Joan of Arcadia - The Second Season
by Steve Gomer
from Paramount
Millions of people speak to God. What if God spoke back? Life just got a hell of a lot more confusing for teenage Joan Girardi who already deals with feeling out of place in her family : her police chief father her somewhat overbearing mother her geeky younger brother and former football star older brother now paralyzed. They'd never believe her if she told them that God is talking to her. Does Joan have a higher purpose on earth or are these strange conversations just in her head?Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: TELEVISION/SERIES & SEQUELS Rating: NR UPC: 097368889644 Manufacturer No: 888964
For two years, CBS's Joan of Arcadia managed the neat trick of warming the heart, while keeping the gag reflex at bay. And for a family drama based around faith--and the lack thereof--preachiness was always in short supply. At the end of the first season, Joan (Amber Tamblyn) decides it's all in her head: God isn't really speaking to her. Over the summer, she attends a camp for troubled kids, and now she makes lamps. Her boyfriend, Adam (Christopher Marquette), is as confused as ever; he was just starting to believe her. While Joan questions God's existence, her mother, Helen (Mary Steenburgen), plans a return to the Catholic Church. To that end, she starts meeting with chain-smoking former nun Lilly (Constance Zimmer, Boston Legal) to help with her confirmation. Joan's father, Will (Joe Mantegna), older brother Kevin (Jason Ritter), and Helen must also contend with the lawsuit filed by the boy who caused Kevin's accident, while Joan's younger brother, Luke (Michael Welch), continues to see the surly Grace (Becky Wahlstrom) in secret.
New Arcadia arrivals include Will's controlling boss, Lucy (Annie Potts), Joan's "crazy camp" friend, Judith (Sprague Grayden), and enigmatic do-gooder Ryan (Wentworth Miller, Prison Break), who shares Joan's gift. Despite critical kudos and respectable ratings, Joan of Arcadia wasn't picked up for a third season, but its spirit lives on in such disparate shows as Medium, in which a woman communicates with the dead, and My Name Is Earl, in which a man goes around doing good deeds. This six-disc set features commentary by creator Barbara Hall, producer James Hayman, and writer Stephen Nathan. --Kathleen C. Fennessy
Joan of Arcadia - The First Season
by Steve Gomer
from Paramount
Once in awhile a show comes along that breaks the mold. Most such programs fail, but Joan of Arcadia set out to do something new, beat the odds, and found an audience. Created by Barbara Hall (Judging Amy), it's a unique hybrid of My So-Called Life, The Commish, and--well, something different. Unlike CBS predecessor Touched by an Angel, faith creates more questions than answers (and God even has a sense of humor).
Joan (Amber Tamblyn) is an ordinary 16-year-old. Father Will (Joe Mantegna) is the local Arcadia police chief, mother Helen (Mary Steenburgen) is a teacher/administrator, younger brother Luke (Michael Welch) is a fellow student, and older brother Kevin (Jason Ritter, son of John Ritter) is a high school graduate who was paralyzed the year before. He used to be popular and athletic. Now he watches TV and builds models. In the pilot, God speaks to Joan for the first time, as a cute boy, and asks her to get a job. Once she's convinced He's really God, she does. Her action inspires Kevin to get one, too, and his process of rejoining the world begins.
As in Joan Osborne's theme song, "One of Us" (featured on two episodes), God will continue to appear to Joan in a variety of guises--even as a dog walker who looks like Russ Tamblyn (Amber's father). He'll often ask her to do things that make her uncomfortable, but she'll always learn from the experience and some good will always come from it. Unfortunately, she isn't able to talk to anyone about this or they'd think she was crazy, not even friends Grace (Becky Hahlstrom) or Adam (Christopher Marquette). By the season finale, faith will be replaced by doubt, setting the scene for the second season, in which Joan's faith will be restored. --Kathleen C. Fennessy
After patriarch Will gets a job as the chief of police, the Girardi family moves to the small town of Arcadia from the big city. Middle child Joan isn't happy, and her family, consisting of science nerd Luke, paralyzed former jock Kevin, and their perpetually flustered mother Helen, isn't helping. Joan finds herself talking to God, in the form of random people who give her assignments to help the people around her. Joan keeps following God's assignments, never sure if she's really speaking to him, or just going crazy!
Everwood - The Complete First Season
by Kathy Bates
from Warner Home Video
Prepare to get hooked on Everwood, a family drama-comedy from the WB television network that looks and feels like a hybrid of Northern Exposure and Picket Fences--both shows, incidentally, being major influences on Everwood's talented creator, Greg Berlanti (Dawson's Creek). A fish-out-of-water tale with unusually high stakes in the relationship arena, Everwood gets much of its charge from near-perfect performances by Treat Williams (The Deep End of the Ocean) and Gregory Smith (The Patriot) as a contentious father and son trying to keep their family going after a catastrophic loss. Williams plays Andy Brown, a world-class neurosurgeon whose Manhattan practice caters to the rich and famous; it also keeps him far removed from daily life and big events within his family. After Andy's wife (Brenda Strong) dies in a car accident, he finds himself raising a gifted 15-year-old boy, Ephram (Smith), who hates him because of years of neglect, and the much younger Delia (Vivien Cardone from A Beautiful Mind), who is scared and confused without her mom.
Andy, often seen in the first couple of episodes speaking to his late spouse, decides the best way to honor her memory is to move the family to little Everwood, Colorado, a special place in her memory. Not just a move--more of a wholesale re-invention, beginning with Andy's new salt-and-pepper beard and including a no-charge medical clinic he opens in Everwood's former train station. The free practice puts Andy at odds with the unpleasant Dr. Abbott (Tom Amandes of the syndicated The Untouchables), whose daughter, Amy (Emily VanCamp), develops a friendship with lonely Ephram while she also pines for her boyfriend, Colin (Mike Erwin), long lost in a deep coma. Over the course of the first season, many lines of connection will be drawn between these folks. Andy will be asked to attempt a risky operation on Colin, with ramifications affecting his son, Amy, and others. Abbott's sour relationship with Andy will lighten up enough for the former to join Andy's practice, and other surprises are in store.
The series is filled out by other, sweet and eccentric regulars, including Debra Mooney as Andy's nurse (also Abbott's plain-speaking mom), John Beasley as her husband and Delia's bus driver, and Stephanie Niznik as Andy's neighbor, Nina, a surrogate mother. Surprisingly gutsy storytelling, generally understated dialogue, heartfelt performances, and gorgeous Colorado exteriors keep one coming back for more. --Tom Keogh
As a world-class neurosurgeon Dr. Andrew Brown is a hero. As a father he's a zero. But that is changing. Tragedy makes him a single parent to his two children. And as the first act of his new life Andy leaves Manhattan and moves his family to Everwood the tiny Colorado town where big dreams can grow. The relationship between Andy and his talented but resentful 15-year-old son Ephram forms the heart of these 23 first-season episodes of Everwood the acclaimed richly layered series created by Greg Berlanti (Dawson's Creek). Treat Williams plays Andy learning parenting on the fly as he raises Ephram (Gregory Smith) and 9-year-old Delia (Vivien Cardone). Unafraid to tackle big issues spiked with sharp humor and filled with engaging characters Everwood is a place and a series that rewards each visit you make.System Requirements:Running Time 1022 MinFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: DRAMA Rating: NR UPC: 085393343828
The Practice - Volume One
by Steve Gomer
from 20th Century Fox
Defense attorney Bobby Donnell could've had his pick of high-paying jobs at any number of fancy Boston law firms. Instead, he chose to be his own boss. The Practice: Volume One combines all six episodes from the debut mini season in 1997, along with seven episodes from the sophomore year. Though it would've been a more cohesive collection if entire two seasons were included on this four-disc DVD set, it's still a welcome addition for fans of this David E. Kelley drama. Starring Dylan McDermott as Bobby, the cast also includes Kelli Williams as uber-attorney Lindsay Dole, Emmy Award winner Camryn Manheim as Ellenor Frutt, and former cop-turned-defense attorney Eugene Young (Steve Harris). Then there's their friend--and also foil--prosecutor Helen Gamble (Lara Flynn Boyle), who admires the team's tenacity but stops at nothing to beat them in court. During the early seasons, Donnell's firm doesn't bring in enough money to decorate their offices, which are filthy--just like many of their clients. But as they slowly build a reputation as the go-to firm for clients who most likely are guilty but want to be set free, they begin to wrestle with moral dilemmas. As can be expected from a Kelley series, the cases presented here are fabulously sensationalist. But they also touch on human emotions, such as when they represent a client who was fired for being unattractive. The lawyers also have bittersweet moments as they realize they have surpassed their former legal mentors, some of whom have been seduced by the promise of big money. The most compelling episodes involve Dole--a brilliant but unseasoned attorney--who slowly and methodically tackles the tobacco industry. While the opponent has teams of senior attorneys, associates, paralegals, and interns at its disposal, Dole tirelessly works the case and refuses to give in, even when the outcome seems inevitable. The end result isn't believable in the least, but her passion sets the groundwork for one of the show's most watchable characters. --Jae-Ha Kim
The Practice: Volume One Extras
 View a clip of David E. Kelley speaking about the creation of The Practice. |
Beyond The Practice: Volume One
 More From David E. Kelley |  More TV Dramas |  More From 20th Century Fox |
Stills from The Practice: Volume One
 |  |  |
 |  | 
|
Set in Boston The Practice centers on a firm of passionate attorneys to whom every case is important and every client worth a fight to the end. Pursuing justice however sometimes means crossing the line...System Requirements:Running Time: 559 Mins.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: TELEVISION/SERIES & SEQUELS Rating: NR UPC: 024543426226 Manufacturer No: 2242623
Barney's Great Adventure - The Movie
by Steve Gomer
from Universal Studios
Barney and his pals take a trip to Grandpa's farm and find that a magical egg--which is due to hatch any moment--is missing. As opposed to the studio-bound television show, this feature film has a lot more visual diversity and is a bright, good-looking production. Barney fans will appreciate the broader production scale--even if they don't realize it. --Tom Keogh
A trip to Grandpa's farm turns into an incredible journey as Barney and the gang look high and low for a magic egg that's about to hatch something very special.
Genre: Feature Film Family
Rating: G
Release Date: 28-MAR-2006
Media Type: DVD
Sunset Park
by Steve Gomer
from Sony Pictures
A white school teacher takes over a talented, but undisciplined black high school basketball team and turns them into a winning team.
Sweet Lorraine
by Steve Gomer
from Echo Bridge Home Entertainment
Barney - Barney's Great Adventure
by Steve Gomer
from Polygram Video
Barney and his pals take a trip to Grandpa's farm and find that a magical egg--which is due to hatch any moment--is missing. As opposed to the studio-bound television show, this feature film has a lot more visual diversity and is a bright, good-looking production. Barney fans will appreciate the broader production scale--even if they don't realize it. --Tom Keogh
Fly By Night
by Steve Gomer
from Sony Pictures
Struggling musicians vie for success in the hard world of the New York hip-hop scene in this gritty urban drama. Rich (Jeffrey D. Sams) is convinced he has a future as a rapper -- so much so that he leaves his wife and family to go to New York and reach for the brass ring. While scuffling for work Rich meets another MC I Tick (Ron Brice) whose roughneck style is a contrast to Rich's smooth delivery. The two rhymers begin working together and soon find that they may have a shot at the big time.System Requirements:Running Time: 93 Min.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: DRAMA Rating: R UPC: 043396064270 Manufacturer No: 06427
This may not be the best rapsploitation pic to come out of the early 1990s, but it does have some interesting ideas and nicely shot club and concert scenes. Fly by Night tells the story of Rich (Jeffrey D. Sams), who leaves his wife and child to pursue a career as a rapper. He teams up with hardcore gangsta I Tick (Ron Brice), and their combined light-and-heavy style makes them a hit. Some of the most interesting material comes from the secondary characters, including a 45-year-old, white DJ (Leo Burmester) who works the club circuit with a young, black rapper. There's also an early performance by Maura Tierney of New Radio fame, and a decent soundtrack by MC Lyte. Still, the definitive rap movie is yet to be made. --James DiGiovanna
+++
