Pasquin, John

Newhart - The Complete First Season

Studio: Tcfhe Release Date: 02/26/2008 Run time: 660 minutes Rating: Nr

Looking for the perfect getaway? Check in to Newhart, finally open for business on DVD. Let's consult the travel guide: "Nestled in a grove of majestic maples just a stone's throw from the ivy covered walls of Dartmouth University lies the authentic colonial comfort of the Stratford Inn. Your jolly and congenial hosts are well known author Dick Loudon and his wife, Joanna." It's the ideal setup for the understated Newhart who is right at home in this quaint and bucolic setting. Between the guests and the colorful town characters, he has ample opportunities to do what he did so expertly on The Bob Newhart Show; deal with the crazies (as he so elegantly puts it in one of this set's bonus featurettes). Newhart stars as Loudon, a successful New York writer of how-to books, who, with his more reluctant wife, Joanna (Mary Frann, who rises to the unenviable challenge of following Bob's first TV wife, Suzanne Pleschette), uproots their lives to buy and run the venerable Stratford. The place comes with some colorful history (in the pilot, it is revealed that the inn once served as a house of ill repute, and in another episode, Bob learns that a woman hung as a witch is buried in the basement). It also comes with George Utley (Tom Poston), the handyman, who may have more than one screw loose. Newhart's first season provided the series with a solid foundation. It just needed a little tinkering. Kirk (Second City veteran Steven Kampmann), owner of the neighboring café, is introduced as a habitual liar, a character trait that is thankfully phased out as the season unfolds (his character would exit the show after two seasons). Pam-pretty and sweet Leslie (Jennifer Holmes), the maid, an heiress who wants "to experience the real world," would be replaced in season two by Julia Duffy, who is introduced as her cousin in the episode, "What is This Thing Called Lust?" But the series' most welcome additions are backwoodsmen Larry (William Sanderson) and his silent brothers Darryl (John Voldstad) and Darryl (Tony Papenfuss), who make their auspicious debut in the second episode. An instant hit, they were brought back for another before becoming regulars in season two. Newhart is four-star character-based comedy. There is nary a cheap or easy laugh in these episodes. Lines such as "There go the dregs of society," "I haven't got $80," and "What would you say if you weren't a college graduate," aren't funny out of context, but spoken by these characters, they're boffo. The DVD box lists four extras, but there are only three. The best is "Getting to the Heart of Newhart," in which cast members Newhart, Duffy, Sanderson, and Voldstad reflect on the series and pay moving tribute to the late Poston and Frann. Considering how much fun they all say it was to work on the show, a gag reel (including the classic blooper in which Newhart accidentally calls Frann's character, "Emily") would have been a nice amenity. --Donald Liebenson

Miss Congeniality / Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous (Double Feature)

Studio: Warner Home Video Release Date: 09/04/2007

Miss Congeniality 2 - Armed and Fabulous (Widescreen Edition)

Having become a media celebrity following her heroic pageant exploits gracie has been spending more time lately at the salon than at the shooting range. When her friends are kidnapped in las vegas gracies all-out efforts puts her in jeopardy with the fbi top brass. Studio: Warner Home Video Release Date: 11/11/2008 Starring: Sandra Bullock Enrique Murciano Run time: 115 minutes Rating: Pg13

F.B.I. operative Gracie Hart (Sandra Bullock) famously went undercover in a beauty pageant a while back, and now she's supposedly so recognizable that her only use to the agency is as a pretty public representative. Dumped by her boyfriend (whom Benjamin Bratt wisely decided not to portray this time around), a gloomy Gracie goes along with the promo biz until her friend, Miss United States (Heather Burns), is kidnapped along with pageant official Stan Fields (William Shatner) in Las Vegas. Bullock still has perk to please her fans, but neither she nor her awkward alter-ego has any purpose in a sequel to a movie released five years prior. The result is a desperately unfunny, feature-length commercial for Las Vegas tourism, with outdated homosexual stereotypes (Diedrich Bader, as Gracie's stylist) and the usually terrific Regina King (of Ray and Jerry Maguire fame) stuck in a glum role as Bullock's butch bodyguard. Armed? Yes. Fabulous? No. --Steve Wiecking

Miss Congeniality 2 - Armed and Fabulous (Full Screen Edition)

Having become a media celebrity following her heroic pageant exploits gracie has been spending more time lately at the salon than at the shooting range. When her friends are kidnapped in las vegas gracies all-out efforts puts her in jeopardy with the fbi top brass. Studio: Warner Home Video Release Date: 11/11/2008 Starring: Sandra Bullock Enrique Murciano Run time: 115 minutes Rating: Pg13

F.B.I. operative Gracie Hart (Sandra Bullock) famously went undercover in a beauty pageant a while back, and now she's supposedly so recognizable that her only use to the agency is as a pretty public representative. Dumped by her boyfriend (whom Benjamin Bratt wisely decided not to portray this time around), a gloomy Gracie goes along with the promo biz until her friend, Miss United States (Heather Burns), is kidnapped along with pageant official Stan Fields (William Shatner) in Las Vegas. Bullock still has perk to please her fans, but neither she nor her awkward alter-ego has any purpose in a sequel to a movie released five years prior. The result is a desperately unfunny, feature-length commercial for Las Vegas tourism, with outdated homosexual stereotypes (Diedrich Bader, as Gracie's stylist) and the usually terrific Regina King (of Ray and Jerry Maguire fame) stuck in a glum role as Bullock's butch bodyguard. Armed? Yes. Fabulous? No. --Steve Wiecking

Gimme a Break - Season One

Gimme a break! is the funny hip & sometimes poignant portrayal of the kanisky family: widowed police chief carl: his 3 daughters katie julie & samantha: & their unflappable housekeeper-turned-surrogate mother. This includes all 19 episodes from season one. Studio: Uni Dist Corp. (mca) Release Date: 08/26/2008 Starring: Nell Carter.

Actress-singer Nell Carter provided the heart and soul for this much-loved NBC family series (1981-1987) about a black woman who cares for a white police chief's daughters after the death of their mother. Though some of the show's humor was derived from jibes about Ms. Carter's size and the clash of parenting styles between the no-nonsense Chief (stage veteran Dolph Sweet) and Carter's warm, sassy Nell Harper, Gimme a Break also addressed more serious and emotional subjects with surprising warmth and drama. The debut episode, "Katie the Crook" (which is featured on this three-disc set, along with the other 18 episodes from the 1981-82 season), does a fine job of touching on the tougher issues, as the Chief's three daughters (Kari Michaelson, Lauri Hendler, and Lara Jill Miller) each react to the mother's untimely passing in realistic manners. Other episodes in the first season offer a good blend of humor and pathos, including "Mom's Birthday" (in which Nell allows the family to celebrate their mother through home movies), "The Emergency" (a rare TV storyline about teen birth control), "Your Prisoner Is Dead" (the Chief is traumatized after killing a drugstore burglar, and considers retirement), and "Nell Goes Home" (Nell is rejected by her ailing father during a trip to Alabama). Much of the credit for the show should go to the cast, especially Ms. Carter and Sweet (both who have since passed away), though veteran character actor John Hoyt deserves mention as the family's grandfather; their enthusiasm for and skill behind the roles is undoubtedly a large reason why Gimme a Break still enjoys a following. The first-season set includes a preview of the show's second season (the episode "Nell Goes to Jail"), as well as episodes from Charles in Charge and Kate and Allie, two other popular family sitcoms from the '80s. A 30-minute featurette on '80s TV (the same one featured on the Charles in Charge first-season set) rounds out this fan-pleasing set. -- Paul Gaita

Alice (Television Favorites Compilation)

On her way out to Hollywood to become a singer, Alice's car breaks down in Phoenix. With no money and a son to care for, Alice takes a waitress job at Mel's Diner. Here she works with the ornery owner and chef, Mel, the man-hungry whipper-snapper, Flo, and the ditzy Vera. Together they encounter the lovable regulars and other interesting characters passing through. Based on the Oscar-winning movie "Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore," this classic television series lasted nine seasons and touched the hearts of all with its witty

Joe Somebody

When underappreciated video specialist joe scheffer is brutally humiliated by the office bully mark mckinney in front of his daughter joe begins a quest for personal redemption. He proceeds by enduring a personal make-over and takes martial arts lessons from a b-action star. Studio: Tcfhe Release Date: 10/16/2007 Starring: Tim Allen Kelly Lynch Run time: 98 minutes Rating: Pg Director: John Pasquin

It's brains over brawn as Tim Allen reunites with The Santa Clause director John Pasquin for this amiable comedy about a devoted dad who almost lets his fists do the talking. After being humiliated by the office bully (played by The Tick's Patrick Warburton), corporate nebbish Joe Scheffer (Allen) vows revenge. He becomes an office celebrity, taking kung fu lessons with a has-been action star (Jim Belushi) and preparing for a rematch against his tormentor. Kid stuff, to be sure, but Joe Somebody benefits from Allen's Everyman appeal, especially when he's getting his values adjusted by a caring colleague (Julie Bowen, from TV's Ed), or trying to make good with his daughter (Hayden Panettiere) and ex-wife (Kelly Lynch). The comedy is pure vanilla, and the good-guy lessons are learned with bland, family-fare efficiency, but the Allen-Bowen romance is gently engaging, and Allen's flair for slapstick doesn't go to waste. As a pacifist hero, this Joe is somebody to root for. --Jeff Shannon

Welcome to Mooseport / Joe Somebody

Studio: Tcfhe Release Date: 12/05/2006

Welcome to Mooseport: Welcome to Mooseport is such a blandly likable comedy that your grandmother could watch it and wish for a little sex and violence to keep her awake. Perhaps the phenomenal popularity of TV's Everybody Loves Raymond made Ray Romano proceed too cautiously in selecting this small-town comedy as his film debut; without a live audience and an endless supply of punchy one-liners at his disposal, his domestic everyman persona seems a bit lost, ill-defined and uncertain how to respond when a former U.S. President (Gene Hackman) (1) moves to the quiet, jovial Maine burg of Mooseport, where Romano's the beloved plumber and hardware store proprietor; (2) proceeds to make moves on Ray's long-time girlfriend (Maura Tierney, from ER); and (3) runs against our ol' pal Ray in Mooseport's homespun mayoral election. Hackman's got some stellar support from Marcia Gay Harden and Rip Torn (and, to a lesser degree, Fred Savage), and Tierney's a pleasure as always, but director Donald Petrie (Miss Congeniality) can't spin gold from straw; Tom Schulman's screenplay aims to please everyone, draining the energy from what might, in other hands, have been a deliciously devious premise. There's such a thing as being "niced" to death, and Welcome to Mooseport is proof. --Jeff Shannon

Joe Somebody: It's brains over brawn as Tim Allen reunites with The Santa Clause director John Pasquin for this amiable comedy about a devoted dad who almost lets his fists do the talking. After being humiliated by the office bully (played by The Tick's Patrick Warburton), corporate nebbish Joe Scheffer (Allen) vows revenge. He becomes an office celebrity, taking kung fu lessons with a has-been action star (Jim Belushi) and preparing for a rematch against his tormentor. Kid stuff, to be sure, but Joe Somebody benefits from Allen's Everyman appeal, especially when he's getting his values adjusted by a caring colleague (Julie Bowen, from TV's Ed), or trying to make good with his daughter (Hayden Panettiere) and ex-wife (Kelly Lynch). The comedy is pure vanilla, and the good-guy lessons are learned with bland, family-fare efficiency, but the Allen-Bowen romance is gently engaging, and Allen's flair for slapstick doesn't go to waste. As a pacifist hero, this Joe is somebody to root for. --Jeff Shannon

Joe Somebody (Widescreen Edition)

Studio: Tcfhe Release Date: 10/16/2007 Run time: 98 minutes Rating: Pg

It's brains over brawn as Tim Allen reunites with The Santa Clause director John Pasquin for this amiable comedy about a devoted dad who almost lets his fists do the talking. After being humiliated by the office bully (played by The Tick's Patrick Warburton), corporate nebbish Joe Scheffer (Allen) vows revenge. He becomes an office celebrity, taking kung fu lessons with a has-been action star (Jim Belushi) and preparing for a rematch against his tormentor. Kid stuff, to be sure, but Joe Somebody benefits from Allen's Everyman appeal, especially when he's getting his values adjusted by a caring colleague (Julie Bowen, from TV's Ed), or trying to make good with his daughter (Hayden Panettiere) and ex-wife (Kelly Lynch). The comedy is pure vanilla, and the good-guy lessons are learned with bland, family-fare efficiency, but the Allen-Bowen romance is gently engaging, and Allen's flair for slapstick doesn't go to waste. As a pacifist hero, this Joe is somebody to root for. --Jeff Shannon

Out on the Edge

Danny Evetts (Rick Schroder) has his motorcycle, his youth and his whole life ahead of him. But underneath the cool, 17-year-old swagger is a lonely boy screaming for love. It never used to be that way--before the divorce. Feeling more and more isolated, Danny becomes hostile. His mother, Sondra (Mary Kay Place), is alarmed by her son's behavior. Danny is caught with some drugs a friend persuaded him to keep, causing a shouting match between him, Sondra, and her boyfriend.
The next night Danny's father, Paul (Richard Jenkins), announces that he's getting married. Danny runs away, gets drunk, and is arrested. Under pressure from her boyfriend, Sondra commits Danny for observation into a psychiatric hospital for youths.
Danny's only hope comes from his developing trust with the on-site counselor Lynn (Natalia Nogulich), who is able to draw out the source of his anger which exposes his father's lack of paternal guidance. Stunned, Paul realizes what he has unintentionally done to his son and hopes it's not too late to help him.
Unaware of his parent's intentions, Danny runs away. Seething with rage and self-destruction, Danny takes his motorcycle and heads for a tower he used to visit with his father. Just as Danny plans to jump over the edge, Sondra and Paul arrive with the police. But are they too late?