Picket Fences - Season 1

Amazon.com

While Ally McBeal garnered more attention, Picket Fences garnered more acclaim. It was justified. Set in Wisconsin, the Emmy-winning drama plays like The Andy Griffith Show by way of The Commish. The focus is on small-town life from a law and order perspective. The action revolves around Sheriff Jimmy Brock (Tom Skerritt), his physician wife Jill (Kathy Baker), and their children, Kimberly (Holly Marie Combs), Matthew (Justin Shenkarow), and Zack (Adam Wylie). Storylines alternate between personal issues, like puberty and pre-marital sex, and criminal cases. As Matthew quips, "Things happen around here." At city hall, Jimmy works with officers Kenny (Costas Mandylor) and Max (Lauren Holly), dispatcher Ginny (Zelda Rubinstein), and coroner Carter Pike (Kelly Connell), who likes to exclaim, "Let me exhume the body!" Judge Henry Bone (Ray Walston) and attorney Douglas Wambaugh (Fyvush Finkel) dominate the courthouse. Cases include such tragi-comic crimes as a serial bather ("Frank, the Potato Man") and a cupid killer ("Be My Valentine"), but serious issues also come into play, such as assisted suicide ("Sacred Hearts") and incest ("Nuclear Meltdowns"). Unlike Twin Peaks, to which it was sometimes compared, Picket Fences could be heavy-handed, but piety never trumped entertainment, and Baker, Skerritt, Walston, and Finkel all won Emmys for their work.

Notable guests are a hallmark of every David E. Kelley production, from Chicago Hope to Boston Legal (and beyond). The first season attracted Carnivále's Michael J. Anderson ("Mr. Dreeb Comes to Town"), Evening Shade's Michael Jeter ("Frog Man"), and Man of La Mancha's Richard Kiley ("Thanksgiving"). The series also features one of the last of the old-fashioned orchestral scores, Stewart Levin's distinctive piano theme. Picket Fences ran for four seasons on CBS (when Kelley left between seasons three and four, ratings took a nosedive). Afterwards, Combs joined Charmed, Baker joined Kelley's Boston Public, and Holly joined NCIS. --Kathleen C. Fennessy

Description

PICKET FENCES Season 1 is the first season of the critically acclaimed series from creator David E. Kelly ("Ally McBeal", "Boston Legal") starring Tom Skerrit and Kathy Baker, in the story of a sherriff and his family in Rome, Wisconsin, a town where things never seem to be business as usual. This long-awaited fan favorite is available on 6 discs.

Customer Reviews:

A great show from the golden age of Drama.......2007-09-12

Prior to the rise of reality TV, America watched shows that had scripts. ok seriously, this show is great. i have been waiting for it to come on DVD for years. Lauren Holly, Holly Marie Combs and an great task, perfectly cast for each roll make Rome Wisconsin come alive as they address the political concerns of the day, which oddly enough 15 years later are still the same concerns. this is a well worth purchase.

It sure is great to be able to go back to wacky Rome, Wisconsin once more.......2007-08-30

It is amazing in watching Season 1 of David E. Kelley's "Picket Fences" how much I remember about most of these episodes. But then who could ever forget the Tin Man dropping dead during the town of Rome, Wisconsin's production of "The Wizard of Oz"? On the other hand, this time around I was shocked to realized that it was a very young Elisabeth Moss (later Zoey Barlet on "The West Wing") who turned to Zack after the family had caught Kimberly in bed and utters the immortal words: "Yes, that was sex. Naked nude sex" ("High Tidings"). Those words stuck with us for some time. Nobody was ever just naked or just nude, they were always naked nude, and as for sex, it was never just sex it had to be "naked nude sex." Talk about your walk down memory lane, finally having this show out on DVD provides one of the best examples of that particular experience in quite some time.

I love dramedies and "Picket Fences" certainly counts as one. Time and time again Douglas Wambaugh (Fyvush Finkel) shows up for the defense of everybody from "the serial bather" ("Frank the Potato Man") to "the polygamist bride" ("Nuclear Meltdowns") and just when you think he is a complete clown he turns and levels somebody with a scowl and a pointed remark. It always seems to be the latter I remember better. I find nothing much has changed when I watch these episodes again. Carter Pike drives me crazy with his incessant demands to be deputized or dig up a corpse, but then his lousy love life ("Sightings," the only episode in Season 1 that does not have Kelly as at least a co-writer) renders him human again. Deputy Maxine Steart (Lauren Holly) is almost as bad as she sees serial killers around every corner, except she was right about "The Green Bay Chopper" and Cupid ("Be My Valentine"). Then there is her partner Kenny Lacos (Costas Mandylor) dating those twins ("The Body Politic"). And these are just the supporting characters.

At the heart of the show is the family Brock, where Sheriff Jimmy Brock (Tom Skerrit) give voice to Kelley's conservative impulses and his wife Dr. Jill Brock (Kathy Baker) usually gets the liberal positions (both Skerrit and Baker won Emmys for that first season, as did the series for Best Drama). The contrastive viewpoints are necessary because Kelley clearly scanned the headlines for controversial issues to write about, from mercy killing ("Sacred Hearts") and transsexuals ("Pageantry"), to menopause ("Bad Moons Rising"), an HIV-positive dentist ("The Body Politics"), and using fetal tissue to treat Parkinson's Disease ("Fetel Attraction"). Actually, I was surprised that although the issue episodes stand out, there were more dealing with solving crimes, from a 10-year-old suicide ("Remembering Rosemary") to a more recent one ("The Snake Lady"), and all the other weird cases involving "Frank the Potato Man," "The Frog Man," and the Chippewas who take over the courthouse because the city wants to put the 18th hole of the golf course over an ancient burial ground ("Rights of Passage"). Seeing Kenny in the lockeroom after the standout talking about the man he killed was just as powerful the second time, as was the whole bit with Max adopting a baby ("The Lullaby League"), and who can forget guest star Dellas Reese calling Zach (Adam Wylie) "little bittie thang" in that one? Which reminds me, Jimmy and Jill should trust Kimberly (Holly Marie Combs) and not freak out everytime she kisses a girl ("Sugar and Spice") or whatever. The kid has a good head on her shoulder and the Brocks should be open to the idea that maybe they were good parents in raising her.

There are some regrets with this DVD in that the cast does not have more of a hand in the extras found on "Picket Fences: Season 1," like with some nice commentary tracks. In the featurette on the final DVD, David E. Kelly does most of the talk but all of the other principles chime in during an all too short look at how the show came together. The show's creator expresses surprise that Judge Henry Bone became the voice of the town, but that seems absolutely inevitable given Ray Walston's virtuoso performance. Sometimes the actor is so damn good that what they are doing so effortlessly does not constitute scene stealing. Judge Bone simply commanded your attention every time he opened his mouth in his courtroom. Which reminds me: not only is there a reference to "Jimmy Berluti" early on in Season 1 ("Remembering Rosemary"), in the pilot episode I swear that Costas Mandylor as Kenny Lacos sounds just like Michael Badalucco on "The Practice." So I have the feeling that there really is a Jimmy Berluti out there in the world that Kelly is channeling through these characters.

Stands the test of time.......2007-08-29

Put in the first show/disc and within the first 60 seconds a person playing the Tim Man in the towns version of the Wizard of Oz is found dead back stage, someone leans over him and says...maybe it is his heart.

If you can't find the humor in that then you will miss the best parts of Picket Fences. There are so many huge issues taken on but also so many small gems that you can watch each show over and over and find something new.

Wonderful show, great package, bring on the next season. Soon please!

One of the greatest shows finally on DVD.......2007-08-27

Picket fences is one of the best shows ever on TV. Full of quirky yet lovable characters and some very offbeat stories that manage to force you to deal with some very important social issues. The DVD transfers are superb except for the first episode. Incidentally I'm never "Pre-Ordering" anything ever again. Shelled out $40 bucks for this and now it's going for $25.... Sigh. Can't wait for the rest of the seasons.....

Great show...a classic.......2007-08-26

I loved this show when it was in its original run on TV, and I'm finding I am enjoying it even more now that it's out on DVD. It's quirky sometimes, funny sometimes, serious sometimes...overall it's well worth the price. I'd recommend "Picket Fences" to anyone who wants to watch something a little different from the boring norm of most of today's TV shows.

Average customer rating:

Incredible Journey
THEY ARE THE SAME PEOPLE, ALL OVER THE EARTH!
Rabbit-Proof Fence
Inspiring True Story
glad I bought it

Rabbit-Proof Fence
Starring: Jason Clarke , David Gulpilil , Ken Radley , Kenneth Branagh , and Garry McDonald
Director: Phillip Noyce
Manufacturer: Miramax Home Entertainment
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ASIN: B00005JLD4
Release Date: 2003-04-15

Amazon.com

Based on a true story, Rabbit-Proof Fence moves with dignified grace from its joyful opening scenes to a conclusion that's moving beyond words. The title refers to a 1,500-mile fence separating outback desert from the farmlands of Western Australia. It is here, in 1931, that three aboriginal girls are separated from their mothers and transported to a distant training school, where they are prepared for assimilation into white society by a racist government policy. Gracie, Daisy, and Molly belong to Australia's "stolen generations," and this riveting film (based on the book by Molly's daughter, Doris Pilkington Garimara) follows their escape and tenacious journey homeward, while a stubborn policy enforcer (Kenneth Branagh) demands their recapture. Director Phillip Noyce chronicles their ordeal with gentle compassion, guiding his untrained, aboriginal child actors with a keen eye for meaningful expressions. Their performances evoke powerful emotions (subtly enhanced by Peter Gabriel's excellent score), illuminating a shameful chapter of Australian history while conveying our universal need for a true and proper home. --Jeff Shannon

Description

RABBIT-PROOF Fence -- featuring the Golden Globe-nominated score by Peter Gabriel -- is a powerful true story of hope and survival and has been met with international acclaim! At a time when it was Australian government policy to train aboriginal children as domestic workers and integrate them into white society, young Molly Craig decides to lead her little sister and cousin in a daring escape from their internment camp. Molly and the girls, part of what would become known as Australia's "Stolen Generations," must then elude the authorities on a dangerous 1,500-mile adventure along the rabbit-proof fence that bisects the continent and will lead them home. As shown by this outstanding motion picture, their universally touching plight and unparalleled courage are a beautiful testament to the undying strength of the human spirit!

Customer Reviews:

Incredible Journey.......2007-08-13

I watched RPF last night. This is a well directed, very moving story about 2 sisters and a cousin who were taken from their mothers because they were half cast (aborigine/white). The girls were taken to a camp 1200 miles away that would indoctrinate them into the ways of white society. The girls, led by 14 year-old Molly make an escape from the camp and WALK back home (about a 2 month journey I think), using the fence as a sort of compass.

Well directed, well acted (the young girls are INCREDIBLE), beautifully shot, and a very engaging story. The director's goal of making these kids YOUR kids was achieved as far as I'm concerned.

Bravo! One of the better films I've seen in many years!

THEY ARE THE SAME PEOPLE, ALL OVER THE EARTH!.......2007-07-27

RABBIT-PROOF FENCE is visually beautiful as well as the story. The story line is about three little Australian Aborigine girls who flee a white concentration camp where mixed race Aborigine children are "taught to conform." The movie reminded me so much of the TV movie, THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF MISS JANE PITTMAN. There was no difference between Australia during that time and America during slavery. No one really talks about Australia and the Aborigines, this movie SHOWS you!

Rabbit-Proof Fence.......2007-07-23

Based on a true story that marks an especially repugnant episode in Australian history, Noyce's visually arresting, powerfully moving "Fence" concerns efforts begun in the 1930s to recondition indigenous children of mixed heritage to be more "white," through enforced training and the putatively superior discipline of civilized society. Sampi is marvelous as the scrappy and stoic eldest child, traipsing through the barren outback in tattered clothes and scavenging food with her clinging siblings while evading tracker Moodoo (David Gulpilil). Branagh is excellent, too, as the cold, noxious functionary obsessed with their capture. Don't hop this "Fence."

Inspiring True Story.......2007-06-05

Between 1905 and 1971 the Australian government had enacted a policy of forcibly removed all half-caste Aboriginal children to special training schools. The grown daughter of Molly wrote a book about her mother's experiences and this movie is an adaptation of that true story.

In 1931, Molly and her younger cousins, Gracie and Daisy, were three half-caste children from Western Australia who were taken from their parents under government edict and sent to an institution, were taught to forget their families, their culture, and re-invent themselves as members of "white" Australian society. The three girls begin an epic journey back to Western Australia, traveling 1,500 miles on foot with no food or water, and navigating by following the fence that has been build across the nation to stem an over-population of rabbits.

Though the movie shows that the government's officer in charge had essentially good intentions. That these actions brought about by this policy were misguided and ultimately very destructive to Australia's Aborigine people and to the nation's moral fabric. This story of hope and survival will give you faith in the undying strength of the human spirit. Well worth watching.

glad I bought it.......2007-05-15

After reading the book I wanted to see if the essence of the story would be uphelt in the movie and I wasn't disappointed. In fact I felt it helped me understand the enormity of what these girls accomplished!

Average customer rating:

This is refreshing.
A microcosm deserves to be seen, with moral issues of certain school behaviors
Interesting Flick
A breakthrough for Asian American cinema.
Better Luck Tomorrow

MTV Films Present: Better Luck Tomorrow
Starring: Shirley Anderson (III) , Ashley Arai , Ryan Cadiz , Karin Anna Cheung , and Danielle Conner
Manufacturer: Paramount
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ASIN: B0000AI424
Release Date: 2003-09-30

Amazon.com

Justin Lin's well-received 2002 independent feature, Better Luck Tomorrow, is a strangely appealing story of the mysterious, somehow inexorable drift of an ultra-conscientious, Southern California high school senior, Ben (Parry Shen), toward a fateful interlude with crime. Though highly focused on impressing colleges with his thoughtful balance of excellent grades, energized volunteer work (as a translator), and varsity sports (warming the bench during basketball games), something about Ben appears to be unraveling. Perhaps it is an attraction to his out-of-reach lab partner (Karin Anna Cheung), or his growing attachment to hard cash, or simply the malaise that coats his every act of self-denial. In any case, he and a brood of fellow Asian American overachievers metamorphose into the local go-to gang of black-market thievery--all while keeping up their classes. Lin brings a fresh angle to the exhausted youth-crime genre, and clarifies, with no small wisdom, the distinction between building a future and living one's destiny. --Tom Keogh

Customer Reviews:

This is refreshing........2007-08-09

After decades of being type-casted by other films, its refreshing to see Asian American kids just doing normal American stuff. Lets leave all the stereo-types behind.

A microcosm deserves to be seen, with moral issues of certain school behaviors.......2007-06-30

BETTER LUCK TOMORROW (2002) is a remarkable independent film, highly
realistic and original in the story that it tells. It brings forth,
as well, multicultural aspects as it has viewers mulling over that
and other moral and faith implications and foundations important to
each person. These too often are not taught, are forgotten or
dismissed as a pointless "overhead" needing eliminatation in the
final "profit analysis " in many people's lives.

Although the events occur in high school, the audience will surely
empathize with quite a bit of the storym as youngters build and
solify their character during those school years, from taking on new
life experiences.

In this tale, just as food cooks faster in a pressure cooker, and so
do the characters in this movie, aging faster than otherwise, by
taking on a large number of obligations, activities and social
interactions, beyond what many students do. The protagonists are
extraordinarily self-aware of what is needed in landing a
scholarship in the most expensive, brand name US universities, thus
ambitious objectives, in terms of a resume-building, such as
volunteerism, exam results, sports team membership, work experience.

A handful of school colleagues become friends, and thru exterior
influence, adopt small time scams, evolving to bigger ones, for
monetary profit, egomaniacal reasons (social status, self-worth) and
for the challenge. Examples shown include exam cheating, shoplifting
and simulating a return of merchandise, narco-trafficking, outright
theft of goods from their own school, etc.

A number of parallel issues, not edited out, are raised such as the
discomfort of affirmative action among those who are minorities who
obtained their jobs by merit. Another is the ghetto aspect to this
group of friends, all Asian yet all fully immersed in American
culture, well adjusted.

The flaw of this work, is that the moral aspects are brought out
into the open, in a clumsy, very vague, generalized manner, without
any familiarized notion of any organized existing religion or life
philosophy, irrealistically. The confusion, hesitance, remorse, pain
and self-doubt shown by the lead character, from a murder, sexual
excesses, simulated burglary, participation in the scams perhaps
could have been clarified, assisted by popular faiths. All students
are shown as atheistic or totally clueless about this, which seems
implausible, even unrealistic.

The picture is filmed with talent, very well edited, until the
cadence of action seems to flounder at the 75 minute mark, in the
plateau of the events, preparing the public for a relatively short
ending sequence. There's a sharp, clear DVD transfer, not quite a
widescreen. The soundtrack is original, and skillfully couples
various musical selections with the proper moods.

Undoubtedly, this work deserves to be seen, for the microcosm that
is laid out bare on screen, with events entirely realistic, and from
the action that maintains viewers attentions throughout as well as
from the aspects already mentioned (moral, multicultural) if not the
natural charisma of the actors.

Interesting Flick.......2007-02-21

Better Luck Tomorrow is an unusual little movie in that it is both a creation of Asian Americans and, most significantly, a film with Asian male characters who are not martial arts experts. In fact, it does not appear that any of the characters in this production are into martial arts at all.

The main characters are a group of Asian American students in Orange County who are generally academic standouts. After a fight with a white football jock who took exception to an Asian American tennis player wearing a letterman's jacket, the tennis player becomes studly in the eyes of the other students. The other Asian American male youths see adopting a violent pose as being the ticket to respect. Even so, they still must pay attention to their grades and the upcoming SAT's. Also, they are still unable to score any dates.

This latter point leads us to the true context that this movie needs to be seen in. Young Asian American males find it difficult to get dates. Many Asian American females seem to prefer white guys so much so that for every 1,000 married Asian American women, there are only 860 married Asian American males. Meanwhile, females of other racial groups seem to have little to no interest in Asian American male youth. Hence a great deal of frustration among many young Asian American males who cannot get dates.

This is a most interesting movie that hopefully presages more movies down the line pertaining to the Asian American experience that are made by Asian Americans.

A breakthrough for Asian American cinema........2007-01-14

Like many of you who have read the on-line reviews, "Better Luck Tomorrow" is a breakthrough film for Asian Americans. This is the film that helped put Justin Lin on the map, and I loved it for its respect in showing the pressures of high school life in the United States from the Asian American perspective. It is a groundbreaking film with a well-written script, and I commend it for the strong performances of its lead actors Parry Shen, Karin Anna Cheung, John Cho, and Sung Kang.

"Better Luck Tomorrow" is the first full-on Asian American feature film I have ever seen. Just imagine how I must have felt after years of watching my people portrayed as 1-dimensional stereotypical caricatures on screen for us to finally see a film that accurately portrays Asian Americans. Lin, arguably, understands the Asian American ethos better than any other Hollywood filmmaker out there. He's still a rising filmmaker in Hollywood who is making a name for himself in an extremely racist industry; I hope that in a few years, there will be more films by Lin and many other Asian American filmmakers that dispel a lot of the negative stereotypes perpetuated upon Asian Americans by mainstream American society for the past 150 years.

Most other Asian American filmmakers never got a shot at the brass ring, and I am sorry to hear that, but Lin did through his chance meeting with M.C. Hammer, who was impressed by the well-written quality of Lin's script for "Better Luck Tomorrow." This came at a time when Lin had no funding left for his independent film production company and was on the verge of shutting down. It was M.C. Hammer who helped fund Lin's film ($250,000 to produce "Better Luck Tomorrow"), and helped arrange Lin to meet with MTV executives to promote and distribute it through Paramount Pictures Studios. The only "luck" involved throughout the film's funding, production, and distribution was in its title. Lin put his heart and creative energy into this film like the way John G. Avildsen did with the original "Rocky."

I want Justin Lin to succeed in Hollywood, and his success allows more doors to be opened for Asian American filmmakers and Asian American actors who want to work in Hollywood. Lin got his foot in the gate, and he's prying it open. He has clearly shown to the American mainstream that Asian Americans can be portrayed as all-around human beings who can love, hate, think, feel like everyone else. At this point, Asian American filmmakers are still trying to find "a voice" in the Hollywood community. It's still in the "trials and tribulations" stage, and they have to take the lumps with the praises. We have to work with what we've got until that day arrives. It is good to know that we were able to establish that first breakthrough with "Better Luck Tomorrow."

As for martial arts, leave those films to Chuck Norris...

Better Luck Tomorrow.......2006-02-22

I love this movie, this is the movie I leave in the DVD player on REPEAT....haha.

Average customer rating:

How is this a sequel??
Just a Special Feature
Meet The Sandlot's little annoying brother
doesn't get any better
Movie made for money

The Sandlot 2
Starring: Mike Antonakos , Neilen Benvegnu , Sean Berdy , Celia Bond , and Samantha Burton
Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox
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ASIN: B0007LLPWO
Release Date: 2005-05-03

Product Description

From the director of The Sandlot comes this fun-filled sequel that proves the power of teamwork and celebrates the magic of friendship. Ten years after the original story, the local dirt field is no "home" to a new group of neighborhood kids who get together to share laughs, show off...and play ball! But the gang faces their toughest challenge as they try to retrieve an irreplaceable model rocket that lands in Mr. Mertle's (James Earl Jones) backyard behind left field - a forbidden territory guarded by a legendary beast know as "The Great Fear."

Amazon.com

A decade has passed in the small town where the original Sandlot gang banded together during the summer of '62 to play baseball and battle the Beast. Now comes the sequel, a campy romp back to the dugout where nine new kids descend on the diamond only to discover that a descendant of the Beast lives in Mr. Mertle's backyard--a monster of mythical proportions known as "The Great Fear." Director/writer David Evans cleverly ties his two films together by introducing Johnnie Smalls, kid brother of Scotty Smalls ("You're killin' me, Smalls") who is well-versed in the legendary struggle for possession of the Babe Ruth baseball. Smalls befriends the sandlot gang (which now includes three girls) and its leader, David Vincent Durango, and relates the rumor of "a mutated, insane Bigfoot dog thing" behind the left field fence. Summer unfolds with baseball rivalries, rocket launchers, and the infamous Carnival kissing booth, but fate will forever change the history of the sandlot when a crisis forces Smalls and Durango to join forces against The Fear. Regardless of one's sentiments on sequels, Evans' writing in this remake is nearly as fresh and full of memorable quips as the original, including his characteristically understated narration. And while the film may be faulted for its forced melodrama and unseasoned cast, James Earl Jones lends his star appeal and the 70s soundtrack will make you wish for the days when fireworks were legal. Rated PG for profanity and raunchy humor. (Ages 6 to 14) --Lynn Gibson

Customer Reviews:

How is this a sequel??.......2007-05-29

This is not a sequel to Sandlot.. It's a HORRIBLE remake.. the scenes are almost exactly the same but cheesier.. blech.. I can't believe they tried to murder the original. Shame on whoever made this.

Just a Special Feature.......2007-05-14

This dvd may be good for fans of the original movie only because of the Special Feature "Sandlot Kids: Then and Now" which has interviews and behind the scenes shots of the original films cast.
For a better follow up story to "The Sandlot" I'd recommend the recently released "Sandlot 3 Heading Home".

Meet The Sandlot's little annoying brother .......2007-04-13

Usually when a sequel is made it goes out of its way to be different than the original, even if the original was a classic film. This one, despite trying to be everything that the original Sandlot was, fails miserably.

First of all, there is no real personality to the characters like there was in the first one. This might just be the acting, the script, or a combination of both. There is no sense of camaraderie between the characters in comparsion to the original Sandlot. The stupidity of some scenes don't fall into the "fun" category that we might excuse in a kid's movie. Instead, this movie's production seemed rushed and out to profit from the first film. We see this with so many of the same scenes and conflicts from the first film: the battle for the sandlot, the insults being thrown between the two rival teams, hitting the ball over the fence and having to retrieve it, the legend, etc. If there is one difference, it is that it is supposed to be 10 years later, and there are 3 girls on the team.

Sometimes you can forgive a movie for being unoriginal and poor. But, not this one.

The average 2 star rating given to this film is about right on I'd say.

doesn't get any better.......2006-11-10

My 5 and 8 year old loved the first sandlot and so I ventured to buy this one. They love it! I was very impressed. It is a clean family movie that I feel comfortable letting them watch. They watched it over and over again. I think you will be very pleased.

Movie made for money.......2006-09-24

Not worth seeing if you have seen the first one...all this move does is mirror the first sandlot. Change the names add a couple of girls and maybe switch the script around and Sandlot 1 and 2 are pretty much the same. I bet you could watch them at the same time and the timing would be right but the words would be different. Not worth buying if you have the first one. Which I will add is an awsome movie. This movie should have never been made...stay away from S2 because the only purpose of this movie was to make the director some more money and make you poor.

Average customer rating:

Pure nostalgia
The Real Thing
2/3 of perhaps the best and funniest Roy Rogers movie
The Best Roy Rogers Video
Comments on Don't Fence Me In

Don't Fence Me In
Starring: Roy Rogers , Trigger , George 'Gabby' Hayes , Dale Evans , and Robert Livingston
Director: John English
Manufacturer: Good Times Video
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ASIN: B00022LIC0
Release Date: 2004-07-13

Customer Reviews:

Pure nostalgia.......2007-03-08

Just brings back memories of childhood. Get this one rather than the 'Roy Rogers Theatre' version. No idle chat or cuts. Lovely!

The Real Thing.......2006-09-10

The children of the 1940's loved Roy Rogers. He was the leading box-office cowboy for 10 years. However times were slower then. "The Little Rascals / Our Gang" series of the 1930's is a wonderful series, loved by children and adults of the time; but also made when times were slower. Children and adults today, may not have the patience and appreciation for the charm of "Roy Rogers" and the old "Little Rascals".

Roy Rogers was everything in real life that he plays in the movies. You like Roy Rogers films; if you like Roy. The stories are pleasant, and hold your attention; but not as exciting compared to today's special effects. Many of his films have similar plot style. Some of his stories, like the sheriff being crooked, with a gang of deputies that robs every gold shipment from the mines, with the town helpless, except for the arrival of the hero, seemed far-fetched. However, I later read a historical biography that told this same true story. It was true. Reality is sometimes stranger than fiction.

Roy was the best, in real life and on film, he was the best singer, always some good songs, the best yodeler,(he yodels in his songs in a couple films), he had true close, life-long, friendships with many of his on-screen friends, he was a great shot, and a real hunter, best outfits, his horse, which he owned in real life, did lots of tricks, his hard to win love, Dale Evans, took some effort for him to win in real life, but became a true and romantic love, and his wife. Roy was quite the athlete, he could walk for an hour on his hands. Roy was a good guy in real life, visiting children's hospitals throughout all the States.

Reading about Roy and Dale's off-screen lives, in their great book, "Happy Trails", makes their films endearing. The book tells how Dale was not at first interested in the real, cowboy, Roy; because she wanted to be a glamorous, city, singer, (it is best to read it) however, in summary, Roy does save her in a real life, adventure, incident, sweeping her off her feet. Their romance on-screen plays so interesting; because of their true romance off-screen.

I like the "Happy Trails Theatre" versions best. (This is such a version). A before and after segment, made many years later, is hosted by Roy and Dale, in their later years. They always have a guest.

The "Dont Fence Me In" song in this film is a good song.

I have seen 40 Roy Rogers films, and liked them all. Roy and Dale were good people, of an era gone by, the era of Walt Disney and Shirley Temple. Roy's films, not found here, can be found on RoyRogers dot commmmmm. "The Television Collection Vol.2" of Roy's has excellent songs, with guests, and is a pleasant surprise.

2/3 of perhaps the best and funniest Roy Rogers movie.......2004-07-24

Don't Fence Me is a 5-star Roy Rogers-Dale Evans movie which runs 71 minutes (B&W). This Happy Trails Theatre version cuts out about 19 minutes from the original movie. (An introduction and closing remarks with Roy and Dale done for TV in the 1980's adds about 12 minutes, but the film itself runs about 49 minutes in this eviscerated Happy Trails incarnation.)

The original version of Don't Fence Me In became available in 1998 on Republic VHS AIBN B00000EZWW. The audio on the Happy Trails DVD reviewed here is cleaner, raising hopes for an authentic DVD restoration of the whole film at some point. The 2 stars for this DVD are for better-than-nothing and the audio improvement. However, since songs such as Along the Navajo Trail have been edited out, along with much of the comedy--a 13 minute continuous segement is missing-- much of the benefit of better audio is lost. Get the Republic (not the Happy Trails) VHS instead for a delightful 1945 matinee classic.

The Best Roy Rogers Video.......2004-01-08

This video is probibly the best Roy Rogers video there is. Dale Evans is an Eastern reporter/photographer who goes west to find the true story of the long dead Wild Cat Kelly. She meets Roy and Gabby and messes things up for them, but in the end everything works out. Roy and Dale have some funny scenes together and Gabby does a wonderful job. Some of the great songs include Tumbling Tumbleweeds, Along the Navajo Trial and the title song by Cole Porter .

Comments on Don't Fence Me In.......2000-02-10

The quality of this video is very good from both visual and sound aspects. In addition this is a full length version with a running time of over 70 minutes as opposed to the 54 minute TV version found in some earlier video releases. This is one of the very best Roy Rogers films. An outstanding performance as the retired outlaw Wildcat Kelly by "Gabby" Hayes adds considerably to the value of this film. This is a must for Roy Rogers' fans

Average customer rating:

Thought-provoking in a way similar to "Crash" but not as well told
So Sorry...
Actually 3 1/2
True To Life!
A Serious Drama!

Good Fences
Starring: Danny Glover , Whoopi Goldberg , Zachary Simmons Glover , Mo'Nique , and Ryan Michelle Bathe
Director: Ernest R. Dickerson
Manufacturer: Showtime Ent.
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B0000DIJNJ
Release Date: 2003-12-16

Description

Good Fences reunites Goldberg and Glover for the first time since their now classic pairing in Steven Spielberg's The Color Purple in 1985. This is a story of an upwardly mobile yet dysfunctional black family who find themselves standing at the lily- white gates of the American Dream. They come to discover that nothing in life is just black and white and that the road to a better life may just be another path of struggle and survival.

Customer Reviews:

Thought-provoking in a way similar to "Crash" but not as well told.......2007-06-17

Desperate Housewives meets The Jeffersons meets Crash

This is a movie you'd only watch in order to provoke a discussion about race and society and ambition, and since it's set in the past, even that discussion is of limited value. It isn't a well-told story, the plot jumps from vignette to vignette without a clear connection. Gradually you 'get' what's going on but the story is never fleshed out. It's more a series of snapshots that you're left to fill in the blank spaces between.

As others noted, the description on the back of the DVD case is totally off the mark - this movie is not at all funny or a comedy unless you like making fun of people with narrow stereotypical caricatures. I did not laugh once. Good Fences (a complete misnomer of a title, there are no fences in the movie, but I'm nit-picking) does have some very strong points as you observe what the two main characters are willing to do to themselves in the pursuit of a so-called better life; this element would be the basis for a very meaningful discussion and the reason why I gave the movie two stars instead of one.

The movie is rated R and definitely deserves it. There is frontal nudity and the seduction of a teenage boy, both completely unnecessary to the plotline. Hanging is portrayed, spousal abuse is intimated, bigotry runs rampant, drug abuse and other criminal behaviors are mixed into the suburban cauldron in a lame attempt to keep the plot interesting. Mostly I just ended up feeling sorry for the actors at being stuck in such a bad production. If the movie were recut it could be very powerful. As it is, you can assume that they slapped the "non-stop hilarity" label on the back of the DVD in a desperate attempt to get people to watch it. Go see Crash and watch The Jeffersons instead.

So Sorry..........2006-08-29

Yes, I'm afraid I can't agree with any of the reviews above, except that they are all right in saying that this movie certainly is not at all funny. (The only funny thing, in fact, is Whoopi Goldberg's absurd glasses.) This movie is a real snore. It doesn't start anywhere, and it doesn't go anywhere. It's too long and it pieces together all kinds of different scenes without any kind of rationale. The idea of the cost of upward mobility is interesting, but the execution is flawed, and I can understand why more people haven't heard of this movie.

Actually 3 1/2.......2006-08-14

I agree this was not a comedy. The story of the black man that makes it far enough to where he is suspicious of other blacks living on his block was interesting. He actually set a house on fire so a black neighbor wouldn't buy it. I really enjoyed the curious white women also. The grocery store scenes were also quite interesting.
Towards the end when Glovers daughter had the blond hair and the contacts, I was saying damn, look how far things have gone. Wonder what daddy would have thought. As for the end, I wonder, did Mable ever tell Ruth what happened with the house. I liked the movie but have seen better ones with a similar plot.

True To Life!.......2005-01-05

I thought this movie was a comedy when I got it,but it is a far cry from that. Although there are some lighthearted moments in it, this is a heartfelt film.
Whoopie Goldberg and Danny Glover play a black family. Glover had a disturbing past with bigot whites in his youth. His determindation to make something of himself pays off and soon he and his family are living on easy street. However, things are not as they should be. This movie shows, I believe, that we must all be true to ourselves, rich or poor, black or white, we are happiest when we do not try to be what others what us to be.
No one can be happy when they surpress their true desires and try to live the way they feel others think they should.If we respect one another, try to live peaceable our world would be a much happier place to live in. I feel this was the basic of the movie and they did a very job in showing that.

A Serious Drama!.......2004-08-13

First of all I would like to say that this movie is not funny or meant to be funny as one customer stated in their review. I don't want viewers to get confused and miss out on a serious drama portrayed quite well by Glover and Goldberg. I have seen this movie a few times, and I myself never even thought about the roles they played in The Color Purple, which incidently was also a serious drama. For anyone to think otherwise, they simply have a closed mind, and really missed the point. This is a "must see". A story that is very common, because so many people "Forget where they came from."

Average customer rating:

ENY
The power of reality!!!
Love in the Struggle
"Black Picket Fence" Goes Farther Than "8 Mile"
REALITY SHOCKS

Black Picket Fence
Starring: Tislam Milliner , Kool G. Rap , and Mel (III)
Director: Sergio Goes
Manufacturer: Image Entertainment
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000093NT5
Release Date: 2003-06-24

Description

Tiz has a dream. He wants to be asuccessful hip-hop rapper, get out of the projects and have a nice house in the suburbs where he can chill without worrying about a bullet in his back. But at 25, with a young son and close friends depending on him, is real escape ever possible? An inspiring story of survival, this hard-hitting documentary from award-winning Sergio Goes follows Tislam Miller, a struggling rapper in the public housing projects of Brooklyn's East New York. Mentored by the legendary Kool G Rap, Tiz is making impressive strides in his career but remains tied to his old life, primarily through his drug-dealing best friend, Mel, who has just gotten out of prison. With candid interviews, lyrical moments of grim beauty and powerful verite footage taking us beyond rap world stereotypes, Black Picket Fence is an powerful experience honored by the Brooklyn International Film Festival.

Customer Reviews:

ENY.......2005-07-29

Having lived in East New York for 12 years, and remaining very close the community, I can attest to the street authenticity of Black Picket Fence. This is basically a docudrama that follows the lives of an aspiring rapper and his close friend who is just released from prison. For those who don't know, East New York is a section of Brooklyn with a historically high crime rate. As there are many East New York's in the United States the story is indicative of the struggles of many young black males who are continuously tempted by the lure of fast-buck crime as they attempt to locate comfort within a world that is mainly indifferent to their existence. Producer Sergio Goes does an excellent job in capturing the pulsating turbulence of the environment where the subjects reside, as well as presenting their individual characteristics in a manner that allows the viewer to comprehend and appreciate their state of mind. For many Americans the ghetto is a caricatural habitat; for many residents of the ghetto it is the only world they will ever know. Goes provides an open gate along the Black Picket Fence which otherwise draws the line between both sides of ignorance.

The power of reality!!!.......2003-10-03

What a film...
...no stereotyps, no fuzz...
Real talks with real people living in a planet far away from mine but really only 10 stops away from my subway stop...

All my thumbs up!!!
M

Love in the Struggle.......2003-07-17

This film is in your face. After watching BPF the first time i felt the adrenaline of being on the streets of New York, felt the connection of Tiz, Mel and the crew and felt the message Goes worked so hard to get over the 2 years it took to film this in the real.

No cliches, just true life dreams of success in the struggle. These stories are rugged but somehow they translate to everyone's desire for love, happiness and security.
One of my all time favorites!
peace

"Black Picket Fence" Goes Farther Than "8 Mile".......2003-07-07

Sergio Goes, the director of this intriguing documentary, goes farther and deeper into the making of a rap artist than the makers of the film "8 Mile." Like the movie, the doc does a good job of delving into the oddyssey of a struggling rapper, but "Black Picket Fence" goes the extra mile to show how the real-life musician finds his way out of the 'hood' and ironically ends up in the 'burbs.' Whether his modest success is a spin-off of the American Dream, as the title implies, I'm not sure...but it's quite a journey, and there are some memorable scenes along the way.

REALITY SHOCKS.......2003-06-26

WE ALWAYS CLOSE OUR EYES TO WHAT IS HAPPENING IN OUR neighborhoods , BUT LIFE IS HARD TO THOSE AT EAST NEW YORK AND AROUND THE WORLD. POLITICIANS HAVE TO WAKE UP TO THE PROBLENS OF MINORITIES AND THE POOR.

The Zane Grey Collection: 5 RARELY SEEN Features from the Golden Age of Hollywood Westerns: The Fighting Caravans, The Fighting Westerner, Hell Town, To the Last Man & Drift Fence

Average customer rating:

Zane Grey Collection

The Zane Grey Collection: 5 RARELY SEEN Features from the Golden Age of Hollywood Westerns: The Fighting Caravans, The Fighting Westerner, Hell Town, To the Last Man & Drift Fence
Starring: Various
Manufacturer: Total Content
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Westerns | Genres | DVD | Video

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ASIN: B000F0UUUA
Release Date: 2006-03-14

Description

Saddle-up for high adventure in this new action-packed collection of Western classics based on the best-selling novels of Zane Grey. You'll ride along with Hollywood legends like Gary Cooper, John Wayne and Randolph Scott in some of their most thrilling roles and exciting scenes. This big Collector's Edition is packed with 5 rarely seen features from the "Golden Age" of Hollywood Westerns, including: "The Fighting Caravans," "The Fighting Westerner," "Hell Town," "To the Last Man," and "Drift Fence." Black & White

Customer Reviews:

Zane Grey Collection.......2007-02-07

I ordered this for my father who is 85. He is an avid Zane Grey reader and I thought he'd like the 'old time movies' by the same author. He really enjoyed them, said they were like the ones he'd enjoyed as a boy on Saturday at the movies. My mother even enjoyed watching them, and she HATES movies. Great purchase, I would recommend them to any Western Movie Lover out there.

Discovery Channel - Thomas L. Friedman Reporting - Straddling the Fence

Average customer rating:

Discovery Channel - Thomas L. Friedman Reporting - Straddling the Fence

Manufacturer: Discovery Communications Inc.
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

A Thousand Splendid Suns

ASIN: B000HMOM3M

Product Description

Travel to Israel for a look at the causes and potential consequences of a massive new security wall now under construction a barrier between Israel and Palestine. Ostensibly, the wall is intended to keep suicide bombers out of Israel. But the wall's circuitous route which seems to go out of its way to include Jewish settlements smacks of a first step toward formalizing borders for two separate states. But, even as tensions rise in this "demographic time bomb," evidence points to a future that sees Palestinians giving up their pursuit of the West Bank and fighting instead for a better life.

Average customer rating:

Disappointed
Unable to Escape Your Past

The Fence
Starring: Freddy Rodríguez , Stacy Logan , Ann Jacques , Billy Wirth , and Jim Foley
Director: Peter Pistor
Manufacturer: Image Entertainment
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00000IYR7
Release Date: 1999-09-14

Description

His only crime was trying to survive. Locked up since the age of 15, Terry Griff (Billy Wirth) has known nothing but the harsh realities of incarceration. Now at the age of 29, he is up for early release and finds a new beginning in Jackie (Erica Gimpel). His happiness is short-lived when Terry, framed by a dishonest parole officer, is thrown into a world of corruption, danger and violence that he never believed could have existed on the other side of "The Fence."

Customer Reviews:

Disappointed.......2004-04-03

I was really hoping this movie would be good because I love Billy Wirth and his work. I have to admit I was disappointed in the whole movie. While the acting wasn't bad, I just didn't get the sense that things mattered as much to people as they should have. The love affair between Billy's character and the sister-in-law wasn't developed nearly enough. I just didn't feel for these people like I wanted to. In my opinion, not enough attention was paid to character development.

Unable to Escape Your Past.......2001-08-13

The Fence (1994)

Starring Billy Wirth as Griff put in jail at 15 for defending his mother from an abusive father. Locked away his youth is wasted in the correctional system. Given a chance to be paroled, with a close inmate who has become a father figure to him (Paul Benjamin). When an overdose kills his mentor Griff gets out in the real world, a place where he has never been in 18 years. He tries to bring comfort to the family and becomes involved with the sister in law. (Erica Gimpel.)

Hoping to have a normal life and love for the first time in his life only to have inmates from his pass show up along with a parole officer who is crooked.

He is doomed the minute he leaves prison. I felt it is the best work Mr. Wirth has done. The childlike expressions to seeing a baby for the first time, just the look on his face as air blows by, finding love and someone to care for him... just to get taken down and destroyed.

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