What It’s About: I adore this show. I adore Betty, I adore Amanda, I adore Hilda and I especially adore Hilda's son and the fact that Rebecca Romijn plays a man (sort of). The show is brilliant. It's over the top, melodramatic, laugh-out-loud funny and completely unlike anything else on television.
I won't give anything away plot-wise if you haven't seen it, but I cannot wait until it starts up again.
Technical Stuff: The picture and sound are great. No complaints at all. There are subtitles in English, French, and Spanish. There is also support for closed captioning.
Synopsis: Ugly Betty is the ultimate story of a square peg in a universe of round holes. The bespectacled Betty Suarez (America Ferrara, a 2007 Emmy(R) Nominee for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series) is the true beauty in the skin-deep world of high fashion, but she toils as the assistant to dashing womanizer Daniel Meade (Eric Mabius), editor-in-chief of fashion industry bible "MODE."
Get into the MODE with all 23 episodes on this six-disc DVD. "Must-have" bonus features include "Becoming Ugly", in which Ferrara and the cast discuss what it means to get Bettyfied. Plus, get the real behind-the-scenes scoop with "A La Mode" and "Green is the New Black," which explore the fashion, sets and magic that go into creating the show. The DVD will also feature deleted scenes, audio commentaries, and bloopers. A first for ABC-TV on DVD, Ugly Betty: The Complete First Season - The Bettyfied Edition also includes a Spanish audio track.
Extras?
Audio Commentaries
Deleted Scenes
Featurette -
1. BECOMING UGLY - America Ferrera And Cast Explore What It Means To Get Bettyfied
2. A LO MODE - Go Behind The Scenes To Discover The Fashion, Decor And Elegance Of MODE
3. GREEN IS THE NEW BLACK - The High Fashion Of Manhattan And Coziness Of Queens All Created In Hollywood
Final Verdict: Love this show and all the characters. A solid investment for your dvd shelf.

What It’s About: Last season was so jam-packed with new television shows that I was completely lost as to which ones I was going to watch. I knew for sure I would tune into Heroes though. It was completely original and just looked cool. I was instantly smitten.
My favourite storyline was the cheerleader one. Oh, and how can you not love Hiro. The Ali Larter one kinda of sucks though, and usually bored me. Maybe they'll kill her off….
Lo and behold, something comes up and I miss two episodes. Of course, I cannot continue to watch so I missed the second half of the season. That's where these lovely dvd sets come in—they help me fill in the gaps before Season 2. The show is unique and compelling and if you're not watching it already, snap this up and get updated before Season Two starts!
Technical Stuff: The picture is beautiful, although I hear the HD is completely jaw-dropping. It's presented in its original aspect ratio 1.78:1 in this VC-1 encoded 1080p transfer. The sound is okay, in Dolby Digital 5.1 although the action sequences could be more powerful.
Synopsis:
Clearly the breakout TV phenomenon of the 2006-7 season, Heroes makes its DVD debut in this Season 1 set. A serial drama filled with suspense, mystery, and electrifying twists, this astonishing series follows seemingly unconnected, ordinary people around the globe who discover they have extraordinary powers. As they come to terms with their unique abilities, their risky decisions will affect the futures of everyone around them -- and the world. Join their epic journey in this seven-disc set packed with hours of fascinating and revealing bonus features, including the never-before-aired series premiere from show creator Tim Kring.
Extras:
Audio Commentary - Cast & Crew
Behind The Scenes - Making Of
Featurette -
1. Special Effects
2. The Stunts
3. Profile of Artist Tim Sale
4. The Score
Trailer - Opt-In Trailer
Final Verdict: One of the best shows from the recent television season. It has compelling characters, great plot, suspense, humour…just go watch it already.

What It’s About: Will Ferrell as a figure skater. While some of his movies can be hit or miss (Talladega Nights anyone? Where were the laughs? Where?), Blades of Glory will have you rolling on your floor. Besides Ferrell, there is the goodness of my absolute favourite things about this movie—Will Arnett and Amy Poehler as a figure skating brother-sister pair. They are genius.
The dowfall of the film is Jon Heder. He just doesn't cut it. He's not funny and he brings Ferrell down. It's a shame because with a better straight-man, Blades of Glory would have been a comedy on par with Wedding Crashers and Dodgeball—classic. Still, there are some great lines ("I could not love a human baby as much as I love this brush!") and hilarious scenes.
Technical Stuff: Beautiful picture and DD 5.1 It's all good.
Synopsis: When rival figure skaters Chazz Michael Michaels (Will Ferrell) and Jimmy MacElroy (Jon Heder) go ballistic in an embarrassing, no-holds-barred fight at the World Championships, they are stripped of their gold medals and banned from the sport for life. Now, three-and-a-half years on, they’ve found a loophole that will allow them to compete: if they can put aside their differences, they can skate together – in pairs’ figure skating
Extras?
Additional Footage - Stranz and Fairchild Watch Kate's Video
Chazz Offers the Verticoli, Flashback
Blades of Glory Song
Hector Shoots Darre
Alternate Takes
Bloopers - Gag Reel
Deleted Scenes
Featurettes - Return to Glory: The Making of "Blades"
Celebrities On Thin Ice
Cooler Than Ice: The Super-Sexy Costumes of Skating
Arnett and Poehler - A Family Affair
20 Questions with Scott Hamilton
Hector: Portrait of a Psychofan
Music Videos - "Blades of Glory" by Bo Bice
Moviephone unscripted with Will Ferrell, Jon Heder and Will Arnett
MTV Interstitials
Final Verdict: Very, very funny. Worth owning.

What It’s About: I still giggle at The Muppet Show. As old and cheesy as the jokes are, they still make me laugh. The first season was okay, but it wasn't particularly strong, and finally the true Muppet Show emerges with the second season on DVD.
You know the Muppets got big thanks to the guest stars they had this season, like Peter Sellers, John Cleese, Bob Hope, Elton John, Milton Berle, Don Knotts, and George Burns. The show is smarter and funnier than the first season and this is some seriously classic television that I love. Worth owning.
Technical Stuff: It’s an old show (30 years) so don’t expect perfection. Disney has done a nice job with the transfer but it’s nowhere close to perfect. The sound is DD 2.0 and comes through the front mostly, but it’s decent and solid for its age.
Synopsis: And now a show that needs no introduction, but here's one anyway...Go bonkers with Beaker, goofy with Gonzo and join the brave cast of "Pigs in Space" for one of the most revolutionary and acclaimed shows in the history of television. Garnering an Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy-Variety or Music Program in its hilarious second season, The Muppet Show redefined prime time and showcased a host of outrageous guest stars, including Steve Martin, Peter Sellers, Elton John, Julie Andrews and more. Experience all 24 episodes from Season Two - digitally remastered and restored - in this special 4-disc DVD set. With hours of bonus features, including The Muppets Valentine Special, The Muppet Show is even better than you remember!
Extras? The Muppets Valentine Special: For the very first time, on this rare program that aired on ABC on January 30, 1974; The Muppets on the Muppets: Kermit, Gonzo, Rizzo, Animal and some special guest pals sit down for these personal, revealing interviews; Weezer & the Muppets - Keep ; Fishin': More than just a music video, see this fun, somewhat new entry into The Muppet Show history as Rivers Cuomo and his band go up against Animal, Kermit and the divine Miss P.
Final Verdict: It’s been a two year wait for this season and it was worth it. Can’t wait for the subsequent ones. The Muppets are classics for a reason and if you’re a fan, you’ll be snapping these babies up along with me.

What It’s About: Is Halle Berry suffering from the post-Oscar curse, or is trying to make the Academy really really regret having given her one in the first place? After Catwoman and Gothika, she comes out with Perfect Stranger, a vapid sex thriller that seems to bore everyone in it to tears.
Technical Stuff: A beautiful transfer. What a waste. The sound is solid but at times the whispering was a teensy bit muffled.
Synopsis: Ace New York Courier reporter Rowena Price (Halle Berry) will do anything to get her story---even if it verges on the unethical. After her plans to out a U.S. senator’s homosexual relationship with an intern are thwarted, Price's next chance at a big scoop falls right into her lap. When her friend Grace (Nicky Lynn Aycox) is found murdered, the main suspect is revealed to be Harrison Hill (Bruce Willis), a philandering high-powered ad exec with a very jealous wife. With some help from her right-hand tech guru, Miles (Giovanni Ribisi), Rowena goes undercover as a temp at Hill’s agency, where her own good looks are bound to draw Hill closer to her, taking her to the facts behind Grace’s murder. No simple plot description can truly explain James Foley’s (AT CLOSE RANGE) twisty, tech-y thriller. It begins with a false setup, takes a whole other route, and makes a series of bizarre 11th hour revelations that not even the most seasoned viewer will be able to predict. The always watchable Berry makes us root for a character whose methods aren’t always the most scrupulous, and Giovanni Ribisi does a lot with the "sidekick" role. Anastas Michos’s cinematography gives Manhattan a slightly sinister glow of cool blue, appropriate to this tale in which nothing is what it seems, and trusting in someone is sure to cause regret---or worse. PERFECT STRANGER may occasionally defy logic, but that is not likely to deter those hungering for a handsomely made, star-fueled studio film with plenty of surprises.
Extras?
Behind the Scenes - Virtual Lives: The Making of PERFECT STRANGER
Final Verdict: Crap. Someone save Halle.

What It’s About: Every so often, a movie comes around that sucks, but people flock to see it. I don’t get it. Wild Hogs is one of those aberrations and despite the inner chuckle I got from seeing John Travolta dressed super-super-gay, there was nothing funny about it.
Technical Stuff: Disney is known for its pristine DVD transfers, and this one is no exception. It’s beautiful and the sound is a sturdy 5.1 track that balances the bad jokes and motorcycle revving noises perfectly.
Synopsis: A group of weekend-warrior friends (Tim Allen, John Travolta, Martin Lawrence, William H. Macy) decide to rev up their ho-hum suburban lives with one last-hurrah, cross-country motorcycle trip. Taking a long-dreamed-of breather from their jobs and responsibilities, they can’t wait to feel the freedom of the open highway. But when these guys hit the road, they have no idea it’s going to hit back... hard.
Now, finding themselves in an unwitting rivalry with the real-life, bad-ass biker gang known as the Del Fuegos, and faced with secrets within their own ranks, this out-of-their-league foursome is about to discover that heading down the road to nowhere can take you places you never expected.
Extras?
Audio Commentary
"Bikes, Brawls and Burning Bars: The Making of Wild Hogs" Featurette
"How To Get Your Wife To Let You Buy A Motorcycle" Featurette
Alternate Ending
Deleted Scenes
Outtakes
Final Verdict: Unless you are going through a mid-life crisis yourself, or you loooooooooove Travolta, skip it, skip it, skip it.

What It’s About: I have never read the book this film is based on although I hear it’s wonderful. The movie Perfume, is unique. It’s a horror (in a good way) period piece. It’s beautiful to look at and revolting at the same time thanks to the grotesque images in certain scenes.
It does drag a bit at times, but its whimsical fairy-tale aura and constant twists that you can’t believe you’re actually seeing on screen make for some gripping viewing. Rent it.
Technical Stuff: The picture is amazing, keeping al the sumptuous colours vivid as heck. It’s just gorgeous. The sound is a decent 5.1 Dolby track that does well for the surprisingly complex audio but isn’t as crisp as one would like. An English Dolby 2.0 Stereo track is also available, as are optional subtitles in English, French, and Spanish.
Synopsis: Based on the bestselling novel, Perfume is a story of an obsession so overwhelming that it leads to murder. In 18th-century France lived Jean-Baptiste Grenouille (Ben Whishaw), who was born with a phenomenal sense of smell. But as his gift becomes an obsession, he strives to create the most intoxicating perfume in the world by murdering young women to capture their essence.
Extras?
The Story of Perfume Featurette·
Final Verdict: Despite the lack of bonus features, I highly recommend this DVD. It’s dark, yet light-hearted at times and remains one of the most original movies I’ve seen this year.

What It’s About: Sandra Bullock plays a woman who keeps waking up on different days in one week, where her husband dies on a Wednesday. It's a completely absurd film, and one that actually had some potential to be kind of cool but ends up boring and ridiculous.
The plot holes are endless and there is no real suspense or chemistry between anyone. The two daughters are pretty cute. But otherwise… The film doesn't explain anything and ends in such a melodramatic way you can't help but groan.
Technical Stuff: Yup, yup…looks great, sounds great. Too bad the movie was such a disappointment.
Synopsis: Linda Hanson (Sandra Bullock) has a beautiful house, a loving husband and two adorable daughters. Her life is perfect, until the day she receives the devastating news that her husband Jim (Julian McMahon) has died in a car accident. When she wakes up the next morning to find him alive and well, she assumes it was all a dream, but is shaken by how vivid it felt. She soon realizes it wasn't a dream, and her world is turned upside down as the surreal circumstances lead her to discover that her perfect life may not have been all that it appeared. Desperate to save her family, Linda begins a furious race against time and fate to try and preserve everything that she and Jim have built together.
Extras?
· Commentary by Director Mennan Yapo and Actress Sandra Bullock
· Deleted Scenes
· Gag Reel
· "Glimpses of the Future: Making Premonition" Featurette
· "Bringing Order to Chaos" Featurette
· "Real Premonitions" Featurette
· Previews
Final Verdict: Maybe a rental if there is nothing else. Otherwise, skip it.

What It’s About: You, like myself, have probably never heard of Sweet Land. This arrived at my door and had me scratching my head. But I popped it in the DVD player and ended up spending one of the most pleasurable couple of hours in a long time.
It's a simple love story and the movie is a bit of a dramedy. The cinematography is stunning and the movie is so darn pretty it's hard to believe it had such a small budget. It's basically the story of an arranged marriage in 1920s Minnesota, and how the two people in the situation learn about each other and fall in love. It's a delight, and hopefully finds a bigger audience on DVD.
Technical Stuff: Fox's screeners are notoriously bad, but this one was pleasant. The picture was lovely and sharp and the gorgeous scenery comes through nicely. The Dolby 5.1 is excellent as well for this dialogue-driven soundtrack.
Synopsis: Inge (Elizabeth Reaser) is a feisty German mail-order bride who has come to Minnesota to marry Olaf (Tim Guinee), a young Norwegian immigrant farmer of few words.
But in a post-WWI, anti-German climate, the local minister (John Heard) openly forbids the marriage. Inge and Olaf fall in love despite the town's disapproval. But when the town banker (Ned Beatty) attempts to foreclose on the farm of his friend Frandsen (Alan Cumming), Olaf takes a stand...and the community unites around the young couple, finally accepting Inge as one of their own.
Extras?
· Forced Trailer: The Ultimate Gift
· Forced Trailer: The Illusionist
· Theatrical Trailer
· Labor of Love: The Making of Sweet Land
· Audio Commentary
Final Verdict: Such a satisfying movie. One that ends, and you sit there with a smile for a few minutes and then tell all your friends about. Love, love, love.

What It’s About: Marky Mark is a killer (pun totally intended) snipe-shooter who retires and then ends up getting framed for an attempted assassination on the president. So then he has to clear his name 'cause they're trying to kill him—bla, bla, bla.
It's a decent movie but not particularly original or compelling. The whole shooter thing is cool and you learn some stuff you may not have known but the bottom line is this film just didn't suck me in.
Technical Stuff: The picture is flawless (well done Paramount) and the 5.1 Dolby Digital is also impressive. All the booms and bangs sound good. Dolby Digital 5.1 tracks are also provided in French and Spanish, as are optional English subtitles
Synopsis: Bob Lee Swagger (Mark Wahlberg) is a former Marine Corps sniper who leaves the military when a mission goes bad. After he is pressed back into service to foil an assignation attempt on the president, Swagger is double-crossed again. The subject of a nationwide manhunt, Swagger fights to clear his name and bring his framers to justice, a fight he knows he can’t win.
Extras?
Widescreen Version Enhanced for 16:9 TVs
Dolby Digital; English 5.1 Surround; English 2.0 Surround; Spanish 5.1 Surround; French 2.0 Surround; English Subtitles
Feature Length Commentary with Director Antoine Fuqua and Producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura
Survival of the Fittest: The Making of SHOOTER
Independence Hall
Seven Deleted Scenes
Final Verdict: There is an interesting political undercurrent here but it wasn't enough to keep me glued. A better than average action flick.

What It’s About: I'm not sure how Monk has managed to fly under the radar for so long (five seasons!) when it's so darn good. I guess it's because it isn't on any conventional station and I always have to catch up on DVD. But it's soooo good.
The blend is comedy and mystery keep you guessing and is so original. This show has excellent chemistry mong the cats but it's Shalhoub who really stands out. This is a show that continuously manages to make me snort out loud. If you haven't seen it before, rent season one and settle in—you're in for a treat.
Technical Stuff: The picture comes in 1.78:1 ratio anamorphic widescreen colour and looks good. It's not perfect and has a wee bit of compression and some dirt but nothing too annoying (unless you're also OCD, aha.) The 2.0 sound works just fine for this dialogue-driven show.
Synopsis: His extensive dossier of phobias may keep him from working on the police force, but Monk’s (Tony Shalhoub) not about to let that stop him from solving crimes. His unconventional methods may just be what’s needed to crack some of San Francisco’s most puzzling and unusual cases.
Extras?
Psych "Pilot": Frustrated by a high-profile kidnapping case, the Santa Barbara Police Department reluctantly hires Shawn Spencer, a slacker who claims to have psychic powers who goes on to open his own agency, Psych.
Audio commentary: The episode "Mr. Monk and the Leper" has an episode commentary with Tony Shalhoub, Jason Gray-Stanford, Ted Levine, Traylor Howard, Sarah Brown, David Hoberman, Andy Breckman, and Randall Zisk.
Webisodes "Mr. Monk and Dr. Kroger" (1:57), "Mr. Monk and the Computer" (2:00), "Mr. Monk and the Blood Test" (2:08), and "Mr. Monk Goes to the Gym" (1:44). These shorts are presented in 1.33:1 ratio full frame colour.
Final Verdict: Love this show and really look forward to all the DVD releases. It's hilarious and unique.

What It’s About: I'd barely heard of this movie until I saw a preview for it on another Paramount title and was intrigued. That can sometimes spell disaster for the actually movie but with this one I was pleasantly surprised. Don’t let the Justin Timberlake role scare you off, he's in it as long as J.Lo was in Jersey Girl.
The movie is weird (just read the synopsis) but it kinda works. Christina Ricci is fantastic as the nympho and Samuel L. Jackson also gives some amazing acting here. The plot is twisted but it's compelling as are the characters. They are both in pain and flawed and are simply fascinating to watch.
Technical Stuff: The picture is flawless and the audio is amazing. This movie also has a soundtrack to die for. I'm definitely picking it up—all bluesy featuring Burnside, the Black Keys, the Heartless Bastards and Junior Kimbrough.
Synopsis: When ex-blues musician Lazarus (Samuel L. Jackson) finds the town nymphomaniac Rae (Christina Ricci) left for dead on the side of the road, he vows to nurse her back to health...and cure her of her wickedness. Until then, she'll be chained to the immovable radiator in his home. But Lazarus has demons of his own: his wife just left him for his own brother. While Lazarus and Rae struggle to fix their broken lives, the situation threatens to explode as Rae's boyfriend Ronnie (Justin Timberlake); a roughneck soldier just back from Iraq; comes searching for his missing lover.
Extras?
Feature length commentary with Writer/Director Craig Brewer
"Conflicted: The Making of Black Snake Moan"
"Rooted in the Blues"
"The Black Snake Moan"
Photo Gallery
Final Verdict: Be willing to believe this unbelievable story and you'll really enjoy this quirky movie. One of the better bets out there right now.