Psych: The Complete Third Season

Psych: The Complete Third Season

[DVD Psych]

This is a witty series that gets better every year. Shawn Spencer claims to be a psychic and he uses his "abilities" to solve crimes. Shawn's buddy Gus tries to provide the voice of reason but Shawn rarely listens. Among the cases Shawn and Gus take on in this season are: a vanishing body at their high school reunion, a murdered sea lion and an old summer camp that is terrorized by axe murderer which is a funny but scary takeoff on the Friday the 13th movies. Shawn and Gus run a private detective agency and they also act as consultants to the Santa Barbara Police Department. Some of the funnier moments involve Lassiter, a way too serious police detective. I am looking forward to season four! -- recommended by Donna G. - Virtual Services Department

[ Internet Movie Database entry for this film ] [ official USA Network site for Psych ]

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Bees: Tales From the Hive

Bees: Tales From the Hive

Fascinating episode of NOVA from 2000, using a specially-designed macro camera to examine the life of bees within a beehive. Narrated by David Ogden Stiers, this documentary traces the life of one hive over the course of a single year, and features some truly astonishing footage of these industrious insects. Even if you have a fear of bees, I encourage you to watch this fascinating and educational show! -- recommended by Scott C. - Bennett Martin Public Library

[Also available in VHS format.][ official Companion Web Site to this episode of NOVA ]

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Ten (or more) new reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide web site. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide blog over the course of the entire month.

Slings & Arrows

Slings & Arrows

Slings & Arrows was a true marvel -- a short-run series with punch, pathos, humor and drama. I'll admit -- as a "fanboy" I was attracted to Slings & Arrows primarily because I had enjoyed its star, Paul Gross, in the US television series Due South. Although he headlines S&A, this Canadian-made series is truly an ensemble effort. Gross plays a mentally unstable actor/director brought in to replace his former mentor when the latter dies while serving as artistic director of a corporate-sponsored Shakespearean festival. The series then focuses on Tennant's efforts to direct Shakespearean plays in an environment of corporate meddling, commercialization, and increasing audience apathy. The cast is peopled with many quirky charactes: the ghost of his mentor; the leading lady diva; the managing director and his corporate shark girlfriend; the young ingenue; the stagehands and supporting actors; and the critics and fans of the acting troupe's efforts. This series, produced for Canada's Movie Network channel, and also airing on the Sundance cable channel in the US was built in three distinct 6-episode seasons, with Gross' Geoffrey Tennant directing a different Shakespearean play in each season. The series, though extremely baudy and profane at times, is still a love affair with the world of staged theater, and anybody who enjoys going to plays, or recalls the heyday of acting in their high school stage productions should enjoy this tremendously. Excellent acting, marvelous writing and directing, and superb production values. This one is a real winner! Break a leg! -- recommended by Scott C. - Bennett Martin Public Library

[ official Slings & Arrows web site from The Movie Network ] [ Detailed episode guide at epguides.com ]

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The Dick Cavett Show - Hollywood Greats

The Dick Cavett Show - Hollywood Greats

from The Dick Cavett Show

This is classic Dick Cavett, providing witty conversations with some of Hollywood's greatest stars. There are 15 interviews in all. Some of them are with people who rarely gave public appearances. Like Katherine Hepburn who came in and took charge of the set, rearranging furniture and even suggesting that the stage crew bring in a different colored rug. Evidently Dick's orange shag carpet didn't appeal to her. Then there is the interview with the master, Alfred Hitchcock. Speaking in his dignified voice, he provides candid and sometimes odd answers to Mr. Cavett's questions that only Hitchcock could pull off. Dick Cavett likes to delve into the psyche of the person he is interviewing. This type of questioning offers a form of insight into the celebrity that may not be seen or read any where else. All of the interviews in this four disc set are fascinating and worth watching. If you liked this you may also like the DVD, From the Ashes: The Life and Times of Tick Hall Call # DVD 728.37 Mor -- recommended by Patty L. - Walt Branch Library

[ official Dick Cavett Show commercial web site ]

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Ten (or more) new reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide web site. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide blog over the course of the entire month.

Staff Recommendation - The Dresden Files - Complete Series

The Dresden Files: The Complete Series

This short-lived tv series adaptation of Jim Butcher's urban fantasy series, The Dresden Files, may have played a little fast and loose with the series details, but it still managed to capture the tone of the books very well. Paul Blackthorne was perfectly cast as the sarcastic, spell-casting P.I., Harry. The producers made an excellent choice to have actor Terrance Mann portray Bob, Harry's arcane advisor, rather than leaving him as a disembodied skull (as he is in the books). Only one of the episodes, out of the 12 that were filmed, is based on any of the Butcher books, and many of the supporting characters from the books didn't have a chance to show up in the series. Of those that did, Valerie Cruz as Lt. Murphy is Harry's stalwart cop friend, Conrad Coates was an odd but interesting choice to play the White Council's enforcer Morgan, and Joanne Kelly puts in a limited appearance as the local vampire leader, Bianca. All in all, this was a sharply done series, with excellent special effects and great acting. The producers didn't really have a lot of time to get into the extended background of the novels, but what they did put on screen worked really well. Whether or not you've read the books, this was a fun, short-lived fantasy series, that didn't get nearly enough of a chance to develop. -- recommended by Scott S. - Bennett Martin Public Library

[ Dresden Files on the Internet Movie Database ] [ official Sci Fi Channel Dresden Files web site ]

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Ten new reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide web site. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide blog over the course of the entire month.