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SCREEN IT DVD CAPSULE REVIEWS Site Directory: Home Page Free Newsletter! DVD Reviews This Week's New Movies Complete List of Movies (alphabetical) Movies Listed By MPAA Ratings Movies Listed By Genre This Week's New Videos Complete List of Videos (alphabetical) Videos Listed By MPAA Ratings Videos Listed By Genre Advertise On Screen It! Visitor Survey Send Us Your Comments/Questions First Time Visitors Official Movie Pages & Other Links Less filling than our full-length reviews but still informative, our DVD capsule reviews offer technical and supplemental information for each release, along with a quick look at whether the title is any good and/or entertaining or enjoyable. ALL IN THE FAMILY SEASON ONE Length: 286 minutes Screen Formats: Full Screen Languages: English Subtitles: English, Spanish Sound: Dolby Digital 2.0 Sides: 3 Discs Extras: Episode Selections While TV show theme songs are often arranged simply to sound good and/or be entertaining, occasionally their lyrics and tone are designed to give the viewer a sense of what's to follow. The best, of course, do both, and that was certainly the case with the theme to "All In the Family," Norman Lear's groundbreaking sitcom that debuted on January 12, 1971. With Archie (Carroll O'Connor) and Edith (Jean Stapleton) sitting at the piano, they sing - in a humorously amateurish fashion -- about when "girls were girls and men were men," people "didn't need no welfare state," and, of course, "those were the days." Such simple lyrics perfectly and near effortlessly set the stage for a battle of an older, conservative and bigoted generation (namely Archie) being agitated by the young liberals (Rob Reiner as Mike "Meathead" Stivic and Sally Struthers as his wife and Archie's daughter, Gloria). The first season of that terrific, Emmy-winning series is now available as a 3-disc set from Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment. The 13 episodes are every bit as enjoyable and entertaining to watch now as they were back then, even if much of the social material seems a bit dated (although some of it surprisingly and sadly still rings true). The funny thing is that many viewers - both those who enjoyed and hated the show for its conservative protagonist - didn't realize that O'Connor was, in fact, a liberal and was using the character simultaneously to raise awareness of and poke fun at old-school conservatism and bigotry. He and sitcom maven Norman Lear (One Day at a Time, Sanford and Son, Maude, The Jeffersons) touched upon hot top issues of the day such as politics, minorities, sex, religion, economics, war, gun control, crime, free speech, women's rights, morality, and life philosophy and in doing so turned the old, tried and true and previously uncontroversial sitcom formula on its head. Yet, instead of making that material and such confrontations seem uncomfortable, ugly or too intense to watch, the cast and crew managed to make all of it highly entertaining, thanks to terrific writing and superb performances from the cast. If you haven't seen the show in a while, it's definitely worth checking out, as is this collection, the first of the series' eight, award-winning seasons. All in the Family - The Complete First Season is now available for purchase by clicking here. THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME II Length: 68 minutes Screen Formats: 1.66:1, 16x9 Languages: English, French, Spanish Subtitles: English Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1, DTS Sides: 1 (Dual Layer) Extras: Scene selection/Jump to any scene. Festival of Fun Interactive Game/Activity (Bells of Notre Dame & Puppet Theater). Behind the Scenes with Jennifer Love Hewitt - 4+ minute segment with the actress talking about her role and recording the voice for it (includes finished and rough clips from the film). A Gargoyle's Life: It's Not Easy Being a Gargoyle -2+ minute animated short. Sneak Peeks for "Beauty and the Beast," "Tarzan & Jane," "Max Keeble's Big Move," "The Hunchback of Notre Dame," "Disney DVD," "The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh," "Schoolhouse Rocks" and "American Legends." Return to the magnificence of Notre Dame in Disney's all-new movie, THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME II, a fun, romantic adventure told with vibrant animation and music as soaring as its setting. Still the faithful protector of Notre Dame's beloved bells, Quasimodo now rings them with the help of Esmeralda's and Phoebus' little boy, Zephyr (Haley Joel Osment). Stopping with Zephyr at a traveling circus owned by the evil magician Sarousch, Quasi is captivated by the Sarousch's lovely assistant, Madellaine (Jennifer Love Hewitt). But greedy Sarousch is about to force Madellaine to help him steal the Cathedral's most famous bell. Quasi listens to his own heart and discovers that he, too, must look past appearances to find true love. All of the original voice talent reprise their roles, including Jason Alexander as Hugo, Tom Hulce as Quasimodo, Kevin Kline as Phoebus, and Demi Moore as Esmeralda. Jennifer Love Hewitt stars as Madellaine and Haley Joel Osment brings Zephyr to life in this magical, musical celebration of the beauty inside everyone. This is the straight to video sequel to Disney's 1996 theatrical release of "The Hunchback of Notre Dame II," a terrific looking animated feature (for the time) that seemed aimed at an older than usual audience for such offerings. A moderate success in its theatrical run (around $100 million, well below what the Mouse House had been achieving in earlier efforts), the film has now been tapped, along with many of the Studio's other animated efforts, to spawn a sequel. Obviously targeted for a much younger audience than the first, the G-rated film clocks in at a surprisingly short running time (just over an hour), and while it may benefit from the somewhat surprising return of the original vocal cast, it's clearly not as good as its predecessor (although that really shouldn't be much of a surprise). Like many straight to video releases, the animation is substandard at times, and songs/musical numbers aren't up to what the original offered. Nevertheless, kids probably won't mind as the story and gargoyle gags/humor will probably keep them entertained (and parents free of having to watch them for 60 minutes or so). The Hunchback of Notre Dame II is now available for purchase by clicking here. SEEMS LIKE OLD TIMES Length: 102 minutes Screen Formats: 1.85:1, 16x9, Full Screen (Pan & Scan) Languages: English Subtitles: English, French Sound: Dolby Digital 2.0 Sides: 1 (Dual Layer) Extras: Scene selection/Jump to any scene. Theatrical trailer for this film as well as "Cops + Robbersons." Nick Gardenia (Chevy Chase) is a writer who, while laboring over a novel in his oceanside retreat, is kidnapped by two crooks who force him to rob a bank for them. Deep in trouble, Nick has no one else to turn to for help but his ex-wife, Glenda (Goldie Hawn). Because Glenda is a sucker for strays (her house is packed with stray dogs), she takes him in. The problem is keeping him out of sight of her uptight district attorney husband (Charles Grodin). But Nick keeps popping up in expected places, leading to a houseful of hijinks. (More Coming Soon) Seems Like Old Times is now available for purchase by clicking here. SLAP SHOT 2: BREAKING THE ICE Length: 104 minutes Screen Formats: 1.85:1, 16x9 Languages: English, French, Spanish Subtitles: English, Spanish Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1, DTS Sides: 1 (Dual Layer) Extras: Scene selection/Jump to any scene. The Making of Slap Shot 2: Breaking the Ice - 13+ minute look at the film and its production, including clips from it, interviews and behind the scenes footage. An Interview with the Hanson brothers - 3 minutes featuring the characters from the original film and its sequel. Trailer. Onscreen, text-based Production Notes. The Team - Bios and filmographies for select Cast & Crew members. Sean Linden (Stephen Baldwin) is the long-suffering captain and coach of the Charlestown Chiefs. With a roster of one-time stars, would-be hot shots and the comically uncontrollable Hanson Brothers, the Chiefs are a team whose glory days are a distant memory. But the team's new millionaire owner (Academy Award nominee Gary Busey) has a new game plan: to turn the Chiefs into the bumbling, underdog losers in a bogus made-for-TV hockey league. And to add insult to injury, their new coach...is a woman! Now, it's going to take a stone-cold miracle - and some high-sticking action from Sean and the Hanson Brothers - to show the world they have what it takes to win back their passion for the game. The film marks the straight to video sequel (25 years later) to the original "Slap Shot" from 1977 that starred Paul Newman and was directed by George Roy Hill (of "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" and "The Sting" fame). The efforts of both are sorely missed here, although diehard hockey fans will probably find something to their liking (and fans of the original will get to see the Hanson brothers again) in this effort that tries to emulate the spirit and comedy of the first film - with a few changes, naturally - but doesn't quite get it right. Slap Shot 2 - Breaking the Ice is now available for purchase by clicking here.