Showing posts with label comedy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label comedy. Show all posts

Barry Trotter and the Dead Horse (Gollancz Sf S.) Review

Barry Trotter and the Dead Horse (Gollancz Sf S.)
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This book is a rather funny parody of the Harry Potter series. While some of the language is not appropriate for persons under the age of 17, I found it very enjoyable. I would recommend this bool for anyone who likes Harry Potterand does not want a serious read with adults in mind.

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Barry Trotter is pretty disreputable and unpleasant. Imagine what he was like as a teenager. Here's the beginning of the whole sorry tale. Did Barry and Ermine do it? (Their homwork, that is.) How exactly did Lon end up with a hole in his head that whistles when the wind blows? Was Lord Valumart always that crass? And where did that ridiculous German accent come from? As funny and twisted as the first two books, BARRY TROTTER AND THE DEAD HORSE is also as affectionate towards JK Rowling's originals. This has lead to the books gaining a devoted following amongst fans of Harry Potter as well as being a welcome antidote for the over-egging (eeuwww) of the boy wizard. A process that we're not a part of at all. Oh no. Not even a tiny bit.

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The McSweeney's Joke Book of Book Jokes (Vintage) Review

The McSweeney's Joke Book of Book Jokes (Vintage)
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I truly love to laugh. In fact I relish in it. I also love to read. So when something I happen to be reading makes me literally laugh out loud, I am nearing Nirvana. The McSweeney's Joke Book of Book Jokes helped me approach that state from page one. It is a collection of shorts, ranging from letters to stories, from authors who take some of our most famous books and literary situations and twist them into things that are nothing short of hilarious.
This particular joke book is unlike any other I have ever perused. It pokes fun at the very thing it is: a piece of writing. Starting right out of the gate with a snippet entitled "The Recruitment of Harry Potter" and staying strong with tales of Humbert Humbert's appearance on "To Catch a Predator," to official guidelines for a writer submitting works for a refrigerator door, this collection will have you chuckling to yourself in some places and flat out guffawing in others.
You do need to be on top of your literary toes for some of the jokes. No genre is safe from teasing and unless you have read everything from Harry Potter to the Iliad, you may not get some of the humor. On the flip side, not getting a joke in the book is great motivation to research the background of the joke and find another book you can fall in love with.
This book is flat out funny and well worth the read. Pick up a copy of McSweeney's Joke Book of Book Jokes and put down whatever you are drinking...you don't want to snort it out of your nose when you laugh!
Armchair Interviews agrees.

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As John Hodgman says in this book's introduction, "We all know that books are funny. First, they are made of paste and cloth, which is funny, as is the fact that people still buy and read them." With that in mind, the McSweeney's Joke Book of Book Jokes collects the best book-related humor from the humor-laden archives of McSweeney's Internet Tendency. Open it and be regaled by such sketches, lists, letters, and spoofs as:Postcards from James Joyce to his Brother StanWinnie-the-Pooh is My CoworkerIkea Product or Lord of the Rings Character?Popular Children's Fairy Tales Reimagined Using Members of My FamilyThe Very Unauthorized Biography of Steven Seagal Chuck Norris EroticaJohn Updike, Television WriterJane Eyre Runs for PresidentCormac McCarthy Writes to the Editor of the Santa Fe New MexicanHolden Caulfield Gives the Commencement Speech to a High SchoolLetters from Odysseus's College RoommateAnd many dozens more.

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Midnight Riot Review

Midnight Riot
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Rivers of London is the long-awaited original series from popular TV and tie-in writer Ben Aaronovitch. A darkly comedic police procedural, Rivers is a deliciously more-ish book that is nearly impossible to put down.
The book (and presumably, the forthcoming series) features Peter Grant, a somewhat mediocre police officer who suddenly discovers that he's, well, magical. Or at least, suddenly aware of the magical. Young Grant was on the fast track to a bureaucratic desk job, but now his life is much, much more interesting. Grant is poached for duty by Chief Inspector Nightingale, the Met's divisional head (and the entire division) for Creepy Magical Stuff.
It all happens just in time. The Rivers of London, at least, their magical embodiments, are having a turf war - it is in the pushing and shoving phase, but still, if it goes wrong, the city will be in bad shape. Grant is also juggling a second supernatural case - a nasty serial-killer of a poltergeist is beating people to death and making their faces fall off.
The Occult Detective has transformed into a recognisable genre stereotype. The 'O.D.' generally has a supernatural knack but, more commonly, solves problems through fast talking, "people skills" and general cunning. He's a bit of an outsider, something exacerbated by the fact that he Knows stuff that The Rest of Us don't. He's the tarnished knight type - cynical due to the problems in his own past. And 98% percent of the time? He wears a long coat.
Peter Grant (and CDI Nightingale) are the most recent branches of the motley family tree that includes Felix Castor, Harry Dresden, Johns Taylor, Constantine and Silence, and even, arguably, Doctor Who. All slightly-detached, urbane fellows with an outsider complex, floor-length coats and a knack of spotting solutions from a Lovecraftian angle. If Peter Grant bucks the trend, it is only because he still wears his patrolman's uniform.
If anything, Grant is a little too much of an outsider. He blithely strolls through the book with a clinical detachment that borders on the unflappable - even when he's caught on fire or, you know, someone's face falls off. Part of it is Mr. Aaronovitch's humorously objective writing style - but there are still points where I wanted to check the lead for a pulse. Like Constantine or Castor, Grant needs the occasional smack to remind him that he's still part of the human race - but unlike those two, it isn't rooted in cynicism, more an airy casual acceptance of events that is, at times, even more alien.
Where Mr. Aaronovitch separates his work from the trench-coated crowd is with his depiction of London. I'm a PROUD LONDONER (e.g. I moved here ten years ago, still cheer for foreign sports teams and will inevitably move to the suburbs as soon as I save up the money) and was wildly pleased to see proper descriptions of MY city.
Physically, emotionally and historically, Mr. Aaronovitch captures the unglamorous essence of urban London life. From stumbling over drunks to sweating on the tube, the informative plaques on every paving stone and the insane difficulty of Central London driving... this is the city in all of its banal glory. John Constantine and Felix Castor wander through Londons soaked through with mysticism - Peter Grant patrols streets with lined with CCTV and German tourists. Grant's detachment helps convey his (and, clearly, Mr. Aaronovitch's) love/hate relationship with the city as well. It is insane, clunky and messy, but who could possibly imagine living anywhere else?
Peter Grant is a late, and welcome, addition to a long line of irritable, sartorially-questionable saviours. If the he doesn't seem to be taking things too seriously... and the entire narrative style is a bit tongue in cheek... and the setting is a bit grittier than expected... that all sums up to an entertaining atmosphere that keeps the pages turning. There may be not a lot of thriller-style tension, but there is a lot of action, all excellently orchestrated in the streets and streams of London.

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Probationary Constable Peter Grant dreams of being a detective in London's Metropolitan Police. Too bad his superior plans to assign him to the Case Progression Unit, where the biggest threat he'll face is a paper cut. But Peter's prospects change in the aftermath of a puzzling murder, when he gains exclusive information from an eyewitness who happens to be a ghost. Peter's ability to speak with the lingering dead brings him to the attention of Detective Chief Inspector Thomas Nightingale, who investigates crimes involving magic and other manifestations of the uncanny. Now, as a wave of brutal and bizarre murders engulfs the city, Peter is plunged into a world where gods and goddesses mingle with mortals and a long-dead evil is making a comeback on a rising tide of magic.

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Henry Potty and the Pet Rock: An Unauthorized Harry Potter Parody (Special Edition) Review

Henry Potty and the Pet Rock: An Unauthorized Harry Potter Parody (Special Edition)
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Henry Potty and the Pet Rock is an adorable unauthorized Harry Potter parody written by Valerie Estelle Frankel. Henry Potty is the baby left in an asparagus crate on the doorstep of the Dorky family, relegated to the lowly status of household slave. Though his daily duties involve catering to the whims of Dumpy Dorky and his Dorky parents, Henry is fully aware that he is destined to be the hero of the novel, and bides his time with a room filled with the various action figures, games, and merchandise that will inevitably be in demand when his heroics are recognized.
When Henry receives an acceptance letter to Chickenfeet Academy in California from Professor Bumbling Bore, the Dorkys are eager to send him on his way. With the lackluster aid of his fairy godmother, Henry boards the Chickenfeet trainer for his new life as a "gizzard." Once at school, Henry and his classmates are greeted by the large and hairy Higgle, who ushers them on to a long and boring introduction from Professor Bore, then to dorm selection by the "sorting rat" under the direction of Miss McGonk. After being bitten by the sorting rat, Henry meets his new Heroes Dorm roommates, Horrendous Gangrene, a "which," and Really Wimpy, another gizzard. While Horrendous and Really work to defeat the pungent Lord Revolting while keeping up with their school assignments, Henry will valiantly take the credit for their accomplishments.
Though intended as a children's book, Henry Potty and the Pet Rock has no discernable age limit, as the cover reveals when it states "For ages 2-222." The story flows with a corniness that will make young children giggle, dotted with random jokes to keep an adult reader's attention.
Armchair Interviews says: Even Frankel's bio at the end of the book is filled with humor.

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Papercutz Slices #1: Harry Potty and the Deathly Boring Review

Papercutz Slices #1: Harry Potty and the Deathly Boring
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As a 26-year-old woman, it's been difficult for me to become too invested in any of the graphic novels being released by Papercutz--and rightfully so. The nearly six-year-old company is a graphic novel publisher for tweens and teens, and though Harry Potter has supposedly crossed all age groups, I never became a fan. So needless to say, Papercutz's Harry Potty and the Deathly Boring, a parody of the ultrapopular book series/move franchise, wasn't necessarily my cup of tea, but even I could appreciate some of the subtle social commentary and tongue-in-cheek references that your average kid wouldn't have picked up. Also, just to be fair, it should be pointed out that my two young nieces, ages six and seven, thought Harry Potty was hilarious.
Apparently, this is just one of what will become a long line of parodies produced by Papercutz's Slices, a parody imprint "dedicated to cutting up your favorite pop culture icons." All of the familiar characters are here, though renamed in snarky fashion. There's Harry Potty (Harry Potter), of course, and Don Measley (Ron Weasley), Whiny Stranger (Hermione Granger), Dumb-as-a-Door (Dumbledore), and Frappe (Severus Snape), etc. The Deathly Boring is writer Stefan Petrucha's take on the tale of how Potty found his way to "Nosewarts," becoming one of the school's most beloved students, while also becoming embroiled in a battle after the killing of his mentor Dumb-as-a-door by the "traitorous barista" Frappe.

The title of Papercutz's parody would seem to imply that the entirety of the story will be based on Rowling's final tome, but that's actually incorrect. Harry Potty and the Deathly Boring provides a look back at each of Rowling's books, but of course all of them have been cleverly renamed (Omelette of Fire and The Border of Phoenix, among others). The retelling is cleverly done by Petrucha. Rather than break the book into sections for each of Rowling's books, it's presented as a flashback by Whiny Stranger, who uses the spell "rememberallthisstufficis" to recap all seven books in rapid succession.

My favorite feature of The Deathly Boring was the fact that all of Harry's rivals' names were based on big business, such as the incredibly creepy villain Value-Mart (Wal-Mart) (also known as He Whose Prices Can't Be Beat), Horbucks (Starbucks), and Odor Eaters, all of whom he defeats with his motley crew of crazy friends in this bizarre take on the much beloved series. Admittedly, many of the jokes are hit or miss and geared toward the younger set, but there's no denying that it's a take on Harry Potter that you won't read anywhere else. Plus, only in a Papercutz parody would Potty avenge the death of his parents and mentors with (prepare yourself) a toilet plunger.

-- Tina Vasquez

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The creative team behind the hit Tales from the Crypt #8 "Diary of a Stinky Dead Kid" team up again to launch this new parody series from Papercutz! Following the killing of their mentor Dumb-as-a-door by the seemingly traitorous barista Frappe, Harry Potty, Don Measley and Whiny Stranger must find a way to defeat the nose-less dark lord Value-Mart (He-Whose-Prices-Can't-Be-Beat) and his followers, the Odor Eaters in order to avenge the death of Harry Potty's parents and bring balance to the world of magic.

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Harry Putter and the Chamber of Cheesecakes Review

Harry Putter and the Chamber of Cheesecakes
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We bought this a while ago and we loved it. Knowing the original "Potter" stories made it even better. My two older daughters thought it was hilarious, and my youngest just started reading it as well. We only wish the series was longer!

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Patch Adams - DTS (1998) Review

Patch Adams - DTS (1998)
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+++++
This movie is based on the book "Gesundheit: Good Health is a Laughing Matter" by Hunter Doherty Adams with Maureen Mylander.
Mike Farrell of "M*A*S*H" fame was one of the producers of this movie.
This movie is also based on the true story of Hunter "Patch" Adams.
At the movie's beginning we are taken to the psychiatric ward of a hospital in 1969. We discover here how Hunter Adams (Robin Williams) gets his unique nickname of "Patch" and why he decides to become a medical doctor.
Two years later he goes to medical school where he encounters, among other things, a snobby roommate named Mitch (Philip Seymour Hoffman), a very traditional medical school dean (Bob Gunton), meets a fellow medical student named Truman (Daniel London) who becomes his good friend, and as well meets a stand-offish female medical student Corinne (Monica Potter) who eventually sees his point of view with respect to medicine.
Patch's antics at the hospital where he learns to become a doctor are hilarious. (These antics almost get him kicked out of medical school.) But there is a method to his madness as he wants to humanize medicine. His underlying philosophy is:
"A doctor's mission should be not just to prevent death but also to improve the quality of life [of patients]."
He eventually has a brainstorm of building a free clinic called the "Gesundheit Institute" and to get started he starts a free clinic while still attending medical school.
A tragedy occurs but Patch is able to overcome it.
The movie ends by giving the viewer the following information:
"During the next twelve years, Patch Adams opened a home-based family medical practice and treated more than 15,000 people without payment, malpractice insurance, or formal facilities...construction of the Gesundheit Hospital is currently underway. To date [1998], a waiting list of over 1000 physicians have offered to leave their current practice and join Patch's cause."
All the acting is good but Robin Williams as Patch gives an interesting performance. Even though he delivers sidesplitting humor, I felt that it wasn't over-the-top and is balanced quite well with the inspiring, dramatic, and true story. I was also surprised by Daniel London's excellent performance as Truman, Patch's sidekick. Monica Potter's Corinne character is somewhat one-dimensional but she makes the best of it. Philip S. Hoffman also does a good job as the serious medical student named Mitch.
I also enjoyed the background music. It adds to each scene of the movie.
Some people (including Roger Ebert) don't seem to like this movie. However, according to Amazon's "Theatrical Release Information" (see above), this movie whose budget estimate was $50 million has taken in $194 million worldwide garnering a profit of almost $145 million. So the big question is, "Why don't some people not like this movie." The main reason, I think, is that (believe-it-or-not) some people are satisfied with the traditional medical system as it is today and don't like anything (such as this movie) that criticizes it. Thus, I would not recommend this movie to such traditionalists.
Finally, the DVD (collector's edition) has excellent picture and sound quality. There are a few extras, all of them interesting.
In conclusion, this is an inspiring movie based on a true story that effectively displays Robin Williams' comic and dramatic talents. It is not to be missed!!
(1998; 1 hr,50 min; widescreen)
+++++


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Meet Patch Adams (Academy Award-winner Robin Williams), a doctor who doesn't look, act or think like any doctor you've met before. For Patch, humor is the best medicine, and he's willing to do just about anything to make his patients laugh - even if it means risking his own career. Based on a true story, Patch Adams combines sidesplitting humor with an inspiring story that transcends the traditional comedy.

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Get Low (2010) Review

Get Low  (2010)
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Aaron Schneider's "Get Low" is a slight, unpretentious film that would blow away in the wind if it weren't anchored by some truly wonderful performances. Based on a true story, "Get Low" is set during the Great Depression, in the Appalachian hills of Georgia. Felix Bush (Robert Duvall) an old hermit feared and despised by his neighbors, hires the local funeral director (Bill Murray) to organize a "funeral party" so he can hear what the locals have to say about him before he's actually dead. That climactic event proves the occasion for Felix to make a full confession to his neighbors about the horrific event, forty years before, that cost him his reputation and has haunted him ever since.
Frankly, not much happens in "Get Low" before that climax, but it's mostly a pleasure to watch, thanks to Schneider's deft, low-key direction and the extremely fine acting, especially by Duvall and Murray. Duvall has made a career specialty of backwoods eccentrics, and his Felix Bush is one of the more memorable of them. The pain in Duvall's eyes blasts away any suggestion of mawkish sentimentality that might be inherent in the film. Murray is equally fine as a man who has more than a little con man in him, but who also has seen enough sorrow in life to spark his essential decency. The earnest Duvall and the roguish Murray play beautifully off each other, as fellow travelers on the Train of Sadness.
Sissy Spacek, as an old flame of Felix's, doesn't have much to do, but it's nice to see her anyway. Bill Cobbs is tartly amusing an a preacher who knows Felix's secret, and Lucas Black is extremely likable as Murray's assistant. "Get Low" is a gentle, poignant film, memorable for the acting.

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Academy Award winner Robert Duvall (1983, Best Actor, Tender Mercies) is Felix Bush, the 'Hermit of Caleb County," a man so haunted by his secrets that he has lived in quiet desolation in the Tennessee backwoods for over 40 years. Realizing that he is near his own mortality, Bush decides to have a 'living funeral party," inviting people to tell their stories about him. Enlisting the help of Frank Quinn (Golden Globe winner Bill Murray, 2004, Best Actor in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy, Lost in Translation) and Buddy Robinson (Lucas Black, Legion), Bush goes through a process of self-discovery, allowing him to deal with his past secrets, including ones involving old flame (and new widow) Mattie (Academy Award winner Sissy Spacek, 1980, Best Actress, Coal Miner's Daughter).

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Patch Adams (1998) Review

Patch Adams (1998)
Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)
+++++
This movie is based on the book "Gesundheit: Good Health is a Laughing Matter" by Hunter Doherty Adams with Maureen Mylander.
Mike Farrell of "M*A*S*H" fame was one of the producers of this movie.
This movie is also based on the true story of Hunter "Patch" Adams.
At the movie's beginning we are taken to the psychiatric ward of a hospital in 1969. We discover here how Hunter Adams (Robin Williams) gets his unique nickname of "Patch" and why he decides to become a medical doctor.
Two years later he goes to medical school where he encounters, among other things, a snobby roommate named Mitch (Philip Seymour Hoffman), a very traditional medical school dean (Bob Gunton), meets a fellow medical student named Truman (Daniel London) who becomes his good friend, and as well meets a stand-offish female medical student Corinne (Monica Potter) who eventually sees his point of view with respect to medicine.
Patch's antics at the hospital where he learns to become a doctor are hilarious. (These antics almost get him kicked out of medical school.) But there is a method to his madness as he wants to humanize medicine. His underlying philosophy is:
"A doctor's mission should be not just to prevent death but also to improve the quality of life [of patients]."
He eventually has a brainstorm of building a free clinic called the "Gesundheit Institute" and to get started he starts a free clinic while still attending medical school.
A tragedy occurs but Patch is able to overcome it.
The movie ends by giving the viewer the following information:
"During the next twelve years, Patch Adams opened a home-based family medical practice and treated more than 15,000 people without payment, malpractice insurance, or formal facilities...construction of the Gesundheit Hospital is currently underway. To date [1998], a waiting list of over 1000 physicians have offered to leave their current practice and join Patch's cause."
All the acting is good but Robin Williams as Patch gives an interesting performance. Even though he delivers sidesplitting humor, I felt that it wasn't over-the-top and is balanced quite well with the inspiring, dramatic, and true story. I was also surprised by Daniel London's excellent performance as Truman, Patch's sidekick. Monica Potter's Corinne character is somewhat one-dimensional but she makes the best of it. Philip S. Hoffman also does a good job as the serious medical student named Mitch.
I also enjoyed the background music. It adds to each scene of the movie.
Some people (including Roger Ebert) don't seem to like this movie. However, according to Amazon's "Theatrical Release Information" (see above), this movie whose budget estimate was $50 million has taken in $194 million worldwide garnering a profit of almost $145 million. So the big question is, "Why don't some people not like this movie." The main reason, I think, is that (believe-it-or-not) some people are satisfied with the traditional medical system as it is today and don't like anything (such as this movie) that criticizes it. Thus, I would not recommend this movie to such traditionalists.
Finally, the DVD (collector's edition) has excellent picture and sound quality. There are a few extras, all of them interesting.
In conclusion, this is an inspiring movie based on a true story that effectively displays Robin Williams' comic and dramatic talents. It is not to be missed!!
(1998; 1 hr,50 min; widescreen)
+++++


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Meet Patch Adams (Academy Award-winner Robin Williams), a doctor who doesn't look, act or think like any doctor you've met before. For Patch, humor is the best medicine, and he's willing to do just about anything to make his patients laugh - even if it means risking his own career. Based on a true story, Patch Adams combines sidesplitting humor with an inspiring story that transcends the traditional comedy.

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Galaxy Quest (1999) Review

Galaxy Quest (1999)
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In December of 1999, director Dean Parisot unleashed what is arguably the funniest sci-fi/comedy film of all time, "Galaxy Quest", which focuses upon the dissatisfied lives of five actors who had starred in a long-cancelled sci-fi television series of the same name. Jason Nesmith (Tim Allen) played ship's captain Commander Peter Quincey Taggart. Gwen DeMarco (Sigourney Weaver, who is no stranger to sci-fi with her roles in the "Alien" films) played Lt. Madison. Alexander Dane (Alan Rickman, also known for his roles as Hans Gruber in the 1988 film "Die Hard" and Professor Snape in the two "Harry Potter" films) played Dr. Lazarus. Fred Kwan (Tony Shalhoub) played ship's engineer Tech Sgt. Chen and Tommy Webber (Daryl Mitchell) played ship's pilot Laredo. Following the cancellation of the TV series, none of the actors had found descent acting jobs. Instead, they were relegated to appearing occasionally as their former "Galaxy Quest" characters at fan conventions and infrequent commercials. Especially frustrated is Alexander Dane, a trained Shakespearean actor who cannot escape the stigma of having said those immortal words, "By Grabthar's hammer, by the suns of Warvan, you shall be avenged!"
The film begins at a "Galaxy Quest" convention where the quintet is preparing to appear. Unbeknownst to them, not all of the conventioneers dressed as aliens are pretending. A group of uniformed "aliens" approach Jason (dressed as Commander Taggart) saying that they are in dire need of his assistance. Jason quickly agrees and assumes that the group is planning to pay him to appear as Commander Taggart at a fan-function. Following a night of drinking at his home, the "aliens" arrive in a limousine (per Jason's request) to escort him to their function. The "aliens", calling themselves Thermians, are Mathesar (Enrico Colantoni), Teb (Jed Rees) and Laliari (Missi Pyle). While en route to their function, Teb recites the lengthy history of Thermia to Jason, but Jason (who has a hangover) falls asleep. (Jason doesn't take the Thermians seriously; instead believing that they are simply "Galaxy Quest" fans.) Jason awakens to what he believes is a very elaborate set mimicking the NSEA Protector from the "Galaxy Quest" show. Mathesar (who always refers to Jason as Commander Taggart) tells him that the Thermians want him to negotiate a peace treaty with General Sarris (Robin Sachs). Instead, "Commander Taggart" orders the Thermians to fire upon Sarris' ship. Assuming that he has completed his performance, Jason tells Mathesar that he is ready to return home. Mathesar escorts him to an empty room and leaves. Jason, not understanding what is happening, is suddenly enveloped within a strange substance and raised to the ship's exterior where he sees millions of stars in deep space. He is suddenly shot from the ship, then finds himself standing next to his swimming pool at home. Jason finally realizes that the Thermians are real extraterrestrials, and that they mistakenly regard the "Galaxy Quest" show (which they received in deep space) as being historical fact.
The other four "Galaxy Quest" actors are busy filming a commercial for the opening of an electronics store and are disgusted because Jason isn't there. Jason arrives late and tells them about his experience with the Thermians, but they think he has lost his mind. Jason tells them that the Thermians want him to return and that he wants them to come also. They initially reject it, but change their minds when they mistakenly believe that it's a paying job. Gwen, Alexander, Fred and Tommy are whisked away to the Thermian's NSEA Protector, along with another actor named Guy Fleegman (Sam Rockwell), who had played a bit part on the original "Galaxy Quest" show. With that, the most important role for each of the washed up "Galaxy Quest" actors begins!
Dean Parisot, along with writers David Howard and Robert Gordon, created a brilliant and engaging spoof of the show "Star Trek", its conventions and trekkies with "Galaxy Quest". Tim Allen equated with William Shatner (Kirk), Alan Rickman with Leonard Nimoy (Spock), Sigourney Weaver with Nichelle Nichols (Uhura), Tony Shalhoub with James Doohan (Scotty) and Daryl Mitchell with George Takei (Sulu). Other sci-fi comedy spoof that predate "Galaxy Quest" (such as "Ice Pirates", "Pluto Nash" and "Spaceballs") are no where near as good, engaging or funny.
All of the actors in "Galaxy Quest" performed their roles exceptionally well. Two actor who played significant minor roles were Patrick Breen, who played the Thermian named Quelleck, and Jeremy Howard, who played the young and very helpful "Galaxy Quest" fan named Kyle.
I highly recommend purchasing "Galaxy Quest" on DVD, which has superior picture and sound quality, and includes several deleted scenes, trailers, biographies, the feature "On Location in Space" and production notes. "Galaxy Quest" is a film that can be watched many times while never becoming tiresome. Sit back and remember those immortal words, "Never give up! Never surrender!" as you are whisked away into the fantastic world of "Galaxy Quest"!

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For four years, the courageous crew of the NSEA Protector - "Commander Peter Quincy Taggart" (Tim Allen), "Lt. Tawny Madison" (Sigourney Weaver) and "Dr. Lazarus" (Alan Rickman) - set off on thrilling and often dangerous missions in space . . . and then their series was canceled!
Now, twenty years later, aliens under attack have mistaken the Galaxy Quest television transmissions for "historical documents" and beamed up the crew of has-been actors to save the universe. With no script, no director and no clue, the actors must turn in the performances of their lives in this hilarious adventure Jeffery Lyons (NBC-TV) calls "The funniest, wittiest comedy of the year."

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Mr Blandings Builds His Dream House (1948) Review

Mr Blandings Builds His Dream House  (1948)
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Yeeup! As Mr. Tersander would say. This is one of my favorite films. While not exactly bust-a-gut funny, it is warmly amusing throughout with a couple of classic lines & scenes (the perplexing storeroom, the "letch", the well, the all-night Wam session etc.), played to perfection with ease and charm (my God those are lost arts, aren't they?) by a cast of pros who are immediately likeable and comfortable to be around.
The story of a New York adman building his dream house in Connecticut being snookered by the "hicks" and then the series of disasters and cost overruns that befall him, the film is played with just the right tone, light and with great good humor, from the falling lintels to the Zuzz-Zuzz water softener.
Some may question the 5 stars, and although it may not be a great movie, I give it all 5 because Grant, Loy and Douglas are a lost breed of irreplaceable class players, and this kind of effortless amusement is pretty much an extinct genre.


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Item Name: Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House; Studio:Turner Home Ent

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Calendar Girls Review

Calendar Girls
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Calendar Girls is a sweet and uplifting British comedy based on a true story. Set in the picturesque village of Napely, we meet 50-something best friends Chris (Helen Miren) and Annie (Julie Walters). They belong to the local Women's Institute, which is staid and traditional, and to them, boring and silly. (Their annual fund-raising event is selling a calendar with photos of jams and flowers.) When Annie's beloved husband dies from cancer, some of the club members decide to raise money for a new sofa in the hospital waiting room by selling a calendar featuring themselves in the (gasp!) nude.
Helen Miren is great as the feisty and opinionated Chris, whose involvement alienates her family. Julie Walters is very likeable and sympathetic as the new widow. Ciaran Hinds, who has starred in many period films, has a small but good role as Chris' husband.
Most of the movie is beautifully photographed in rural England and it is simply idyllic. This is in sharp contrast to the unsavory scenes filmed in Hollywood (when the ladies appear on The Tonight Show.) The story is heartwarming, but avoids being syrupy. The nude scenes are tastefully done, and played for laughs, as one would expect. The real calendar, by the way, has so far raised $1.6M for a new cancer hospital wing (and the new sofa). I heartily recommend this refreshing and well-made comedy.

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When 12 ordinary members of the Women's Institute, a prim and proper local ladies' club, decide they need to find a more compelling way to raise money for a new charity, they turn to their traditional annual calendar and give it a very untraditional twist. Behind the usual baked goods, the apple pressing, and the flower arrangements are the women -- completely nude! Starring 2003 Golden Globe nominee Helen Mirren (Best Actress, CALENDAR GIRLS) and Julie Walters (HARRY POTTER AND THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS), CALENDAR GIRLS is a terrifically entertaining comedy. And that's the naked truth.

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M*A*S*H - Season Ten (Collector's Edition) (1972) Review

M*A*S*H - Season Ten (Collector's Edition) (1972)
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Season 10 is probably one of the finest seasons of M*A*S*H since this would be the time that most of the 4077 would get ready for what would be the next to last season of the show. Thus this show would feature some great episodes!! Here is an overview.
1.) That's Show Biz (10/26/1981)
A touring USO show brings an unexpected touch of vaudeville to the 4077th when the star showgirl requires an emergency operation. And wouldn't you know, the comedian is Klinger's hero!
2.) Identity Crisis (11/2/1981)
Father Mulcahy counsels a GI who is plagued by guilt because he has swapped tags with a dead colleague. Meanwhile, B.J. and Charles consider ways of keeping a soldier-salesman quiet.
3.) Rumor at the Top (11/9/1981)
The latest scuttlebutt affects everyone's behavior when a visiting is rumored to be recruiting for a new M*A*S*H unit. The gang fears that the 4077th will be split up.
4.) Give 'em Hell, Hawkeye (11/16/1981)
Hawkeye writes a heartfelt letter to President Harry Truman to protest at the continued fighting in Korea. Meanwhile, Colonel Ditka has promised a much-needed water-heater if the 4077th beautifies the camp.
5.) Wheelers and Dealers (11/23/1981)
On the eve of a big poker game, B.J.'s pride is bruised when he finds out his wife is working as a waitress. And Potter takes driving lessons from Klinger.
6.) Communication Breakdown (11/30/1981)
Winchester infuriates the camp when he hoards his stateside newspapers, and Hawkeye reunites two Korean brothers who have been fighting on opposite sides of the war.
7.) Snap Judgment (Part 1 of 2) (12/7/81)
The military police think they've solved a rash of thefts at the 4077th when they apprehend Klinger with Hawkeye's stolen camera.
8.) Snappier Judgment (Part 2 of 2) (12/14/81)
B.J. and Hawkeye resolve to clear Klinger's name after he chooses Winchester to defend him at his military court-martial.
9.) 'Twas the Day after Christmas (12/28/1981)
To boost post-yuletide morale on Dec 26, Potter has the officers and enlisted men change places for the day.
10.) Follies of the Living - Concerns of the Dead (1/4/82)
Whilst suffering a fever, Klinger communicates with the spirit of a dead soldier, Private Weston, who stays on to witness his own last rites.
11.) The Birthday Girls (1/11/82)
Margaret's birthday plans are spoiled when she and Klinger get stranded on a desolate roadside. Meanwhile, Charles gives a lecture for Margaret, and the surgeons assist in the delivery of a calf.
12.) Blood and Guts (1/18/82)
Hawkeye is outraged when a sensationalistic war correspondent, Clayton Kibbee, reports irresponsible G.I. stunts as tales of military valor. Kibbee: "As for the last two pints of blood, there's no big finale, no heroes. They helped an old soldier, who'd had visions of glory but finally got it through his thick head how tragic and inhumane war can be. Maybe he'll know better next time."
13.) A Holy Mess (2/1/82)
An AWOL soldier, Nick Gillis, seeks sanctuary in the mess tent, after Father Mulcahy's service. At the same time, a special Sunday brunch is due to be served, following the donation of some eggs to the camp by a grateful farmer.
14.) The Tooth Shall Set You Free (2/8/82)
Charles has a serious toothache, but hates the thought of having anything done about it. The doctors suspect prejudice when an inordinate number of black casualties are brought in from a single unit, led by Major Weems.
15.) Pressure Points (2/15/82)
Potter sends for Sidney Freedman when he loses confidence in his surgical abilities, and Winchester loses patience with his bunkmates' sloppiness.
16.) Where There's a Will, There's a War (2/22/82)
Hawkeye goes to help at an aid station, and under heavy shelling he draws up a will, leaving various items to his friends at the 4077th.
17.) Promotion Commotion (3/1/82)
Winchester, Pierce, and Hunnicutt find themselves in the sticky position of having to decide which enlisted men to recommend for promotion. For Winchester it could be a matter of life and death.
18.) Heroes (3/15/82)
Hawkeye is the golden boy of the world press when he treats a celebrity prizefighter, 'Gentleman' Joe Cavanaugh, who has a stroke at the 4077th. Father Mulcahy finds the news hard to take, as Cavanaugh was a hero of his.
19.) Sons and Bowlers (3/22/82)
After losing to the Marines once again, Colonel Potter wishes there was one sport the 4077th were any good at. When Klinger mentions he can bowl, the Colonel decides to have a bowling competition. Unfortunately, he and Klinger are the only 2 good bowlers in the camp, so BJ and Father Mulcahy are "recruited" to the team. Colonel Potter becomes obsessed with winning the game, and excludes Margaret from the team because she helped the team lose at softball. Then the 4077th team hear the Marines have got a "ringer" in their team after pulling some strings..... Meanwhile, Hawkeye finds out his father is in hospital and tries to speak to him over the phone, watched by Charles, who envies Hawkeye's close relationship with his father.
20.) Picture This (4/5/82)
Potter's attempts to assemble the crew for a family portrait are thwarted by a feud between bunkmates Pierce, Hunnicutt, and Winchester. Things are not helped by the efforts of Margaret, Klinger and Mulcahy to bring the Swampmen back together.
21.) That Darn Kid (4/12/82)
Klinger buys a goat, with the intention of getting rich by selling it's milk. Then the goat eats the 4077th's $22,340 payroll, leaving paymaster Hawkeye holding the bag. Meanwhile, Charles also thinks he can make a killing when he sees an ancient vase.
Look fo MASH The final season later this yaer to complete the MASH series! Good luck!

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Relive your favorite M*A*S*H moments with this three-disc DVD Collector's Edition containing all 21 classic Season Ten episodes!They were the 4077 MASH (Mobile Army Surgical Hospital) unit stationed three miles from the front during the Korean War. As the war drags on it begins to take a toll on the docs and nurses who day after day fight to save the incoming wounded helicoptered in directly from the front lines. But as much as the gang of the 4077 cared for the wounded soldiers they also cared about each other. And that camaraderie coupled with a liberal dose of hijinks and hilarity served to make their tour of duty in Korea an experience none of them would ever forget.System Requirements:Running Time: 561 minutesFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre:TELEVISION/SERIES & SEQUELS UPC:024543241409 Manufacturer No:2234140

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Driving Lessons (2006) Review

Driving Lessons (2006)
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DRIVING LESSONS is a little film that sneaks up on you. What at first seems to be a bit of fluffy nonsense comedy British style is at its base a very fine story about coming of age and the needs for significant friendship of both the young and the elderly. Writer Jeremy Brock ('Mrs. Brown', 'Charlotte Gray', 'The Last King of Scotland') here directs his own screenplay and the result is a cohesive, progressively involving tale filled with fascinating and diverse characters, each performed by sterling actors.
Ben Marshall (Rupert Grint, standing firmly on his own as a developing actor post 'Harry Potter' series) is a quiet, plain little poetic seventeen-year-old living with his bird watching Vicar father (Nicholas Farrell) and his obsessive compulsive, rigid, evangelical do-gooder mother (Laura Linney) in a home where 'needy people', such as the murderous cross-dressing Mr. Fincham (Jim Norton), take precedence over family matters: the mother is by the way having an affair with priest Peter (Oliver Milburn), using Ben as her cover!
Sad Ben is among other things attempting to learn to drive a car. His mother is a poor teacher and decides he needs professional lessons AND needs to get a job to help pay for poor Mr. Fincham's needs. Ben follows an ad and meets Dame Eve Walton (Julie Walters), an elderly has-been actress who is as zany as any character ever created. She hires Ben and the fireworks begin. Through a series of incidents, including a camping trip Evie demands they take, the two learn life's lessons missing from each other's natures: Ben learns self respect and self confidence and Evie finds a true friend who will allow her to drop her stagy facade and be the dear human being she has been hiding.
Julie Walters, always offering the finest skills of acting in every character she creates, finds a role like no other here: she is outlandishly wild and lovable. Rupert Grint is exactly the right choice for the challenged coming of age Ben. The chemistry between the two is as tender as that in the classic film 'Harold and Maude'. Laura Linney is as always a superb actress playing a role quite different from her usual repertoire. And the supporting cast is a panorama of fine characterizations. This film is a delightful surprise and one sure to warm the heart and entertain those who love fine writing and direction and acting - and message! Grady Harp, July 07


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Oscar® nominee Laura Linney (Kinsey) stars as Laura Marshall, an overzealous, evangelical Christian do-gooder who fills her home with down-and-out boarders, including a senile, cross-dressing murderous mute. Desperate to expand his horizons, Laura's shy teenage son Ben (Rupert Grint, of Harry Potter fame) lands a job tending to self-proclaimed "Dame" Evie Walton (Oscar® nominee Julie Walters, Billy Elliot), an over-the-hill actress with the mouth of a drunken sailer and an insatiable lust for life. The battle for Ben's soul begins as Evie shanghais Ben away from his repressive roots and takes him on an adventure that transforms him from boy to man. A winning entry at the 2006 Moscow International Film Festival, Driving Lessons is an experience Stephen Farber of Movieline calls "a delightful coming-of-age story."

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The Cary Grant Signature Collection (Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House / Destination Tokyo / The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer / My Favorite Wife / Night and Day) (1946) Review

The Cary Grant Signature Collection (Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House / Destination Tokyo / The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer / My Favorite Wife / Night and Day) (1946)
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This Signature Series effectively brings together some stellar examples of the suave, urbane sophistication and light-hearted good humor that was Cary Grant. However, the absence of "Bringing Up Baby" and "Dream Wife" from this DVD collection is - quite simply - inexcusable! Having said that, this box set is comprised of 3 hilarious comedies (Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House, My Favorite Wife, The Bachelor and the Bobby-soxer), one highly enjoyable musical (Night & Day) and one thrilling WWII drama (Destination Tokyo). "Mr. Blandings" is a sort of 1940s rendition of "The Money Pit" - about a couple desperately trying to build their dream house despite overwhelmingly hilarious adversity. It co-stars Melvyn Douglas and Myrna Loy. "My Favorite Wife" is the most outstanding of the three comedies. It stars Irene Dunne (who previously costarred with Grant in "The Awful Truth"), as Grant's wife - presumed dead at the start of the film, but resurfacing shortly thereafter to throw a monkey wrench into Grant's second marriage to Gail Patrick. "The Bachelor and The Bobby-soxer" is a quaint romantic triangle between Grant, Shirley Temple and Myrna Loy. He's a playboy writer unwillingly and romantically tied to a 17-year-old schoolgirl (Temple) but more interested in her older sister (Loy). "Night & Day" is the outstanding and tuneful musical loosely based on the life of composer, Cole Porter. Actually, there's no hint of Porter's real life in it at all, other than Grant assigned to play the flamboyantly homosexual real-life man as a playfully womanizing heterosexual. Faux reality aside, the film contains wonderful production numbers to some wonderful tunes including "You're The Top" sung by Grant and "My Heart Belongs to Daddy", a Mary Martin specialty that stops the show. "Destination Tokyo" is a stark shift from all the lighthearted playfulness discussed thus far. Grant is the captain of a submarine during WWII, sent to gather information for the coming Doolittle Raid. John Garfield is magnificent as the torpedo man with a bitter grudge against the Axis powers. A tad weighty on war time propaganda, this film is nevertheless, one of a handful of truly outstanding films based upon reality.
THE TRANSFERS: All of these films have been given an upgraded treatment by Warner Brothers and the clean up most definitely shows - most noticeably on "My Favorite Wife" which previously has looked very poor on home video formats. Overall, the gray scale on each of these films (with the exception of "Night & Day" which is in Technicolor) is wonderfully balanced with clean whites and solid blacks. There's very little in the way of age related artifacts for a collection of digital transfers that will surely NOT disappoint. There is some pixelization and edge enhancement present on "Destination Tokyo" as well as considerable film grain present in several rear projection shots from the same film, but these are to be expected in the quality of films of this vintage. Of special note: the Technicolor transfer on "Night And Day" suffers from periodic mis-registration that creates distracting halos or out of focus image quality from time to time. At its best the color is rich and well balanced. The audio is mono for all the titles but very nicely balanced. Of special merit: the songs in "Night And Day" are wonderfully spatial.
EXTRAS: It is somewhat disappointing that the Cary Grant Bio currently airing on Turner Classic movies as part of their month long tribute has not been included as part of this box set. We get only scant features here - some audio commentaries - resourceful if brief - some theatrical trailers and some publicity stills. Perhaps Warner is waiting to do a Cary Grant Vol. II. We'll see.
BOTTOM LINE: This is definitely one to add to your collection. Even if the transfers had not been so beautifully rendered - owning a bit of that old Cary Grant magic is never a waste of money.

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Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream HouseThe Bachelor and The Bobby-SoxerMy Favorite WifeDestination Tokyo Night and Day

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Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House (1948) Review

Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House (1948)
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Yeeup! As Mr. Tersander would say. This is one of my favorite films. While not exactly bust-a-gut funny, it is warmly amusing throughout with a couple of classic lines & scenes (the perplexing storeroom, the "letch", the well, the all-night Wam session etc.), played to perfection with ease and charm (my God those are lost arts, aren't they?) by a cast of pros who are immediately likeable and comfortable to be around.
The story of a New York adman building his dream house in Connecticut being snookered by the "hicks" and then the series of disasters and cost overruns that befall him, the film is played with just the right tone, light and with great good humor, from the falling lintels to the Zuzz-Zuzz water softener.
Some may question the 5 stars, and although it may not be a great movie, I give it all 5 because Grant, Loy and Douglas are a lost breed of irreplaceable class players, and this kind of effortless amusement is pretty much an extinct genre.


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Cary Grant is hilarious as a successful New York advertising executive who wants to escape the confines of his family's tiny midtown apartment.So he designs his dream home in the suburbs and discovers the project wasn't as easy as it seemed.The house gets larger.The bills get bigger.The problems just won't go away.Eventually, the whole affair becomes a nightmare-a very funny nightmare-that left audiences laughing in 1948 and will have you in stitches, too.This is the comedic masterpiece that inspired the popular 1987 movie "The Money Pit."It's an adventure in homeowning that strikes a familiar chord with everyone who's ever bought a house.Year: 1948Director: H.C. PotterStarring:Cary Grant, Myrna Loy, Melvyn Douglas

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M*A*S*H - Season Nine (Collector's Edition) (1972) Review

M*A*S*H - Season Nine (Collector's Edition) (1972)
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A lot of people like to complain about the later years of M*A*S*H, saying it got too "serious" and that Alan Alda was too full of himself and the show got this whole "anti-war" attitude behind it. The original movie was perceived to have that same attitude by many to this day. I don't think I could do the work the characters in this Army hospital did on a daily (and sometimes more often) basis and NOT hate the war. By season three, we'd lost Henry Blake to a plane crash, and Trapper went home. A couple seasons down the road, Frank Burns went AWOL and that was the end of him. During season eight, Radar went home to take care of the family farm. Those are all realities of war, folks. M*A*S*H was a reflection of that. The war was not a funny place to be. The fact that these people could crack wise when they were up to their elbows in wounded soldiers was merely a reflection of how the human spirit can allow us to do things we never expected to be able to do, even in the face of huge adversity. I never found Col. Potter, Capt. Hunnicutt or Major Winchester inferior to Blake, Trapper and Frank in the least. Different, yes, but definitely not any less funny or less vital to the series' development. ER, now in its 13th season (I think), carries on with just about no one from the first season. People come and people go. I thought Season Nine of M*A*S*H was every bit as valid and as vital as the very first season...maybe for different reasons...but the show worked from strength to strength. I felt Col. Potter was a much more believeable than Henry Blake, not to say Blake wasn't funny. He was. But Harry Morgan brought something else to M*A*S*H that I don't think anyone else could have. Even Charles Emerson Winchester, as different as you could ask for form Frank Burns realized this was a family, not just a team of surgeons stuck in Hell's kitchen, and lo and behold, had his moments of downright nobility. Those who stuck with the show through its entire run saw that. M*A*S*H Season Nine will be a welcome addition to my M*A*S*H collection. Every single season of M*A*S*H had classic episodes...not very many series can claim that. The show still fascinates me and makes me laugh 22 years after it departed first-run network TV. I have them all to this point, and I'll gladly buy the rest!

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The perfect comic relief, the perfect holiday gift!

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