3rd Rock At Its Best In Its Fifth Season

Courtesy: Mill Creek Entertainment/NBCUniversal

NBC’s hit sitcom 3^rd Rock From The Sun was one of the greatest sitcoms of the 90s.  Now nearly twenty years after it first debuted, it still stands as one of the funniest sitcoms to have ever been created, despite what some critics might want audiences to believe.  And thanks to Mill Creek Entertainment, fans can now own all six seasons of this laugh riot comedy.  Audiences who remember the series in its original airings will each have their own favorite season(s) and episode(s).  But there’s no denying that of the series’ six seasons, its fifth season marks one of the series major high points.  From the general writing to the guest spots, 3^rd Rock From The Sun Season Five is an example of everything that used to make sitcoms great in television’s modern era.

3^rd Rock’s fifth season is an exemplar of great comedic writing and timing right from the get-go.  The triple-disc set’s first disc offers what are two of the series’ best episodes in “Dial M For Dick” and “Sex and the Sally.”  In the first of the pair of episodes Dick and the others attend a mystery dinner theater.  Obviously being aliens from another world, they have no idea that the murders in question are just an act.  That is, they don’t know until something quite unexpected happens.  Audiences will have to find out what exactly that is for themselves.  Along the way, Dick thinks himself a sleuth and tries to pin the blame for the murders on one of his own group.  This alone will leave audiences laughing no less with each watch.  Speaking of laughing, audiences might find themselves laughing so hard that they’re crying in “Sex and the Sally.”  Sally discovers the dangers of sex and ways to keep from getting pregnant.  Along the way, the side effects of her using birth control will undoubtedly leave audiences laughing uncontrollably.

The set’s first disc offers more than its share of laughs, as is already noted.  But the laughs don’t end there.  The second and third discs are also front-loaded with more than enough comedy for audiences to enjoy over and over.  The return of guest star William Shatner as The Big Giant Head in “The Big Giant Head Returns” leads to a love triangle as Harry admits to Mamie that he loves her.  At the same time, Tommy tries to hypnotize Sally in order to get her to stop buying shoes.  It doesn’t work.  But it does work on Harry, resulting in some hilarious physical comedy on his part. 

If the solid writing and the physical comedy aren’t enough to keep audiences engaged, then maybe the bevy of guest stars will.  William Shatner returns not once, but twice this season.  Also Star Trek TNG star Jonathan Frakes makes an appearance along with then WWF/WWE wrestler Chyna, Larisa Oleynick (The Secret World of Alex Mack), “The Hoff” himself, David Hasselhoff (Baywatch, America’s Got Talent, The Spongebob Squarepants Movie, Pirana 3DD), and many others.  The continued revolving door of guest stars proves just how popular the show was.  Though, Shatner shined brighter than any others with both appearances this season.  Audiences will love seeing Shatner poke fun at himself when he brings Dick (John Lithgow) to a club and The Big Giant Head decides to do some “singing.”  This is just one of so many moments that will stick with both long-time audiences and newer audiences.

Whether for this moment or the loads of others peppered throughout all three discs of Season Five, 3^rd Rock From The Sun has proven once more that it is still one of the greatest sitcoms in modern television history.  It’s available now in stores and online.  It can be ordered online via Mill Creek Entertainment’s online store at https://www.millcreekdirect.com/3rd-rock-from-the-sun-season-5.html. 

To keep up with the latest sports and entertainment reviews and news, go online to http://www.facebook.com/philspicks and “Like” it.  Fans can always keep up with the latest sports and entertainment reviews and news in the Phil’s Picks blog at http://philspicks.wordpress.com.

Action Flick Fans Will Enjoy Anchor Bay’s Newest Home Release

Courtesy: Anchor Bay

Anchor Bay’s newest straight to DVD and Blu-ray flick, Maximum Conviction is a good turn off your brain action flick.  It’s very much in the same vein as most of Steven Seagal’s other movies.  Add in retired WWF/WWE Superstar-turned-actor Steve Austin and the movie’s target audiences get more than their share of butt kicking, bullets flying, bloodshed, F-bombs and every other mandatory action movie standard ever crafted.The story behind Maximum Conviction is pretty simple.  Steele (yes that’s really his character’s name) and Manning (played respectively by Seagal and Austin) are a pair of former Special Forces soldiers turned private security contractors.  Because of their experience and expertise, they’ve been enrolled to help decommission a “top secret” military prison in Oregon.  There’s just one problem.  It’s revealed early on that Steele has shut down vital portions of the prison’s security before the prisoners have been removed.  It’s not quite explained why Steele has done this.  But thanks to this move, this is where the action starts.  A pair of high priority female inmates are being kept in the prison.  Being that much of the prison’s security has already been taken down, a group of mercenaries has gotten into the prison and intends to get the inmates.  When one of the prison’s guards goes on break and leaves his station empty and password access field open, it allows the action to really start.

Courtesy: Anchor Bay

The mercenaries do have a motivation toward getting at least one of the women.  But audiences have to sit through well over half of the story to finally find out exactly why.  By the time audiences find out why, the story has a little over half an hour left.  That last half hour is spent primarily with Austin and Seagal trying to rescue the young woman from someone who turns out to be working with the mercenaries.  What’s more, audiences have to wait until the movie’s final minutes to actually find out who is really behind everything.  The problem is that this should have been revealed far earlier in the story.  To the story’s defense though, at least it does keep the action moving.  There’s no lag at any point throughout the movie.  For those audiences at whom this movie is targeted, that’s a good thing.  In general it makes the movie worth at least one watch for any action movie fan.

To keep up with the latest entertainment reviews and news, go online to http://www.facebook.com/philspicks and “Like” it or its companion page, http://www.facebook.com/pages/Reel-Reviews/381028148587141.  Fans can always keep up with the latest entertainment reviews and news in the Phil’s Picks blog at http://philspicks.wordpress.com.