A gold member of the Christmas classic elite, Frosty The Snowman has entertained several generations of children and adults with its charming holiday magic. Jimmy Durante narrates this 1969 animated creation that features the birth of Frosty, a happy upbeat snowman brought to life by a magical hat. The story is based on the popular Christmas song of the same name, and Durantes narration and singing brings the animation itself to life. One of the best holiday cartoon specials…
In Living Color (DVD) Review
Nominated for 17 Emmys in its short four-year stint, In Living Color is widely considered the best skit comedy show since SNL. Created by the multitalented star Keenen Ivory Wayans (the eldest child from a large and talented family), the 30-minute TV show became an instant hit for emerging big network competitor FOX in the spring of 1990. Showcasing the talents of the Wayans family (especially blockbuster talent Damon Wayans), along with initial cast members David Alan Grier,…
Law And Order Svu (DVD) Review
Nominated for 7 Emmys in its first five seasons, Law & Order SVU (Special Victims Unit) continues the success of NBC’s blockbuster Law & Order franchise. The brainchild of Law & Order creator Dick Wolf (former writer for hit TV shows such as Hill Street Blues and Miami Vice), Law & Order SVU is filmed on location in New York City. It follows the traditional half-police drama/half-courtroom drama format that made its forerunner a smashing success, yet SVU focuses exclusively o…
Meet The Fockers (DVD) Review
Arguably the best comedy of 2004, Meet The Fockers is a hilarious, humor-filled marathon. Screenwriters Greg Glienna and Mary Ruth Clarke (who should have received Oscars for their flawless penmanship of Meet The Parents) turn in another blockbuster manuscript. But, as with its predecessor, Meet The Fockers wouldn’t be the comedy masterpiece it is without the onscreen chemistry of Ben Stiller and Robert De Niro. Stiller, son of comedian Jerry Stiller (Seinfeld & King Of Queen…
Oz (DVD) Review
Nominated for 2 Emmys, including Best Casting for a Series, Oz is widely regarded as one of the best prison dramas ever created. The brainchild of creator Tom Fontana (former writer for such hit TV shows as Homicide: Life On The Streets and St. Elsewhere), Oz was one of a number of a highly successful HBO original series to premiere in the 1990s, keeping good company among such shows as Sex And The City and The Sopranos. Premiering in mid-summer 1997, Oz quickly built a large…
Seinfeld (Season 4) DVD Review
One of the best sitcoms not just of its time, but of all time, Seinfeld redefined the sitcom genre. No longer was it necessary to have contrived plot, a lesson to be learned, or some other ridiculous cookie-cutter approach. With Seinfeld, an episode could be about nothing and everything all at the same time. The show follows the lives of four friends living in New York City, stand-up comedian Jerry Seinfeld, his childhood friend George Costanza (Jason Alexander), his eccentri…
Soap (DVD) Review
Nominated for 17 Emmys in its short four-year run, Soap premiered in the Fall of 1977 as one of the most controversial shows in American television history (and all before a single episode ever aired). The show was opposed by many groups who thought its subject matter would be too mature for a prime-time audience. But Soap never overstepped its bounds, and the show became an instant smash hit with its brilliant and satirical spoofs of classic daytime programming. Sporting an …
The A-Team (DVD) Review
One of the many hit TV shows inextricably linked to the 1980’s is The A-Team, an action series with plenty of bombs, machine guns, and bazookas – where miraculously no one ever seems to die! Short for “Alpha Team,” The A-Team is a Vietnam-era crack commando unit wrongfully accused of robbing the Bank of Hanoi. Having escaped from a maximum security prison, the four man team survives in the anonymity of the Los Angeles underground. And with the government still hot on their tr…
The Flintstones (DVD) Review
Turning the television world flat on its head, The Flintstones became the first animated hit series in prime time history. Set in the Stone Age town of Bedrock, the show explored the lives of ancient cave dwellers through the lens of a modern lifestyle, with bird beaks acting as phonograph needles, elephant trunks as vacuum cleaners, and fireflies as light bulbs. With its measured use of top-grade humor and clever visuals, The Flintstones became an instant smash hit – spawnin…
Bambi (DVD) Review
Nominated for three Academy Awards, including Best Music – Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture, Bambi is a true animated classic of the silver screen. Long before the public’s introduction to Aladdin, The Lion King, or Finding Nemo, Walt Disney single-handedly conjured the full-length animated feature film out of nothing and into an enduring, well-respected genre – creating one family classic after another, starting with Snow White (1937) then Pinocchio (1940), Fantasia (…
CSI (Season 2) DVD Review
Recipient of 20 Emmy and 6 Golden Globe nominations, including Best Television Series: Drama, CSI (Crime Scene Investigation) ascended to the number one spot as the highest rated series on television in the Fall of 2000. Created by Anthony Zuiker, the show travels into the backrooms of the criminal investigation process where forensic scientists unravel complex crimes using modern lab technologies. Since it first premiered, CSI has enabled CBS to emerge as the top-rated netwo…
Dawson’s Creek (Season 5) DVD Review
During its six-year run, Dawson’s Creek was nominated for 12 Teen Choice Awards, making it one of the most successful original programs in WB network history. Taking place in the fictional location of Capeside, Massachusetts, the series was actually filmed in the real-life township of Wilmington, North Carolina (however the show’s theme song was written and performed by Paula Cole, who calls Massachusetts home). Creator Kevin Williamson is said to have modeled the characters …