Topic: Tom's TV Pilots marathon

[Tom]

If I See You In My Dreams (1998/Japan) IMDb | Wikipedia Anime Works (United States) Length: 220 min. Video: Full Frame 1.33:1 Audio: English: Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo, Japanese: Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo Subtitles: English

Plot:
Misou managed to get through all of high school and college without a grilfriend. A wizened fortune-teller has predicted that it is his destiny to be alone for his entire life! When Misou sees the beautiful Nagisa, his heart is awakened for the first time. He has serious competition in the form of the flawlessly handsome Kaizuka and the amazingly ugly Kujira.

Misou is determined to succeed, but he is stalled by his knack for ending up in compromising situations with other woman at exactly the wrong moment.


If I See You In My Dreams
.01 A Red Umbrella in the Rain
Writer: Noriyuki Yamahana (Original Material By), Nao Tokimura (Screenwriter)
Director: Hiroshi Watanabe
Cast: Japanese Voices), Mami Kanezuki (Nagisa Shiozaki (voice)), Hiro Youki (Masuo Fuguno (voice)), Rika Matsumoto (Namiko Isobe (voice)), Hiroko Konishi (Miho Hamaoka (voice)), Hiroshi Hirose (Kujira (voice)), You Hachito (Funakosi (voice)), Takako Honda (Voice from Radio (voice)), Rei Igarashi (Fortuneteller (voice)), Takayasu Usui (Fortuneteller (voice)), Haruhi Terada (Station Announcer (voice)), Katsuhiro Harasawa (Follower A (voice)), Taeko Kawada (Yoshio (voice)), English Voices), Steve Stacey (Masou (voice)), Laura Chyu (Nagsia (voice)), Mona Marshall (Namiko (voice)), Susan Marque (Miho (voice)), Bob Buchholz (Kaaizuka (voice)), Dave Mallow (Kujira (voice)), Grant George (Funakoshi (voice)), Wendee Lee (Minako (voice)), Melique Berger (Teacher (voice)), Jessica Gee (Director & Fortune Teller (voice)), Cindy Alexander (Kayo (voice))

A typical story about a shy guy meeting the girl of his dreams. I watched the first episode of the more series OVA series instead of the comical TV series. The OVA series is well done, though there aren't real surprises in the story.

Rating:

[Tom]

The Incredible Hulk: How the Legend Began (1977/United States) IMDb | Wikipedia (United States) Length: 193 min. Video: Full Frame 1.33:1 Audio: English: Dolby Digital 1, Commentary: Dolby Digital 1 Subtitles: English, French, Spanish

Plot:
The Incredible Hulk: Pilot Episode
Discover the origin of "The Incredible Hulk" with the TV series pilot that helped to inspire the "Hulk" phenomenon. While conducting a research project about superhuman strength, Dr. David Banner bombards his own system with gamma radiation, unexpectedly transforming himself into the powerful beast, "The Incredible Hulk."


The Incredible Hulk
1.01 Pilot (1977-11-04)
Writer: Kenneth Johnson (Writer)
Director: Kenneth Johnson
Cast: Bill Bixby (David Banner), Susan Sullivan (Elaina Marks), Jack Colvin (Jack McGee), Lou Ferrigno (The Hulk), Susan Batson (Mrs. Maier), Mario Gallo (Mr. Bram), Eric Server (Policeman), Charles Siebert (Ben), Terrence Locke (Young Man), June Whitley Taylor (Woman), George Brenlin (Man at Lake), Jake Mitchell (Jerry), William Larson (Minister), Olivia Barash (Girl at Lake), Eric Deon (B.J.)

This pilot TV movie is a good, but maybe sometimes overly drawn-out introduction to the series. Bill Bixby is a great Bruce Banner (here called David). And with Lou Ferrigno they found just the right person for Hulk. I had read that Arnold Schwarzenegger had auditioned for this role, but he was rejected because of his smaller height. Another one who got the role and filmed some scenes, but was replaced early on in the production was Richard Kiel (Jaws from the Bond movies).

Rating:

[Tom]

Inspector Gadget: The Gadget Files (1983/United States) IMDb | Wikipedia (United States) Length: 110 min. Video: Full Frame 1.33:1 Audio: English: Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo Subtitles:

Inspector Gadget
1.01 Winter Olympics

This is a series I loved to watch as a kid. This is a typical episode. Not much of a series which can be enjoyed as an adult but I guess as a kid it doesn't bother that this is a one-joke premise.

Rating:

[Tom]

I''s/I''s Pure: 2 Complete Series (2005/Japan) Wikipedia VIZ Media (United States) Length: 240 min. Video: Full Frame 1.33:1 Audio: English: Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo, Japanese: Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo Subtitles: English

Plot:
I"s
Iori Hazuki is a beautiful high schooler with ambitions of becoming an actress. Ichitaka Seto is an indecisive sort with a crush on Iori from afar. Itsuki Akiba is Ichitaka's cute childhood friend who has returned from abroad. Put all three "I"s together and you have a tale of love, comedy, and dreams...

I"s Pure
The course of true love never did run smooth, and hapless Ichitaka has a ton of obstacles to overcome to win the heart of his classmate and budding actress Iori: pranks and misunderstandings, stalkers, and romantic intervention, but most of all staying true to one's feelings. Are the two "I"s destined to find happiness together, or does fate have other ideas?


I''s
1.01 Another Summer Story, Part 1

I own the manga series of this (after colleague recommended it to me as I enjoyed the author's previous work: "Video Girl Ai"), but I still haven't read it all. I didn't get quite into it. I bought this animer also a few years ago, but I never watched it. I wanted to wait until after I finished the manga.
For this marathon I watched now the first episode from the first series. The first series consists of two episode and its story is not taken from the manga.
When I started to watch it, I thought what a horrible dub it is. I am not used to having anime such horrible voice acting. Until I realized that I forgot to switch to the original Japanese track and had still the English track on. English anime dubs are always horrible in my experience.
This first episode was okay. Nice animation. But like with the manga, I didn't quite get into it.

Rating:

[Tom]

The IT Crowd: Version 1.0 (2006/United Kingdom) IMDb | Wikipedia 2 entertain Video (United Kingdom) Length: 144 min. Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 1.78 Audio: English: Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo, Commentary: Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo, Commentary: Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo Subtitles: English, Other

Plot:
Roy and Moss toil in the squalid basement of a huge company, fielding IT help desk calls. Roy has a lousy attitude coupled with an eye for the ladies, while Moss is dressed by his mother and has an aerosol can of water clipped to his belt with which to spray his ear when it gets hot.

Into their life of 'users', pizza, science fiction and firewalls comes middle manager Jen, a punky can-do career gal who doesn't know one end of a laptop from the other. Can she introduce real life to men who email the fire brigade in an emergency, who invent a psycho for an internet dating site and display sympathetic PMT symptoms once a month?

'The IT Crowd'. It's more than a way of life, it's a sitcom.


IT Crowd
1.01 Yesterday's Jam
Writer: Graham Linehan (Writer)
Director: Graham Linehan
Cast: Chris O'Dowd (Roy), Richard Ayoade (Moss), Katherine Parkinson (Jen), Chris Morris (Denholm), John Willie Hopkins (Postman), Nancy Lodder (Office Girl), Laura Pyper (Laura), Pete Deagle (Office Worker)

A great geeky series. I watched it again with the l33t subtitles on. As a special feature, all episodes have l33t subtitles. But whereas most of the episodes simply replace normal lettering with l33t lettering in the subtitles, the pilot episode has special jokes thrown in here, like shell commands replacing dialog but actually meaning the same.
A simple example for this subitle track is the following exchange:
Jen listing her computer skill: Reading emails, sending emails, deleting emails.
Gets subtitled as: pop3, smtp, M$ Exchange


Rating:

[Tom]

This covers my Is.

[Tom]

The Job: The Complete Series (2001/United States) IMDb | Wikipedia DreamWorks Home Entertainment, Shout! Factory (United States) Length: 418 min. Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 1.66, Full Frame 1.33:1 Audio: English: Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo, English: Dolby Digital 5.1, Commentary: Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo Subtitles:

Plot:
Mike McNeil (Denis Leary) is a self-medicating, hard-drinking, decorated New York City detective with a wife, a mistress, and a crush on a co-worker. Surrounded by a partner and fellow squad members who are just as colorful, McNeil pursues his uniquely unconventional, yet effective, approach to crime solving while he attempts to manage the chaos of his personal life.

Originally broadcast on ABC in 2001 and 2002, The Job was shot entirely on location in New York City, giving the look of the show a grit to match its humor.


The Job
1.01 Pilot
Writer: Denis Leary (Created By), Peter Tolan (Created By), Denis Leary (Writer), Peter Tolan (Writer)
Director: Dean Parisot
Cast: Denis Leary (Mike McNeil), Lenny Clarke (Frank Harrigan), Diane Farr (Jan Fendrich), Adam Ferrara (Tommy Manetti), Richard Gant (Lieutenant), Bill Nunn (Pip), John Ortiz (Ruben Sommariba), Julian Acosta (Al Rodriguez), Wendy Makkena (Karen McNeil), Karyn Parsons (Toni), Teagle F. Bougere (Kaleel Ojala), Gammy L. Singer (Kaleel's Grandmother), Dyron Holmes (Ironsides), Jimmy Burke (Bike Cop), Shiro Oishi (Mr. Ahira)

Denis Leary playing Denis Leary the cop. The pilot episode was okay. I last watched this series in 2005 when I first got it. Seems like I did give it a good rating in DVD Profiler.
Of what I have read this series is similar to the one he did later on: Rescue Me.

Rating:

[Tom]

Joey: Season One (2004/United States) IMDb | Wikipedia Warner Home Video (United States) Length: 524 min. Video: Full Frame 1.33:1 Audio: English: Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo Subtitles: English, French, Spanish

Plot:
Joey Tribbiani leaves New York for a chance at show biz fame in Hollywood - and a reunion with his left-coast sister and nephew. Take off on a new life - and new laughs with Matt LeBlanc, the 2005 People's Choice Award Winner as Favorite Male Television Star, and another great TV comedy ensemble cast! This Deluxe 4-Disc Set of the Complete Season One features all 24 hilarious episodes. For grand, goofy fun, Joey's your guy.


Joey
1.01 Pilot
Writer: Shana Goldberg-Meehan (Writer), Scott Silveri (Writer)
Director: Kevin S. Bright
Cast: Matt LeBlanc (Joey Tribbiani), Andrea Anders (Alex Garrett), Paulo Costanzo (Michael Tribbiani), Jennifer Coolidge (Bobbie Morganstern), Drea de Matteo (Gina Tribbiani), Wayne Wilderson (Director #2), Jason Huber (The Taxi Driver), Matthew Mullany (The Director), Lawrence A. Mandley (The Slate Guy), Nancy O'Dell (Herself), Ethan Erickson (Sam), Tommy Perna (The Criminal)

When the series first aired, I was really disappointed by how much it differed from Friends. Only in the second season I thought the series picked up a little. But then it was cancelled.
Watching the pilot episode now I found it better than I remembered it being.

Rating:

[Tom]

Just Shoot Me!: Seasons One and Two (1997/United States) IMDb | Wikipedia Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment (United States) Length: 689 min. Video: Full Frame 1.33:1 Audio: English: Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo Subtitles:

Plot:
Your favorite Must-See TV is now a must-have DVD, as JUST SHOOT ME! SEASONS ONE AND TWO delivers all 31 hilarious episodes from this long-reigning fixture of NBC's classic comedy lineup. Nominated for six Emmy Awards and five Golden Globes, this acclaimed ensemble comedy spanned the hilarious gamut from catwalk to casting couch, chronicles the daily grind of the magazine's quirky staff, serving up all the laughter that's fit to print. Arriving on digitally remastered DVD for the first time.


Just Shoot Me!
1.01 Back Issues
Writer: Steven Levitan (Created By), Steven Levitan (Writer)
Director: Philip Charles MacKenzie
Cast: Laura San Giacomo (Maya Gallo), George Segal (Jack Gallo), Wendie Malick (Nina Van Horn), Enrico Colantoni (Elliott DiMauro), Chris Hogan (Wally), David Spade (Dennis Finch), Emily Procter (Anchorwoman), Dave Clark (Anchorman), Scott N. Stevens (Young Father), Shannon Maureen Brown (Lorena), Donna Ponterotto (Receptionist), Raphelle Hink (Raphelle), Joel Traywick (Intern)

I enjoy watching this series. I like the snarky one-liners, like the ones David Spade's character comes up with.
The first two seasons of this series were released in 2004. The third season five years later. I am still waiting for further seasons to be released.

Rating:

[Tom]

This covers my Js.

[Tom]

Kamichu!: The Complete Series (2005/Japan) IMDb | Wikipedia FUNimation Entertainment, Geneon Entertainment (United States) Length: 400 min. Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 1.78 Audio: English: Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo, Japanese: Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo Subtitles: English

Plot:
What would you do if you suddenly became a god? When little Yurie, a junior high school student, discovers that she is a god, she is beside herself in indecision and asks her friends. Thus begins her new life exploring what it means to be a god and her struggle to properly fulfill all the responsibilities it entails. From finding stray gods to dealing with Martians, her life is about to become more than ordinary.


KamiChu!
1.01 The Spite of Youth
Writer: )
Director:
Cast: Japanese Voice Cast), Mako (Yurie Hitotsubashi (voice)), Kaori Mine (Mitsue Shijou (voice)), Rika Morinaga (Matsuri Saegusa (voice)), Ittsei Miyazaki (Kenji Ninomiya (voice)), Chiwa Saitou (Tama (voice)), Makoto Tsumura (Shoukichi Hitotsubashi (voice)), Miki Ito (Akane Hitotsubashi (voice)), Daiki Nakamura (Akikan Korogashi (voice)), Akemi Kanda (Tofu-chan (voice)), Takashi Oohara (Konoha Kamaitachi (voice)), Megumi Kubota (Chibi Kaze (voice)), Takayasu Usui (Oyadama Kaze (voice)), Natsuko Takusyoku (Woman (voice)), English Voice Cast), Megan Harvey (Yurie Hitotsubashi (voice)), Erika Weinstein (Mitsue Shijou (voice)), Lulu Chiang (Matsuri Saegusa (voice)), Johnny Yong Bosch (Kenji Ninomiya (voice)), Carrie Savage (Tama (voice)), Jay D. Stone (Shoukichi Hitotsubashi (voice)), Karen Thompson (Akane Hitotsubashi (voice)), Talis Axelrod (Akikan Korogashi (voice)), Carrie Savage (Tofu-chan (voice)), Liam O'Brien (Konoha Kamaitachi (voice)), Jay D. Stone (Chibi Kaze (voice)), Michael McConnohie (Oyadama Kaze (voice)), Karen Thompson (Woman (voice))

A high school girl becomes a god. What sounds like a over-the-top comedy is more like a slow-paced comedic drama. It has a little "Spirited Away" feel to it. And I love the background drawings in this.

Rating:

[Tom]

Karin: Complete Box Set (2005/Japan) IMDb | Wikipedia FUNimation Entertainment, Geneon Entertainment (United States) Length: 600 min. Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 1.78 Audio: English: Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo, Japanese: Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo Subtitles: English

Plot:
In the 21st century, a family of vampires settled down in Japan. They lived among humans and sucked their blood quietly and discreetly. However their daughter Karin had a secret that she could not share with anyone. She did not suck blood like the rest of the family. Instead, her blood level increases! She is a blood making vampire!


Karin
1.01 Bleeding Is Embarrassing
Writer: Yuna Kagesaki (Original Material By), Yasunori Yamada (Screenwriter)
Director: Yutaka Kurosawa, Shinichiro Kimura
Cast: Japanese Cast), Sayuri Yahagi (Karin Maaka (voice)), Katsuyuki Konishi (Kenta Usui (voice)), Yuka Inokuchi (Anju Maaka (voice)), Dai Matsumoto (Henry Marker (voice)), Emi Shinohara (Carrera Marker (voice)), Nojima Hirofumi (Boogy (voice)), Mikako Takahashi (Maki Tokitou (voice)), Sayori Ishizuka (Class Teacher (voice)), Yuko Gibu (Fukumi Naito (voice)), Takashi Kawakami (Business Man (voice)), Mari Todo (Female Student (voice)), English Cast), Chelsea Curto (Karin Maaka (voice)), Chelsea Curto (Nurse (voice)), Yahav Rom (Kenta Usui (voice)), Marian Elizabeth Spencer (Anju Maaka (voice)), Marian Elizabeth Spencer (Naito (voice)), Paul John Pistore (Henry Marker (voice)), Paul John Pistore (Boogy (voice)), Chio Su Ping (Carrera Marker (voice)), Hillary Blazer-Doyle (Maki Tokitou (voice)), Coral Tong (Teacher (voice)), Jerry Szombathy (Narrator (voice)), Jerry Szombathy (Ren Maaka (voice)), Jerry Szombathy (Boss (voice)), Meriem Bekka (Fumio Usui (voice))

Karin is teenage vampire. But not the normal kind of vampire. Instead of sucking blood, her blood increases until it is released in violent nose bleeds. Or she bites someone and transfuses this excess blood to the other person. This abnormality also makes her a day person. This all is an embarassment to the family.
The pilot episode is a good introduction. I have also read the manga this series is based. During the first half of the anime, the storyline of the manga is followed, but then with the introduction of an original character halfway through, the story deviates from the manga.

Rating:

[Tom]

Kashimashi: Girl Meets Girl (2006/Japan) IMDb | Wikipedia AnimeWorks, Media Blasters (United States) Length: 325 min. Video: Full Frame 1.33:1 Audio: Japanese: Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo Subtitles: English

Plot:
On a warm, cloudy afternoon, Tomari bursts in on two girls from her class, Hazumu and Yasuna, sharing a tender first kiss. Her heart breaks ... from jealousy.

Hazumu was born a boy, but he certainly doesn't act it. He's sensitive, delicate, and loves gardening. Lucky for him, he grew up with the tomboy Tomari, who is always there to protect him. Despite her own feelings, she pushes Hazumu to confess his love to the elegant Yasuna. After Yasuna rejects him, he retreats into the mountains in despair. So begins the strange series of events that changes him into a her, and earns her the love of both Yasuna and Tomari.


Kashimashi: Girl Meets Girl
1.01 The Young Boy's Life Changed That Day
Writer: Satoru Akahori (Original Material By), Yukimaru Katsura (Original Material By), Jukki Hanada (Screenwriter)
Director: Nobuaki Nakanishi
Cast: Kana Ueda (Hazumu Osaragi (voice)), Yui Horie (Yasuna Kamiizumi (voice)), Yukari Tamura (Tomari Kurusu (voice)), Masumi Asano (Ayuki Mar (voice)), Daisuke Ono (Asuta Soro (voice)), Yuko Mizutani (Namiko Tsuki (voice)), Makoto Yasumura (Hajime Osaragi (voice)), Yuko Nagashima (Kaoru Osaragi (voice)), Ryoko Shintani (Spaceship (voice)), Keiji Fujiwara (Alien (voice)), Asuka Nakase (Female Track Club Member (voice)), Michael Naishtut (Man A (voice)), John Wyckoff (Man B (voice))

An alien spaceship accidentily kills the main protagonist. But they are able to reconstruct him, but they switched the gender.
Now the boy is a girl caught in a love triangle with two other girls. Both of which were in love with him before and now have come to terms with him being a girl.
I really had enjoyed this series. It is well done and handles the matter surprisingly well considering it is a comedy. I also have read the manga and enjoyed that one as well.

Rating:

[Tom]

The King of Queens: Season One (1998/United States) IMDb | Wikipedia Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment (United States) Length: 562 min. Video: Full Frame 1.33:1 Audio: English: Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround Subtitles:

Plot:
The man. The myth. The driver. Doug Heffernan (Kevin James) is THE KING OF QUEENS, but his wife Carrie (Leah Remini) really rules the roost. Doug is the ultimate guy's guy, but he loves Carrie so much he's willing to sacrifice his tricked-out rec room (plus his 70-inch TV) so that her father Arthur (Jerry Stiller) can move in, a decision he's regretted ever since. Doug's free time is split between quality time with his wife and play time with his buds. A parade of crazy neighbors and oddball citizens of New York's middle-class borough help make this show the reigning comedy champ. THE KING OF QUEENS proves you don't have to have a huge castle to live like royalty.


The King of Queens
1.01 Pilot
Writer: Michael J. Weithorn (Writer), David Litt (Writer)
Director: Pamela Fryman
Cast: Kevin James (Doug), Leah Remini (Carrie), Lisa Rieffel (Sara), Patton Oswalt (Spence), Larry Romano (Richie), Victor Williams (Deacon), Jerry Stiller (Arthur)

This series is often fun to watch. The pilot though is nothing special. It sets up the premise, but wasn't really funny.

Rating:

[Tom]

Knight Rider: Season One (1982/United States) IMDb | Wikipedia Universal Home Entertainment (United States) Length: 1069 min. Video: Full Frame 1.33:1 Audio: English: Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo Subtitles: English, French, Spanish

Plot:
Gear up for action with Superstar David Hasselhoff and his supercar, K.I.T.T., as they throttle crime in every high-octane episode from the first season of Knight Rider, finally available to own for the first time on DVD.

The series follows the thrilling adventures of Michael Knight, a detective thought to be dead, who's been given a new face and identity. His assignment: to fight crime with the help of an artificially intelligent, talking car named K.I.T.T., a high-speed, futuristic weapon outfitted with high-tech gadgets and a personality of its own. Driven by justice, they set out to take down criminals who operate above the law in this 21-episode DVD set tricked out with loads of Special extras, including a bonus disc featuring the movie sequel, Knight Rider 2000.


Knight Rider
1.01 Knight of the Phoenix
Writer: Glen A. Larson (Created By), Glen A. Larson (Writer)
Director: Daniel Haller
Cast: David Hasselhoff (Michael Knight), Edward Mulhare (Devon Miles), Phyllis Davis (Tanya), Pamela Susan Shoop (Maggie), Lance LeGault (Security Officer Gray), Noel Conlon (William Benjamin), Michael D. Roberts (Jackson), Bert Rosario (Browne), Vince Edwards (Fred Wilson), Richard Basehart (Wilton Knight), Edmund Gilbert (Charles Acton), Shawn Southwick (Lonnie), Brian Cutler (Bar Manager), Barret Oliver (Buddy), Robert Phillips (Symes), Alma L. Beltran (Luce), Ed Hooks (Guard), Tyler Murray (Sally), Victoria Harned (Doris), William Daniels (Voice of K.I.T.T. (voice, uncredited))

I loved Knight Rider as a kid. And I still enjoy watching it. Also it has a great opening theme.
This pilot started great. I enjoyed the introduction of KITT and Michael Knight. But when they go on their mission, it ends up being an average episode.

Rating: