An offer you cannot refuse

Throughout his long, wandering, often distinguished career Francis Ford Coppola has made many films that are great (Apocalypse Now); good (Rumble Fish) and fine (Rain Maker), many more that are flawed but undeniably interesting, and a handful of duds that are worth viewing if only because his personality is so flagrantly absent. Yet he is and always shall be known as the man who directed the Godfather films.

The first movie of the trilogy broke many records when it was released in 1972: it was, for example, the top grossing movie (a record broken in 1975 by"Jaws"); that year it also won three Academy Awards. It is also very highly rated by critics; the American Film Institute ranked it the third greatest movie of all time.

But in my opinion,"The Godfather" was a very good movie, not a great movie. It's sequels were even worse (but still much better than the garbage that Hollywood churns out today). The Godfather had poor plot development. In particular, I object to the way in which the putative master of crime was depicted conducting a vendetta; invariably an assassin would suddenly appear in proximity to the victim, plug him several times, or strangle him. There was never any evidence of skill or foresight on the part of the gangsters. Hitmen simply would appear at arbitrary intervals, and bump off a character the moment the screenwriter had no use for him. The single most egregious case of this is the assassination of Sonny Corleone by a horde of gunmen that appear as if by magic. Ambushes do occur in the real world, of course, and they often do employ massive overkill; but the planner has to know when and where to hit the target.

This is a common problem of action movies, especially when the protagonist is also a figure of the underworld. It is usually overcome by the writer focusing on fewer conflicts (e.g., the incomparably superior"Chinatown"), or by much greater research of the subject. Since the movie was adapted from The Godfather, it would have been possible to focus on fewer threads of the novel than Coppola chose. Or, had Coppola wanted to focus on the development of Michael Corleone's personality over time, then he could allocated more screen time to, say, the planning and decision-making. Of course, if he had, then he would have not made his gore quota.

The Godfather 2 is a very good movie, but not a classic. Much of the power of the second film comes from the contrast between the two stories. As Vito Corleone grows in power, he also grows as a family man, in both the sense of a father with children and a wife and in the extended sense in his role as Godfather. He becomes the center of a community, drawing others around him. But the other story, of the decay of all that Vito had built up through the leadership of Michael, betrays all the realities undergirding the delusions riddling Vito Corleone's Family. The rot and decay that characterizes Michael's reign are shown as the natural and inescapable result of the greed that drove the lives of those in the crime organization. Nonetheless, the contrast between Vito, surrounded by friends and family and associates, and Michael, killing friends and associates and even family members, alienating even his most loyal friends, sitting inside his armed compound alone couldn't be starker. There is a reverse symmetry between the two stories: Vito starts off alone and ends surrounded by family and friends, while Michael starts off surrounded with family and friends, and ends up alone. This is symbolized perfectly in the final scene in the film, in a flashback to December 7, 1941, when Michael reveals to his brothers that he has enlisted in the Army. They hear their father arrive elsewhere in the house and rush off to meet him, only Michael sitting at the table alone as the film ends.

As with the first film, the acting is beyond reproach. As great as Al Pacino has been in his career, Michael Corleone has been his greatest achievement. He and Robert De Niro excel in the two key roles in the film. Lee Strasberg came out of retirement to play Hyman Roth, and he was extraordinarily effective in the role. The late, great John Cazale was marvelously timid as the dim, confused, and indecisive Fredo, who both adored and resented his brother Michael. Michael Gazzo is unforgettable as Frank Pentangeli, who thinks he has been betrayed by Michael and turns government witness, and received a well-deserved Oscar nomination for his performance (he was beaten out by Robert De Niro), as was Lee Strasberg. Robert Duvall returns as Tom Hagen, who is more loyal to Michael than anyone else but who Michael distrusts nonetheless. Bizarrely, Al Pacino lost out to Art Carney, who was excellent in the rather minor film HARRY AND TONTO. It is hard today to understand how Pacino failed to win.

Winner of six Academy Awards, including Best Picture."The Godfather, Part III" (1990, 170 min.) - Now in his 60's, Michael Corleone is dominated by two passions: freeing his family from crime, and finding a suitable successor. That successor could be fiery Vincent (Andy Garcia), but he may also be the spark that turns Michael's hope of business legitimacy into an inferno of mob violence. This special collection also includes an additional disc containing over 3 hours of bonus material.
This effort is worth watching but it is the weakest of the three. Watch out for the talentless Sophia Coppola; she would have been better off on the other side of the camera.

A Charming, Light and Funny Animated Comedy

Bee Movie is a lovely film to look at because of its bright visuals - which will enchant children - and syrupy sweet atmosphere. It stars Jerry Seinfeld as Barry B. Benson, a bee who is disillusioned with the bee's tough life of hard work and very little play. The audience quickly learns that once a bee graduates from high school, they are immediately assigned to a job in the honey making factory at random, which they will have for the rest of their lives.

Barry rebels against this and after sneaking into a restricted zone and disguising himself as a pollinator, finds himself flying outside in New York City. Here he inadvertently has an accident and as a result meets Vanessa (voiced by Renée Zellweger), a beautiful florist with a boyfriend named Ken, who hates bees.

She discovers that he can speak and eventually the pair form an unlikely friendship. However, Barry soon discovers that not all humans are as nice as his new friend when he spots a jar of honey in Vanessa's kitchen. She tells him that it is sold all around the world and he is outraged. How could humans exploit bees like this for profit? He decides to file a lawsuit against the entire human race on behalf of all bees so that they can reclaim what is rightfully theirs.

The ensuing legal battle is original and witty - if entirely unbelievable - and showcases Seinfeld's great comic ability and allows for some very amusing moments. There are various celebrity cameos - in bee form, of course - including the likes of Ray Liotta, who owns his own honey company in the film, Larry King and Sting. Chris Rock also provides the voice of a manic mosquito who Barry meets on the windscreen of a truck and Oprah Winfrey plays the judge presiding over the trial.

The film - while not a masterpiece of animation or content - is very entertaining with humour which will please both children and adults and is well worth seeing, especially if you are a fan of Seinfeld or Dreamworks animation in general. Overall, its not too shabby.

I rather enjoyed it - but I did think it was a bit gory for a 12 rating

Being a Noggin the Nog fan at 6, I naturally warmed to the Beowulf saga as a teen. Plus I enjoyed John Gardner's 'Grendel' novel as a student, where the Beowulf story is retold from Grendel's perspective:"His mother is totally incommunicative. In fact, his only real friends are the Danes he kills. Still, he knows he is dependent on Hrothgar's survival. If I murdered the last of the Scyldings, he muses, what would I live for?".

When I found out the writer of the book 'Stardust' was helping to produce two movies, 'Stardust' and 'Beowulf', I knew I had to see them at the cinema. I took my son (11) to see both ('Stardust' was great). However, although my son enjoyed the film (well the two main action bits anyway), I did feel Beowulf was rather violent for just a 12 rating - this is one of the few films where I was actually shocked at one point. Beowulf fights Grendel without any clothes to prevent his armour hindering him, and there are articles placed about the mead hall that conveniently hide any obviously male bits from the viewer - and this overt coyness irritatingly distracts you from the horror that's unfolding - i.e. Grendel's attack (after that Beowulf faces Grendel's mother in a loin cloth). When Grendel breaks in to the banqueting hall, looking frankly a bit too decayingly revolting, he proceeds to bite off the heads of the hapless Dane warriors and spray them up the wall (but that apparently isn't as disturbing as a PC generated male figure in the buff - although even the Crazy Frog was anatomically correct on kids TV, and Bart Simpson for that matter). Granted my son didn't seem perturbed by the graphic violence, but a 12 rating can bring in kids of any age with their dads. It doesn't look quite so disturbing on the small screen via DVD, but be warned if your young preteen sons want to watch this movie (I found this aspect worse than similarly 12 rated King Kong, also a great movie otherwise). However for a 9+ audience all should be fine.

Otherwise I loved the movie (other than wishing Grendel had inherited his mothers, fathers and step-brothers good looks). The change to the story and Grendel's family tree/mothers fate was fine (it made Beowulf more vulnerable and so an even greater hero in overcoming his shame to defeat the avenging fire dragon). The mix of accents didn't worry me (who wants a Danish `allo allo', and Beowulf and Hrothgar are from very different settlements anyway, being born in Sweden and Denmark respectively). The PC animation was pretty good if a little stilted occasionally, and I could certainly see the attraction of Grendel's mother (killing her looked a heck of lot harder). Perhaps I would have preferred a live action `Conan the Barbarian' style version, as much of the fighting and monsters would have been the same CGI anyway, but I was impressed with Beowulf the great Nordic warrior, he cut a believable tough heroic figure and the film evoked well the tragedy of his plight as he goes from hero to zero, and back again. Besides, any Beowulf is better than nothing and this was a good stab at the story. The original poem is a long slog anyway, but worth scanning through - you can find it on the web for free. Also try Gardner's Grendel, and Seamus Heaneys poetical interpretation `Beowulf' (it's more than a translation and has the original alongside to compare). The original Beowulf isn't impossible to read, and rather like Mallory's Morte d'Arthur it puts you closer to those of the era if you read it as written down.

I didn't actually notice much had changed in the director's cut other than the fight scenes are noticeably more gory than the movie release, but this doesn't actually detract from the film at all and does add a bit more gritty realism - after all Grendel and his mum are the stuff of nightmares. However those watching with their sons might opt for the standard release. As usual I haven't watched the extras yet, other than the `making off' which was interesting, showing how the live actors helped the CGI movements - and it made you wish the actors were in the film when you see every nuance of their real facial expressions. But otherwise a pretty good movie.

The New Look Amazon set...

As the Babylon 5 subject matter itself has been discussed at length in the other reviews, I shall concentrate this review only on the differences between this new box-set and the previous set, 'Babylon 5: The Complete Universe'.

'Babylon 5: The Complete Collection + Lost Tales' is largely the same as The Complete Universe, although now it includes 'The Lost Tales' for good measure. Only this new set (which is exclusive to Amazon UK) is now in *much* smaller form. Inside the new compact box are slimmer versions of the seasons 1-5 box-sets - utilizing the new super-slim DVD cases that are a fraction of the width of normal DVD cases. If there were ever any little booklets containing episode summaries in the big set's season boxes, as I've been led to believe, they're now gone. The summaries are now written on the boxes themselves. Anyway, you get the exact same discs/extras etc that you got with the bigger/older set, and that's the most important thing. The same is true for the box of the 'Crusade' spin-off series, and the 'Movie Collection' box (containing 'Thirdspace', 'River of Souls' and 'A Call to Arms') - both of these boxes contain the super-slim cases and are ultimately much smaller for it. This all saved LOTS of space, so they have included the original sized individual DVD cases for the remaining movies - 'In the Beginning', 'The Gathering' and 'Legend Of The Rangers'. Also now included within the new look box-set is the 'Lost Tales' DVD - and YES, it IS the one containing the exclusive Art Cards, in case you were wondering. The main box itself is just as sturdy and strong as its big brother - it's just SO much smaller.

This reduction in packaging has brought the price down somewhat - and for those of us with little more shelf space left for our huge and ever-growing DVD collections, the storage space saved is indeed very welcome. Some people may prefer the older/bigger box, but for those who don't, well, I just hope that they notice the Amazon exclusive set, with the Lost Tales and the cheaper price, before they go adding the larger and less complete set to their cart (only less complete due to the recent addition of The Lost Tales DVD to the B5 'canon'). Whatever set you end up owning though, they're both to be considered a bargain.

Weak

If you don't like Catherine Tate's BBC 2 show, you won't like this either. It's as dull, unoriginal and unwitty as the BBC 2 incarnation. If you want to give money to Comic Relief, just give the money. Don't buy this DVD. It's not worth it, it'll just end up in the bin. Forget the middle men and the money it took to make this video, just give your money directly to charity.

This is a Sunday newspaper extra at best, nothing more.

Wow, what a let down.

I don't infact have the Amazon special version, I only have an ordinary DVD version. So I'm not judging based upon the cards.

I unfortuatly found this film to be a massive let down. It sure may reveal certain secrets mentioned in previous films, such as who Davy Jones's lover is and who Tia Dalma really is.

The story is terrible, since it concluded the previous movies terribly, it is let down. The only problem I had was the two massive fleets brought to a battle between the British Empire and the Pirates.

The British had a massive fleet, as did the pirates, but you don't see them fighting, all you see is the black pearl and flying dutchman dabble around in a wirlpool type thing, and then you see then attack the flag ship of the East India Trading Company, then the British retreat!?!

If I was to say historically that the British would have won the battle, dispite the Pirates having the dutchman, which falls under control of Will Turner, you would have to agree. Ever heard of 'Britannia rules the waves!'? The fact of the matter is, the writers of this crud story almost seem to want to glorify piracy, they should be imprisoned.

Terrible movie, do not buy. Unless you love the series, inwhich case it may appeal to you. Like it DID me.

Its excellent!!!!

Loved the DVD and it really opened my eyes even if it's a bit too Hollywood (you know like the Gillete ads)and makes claims that seem too good (or too bad depending on your point of view) to be true. The book then answers many of the questions raised /claims made in the DVD so they work well together. The DVD gets you salivating and then the book fills you up.

You can interpret The Secret (aka The Law of Attraction) as sort of positive thinking taken to it's logical conclusion ("thoughts become things") or interpret it more spiritually. Although my god Rhonda Byrne is claiming a lot for the Law of Attraction in The Secret (as in you want in it, you beleive in it, you do what the books says, you get it!). Still even if only 1% of what Rhonda Byrne's claims in The Secret comes through it will still be life changing for me or anyone else for that matter.

Good for you Rhonda Byrne!!!!



ps def get book and DVD together.

pps def watch DVD first

ppps def watch alone or with like minded people as its really easy for cynics to pour scorn (you know what I mean - your mate who whenever you mention a new idea/project always knows better and then explains to you at great length why you/your project/idea will fail - we've all got a mate or two like that!)

pppps delivery only took 24 hours which was wonderful

ppppps Rhonda if you or your people are reading this please make a sequel

Woe Verily Woe

The real tragedy of this series is that there will be viewers on both sides of the Atlantic who think that it portrays true historical fact as far as is known. Portuguese viewers - if any - will perhaps wonder which of their early 16th Century kings married an English princess who subsequently smothered him with a nuptial pillow. They will have difficulty in finding him!
Dramatic licence is one thing, but a complete alteration of well-documented History represented as the truth is quite another.
The real historical events were dramatic enough - so why change them?
I suspect that one reason was that they got the date sequence so hopelessly mixed up that by the time they got to the marriage story concerning Henry's younger sister - in fact Mary Rose not Margaret (who was by this time Dowager Queen of Scots) King Louis XII of France - the
true bridegroom - was long dead and Francois I on the French throne and
already married.
It was also a pity that the characterisation presented by Rhys Meyers failed to portray the undoubted intellectual and musical talents possessed by Henry VIII, showing him instead passing most of his time ranting at his courtiers, fornicating with any available lady in waiting and charging about in the tiltyard.
Having said all this, some of the events were well-portrayed e.g. the Field of Cloth of Gold, and some of the characters - Wolsey, More, Cromwell, Queen Catherine more convincingly developed.
One amazing feature which the series did show brilliantly was the little-known fact that the Royal Physicians had discovered an elixir which when taken totally arrested the ageing process. This explains why, although the series covers a period of 15-20 years and reaches a point at which Henry is in his late thirties, no one looks a day older!
Anyone seeking a more accurate and convincing dramatisation of the reign of Henry VIII should look no further than Keith Michell's performance in the BBC TV series"The Six Wives of Henry VIII" from the early 1970s.

suits all ages

The dvd collection is a perfect family entertainment. I believe it suites well all ages. I was especially amused to see my two-year old daughter concentrating over some bright images of deep ocean dwellers or asking me to play"killer whale chases a seal" with her. She has learnt quite a few other funny things besides the chasing game. I think she even understood some environmental ideas, which is remarkable.

after what has gone before, this is a real dissapointment

What is it about sequels and the laws of diminishing returns? The more sequels that a film has the worse they seem to get, and if you want proof you only have to look at Jaws, the Terminator, the Alien movies, Batman, and so on and so forth (the exception here is Indiana Jones, and of course the Lord of the Rings, which was in fact one movie in three parts, so that takes care of that).
Unfortunately, Spiderman 3 falls fairly and squarely into the"Threequel" trap, being both less enjoyable and more disjointed than anything that went before it. We pick up the story with Spidey (played once again with just the right level of nerdy loveable ness by Tobey Maguire) struggling to divide his time between his assignments for the Daily Bugle, his girlfriend Mary Jane Watson (given what she has done with the character previously, this is a much more neurotic performance by Kirsten Dunst, who's character seems to do nothing more than either whine, scream or cry throughout the film), his studies and his duties as your friendly neighbourhood Spiderman. On top of this he has to deal with the vengeance driven machinations of his former best friend Harry Osborn as the ludicrously named New Goblin (why not just use Green Goblin) who blames Spiderman for the death of his father, and the arrival on the scene of new villain (and far and away the best thing in the movie) Sandman (a terrific performance from Thomas Hayden Church).
When the movie opens things seem to be going well for Peter (fans of the comics will know that this always spells trouble), but pretty soon Peter finds himself in no end of troubles, having to deal with the aforementioned villains, as well as Mary Jane's decidedly lacklustre stage career, and a rival photographer at the Daily Bugle Eddie Brock (a vacuous performance by Topher Grace), someone who seems determined to steal peters thunder. On top of this you have potential new love interest Gwen Stacey (Bryce Dallas Howard) and a new black costume that seems to boost Spiderman's abilities and leave him brimming with self confidence, and you could be forgiven for thinking that the film is going to struggle under the weight of all these plot strands.
Sadly, struggle it does, with so much going on that the film seems more than a little episodic, and never really comes together as a coherent whole (a criticism you could also level at the first film, but to nothing like the same extent as here). Even returning director and screenplay writer Sam Raimi, who did a good job of holding things together on the original movie and utterly surpassed himself with the superb Spiderman 2, struggles to hold things together here. A lot of the supporting cast are either given way to much screen time, as in the case of Mary Jane, or not enough, such as Eddie Brock. And when the third new villain is revealed (and any Spidey fans worth their salt will know who it is) it all seems a little rushed. Whilst the Sandman is a superb creation all the way through the film, particularly in the final climactic battle sequence, even he cannot save this movie. Not awful by any stretch of the imagination, but after what Raimi gave us in Spiderman and Spiderman 2, more than a little disappointing.

The inter city firm tactics and techniques.

So what was and what is still with it when it comes to football violence. I was there in the 1980s watching West Ham, and yes they had a well organised and professional firm. The top boys are probably not here, but although working class they were not 'chavs'. You see in those days everyone wanted to look like a golfer, all Pringle and Lyle and Scott. Mainly v-neck sweaters and training shoes. The escort infiltration techniques are explained here and how to avoid train fares, there is also an examination of disturbance techniques in Manchester, especailly useful if you are outnumbered as they were. Some nice infiltration into Victoria and how to deal when the other firms get 'mobbed-up'. Some fighting requirements are also outlined, funnily enough there was no strict demand to be a great fighter more the quality to stand there and take it was the order of the day. In Sheffield the plans seem to come togther and the full city centre chase is shown. All in all a fine historical record of the casual football hooligan at his finest.

Dreadful and absurd.

I had high expectations for this film, but as my wife and I sat watching it, we'd had enough after 20 minutes. We stuck with it for another 20 mins and then gave up and fast forwarded through the rest. Just a procession of costumes, ridiculous scenes of: her rallying the troops (all 30 of them), SWR diving under the burning Armada - and not a mention of Robert Dudley, despite the key role he played in her life.

Delightful series

This delightful, nostalgic series starred Dame Judi Dench and Geoffrey Palmer. follow the tale of Jean and lionel. after lionel got posted to korea in the fifties, the two lost touch only to find each other again some 30 odd years later. Meet Jeans Daughter Judy, on off boyfriend Alistair and Judy's mate, Sandy. Heartwarming comedy that's sure to bring a smile, and a hearty laugh. Love is even better second time around!

Unexpectedly witty and wonderful

Not having seen the series, I was urged to buy this boxset by an insistent friend, and I confess to doubts - lots - not least because, with a couple of exceptions, I've never found a wine that didn't leave a horrible metallic aftertaste and harsh acidity. I've always been convinced that old saw 'the more expensive the wine the better it is' was just a rip-off ploy by vintners!
On Top Gear James May's 'character' is vital, but subtle - he is the straight man, the foil for big shouty and little angry; to be the understated Everyman always almost but not quite in the limelight.
But I had real doubts as to how well that would translate in 'Big Wine Adventure'. True, May's affable irony and wry self-deprecating wit on TG were tempered by occasional flashes of a darker, inner bleakness, as he sometimes inadvertantly let slip a tendency towards melancholia(quote:"that moment of Black Dog despair") but away from Hamster and Jezzer, wouldn't it be bland and boring? I didn't really see how the combination could work - Oz Clarke, genuine theatre thespian dahlink and leading Brit wine critic alongside a beer-swilling, petrolhead pianist with depressive tendencies. I prepared for boredom or one of those celeb obviously-in-it-for-the money jaunts.
And I'm very, very sorry, because the DVDs are worth every penny. Both seasons were perfect examples of what documentary shows should be - funny without descending into juvenile puerility, and you learn useful stuff almost without noticing it. Season 1, as these two disparate men adjusted to each other brought forth several moments of hilarity: sharing a tent, the naked Spa pool, and my personal favourite was the Ozilator, a penny-whistle James blew whenever Oz went on too much in that sort of pretentious waffle usually only seen in an AA Gill food review column in The Times. Who hasn't craved such a thing to shut up some pontificating windbag at some point? Priceless!
But Oz wasn't obnoxious. Despite his occasional lapses into overblown oratory, he loves wine, he's interested in the history and the culture and his enthusiasm makes the viewer interested as well. Likewise James stayed true to his 'affordable wine for normal people' stance without being offensive, boorish or an 'inverted snob' about it. And both men clearly genuinely got on well with each other. JM has always been diffident about admitting to any real emotion on screen (remember Hammond's return to TG after the accident - Jeremy launched in with a bearhug, James backed away from Hamster like he was a live cobra and proffered a handshake). Oz gently poked fun at James' aversion without being cruel or offensive about it. It was...nice TV, pleasure-to-watch TV.
And the California one was, in my opinion, even better. I'm trying to avoid spoiling it because my advice is to buy the boxset - Amazon making both seasons available as a boxset is an excellent idea - and I sincerely hope it doesn't end there. I can surely hear all non-French/Californian vintners gnawing their livers in frustration at how much Franco-Californian wine sales must have increased - what about Italian/Spanish wines, or Latin wines (Chile, Brazil), then there's Eastern European wines (Hungary, Romania, etc) and of course, the Antipodes of Australia and New Zealand. I can just see the tagline for Oz and James's Big Wine Adventure Series 3 now;"Oz does Oz in May..."

The Complete Blakes 7

Blakes 7 is a remarkable science fiction series. It contains 52 hour-long episodes split up into four series of thirteen episodes that chart the life and times of a group of renegades against a corrupt Federation. This adventure has been written by a number of individuals, started off by Terry Nation but also with major contributions from others like Chris Boucher and Tanith Lee. What sets it apart from other SCI-FI is the brilliance of the script writing. This is not a serial with good special effects, reasonable acting but predictable, unimaginative stories. The actors themselves fit perfectly into the serial. The handsome Avon, ruthless and eventually the leader of the group is a fine character. Blake an idealist who leads the early series is a complex character and central to Blakes 7. The character of Vila adds to the comedy side, this lovely nervous criminal can find his way past any obstacle. Then there's Gan a giant man useful for banging heads together. The men are equally complimented by the beautiful ladies that populate this serial. Jenna is a space pilot and smuggler. Cally an alien who is not really a criminal type. These subtle characters are skilfully interwoven in the original stories. The seventh member is presumably Zen the on board computer of the starship Liberator. Set in the far future computers have personalities and can be unpleasant or sarcastic. The future shown by this serial is perhaps realistic: that of two tiers of advanced technological races and primitives. It is a recurring theme, this mix of high technology and cavemen. Blakes 7 is a serial which while some adherence to realism is present, sometimes this is sacrificed for the show. The serial does not quite manage Tolstoy's way of rendering an exciting story while still making it absolutely believable. There are a few occasions when you can almost categorically say the events would not occur the way they do. This is Blakes 7, if you can't accept these then this is not the serial for you. The universe of Blakes 7 is characterised by many features. There is no warp drive in this serial, ships fly through space at `Standard by n' speeds. The crew have access to a rare technology called a `teleport' that enables them to magically jump from one point to another. Weapons generally make a noise with little visible in the form of a trace although laser weapons do exist in the world of Blakes 7 they are only shown in later series when the special effects and budget become more plentiful. The stories in this serial are very varied. They are mostly what we would call today acts of terrorism. Blowing up a Federation complex. Stealing equipment, destroying the ever present starship fleet that is pursuing them. They are the likeable `baddies'. Blakes 7 is a mirror of SCI-FI like Star Trek and much of its intrigue is how the group will slip through the net this time. The head of the Federation is the beautiful and ruthless Servalan who is in charge of the mighty forces unable to capture Blake and his crew. Another great character is Space Commander Travis. This dangerous man adds another twist to the sophisticated character interaction that is a hallmark of the serial. Blakes 7 is not a serial for those who want computer graphics/modelling and large scale space battles. It more than makes up for this with the brilliant acting, fine scripts and lifelike characterization. As the serial evolves there are many changes. Nothing is static. Blake initially leads, the leadership is then assumed by Avon after a space war and he continues until the end. Two new characters are introduced in S3 called Dayna and Tarrant. Dayna is a gunfighter and Tarrant a pilot. These characters along with Soolin in the last series develop quite slowly adding a fine backdrop for the writers to utilize. Soolin is another beautiful gunfighter. The women in Blakes 7 add an elegance to proceedings which might be lacking in an all-male line-up. In Blakes 7 combat only forms a small part and is well done. Spaceship combat is also done to good effect and is one more plus to add to the other strengths of the serial. One aspect that comes across prominently is the aggression of almost anyone the band come into contact with. They never seem to run into a friendly freighter or someone offering assistance. The universe is a cold place with few exceptions. Contrasting this when Blake was in charge he did sometimes offer assistance usually objected to by Avon. This serial also encompasses a few SCI-FI horror episodes with sinister alien races or a robot chasing the crew around a labyrinth. There are so many elements that a few words don't do justice to such a work. You have to see it for yourself to appreciate what has been achieved. I just want to travel to the stars behind Servalans desk.

Is the series getting tired?

Nice to have all five series together, even if overpriced, but is it me or is the series getting a bit tired? Like so many good series they seem to be trying too hard as time goes on, with more and more farfetched plots; think the last series of Ally Macbeal for example.

As an aside, I don't expect realism from this sort of series but I would hope that MI5 has somewhat more than the skeleton staff portrayed here, with 5-6 people to save the country each week.

Wrong packaging

I have been an avid fan of Roots since it was first aired in the UK back in 1977. I was so pleased when Amazon informed me that the complete series box set was now out on DVD having got the lot on VHS.
On receiving the complete series box set (Exclusively for Amazon.co.uk) I was disappointed to find some errors in the packaging and labelling.

Roots: 30th Anniversary series

Some of the episode information on the labelling around the centre of the double sided disc appears to be missing.


Roots: The next Generations

Correct box but the discs themselves were supplied in the presentation cases for the 30th Anniversary series.

Roots: The Gift

This appears to be OK

The actual DVDs for all series have not been viewed as it will take over 40 hours to watch so I cannot comment on quality, compatibility, errors technically or continuity.

Both the original box set and its replacement received from Amazon UK had the same inherent problems which I feel have occurred at the manufacturers.

I am returning both box sets of Roots and hope these gremlins get resolved so I can purchase the box set at a later date. I was hoping to watch Roots over Christmas.

Trying to contact Amazon UK customer services is an ordeal to say the least especially by phone as you end up talking to somebody in the far east who repeat well rehearsed lines in broken English so anything more involved or complicated they cannot deal with. The customer services website is not so flexible either when dealing with more specific enquiries.

It would be nice if there was a friendly English voice in the UK who could handle more specific enquiries rather than a huge organization who hide behind an IT brick wall.

Good double dvd pack

This is a good dvd boxset of house on haunted hill and return to house on haunted hill. Both films are good and entertaining to watch, but a little too short. The CGI used is quite good in both films and the extras available on both discs are quite good. Not scary but entertaining!!

Hard core? You must be joking!

I feel cheated by this purchase. 'Hardcore' is frankly the wrong word for what is just a collection of edited American groan sessions: hardly any pubes let alone erections or penetration. Pathetic.