THE PLOT THUS FAR

In 1958, OMNIBUS, the Golden Age of Television s most distinguished series, commissioned Gene Kelly s fist television special. Written, choreographed, co-directed, and starring the Hollywood legend, DANCING, A MAN’S GAME enlisted some of the top names in sports to illustrate Kelly s message about the masculine grace of dance. Digitally re-mastered from the original 16mm kinescope prints preserved by the Library of Congress, this acclaimed production is available now for the first time since its historic NBC broadcast on December 21, 1958.
FEATURING APPEARANCES BY Baseball Star MICKEY MANTLE, Football Quarterback JOHNNY UNITAS, Basketball Hero BOB COUSY, Boxing Champion SUGAR RAY ROBINSON, Olympic Skater DICK BUTTON and Dancing Greats EDWARD VILLELLA and PATRICK ADIARTE.

WHAT WE THOUGHT

“Omnibus” was one of the first major news documentary programs in America. Airing on NBC, host Alistair Cooke decided to take a chance on Gene Kelly. We’re coming up on the 55th anniversary of the show’s airing, so let’s see why it was so important. A few of our readers took issue with the fact that the program was entitled Dancing, A Man’s Game. Well, you’ve got to put Gene Kelly’s intent back into the SCDP patented mindset. Dancing was seen as a thing for ballet and women at the time.

What Kelly spent an hour doing was showing that all sports and anything with manly grace was based in the fluidity of movement. Cooke and Kelly provided a history for this usage while working with Johnny Unitas and Mickey Mantle to frame it for people. It was kind of revolutionary for its day, now it’s sitcom fodder. Where does that fall in terms of appreciation? Who knows and who cares? I loved it.

The DVD comes with a collectible booklet that puts everything into context. Seriously, I could read a book about the production after that booklet. The A/V Quality is the best you can expect from restored kinescopes. There’s something about watching material from that era. Still, I’d recommend a purchase.

RELEASE DATE: 12/17/2013

THE PLOT THUS FAR

Animals compete with everything they’ve got to find and secure a mate. For many, the all-important bonds they share as a couple are what enable the next generation to survive. But can we call these bonds love? In this look at the love life of animals, we see all the subtle, outrageous, romantic antics that go into finding a partner. These are love stories all right, as various and intriguing as the lovers themselves.

WHAT WE THOUGHT

“Love in the Animal Kingdom” is a special kind of documentary for PBS Nature. It’s an hour long jaunt into mating and courting habits among primates and other creatures. You’re not going to see animals getting down on your television screen. You get pretty close, so that might be much for impressionable children. Still, it’s an educational opportunity.

The DVD comes with no special features. The A/V Quality is pretty decent for a standard definition presentation. The Dolby track works for what it is. It’s what I’ve come to expect from a PBS DVD. In the end, I’d recommend a purchase.

RELEASE DATE: 12/17/2013

THE PLOT THUS FAR

Plunge headlong into the greatest alien mysteries of all time in this BEST OF ANCIENT ALIENSr: GREATEST MYSTERIES two-disc set from H2T. This provocative series explores the possibility that advanced technologies such as lasers and even gravity manipulation devices enabled ancient humans to construct colossal structures throughout the world. Many of these “unexplained” structures show engineering techniques thought to be unknown at the time, from a Peruvian mountaintop fortress to a power-generating Mesoamerican pyramid to Indian temples that could harness cosmic energy. Might these technologies have come from distant galaxies? Or were the ancient build ers really extraterrestrials? And, thousands of years later, did the Nazis experiment with similar advanced alien technologies? We’ll also consider whether contemporary rituals believed to connect humans to another dimension are based on ancient experiences with aliens. And we’ll examine whether some of humanity’s most crippling epidemics, like the sixth-century Justinian Plague and the Black Death of the Middle Ages, can be traced to the darkest voids of space. Through 75 million years of the most credible evidence available on earth, H2T entertains these and many more spectacular prospects.

WHAT WE THOUGHT

“Ancient Aliens” stopped trying during their first year on the air. So, History Channel resorts to these compilations to try and throw together elements to capture your attention. If you’re a home schooled fool from the trailer park, please don’t gleam anything intellectually stimulating from this show. It’s historically accurate in the same way that “Thor” was. There was a mythology based around these people and Odin was a God to some Pagans. That’s about it.

The show does offer an indirect travelogue to check out some amazing hot spots around the world. Other than that, it’s dumb filler for your television. If I want to hear about pyramids harnessing cosmic energy, I’ll re-read classic 70s era Jack Kirby. Ancient Aliens wants to pose as academics and offer up this junk. Leave the theories to pulp fiction, boyos.

The DVD comes with no special features. The Dolby 5.1 track sets a stage, but it doesn’t have anything to show off. I’m not sure of that was the purpose of it, but it works. Plus, the transfer isn’t too bad for standard definition. In the end, I’d recommend a purchase to fans.

RELEASE DATE: 12/10/2013

THE PLOT THUS FAR

Raimund Gregorius, a Swiss Professor, abandons his lectures and buttoned-down life to embark on a thrilling adventure that will take him on a journey to the very heart of himself.

WHAT WE THOUGHT

The film opens on Professor Raimund saving a young woman from jumping off the bridge. Then the girl disappears, so the Raimund got her red coat and a book. He starts to read it to find why she was trying to kill herself. That he finds something deep inside which is more than he had in his life. So he abandons his class in half way and pursue the thrilling adventurous quest to find more about the person he read in the book.

The pace is deliberate, even slow at times. The overall mood, which is on the melancholic side, is lifted at times by the quick smiles and revealed emotions of Irons. The story of the resistance turns out to be mundane, and its telling by flashbacks equally so. Neither is the romantic element of Irons’ life all that enthralling, since he is meant to be a colorless character. However, the climax of the story involving Irons, while subtle and not shown very dramatically, is likely to make the audience think and connect the dots of the plot.

The DVD comes with a Digital Copy, featurette, interviews and a trailer gallery. The Dolby 5.1 track sets a stage, but it doesn’t have anything to show off. I’m not sure of that was the purpose of it, but it works. Plus, the transfer isn’t too bad for standard definition. In the end, I’d recommend a purchase.

RELEASE DATE: 12/17/2013