Dinner, Michael

Grey's Anatomy - The Complete Second Season

The medical drama's second season could be diagnosed as bipolar; in other words, it got much worse and much better at the same time. Whiny, self-involved surgical intern Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo), arguably the weakest spot in the otherwise likeable ensemble, had already left viewers annoyed. But season two, in which Meredith coped with being dumped by her married McDreamy (a.k.a. neurosurgeon Derek, a.k.a. Patrick Dempsey) by excessive drinking, sleeping around, gazing like a sad puppy and--unforgivable!--breaking the heart of longtime admirer/friend George (the cuddly T.R. Knight), could have alienated audiences for good. (Seriously, sometimes you want to shake the girl and feed her some cookies.) Thankfully, what Meredith's storyline threatened to derail was held together by some emotional episodes, including "Into You Like a Train," in which a pair of strangers are impaled together on a metal pole, and "Much Too Much," featuring a mother's quintuplets in critical condition. But the standout show that turned Grey's Anatomy into a television force came with the January 2006 post-Super Bowl episode, a two-parter involving a "code black" lockdown when a live bomb is housed inside a patient.

Romance also remained key to the staff at Seattle Grace: Steely Cristina (Golden Globe winner Sandra Oh) softens, to her great dismay, as her relationship with Dr. Burke (Isaiah Washington) gets serious; Izzie (Katherine Heigl) pairs up, then breaks up, with Alex (Justin Chambers, the villain of the cast if you had to name one) before falling in love with flirty, tender heart patient Denny (Jeffrey Dean Morgan). Derek and estranged wife Addison (Kate Walsh, who somehow managed to win over Meredith-McDreamy fans despite being the Other Woman) make attempts at fixing their marriage, and Dr. Bailey (Chandra Wilson, easily a standout) tries to balance a medical career with mommyhood. Even George finds a new love with orthopedic surgeon Callie (Sara Ramirez). The season wraps up with a weeper of a two-part finale, set at the hospital during a "prom" (it's complicated). But with the fancy gowns and tuxes, tears and romantic tension, leading to a crossroads for Meredith and Derek, you can bet the episodes are a delight for any Grey's fan. The show also continues to rely heavily on narration (not a good thing) and soundtracks (a good thing), using tracks from artists before they hit it big (KT Tunstall, Brandi Carlisle, Snow Patrol).

On the DVD

Four of the episodes get an extended treatment, though the tag line "too steamy for television!" is overreaching a bit. Oh is the only actor to turn up on a commentary, which is otherwise just the writers and producers congratulating each other. Walsh turns up the charm in "The Doctors are In," in which characters answer fans' questions, but Chambers appears noticeably drab and disinterested. Despite "Uncut" being in the title, the special features aren't anything you'll be watching again and again. Save that rewind button for the show itself. --Ellen A. Kim

Experience the complete second season of TV's most compelling show in an expansive 27-episode DVD set. Witness every minute of the thrilling drama that has become a television event for fans and critics alike.Life gets even more intense for the doctors and interns of Seattle Grace Hospital in year two as Meredith and Derek's relationship goes from odd to downright insane with the arrival of Derek's wife and Alex lets his Izzie obsession out of the bag. You "can't stop watching" says TV Guide.Experience Grey's Anatomy: Season 2 -- uncut with over five hours of never-before-seen bonus features including four extended episodes with scenes too steamy for TV behind-the-scenes interviews and so much more.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: TELEVISION/SERIES & SEQUELS Rating: NR UPC: 786936700992 Manufacturer No: 05022700

Heaven Help Us

It's Brooklyn 1965 and young Michael Dunn (Andrew McCarthy) finds himself forced to attend St. Basil's in pursuit of the priesthood. Once there against his better judgment he gets caught up with a wild crowd led by the raucous Rooney (Kevin Dillon) and together they work towards higher education - the kind you don't get at school! From hiding out in the local diner to making out in Rooney's dad's car from the "good-when-they're-bad" girls of the convent school to the shy beauty Michael falls for (Mary Stuart Masterson) from a confession that's good for the soul to what sends you there in the first place finding your way in the world isn't easy. But the boys of St. Basil's are out to have the time of their lives - for as long as they're young as long as they're fee and as long as they can get away with it.Running Time: 105 min.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: COMEDY UPC: 026359298622

The Crew

Call them "Grumpy Old Goodfellas," old mobsters who trade in their rods for a retirement home. Fast-talking Richard Dreyfuss is the nominal leader of the quartet of retired Jersey wiseguys, and thick-headed softy Dan Hedaya, silver-haired lady's man Seymour Cassel, and Burt Reynolds, an enforcer with a pacemaker, round out the group. When their Florida apartment house threatens to go condo with young, upscale tenants, they flex their creaky muscles and scare off investors with a devious bit of mob theatrics. Their success spirals out of control, and soon they're up to their toupees in blackmail, murder for hire, a homicide investigation by a cop who just may be Dreyfuss's character's long-lost daughter (Carrie-Anne Moss), and a mob war with a Hispanic drug lord. Jennifer Tilly costars as a scheming stripper, and Lainie Kazan is terrific as a brassy widow.

The script, by Kingpin cowriter Barry Fanaro, flirts with leering sexual humor and outrageous gags while turning unrepentant killers into a cute and cuddly bunch of snappy-dressing codgers. Leave it to director Michael Dinner to transform that into a warm, sweet, good-natured film that explores the way the aged lose dignity in their later years and celebrates the strength of four guys who draw on their skills, their courage, and their spirit to take their dignity back. --Sean Axmaker

Loaded with laughs, THE CREW features Academy Award(R)-winner Richard Dreyfuss (MR. HOLLAND'S OPUS) and Burt Reynolds (MYSTERY, ALASKA) in a sidesplitting story about a set of golden-year goodfellas fighting to protect their last piece of turf! Back in the days when mobsters were larger than life, none lived bigger than Bobby (Dreyfuss), "Bats" (Reynolds), "The Brick" (Dan Hedaya, SHAFT), and "Mouth" (Seymour Cassel, RUSHMORE). But now well into retirement, the old crew find themselves suddenly facing eviction from their run-down Miami Beach hotel -- The Raj Mahal. That's when they decide there's only one thing left to do -- turn back the clock and pull one last hit in order to save their home! As their wacky plot unfolds, you'll happily laugh along when these grandfatherly gangsters set off a hilarious chain of events that quickly spins outrageously out of control.

The Best of the Wonder Years

The Christmas Wonder Years: The Holiday Episodes

Off Beat [Region 2]

The Wonder Years

Chicago Hope

The Crew [Region 2]

Call them "Grumpy Old Goodfellas," old mobsters who trade in their rods for a retirement home. Fast-talking Richard Dreyfuss is the nominal leader of the quartet of retired Jersey wiseguys, and thick-headed softy Dan Hedaya, silver-haired lady's man Seymour Cassel, and Burt Reynolds, an enforcer with a pacemaker, round out the group. When their Florida apartment house threatens to go condo with young, upscale tenants, they flex their creaky muscles and scare off investors with a devious bit of mob theatrics. Their success spirals out of control, and soon they're up to their toupees in blackmail, murder for hire, a homicide investigation by a cop who just may be Dreyfuss's character's long-lost daughter (Carrie-Anne Moss), and a mob war with a Hispanic drug lord. Jennifer Tilly costars as a scheming stripper, and Lainie Kazan is terrific as a brassy widow.

The script, by Kingpin cowriter Barry Fanaro, flirts with leering sexual humor and outrageous gags while turning unrepentant killers into a cute and cuddly bunch of snappy-dressing codgers. Leave it to director Michael Dinner to transform that into a warm, sweet, good-natured film that explores the way the aged lose dignity in their later years and celebrates the strength of four guys who draw on their skills, their courage, and their spirit to take their dignity back. --Sean Axmaker