Family Guy - Blue Harvest [UMD for PSP]

Family Guy - Blue Harvest [UMD for PSP] Review

What better way to launch Family Guy's sixth season and commemorate Star Wars' 30th anniversary than with this double-length Very Special Episode, a full-scale, awesomely animated spoof that recasts George Lucas' saga with Family Guy's galaxy of characters: Chris (Seth Green) is Luke; Lois (Alex Borstein) is Princess Leia; Peter (Seth McFarlane) is Han Solo, but not, as expected, Jabba the Hut; Brian (Seth, again) is Chewbacca; Quagmire (and again, Seth) is C3PO; Cleveland is R2D2; Herbert, the creepy senior pedophile, is Obi-Wan (both voiced by Mike Henry); and, of course, Stewie (Seth, already) is Darth Vader ("My diapers have gone over to the dark side"). Poor Meg is reduced to a cameo as the hideous reptilian creature that haunts the garbage compactor. Blue Harvest is reverently faithful to A New Hope, while engaging in typical Family Guy pop-culture references (everything from those old Grey Poupon commercials to Doctor Who, Airplane, Dirty Dancing, and Deal or No Deal) and bizarre digressions (the iconic opening crawl detours into an appreciation of a "way naked" Angelina Jolie in Gia). Along for the wild ride are Judd Nelson, who contributes a voice cameo as John Bender for a Breakfast Club gag, Rush Limbaugh railing against futuristic affirmative action on Tatooine talk radio, and Beverly D'Angelo and Chevy Chase as the vacationing Griswolds observing the rebellion from their orbiting station wagon. A Star Wars spoof in 2007 isn't exactly uncharted territory. As Chris Griffin notes in this episode's final moments, Robot Chicken brilliantly did it months earlier (and let us not forget Mel Brooks' Spaceballs from 1987; or, on second thought...). But the Force is strong with Family Guy, and who could resist the opportunity to hear the Muzak playing in a Death Star elevator? --Donald Liebenson

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Family Guy: Freakin' Party Pack - The Complete Collection

Family Guy: Freakin' Party Pack - The Complete Collection Review

FAMILY GUY VOLUME 1 (4 DISCS) FAMILY GUY VOLUME 2 (3 DISCS) FAMILY GUY VOLUME 3 (3 DISCS) FAMILY GUY VOLUME 4 (3 DISCS) FAMILY GUY VOLUME 5 (3 DISCS) FAMILY GUY PRESENTS STEWIE GRIFFIN (1 DISC)

**Plus: THEMED PING PONG PADDLES (2), NET, BALLS (4), POKER CHIPS (100) &

PLAYING CARDS **ALL IN A PLEXI CARRYING CASE.

Two Brothers (Widescreen Edition)

Two Brothers (Widescreen Edition) Review

Two Brothers (Widescreen Edition) Feature

• Two Brothers (Widescreen Edition)
• Two mischievous twin tiger cubs live a carefree life in an exotic jungle amidst beautiful ancient ruins. But one day, an act of fate forces them apart - one is sold to the circus, and the other becomes the governor's son's pet. Witness their remarkable journey as they grow up, reunite and find their way home.

Doing for tigers what The Bear did for Grizzlies and Kodiaks, Two Brothers offers lush adventure with a message that anyone can take to heart. French filmmaker Jean-Jacques Annaud directed both films, blessing them with his keen eye for beauty and a love for wildlife that's as impassioned as it is infectious. This time, the adorable critters are Kumal and Sangha, sibling tiger cubs in French Indochina circa 1920, separated when a treasure-hunting adventurer (Guy Pearce) inadvertently leads them to capture. He makes amends by defending their right to freedom, but before that can happen, the now-grown tigers must endure cruel treatment that younger viewers (and sensitive adults) may find somewhat traumatic. There's a purpose to their ordeal, however, and Annaud (along with a world-class tiger trainer, 30 different tigers, and minimal use of digital trickery) films this uplifting story as a child's fable, with equal measures of danger and irresistible charm. As a family-friendly plea to protect endangered tigers everywhere, Two Brothers is cute, cuddly, and easily recommended. --Jeff Shannon Guy Pearce, Jean-Claude Dreyfus. The amazing story of two feisty twin tiger cubs who are separated-one is sold to the circus while the other becomes the pet of a governor's son. But years later, the two adult tigers reunite and begin an amazing journey to find their way home. Directed by Jean-Jacques Annaud. 2004/color/105 min/PG.

Family Guy, Vol. 2 (With Bonus T-Shirt and DVD)

Family Guy, Vol. 2 (With Bonus T-Shirt and DVD) Review

The third and final season of Seth MacFarlane's late, lamented Family Guy finds television's most dysfunctional cartoon family even more animated than usual. As MacFarlane notes in a bonus segment about the controversial series' censorship battles, he was inspired to go for broke, thinking that the series, already juggled like a hot potato in the schedule (at one point, it aired opposite the mighty Friends), had been cancelled. Just as Spinal Tap walked the fine line between "clever and stupid," so did Family Guy gleefully mock the line between "edgy and offensive." Case in point is this set's holy grail: "When You Wish Upon a Weinstein," not aired during the series' original run, in which clueless Rhode Island patriarch Peter Griffin is convinced that if his lumpen son is to be rich and successful, he must become Jewish.

Like The Simpsons, Family Guy lends itself to multiple viewings to catch each densely packed episode's way-inside "one-percenter" gags (so-called by the creators because that is the percent of the audience who will get them), scattershot pop-culture references, surreal leaps, and gratuitous pot shots at everyone from, predictably, Oprah, Kevin Costner, and Bill Cosby to, unpredictably, Rita Rudner. Also like their Springfield counterparts, this series benefits from a great ensemble voice cast, with surprising contributions from a no-less-stellar roster of guest stars. Yes, that's actually Kelly Ripa as her "real" self, a heart-devouring alien in "Family Guy Viewer Mail #1," and June Foray popping in as Rocky the Flying Squirrel in "Brian Does Hollywood." Family Guy's stock has recently risen with its addition to Cartoon Network's "Adult Swim" lineup, a much better fit than prime time. To see Peter invite Charles Manson to a party for Sharon Tate ("but only if you don't embarrass me") is to marvel how much of this ever got on the air. Happily, it is on DVD. --Donald Liebenson

Robot Chicken: Star Wars

Robot Chicken: Star Wars Review

Robot Chicken: Star Wars Feature

• Condition: New
• Format: DVD
• Animated; Closed-captioned; Color; DVD; Full Screen; Widescreen; NTSC

Robot Chicken's finest half hour is more savvy than Spaceballs, more inside than Family Guy: Blue Harvest, and funnier, even, than The Star Wars Holiday Special. This Very Special Episode of Comedy Central's stop-motion animated series parodies and goofs on all things Star Wars, from a disgruntled Empire janitor to an ad for Admiral Ackbar Cereal ("Your tongues can't repel flavor of that magnitude"). Twenty three minutes goes by like the jump to hyperspace with such priceless bits as the collect phone call to Emperor Palpatine from Darth Vadar to inform him of the Death Star's destruction, awkward morning-after pillow talk between Luke and Leia ("That was so wrong"), and George Bush's newfound Jedi powers. Co-creators Seth Green and Matthew Senreich and company immerse viewers in the Robot Chicken universe with generous bonus features, including storyboarded deleted scenes (with self-deprecating commentary), behind the scenes footage of animation meetings, and alternate audio takes. Good sport George Lucas, who gave his blessing to this episode, boldly goes where William Shatner went before by voicing himself in a Star Wars convention sketch that concludes with a Lucas-worshiping geek telling his son that meeting his idol was the best day of his life. What about his son's birth? "Not even close," dad replies. But you don't have to have that kind of devotion to Star Wars to be amused by this weather forecast for Cloud City: "Cloudy, followed by clouds." --Donald Liebenson. A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away...no one was laughing at "Star Wars." Now, "Robot Chicken" mastermind Seth Green directs this affectionate animated spoof of the six-chapter space opera, in which Luke Skywalker (voiced by Mark Hamill) loses track of his own backstory, Darth Vader laments the Death Star's destruction by the "Aluminum Falcon," and more. Also stars the voices of Ahmed Best, Donald Faison, and George Lucas. 23 min. Standard; Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital stereo; Subtitles: English, French, Spanish; featurettes; audio commentary; deleted scenes; photo gallery; behind-the-scenes footage; more.