The first film that Hitchcock released through his Transatlantic Pictures company, Rope is an underappreciate minor classic. It's flawed to be sure but this unusual experiment was shot in long takes an unusual approach for Hitchcock. The story was inspired by the Leopold and Loeb murder case and their obsession with the superman theories of Nietzsche.

Philip (Farley Granger)and Brandon (John Dall)have committed the murder of an old classmate for the thrill of it. They invite over mutual friends, the father and mother of the victim and their old prep school master Rupert (Jimmy Stewart)who first introduced them to Nietzche's theories. They drape a table cloth over the trunk where the dead body rests.

Written by Arthur Laurents and Hume Cronyn from the play Rope's End by Patrick Hamilton, Rope allows Hitchcock to indulge in a number of unusual cinematic experiments. It was Hitchcock's first movie to be shot in color and the entire 80 minute film is shot on one set with the skyline gradually changing. If Hitchcock had gotten his ideal cast the film might have been quite different; originally Hitchcock wanted Carey Grant for the role Stewart player and Montgomery Clift as Brandon.

The transfer is good although there is some edge enhancement and some analog and compression artifacts (although they aren't a huge problem). The vivid 3 strip Technicolor process comes to life on this DVD. The colors are pretty close to the version I saw screened. I should note, though, that I originally saw Rope at the UCLA Theater Arts Archive in black and white (a color copy wasn't available) on a Movieola and it was a nitrate print so I'm comparing it to versions that were released much later than the original.

While Rope isn't a perfect Hitchcock excursion, it's an enjoyable and admirable one that features a number of interesting visuals, strong performances and an interesting thought provoking story. The extras on this edition are quite nice as well including a feaurette entitled Rope Unleased, production photos and notes. Sadly, no extensive outtakes exist for Rope and everything that was written was, for the most part, shot.

Although not up to the standard of Notorious, Hitchcock's Spellbound had a number of interesting elements. The film stars Gregory Peck as Dr. Edwardes the head of a new mental institution. He's immediately smitten with Dr. Constance Petersen (Ingrid Bergman in her first of three Hitchcock films)and she with him. There's just one problem; Dr. Edwardes isn't Dr. Edwardes at all but an imposter suffering from amnesia. Constance tries to use psychoanalysis to help uncover who her mysterious new love is and just what has happened to the real Dr. Edwardes. The faux Edwardes is suspected of murdering the real Dr. and suddenly their both trying to put the pieces of the puzzle together while on the run.

Spellbound was the second film that Hitchcock made directly under producer David O. Selznick (Foreign Correspondent, Mr. and Mrs. Smith, Susicion, Saboteur and Shadow of a Doubt were all made while out on loan to other studios)and Hitch's vision was somewhat compromised by Selznick's interference. The budget was cut, a minute of the famous Dali dream sequence was hacked out along with about twenty minutes of Hitch's footgage were sacrificed as well. Despite all these set backs, Spellbound works due to Bergman and Peck's uneasy performance as "Edwardes". Peck was a second choice for the role; originally Hitchcock wanted Cary Grant for the role but Grant's salary demands and lack of committment to the project meant that the two weren't going to collaborate on this film. This was only Peck's third film but he pulls off the difficult role.

The Criterion transfer is sharper than the soft looking Anchor Bay edition. Personally, I prefer the crisper looking Criterion transfer but it's all a matter of preference. The extras here aren't as interesting as some of the other Criterion releases. Unfortunately, the cut footage from Spellbound no longer exists in any form so we're not able to see what might have been or have a faux director's cut assembled.

Despite the set backs that Hitch faced working on Spellbound, he manages to turn the script by Ben Hecht into an interesting suspense thriller. The last shot as the real murderer of Edwardes contemplates suicide is a bit of a jolt and an example of Hitch's unusual and creative approach to film direction even during his years working for Selznick.

Always action packed and entertaining, the first season of Alias, like a lot of television shows, was hampered a bit by having to set up its premise and characters. All of this paid off with the second season but the first season is exceptional with a number of strong episodes. Sydney (the wonderful Jennifer Garner) discovers that, while she thought she was working for the CIA, she was, in fact, working for the bad guys in an organization called SD-6. Sydney finds out the hard way when her fiance is brutally murdered at the orders of Sloan ( the oily Ron Rifkin) her boss at SD-6. She discovers all of this from her father ( the exceptional Victor Garber). She had assumed her father was working for a company that makes airplane parts but he's an agent for SD-6 and there's more; he's a double agent spying on the organization for the CIA.

The plot twists like a modern rollercoaster. Sydney eventually agrees to become a double agent for the CIA as well to eventually get Sloan and SD-6 for the bad things they've done. Unfortunately, most of the people including her partner (the superb Carl Lumley)believe they're working for the good guys which creates quite a bit of conflict for Sydney.

Creator J. J. Abrams has created an unusual blend of The Prisoner, Mission: Impossible, The X-Files and Felicity. What's amazing is that the series works despite drawing on these varied sources. The writing is, for the most part, first class and the acting in his spy opera is exceptional. If some of the performances are a bit over-the-top, keep in mind it works within the genre and the format of the show.

The first six episodes are exceptional but when the series gets bogged down in the Rimbaldi Prophecy late in the season, the show loses some of its focus. Abrams tries a bit too hard to build up a mythology much like The X-Files by using this McGuffin to drive the stories. Unfortunately, it becomes a bit too much of a focus during the last part of season one. It's not bad, just a bit much to swallow.

The story arc of the first season will be, for the most part, resolved by the middle of season two allowing for fresh, interesting vistas to keep fans interested. One other unusual attribute of the series is the stunt casting. During season one and two we see a number of exceptional guest stars including Christian Slater, Rutger Hauer, Amy Irving and Ethan Hawke. The casting works because the actors play characters that lend themselves for instant identification and to their strengths.

The DVD transfer are quite good with some compression issues but nothing noteable. The sound is exceptional. There are a number of cool extras including the gag reel for the season and three featurettes plus commentary on a number of key episodes. My only complaint is that Touchstone doesn't have a chapter menu within individual episodes. If you forget to activate your memory on your DVD player and have to stop playing it, you'll have to skip around a bit. It wouldn't have been that big a deal to provide the additional chapter selections on the disc (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine is a great example of this).

While the kudos for the show is much deserved, the second season is really where the series pays off. I'd still recommend renting or purchasing the first season in order to follow the story arcs set up for season two (and later season three).

You know it's a bad day when your Mom shoots you as a prelude to torture. When we last left CIA double agent Sydney (Jennifer Garner), she discovered that her own mother ( the subtle Lena Olen) wasn't dead but was the head of an evil organization that uses black mail and extortion to achieve wealth and world domination.

Sloan ( the oily Ron Rifkin) the head of the evil faux CIA agency SD-6 that Sydney is spying on with her father (the marvelous Victor Garber) suspects Sydney is a double agent (for the umpteenth time). After murdering his terminally ill wife, Sloan believes his rivals are trying to drive him insane when he gets a mysterious call from his wife's favorite bed and breakfast. When he discovers her dying garden in full bloom he knows someone's trying to ship him out on the next train to Wackyland. To top off a horrible week for Sydney, one of her best friends is almost assassinated and her CIA handler disappears during a joint mission. Have you caught your breath? That was just the first three episodes of the second season. The manic pace of this series will keep your brain nimble even as your body becomes as round as a potato.

Alias manages to combine elements of the original television series Mission: Impossible, Alfred Hitchcock's suspense films, the cult series The Prisoner, Felicity and The X-Files in a series of entertaining (and occasionally absurd) story arcs. Series creator/producer J. J. Abrams has created a series of multilayered stories that continue to keep the audience guessing. It may not be great "drama" but it's great spy opera. Jennifer Garner runs from one emotional extreme to another all within the same episode making the series a rollercoaster ride for fans.

Thankfully the McGuffin (a reference to a tool used by Hitchcock in his suspense films. A McGuffin is a story device that moves the drama forward and that's very important to the characters but not clearly defined for the audience) of the first season the Rimbaldi Prophecy doesn't dominate the second season quite as much. While the Rimbaldi Prophecy and all the pieces of that puzzle were interesting, they had become somewhat absurd by the end of the first season. Abram's in his reach to create a mythology as complex as The X-Files exceeded his grasp. While it does figure prominently in the second season, it's less of a driving force than the character relationships and double crosses.

The Complete Second Season has all 22 episodes that aired last year plus some nice extras. The picture quality is very good considering how much data is included on each disc (roughly 5 1/2 hours each). There's some minor compression artifacts but the picture is clean of analog flaws. The Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround is faithfully reproduced and has far more depth than the episodes run on ABC.

The extras are surprisingly good considering the price of the set. There's a featurette on the making of "The Telling" , one on the look of the series, as well as a glimpse at the video game . The blooper reel allows an inside glimpse into the series and reminds us that to paraphrase Hitchcock, it's only a television show. Audio commentary from the cast and crew features prominently on four of the more important episodes. I really haven't had a chance to spent much time with the DVD-Rom Scriptscanner but based on the glimpse I did take, it provides a nice companion and comparison piece to the series..

Extra points go to Touchstone for the nicely packaged second season. 2 discs are in each snap case and the cardboard holder somes with a plastic sleeve that makes it look very classy. A few demerits for the annoying Disney habit of force feeding previews to the audience. I find this form of advertising offensive and it's been taken to absurd new heights on the Universal DVDs where you have to watch the advertisements before reaching the main menu. At least Disney does offer the option of skipping the previews (but you have to choose menu as the disc begins) so you can move on to the episode you want to watch.

"Alias: The Second Season" is an exceptional boxed set for fans. What's fun about seeing this again so soon after the third season is the chance to look back at the carefully planned story arcs. If you haven't seen the first season of the show, I would recommend renting/purchasing the boxed set before moving forward to season two. Although Abrams and the series writers do a good job of summarizing important plot points from season one, there's quite a bit to be missed if you come in on the middle of this story.

I profited just as much as the next person from the booming business in the 90's. I also was one of its victims. We all were and, as usual, there we're federal policies, greedy individuals and corporations and dishonesty that when mixed in with the prosperity helped undermine it. Certainly there are always periods of booms and busts--it's how we deal with aftermath and the excesses that matter.

Stiglitz's well written book examines the process of creation and the decay and corruption that can help undo these bursts of economic activity. Stiglitz doesn't point the finger at any one group of individuals more than another--he feels comfortable doling out the blame where it belongs and Washington is just as much a target as corporate America. Without the political stilts to support economic circus we all participate in, it would never happen. As a reflection on what's wrong (and occasionally right) with America's political and economic system, The Roaring Nineties is unstinting look at the harshness and ugliness underneath the system. It's also a book that argues for reform in a way to keep the economy moving without allowing criminal profiteering.

Progress has become the Pandora's Box of today; we live longer, eat better, have more things but are essentially unhappy. Our perception is that just as these great advances creep out of the box, so do their equally nasty counterparts. Easterbrook's new book confronts the disconnect between prosperity and happiness with many statistics, observations and conclusions. The major flaw in Easterbrook's book is the reach for the easy answer or starry eyed optimism about our ability to completely solve problems. Pessimism exists for a reason just as optimism does; they balance each other out like some bizarre ying and yang helping to provide meaning in our brief lives.

On the whole, though Easterbrook's observations and comments are powerful and on the mark; we live in an age of enlightenment only to deny our ability to enjoy the outcome of progress. Easterbrook is most successful when taking a deep look at our inability to enjoy what we've worked so hard for but also his arguments for examining the pessisism and darkness that we've allowed to cloud our lives. While we live in a cynical world dotted with irony and sarcasm, we've allowed these very qualities which are useful in measured degrees to infect every aspect of our lives. While it may be fashionable to be all of these things to a large degree, it's also eroded our perception on the quality of our life. We no longer believe that good things happen to us without a price. We no longer believe that there's actually goodness in the world that can keep our darker nature at bay. These beliefs are essential for providing some sense of balance. If we believe the sky is always falling, then the vitality of our everyday lives is stolen from us.

In effect, we've allowed the darkness to suck all the fun out of our lives. While some of us feel worse about the quality of life for many valid reasons (for example, mutlitasking hasn't improved the quality of work just the load that we can do), we've also dismissed the improvements we have compared to our ancestors. To give Easterbrook credit he doesn't shy away from the fact that we've yet to solve poverty, malnutrition or unemployement. He also acknowledges that disease continues to slip through our fingers just as we think we've got a solid grip on it.

Easterbrook's book isn't always convincing--he sometimes goes for the easy answer when there may be no answer at all--but it does make compelling and thought provoking reading. Perhaps next time he can examine the state of humanity without getting lost in the statistics that rule and help undermine our sense of the quality of life. It would also be useful if he looked at what's causing the nihilistic hypochondria that's sweeping this nation. In many ways, we face challenges that are equally as daunting as those our great-grandparent's faced. While we may have antibiotics, science and nutrition on our side, we also have media that allows instant communication (like this forum)that can decimenate as readily as any virus or bacteria that killed our ancestors. We're overwhelmed with information which can be just as emotionally daunting as some of the issues that faced those before us. If Easterbrook wants to come to the table with solutions or suggestions to make us feel better, he needs to think them out a bit more and understand the consequences of the oversatured world we live in today.

While the first season of Dark Angel was more consistent, the second season offered much more interesting developments for the unproduced third season to fulfill. As it is, we'll be stuck with an unresolved cliff hanger (unless the Dark Angel novels somehow resolve this--I've not read any of them). Captured by Manticore the entity that created her and other mutants, Max escapes and initiates the destruction of the organization. Suddenly, she isn't as alone as during the first season; she owes her life to Alec another X5 similar to her and a DNA mixed breed (he's part human, part canine)named Joshua. With Manticore destroyed, it seems like smooth sailing for Max and others of her kind. Unfortunately, there's a new threat pursuing her and her fellow X5's and X6's.

While season two's episodes are ripe with possibility, those possibilities aren't developed as well as they could be; The shift of focus in the series with Manticore gone helps emancipate the show from the variation on The Fugitive theme. Dark Angel always echoed that series and Run For Your Life another series from the 1960's (which Cameron no doubt was a fan of and saw). Cameron and co-creator Charles Eglee chose a different path from those series realizing the limits one can run into in terms of plot developments and story arcs. The best episodes hold their own and, in some cases, are superior even to the best from the first season. That said, the quality varies a bit more here than the first season because the focus isn't quite as sharp.

Actor John Savage is missed. Although his character could be one dimensional in the early episodes of season one, as the series progressed, Savage brought an undercurrent of tension to the series with his moody, subtle portrayal. On the other hand, Alba and Weatherly continued to improve bringing nice shading to their characters and their interactions.

The grand finale for season two has considerable pedigree; it's based on a story by Cameron and Eglee but written by Deep Space Nine and Fame producer/writer Ira Steven Behr one of the finest writers working in television. He and co-writer/series line producer Rene Echevarria (another Deep Space Nine and Next Generation veteran)created the best episode of the season with Freak Nation. The real icing on the cake for Cameron and Dark Angel fans is the fact that Cameron directed this 90 minute episode himself. He's been MIA from film for far too long.

The extras are similar to the previous season--commentary on three key episodes (although Cameron does not appear on the commentary track for Freak Nation)including the season premiere and the final episode. There's three featurettes including a piece on creating the monsters of Manticore and one self explainatory feaurette entitled Max Resurrected. The amusing blooper reel is included as well. Although there's no revealing interviews with Cameron or Eglee (which would have been nice--we might have found out what direction they planned on taking the series during season three), the commentary tracks give considerable insight into the creative process for the show.

The DVD picture quality varies from good to very good depending upon what time of the day the bulk of the episode takes place in. The darker episodes tend to show a bit more digital compression artifacts. The series looks and sounds really good on the whole. I do have an issue with the packaging; Fox has embraced the accordion style packaging included here and it sucks; the quality of the packaging is poor. The plastic DVD holders continually come loose or pop out and the packaging doesn't stand up well to wear and tear. Fox should have taken a look at the Alias boxed set as an example for this series. Both series are priced roughly the same (and considerably less than any of the Star Trek boxed sets--kudos for that at least) so clearly this comes down to profit margin. Extras are nice and do attract fans to purchase a series vs. continually watching their videotaped or DVD-R home made recordings. On the other hand, three featurettes, 3 commentary tracks and the blooper reel isn't exactly might not be enough incentive for most fans to fork over the additional money for this set. I'm sure that Dark Angel had footage shot for foreign markets (different standards and running times demand these types of differences be created). Why not research it and include those as well? Although they usually don't have additional major plot points, they're, again, an added incentive to purchase this for fans of the series. These are minor flaws to be sure (although the packaging is a major issue for me)but it would enhance the value of the series and, perhaps, increase sales.

Although the show began to lose their core audience during season one and two, if Fox had continued to give this series a chance I've not doubt it could have turned into another X-Files for the network. As a fan of the first five seasons of X-Files, I found Angel to be in roughly the same place by season two although the writing was better earlier with this series. Hopefully, Fox will come to their senses and order at least a two hour series to conclude the show at some point although this late in the game (over a year later)it's unlikely to happen; the sets were struck and the cast is scattered all over the place. It's a pity because this cult series deserved the chance to shine and with a little TLC it had a pretty good chance of happening.

The dominating theme is loss during the fifth season. Buffy's mom dies during season 5 most unexpectantly and that allows the series to examine things from a very different perspective. It was near the end of the show's run and, as a result, Whedon began to dive into a number of interesting themes and plots he hadn't tackled before.

I didn't take immediately to Buffy; while I think Joss Whedon is a talented writer (he's a third generation writer; his father and grandfather were both writers for film and television as well), I tuned out the show at first because of all the praise. It made me suspicious. I'm happy to say that I've changed my tune.

Season 5 had some of the best episodes of the series (I did catch up on it in syndication and DVD for comparison sake). The best episode, for me, was "The Gift" where Buffy sacrafices herself for someone very important to her. This fine episode (which deserved an Emmy)brought the themes explored earlier in the season full circle.

The picture quality is very good for most of the discs. I did notice that there were some minor digital compression problems particularly on some of the darker looking episodes. Still, that's not a surprise given the amount of material packed into this terrific boxed set.

The extras are pretty generous as well although it lacks one important person--Sarah Michelle Gellar. While I don't expect anything profound from her or anybody else in the cast for that matter, as an actor her take on her evolving character would have made this trip to Sunnyvale far more interesting.

Regardless, this is a fine boxed set and Whedon manages to plug in his skewed view of life on the key episodes he authored. In light of the end of Buffy and the cancelled Firefly (a series that was never given the opportunity to take flight by Fox. They axed the show in another demonstration of their bad choices during that particular season)all that's left is Angel. While it has a number of fine episodes and a great cast, that show just never caught my fancy. Here's hoping that Whedon comes up with something truly creative within the next year or two.

Gary Ross' film version of Lauren Hillenbrand's marvelous book performed like Seabiscuit when it was released. The film didn't open as strongly as The Hulk or many of the other new releases, but around the second stretch it took the lead and kept performing. While Ross' film relies a bit too much on a series of short documentary-like narrative links to describe the time and circumstances of Seabiscuit's rise, the film performs strongly due to its solid, well written script and a seasoned cast. The film would have been stronger if Ross had used his characters to drive home the dire situation facing the people of the United States during the great depression. At times it felt a bit like Ross was forcefeeding the facts to the audience for those without any concept of history. This approach was a bit distracting and does have the effect of pulling viewers out of the film from time to time.

Although I had seen Tobey Maguire in a number of films prior to Seabiscuit, nothing prepared me for the soul weary performance he gives as Red Pollard. He captures perfectly the feelings of abandonment and anger that drove him to succeed despite considerable odds. Likewise, Chris Cooper as Tom Smith manages to channel the very essence of this unique, talented horse whisperer who saw great potential in both Red and Seabiscuit. Jeff Bridges vividly inhabits the role of automobile mogul Charles Howard. In many respects, Bridges plays Howard as a variation on Tucker from the film of the same name. Both men seemed to see the future, embrace it with their boundless optimism only to trip over a tragic obstacle on the path they chose. Howard lost his son and, in many respects, his sense of place in the world the way Bridges portrays him in the film. Seabiscuit really is a film about second chances and for all three men and the horse that brought them together, that second chance gave them life again.

The other performances include a stand out supporting turn by William H. Macy and Elizabeth Banks. Even the minor supporting roles are well cast and played giving a authentic feel to the film.

The beautiful production design and vivid photography are both well served by this immaculate DVD transfer. It's not without some minor imperfections in the transfer but, on the whole, many of the beautifully shot scenes here could be used as a comparison standard for different DVD players and televisions. THe sound is stunning. Randy Newman's rich score captures the very elements of the time and spins them into a rich, dramatic musical tapestry that perfectly compliments the film.

Minor narrative flaws aside, Seabiscuit delivers proving that there are third acts to American lives in the real world. All it took was faith, belief and a unique group of individuals to see the potential in Seabiscuit. Ross' film manages to unfold these lives and weave them together believably in a frequently riveting drama.

There are 36 dramatic situations in the known universe. Every plot is a variation on these 36 dramatic situations. The Greek playwrites came up with all of them and honed them to perfection. What does this have to do with Star Trek Nemesis? Well a lot, actually. It isn't a remake of Wrath of Khan. Certainly there are some basic plot similarities but these are mostly superficial. Thematically the film has less to do with Trek 2 than with Trek 8. So if there are 36 dramatic situations (and everything, remember, is a variation on these)and there are 10 Trek films, what is the likelihood that there could be some plot similarities? A whole lot actually and Trek 10 in my humble opinion does it better in some areas and, yes, a bit worse than Trek 2 in others. It's not the worst of the Trek franchise that a lot of Trekkers claim but it's not the best either. For the worst of the Trek films featuring the Next Gen, I'd recommend avoiding Generations which was like an episode of the series (not a particularly brilliant one I might add but average)inflated into an epic film for the big screen.

What does work in Nemesis works extremely well. Picard celebrates the end of an era with his crewmates as Troi and Riker get married. As if that wasn't enough change, Riker assumes command of another ship (the Titan)with Troi at his side. Commander Data finally moves up in rank (and does so without anyone dying)to second in command of the Enterprise.

After celebrating their wedding on Earth, Riker and Troi embark back to Troi's home world for a ceremony there aboard the Enterprise. En route to the planet Betazoid, the crew picks up a signal that could only be from a positronic brain like Data's. Intrigued, the crew go to this planet unsure of what they will find. It's pretty darn close to the Neutral Zone so Riker, still Picard's right hand man, suggests caution. They discover another of Data's long lost relatives in the process.

Meanwhile, Star Fleet has received a communication from the new Praetor of the Romulan Empire. They've requested a Star Fleet representative come to Romulus immediately. Since the Enterprise is the closest ship available, Picard and crew are sent there where there are a number of surprises awaiting them.

Contrary to a previous review, the acting is solid throughout and hangs in there with some of the best in the Next Gen film series. I'm rather surprised that the director Stuart Baird elected not to reintegrate any of the cut sequences for the film. They would have actually strengthened the narrative and explained a lot (for example, why Worf was on the Enterprise after being appointed to a position on Klingon. Turns out the diplomatic life wasn't for him. That line of dialog was lost during the cutting phase of the film). The cut sequences consisted of interesting character moments and revealed quite a bit about Picard, his feelings about meeting Shinzon the new Praetor of Romulus.

My suggestion--give Nemesis a chance. It's an entertaining film that has a number of marvelous battle sequences and some nicely nuanced acting from the Trek veterans. While the pacing is a bit sluggish at times, the overall pace of the film actually helps the film achieve some of its thematic gravity and momentum. I'd also suggest lightening up a bit here--it's a film in a franchise series that attempts to entertain while examining a number of interesting themes (whether our decisions create who we are or if we are just a victim of circumstance and formed by these very circumstances).

The visuals are top notch. I had my reservations about the digital visuals used in the film (actually it began as far back as First Contact where the Enterprise was a virtual Enterprise and not a model) but I've been proven wrong. They look impressive and there are visuals that couldn't have been accomplished with models and animation that are accomplished here.

After 72 episodes of the original series, over 100 episodes of the Next Generation, ten feature films (not to mention the spin-off series DS9, Voyager, Enterprise and all the novels spun off from the various series), sooner or later there was bound to be a dramatic situation that was repeated. It happened before (during Next Gen and the other series). I'm not quite sure what some fans were expecting but Nemesis is a fine (but far from perfect) addition to the Trek films.

Remember, next time you think you've seen that plot before, you probably have so be kind in your judgment. Nobody has had any success coming up with a 37th dramatic situation yet and until they do, we're stuck with those same 36 over and over and over again. Remember, it's not the situation but the telling that really matters. With Nemesis, Baird, writer Logan and the veteran Trek cast turn an eye to the difficulty of being closer to the end than beginning. Nemesis touches on a number of emotional issues that will eventually face all of us and does so with candor, wit and grace.