Winant, Scott

My So-Called Life - The Complete Series (w/ Book)

Featuring all 19 episodes of the sadly-defunct television series MY SO-CALLED LIFE this definitive box-set follows the trials and tribulations of 15-year-old Angela Chase (Claire Danes) as she navigates through the adolescent dramas of middle-class American high-school life. Danes won a Golden Globe for her portrayal of the angst-ridden Angela bringing a universality to the character that has granted the show its timeless appeal. Although the mopey redhead is always the focal point of the episodes there's no shortage of excellent supporting roles including Angela's heartthrob crush Jordan Catalano (Jared Leto); shy admirer Brian Krakow (Devon Gummersall); wild-girl best friend Rayanne (A.J. Langer); closeted gay friend Ricky (Wilson Cruz); and often-clueless parents Patty (Bess Armstrong) and Graham (Tom Irwin). With its great acting smart dialogue and moody direction MY SO-CALLED LIFE deserved more than its single-season run and retains a loyal cult following. Genre: TELEVISION/SERIES & SEQUELS UPC: 826663105582 Manufacturer No: SF10558

Earth 2 - The Complete Series

A science-fiction series with an ecological theme, EARTH 2 only ran for one season on NBC, and all 22 episodes of the program are collected here. In the distant future, the surface of the Earth has been largely destroyed, and mankind lives in space stations orbiting the planet. A group of space colonists, led by Devon Adair (Debrah Farentino) and John Danzinger (Clancy Brown), are sent to a far off planet to prepare it for colonization by the surviving population of Earth. But a mishap sends them careening off-course, crash landing thousands of miles from the proper camp site. EARTH 2 follows the band of colonists as they traverse the planet, encountering dangerous aliens and other humans who view them with distrust and suspicion. By tackling issues like ecology and colonization, EARTH 2 engages important ideas and themes in an entertaining fashion.

Once and Again - The Complete Second Season

Golden Globe(R) award-winner Sela Ward and Billy Campbell star in the highly acclaimed second season of ONCE AND AGAIN. Celebrate the loves and experience the triumphs and heartbreak that made ONCE AND AGAIN a favorite among critics and audiences everywhere. It's "a great show" raves Robert Bianco of USA TODAY. Now you can experience all 22 episodes of season two in this spectacular five-disc set featuring exclusive bonus features. It's everything you remember and so much more. Other Information: Running Time 990 MinFormat: DVD MOVIE

After the romantic courtship and the awkwardness of first dates, Once and Again in its second season settled into charting the growing relationship between fortysomethings Lily (Sela Ward) and Rick (Billy Campbell), who finally shook off all their angst and family pressures to embark on a long-term relationship. And of course, once finally committed in their love for each other, life rudely interrupts what should have been a comfortable, winding road to happily ever after. Rick's architecture firm is hand-picked for a new high-profile project, but it's dogged by community protests and run by the ever-devious Miles Drentell (David Clennon, reprising his shady character from thirtysomething); what's more, Rick's ex-wife, Karen (Susanna Thompson), is the lawyer representing the project's opposition. Lily finds herself as the assistant to a twentysomething entrepreneur at a fledgling dot-com, and the victim of the amorous, non-professional interests of a consultant for the troubled company. She's also faced with the fate of her late father's restaurant, run by her ex-husband, Jake (Jeffrey Nordling), who's charming but not the best of businessmen, and his financial strain soon becomes hers as well. Oh, and then there are the kids: Rick's son Eli (Shane West) would rather start a band than go to college, and daughter Jessie (Evan Rachel Wood) may be anorexic; Lily's daughter Grace (Julia Whelan) falls into a friendship with a troubled girl, and only Zoe (Meredith Deane) seems to be the most normal--that is, when she isn't worried about Rick and his kids moving into her house.

The course of true love never did run smooth, and truth be told, there were a bit too many plot twists cooked up for this season of the Edward Zwick-Marshall Herskovitz drama (including a hostage episode at Jake's restaurant that garnered high ratings), but the creative team behind this show managed a deft balancing act among all the characters and plotlines. Teenage angst co-existed alongside more adult worries, and the specter of professional and money troubles for both Rick and Lily kept the characters grounded in a reality not often seen in television dramas. And in addition to giving all the cast members shining moments, Once and Again developed an extensive number of secondary characters, including Lily's mentally ill brother Aaron (Patrick Dempsey), Jake's flighty girlfriend Tiffany (Ever Carradine), Karen's hunky younger boyfriend (Mark Feuerstein), and an uncredited Edward Zwick as Jessie's therapist. It was the core cast, however, that made Once and Again soar--teen actors West and Whelan broke their characters' stereotypical molds, the young Wood (who would go on to star in thirteen) was outstanding as she navigated blooming adolescence: Nordling and Thompson, as the exes on the periphery, were two of the best supporting actors ever on television. As always, though, Ward and Campbell were the show's heart and soul, always communicating the underlying waves of frustration and anger in their character's facades as well as the love and happiness. Despite low ratings, ABC renewed Once and Again for a third and final season, giving all us fans of great television (and hopeless romantics) one more year with Rick and Lily after this one. --Mark Englehart

'Til There Was You

Television director-producer Scott Winant (thirtysomething) made his feature debut with this predictable romantic-comedy about two people destined to meet and fall in love--though it takes 20 years for their lives to intersect. A good idea done before, the film doesn't have anything new to offer, and the excessive sweetness of Winant's approach can't mask the lack of originality. Still, it boasts a very attractive cast, and it's fun watching these actors work together. --Tom Keogh

Significant Others - The Series

Jennifer Garner (13 Going On 30 TV's "Alias") Eion Bailey (Fight Club Almost Famous) and Scott Bairstow (TV's "Party of Five") star as three twentysomething best friends living in Los Angeles and having the best - and worst! - times of their lives. Whether falling for a parent's best friend auditioning chickens for a role in a video or writing a father's eulogy Nell (Garner) Campbell (Bailey) and Henry (Bairstow) know that no matter how wondrous ridiculous painful life may be they'll always have each other's friendship to carry them through. The complete series from the creators of "Party of Five" remind us what it's like to be young passionate and willing to risk everything over and over again. There's no one better to do it with that your SIGNIFICANT OTHERS.System Requirements:Running Time: 273 Min.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: DRAMA Rating: NR UPC: 043396056541 Manufacturer No: 05654

The 1998 Fox television series Significant Others amounted to six episodes (three of which never aired) before cancellation, but this two-disc set strongly suggests that the witty, nimble dramedy from the creators of Party of Five deserved a longer run. In a nutshell, PO5 went on hiatus in '98, and irritated fans of that series ignored replacement program Significant Others, which follows the career and romance hassles of three twentysomething best friends. Fox pulled the plug on Significant Others very quickly, but fans of actor Scott Bairstow (who went on to a recurring role on PO5) and two terrific actresses, Jennifer Garner and Elizabeth Mitchell (who next turned up in the PO5 spin-off, Time of Your Life), should definitely look into this truncated project.

Bairstow plays Henry, an aspiring writer reduced to churning out website pornography and inexperienced enough to enter, wide-eyed, into an affair with his older, married boss. Campbell (Eion Bailey of Band of Brothers), in defiance of his parents' wishes, stumbles through initial steps to become a producer of children's videos; he's also coping with the shock of discovering pals Henry and Nell (Garner) are getting it on and that an old girlfriend (Mitchell) is marrying his shallow, older brother. Talented Nell, destined for big things but afraid of commitment, hops from one important job to the next and develops an attachment to her absent father's best friend. As with PO5 (and Sisters, another primetime series from some of the same producers), Significant Others treats serious topics with smart dialogue and enough of a light touch to make the series feel comforting and familiar. Still, that's not enough for the irrepressible Garner (Alias, 13 Going on 30), whose enchanting, tragi-comic performance on this series is almost larger-than-life and reminds one of such Golden Age stars as Jean Arthur and Ginger Rogers. --Tom Keogh

Once and Again - The Complete First Season

Starring Golden Globe and Emmy Award(R)-winning actress Sela Ward and Golden Globe-nominee Billy Campbell ONCE AND AGAIN explored brave new territory with the compelling story of two families blending at the seams. The second marriage of Lily Manning (Ward) to Rick Sammler (Campbell) pushes both to the limit as they try for domestic normalcy while navigating divorce parenting financial hardship and many other life lessons. From the creators of THIRTYSOMETHING and MY SO-CALLED LIFE comes the complete first season DVD collection. Enjoy all the moving moments and memorable performances of a brilliant supporting cast including Shane West (A WALK TO REMEMBER) and Evan Rachel Wood (PRACTICAL MAGIC) once and again. Other Information: Running Time 990 MinFormat: DVD MOVIE

Rick (Billy Campbell) and Lily (Sela Ward) are fortysomething parents with two kids; both are still feeling the repercussions of their failed first marriages; both are haplessly single and consumed by their family identities (plus, let's just face it, both are gorgeous beyond belief). Dropping off their respective kids at school in their respective SUVs, they spy each other across a crowded driveway. Granted, it's not terribly romantic, but sparks fly and tentatively, embarrassingly, like teenagers, they embark on a first date--awkward conversation and fumbling make-out sessions in cars included. So begins the acclaimed TV series Once and Again from producers Edward Zwick and Marshall Herskovitz, the guys who brought you über-sensitive dramas thirtysomething and My So-Called Life. And like those award-winning shows, Once and Again mines the mundane and ordinary to find extraordinary drama, tackling both midlife crisis and teen angst, as Rick and Lily's kids (most notably heartthrob Shane West and blooming wallflower Julia Whelan) navigate the perils of high school while their parents traverse the mine field of adult romance, with ex-spouses and disapproving family members lurking in the shadows.

The first season takes Rick and Lily from first date alone to first date en famille, in which their respective broods finally meet and confront the fact that their parents--gasp!--like each other. Along the way, there's amazing writing, pitch-perfect direction that takes scenes from comedy to drama in seamless swoops, and a tight-knit ensemble that hits all the right notes. Ward won an Emmy for this first season as the anxiety-ridden Lily, but she's equally matched by the quietly stunning Campbell, and their interaction is touching, funny, sexy, and heartbreaking--everything you could want in a romance, and more. --Mark Englehart

My So-Called Life (Complete Series)

One of the most acclaimed series on TV during its brief run from 1994-1995, My So-Called Life pioneered the modern teen drama and made a star out of 15-year-old Claire Danes. Ostensibly centering around the trials and tribulations of high schooler Angela Chase, My So-Called Life actually expanded to include everyone in its protagonist's orbit, from school friends to extended family, and gave its stellar ensemble cast ripe material to work with during its too-short life. Produced by thirtysomething creators Marshall Herskovitz and Edward Zwick, MSCL evoked that yuppie-friendly show with its emphasis on finding extraordinary drama within ordinary situations, but was far more heartfelt and heart-wrenching, echoing the dizzying highs and lows of adolescence. As such, it developed a cult following among young viewers who identified strongly with Angela's high school traumas and followed her every move with rapt attention. (After cancellation, the show enjoyed a popular reprise on MTV.)

Avoiding the sensational, My So-Called Life tackled every teen hot-button issue imaginable (and pioneered the then-controversial topic of teen homosexuality), but with a clear-eyed perspective, never dissolving into soap opera--even when Angela mooned over heartthrob Jordan Catalano (dreamy Jared Leto). Even as it mined adolescent angst, though, My So-Called Life never lost sight of its adults, with Bess Armstrong and Tom Irwin both phenomenal as Angela's parents, whose marriage was one of the most complex seen on TV since... well, thirtysomething. Through it all, Golden Globe winner and Emmy nominee Danes was a neurotic, touching, and funny center, whether obsessing over a zit or negotiating the rocky terrain of first love. Her funny, sobering, and empathetic portrait of teendom reminded us that in some ways, life was just an extended version of high school. --Mark Englehart

For the first time ever, all 19 episodes of the critically-acclaimed television show My So-Called Life, starring Claire Danes, are available in one 5 disc DVD box set. Her portrayal of Angela Chase, the angst-ridden, introspective teen earned Clare Danes a Golden Globe. Even today, after being off the air since early 1995, the show has thousands of fans all around the world.

13 Going on 30 / Significant Others The Complete Series

13 GOING ON 30:Jennifer Garner (Daredevil TV's "Alias") and Mark Ruffalo (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind) star in this hilarious flash-forward romance about a pre-teen girl who goes from geek to glamorous. With the help of some magic wishing dust 13 year-old Jenna Rink (Garner) becomes 30 and gorgeous overnight with everything she ever wanted except for her best friend Matt (Ruffalo). Now this grown woman must create some magic of her own to help the little girl inside find the true love she left behind.SIGNIFICANT OTHERS DVD:THE SERIES:Jennifer Garner (13 Going On 30 TV's "Alias") Eion Bailey (Fight Club Almost Famous) and Scott Bairstow (TV's "Party of Five") star as three twentysomething best friends living in Los Angeles and having the best - and worst! - times of their lives. Whether falling for a parent's best friend auditioning chickens for a role in a video or writing a father's eulogy Nell (Garner) Campbell (Bailey) and Henry (Bairstow) know that no matter how wondrous ridiculous painful life may be they'll always have each other's friendship to carry them through. The complete series from the creators of "Party of Five" remind us what it's like to be young passionate and willing to risk everything over and over again. There's no one better to do it with that your SIGNIFICANT OTHERS.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: COMEDY UPC: 043396102736 Manufacturer No: 10273

My So-Called Life: Pilot/Dancing in the Dark/Guns

'Til There Was You [Region 2]

Television director-producer Scott Winant (thirtysomething) made his feature debut with this predictable romantic-comedy about two people destined to meet and fall in love--though it takes 20 years for their lives to intersect. A good idea done before, the film doesn't have anything new to offer, and the excessive sweetness of Winant's approach can't mask the lack of originality. Still, it boasts a very attractive cast, and it's fun watching these actors work together. --Tom Keogh