No comments about Great Hotels Season 1 - Episode 8: Bellagio - Las Vegas.

No comments about Madrid: La Mancha Toledo.

No comments about Video Visits: Mexico - Mexico City, Guadalajara, Cuehavaca, Oaxaca.

5 comments about Island of the Sharks (Large Format).

1. Amazing photography. Make sure you watch the special features on how they made it.
   Also - if you have younger children - check out Captain Jon Explores the Ocean, also available on DVD from Amazon.



2. I buy and watch a lot of underwater documentaries but I have to admit this is but far the best of them so far. Cocos Island has always been my dream diving spot in the world. These guys put together a fantastic video. Quality of the shots are incredible. I strongly recommend anyone who is interested in underwater life.



3. Island of the Sharks is a spectacular look at the ocean around the island of Cocos. Many creatures are photographed here, including: shark species, manta rays, fishes, and quite a few invertebrates. A very startling scene, and one of my favorites, involves a male blenny searching for a mate. However, a very large mantis shrimp threatens all fishes that pass within the area. A female blenny detects the males signal, and searches the sand flats for him. When the tiny female reaches the male, he rebuffs her instantly. The female blenny backtracks in the wrong direction, and is swallowed whole by the waiting shrimp. Excilirating photography! However, this is only a single scene out of many that make this one of the very best films about the ocean. Completely trashes another well known but sub par Imax film called "The Living Sea."
   The transfer to DVD of this epic is acceptable. It is very good for a restoration from the Imax screen, which is usually very hard to do. Some scenes of the film are grainy, but this is expected from an Imax restoration. However, most of the picture is clear, and can be enjoyed in full glory. If you love the ocean and it's marvels, rent it or buy it on DVD!



4. Nicely filmed, good sea and island bird life coverage including the seasonal El Nino effects, BUT...the narration is often drowned out by the sound track's musical score--a fault I lay directly on the studio sound staff, sloppy mixer level management, and asleep-at-the-wheel Quality Control people. The narration overall was only "adequate" as the woman doing it spoke as if "too removed/uninterested/laid back" from what she was narrating, a weak script to read from, and spoken softly as well adding to the narration shortfall. Otherwise...this is visually a good DVD of the sea and bird life of the Cocos Islands.



5. What beauty, and what a pleasure to watch! Narrated by Linda Hunt's articulate voice, this film is full of fantastic underwater scenes that took a great deal of talent, and patience, to capture. A real treat that my entire family appreciated.
   
   Chrissy K. McVay - Author

No comments about A Musical Journey: Sicily.

3 comments about People Places & Plants (5 Disc Set).

1. It is so great to be able to watch all of Roger's shows.



2. I had met Roger Swain at the TN Mastergardeners Meeting. He, I believe, was the one who donated a copy of People Places & Plants for their silent auction. I did not win so I was happy to be able to purchase the set from [...]. I love it!!



3. This is a great series for those who love to garden. Very informative and entertaining. Lots of useful information.

1 comments about Passport to Europe with Samantha Brown - Episode 1: Rome, Italy.

1. This video contains very little information for anyone traveling for the first time to Rome, and it is made for people traveling with a big budget. No tips on how to save money.

1 comments about Memories of Puerto Rico.

1. This DVD presents awesome uptoday photos and video slideshows of Puerto Rico's like, tourist places and folklore events. Slideshows with professional "cuatro" instrument as soundtrack.
   
   The DVD is revised at least every year and has menus and descriptions in English and Spanish. Includes 6 galleries of different subjects about the Island.
   
   Highly recommended. I have seen other similar products but this one is the best and with the endorsement of the Tourism Department of PR!

No comments about America's Greatest Monuments: Washington D.C..

3 comments about Travel the World By Train: Europe 2.

1. While the first video in this series displayed luxurious or special-purpose mountain trains, this one focuses a bit more on giving us a European tour (through Spain, Portugal, France, Belgium, The Netherlands, and Sweden) on the kind of trains ordinary folks are likely to use for day trips. The scenery, as viewed from the trains, is quite interesting, and the narrator takes time to educate the audience about ancient castles seen along the way, and their history. The background music is a bit tepid, but on balance the trips are enjoyable.



2. There are some really breathtaking scenes in Sweden,Norway and Finland....they are just mesmerizing!They show sheer natural beauty that is abundant in these countries. However,the effort fails to capture anything about Spain and Portugal at all...there are only passing references to Madrid and Lisbon that might have been a little better. In some places the photography is just high class....but at the same time in other places the camera work is really poor...showing only dark images.This sure doesn't help. In its informational content I feel there is a lot to be desired.It is able to provide only a broader picture...some elaborate descriptions might help. In short,the feature can be rated as average.It could have been presented in a more dramatic fashion.The narration is not very good either.



3. I enjoyed the video trip by train through northern European countries. However, I was disappointed that almost no coverage was given on the country of Portugal.