Xena Warrior Princess - Season Two (1995) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)[Summary: Just over 4.5 stars; a big step up from Season One's DVD collection]
Note: Just in case you haven't already watched X:WP Season Two, this review contains NO SPOILERS.
Xena: Warrior Princess Season Two DVD collection summary:
- 6 DVDs, with 4 episodes each except for 2 in the last; 22 total episodes.
- 1 CD-ROM, with largely useless content.
- Video: MUCH better than the grainy 16mm film transfer of Season One.
- Audio: Dolby Digital throughout (a big step up from the Dolby Stereo of Season Two).
- DVD Extras: Good-quality stills, plus audio and video commentary on three episodes. Season One included zip - nada - bupkus. MUCH better!
- CD-ROM: Same old junk as was included for Season One. Why?
- Price: Lower than Season One, for better quality. Yay!
- Episodes: 22. Season One had 24. The only comparative downside.
Season One rated just over 3.5 stars. Season Two is worth a bit over 4.5 stars -- a major step up.
Disc 1: Portrait of Gabrielle on label
- Orphan of War
- Remember Nothing
- The Giant Killer
- Girls Just Wanna Have Fun
Disc Extras:
- Still Gallery
- Weblink to www.xenadvd.com
Disc 2: Portrait of Joxer on label
- Return of Callisto
"Return of Callisto" extras: Audio and video commentary by Lucy Lawless and Renee O'Connor
- Warrior ... Princess ... Tramp
- Intimate Strangers
- Ten Little Warlords
Disc 3: Picture of Xena on label
- A Solstice Carol
- The Xena Scrolls
- Here She Comes ... Miss Amphipolis
- Destiny
"Destiny" extras: Audio and video commentary by Rob Tapert
Disc 4: Picture of Xena (as "Miss Amphipolis") on label
- The Quest
- A Necessary Evil
- A Day in the Life
"A Day in the Life" extras: Audio and video commentary by Lucy Lawless, Renee O'Connor, and Rob Tapert
- For Him the Bell Tolls
Disc 5: Picture of Xena and Draco on label
- The Execution
- Blind Faith
- Ulysses
- The Price
(No extras.)
Disc 6: Picture of Cupid on label
- Lost Mariner
- A Comedy of Eros
(No extras.)
Disc 7 (CD-ROM): Picture of Xena and Gabrielle on label
- Screensaver
- Cast & Director bios
- "Scrolls" - episode cast lists, guest stars ("mortals" and "gods"), search through the scrolls text
- Season Two trivia game
The audio commentaries are the usual option, easily available through the menu for each of the three episodes. The video commentaries are a subset (about 40% in each case) of the audio commentaries, with images of the commentators sitting in front of a wide-screen TV watching the episodes. The same set (except for number of chairs) is used in all three video commentaries.
X:WP Season Two contains performances by the following recurring characters from the Hercules/Xena world:
- Ted Raimi as Joxer, bumbling would-be warrior
- Hudson Leick as Callisto, nemesis extraordinaire
- Kevin Smith as Ares, God of War
- Robert Trebor as Salmoneus, mercurial merchant
- Bruce Campbell as Autolycus, King of Thieves
- Danielle Cormack as Ephiny, Amazon warrior
- Michael Hurst as Iolaus (Hercules' sidekick)
- Tim Thomerson as Meleager the Mighty
- Alexandra Tydings as Aphrodite, Goddess of Love
- Karl Urban as both Julius Caesar and Cupid (son of Aphrodite) ) (should actually be "Eros"; "Cupid" is his Roman name)
- Jay Laga'aia as Draco
More notable one-shot guest stars from Season Two included:
- Lisa Zane as Miss Skiros
- Mindy Clarke as Velasca
- Rachel Blakely as Penelope
- Tony Todd as Cecrops
More butt-kicking fun in the Hercules/Xena world. Get your copy, make some popcorn, and have a party!

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The Adventures of Indiana Jones (1984) Review

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(More customer reviews)George Lucas produced something other than Star Wars? The younger crowd may not be aware of this, but anyone like me growing up in the 70's -80's would. The answer: Absolutely! (We can forget & forgive his mid-80's mistake "Howard the Duck.")
This collaborative effort from Steven Spielberg & George Lucas brought new life into the action genre. It is equally important to remember that the films also propelled Harrison Ford from Star Wars's loveable "scoundrel" to a silver screen staple. Here is my take on the series so far (barring Indiana Jones 4 which is on & off...hopefully off due to Ford's age and the closure in "Last Crusade.")
Raiders of the Lost Ark:
From the intro Paramount logo shifting into a real mountain, to the mishaps in recovering the golden idol from the temple, "Raiders" pretty much set a tone for what was to come -action. What it brought in after the opening sequence is something not often seen in action movies -story. Not just story, mind you, but intelligent story (dispelling the myth that audiences are stupid.) It is an awkward sight to see Jones transformed from the adventurer to the lecturer, until he is told of The Ark of the Covenant -supposedly holding The Ten Commandments and a source of ultimate power -and chases after it. The rest & former are long embedded in film history. The Nazi's are after it as well and Jones has the fight of his life.
Interesting points:
The beautiful Karen Allen (Starman) portrays Marion (who I personally would like to have seen resurface in later films) and the rolling boulder (reminiscent of the asteroid thundering through a starship in 1979's B-movie "The Black Hole.")
Indiana Jones & the Temple of Doom:
For me, this was the oddball movie. Jones saves child-slaves from an evil cult. That's about as well as I can sum it up. It fails its predecessor and succumbs to mediocre "sequel fever." I don't expect everyone to share my view, nor do I want you to. All-in-all, it's a high action flick and will pass some time well, even with the miscast future Mrs. Spielberg -Kate Capshaw (Space Camp).
Interesting points:
The chase through the mine is an exciting thrill-ride and the tension of bridge scene afterwards makes up for the lower points of this movie.
Indiana Jones & the Last Crusade:
To place this movie alongside the first would be justice served. Here is the return of the intelligent story and type of action/drama mix that resurged the Jones Saga. It opens with young Indiana Jones (River Phoenix, "The Mosquito Coast") stealing a lost artifact from a band of robbers. Ultimately, he is too young to thwart them; however it reveals the character of Jones from an early age and introduces his father, Henry (Sean Connery). Now, fast forward to the Jones we have come to know and Jones is trying to find his father who went searching for the Holy Grail. The movie is a whirlwind trip through Biblical History and pure adrenaline pumped action. The chemistry between Ford & Connery shines throughout the exotic locations and explosions providing comic relief as much as back-story. I can't say enough about this film, so I will stop here.
Interesting points:
So much is revealed in this movie, from the origin of the name "Indiana," to the deepest parts of each character (something rarely seen in films -character depth.)
DVD Extras:
Fortunate enough to have seen it (and I admit I'm not that much of a fan of these DVD revelations on the making's of the movie because it oftentimes destroys the fantasy of it all) I have to bend and tell you it is worth it. The original trailers are laughable (they weren't at the time the movie came out and I mean that in no disrespectful way) and a trip down Nostalgia Lane. One thing that sets this apart is that the documentary is not boring. Most are in DVD Extra-discs (probably because new movies have no real history -save maybe for The Matrix.)
Final Note:
For the cost, quality (remastered, et al.,) this is one box set that I am happy to comment on and also, one that I believe was done right and released right. (Check out other trilogy box-sets, which I won't name here, and you'll find so many versions and "Director's Cuts" that you'll be baffled at what to buy. This set is complete...plain & simple. Enjoy

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Set Includes: Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade Indiana Jones and the Treasure of the Peacock's Eye

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