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Two American backpackers in Amsterdam, Josh (Derek Richardson) and Paxton (Jay Hernandez), along with their Icelandic friend, Oli are lured into a hostel Slovakia where they are told the woman are eagar to pleasure American men. They’re travelling Europe for a last trip before they graduate from college, so there are no holds barred when it comes to sex, drugs and anything else that comes their way. Once they reach Slovaki, Josh and “Pax” hook up with 2 very accommodating and very beautiful women, Natalya and Svetlana, and things go a bit weird.

This was definitely a whirlwind 1 hour and 35 minutes. Any longer and things may have gone very, very wrong and very, very long. I went to see this movie with my friend, who was completely grossed out and freaked out…just as the hype said she should be. I’m not sure if I was expecting more or have just seen one too many horror films because I thought it was kind of tame.

Jay Hernandez was great as Paxton, as far as performances go…but my goodness, this guy made some pretty stupid decisions. I won’t go into them here because you’ll kill me for spoiling the movie. The movie was rather predictable, but in an enjoyable way, if you know what I mean. You knew what was coming up and it’s kind of what you wanted to happen. Many people got their just desserts and that’s all I’ll say!

Final comment: If these guys had put Canadian flag patches on their backpacks, they may not have run into so many problems. It seems that Americans are very valuable in this grotesque game.

Director: Eli Roth
Producers: Boaz Yakin, Scott Spiegel, Quentin Tarantino
Starring: Jay Hernandez, Derek Richardson, Jan Vlask, Barbara Nedeljkov, Eythor Gudjonsson

Alice Flegel is a movie fanatic that reveals exactly which movies are living up to the hype & which are better left for DVD. Check her movie & DVD reviews at www.MoviesByAlice.com before you lay down cold-hard cash at the movie theatre or video store. Already seen Hostel? Click here to write your own review at www.moviesbyalice.com

Making its debut in the fall of 1985, The Golden Girls quickly established itself as a fixture of Saturday night prime time television. Following the lives of four older women living together as roommates in Miami, the show displayed a raw wit and a biting humor. The women live in the house of Blanche Devereaux (Rue McClanahan), a Southern belle who loves men of every kind and has dated every eligible bachelor in the Miami area. Her roommates are former high school teacher Dorothy Zbornak (Bea Arthur) and St. Olaff housewife and widower Rose Nylund (Betty White). Rose loves to tell stories about her former hometown, much to the chagrin of the other girls. The three are joined by Dorothy’s mother, the firebrand Sophia Petrillo (Estelle Getty), a spunky Italian immigrant who always speaks her mind. In her early 80’s, Sophia may walk at a measured pace, but the velocity of her sarcasm only increases with age.

Overall, this is a charming situation comedy with likeable characters who have certainly developed their own unique identities. Although some of the same aspects of the show tend to be used over and over again (such as the St. Olaff stories and Dorothy’s reaction to them), The Golden Girls never seems to grow tiresome. With powerful performances from each of the cast members, viewers will find that Sophia steals the show…

The Golden Girls DVD offers a number of hilarious episodes including the series premiere “The Engagement” in which Sophia Petrillo moves in with her daughter Dorothy and her two roommates, Blanche and Rose, after a fire destroys her retirement home, Shady Pines. Meanwhile, Rose develops a bad feeling when Blanche’s boyfriend Harry proposes… Other notable episodes include “The Competition” in which Dorothy and Blanche enter into a heated bowling competition with Rose and Sophia, and “The Operation” in which Dorothy is forced to undergo surgery on her foot. Feeling scared and sorry for herself, she develops a new outlook on life after her encounter with an inspirational hospital roommate…

Below is a list of episodes included on The Golden Girls (Season 1) DVD:

Episode 1 (The Engagement) Air Date: 09-14-1985
Episode 2 (Guess Who’s Coming To The Wedding?) Air Date: 09-21-1985
Episode 3 (Rose The Prude) Air Date: 09-28-1985
Episode 4 (Transplant) Air Date: 10-05-1985
Episode 5 (The Triangle) Air Date: 10-19-1985
Episode 6 (On Golden Girls) Air Date: 10-26-1985
Episode 7 (The Competition) Air Date: 11-02-1985
Episode 8 (Break-In) Air Date: 11-09-1985
Episode 9 (Blanche And The Younger Man) Air Date: 11-16-1985
Episode 10 (Heart Attack): Air Date: 11-23-1985
Episode 11 (The Return Of Dorothy’s Ex) Air Date: 11-30-1985
Episode 12 (The Custody Battle) Air Date: 12-07-1985
Episode 13 (A Little Romance) Air Date: 12-14-1985
Episode 14 (That Was No Lady) Air Date: 12-21-1985
Episode 15 (In A Bed Of Rose’s) Air Date: 01-11-1986
Episode 16 (The Truth Will Out) Air Date: 01-18-1986
Episode 17 (Nice And Easy) Air Date: 02-01-1986
Episode 18 (The Operation) Air Date: 02-08-1986
Episode 19 (Second Motherhood) Air Date: 02-15-1986
Episode 20 (Adult Education) Air Date: 02-22-1986
Episode 21 (Flu Attack) Air Date: 03-01-1986
Episode 22 (Job Hunting) Air Date: 03-08-1986
Episode 23 (Blind Ambitions) Air Date: 03-29-1986
Episode 24 (Big Daddy) Air Date: 05-03-1986
Episode 25 (The Way We Met) Air Date: 05-10-1986

About the Author

Britt Gillette is author of The DVD Report, a blog where you can find more reviews like this one of The Golden Girls (DVD).

Along with Seinfeld and Frasier, Friends dominated the must-see TV of the 1990’s. Winner of innumerable television awards, the show features the lives of six friends in their late-twenties/early-thirties living in New York City - Monica Geller (Courteney Cox), Phoebe Buffay (Lisa Kudrow), Rachel Green (Jennifer Aniston), Ross Geller (David Schwimmer), Joey Tribbiani (Matt LeBlanc), and Chandler Bing (Matthew Perry). The six friends spend the majority of their time in a coffee house named “Central Perk” or in either Monica’s apartment or Joey and Chandler’s apartment.

The Friends (Season 4) DVD offers a number of hilarious episodes. In episode 80, Chandler shares a passionate kiss with Joey’s new girlfriend, Kathy. The incident threatens to ruin his friendship with Joey, but Kathy and Chandler eventually end up together. Meanwhile, Phoebe agrees to become a surrogate mother so that her brother and sister-in-law can have children. In a later episode, Rachel fixes Ross up with her boss’s niece Emily. The two hit it off and decide to get married, but during the wedding vows, Ross inadvertently calls Emily “Rachel”…

Below is a list of episodes included on the Friends (Season 4) DVD:

Episode 74 (The One with the Jellyfish) Air Date: 09-25-1997
Episode 75 (The One with the Cat) Air Date: 10-02-1997
Episode 76 (The One with the ‘Cuffs) Air Date: 10-09-1997
Episode 77 (The One with the Ballroom Dancing) Air Date: 10-16-1997
Episode 78 (The One with Joey’s New Girlfriend) Air Date: 10-30-1997
Episode 79 (The One with the Dirty Girl) Air Date: 11-06-1997
Episode 80 (The One Where Chandler Crosses the Line) Air Date: 11-13-1997
Episode 81 (The One with Chandler in a Box) Air Date: 11-20-1997
Episode 82 (The One Where They’re Going to Party!) Air Date: 12-11-1997
Episode 83 (The One with the Girl from Poughkeepsie) Air Date: 12-18-1997
Episode 84 (The One with Phoebe’s Uterus) Air Date: 01-08-1998
Episode 85 (The One with the Embryos) Air Date: 01-15-1998
Episode 86 (The One with Rachel’s Crush) Air Date: 01-29-1998
Episode 87 (The One with Joey’s Dirty Day) Air Date: 02-05-1998
Episode 88 (The One with All the Rugby) Air Date: 02-26-1998
Episode 89 (The One with the Fake Party) Air Date: 03-19-1998
Episode 90 (The One with the Free Porn) Air Date: 03-26-1998
Episode 91 (The One with Rachel’s New Dress) Air Date: 04-02-1998
Episode 92 (The One with All the Haste) Air Date: 04-09-1998
Episode 93 (The One with the Wedding Dresses) Air Date: 04-16-1998
Episode 94 (The One with the Invitations) Air Date: 04-23-1998
Episode 95 (The One with the Worst Best Man Ever) Air Date: 04-30-1998
Episode 96 (The One with Ross’s Wedding: Part 1) Air Date: 05-07-1998
Episode 97 (The One with Ross’s Wedding: Part 2) Air Date: 05-07-1998

About the Author

Britt Gillette is author of The DVD Report, a blog where you can find more reviews like this one of the Friends (Season 4) DVD.

Leaping onto the television landscape in Fall 2001, Smallville follows the exploits of a young Clark Kent in the years leading up to his emergence as the beloved Superman. Following a slew of TV renditions of the character’s life since the comic book first appeared, Smallville sets itself apart by focusing on the lesser discussed niche of Clark’s earliest developmental days. Superb casting and consistent writing have combined to make Smallville one of the more popular shows on television (especially in international markets), making the show one of the WB network’s most successful creations to date…

Tom Welling stars in the imminent role of teenager Clark Kent, a refugee from the dying planet of Krypton. His ship having landed in the rural American town of Smallville, Clark is raised by locals Martha (Annette O’Toole) and Jonathan Kent (John Schneider - of Dukes of Hazzard fame) as their own son. Unlike some of the film and TV spin-offs, Smallville attributes powers to other individuals in the area as a result of some of the debris associated with Krypton’s destruction. As a result, Clark is forced to keep his own powers a secret while battling against other individuals who are more powerful than traditional human criminal elements. The show also provides a glimpse into the early friendship experienced between Clark and Lex Luthor (Michael Rosenbaum) as well as Clark’s romance with two high school classmates, Chloe Sullivan (Allison Mack) and Lana Lang (Kristin Kreuk). Part sci-fi fantasy and part teenage soap, Smallville is an instant television classic…

The Smallville DVD offers a number of exciting episodes including the series premiere in which the stage for the series is set by recounting the story of Clark’s voyage to earth in the aftermath of Krypton’s destruction. Clark meets Lex Luthor for the first time as well as a human mutated by the strange green rocks which accompanied Clark’s spacecraft in the meteor shower… Other notable episodes from Season 1 include “Hourglass” in which the green rocks enable one man to reverse the aging process so that he can seek revenge on his enemies, and “Stray” in which a runaway kid named Ryan has the power to read minds, prompting his stepparents to attempt to exploit him for financial gain…

Below is a list of episodes included on the Smallville (Season 1) DVD:

Episode 1 (Pilot) Air Date: 10-16-2001
Episode 2 (Metamorphosis) Air Date: 10-23-2001
Episode 3 (Hothead) Air Date: 10-30-2001
Episode 4 (X-Ray) Air Date: 11-06-2001
Episode 5 (Cool) Air Date: 11-13-2001
Episode 6 (Hourglass) Air Date: 11-20-2001
Episode 7 (Craving) Air Date: 11-27-2001
Episode 8 (Jitters) Air Date: 12-11-2001
Episode 9 (Rogue) Air Date: 01-15-2002
Episode 10 (Shimmer) Air Date: 01-29-2002
Episode 11 (Hug) Air Date: 02-05-2002
Episode 12 (Leech) Air Date: 02-12-2002
Episode 13 (Kinetic) Air Date: 02-26-2002
Episode 14 (Zero) Air Date: 03-12-2002
Episode 15 (Nicodemus) Air Date: 03-19-2002
Episode 16 (Stray) Air Date: 04-16-2002
Episode 17 (Reaper) Air Date: 04-23-2002
Episode 18 (Drone) Air Date: 04-30-2002
Episode 19 (Crush) Air Date: 05-07-2002
Episode 20 (Obscura) Air Date: 05-14-2002
Episode 21 (Tempest) Air Date: 05-21-2002

About the Author

Britt Gillette is author of The DVD Report, a blog where you can find more reviews like this one of the Smallville (DVD).

In today’s world, reality TV shows are popping up everywhere. Over 70 reality shows have been produced to date according to a popular website. The popularity of these shows and their high ratings have attracted many people’s attention and just about every TV network in America now airs some kind of reality show.

A reality TV show has real world people instead of paid actors and actresses. These shows are supposed to portray real life situations and events that affect people’s lives. However, participants of reality TV shows are sometimes willing to go outside of their boundaries and do things that they would not necessarily do in their normal lives, without the cameras following their every move.

Some reality TV participants eat really disgusting, horrible strange things and perform potentially life threatening stunts in pursuit of monetary gain. Other participants are put in a house and expected to live in harmony with total strangers. These participants are usually under a lot of pressure when their characters clash.

Thousands upon thousands of Americans are watching reality TV shows every day. For some people, these shows help them realize that their lives are not all that bad after all. It helps them see that they are not the only ones with problems and dysfunctional lives and families.

Reality TV shows have affected society in many different ways. Some audiences get hooked on these shows because they help them escape their own real lives. The shows vary in theme and material and every show is designed to attract the biggest possible audience. The bigger the audience, the more money the shows make.

Some Reality TV may not be quite as real as we may like to think. Take the case of the hated apprentice contender Omarosa for example. According to a Time magazine article, she may have been the victim of reality TV editors. Some reality TV shows are edited to be dramatic and some quotes may actually be manufactured. Clashes and ugly feuds between the reality stars may be constructed and some parts of the shows may also be completely edited and cut out so they don’t make the final show that people see on TV. Some critics actually charge that reality TV is not so real and that these shows may be far more manipulative than we think.

According to a poll by CNN, 57% of 1016 adults believe that Reality TV shows provide a distorted picture of events while another 23% say the shows are “totally phoney”. The amount of pressure for TV ratings pushes people to make the show more interesting.

When all is said and done, some people on the reality shows say that they were unfairly represented and the reality taken out of the show therefore making the show pure entertainment. However, participants of these shows are given warnings and they have to sign extensive and detailed legal waivers that protect the network from any liability if someone gets hurt on the show.

The increase in demand for these reality TV shows is inevitable and the participants will be pushed to their limits for the bottom line. This happens to be ratings and entertainment.

Michael Russell
Your Independent guide to Reality TV.

Before Seinfeld redefined the sitcom, The Simpsons came along and redefined prime time animation. Straying from the usual formula of innocence concocted by The Flintstones and The Jetsons, The Simpsons left no area of society untouched by its raw politically-incorrect satire. With an almost endless array of unforgettable characters, a trip to Springfield is a breath of fresh air, and hilarious as a television comedy can be…

The Simpsons (Season 2) DVD offers a number of hilarious episodes including the season premiere in which Bart makes a deal with school nerd Martin Prince. Bart will make Martin cool if Martin agrees to tutor Bart into a top-notch student. When Martin reneges on his end of the deal, Bart must pass on his own merit, and his D- earns the respect of Homer and Mrs. Krabappel. In “Treehouse of Horror” (#16), Bart and Lisa take turns telling horror stories in an episode foreshadowing the Simpson Halloween Specials which followed in years to come. Other notable episodes include “Dancin’ Homer” in which Homer becomes the local minor league team’s mascot and “Itchy & Scratchy & Marge” in which Marge takes on the cartoon violence warping Springfield’s youth…

Below is a list of episodes included on The Simpsons (Season 2) DVD:

Episode 14 (Bart Gets an F) Air Date: 10-11-1990
Episode 15 (Simpson and Delilah) Air Date: 10-18-1990
Episode 16 (Treehouse of Horror) Air Date: 10-25-1990
Episode 17 (Two Cars in Every Garage and Three Eyes on Every Fish) Air Date: 11-01-1990
Episode 18 (Dancin’ Homer) Air Date: 11-08-1990
Episode 19 (Dead Putting Society) Air Date: 11-15-1990
Episode 20 (Bart vs. Thanksgiving) Air Date: 11-22-1990
Episode 21 (Bart the Daredevil) Air Date: 12-06-1990
Episode 22 (Itchy & Scratchy & Marge) Air Date: 12-20-1990
Episode 23 (Bart Gets Hit By a Car) Air Date: 01-10-1991
Episode 24 (One Fish, Two Fish, Blowfish, Blue Fish) Air Date: 01-24-1991
Episode 25 (The Way We Was) Air Date: 01-31-1991
Episode 26 (Homer vs. Lisa and the 8th Amendment) Air Date: 02-07-1991
Episode 27 (Principal Charming) Air Date: 02-14-1991
Episode 28 (Oh, Brother, Where Art Thou?) Air Date: 02-21-1991
Episode 29 (Bart’s Dog Gets an F) Air Date: 03-07-1991
Episode 30 (Old Money) Air Date: 03-28-1991
Episode 31 (Brush with Greatness) Air Date: 04-11-1991
Episode 32 (Lisa’s Substitute) Air Date: 04-25-1991
Episode 33 (The War of the Simpsons) Air Date: 05-02-1991
Episode 34 (Three Men and a Comic Book) Air Date: 05-09-1991
Episode 35 (Blood Feud) Air Date: 07-11-1991

Britt Gillette is author of The DVD Report, a blog where you can find more reviews like this one of The Simpsons (Season 2) DVD.

The Shawshank Redemption is consistently voted as one of the best movies of all time. Originally a story in a Stephen King book, the Different Seasons, known as Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption, the story was adapted and the movie created.The movie was directed and the screenplay written by Frank Darabont. The movie was his first major production.Interestingly Stephen King has written two stories about prisons, The Shawshank Redemption and The Green Mile, which happen to be the first two movies that Frank Darabont directed.

The story is a cruel one, in which Andy Dufresne, an educated and kind man is wrongly convicted of his wife’s murder.During his time in prison he befriends several people, who are criminals, whereas Andy is not.His life is changed forever, as he deals with the troubles of incarceration.

Stephen King’s excellent character portrayal is not limited to his horror stories, and the characters in this story are some of his best.One could even believe this was based on a true story, but it is not, King has confirmed.The story is upsetting, puzzling and warming, and the movies popularity confirms people association with the story.I think it will always be a classic.

When released at the theatre The Shawshank Redemption did not achieve great success, despite the great buzz already generated by the Hollywood industry due to the great story. This was in part due to great competition at the time, and also the fact that the story is about a prison, which put many movie goers off. However, after the release to DVD the Shawshank Redemption sold in huge quantities making it a firm favorite.

The other stories from the Different Seasons book are
The Body - which became the movie, Stand by me
The Apt Pupil - which also became a movie called The Apt Pupil
The Club - which has yet to make it to the big screen

I would recommend the book to anyone who is a fan, as it is a great collection of stories. The Shawshank Redemption is a very popular story, whether read in a book or watched as a film.
http://www.shawshankredemption.net/

Darren Lambert is a big fan of the Shawshank Redemption movie, as well as other Stephen King stories.

Nominated for 17 Emmys in its short four-year stint, In Living Color is widely considered the best skit comedy show since SNL. Created by the multitalented star Keenen Ivory Wayans (the eldest child from a large and talented family), the 30-minute TV show became an instant hit for emerging big network competitor FOX in the spring of 1990. Showcasing the talents of the Wayans family (especially blockbuster talent Damon Wayans), along with initial cast members David Alan Grier, Tommy Davidson, Kim Coles, T’keyah “Crystal” Keymah, Kelly Coffield, and Jim Carrey (who would use the show as a springboard to smash hit movie career that would begin with Ace Ventura: Pet Detective in 1994), In Living Color quickly achieved the status of TV cult icon…

In Living Color (Season 2) DVD features a number of hilarious episodes including the season premiere “Big Brother” in which Queen Latifah guest hosts and serves as the musical guest as well. This first episode also features the popular skit “Men on Films II”… Other notable episodes from Season 2 include “Anton at the Recruiter” which features skits “Roseanne Sings America” and “Homey the Clown: When Homey Met Sally,” and “Funky Productions” which features Jim Carrey in the sketch “Vera De Milo: Buffed, Beautiful, and Bitchin’”…

Below is a list of episodes included on the In Living Color (Season 2) DVD:

Episode 14 (Big Brother) Air Date: 09-23-1990
Episode 15 (Anton at the Recruiter) Air Date: 09-30-1990
Episode 16 (Spike’s Joint) Air Date: 10-07-1990
Episode 17 (Hour of Power) Air Date: 10-14-1990
Episode 18 (Miss Black Person USA) Air Date: 10-21-1990
Episode 19 (The Black Man’s Guide to Understanding the Black Woman) Air Date: 10-28-1990
Episode 20 (Funky Finger Productions) Air Date: 11-04-1990
Episode 21 (Laquita Meets Billy Dee) Air Date: 11-11-1990
Episode 22 (Men on Vacation) Air Date: 11-18-1990
Episode 23 (Anton’s Thanksgiving) Air Date: 11-25-1990
Episode 24 (Justice Legions of America) Air Date: 12-16-1990
Episode 25 (Veracosa) Air Date: 12-23-1990
Episode 26 (Johnny Abdul) Air Date: 01-13-1991
Episode 27 (Introducing… Fire Marshal Bill) Air Date: 02-03-1991
Episode 28 (My Dark Conscience) Air Date: 02-10-1991
Episode 29 (Anton in the Burbs) Air Date: 02-17-1991
Episode 30 (PCN’s Win, Lose, or Draw) Air Date: 02-24-1991
Episode 31 (Lil Magic’s School Play) Air Date: 03-03-1991
Episode 32 (Hour of Power: Tag Team Evangelists) Air Date: 03-17-1991
Episode 33 (Super Fly) Air Date: 03-31-1991
Episode 34 (Anton at the Recruiter) Air Date: 04-14-1991
Episode 35 (Arsenio Hall of Justice) Air Date: 04-28-1991
Episode 36 (Compilations) Air Date: 05-05-1991
Episode 37 (Homey the Sellout: Part 1) Air Date: 05-12-1991
Episode 38 (Dickie Peterson: Cherub of Justice) Air Date: 08-11-1991
Episode 39 (Men on Vacation) Air Date: 09-01-1991

About the Author

Britt Gillette is author of The DVD Report, a blog where you can find more reviews like this one of the In Living Color (Season 2) DVD.