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Tom's TV Pilots marathon

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Tom:
     Bionic Woman: The Complete Series (2007/United States)
IMDb | Wikipedia
Universal Pictures, Universal Playback (United Kingdom)Length:324 min.Video:Anamorphic Widescreen 1.78Audio:English: Dolby Digital 5.1, Commentary: Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo Subtitles:
Plot:
Join one of TV's most stunning breakout heroines as the action-packed series Bionic Woman leaps onto DVD! From executive producer David Eick (Battlestar Galactica) comes this gripping re-imagining of the universally beloved character.

Jamie Sommers is a hard-working woman struggling to take care of her younger sister. But after a serious, life-threatening accident, Jamie is saved by a top-secret procedure that makes her much more than just an ordinary woman... it makes her superhumanly bionic. Starring hot newcomer Michelle Ryan, as well as Miguel Ferrer (Crossing Jordan), Molly Price (Third Watch), Will Yun Lee (Witchblade), Lucy Kate Hale (How I Met Your Mother), and guest stars Isaiah Washington (Grey's Anatomy) and Katee Sackhoff (Battlestar Galactica), it's a non-stop thrill ride unlike anything you've seen before!

Bionic Woman
1.01 Pilot
Writer: Laeta Kalogridis (Writer)
Director: Michael Dinner
Cast: Michelle Ryan (Jaime Sommers), Miguel Ferrer (Jonas Bledsoe), Chris Bowers (Will Anthros), Molly Price (Ruth Truewell), Will Yun Lee (Jae Kim), Lucy Hale (Becca Sommers), Thomas Kretschmann (The Man), Mark A. Sheppard (Dr. Anthony Anthros), Aaron Douglas (Prison Guard), Katee Sackhoff (Sarah Corvus), Conrad Coates (Doctor #1), Alicia Thorgrimsson (Doctor #2), Jenn Forgie (Nurse), Heather Doerksen (Mother), Roan Curtis (Little Girl), Leela Savasta (Shawna), Crystal Lowe (Jessica), Dominic Zamprogna (Med-flight Tech #1), Jacqueline Samuda (Med-flight Tech #2), John Mann (Drug Dealer), Craig Lobzun (Sleazy Bar Patron)

I saw the pre-air pilot when it first appeared on the net and I was not overly impressed with it. So I never bothered watching the series. But after Pete's recent reviews I thought it may be worth checking out (and it was cheap). The pilot is better than I remember it being (I don't know if it is different than the pre-air pilot). A good start to what looks like it could be worth following.

Rating:

addicted2dvd:
Glad to see you enjoyed it this time around. Can't remember if the pre-release pilot was any different or not.

I was a little concerned when I saw you ordered a copy because I thought I remembered you being less then pleased with the pre-release pilot. Feel a bit better now. :p

Tom:

--- Quote from: Tom on April 08, 2011, 07:19:34 PM ---I will watch the Due South pilot at a later date. I have ordered today the UK season 1 set (it is currently with a good price). I always wanted to replace my RC1 set, which is bad picture and some DVDs are broken and make trouble for a few episodes.
I will break in my new set when it arrives by watching the pilot on it.

--- End quote ---

It took longer than expected. My order at the time was cancelled because the title has been discontinued. I now got it used. I watched it now. Here the repost of my review from the Due South marathon thread:

     Due South: Season One (1994/Canada)
IMDb | Wikipedia
Network (United Kingdom)Length:1080 min.Video:Full Frame 1.33:1Audio:English: Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo Subtitles:
Plot:
Nothing that walks, slithers swims or flies in the Yukon wilderness gets the better of Constable Benton Fraser. Honest, courageous, courteous and resourceful, he's the quintessential Mountie, a guy who thinks nothing of tracking a poacher 300 kilometres through a howling blizzard. But when his father, an RCMP legend, is found murdered under mysterious circumstances in James Bay, Fraser turns in his parka and dog sled and heads due south - to Chicago and the wilds of civilization.


Due South
1.00 Pilot (1994-04-26)
Writer: Paul Haggis (Writer)
Director: Fred Gerber
Cast: Paul Gross (Constable Benton Fraser), David Marciano (Detective Ray Vecchio), Wendel Meldrum (Leann Brighton), Charles Shamata (Capt. Walsh), Joseph Ziegler (Insp. Moffatt), Page Fletcher (Frank Drake), Ken Pogue (Gerard), Kaye Ballard (Mrs. Vecchio), Gordon Pinsent (Fraser Sr.), Jim Millington (Underhill), Victor Ertmanis (Supt. Meers), Michael J. Reynolds (Senior Official), Eric Schweig (Inuit Hunter), Kimberly Ange (RCMP Officer 1), Jennifer Parsons (RCMP Officer 2), Johnathon Wittaker (RCMP SGT.), Steve Morel (RCMP Officer 3), Scot Dentor (RCMP Officer 4), Nigel Hamer (RCMP Officer 5), Barry Kennedy (Bert Jenkins), Philip Williams (Herb Lantrell), Keith Dinicol (Coroner), Jack Nicholsen (Airport Hustler), Gene Mack (Chicago Desk Sgt.), Simon Lugassy (Prisoner), Dan Lett (Dr. Weingarten), Paulina Gillis (Maria), Ramona Milano (Francesca), Vito Rezza (Tony), Elizabeth Berman (Mrs. Drake), Sandi Stahlbrand (TV Reporter), Farzad Sadrian (Cabby)

It was really fun to revisit this TV movie again. Great introduction to the two main characters. None of cast which became the regular cast of the series are in this movie though. We have another captain (the one of the series is better). The only two other characters who are well known in the series to appear in this TV movie is Robert Fraser, Benton's father. And Francesca, the beautiful sister of Ray who develops a crush on Benton.
The humor the series is known for is already present in this movie.
The pilot made appetite for the series again.

Rating:

Tom:
     Genshiken: Complete Collection (2004/Japan)
IMDb | Wikipedia
(United States)Length:325 min.Video:Anamorphic Widescreen 1.85Audio:English: Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo, Japanese: Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo Subtitles:English
Plot:
Calling all Scruffy Nerd-Herders!

Welcome to the Society for the Study of Modern Visual Culture

It is Sasahara's first day of college and a fateful choice awaits him: which college clubs will he chose to join? But Sasahara is no ordinary young man - a dark secret lurks within his soul. For one thing, he knows what "cosplay" is, how to unlock all the secret characters in "Guilty Gear X," what the plot twist is in episode twenty-five of "Kujibiki Unbalance" because he's read the manga, he's heard of doujinshi, and he needs to know more. Enter Genshiken, the barely legitimized Society for the Study of Modern Visual Culture, home to all subspecies of Otaku!

Now Otaku can watch this complete series from the safety of their own basements!!

Contains all 12 episodes of Genshiken plus 3 episodes of Kubijiki Unbalance.


Genshiken
1.01 Gendai ni okeru Shikaku o Chuushin to shita Bunka no Kenkyuu (2004-10-10)
Writer: Shimoku Kio (Original Material By), Michiko Yokote (Screenwriter)
Director: Takashi Ikehata
Cast: Japanese Voice Cast), Takanori Oyama (Kanji Sasahara (voice)), Mitsuki Saiga (Makoto Kosaga (voice)), Satsuki Yukino (Saki Kasukabo (voice)), Nobuyuki Hiyama (Harunobu Madarame (voice)), Tomokazu Seki (Soichiro Tamaka (voice)), Kenji Nomura (Mitsumori Kugayama (voice)), Yuji Ueda (Chairman (voice)), Eiji Yanagisawa (Takayanagi (voice)), Daisuke Kirii (Senior (voice)), Tarusuke Shingaki (Male Student (voice)), Takayuki Kondo (Background Voice A (voice)), Tsugumi Higasayama (Part-Time Worker (voice)), Kujibiki Unbalance), Yuka Imai (Chihiro Enomoto (voice)), Akemi Kanda (Tokino Akiyama (voice)), Yuko Kaida (Izumi Tachibana (voice)), Yukari Tamura (Komaki Asagiri (voice)), Saeko Chiba (Ritsuko Kubel Kettenkrad (voice)), Ayako Kawasumi (Kasumi Kisaragi (voice)), Kana Ueda (Risa Humvee (voice)), Haruko Momoi (Shinobu Enomoto (voice)), Kenichi Suzumura (Mugio Rokuhara (voice)), Ikue Otani (Renko Kamishakuji (voice)), Yuko Goto (Kaoruko Yamada (voice)), Nanae Kato (Kenji Suzuki (voice)), Taro Yamaguchi (Kenji Suzuki (voice)), English Voice Cast), Genshiken), Michael Perreca (Sasahara Kanji (voice)), Carol Jacobanis (Saki Kasukabe (voice)), Kenneth Robert Marlo (Kosake Makoto (voice)), Michael Alston Baley (Haraguchi (voice)), Rachael Lillis (Ohno (voice)), Bill Rogers (Tamaka Soichiro (voice)), Rome Elliot (Kugayana Mitsunori (voice)), William Hirsh (Takayanagi (voice)), Chunky Mon (Narrator (voice)), Jessica Loseth (Cosplayer (voice)), Randall Burton (Ex-Boyfriend (voice)), Tim Breese (Additional Voices (voice)), Meg Francis (Additional Voices (voice)), Ryan Vernierre (Additional Voices (voice)), Jim Festante (Additional Voices (voice)), Joe D. Rob Notoris (Additional Voices (voice)), John Carey (Additional Voices (voice)), Brian MacMullen (Additional Voices (voice)), Todd Garbeil (Additional Voices (voice)), Brian Maillard (Additional Voices (voice)), Mandy Bonhomme (Additional Voices (voice)), Zoe Fries (Additional Voices (voice)), Kujibiki), Rich McNanna (Chihiro Enomoto (voice)), Veronica Taylor (Tokino Akiyama (voice)), Rachael Lillis (Vice President (voice)), Angora Deb (Kamishakuji Renko (voice)), Liz Johnson (Shinobu Enomoto (voice)), Zoe Fries (President (voice)), Lisa Ortiz (Yamada Kaoruko (voice)), Mandy Bonhomme (Komaki Asagiri (voice)), Meg Francis (Izumi Tachibama (voice)), Amanda Veautour (Treasurer (voice)), Tim Breese (Kaburaki (voice)), Tim Breese (Additional Voices (voice)), Ryan Vernierre (Additional Voices (voice)), Jim Festante (Additional Voices (voice)), Rob Notoris (Additional Voices (voice)), John Carey (Additional Voices (voice)), Brian MacMullen (Additional Voices (voice)), Todd Garbeil (Additional Voices (voice)), Brian Maillard (Additional Voices (voice))

Genshiken is one of my favourite mangas. The anime is a good and faithful adaption of it. Though I hope they will make a third season to complete the storyline of the manga. The pilot begins with the opening of the in-verse anime the characters love to watch and discuss. This can confuse first time viewers.

Rating:

Tom:
     Get Smart: The Complete Series (1965/United States)
IMDb | Wikipedia
Warner Home Video (United Kingdom)Length:3964 min.Video:Audio: Subtitles:

Get Smart
1.01 Mr. Big [Pilot Episode]
Writer: Mel Brooks (Writer), Buck Henry (Writer)
Director: Howard Morris
Cast: Don Adams (Maxwell Smart, "#86"), Barbara Feldon ("#99"), Michael Dunn (Mr. Big), Vito Scotti (Dante), Janine Gray (Zelinka), Kelton Garwood (Garth), Karen Norris (Mother), Edward Platt (Chief of Control)

This is the first time that I ever saw an episode of this series. I only knew the Steve Carell movie before this. I bought the complete series (five seasons) for 30 pounds a few months ago.
I enjoyed the pilot episode and I can see myself watching this series further. Too bad I would need a lot of time for it. The first season alone has 30 episodes.

Rating:

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