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Queer as Folk - The Complete First Season (Showtime)

Queer as Folk - The Complete First Season (Showtime)

List Price: $119.98
Your Price: $95.98
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Very Good!
Review: I loved this series: funny, imaginative and certainly original! My only complaint is about the lack of subtitles in the DVD collection: as English is not my first language, the subtitles would have been very helpful.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: One hot, sexy, intriguing, show.
Review: Showtime pulled out all of the stops to show this show, could the men be any sexier, and the club boys any more delicious. Probably but we won't tell them. Queer as folk is one of the best gay and lesbian dramas out there, ok, maybe the only one! This show rocks, it has sex, music, and lots of scenes that make me laugh.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Queer As Folk Gets An American Spin(Well kinda)
Review: This is the first season of the North American edition of "Queer As Folk". Oddly enough, its billed as the "American" version. But, in all reality, what is American about it? The production crews are Canadian, it is filmed in the centre of the gay village in Toronto. Woody's is a real Toronto hotspot. Babylon is in reality an after hours club called FLY. Rumour has it that They wanted to bill it as the Canadian version, but the CRTC would not allow it, because it was written by an Englishman and 50% of the cast are American. But other than all the technical info, this box is awesome. The actors are hot, and it is a realistic look at gay Toronto life(even though they call it Pitsburg, hey did ya notice the CN TOWER in a few episodes?)

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Finally, a dramatic series that is unapologetically gay
Review: Though I'm older than most of the people who make up the ensemble cast of this series, it still resonates with me more than anything I've ever seen, on TV or film. The most important thing that QAF does, for me anyway, is to present a segment of contemporary gay life in a context that is non-judgmental, non-apologetic, and that transcends simple stereotypes. By the time you've watched the second or third episode, the sexual orientation of the characters is not the primary thing you're thinking about. And unlike "Will and Grace" (a good enough show as far as network TV goes), the gayness of the characters is not what drives every single storyline.

Yes, there's a lot of graphic sexual activity, but that is not the only thing that this series is all about. Instead, it's about the intertwined lives of a group of people who happen to be gay, but whose basic wants and needs are the same as anyone else's. It's true that they sometimes seek to meet these needs in ways that appear to be self-defeating (excessive use of drugs, sexual encounters with no emotional connection, etc.), but that happens with straight people, too. It's also true that they spend a lot of time talking about their relationships, which of course includes a lot of talk about sex, but again, is that a uniquely gay phenomenon?

The over-riding theme that the viewer gets is that these people have created a unique (if somewhat dysfunctional) family for themselves. This is a theme that is familiar to most gay men and women from their own lives, and one that has been written about and portrayed in movies going back to the 1970s classic "Boys in the Band". What's so powerfully different about QAF is that it does this without all of the self-hatred that characterized older portrayals of gay life. Whatever problems these people may have, they are more at peace with their gayness than preceding generations. You can see it even within the group itself. Seventeen-year-old Justin outs himself to his parents in terms that are as explicit and honest as anything you've heard, far more so than his friends in their late 20's would have done.

This is not to say that these people don't experience blatant homophobia as well as more subtle forms of discrimination, because the show tackles these issue head-on, and in most cases, the characters confront these problems with strength and pride.

But QAF is not just a political statement about gay pride, it's great entertainment. The acting is consistently solid, rising to heights not often seen on network TV. With a series of subplots and relationships that develop and shift over time, the viewer comes to know the characters and in most cases, to honestly care about them. At first glance, they may appear to be one-dimensional and often shallow. But each of them is far more complex than they seem.

There have been complaints that there's not enough air-time given to Melanie and Lindsay, the lesbian couple, but they are essential characters who are involved in all of the main plot lines.

The show is characterized by excellent production with innovative camera work (the way the camera "ramps" in for some of the close-ups is used to great effect), though there are a fair number of scenes that would benefit from better lighting.

The DVD set is nicely packaged with good labeling of each disc's contents. The widescreen format looks great on my 27" TV in letterbox format. The extra material is good and navigation is fairly intuitive. So far I've only encountered two minor flaws on disc 3; it played fine and did not lock up or skip, but there were two brief moments where the picture broke up.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Watered-down and sanitised version of Brit TV series
Review: I enjoyed this, yes, but thought it unquantifiably inferior to the British (and first) version. For one - the actors. While the British ones were accessible, real, human beings, the casting for the American version is dissapointing: predictably, the guys are exquisitely groomed clones, each one boasting a set of bleached-to-perfection teeth. None of them is quirky or different, but just plastically good looking, and cast from the generic, catalogue model mould. The British series was great. This one is OK, but pretty much like watching a non-stop CK commercial. Where's the heart, the warmth, the realism?

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: All the boys at your finger tips!
Review: This DVD box set is amazing! The packaging is gorgeous, glossy black, and opens like a book to reveal the inner DVD holders, all in the rainbow colors. If you like the series, you'll love going back and having each episode to review whenever you want. The characters are beautiful, the music is great, the plot lines are gripping! The bonus features are great, 3 special edition episodes 1, 11, and 18 are narrated by the creators and the cast, which is real interesting to see the actors giving insight on their characters. There's also a funny bloopers feature, you'll love to see Brian (Gale Harold) smile, I promise.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: The Yanks Did It Better.
Review: To the point:
Queer As Folks has flourished with an American cast. The mother, Debbie is loveable - a dream for any gay son! Brian was just right and far more believable than his British counterpart; Michael was goofy and funny, as good as the British Vince. Justin's character became more accepted as the series continued. Emmett meanwhile, started to grow on you but unfortunately the British cast has not had the time to develop his character. Ted is a joy to see - I am glad that the American series did not kill him off. David is simply too cool to be true; 'the affair' scene was shocking, but what a twist.If you think all the incidents are true-to-life, you might be correct. The time span of the events, however, seem much too exaggerated.Unfortunately for the Brits, we have to wait a year to see the on going saga unfold.

The packaing design of the DVD was very well thought of, the DVD colour arrangements are great. But from a user point of view, it is very difficult to get the actual DVD's from its container box. If I had to be critical,that is what I would suggest that the designer re-think the container box for the second season of Queer as Folks.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: QAF - american version
Review: Okay it's not like the British version, but still quite as good. I saw the entire set in one day and was quite overwhelmed with emotion by the last episode. I could identify myself with two of the main character and it's not good. It's like seeing your life on screen, well almost your life. But you know, there's more to gay life than what is portrait here..... who the hell am I kidding. This is as good as it gets in terms of portraying the different gay lifestyle. So for whatever it's worth, I love it.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Thank God!
Review: This is the best DVD! The DVD is so much better to watch then having to wait week after week to see what is going to happen. Well worth the [amt].

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Great Show, bad quality recording
Review: The show is one of the best ever put on the air. It is worth purchasing; but the VHS is poor quality. I returned it for the DVD. Yes disk 3 skips or doesn't play at all. (shame on show time) I have to date returned the VHS once and the DVD five times. That's how much I love the show. Sadly, there is ALWAYS a problem with disk three. If you purchase it, pay as little as possible, and you won't feel so let down. All in all, I love the show; but some places charge as much as $... for it. I paid $... for the DVD. So, when I got a copy that played right, the small skip in disk 3 wasn't so bad.


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