driver), but they ARE something that I paid for - and I feel insulted that I was told in bold capital underlined letters to send everything back, only for LG to decide not to send it all back to me in return.

11/24/2009 - First replacement monitor was shipped from the LG warehouse to me.

11/27/2009 - Received first replacement REFURBISHED monitor. I was expecting a brand-new monitor like the one I purchased brand-new less than 60 days earlier. This monitor had a small defect in it, though not as noticeable as the one in the other monitor. There was a small thin black line in the lower right area of the screen, about an inch above the clock in the tray area of Windows.

Also, I didn't get back half of the items that I sent back with the original monitor. This replacement unit was missing the DVI-D Signal Cable, Drivers/Users Guide disc, Easy Setup Guide paper, and Standard LG Monitor Warranty Information Sheet. I've had to temporarily borrow the DVI-D cable from the Acer monitor in order to connect the replacement LG monitor to my computer. Instead of getting a real drivers disc, LG had sent me a CD-R which has no drivers on them at all (only user guides). Because (as I would later learn) the drivers I installed from the original monitor did NOT get fully uninstalled when I used the "uninstall driver" button in Windows, Windows kept looking for them at every boot, prompting me with this message: "Please insert the Compact Disc labeled 'LG Monitor Profiles Installation Disk' into your CD-ROM drive and then click OK." As the monitor is not listed on the LG support site, I couldn't even download drivers for it. So for a few weeks I was annoyed at every Windows boot-up by this message. (I eventually learned that pressing the "rollback driver" button would fix the problem by reverting back to the standard Windows plug & play driver. You know, the one that the Quick Start Guide said not to use.)

Anyway, I was willing to live with the small defect, though I e-mailed and phoned Jennie Ramey (SWAP Coordinator, RA Department) and customer service to get the missing accessories. Jennie told me that I shouldn't have to live with the defect and that I should send it back for another monitor. Jennie also told me over the phone (on 12/7/2009) that "customer service generally sends a reconditioned unit for units over 60 days old". That's all fine and dandy, except that the claim was initiated LESS THAN 30 DAYS after the original purchase, and the replacement was sent out LESS THAN 60 DAYS after the original purchase. She didn't know why I wasn't sent a brand new unit, but she was willing to send me one. The only problem is that she didn't have any brand new W1943TB-PF units in stock at the warehouse in Alabama (where she's located), and she wouldn't be able to order any for me. I don't know why she couldn't order any as she works for the company that makes the product, but so be it. However, none of the alternate models we discussed met my few qualifications: 16:9 aspect ratio, DVI input, HDCP compliant, and 19" in screen size (20" would be a stretch for the space I have, anything bigger definitely wouldn't fit). So I was in store for yet another refurbished unit.

12/08/2009 - Second Swap claim was processed, monitor was shipped to LG on 12/15/2009.

12/29/2009 - Second replacement monitor was shipped from the LG warehouse to me.

12/31/2009 - Received second replacement REFURBISHED monitor. Again the package was missing the Drivers/Users Guide disc, Easy Setup Guide paper, and Standard LG Monitor Warranty Information Sheet. At least this time it came with the DVI-D Signal Cable. At this point I've realized that I'm never getting those three items back, even though they are technically something I paid for when I bought the original monitor.

This second replacement monitor is, sadly, not 100% defect-free, though it contains the least annoying defect of the three monitors to date. About 2 1/4 inches from the right side of the screen, about half an inch from the bottom (a little above the tray area, in the status bar of most applications) is a very faint dark spot (probably a dead subpixel or half-pixel or whatever it's called). It's only noticeable if you know that it's there and you know where to look, which is a BIG improvement over the defects in the other two monitors. Still, this just proves to me that LG is incapable of manufacturing a 100% perfect defect-free monitor. Considering the poorly-designed LG Chocolate cell phone that left my mother with hundreds of dollars in unwanted charges a few years ago because it kept doing things other than what she was trying to do, I've come to the conclusion that LG stands for "like garbage".

I'll live with this most minor of defects, but a bigger injustice is present that LG would not correct on their own.

They would not give me a refund of the difference between the full retail price I paid for the brand-new monitor and the value of the refurbished monitor I received as the replacement so soon thereafter. Jennie Ramey told me via e-mail that she "can not refund [me] the difference in price", but she did not say why. She did say that "replacements that are sent out for units over 90 days old are reconditioned", which is a change from the "60 days" she mentioned over the phone on 12/7/2009 (I guess she can't keep her story straight). However, whether 60 or 90 days, I should have received a brand new unit. The first claim was initiated LESS THAN 30 DAYS after the original purchase, the first replacement was sent out LESS THAN 60 DAYS after the original purchase, and the second replacement was sent out LESS THAN 90 DAYS after the original purchase. So there's no reason that I should not be granted a refund for the difference.

On February 1st I sent a letter to the President and CEO of LG Electronics USA at the U.S. Corporate Headquarters (1000 Sylvan Ave., Englewood Cliffs, NJ 07632). I figured as the head honcho, he'd be the single best person to contact about the matter. After waiting three weeks for a reply and not getting one, I contacted the Better Business Bureau on February 22nd for help.

Four days later on 2/26 I received an e-mail from Jennifer Adams-McKee, Asst. Manager of the Customer Resolution Team. She told me that "the warranty statements on our monitors do state that parts or units may be replaced with reconditioned units at LG's discretion. It does not specify any age of the unit at all. However, we at LG do try to make it a "good" practice to use new stock for any units less than 60 days old whenever stock is available." Okay, that explains the situation better than what I've been told over the past few months.

Jennifer was very willing to grant me a refund of the difference in cost between what I paid for the new monitor and the value of the refurbished monitor I received as the replacement. She told me that refurbished units sell online for 89.95 to 99.95, and that she would be able to offer me a refund of 30 dollars. I replied back to let her know that this would be quite acceptable to me. The check was cut on 3/5, and received by me on 3/8/2010.

Although I'm happy with the end result, after this experience, I certainly won't buy another LG product ever again, and certainly won't recommend LG to others.