Home Media Magazine - September 7-13, 2008 - (Page 14) REVIEWS I THE RED GREEN SHOW: 2000 SEASON Street 9/16 Acorn, Comedy, $39.99 three-DVD set, NR. Stars Steve Smith, Patrick McKenna, Rick Green, Bob Bainborough. www.homemediamagazine.com F or those who have never had the pleasure of viewing “The Red Green Show,” it almost defies description. Imagine a parody of a Canadian cable-access variety show, filmed by quirky, inept middle-aged members of a sportsmen’s lodge, with segments ranging from do-it-yourself home improvement to marriage advice. The show aired on PBS from 1991 to 2006, with a varying cast of characters, but always including Red Green (Steve Smith), the leader of Possum Lodge, a self-proclaimed handyman who believes everything can be fixed with duct tape and finishes every Handyman Corner segment with the saying: “If the women don’t find you handsome, they should at least find you handy.” Newbie viewers probably shouldn’t start with the 2000 season, as some of the jokes are better enjoyed by long-term fans. However, anyone who gets a kick out of makeshift handyman adventures will enjoy the stunts of this season — from the snowmobile crafted from an old water heater, some Duraflame logs and pair of water skis, to the swamp boat made from an overturned van (you just need to see it). Some of my favorite segments I SHORT TRACK Prebook 9/8; Street 9/30 Monarch, Family, $24.95 DVD, ‘PG’ for mild thematic elements and some suggestive humor. Stars Pepper Sweeney, Barbara Niven, Joshua Snyder, Ann Bratton. E of the show involve Red giving sage advice on marriage and aging from behind his fly-tying desk. The 2000 season does not disappoint in this area — including an episode in which he suggests that if you are going to argue with your wife, you should be sure to have the truth, an expert and her best friend on your side. As with any show that runs for several seasons, fans can expect to face some disenchantment along the way as things change. But the show’s overall appeal is still intact — the projects are still absurd and Red is just as charmingly lazy as ever. The 2000 season is still a good buy for collectors. – Kyra Kudick I RAISE THE SONG: THE HISTORY OF PENN STATE When Penn State was chartered as an agricultural school in 1855, higher education Street 9/9 was usually pursued by rich Christian men. Inecom, Documentary, $19.95 DVD, NR. However, with America becoming more agricultural and industrial, there was a need roduced by Penn State University’s for a more educated workforce. television station, Raise the Song: The Thanks to the work of several individuals History of Penn State offers a quick (Penn State’s first president, Evan Pugh; Verbut thorough history of the university. mont congressman Justin Smith Morrill), the P 14 college found its footing as a “people’s college,” eventually becoming a topflight engineering school and offering correspondence courses to farmers. Through the years, Penn State also developed a liberal arts program, officially became a university, and adapted to social and educational changes. Oh, and it developed a really good football team. Raise the Song’s most interesting aspect is in profiling Penn State’s early days, which in turn mirrors the social and economic history of a young America. That should appeal to casual history buffs, as will the neat trivia revealed through the numerous interviews with alumni, professors, and university officials. As Penn State grows older, the film examines the school’s relatively recent accomplishments — such as its medical center and its library. If viewers can forgive the film’s recruitment-tool undertones, Raise the Song is an insightful look at an educational institution’s humble beginnings and its rise to prominence. – Pete Croatto ven those who don’t quite understand the appeal of auto racing must recognize its mass popularity. Promotional material for the family film Short Track informs us that racing is the No. 2-rated spectator sport in the country, one in three adult Americans is a racing fan and the average household income for NASCAR fans is more than $68,000. Also, it says 41% of racing fans are women. Those stats are good news for the makers of Short Track, who have created a mostly entertaining and certainly easy-to-follow family story about a racing clan challenged by obstacles, but willing to go the extra lap — or whatever racing metaphor you prefer. Blake Beckett, played by Pepper Sweeney, is a proven winner on the short-track racing circuit, but has never moved up to race on the long track with the big boys, and his time may be running out. He and his crew are tutoring a talented newcomer from California, the aptly nicknamed Indy, a young man who also takes a romantic interest in Blake’s beautiful daughter. Perhaps, though, this is finally Blake’s time to live in the sun and earn accolades. Short Track is a family story that is loaded with racing action, lingering and loving long shots of cars racing laps and gunning for the finish. It’s also full of elements presumably designed to keep its demographic happy and interested, including country music performed by Blake’s beautiful and talented daughter Abby, played by Ann Bratton. Infusing high energy with high octane, Short Track offers an amiable story that is also an ode to the sport it clearly adores. – Dan Bennett Home Media Magazine September 7–13, 2008 http://www.homemediamagazine.com
Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Home Media Magazine - September 7-13, 2008 Home Media Magazine - September 7, 2008 News Tweens Reviews Pipeline Research Top 20 DVD Sellers Top 20 Rentals and Top 10 Charts Just Announced Home Media Magazine - September 7-13, 2008 Home Media Magazine - September 7-13, 2008 - Home Media Magazine - September 7, 2008 (Page Cover1) Home Media Magazine - September 7-13, 2008 - Home Media Magazine - September 7, 2008 (Page Cover2) Home Media Magazine - September 7-13, 2008 - Home Media Magazine - September 7, 2008 (Page 1) Home Media Magazine - September 7-13, 2008 - Home Media Magazine - September 7, 2008 (Page 2) Home Media Magazine - September 7-13, 2008 - Home Media Magazine - September 7, 2008 (Page 3) Home Media Magazine - September 7-13, 2008 - News (Page 4) Home Media Magazine - September 7-13, 2008 - News (Page 5) Home Media Magazine - September 7-13, 2008 - News (Page 6) Home Media Magazine - September 7-13, 2008 - News (Page 7) Home Media Magazine - September 7-13, 2008 - News (Page 8) Home Media Magazine - September 7-13, 2008 - News (Page 9) Home Media Magazine - September 7-13, 2008 - Tweens (Page 10) Home Media Magazine - September 7-13, 2008 - Tweens (Page 11) Home Media Magazine - September 7-13, 2008 - Reviews (Page 12) Home Media Magazine - September 7-13, 2008 - Reviews (Page 13) Home Media Magazine - September 7-13, 2008 - Reviews (Page 14) Home Media Magazine - September 7-13, 2008 - Reviews (Page 15) Home Media Magazine - September 7-13, 2008 - Reviews (Page 16) Home Media Magazine - September 7-13, 2008 - Reviews (Page 17) Home Media Magazine - September 7-13, 2008 - Pipeline (Page 18) Home Media Magazine - September 7-13, 2008 - Pipeline (Page 19) Home Media Magazine - September 7-13, 2008 - Top 20 DVD Sellers (Page 20) Home Media Magazine - September 7-13, 2008 - Top 20 DVD Sellers (Page 21) Home Media Magazine - September 7-13, 2008 - Top 20 Rentals and Top 10 Charts (Page 22) Home Media Magazine - September 7-13, 2008 - Top 20 Rentals and Top 10 Charts (Page 23) Home Media Magazine - September 7-13, 2008 - Top 20 Rentals and Top 10 Charts (Page 24) Home Media Magazine - September 7-13, 2008 - Top 20 Rentals and Top 10 Charts (Page 25) Home Media Magazine - September 7-13, 2008 - Just Announced (Page 26) Home Media Magazine - September 7-13, 2008 - Just Announced (Page 27) Home Media Magazine - September 7-13, 2008 - Just Announced (Page 28) Home Media Magazine - September 7-13, 2008 - Just Announced (Page Cover3) Home Media Magazine - September 7-13, 2008 - Just Announced (Page Cover4)
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