Topic: Tom's TV Pilots marathon

[Tom]

Day Break: The Complete Series (2006/United States) IMDb | Wikipedia BCI Entertainment (United States) Length: 546 min. Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 1.78 Audio: English: Dolby Digital 5.1, Commentary: Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo, Commentary: Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo Subtitles:

Plot:
Did you ever have a day so bad you couldn't wait to get past it? The kind of day where nothing goes your way, and everything turns out wrong. What would happen if you couldn't put this day behind you...literally?

Today, Detective Brett Hopper will be accused of shooting state attorney Alberto Garza. He will offer his rock solid alibi. He will realize he's been framed. And he will run. Then he will wake up and start the day over again. This time he'll do it differently – and will continue to – until he finds out who's framing him, gets his gang witness to court to testify, and saves the lives of his loved ones. Hopper has only one advantage in his favor – he remembers everything he did the "day prior" that didn't work. It's a painful way to learn, because he also carries the bruises and battle scars from every mistake-filled day.

Taye Diggs (Private Practice) stars in an action-packed, thriller from director Rob Bowman (The X-Files, Reign of Fire) and writer Paul Zbyszewski (After the Sunset). Hopper must find the balance between doing what's important and what's right to get through this killer day and move on to tomorrow.

Day Break
1.01 Pilot
Writer: Paul Zbyszewski (Created By), Paul Zbyszewski (Writer)
Director: Rob Bowman
Cast: Taye Diggs (Detective Brett Hopper), Moon Bloodgood (Rita Shelten), Victoria Pratt (Andrea Battle), Meta Golding (Jennifer Mathis), Ramon Rodriguez (Damien Ortiz), Adam Baldwin (Chad Shelten), Mitch Pileggi (Detective Spivak), John Rubinstein (Barry Colburn), Ian Anthony Dale (Detective Christopher Choi), Michael B. Silver (Baxter), Michael McGrady (Buchalter), Don Franklin (Randall Mathis), Bahar Soomekh (Margo), Julie Claire (Angela Rondello), Jonathan Banks (Shadow Man), Joe Nieves (Fencik), Chane't Johnson (Neesha), Kamal Marayati (Mr. Zeitoun), Clayton Rohner (Surfer Dude), Naz Deravian (Kadira Zeitoun), Joyce Guy (Judge), Lorena Mena (Jenga Mom), Chuck Bowman (Traffic Reporter), Aramis Knight (Jenga Player), Laniesha-Jopré Irvin (Whitney Mathis), Kwesi Boakye (James Mathis), Homie Doroodian (EMT), Dan Warner (Deputy), Teddy Lane Jr. (Mustache Cop), Olivia Leigh (Teenage Girl)

I have had this series for three years now, but I still haven't managed to watch past the first episode. And that even though time-travel is a favorite premise of mine. But for some reason I didn't have the urge to watch further the first time around. Maybe I will manage to do so soon. I will move it up again in my unwatched pile.

Rating:

[addicted2dvd]

I haven't had it as long... but for some reason I haven't had the urge to watch past the first episode either.

[Tom]

Dead Like Me: Season One (2003/United States) IMDb | Wikipedia MGM Home Entertainment (United States) Length: 627 min. Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 1.78 Audio: English: Dolby Digital 5.1, Commentary: Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround Subtitles:

Plot:
You're about to be collected. "Winningly eccentric" (LA Daily News) and "insistently irreverent" (People), this groundbreaking, original series delivers you into a realm of shockingly funny characters and twisted narratives you'll find completely "addictive" (NY Daily News)!

When an errant toilet seat from the falling Mir Space Station puts an abrupt end to her life, George (Ellen Muth) discovers that death is nothing like she thought it would be. Recruited to collect the souls of others as they die, she suddenly finds herself an unwilling participant in a line of work she never knew existed: Grim Reaping!


Dead Like Me
1.01 Pilot
Writer: Bryan Fuller (Writer)
Director: Scott Winant
Cast: Ellen Muth (Georgia 'George' Lass), Rebecca Gayheart (Betty Rhomer), Callum Blue (Mason), Jasmine Guy (Roxy Harvey), Greg Kean (Clancy Lass), Britt McKillip (Reggie Lass), Christine Willes (Delores Herbig), Cynthia Stevenson (Joy Lass), Mandy Patinkin (Rube Sofer), Jodelle Micah Ferland (Kirsti), David Lewis (Dave Romain), Matthew Currie Holmes (Record Store Employee), Deb Podowski (Becky), Brad Sihvon (Brett), Sean Amsing (Druggie #1), Stefan Arngrim (Druggie #2), William MacDonald (Doug), Blu Mankuma (Duane), Reg Tupper (Ray), Kevin Blatch (Teller #1), Meghan Black (Teller #2), Darrin Klimek (Data Entry Guy), Tammy Pentecost (Piano Woman), David Kaye (Brad), John Shaw (Byron), Trever Havixbeck (Police Officer), Carin Moffat (Brenda), Mary Ann Skoll (June Cleaver Type), Art Kitching (Tom), Jim S. Smith (Security Guard), David Hurtubise (Older Man), Peter Bryant (Train Porter), Patricia Idlette (Waitress), Laura Boddington (UnGeorge), Jacob Chaos (Un Mason)

Good pilot to a good series. Sadly it only lasted two seasons. Luckily there is a TV movie made a few years later, which brings some closure to the characters.

Rating:

[Tom]

The Dead Zone: Season One (2002/Canada) IMDb | Wikipedia Lions Gate Home Entertainment (United States) Length: 565 min. Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 1.78 Audio: English: Dolby Digital 5.1, Commentary: Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo Subtitles: English, Spanish

Plot:
Based on the characters and story from the best-selling book by Stephen King, The Dead Zone is a unique psychological thriller that combines a rich mix of action, the paranormal and a continuing quest for justice.


The Dead Zone
1.01 Wheel Of Fortune
Writer: Stephen King (Original Characters By), Michael Piller (Screenwriter), Shawn Piller (Screenwriter)
Director: Robert Lieberman
Cast: Anthony Michael Hall (Johnny Smith), Nicole DeBoer (Sarah Bracknell/Sarah Bannerman), Chris Bruno (Walt Bannerman), John L. Adams (Bruce Lewis), Rick Tae (Dr. Tran), Anna Hagan (Vera Smith), Gina Chiarelli (Nurse Elaine MacGowan), Michael Rogers (Frank Dodd), David Ogden Stiers (Reverend Gene Purdy), Emily Holmes (Allison), John Hainsworth (Barker #1), Campbell Lane (Barker #2), Justin Stillwell (Boy Student), Kenya Jo Kennedy (Child in Bedroom), Nicole La Placa (Girl Student #1), Mercedes de la Zerda (Girl Student #2), Chris Kelly (Hockey Coach), Michael St. John Smith (Mike Kennedy), Liliane Lee (Mother Tran), Diana Ha (Older Mother Tran), Bryce Hodgeson (Player #1), Alvin Sanders (Principal), Dominic Louis (Sarah's Son), Evan Smith (6 Year Old Johnny), Victoria Billingsley (6 Year Old Sarah), Nicholas Lee (3 Year Old Dr. Tran), Donald Fong (Uncle Tran), Ed Chow (Younger Uncle Tran)

This series is a based on a Stephen King book. There was also a movie based on it with Christopher Walken. The source material is very fitting as a premise for a TV series. I always enjoyed watching it. The first episode is a good introduction and has many elements which were also in the movie (I haven't read the book).

Rating:

[Tom]

I am skipping the "Death Note" anime. You can find my analysis of the first episode here. I still hope to continue my analysis thread for this series.

[Tom]

Defenders of the Earth - The Story Begins... (1986/United States) IMDb | Wikipedia (United Kingdom) Director: Ray Lee, John Gibbs Writing: Alex Raymond (Original Characters By), Lee Falk (Original Characters By) Length: 88 min. Video: Full Frame 1.33:1 Audio: English: Subtitles: English

Stars:
William Callaway as (voice)
Adam Carl as (voice)
Ron Feinberg as (voice)
Buster Jones as (voice)
Loren Lester as (voice)

Plot:
Tyrant MING THE MERCILESS and his vast army of evil accomplicies are working overtime to eliminate the human race. The DEFENDERS OF THE EARTH, led by The Phantom, Flash Gordon and Mandrake challenge Ming in a series of great adventures. They are our last, best hope. For å frightened but determined planet, they are the DEFENDERS OF THE EARTH.

Extras:

• Scene Access

My Thoughts:

This movie is cut together from the first four episodes of the series. I have had this DVD for about eight years. I tried once to watch it and stopped part-way through. For this marathon I finally managed to get it off my unwatched pile. But I did not pay full attention to it.
I enjoyed this series as a child, but it was not one of those series which I watched rigorously. My favorite character was the Phantom.

Rating:

[addicted2dvd]

I was so hoping you would enjoy this one more then that. I watched it all the time back in the day... but I am a little worried it won't hold up to the test of time. Oh well if it didn't... at least I can say I got it very cheap.

[Tom]

Dexter: Season One (2006/United States) IMDb | Wikipedia Showtime Entertainment (United States) Length: 652 min. Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 1.78 Audio: English: Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround, English: Dolby Digital 5.1, Spanish: Dolby Digital 1, Commentary: Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo Subtitles:

Plot:
Led by an amazing performance by Emmy®-nominated actor Michael C. Hall (Six Feet Under), Dexter is one of the most critically acclaimed, must-see television shows of the year! Like no other crime drama you've seen before, this horrifying and intoxicating DVD includes all 12 riveting Season One episodes and a host of delightfully twisted special features.


Dexter
1.01 Dexter (2006-10-01)
Writer: James Manos, Jr. (Screenwriter), Jeff Lindsay (Original Material By)
Director: Michael Cuesta
Cast: Michael C. Hall (Dexter Morgan), Julie Benz (Rita Bennett), Jennifer Carpenter (Debra Morgan), Erik King (Sgt. Doakes), Lauren Velez (Lt. Maria La Guerta), David Zayas (Angel Batista), James Remar (Harry Morgan), C. S. Lee (Vincent Masuka), Jim Abele (Mike Donovan), Margo Martindale (Camilla), Dominic Janes (Young Dexter), Christina Robinson (Astor), Daniel Goldman (Cody), Patrick Michael Buckley (Officer Oliver), Ethan Smith (Jaworski), Susie Taylor (Detective Sue), Marc MaCaulay (Detective), Devon Graye (Teenage Dexter), Justin Kane (Officer Simon), Neeona Neel (Jane Saunders), Jeanne Tidwell (Mrs. Donovan), Roy Rutland (Desk Sergeant)

This is a good series. But just not something which really clicked for me. I never had the urge to watch the next episode and if I wouldn't have watched it together with my brother, I am not sure if I would have finished watching it. I never bothered to pick up further seasons.

Rating:

[Tom]

On the first season of Dexter, there are the first two episode of the Showtime series "Brotherhood". I thought I would give it a try for this marathon, but when I saw, that the non-anamorphic video has been anamorphicly encoded (which means I have 1.78 video squeezed into a 2.35 frame), I stopped it.
Does anyone know this series? Should I give it a chance?

[Tom]

I remembered that season 3 of Sliders is supposed to have the first episode of Cleopatra 2525 as a bonus on it. I usually make the point to first watch all the episodes of a season set before watching the extras. And as I still have not finished watching season 3, I never came around to it. Now I wanted to use this marathon as an excuse to finally watch it. But when I took this set out of the shelf, I noticed that disc 4 is missing! Instead I have disc 2 twice
I usually check this stuff. But this release is one of those double-sided releases with only a small label on each disc and for some reason I didn't check it. Now almost six years after purchasing I guess it is too late for reclamation. Also I purchased it somewhere, where I am not a regular buyer. I only ordered there once or twice.
This also means, I am missing the last episode of season 3 of Sliders

[addicted2dvd]

That really sucks! I love Sliders! And Cleopatra 2525 is a load of fun... in a guilty pleasure sort of way!

[Tom]

Dharma & Greg: Season One (1997/United States) IMDb | Wikipedia (United States) Length: 528 min. Video: Full Frame 1.33:1 Audio: English: Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo, Spanish: Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo, Commentary: Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo Subtitles: English, French, Spanish

Plot:
When free-spirited yoga instructor Dharma Finkelstein meets conservative attorney Greg Montgomery, it's love at first sight. Unfortunately, there is absolutely no love in the air when Dharma's hippie parents finally meet after their children have already married at a drive-thru chapel in Reno. With friends and family all suggesting that a quick annulment would be best, it's no surprise that the couple begins to second-guess their impulsive nuptials. But it's soon evident that nothing can stand in the way of true love!


Dharma & Greg
1.01 Pilot (1997-09-24)
Writer: Dottie Dartland (Writer), Chuck Lorre (Writer)
Director: James Burrows
Cast: Jenna Elfman (Dharma), Thomas Gibson (Greg), Shae D'Lyn (Jane), Joel Murray (Pete), Mimi Kennedy (Abby), Alan Rachins (Larry), Mitchell Ryan (Edward), Susan Sullivan (Kitty), Elaine Kagan (Woman on train), Megan Butala (Young Dharma), Mathew Weiss (Young Greg)

This is a series, where I really like the first few episodes. But sadly it's a one joke premise which grows tired quickly. Still I like the pilot very much so.

Rating:

[Tom]

Didi - Der Untermieter (1985/Germany) IMDb | Wikipedia (Germany) Length: 700 min. Video: Full Frame 1.33:1 Audio: German: Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo Subtitles:

Der Untermieter
1.01 Adieu, Herr Böck

"Der Untermieter" (which means subtenant) is what the series was renamed to. Originally it was known as "Die Nervensäge" (best translation I found is "pain in the neck". Literally it would translate to "nerv saw").
It stars Dieter Hallervorden, a famous German comedian, as a guy who being a pain in the neck moves into the appartment of a woman and her daughter, who were originally looking for a female subtenant.
I enjoyed watching this first episode. I have watched the complete series a few years ago. While I enjoyed it, it is not a series I plan to revisit often.

Rating:

[Tom]

Die Didi-Show: Die komplette Serie (1990/Germany) IMDb | Wikipedia (Germany) Length: 275 min. Video: Full Frame 1.33:1 Audio: German: Dolby Digital 1 Subtitles: German

Die DiDi-Show
1.01 Viele Wege führen nach Rom
Writer: )
Director:
Cast: )

A sketch comedy show with Dieter Hallervorden from the late 80s. I haven't seen this one since then. I was watching it, when it originally aired. This brought up some memories
I have bought this DVD set only a few months ago, so naturally it is still in my unwatched pile.

Rating:

[Tom]

A Different World: Season One (1987/United States) IMDb | Wikipedia (United States) Length: 575 min. Video: Full Frame 1.33:1 Audio: English: Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo Subtitles:

Plot:
A Different World appeared on NBC from 1987 to 1993. As the highly anticipated spin-off of America's #1 show, A Different World mostly aired directly after The Cosby Show. The series was set at Hillman, a historically Black college with a rich legacy and reputation for successfully cultivating young minds. Denise Huxtable (Lisa Bonet) decided to attend Hillman College in tribute to her parents and grandfather who all attended Hillman for their undergraduate studies. In Season One, A Different World clearly depicts the difference between living at home with your parents and taking responsibilty for your own actions as a young adult. This hilarious show is filled with vibrant characters. In addition to Denise, Hillman featured Jaleesa Vinson (Dawnn Lewis), a recently divorced 26 year old, Maggie Lauten (Marisa Tomei), the most talkative person on campus, Whitley Gilbert (Jasmine Guy), the ultra-wealthy Southern Belle, Dwayne Wayne (Kadeem Hardison), Hillman's smartest and funniest male student and Walter Oakes (Sinbad) the over protective dorm director.


A Different World
1.01 Reconcilable Differences

I really enjoyed this Cosby Show spinoff, when it originally aired on German TV. After the first season, there are a lot of changes. Denise and Maggie (Marisa Tomei) left the show and the show took a different direction. At first I was disappointed but then I really grew to like the series. I really hope they release the rest someday on DVD. I would really love to watch it again.

Rating:


A Different World
1.02 Pilot Presentation

I decided to also watch the second episode, because it was originally supposed to be the pilot. But they decided to produce another episode coming before this one, which better introduces the characters.
Another reason I wanted to watch it is, that this episode introduces Marisa Tomei's character. This is the first role I got to know Marisa Tomei. She did a great job in this series. To bad that she is only in the first season.

Rating: