Mcdonald, Bruce

Queer as Folk - The Complete First Season

Studio: Paramount Home Video Release Date: 08/23/2005 Run time: 1320 minutes

They're here, they're queer, and they make Sex and the City look like a demure tea party. Showtime's quintessentially American Queer As Folk--based on the British miniseries--pours on copious amounts of hot and steamy sex. This slick (and slickly entertaining) series shares the same basic concept as its British counterpart--centering on a group of gay friends living in a primarily industrial city--but after that, all bets are off. Whereas the British version focused on the gritty, realistic drama of its characters, the American QAF is a glossy, fun soap opera that occasionally tackles big issues but never lets you forget that life at times can be a party, and you shouldn't be one of those poor suckers starving to death. A good part of the show's charm lies in its cast--boy-next-door Michael (Hal Sparks), ruthlessly seductive rake Brian (Gale Harold), out-and-proud Emmett (Peter Paige), wallflower Ted (Scott Lowell), and nubile teen Justin (Randy Harrison)--who grew from standard gay prototypes to intriguing characters by the first season's end. And while some subplots didn't work (such as Emmett's farfetched foray into gay-conversion therapy), others were quietly affecting, including Brian's coping with his father's death. Some may object to the show's relentless fixation on sex (and gay men--there are just two lesbian characters), but this is a series that in its own polished way is both engrossingly fun and truly groundbreaking. It's liberating to watch an American TV series in which the straight world is only peripheral. Let's hear it for the boys! --Mark Englehart

Queer as Folk - The Complete Second Season (Showtime)

Showtime's award-winning series is back!Experience the passion and pain from season two all over again from Justin's recovery from the gay bashing to Ted's profession of his love for Emmet Queer As Folk: The Complete Second Season is a must-have for everyone this holiday season.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: TELEVISION/SERIES & SEQUELS Rating:  UPC: 758445202625 Manufacturer No: SHO2026

They're still out and proud, and in their second season the boys (and girls) of Queer as Folk continued to break ground as the most gay-friendly show on television (sorry, Will and Grace). Some plot lines were a little over the top, others truly heartfelt, but they were never less than entertaining, even during their All My Children moments. Season two opened in the aftermath of the gay-bashing of Justin (Randy Harrison), the young artist who wondered if he'd ever be able to paint or draw again, and went on to face a variety of issues and plotlines as diverse as its characters. Some were timely (Michael negotiating a relationship with new HIV-positive boyfriend Ben), some romantic (lesbians Lindsay and Melanie tying the knot), some new to the show (Emmett embarks on a relationship with a--gasp!--older gentleman), and some, well, far-fetched (how many of you had to wrestle, like Ted did, with starting your own pornographic web site?).

While the writing tended to flail about a bit, thankfully coalescing by the season's end, the show continued to be anchored by stellar actors, especially Peter Paige's Emmett, who grew the most during the second season; Michelle Clunie's Melanie, the alternately wry and sweet lesbian who became the show's secret weapon; and, as always, Gale Harold's Brian, the lothario with a heart of tarnished gold. Frustrating, fascinating, exasperating one moment and charming the next, Brian perfectly summed up the guilty pleasures of Queer as Folk, where humanity peeks out every now and then from behind the curtain of fabulous comedy and drama. --Mark Englehart

Queer as Folk - The Final Season (Collector's Edition)

Studio: Paramount Home Video Release Date: 05/30/2006

Gay has rarely been so glamorous as in the American version of Queer as Folk. But the show's success rests on more than hard bodies and glossy, picture-perfect sex (though there's an abundance of that); this series gave its characters a multidimensional richness that rivals more high-profile programs like Six Feet Under or The Sopranos, while tackling an impressive breadth of social and political issues without ever (well, almost never) feeling preachy. The fifth and final season lays out its themes with authority: Alpha-gay Brian (Gale Howard) buys and revamps the sex club Babylon, declaring promiscuity and independence as a gay birthright, while Brian's oldest friend Michael (Hal Sparks, Talk Soup) embraces domesticity with his partner Ben (Robert Gant); the flamboyant Emmett (Peter Paige) finds success as a tv personality, only to find his persona may trap him in a stereotype; and Ted (Scott Lowell) grapples with body prejudices within the gay community. Meanwhile, the crumbling relationship of Mel (Michelle Clunie) and Lindsay (Thea Gill) takes a more troubling turn when Michael demands more rights as the father of their daughter.

Most tv series would take a topic like this last legal wrangle and stretch it over an entire season, but Queer as Folk is more ambitious; the writers recognize that the resolution of one problem is rarely the end of the story, that muddy consequences can be as dramatically compelling as head-to-head conflict. This aggressive and effective plotting, combined with the show's willingness to explore the complexities of every issue--be it assimilation or the coming out of a celebrity--results in an increasing emotional power as the series steamrolls towards its final episode. Some subplots can be silly (Brian has a ridiculous stud-off with a new hot guy in town), the dialogue can sometimes veer from wit to camp cliches, and the omnipresence of sculpted, muscular physiques is absurd and even a little alienating for some viewers, but Queer as Folk's strengths--the compassion and intelligence of the writers, the commitment and nuance of the acting--make this show a true television landmark and a pleasure to watch. And then, of course, there's all that graphic and lovingly photographed sex. Rosie O'Donnell and Cyndi Lauper make guest appearances, and Sharon Gless (Cagney & Lacey) continues her much-loved performance as Michael's mother, Debbie. --Bret Fetzer

The Tournament

"The Tournament" is mockumentary series that promises to do for minor hockey what Spinal Tap did for dino-rock and Best in Show did for dogs. Produced by the folks behind the Just For Laughs comedy festival, "The Tournament" strikes a blow at the insanit

Queer as Folk - The Complete Fourth Season (Showtime)

This contiunes following the journey of a group of gay friends & lovers living in pittsburgh. This criticaaly acclaimes series brings with it mature stories about facing the challenges of same-sex parenting discrimination aids/hiv cancer & morality. Studio: Paramount Home Video Release Date: 04/05/2005

Queer as Folk - The Complete Third Season (Showtime)

Studio: Paramount Home Video Release Date: 09/19/2006

Drama ruled in a big way on the third season of Queer as Folk, as the gay men and women of Pittsburgh rode a roller coaster of emotional and personal upheavals that would make a regular soap-opera cast blanch. Budding comic book artist Justin (Randy Harrison) finally left longtime lover Brian for a chance at ecstasy--and not a bit of agony--with a charming violin player. Emmett (Peter Paige) finally came face-to-face with his affection for friend Ted (Scott Lowell), only to have Ted's growing drug habit get in the way of their happiness. Lesbians Melanie (Michelle Clunie) and Lindsay (Thea Gill) decided to have another baby, whose father would be... Michael (Hal Sparks), whose nesting with hunky Ben (Robert Gant) is rudely interrupted by runaway Hunter (Harris Allan). And as for Brian (Gale Harold), the man everybody wants but can't ever have? Just when it seems he's gone to work for the enemy--a homophobic mayoral candidate--it turns out he might be the savior the Pittsburgh gay community never knew it needed.

Snaps to the makers of QAF for trying to bring their characters into the grown-up world - Michael, Emmett, and Ted started their own businesses; Justin finally cut loose from Brian--but too many melodramatic plot twists and turns impeded a lot of the character development this show worked hard at during its first two seasons. Still, most of the cast was topnotch, including Harrison, whose Justin finally came into his own, and the always dependable Harold, who made Brian a fascinating creature through all his steamy travails and over-the-top encounters. --Mark Englehart

Playmakers - The Complete Series

What generated all the controversy about PLAYMAKERS, ESPN's daring hit series about a fictional pro football team? This eleven-episode, three-disc set lets you immerse yourself in the off-the-field lives of the Cougars from its very beginning. With its lightning-fast pace and great characters, this gritty and edgy drama is as intense a roller-coaster ride as any drama on the field.

The Tracey Fragments

Studio: Image Entertainment Release Date: 02/10/2009 Run time: 77 minutes Rating: Nr

Teen angst is amped up by a nuanced performance by a pre-Juno Ellen Page in The Tracey Fragments. "Look, the other day, something happened. I came to certain realizations," says Tracey Berkowitz, played with deadpan heartbreak by Page, huddled on a late-night bus near the beginning of the film. "I can't tell you what or you'll end up like me, on this bus, looking for someone." The scene signals a rocky ride, and the film--a portrait of an outcast Canadian teen struggling with bullies, clueless parents, unrequited love, and her place in the world--is wrenching and challenging. Director Bruce McDonald has taken the "fragments" of the title literally, and so the film is presented in several simultaneous screen shots at a time; rarely in its duration is there simply one scene to watch, as though all the different facets of Tracey are playing out at once. Which, of course, they are.

Tracey is hassled at school, dismissed as an "it" for being flat-chested, and treated as invisible by her parents and even her therapist. Only when something dire happens may have been her responsibility does the rest of the world turn its judgmental focus on her. Tracey begins a quest to leave her old life behind and try to redeem herself--find and honor who she really is--in the process. And the film somewhat brutally takes the reader along for the ride. "How do you know what's real and not real when the whole world is inside your head?" Tracey muses on one of the buses she takes into the night. It's as perfect, and painful, a depiction of adolescence as any film in recent memory. --A.T. Hurley

Playmakers - The Complete Series

Playmakers grows on a viewer in the most important way a good television series should: by encouraging curiosity about the growth and fate of key characters. One might easily dismiss this ESPN original drama as a mere catalog of the problems that dog some professional football players, very often to public scrutiny: injuries, drugs, egos, criminal associations, etc. But patience rewards those who watch enough of Playmakers's 11 episodes to care about the humanity of the show's troubled athletes. The series concerns NFL contenders the Cougars, led by a hard but fair coach (Anthony John Denison) suffering from prostate cancer while dealing with a treacherous team owner (Bruce Gray), a problematic prima donna (Omar Gooding), and mid-ranked players struggling with fundamentals of the game.

Meanwhile, several Cougars emerge as major characters, among them middle linebacker Eric Olczyk (Jason Matthew Smith), a good guy psychologically impaired after paralyzing an opposing player and now trying to get both his game and life back. Olczyk's best friend, running back Leon Taylor (Russell Hornsby), is at the end of his contract and faces stiff competition for his job, causing stress that translates into a reputation-destroying act of domestic violence. Star quarterback Derek McConnell, a hound among hounds, impregnates a stranger and compels a team assistant (Stephen Bogaert) to handle abortion details. Time after time, the men of Playmakers find themselves pressured to live and function with an eye toward the team's good image and commercial prospects. Yet clean living is terribly difficult given the physical sacrifices, emotional isolation, management sabotage, and temptations foisted upon pro players. The many dramatic strings drawn out over the series come together in the very fine final episode, ending on a note of irony as outrageous as anything previously seen on television. --Tom Keogh

What generated all the controversy about PLAYMAKERS, ESPN's daring hit series about a fictional pro football team? This eleven-episode, three-disc set lets you immerse yourself in the off-the-field lives of the Cougars from its very beginning. With its lightning-fast pace and great characters, this gritty and edgy drama is as intense a roller-coaster ride as any drama on the field.

Killer Wave

Killer Wave is the explosive action-packed story of massive tidal waves set to destroy a population and swallow a nation. When a series of unprecedented and deadly tidal waves mysteriously crash down along the American East Coast renegade scientist John McAdams discovers that these waves are actually man-made ecological disasters created as weapons of mass destruction. On the run from political madmen and rogue federal agents intent on keeping him silent John sets out to expose who s behind the undersea explosions before literally half the world is under water. Killer Wave is now available for the first time on DVD with great bonus features and beautiful packaging that is sure to wipe you out!System Requirements:Run Time: 175 minutes Genre: ACTION/ADVENTURE Rating: NR UPC: 796019804974 Manufacturer No: 80497