In the fourth novel of her epic Harry Potter story, J.K. Rowling weaves the LARGEST and most complex tale of mystery, suspense, magic and fantasy yet, picking up right where Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban leaves off. Far more complicated and gripping than the first three novels, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire will leave you on the edge of your seat as Rowling takes you on a suspenseful magical ride of mystery as Harry and his friends, Ron and Hermione, battle the forces of evil and indeed a fight for survival itself. Weaving together characters and stories from the previous three novels, the Goblet of Fire is THE pivotal book in the series. As the ending of this novel alludes to, the story is JUST BEGINNING!!! As has become her M.O., not all is as it seems. The ending will leave you in complete shock and surprise, and even horror!!!

The Main Story:

Against his will Harry is entered into a deadly tournament which has not been held in over a hundred years, pitting the best and the brightest of Hogwarts and two rival wizarding school against each other. Now Harry is in a battle for survival as the tournament progresses. Can Harry survive the tournament and discover who has entered him and more importantly WHY?

Also, Lord Voldemort unleashes a last ditch effort to return himself to full power.

Supporting Stories:

- Harry, Hermione and the Weasleys travel to the Quidditch World Cup.

- What became of Sirius Black?

- Has Hagrid finally found love?

- For the fourth year in a row, a new Defense Against the Dark Arts instructor arrives at Hogwarts, the eery and strange Mad-Eye Moody, a former Dark Wizard capturer, brings his unique brand of defense to Hogwarts and reveals the forbidden curses to the students.

- Trouble in paradise, again? Harry and Ron's friendship undergoes a major test.

- The return of Dobby!!! S.P.E.W. Hermione begins a campaign for elfish rights.

- Blossoming into teenagers, will the gang be able to find dates to the ball? Will Harry, Ron and Hermione find love?

- A new nemesis arrives for the gang in the form of Rita Skeeter, a nosy and trouble-making reporter for the Daily Prophet.

- The signs are appearing everywhere. Will Voldemort make his return?

- What are Fred and George up to?

- What's the deal with Percy and his new boss?

What We Find Out:

- Rowling expands the wizarding world as she introduces the foreign schools of Dumstrang and Beauxbatons into the Harry Potter world, and the unique students they enroll.

- We learn a little more about life as it was at the height of Voldemort's power.

- We learn (and confirm some suspicions about) who Voldemort's supporters are.

- We take a look into the past, again, to see the fall of Voldemort's supporters.

- We learn a little more about Snape's background.

Far more gripping, engaging and horrifying than the first three novels, fans of Harry Potter will love and enjoy the voluminous fourth chapter in his epic story. Rowling continues to expand upon the world of Harry Potter at a great rate, slowly revealing more about his mysterious past and the world around him and interweaving elements and revelations from the first three novels into a great web of mystery and suspense.

Harry Potter mania has swept the nation, if not the world, for the past several years. Rowling's gripping stories of mystery, suspense, shock, fantasy and magic are a true treat. This book is another shining example of why her characters are beloved by both children and adults the world over.

Even at a little over a whopping 700 pages, the book still reads fast.

My total read time: 16 hours, three evenings.

Highest Recommendation

In the third novel of her epic Harry Potter story, J.K. Rowling weaves an even LARGER and more complex tale of mystery, betrayal, magic and fantasy. Far more gripping than the first two novels, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban will leave you on the edge of your seat as Rowling takes you on a magical ride of mystery and shocking betrayals as Harry and his friends, Ron and Hermione, battle the forces of evil and search for the truth. As has become her M.O., not all is as it seems. The ending will leave you in complete shock and surprise.

The Main Story:

Harry's third year at Hogwarts of Wizardry and Withcraft is marked with danger as the infamous Sirius Black, believed to be the second most evil and dangerous Dark Wizard in the land and the right-hand man of Lord Voldemort, escapes from Azkaban, the Wizards prison, leaving a cryptic message, "He's at Hogwarts!!!" behind. Tensions rise as Black continuously sneaks into Hogwarts, leaving the students, faculty and even the government paralyzed with fear.

Supporting Stories:

- What is the mysterious power that the dementors hold over Harry?

- Harry continues to see images of a mysterious Black dog. What does it forebode for him?

- For the third year in a row, a new Defense Against the Dark Arts instructor, Professor Lupin, joins the Hogwarts faculty. A beloved and able instructor, Professor Lupin himself, however, holds a mysterious secret with his frequent illnesses. Is his illnesses caused by the strange potions Snape is giving him?

- After an elusive two years, will Gryffindor finally be able to capture the House Quidditch Cup?

- Hermione's new cat Crookshanks has an unusual and deadly interest in Ron's deteriorating pet rat Scribbles, leaving tensions high between Ron and Hermione.

- How exactly is Hermione managing to keep and maintain her impossible school schedule?

- Harry, Ron and Hermione come to the defense of Hagrid's hippograff who is sentenced to death

What We Find Out:

- We take a step into the past of Hogwarts as Fred and George bestow upon Harry the Marauder's Map, authored by four students from Hogwarts past.

- We learn a little about Harry' parents days at Hogwarts and the friends they had, and more importantly, the enemy they made.

- We discover the TRUE story behind Harry's parents' death and the startling story of betrayal behind it.

- We take a look beyond the walls of Hogwarts as the third year students visit the purely magical town of Hogsmeade.

- The mysterious Divination instructor, the seer Professor Trelawney makes a shocking prediction about the return of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named!!!

Far more gripping and engaging than the first two novels, fans of Harry Potter will love and enjoy this third chapter in his epic story. Rowling continues to expand upon the world of Harry Potter at a great rate, slowly revealing more about his mysterious past and the world around him. At a little over 400 pages, the book reads fast.

Harry Potter mania has swept the nation, if not the world, for the past several years. Rowling's gripping stories of mystery, suspense, shock, fantasy and magic are a true treat. This book is another shining example of why her characters are beloved by both children and adults the world over.

My total read time: 11 hours, two evenings.

Highest Recommendation

In the second novel of her epic Harry Potter story, J.K. Rowling weaves another thrilling tale of mystery, magic and fantasy. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets will leave you on the edge of your seat as Rowling takes you on another magical ride of mystery and suspense as Harry and his friends Ron and Hermione get caught up in more magical misadventures battling the forces of evil and searching for the truth. As has become her M.O., not all is as it seems is you discover the who-done-it. The ending will leave you in shock and surprise.

The Main Story:

Harry's second year at Hogwarts School of Wizardry and Witchcraft starts off with an ominous warning as Dobby the elf sneaks into Harry's home at the Dursley's and warns him not to return to Hogwarts because his life is in danger. Not heeding this warning Harry does indeed return to Hogwarts and becomes a suspect in a string of attacks against his fellow students where students of muggle descent are turned into stone. In actuality, Harry faces the evil of the legendary Chamber of Secrets, a secret chamber built by one of the school's four founders which contains a hidden evil monster. The real mystery at stake is, who has once again opened the Chamber of Secrets?

Supporting Stories:

- For the second year in a row, Hogwarts has a new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Gilderoy Lockhart, a famous author with a series of book about his battles against the dark creatures. As the semester progresses though, it is clearly obvious something is not right about him.

- As a second year student, Harry becomes ever more aware of his celebrity status as a new underclass joins Hogwarts, including Colin Creevey who worships him and Ginny Weasley, Ron's younger sister who is quite taken with Harry.

- We also see Harry, Ron and Hermione's continuing rivalry with Draco Malfoy and his gang of Slitherins, and Professor Snape the Potions Master

- Harry, Ron, Fred and George have fun with Mr. Weasley's enchanted car.

- Will Dobby find his salvation through Harry?

What We Find Out:

- We discover why Hagrid was expelled from Hogwarts when he was a student

- We take a look at Hogwarts as it was 50 years ago through the diary of Tom Riddle.

- We discover a little more about the mysterious link of fate between Harry and evil Dark Lord, Voldemort.

Just as gripping and engaging as the first novel, fans of Harry Potter will enjoy this second chapter in his epic story. At a little over 300 pages, the book reads fast. Harry Potter mania has swept the nation, if not the world, for the past several years. Rowling's gripping stories of mystery, suspense, shock, fantasy and magic are a true treat. This book is another shining example of why her characters are beloved by both children and adults the world over.

My total read time: 9 hours, one evening.

Highly Recommended.

The Best of Friends Volume 4 collects an additional 5 more of the "best episodes" of the award-winning comedy series about six friends living and working in New York. In addition to the 5 episodes, the DVD also contains a "behind the scenes" documentary (which is pretty cool), cast bios and NEVER BEFORE SEEN FOOTAGE (seamlessly edited into the shows).

Here's a rundown of this DVDs contents:

1. The One With Chandler in a Box (11/20/97): Thanksgiving comes around again. With Joey still fuming at Chandler for stealing his girlfriend, Chandler confines himself to a box to prove his friendship to Joey. Plus, Monica attempts to start a relationship with Richard's son.

2. The One Hundredth (10/8/98): Phoebe gives birth to the triplets she carried for her brother, with a Fonzie-loving weirdo as the doctor. Plus, to Chandler's chagrin Rachel sets-up Monica and herself with two cute males nurses, and Joey has a kidney stone.

3. The One With All the Resolutions (1/7/99): New Year's comes around and with it resolutions. Chandler can't insult; Ross wants to try new things (including wearing leather pants which lead to a HILARIOUS disaster on a hot date); Joey tries to learn guitar from Phoebe; and Rachel resolves not to gossip, but stumbles across Chandler and Monica's BIG secret!!!

4. The One Where Ross Got High (11/25/99): Ross and Monica's parents visit for Thanksgiving and it is revealed that they don't like Chandler, to Monica's chagrin. Ross reveals the reason for their parent's disdain of Chandler is a little white lie he told them about Chandler to cover his own tracks while in college. Also, Rachel tries to fix Thanksgiving desert for the very first time -- to hilarious results!!!

5. The One with the Proposal Parts 1 & 2 (5/18/00): Chandler's big plans to spring a surprise proposal to Monica nearly fall through when Dr. Richard Burke returns from the past to try to reclaim Monica for himself!!! Plus, Joey inadvertently buys a boat at an auction and Ross breaks things off with his college co-ed honey!!!

In addition to these episodes this DVD also contains the following special features:

1. Special Discovery Channel Documentary: "The One That Goes Behind The Scenes." Slightly dated, this 45 minute documentary takes you behind the scenes as the season premiere for the 1999-2000 season is produced (the one after with the gang in Vegas where Ross and Rachel got married). The beginning is kinda so-so with tons of technical stuff where the set gets built and the writers discuss the storyline, but it picks up as the actual filming begins. Some COOL stuff toward the end of filming as they get immediate feedback from the studio audience about jokes which work and fall flat and TONS of cool stuff in the "post-production" phase where we see the Foley artists adding in the sound effects, the music editor adding on the soundtrack and the video editor actually stitching the episode together. Overall, the first half of it is boring; the second half is cool. This should be great for film/video production students wanting to see how an award-winning, ratings-producing show is produced. Kinda neat for Friends fans.

2. Cast bios (the usual stuff talking about where they grew up and their career resume, neat but nothing to write home about....)

3. NEVER BEFORE SEEN FOOTAGE: It's soooo seamlessly edited into the shows that I can't really tell the difference anyway... Pretty cool I guess...

Here's my quick rundown:

Awesome: NO COMMERCIALS!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Some of the stuff on the documentary was pretty cool

So-so: The additional footage? Me personally, I can't really tell the difference but I guess that makes it a plus.

Bad: Nothing really, but HEY, WB, WHERE'S THE COMPLETE SEASON COLLECTIONS?????????

I like the fact that they released these episodes on DVD. The replay value, like most sitcoms, is awesome. It's just like watching Friends syndicated reruns on your local station but without the commercials and with a better picture. Unlike taping your favorite episodes off the air, the DVD won't get "eaten" from constant replay.

However, I'm anxiously awaiting when Warner Bros will release the complete season sets like they have overseas. Getting these "Best of" sets will be somewhat moot if/when the complete season sets come out domestically.

Otherwise though, if you need your Friends fix, sans commercials and VCR eaten tapes, this will have to do it for you.

Recommended.

The Best of Friends Volume 3 - 4 collects 10 more of the "best episodes" of the award-winning comedy series about six friends living and working in New York. In addition to the episodes the DVDs also contain a "behind the scenes" documentary (which is pretty cool), cast bios and NEVER BEFORE SEEN FOOTAGE (seamlessly edited into the shows).

Here's a rundown of the DVDs contents:

Volume 3:

1. The One With the Blackout (11/3/94): A power outage occurs leaving Chandler stranded with a supermodel (Jill Goodacre) at an ATM and the others in the dark at home. Ross tries to make his move in on Rachel until a lost cat gets in the way leading to the introduction of the cats owner, Paulo whom Rachel falls head over heels for...

2. The One With the Candy Hearts (2/9/95): Valentine's Day mishaps abound as Joey fixes himself and Chandler on date with a chick he likes and her friend, (unknowingly the friend being Chandler's ex Janice); the girls get into a "ex-boyfriend bonfire ritual" and Ross runs into his ex-wife Carole while out on his first date in ages.

3. The One Where Ross and Rachel...You Know (2/8/96): Ross and Rachel head out on their first date -- at his working place (with a HILARIOUS ending); Monica caters a party for her parent's eye doctor friend, Dr. Richard Burke (Tom Selleck) (setting off another GREAT storyline); plus, Joey and Chandler become the ultimate "Lazy Boy" couch potatoes.

4. The One With the Football (11/21/96): It's Thanksgiving and Ross and Monica drag their friends into the ultimate battle of football for the "prestigious" Geller Cup.

5. The One That Could Have Been (2/17/00): Ross still with Carole? Rachel actually marrying Barry? Phoebe as a wealthy, high-powered stockbroker? Monica still fat? Chandler as a struggling writer? Joey as a successful actor? Great alternate storyline episode as the gang wonders What If?

Volume 4:

1. The One With Chandler in a Box (11/20/97): Thanksgiving comes around again. With Joey still fuming at Chandler for stealing his girlfriend, Chandler confines himself to a box to prove his friendship to Joey. Plus, Monica attempts to start a relationship with Richard's son.

2. The One Hundredth (10/8/98): Phoebe gives birth to the triplets she carried for her brother, with a Fonzie-loving weirdo as the doctor. Plus, to Chandler's chagrin Rachel sets-up Monica and herself with two cute males nurses.

3. The One With All the Resolutions (1/7/99): New Year's comes around and with it resolutions. Chandler can't insult; Ross wants to try new things (including wearing leather pants which lead to a HILARIOUS disaster on a hot date); Joey tries to learn guitar from Phoebe; and Rachel resolves not to gossip, but stumbles across Chandler and Monica's BIG secret!!!

4. The One Where Ross Got High (11/25/99): Ross and Monica's parents visit for Thanksgiving and it is revealed that they don't like Chandler, to Monica's chagrin. Ross reveals the reason for their parent's disdain of Chandler is a little white lie he told them about Chandler to cover his own tracks while in college. Also, Rachel tries to fix Thanksgiving desert for the very first time -- to hilarious results!!!

5. The One with the Proposal - Parts 1 & 2 (5/18/00): Chandler's big plans to spring a surprise proposal to Monica nearly fall through when Dr. Richard Burke returns from the past to try to reclaim Monica for himself!!! Plus, Joey inadvertently buys a boat at an auction and Ross breaks things off with his college co-ed honey!!!

In addition to these episodes BOTH DVDs also contain the following special features:

1. Special Discovery Channel Documentary: "The One That Goes Behind The Scenes." Slightly dated, this 45 minute documentary takes you behind the scenes as the season premiere for the 1999-2000 season is produced (the One After Vegas). The beginning is kinda so-so with tons of technical stuff where the set gets built and the writers discuss the storyline, but it picks up as the actual filming begins. So COOL stuff toward the end of they get immediate feedback from the studio audience about jokes which work and fall flat and TONS of cool stuff in the "post-production" phase where we see the Foley artists adding in the sound effects, the music editor adding on the soundtrack and the video editor actually stitching the episode together. Overall, the first half of it is boring; the second half is cool. This should be great for film/video production students wanting to see how an award-winning, ratings-producing show is produced. Kinda neat for Friends fans.

2. Cast bios (the usual stuff talking about where they grew up and their career resume, neat but nothing to write home about....)

3. NEVER BEFORE SEEN FOOTAGE: It's soooo seamlessly edited into the shows that I can't really tell the difference anyway... Pretty cool I guess...

Here's my quick rundown:

Awesome: NO COMMERCIALS!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Some of the stuff on the documentary was pretty cool

So-so: The additional footage? Me personally, I can't really tell the difference but I guess that makes it a plus.

Bad: Nothing really, but HEY, WB, WHERE'S THE COMPLETE SEASON COLLECTIONS?????????

I like the fact that they released these episodes on DVD. The replay value, like most sitcoms, is awesome. It's just like watching Friends syndicated reruns on your local station but without the commercials and with a better picture. Unlike taping your favorite episodes off the air, the DVD won't get "eaten" from constant replay.

However, I'm anxiously awaiting when Warner Bros will release the complete season sets like they have overseas. Getting these "Best of" sets will be somewhat moot if/when the complete season sets come out domestically.

Otherwise though, if you need your Friends fix, sans commercials and VCR eaten tapes, this will have to do it for you.

Recommended.

The Best of Friends Volume 3 collects 5 more of the "best episodes" of the award-winning comedy series about six friends living and working in New York. In addition to the 5 episodes the DVD also contains a "behind the scenes" documentary (which is pretty cool), cast bios and NEVER BEFORE SEEN FOOTAGE (seamlessly edited into the shows).

Here's a rundown of this DVDs contents:

1. The One With the Blackout (11/3/94): A power outage occurs leaving Chandler stranded with a supermodel (Jill Goodacre) at an ATM and the others in the dark at home. Ross tries to make his move in on Rachel until a lost cat gets in the way leading to the introduction of the cats owner, Paulo whom Rachel falls head over heels for...

2. The One With the Candy Hearts (2/9/95): Valentine's Day mishaps abound as Joey fixes himself and Chandler on date with a chick he likes and her friend, (unknowingly the friend being Chandler's ex Janice); the girls get into a "ex-boyfriend bonfire ritual" and Ross runs into his ex-wife Carole while out on his first date in ages.

3. The One Where Ross and Rachel...You Know (2/8/96): Ross and Rachel head out on their first date -- at his working place (with a HILARIOUS ending); Monica caters a party for her parent's eye doctor friend, Dr. Richard Burke (Tom Selleck) (setting of another GREAT storyline); plus, Joey and Chandler become the ultimate "Lazy Boy" couch potatoes.

4. The One With the Football (11/21/96): It's Thanksgiving and Ross and Monica drag their friends into the ultimate battle of football for the "prestigious" Geller Cup.

5. The One That Could Have Been (2/17/00): Ross still with Carole? Rachel actually marrying Barry? Phoebe as a wealthy, high-powered stockbroker? Monica still fat? Chandler as a struggling writer? Joey as a successful actor? Great alternate storyline episode as the gang wonders What If?

In addition to these episodes this DVD also contains the following special features:

1. Special Discovery Channel Documentary: "The One That Goes Behind The Scenes." Slightly dated, this 45 minute documentary takes you behind the scenes as the season premiere for the 1999-2000 season is produced (the one after with the gang in Vegas where Ross and Rachel got married). The beginning is kinda so-so with tons of technical stuff where the set gets built and the writers discuss the storyline, but it picks up as the actual filming begins. So COOL stuff toward the end of they get immediate feedback from the studio audience about jokes which work and fall flat and TONS of cool stuff in the "post-production" phase where we see the Foley artists adding in the sound effects, the music editor adding on the soundtrack and the video editor actually stitching the episode together. Overall, the first half of it is boring; the second half is cool. This should be great for film/video production students wanting to see how an award-winning, ratings-producing show is produced. Kinda neat for Friends fans.

2. Cast bios (the usual stuff, neat but nothing to write home about....)

3. NEVER BEFORE SEEN FOOTAGE: It's soooo seamlessly edited into the shows that I can't really tell the difference anyway... Pretty cool I guess...

Here's my quick rundown:

Awesome: NO COMMERCIALS!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Some of the stuff on the documentary was pretty cool

So-so: The additional footage? Me personally, I can't really tell the difference but I guess that makes it a plus.

Bad: Nothing really, but HEY, WB, WHERE'S THE COMPLETE SEASON COLLECTIONS?????????

I like the fact that they released these episodes on DVD. The replay value, like most sitcoms, is awesome. It's just like watching Friends syndicated reruns on your local station but without the commercials and with a better picture. Unlike taping your favorite episodes off the air, the DVD won't get "eaten" from constant replay.

However, I'm anxiously awaiting when Warner Bros will release the complete season sets like they have overseas. Getting these "Best of" sets will be somewhat moot if/when the complete season sets come out domestically.

Otherwise though, if you need your Friends fix, sans commercials and VCR eaten tapes, this will have to do it for you.

Recommended.

Missy Hyatt was one of the first "modern day" wrestling divas and a pretty big star throughout the 80's and early 90's. This book is the story of her life and her career in the world of professional wrestling.

The writing style is pretty decent and comes across more as a "talk-story" session at the coffee shop. It's very easy (and fast) to read. Many of the wrestling fans "in the know" know about Missy's legendary promiscuity which the quotes on the back cover will allude to, but to be honest, the book is "relatively" clean and not the sleezy "kiss and tell all" book you'd think it would be. Of course she does give a laundry list of sorts of the many, many men she's been with in her life, but it's nothing overly filthy. In a movie rating it would be about a PG-13.

Overall, this book is just a neat story about a pretty average girl named Melissa and the MANY cool experiences, places and people she's had, seen and met throughout her life, not only in her wrestling career, but also as a celebrity.

In the book you get:

- A quick rundown of her childhood

- Her start in the wrestling business as a "groupie"

- Her pretty messed up relationship with Jake "The Snake" Roberts

- Her relationship with "Hollywood" John Tatum

- The formation of the "Missy Hyatt" character in WCCW and her program with Sunshine and Scott Casey

- Her stay in Bill Watt's UWF and program with Jack Victory, Dark Journey and the Missing Link and great stories about Sting, Steiner and J.R.

- The cute story of her courtship, life and marriage (and eventual divorce) to the late, great "Hot Stuff" Eddie Gilbert while in the UWF.

- Her and Eddie's travels through the Memphis territory and the CWF

- Her BRIEF stint as a WWF Superstar with "Missy's Manor" and some great tales about her meeting with Vince McMahon

- Her rocky career in the WCW with some great tales about her meeting with Ted Turner, Ric Flair and Eric Bischoff

- Her relationship with Jason Hervey (Wayne Arnold (the big brother) from the Wonder Years)

- Her many, many flings thereafter (football players, hockey players, other wrestlers...)

- Her career in ECW with the Sandman and friendship with Paul Heyman

- Her current whereabouts (current career and college, but no mention of her 'adult' website).

Overall, Missy's got some GREAT stories to share about all the people and places she's been to (and been with), and met. She has tons of great stories from the road and "backstage/off-camera" anecdotes about a lot of the others in the business. Among others she shares things about are Paul E, the Freebirds, Luger, Buff Bagwell, Road Warrior Hawk, Tommy Rich, Brutus Beefcake, Dr. Tom Pritchard, Shane McMahon and a HILARIOUS story about Val Venis.

I particularly enjoyed her stories about her relationship with Eddie Gilbert, being a fan of both of their work. It's just really sad things didn't work out between them and I could sense a lot of that sadness when she talked about him. It's obvious that there were still some strong feelings there. To me, it's equally sad that Eddie never did get the big breaks he deserved in the business because he was just ultra-talented...

Overall, this is a great book to read. It definitely holds its own up against the other wrestling autobiographies of recent years (and is A LOT better than an autobiography written by some OTHER female wrestling personality earlier this year...). She comes across as honest and real and the stories she has to share are great and even pretty funny. I wish there was more to read but what she says is short, sweet and to the point. There's also tons of GREAT photos in here of Missy and some of the other great wrestlers and celebrities she's met. The book is fairly short (at 164 pages) and it reads fast. I got through it in 3 sittings, total read time about 6 hours. In sum, if you're a wrestling fan you should love and enjoy Missy Hyatt: First Lady of Professional Wrestling.

Highly Recommended

Long before he became a best-selling author and world famous WWF superstar, Mick Foley (Cactus Jack, Mankind, Dude Love) was independent wrestling's hardcore legend and his trek to superstardom led him through the "hallowed" halls of the ECW Arena. This DVD chronicles Mick's two-year (1994-1996) stint as an Extreme warrior of ECW including his best matches and promos and his feuds with Sabu, Sandman, Terry Funk, the Public Enemy, Tommy Dreamer and Shane Douglas and his alliances with Mikey Whripwreck and Raven. The DVD does not have any DVD special features, but in all seriousness, it doesn't really need any...

Here's a rundown of the DVD:

Your Host is Joey Styles

1. Opening Cactus Jack montage

2. Match 1: Jack vs. Sabu (w/ Paul E and 911). Brutal hardcore fight between the two hardcore legends. Lots of tables, lots of high impact. 3 stars. Shane Douglas, Mr. Hughes and the Bruise Brothers also appear.

3. Cactus Jack promo followed by a Paul E. promo

4. Clips of Mikey and Cactus beating Public Enemy for the tag belts. Cactus and Mikey promo.

5. Match 2: Cactus Jack and Mikey Whipwreck vs. the Public Enemy. Crazy, arena-spanning brawl. Lots of tables and a balcony dive. 4 stars.

6. Cactus promo where he recruits Kevin Sullivan to replace an injured Mikey. Match highlights, Cactus Jack and Kevin Sullivan vs. the Public Enemy where Sullivan betrays Cactus. Cactus and Mikey promo.

7. The Cactus-Sandman/Funk feud: Cactus promo (where Woman interrupts and Sandman attacks). Match Highlights 1: Match between Cactus and the Sandman (Sandman gets KILLED). Match Highlights 2: Sandman jumps Cactus, Terry Funk helps Sandman and Shane Douglas makes the save.

8. Cactus Jack and Shane Douglas promo. Match Highlights: Cactus and Douglas vs. Sandman and Funk, featuring the flaming branding iron!!!

9. Match 3: Cactus Jack vs. Terry Funk. Battle of the two hardcore legends. Brutal match with even crazier spots with the flaming branding iron. 4 stars.

10. The Cactus-Douglas feud. A Cactus/Douglas promo. Clips of the world title match between Cactus and Sandman where Douglas interferes and costs Jack from winning the title.

11. Match 4: Barbed-Wire Match - Cactus Jack vs. the Sandman: INSANE match with barbed-wire. Slow start at first but it snowballs as the action goes on. Lots of blood, lots of barb-wire, lots of caning, ALL HARDCORE. 5 stars.

12. The Cactus-Dreamer "Anti-Hardcore" feud. Clips of Dreamer/Cactus vs. Raven/Stevie Richards.

13. Montage of Cactus Jacks Anti-Hardcore promos. ONE OF THE DVD HIGHLIGHTS. This is the collection of some of Foley's BEST promos ever. Great footage of Mick at home for X-mas and at parks around the country cutting on the ECW fans and hardcore wrestling in general. 10 stars

14. Match 5: Dreamer vs. Cactus and Raven. Standard hardcore fare, tables, barbed- wire, etc. 3 stars. Dreamer promo

15. Match 6: Tommy Dreamer/Terry Funk vs. Cactus Jack/Raven: All-out "garbage-match" hardcore war. ALL kinds of plunder. Everything gets used from dust pans to VCR. Tazz and Richards also appear. 4 stars.

16. The Cactus-Mikey Feud: Cactus promo with Raven and Mikey. Cactus-Mikey promo. Clips Cactus and Mikey vs. the Eliminators where Cactus betrays Mikey.

17. Match 7: Cactus Jack vs. Shane Douglas. Douglas returns to face Cactus Jack. Outstanding psychological contest. Hard-fought, old-school style wrestling with a good mix of hardcore warfare. Classic Douglas. Features handcuffs and chairs. Mikey screws Cactus. 5 stars. Cactus' famous "Doritos" promo on Mikey.

18. Mick Foley's Last ECW Appearance...Match 8: Cactus Jack vs. Mikey Whipwreck. Great athletic contest, solid spots. 4 stars.

19. Post-match: Cactus' Farewell Speech. Replay of the Cactus Jack montage and an ending skit with the Blue Meanie and Stevie Richards.

Overall, this is an OUTSTANDING collection. The pacing is "just right" on this. A lot of the matches are clipped and only highlights, but it's mostly the boring stuff they took out (as opposed to the not-as-well paced Dudley Boyz DVD they put out as well). There's rarely a slow moment in this one. The DVD contains great matches (particularly the barbed-wire match with the Sandman, the Funk match and the Douglas match) and collects his best promo work. The promos may not be as controversial or riot-incenting like the Dudley ones, but these are good case studies on how to cut good promos. Foley's a master at this.

The only downside to this video is the (...) audio whose level fluctuates throughout. ECW's production values were "less than professional" so a lot of the source footage and audio are pretty sub-par and it shows here (as well as the Dudley Boyz DVD).

Overall, if you are a Foley-lover, this is a MUST for your collection.

Highest Recommendation (for all wrestling fans).

The Robotech Masters Legacy: Collection 4, a three disc collection, contains episodes 37 through 48 (and the first half of the second story arc, The Robotech Masters) of the legendary anime series Robotech from the mid 1980s. Also included in this boxed set is the fourth installment of the Elements of Robotechnology, special features DVD which includes the opening and closing sequences of the original Japanese series Robotech was based on.

For the uninitiated, Robotech was the most popular of the Americanized Japanese anime series to hit American TV waves during the 1970s and 1980s. Set in the 21st Century, it was known for its cutting edge animation, high-tech battle scenes, futuristic weapons (planes, tanks, motorcyles that transform into robots), cool alien invaders, and realistic and compelling storylines. Robotech swept an entire generation and helped put Japanese Anime forever on the map of American pop culture.

Set 15 years after the events in the Macross Saga, The Robotech Masters story picks up with a new generation of Robotech defenders (in this case the heavily armored Armies of the Southern Cross) protecting the Earth as a new wave of Alien invaders, the Robotech Masters, descend upon the earth looking to reclaim the missing Protoculture factory hidden aboard the now derelict SD-F1. This story arc is the focal point of the entire Robotech series as the key plotlines and threads (the secrets of the mysterious Protoculture) that bind together the three story arcs are revealed and woven together here.

Here's the rundown of the episodes and content featured on each disc:

Disc 1: A New Threat

Episode 37 - Dana's Story: Dana relates to Bowie the story of how her parents, Max and Miriya, met and fell in love. Plus, the Robotech Masters attack Moon Base Luna.

Episode 38 - False Start: Dana and the 15th Squadron get into more mischief while out practicing maneuvers. Also, the Robotech Masters arrive in Earth's airspace.

Episode 39 - Southern Cross: It's all-out war as the Robotech Masters' Bioroid Army annihilates the main base, and only Dana and the 15th can stop them.

Episode 40 - Volunteers: Dana and Crystal lead a team on a dangerous shuttle mission to re-establish contact with Space Station Liberty, going directly up against the Robotech Masters ship. Plus, the menacing Red Bioroid.

Episode 41 - Half Moon: Bowie is captured by the Bioroids. Against orders Dana mobilizes the 15th to rescue him and comes face-to-face again with the mysterious Red Bioroid.

Episode 42 - Danger Zone: It's once again all-out war. The Earth Government wants Zor's ship destroyed at all costs; and they pay a high cost indeed!!! Plus, are these aliens human?

Disc 2: Revelations

Episode 43 - Prelude to Battle: The Earth forces plot their next move, infiltrating the downed Robotech Masters ship. Plus, Bowie's musical career lands him in trouble.

Episode 44 - The Trap: The 15th infiltrate and explore the downed Robotech Masters ship, confronting mysterious clones and falling right into the Robotech Masters' trap. Plus, Bowie meets a mysterious alien female musician.

Episode 45 - Metal Fire: More info about the Robotech Masters and the alien female musician, Musica, are revealed. The Earth forces make more discoveries through Bioroid research.

Episode 46 - Star Dust: The Robotech Masters mind probe their human captives and decide their next plan of action - sending an infiltrator in. Dana meets a charming singer with a plan to destroy the Robotech Masters ship.

Episode 47 - The Outsiders: A reinforcement unit from the SD-F3 arrives to help against the Robotech Masters. Meanwhile, Zor Prime is unleashed by the Masters and captured (and studied) by the Earth Forces.

Episode 48 - Déjà vu: Dana seeks answers about her strange fascination with Zor Prime (the Red Bioroid pilot), going to desperate lengths to find answers. Plus, Bowie's heartache and Sean visits Marie.

Disc 3: Elements of Robotechnology 4

Though a little "sparser" in terms of run-length than the other 3 earlier installments, this edition contains some cool gems in it, particularly the opening and closing sequences of the original Japanese anime series. Here are the contents:

1. Opening and closing sequences of the original Japanese anime series, Macross, Southern Cross and Genesis Climber: Mospeada, from which Robotech was made from. You can see where the images were edited together from the original series to form the Robotech opening and closing sequences, not to mention hearing the pretty cool Japanese theme songs. GREAT BONUS.

2. Animation model sheets for the characters and mecha of the Robotech Masters series. Cool stuff

3. Comic cover gallery for the 24 comic issues adapting the 24 episode Robotech Masters saga. Cool stuff

4. More International Robotech clips (in French, Spanish, Italian and Portuguese) for 2 clips (Dana moving out the 15th for maneuvers and the 15th having there run-in with Crystal's squad). Neat stuff.

Though this particular arc of the Robotech saga is pointed to by many as the "low-point" of the series (and I felt the same way too as a kid), I must say that it's definitely A LOT better than I remember it being. The action still kicks butt even 15 years later.

If you've never seen Robotech, simply put YOU MUST. The action and the drama are compelling, clearly showing why Robotech became a pop culture icon. It is the series that forever put Japanese anime on the map in the US. If you did grow up with Robotech, give these a watch again. They're great for a trip down memory lane. You can't lose!!!

Highest Recommendation

Robotech: Revelations, chronicles the second six episodes (Episodes 43 - 48) in the second story arc (The Robotech Masters) in the classic, ground-breaking, epic Americanized anime series from the 80s, Robotech.

For the uninitiated, Robotech was the most popular of the Americanized Japanese anime series to hit American TV waves during the 1970s and 1980s (along with Star Blazers, Voltron, Transor Z, etc.) Known for its cutting edge animation, high-tech battle scenes, futuristic weapons (planes, tanks, motorcyles that transform into robots), cool alien invaders, and realistic and compelling storylines, Robotech swept an entire generation and helped put Japanese Anime forever on the map of American pop culture.

Set 15 years after the events in the Macross Saga, the story picks up with a new generation of Robotech defenders (in this case the heavily armored Armies of the Southern Cross) protecting the Earth as a new wave of Alien invaders, the Robotech Masters, descend upon the earth looking to reclaim the missing Protoculture factory hidden aboard the now derelict SD-F1. The Robotech Masters Saga is the focal point of the entire Robotech series as the key plotlines and threads (the secrets of the mysterious Protoculture) that bind together the three story arcs are revealed and woven together in this story arc.

In this particular volume the action and drama begin to pick up as the Earth's defenders begin to learn more about their mysterious invaders. The Robotech Masters themselves begin to unleash more plots in their quest to regain the hidden Protoculture factory.

Here's a rundown of the episodes featured on this DVD:

Episode 43 - Prelude to Battle: The Earth forces plot their next move, infiltrating the downed Robotech Masters ship. Plus, Bowie's musical career lands him in trouble.

Episode 44 - The Trap: The 15th infiltrate and explore the downed Robotech Masters ship, confronting mysterious clones and falling right into the Robotech Masters' trap. Plus, Bowie finds a mysterious alien female musician.

Episode 45 - Metal Fire: More info about the Robotech Masters and the alien female musician, Musica, are revealed. The Earth forces make more discoveries through Bioroid research and the next phase of the Robotech Masters' plot begins - kidnapping humans.

Episode 46 - Star Dust: The Robotech Masters mind probe their human captives and decide their next plan of action - sending an infiltrator in. While on a night on the town with Bowie, Dana meets a charming singer with a plan to destroy the Robotech Masters ship, just as a SECOND Robotech Master ship arrives.

Episode 47 - The Outsiders: A reinforcement unit from the SD-F3 arrives to help turn the tide against the Robotech Masters. Meanwhile, Zor Prime is unleashed by the Masters and captured (and studied) by the Earth Forces.

Episode 48 - Déjà vu: Nova interrogates Zor Prime. Dana seeks answers about her strange fascination with Zor Prime, going to desperate lengths to find answers. Plus, Bowie's heartache and Sean visits Marie.

Incidentally, these volumes DO NOT have special DVD features (aside from trailer ads for other anime series coming out on DVD from ADV). Not to fear though. If you purchase the boxed set collections, each boxed set collection will come with an "Extra: Elements of Robotechnology" DVD special which will contain all the DVD special features you could want: interviews, trailers, commercial spots, specs, etc... So by all means, get the boxed set if you are planning on buying.

Though this particular arc of the Robotech saga is pointed to by many as the "low-point" of the series (and I felt the same way too as a kid), I must say that it's definitely A LOT better than I remember it being. The action still kicks (...)even 15 years later.

If you've never seen Robotech, simply put YOU MUST. The action and the drama are compelling, clearly showing why Robotech became a pop culture icon. It is the series that forever put Japanese anime on the map in the US. If you did grow up with Robotech, give these a watch again. They're great for a trip down memory lane. You can't lose!!!

Highest Recommendation