Compton, Richard

Babylon 5 - The Movie Collection

The Babylon 5 pilot movie The Gathering was originally broadcast in 1993 a full year ahead of the regular show. A somewhat dull tale of an attempt to assassinate Koch, the Vorlon ambassador to B5, the feature served to introduce Commander Jeffery Sinclair (Michael O'Hare) and Security Chief Michael Garibaldi (Jerry Doyle) as well as familiarize the audience with the unique environment of a five-mile-long space station in the year 2257. Missing many of the main cast, and suffering from a leaden pace and mediocre music score, series creator J Michael Straczynski later improved The Gathering by tightening the cut for a special edition (the version released on DVD), adding some deleted character moments and commissioning a new score from series composer Christopher Franke.

Four new TV movies were part of the deal to syndicate Babylon 5. In the Beginning is a prelude set 10 years before Babylon 5, telling the story of the Earth-Minbari war. Told retrospectively, many of the mysteries revealed gradually in the main series are recounted, making the show a collection of spoilers for newcomers while adding little for established fans. It is effective to see events only previously talked about, and enjoyable to have most of the main cast playing younger versions of themselves. River of Souls is a self-contained adventure featuring a return of the Soul Hunters from Season One, while Thirdspace offers a spectacular Lovecraftian space opera which slots into the saga after the end of the Shadow War. A Call to Arms is the most important of the TV films, laying the ground for the future TV series Crusade. Set five years after the Shadow War, it tells the story of a Drahk revenge attack on Earth. A final showcase for Bruce Boxleitner as Sheridan, the story fits between fifth-season episodes "Objects at Rest" and "Sleeping in Light." The cliffhanger ending sets the scene for new starship Excalibur to boldly go on a five-year mission to explore strange new worlds and find a cure for the Shadow virus infecting the Earth. --Gary S. Dalkin

Now entering your stargrid: 5 B5 movie adventures in one deluxe set! First time on DVD! Initiate jump sequence for feature-length tales about key events in the B5 chronology. Movie 1: The Gathering - Alien envoys come to the giant space station in the pilot that launched the five-year TV series. Movie 2: In the Beginning - The B5 prequel! It's humans vs. aliens in the battle that led to the station's creation. Movie 3: Thirdspace - Is there a realm beyond hyperspace? Discovery of a million-years-old gateway technology may hold the answer...and more. Movie 4: River of Souls - After death then what? Questions of eternity arise when a supposedly infallible harvester of souls proves to be very fallible. Movie 5: A Call to Arms - The torch is passed. A race against time to save Earth links the B5 mission with the Rangers' new interstellar efforts.Running Time: 469 min.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: SCI-FI/FANTASY UPC: 085393343729 Manufacturer No: 33437

Home Improvement - The Complete Third Season

In its third season, Home Improvement settled into a comfortable and hugely popular groove. Tim Taylor (Tim Allen, The Santa Clause, the voice of Buzz Lightyear in Toy Story) banters fondly with his wife Jill (Patricia Richardson, Ulee's Gold) at home, snipes at his assistant Al (Richard Karn, Sex and the Teenage Mind) on his TV show Tool Time, and discusses manly troubles with his philosophical neighbor Wilson (Earl Hindman), while his three sons (Taran Noah Smith, Zachary Ty Bryan, and Jonathan Taylor Thomas, who was the voice of the young Simba in The Lion King) run amok. In just about every episode Tim garbles Wilson's Iron John-esque advice; in just about every episode he mocks Al for being a lonely oversensitive guy, even after Al finds a girlfriend; in just about every episode Tim and Jill tiff over the differences between the sexes...and yet the cast, though sheer warmth and enthusiasm, makes it feel consistently fresh--or if not fresh, cozy.

Not that the season was without a few new faces: Debbe Dunning replaces Pamela Anderson as the Tool Time girl; Al gets a girlfriend, Ilene (Sherry Hursey); several episodes features some new neighbors (Mariangela Pino and Robert Picardo, later the Doctor on Star Trek: Voyager); the great M. Emmet Walsh (Blood Simple) appears as Jill's father; and a number of sports figures, shuttle astronauts, and former President Jimmy Carter make guest appearances as themselves. This is solid sitcom comfort food; dependable and satisfying, familiar but still lively. If you're not a fan of Allen's humor, this season won't change your mind, but many couples will see a little of themselves in Tim and Jill's relationship, and that's not a bad thing. More power! --Bret Fetzer

In its hilarious third season, millions of fans made HOME IMPROVEMENT the #1 sitcom in America. Tim Allen and the cast laid the foundation for one of the funniest series in television history, and audiences everywhere loved it! Also a hit with the critics, season three garnered a Golden Globe nomination for Best TV Series in the Comedy/Musical category, and Tim Allen was nominated for Best Performance by an Actor in a TV Series in the Comedy/Musical category. Now you can enjoy all 25 episodes on this complete 3-disc set. Jill, Wilson, and your other favorite characters are back, and joining them are some new faces -- including the new Tool Time girl, Heidi. With plenty of laugh-out-loud moments plus hysterical bonus features, this collection is a must own for any HOME IMPROVEMENT fan.

Home Improvement - The Complete Fourth Season

In the fourth season of Home Improvement, the Taylor family faces some important milestones. Tim (Tim Allen) turns 40. Jill (Patricia Richardson) is laid off from work and pursues her master's degree. And youngest son Mark (Taran Noah Smith) slowly begins to outgrow precocious middle brother Randy (Jonathan Taylor Thomas). (Oldest sibling Brad, played by Zachery Ty Bryan, remains pretty much the same confident kid he always was.) As for their inner circle, Tim's Tool Time buddy Al (Richard Karn) gets an ego boost when he's named one of Detroit's hottest bachelors, and little seen but often heard neighbor Wilson (Earl Hindman) goes on his first date in two decades. Add Debbe Dunning, who replaces Pamela Anderson as the new Tool Time girl, and you've got the makings of another solid season. When the ABC sitcom aired during the 1994-1995 TV season, it did well enough to place in the Top 5 for the fourth consecutive year. And aside from some pop culture giveaways (Jill's clothes; Randy's use of a floppy disc to backup his computer), the warmth and humor exuded in this 25-episode, 3-disc set hold up remarkably well.

Like Everybody Loves Raymond minus the screeching mother-in-law, Home Improvement is driven by the classic combination of a sensible wife married to a silly man-child husband who thinks about himself first, even when he doesn't intend to. When Jill wants to go back to school so she can become a therapist, Tim isn't supportive. At first it appears he just doesn't want any changes. But he later confesses he's worried she'll lose interest in him if she returns to school. After she reassures him that this would never be the case, he says, "If your dream is to work with nuts, you should go back to the world of macadamia." Look for an appearance from a very young Michelle Williams (Brokeback Mountain, Dawson's Creek), guest starring as Brad's makeup-savvy girlfriend who advises him on how to cover up his pimple. As for Lucy Liu (Charlie's Angels, Ally McBeal), her blink-and-you'll-miss-her spot as a woman interested in Al is little more than a glorified cameo. --Jae-Ha Kim

Power up for season four of the Emmy(R) Award-winning hit comedy HOME IMPROVEMENT! Tim Allen is back as Tim "The Tool Man" Taylor a loving husband and father who spends his days as the accident-prone host of the popular television show "Tool Time." The fourth season fires on all cylinders earning five Emmy(R) Award nominations including Outstanding Comedy Series and Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series (Patricia Richardson). The laughs are hammered home for all 26 episodes of this hilarious collection. Season Four contains some of the most memorable moments ever as Jill returns to college Al is named one of Detroit's Most Eligible Bachelors and Wilson goes on his first date in 20 years! Featuring guest appearances by Dave Chappelle Jim Breuer Michelle Williams and Lucy Liu plus new never-before-seen bloopers this collection is an absolute must own for any HOME IMPROVEMENT fan.System Requirements:Running Time 598 Mins.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: TELEVISION/SERIES & SEQUELS Rating: PG UPC: 786936285918 Manufacturer No: 04037700

Home Improvement - The Complete Fifth Season

Light television comedy about family man Tim Taylor. The show's humor often revolves around cars toys tools hardware shops garages fix-it-up projects and similar themes.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: TELEVISION/SERIES & SEQUELS Rating: NR UPC: 786936706130 Manufacturer No: 05072800

Babylon 5: The Gathering/In the Beginning

In spring 1993, a year before the Babylon 5 series was launched, the two-hour movie and series pilot "The Gathering" staked out the initial territory, introducing primary characters (some of whom would never appear again) and sketching the alliances and rifts in interplanetary diplomacy. The central story involves the attempted assassination of the newly arrived Vorlon, the mysterious Ambassador Kosh, at the hands of (perhaps) Commander Jeffrey Sinclair (Michael O'Hare). This is the reedited cut released on video, a stronger, more engaging film than the original, but still a broad first stab at characters that would be redefined through the course of the show's run.

"In the Beginning," produced between the fourth and fifth seasons, packs all the history alluded to in "The Gathering"--and more--into a prequel stuffed to the hatches with the epic doings of Earth, Minbar, Narn, and Centauri in the days before the Babylon stations were built. Infused with epic sweep and storytelling confidence by producer-writer Michael J. Straczynski and his cast and crew, it's an elegant, compelling addition to the Babylon 5 universe and a dramatic highlight of the series. It's not an ideal introduction, though, as it gives away the shadowy history slowly revealed through the first three seasons. --Sean Axmaker

Platform:  DVD MOVIE Publisher:  WARNER BROTHERS Packaging:  DVD STYLE BOX Rating:  NOT RATED The long-running Emmy-winning TV series launches onto DVD with two feature-length adventures about an outer-space way station.The Gathering:In The Gathering the series pilot an interstellar summit strives to negotiate a lasting truce -- if an assassin's agenda doesn't have the opposite effect. In the BeginningSet primarily in the decade before the orbital station existed the prequel In The Beginning depicts the tumultuous events of the Earth-Minbari War which shaped interstellar events and paved the way for the construction of the universal safeport.Product Details:Video:Widescreen 1.85:1 Color (Anamorphic)Standard 1.33:1 ColorFormat:  DVD NTSCAudio:  ENGLISH: Dolby Digital 5.1 [CC]Subtitles:  English FrenchYear:  1998Running Time: 185 minutesStudio:  Warner Home Video 

Diagnosis Murder - The Third Season

Emmy award winner Dick Van Dyke stars as Dr. Mark Sloan a dedicated doctor who dabbles in detective work in DIAGNOSIS MURDER. Caring and compassionate Dr. Sloan enlists the help of his police detective son Steve (Barry Van Dyke) whenever he suspects one of his patients is the victim of foul play. And he won t rest until the bad guys are put to bed - permanently! Working alongside Sloan is pathologist Amanda Bentley (Victoria Rowell). For star performances and classic "whodunit" suspense the right prescription is DIAGNOSIS MURDER. System Requirements:Run Time: 840 minutes Genre: CHILDREN/FAMILY UPC: 097361225340

Diagnosis Murder - The Complete 1st Season

One of America's most beloved TV actors, Dick Van Dyke, proved his longevity and acting chops in Diagnosis Murder, as Dr. Mark Sloan, chief of staff at L.A.'s Community General Hospital, as well as a consultant for the police department on confounding murders. The show was originally conceived as a Murder, She Wrote-with-boys, to tap into the late '80s and early '90s wave of spunky-senior shows (Golden Girls, Matlock et al.). But Van Dyke's versatility and charisma drew fans of all ages, and the first season shows his breadth as an actor. The mysteries range from the fairly typical (a beautiful patient surrounded by intrigue has amnesia--or does she?) to the gritty and offbeat (Sloan's son, played by Van Dyke's real son, Barry, gets too close to a gang of corrupt cops, with near-disastrous results). Through it all, Van Dyke's Sloan is avuncular, thoughtful, warm, and serious, but conveys enough wry humor and cheekiness to take considerable advantage of Van Dyke's comic timing. One episode in this season, "Inheritance of Death," features Van Dyke playing multiple roles--young, old, men, women--in a conniving family grasping for the inheritance of an ancient family member, and it's laugh-out-loud funny. Another standout in the cast is Scott Baio as Sloan's earnest sidekick, Dr. Jack Stewart. The boxed set features all 19 episodes of the first season, plus the episode of Jake and the Fatman which introduced the character of Dr. Mark Sloan. --A.T. Hurley

Emmy award winner Dick Van Dyke stars as Dr. Mark Sloan a dedicated doctor who dabbles in detective work in DIAGNOSIS MURDER. Caring and compassionate Dr. Sloan enlists the help of his police detective son Steve (Barry Van Dyke) whenever he suspects one of his patients is the victim of foul play. And he won t rest until the bad guys are put to bed - permanently! Working alongside Sloan is pathologist Amanda Bentley (Victoria Rowell). For star performances and classic whodunit suspense the right prescription is DIAGNOSIS MURDER.System Requirements:Running Time 885 Mins.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: TELEVISION/SERIES & SEQUELS Rating: NR UPC: 097360788945 Manufacturer No: 078894

Diagnosis Murder - The Second Season

It's not unusual for the medical community to encounter law enforcement over a hospital bed, but there's something about the Los Angeles Community Hospital and its Chief of Internal Medicine Dr. Mark Sloan (Dick Van Dyke) that seem to attract suspicious cases. Far from a "treat them and street them" attitude, Dr. Mark Sloan is a compassionate and understanding doctor whose probing questions and natural curiosity repeatedly uncover mysterious circumstances and details that he invariably feels compelled to investigate. Of course the proper authorities (in the form of his son, police officer Steve Sloan, played by Van Dyke's real-life son Barry Van Dyke) are notified, but, like any good doctor, Dr. Sloan relies on the expertise of his own staff. Thus fellow Doctor Jack Stewart (Scott Baio), hospital pathologist Amanda Bentley (Victoria Rowell), and Dr. Sloan's secretary Delores (Delores Hall) are often embroiled in investigative work that results in an understaffed hospital and a distraught hospital administrator (Michael Tucci). From maternity hospitals selling babies on the black market to dishonest tax lawyers, murderous hospital inspectors, egocentric surgery patients, and dating services whose dates are the absolute end-all, Dr. Sloan and his crew can be counted upon to pursue and solve an abundance of mysteries--and maybe even see a patient or two in the process. Guest stars include Betty White and Bo Jackson. While not one of Van Dyke's best television series, Diagnosis Murder will appeal to Dick Van Dyke aficionados and murder mystery fans alike. --Tami Horiuchi

The long-running CBS television series DIAGNOSIS MURDER offers a clever hybrid of the medical-drama and murder-mystery genres. Comedy legend Dick Van Dyke anchors the series as Dr. Mark Sloan a hospital physician who helps his detective son Steve (Van Dyke's real-life son Barry) solve crimes for the Los Angeles Police Department. Warm witty and family-friendly this collection presents every episode from the series' second season which includes guest appearances by Michael Tucci Dyan Cannon and Pernell Roberts.Runtime: 1025 minsFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: TELEVISION/SERIES & SEQUELS Rating: NR UPC: 097360789041 Manufacturer No: 078904

The Commish - Season 1

Emmy Award winner Michael Chiklis stars as Tony Scali, a former Brooklyn cop now the Police Commissioner of a small upstate city. But for Scali, this is no desk job. He's a tough yet compassionate boss, a loving husband and father, and a hands-on law enforcer with an unorthodox style of bending the rules. From parenthood to politics, from sex crimes to murder cases, one man takes it day-to-day with offbeat humor and street- smart skill. It all begins in this premiere season of the Commish. the Commish - Complete First Season includes all 21 episodes from the 1991/1992 season of the hit ABC- TV series, and features brand-new interviews with stars Michael Chiklis, Theresa Saldana and co-creators Stephen J. Cannell and Stephen Kronish produced exclusively for this collection.

Hercules The Legendary Journeys - Season 4