Home :: DVD :: Television :: General  

A&E Home Video
BBC
Classic TV
Discovery Channel
Fox TV
General

HBO
History Channel
Miniseries
MTV
National Geographic
Nickelodeon
PBS
Star Trek
TV Series
WGBH Boston
My So-Called Life (Complete Series)

My So-Called Life (Complete Series)

List Price: $89.99
Your Price:
Product Info Reviews

<< 1 2 3 4 5 .. 10 >>

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: One of the best series ever to air on commercial television
Review: This is without a doubt one of the best series ever the air on network television, but as is the case with some gems, ¡§My So-Called Life¡¨ never stood a chance at longevity in a TV universe that seems to demand over the top stereotypes, bad stereotypes, or the latest scandal on one of the 100 magazine shows the networks know will attract viewers. Bitter? Maybe ƒº, but I simply loved this show and seeing all 19 episodes almost 1 decade after they aired remind me that it was as good if not better than I had remembered it to be.

The show focuses on ¡§Angela,¡¨ brilliantly played by Claire Danes in a performance that earned her a Golden Globe and an Emmy nomination. Danes is so good that you can¡¦t imagine anyone else playing this character, much like is the case with Dana Delaney in ¡§China Beach¡¨ or the entire cast of ¡§Once And Again,¡¨ other brilliant ratings underachievers that it least were allowed to air for much longer than the too brief season that MSCL got. As much as it was Danes¡¦ star vehicle, the entire cast was brilliant and as the season progressed the show became a true ensemble piece in every sense of the word. Angela¡¦s parents are played not as annoying caricatures but as real people who look married and like the parents of Angela and her sister. Angela¡¦s friends and neighbors don¡¦t act nor look like the kids of 90210, and really look like young adults struggling to find a place in the world. Even the parents are shown are trying to find their place in the world.

Although my favorite episodes center around the Angela and Jordan Catalano, there are certain episodes like ¡§The Zit¡¨ (horrible name) that never miss a beat. Although the writers do not hit you over the head with a stick with the big issues it tackles, the above-mentioned episode focuses on how society views women and how few people have it as bad as they think or that others have it as good as we may think they have it. The most poignant moments don¡¦t come from yelling, but from quiet truths or what may seem at first like throwaway lines, many times uttered by Angela¡¦s younger sister, who is also perfectly cast.

If you liked shows like ¡§thirtysomething,¡¨ ¡§China Beach,¡¨ ¡§Once And Again,¡¨ ¡§The Wonder Years¡¨ (the early years), this DVD set is just what the doctor ordered. Unfortunately, the show¡¦s producers only got to make 19 episodes and the series just ends as if it were just another episode. Maybe the producers thought they¡¦d get a chance at a second season or simply decided to conduct business as usual, but either way neither should serve as a deterrent to enjoying one of the very best series period. Although the DVD set does not include many extras and its not cheap by any stretch of the imagination, I give it my highest 5 star recommendation. If you can¡¦t afford this maybe you can rent them or catch them on cable as they are being rerun on some channel called the ¡§N.¡¨ the major annoyance in watching them on this cable channel is that they put up the most obnoxious and prevalent reminders on the screen so it¡¦s difficult to totally block them from the story that you are watching.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Series that Defines Teenage Angst
Review: I've always loved the Digital Cable channel The-N: it shows great teenage-esque shows yet they show things in a different, more explict light. I can say "My So-Called Life" is one these types of shows. At first, I didn't even know a show like this excisted but, while I was searching for the next-to greatest show of all"Degrassi: The Next Generation",I saw it. I was blown away by it's brilliance! Though it was only One-Season long it seems much better than certain shows that have been on much longer.
The DVDs themselves aren't as bad as people say. Sure the picture quality isn't the best but it still's great. The lack of special features is fine with me because the shows are much more important. Plus, special features would kind of ruin the feel of this show: it's supposed to be the bare facts and the features prove it. The only complaint about the DVDs are that their are only a small number of episodes per disc. Friends, thouht only 20 mins long, fits 25 episodes on four-discs but this show with only 19 episodes covers five discs(?). I wonder if the number of discs has to do with the expensive price but trust me it's worth it.
Comfort this show, love it, live it, and enjoy

Other Recommendations: "Degrassi: TNG"

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A total winner!
Review: I saw this on UK TV many years ago. I ordered the DVD expecting the memory of the show to be much better than watching it again - I was wrong. Even though this is now almost 10 years old, it is landmark TV without which successful shows such as Dawson's Creek, 30 Something etc. could not and would not have been made. I wholeheartedly recommend this DVD. It's TV at its best and is as relevant and entertaining today as it was when it was made.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Great Collection of a Great Series
Review: The My So-Called Life DVD set is a good choice for old fans or new. Unless you taped the episodes when they aired originally, this is likely the only way to see the show. And it is certainly a show worth watching. At 18, I was too young to see the show the first time around, but I have loved watching it now.
The 19 episodes of the show were all new to me. Yet even years later, I can relate to the characters of the show. The show is admittedly a teenage drama, yet it is entertaining and at times thought provoking. The stories are interesting and amusing, I highly recommend people check it out. To this end, this set is a better idea for purchase than the previously released My So-Called Life DVD that contained solely the first three episodes because the show is too good to stop at just three episodes.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A great show, finally in a great format!
Review: i love, love, love "my so-called life." the show was artistically done (like the opening scenes of "dancing in the dark" where angela is discribing her "3, no 4, no 3" kisses), and the relationships between all the characters are interesting and ever-changing. the show is full of relevant quotes/insights that apply completely to high school life and even life in general and funny & touching moments. the fact that the show ends on a cliff-hanger note, never to be finalized, makes the show even more poetic. i have been watching VHS taped versions of the show for a few years, and my tapes are shot. i'm so glad that these dvds came out so that i can now watch the shows clearly. some people have complained about the sound, but i don't see any problems at all. i just wish there were special features. if you love this show, buy the dvds, and if you've never seen the show, watch it!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Being Young In The 90¿s!
Review: If you never quite fit in at you high school, you will really be able to relate to this show.
I graduated over 10 years after this series takes place and I can still relate to it.
Angela goes through friend, boy, esteem and parent problems on a daily basis. She holds her ground and on many issues, even under peer/parent pressure.

I would recommend it highly.

Thanks,
Flo

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Why are people complaining?
Review: I just recieved my DVD set yesterday and I have watched 4 hours of it already. I don't know why people are complaining about this set. The sound, the picture, everything, is just how I remember it from back when it was on tv. People should stop whining about the fact that there aren't any special features - you get the WHOLE series! It took so long for them to actually release this - we should rejoice, not complain! I won't go on and on about how great the show is, because so many before me have done so, but I will say that this DVD set is awesome! I love it, and have no regrets in buying it. Take it from me, this is a MUST HAVE set for any TRUE My So-Called Life Fan!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: What a great show
Review: I can't rate the DVD yet because I'm just about to order it, but the show I give 5 stars. I do have old VHS copies of it that I could painstakingly convert to disc, but why bother when I can purchase it? Even despite the poor quality that some reviewers have spoken of.

I watched this series when it was brand new... I was 30 at the time. Probably older than most viewers, but it touched something in me. Obviously 10 years later, I am 40 now and can't wait to receive the DVD set in the mail. This appeals to all ages... to anyone who wants to feel nostalgic about that special something that we sometimes lose when we get older and caught up in the day-to-day mechanics of "life".

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Coulda been better
Review: This was one of the best shows of all time, so of course it's great to have the series out on DVD. Come on, though. After all that waiting and not even one special feature. One commentary, interview, featurette. I love the episodes, but for the amount of money they're charging they could have put a little more effort into it.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Shock surprise - a real winner with very broad appeal
Review: Generally, I have derided US TV with few exceptions. This show is about High School children. The kind of thing I would ordinarily run a mile from but it is simply excellent. The casting, the plot and the dialogue make the shows credible and compelling. My wife and I laughed and cried through the whole series in less than a fortnight (that's two weeks in your money).


<< 1 2 3 4 5 .. 10 >>

© 2004, ReviewFocus or its affiliates