No comments about Anthony Bourdain No Reservations: Asia - Special.

2 comments about Lonely Planet Six Degrees Series 2: Hong Kong.

1. I'm in this! Okay, in something that can't even really be called a cameo, but nonetheless...in one of the early scenes the host goes to a 'costume party' where almost no one else dresses up; he starts looking at all the people there and describing them to the audience, "Suit, suit, suit, suit, suit, a couple of dresses, suit, almost a costume, suit, pirate."
   
   And yes, I am the pirate.
   
   I've never been prouder. It was a benefit for the Hong Kong ballet.
   
   And, dammit, if they hadn't been filming the show, I would have won!
   
   Oh, but about the DVD, they explore the seldom seen parts of HK, from some lovely kayaking in the outlying islands, to a fantastic traditional village house; they visit local racconteur Nuri Vittachi and a fascinating and somewhat strange photographer/visual-performance artist identified only as Amy; they go shopping in Mong Kok, one of the most densely crowded places on Earth; they ride along with the marine police on a night patrol to catch smugglers (which they don't actually manage to do), and they meet a kung-fu artist/stuntman. It's loads of fun, and I saw parts of Hong kong that I hadn't seen here in real life having been here 17 years! But it was rather odd that the majority of people they met here were NOT CHINESE. Sure, there are a lot of expats living here, but you'd think that more locals would give you more of a local sense of the place.
   
   And keep an eye out for the pirate. (The Marine Police still haven't brought me in! HAHAHAHAHA!)



2. I was hoping this would be a good overview of things to see on my trip in Hong Kong. But it didn't really offer much information.
   
   The host is nice enough, but there wasn't much info about things to see, places to go, what to expect, etc...
   
   If you're looking for something to help plan your trip. Save your money. On the other hand, the Frommers guide is quite helpful.

No comments about Mexico to the Max.

1 comments about Brisbane Australia's Sunshine City.

1. I was hoping to get information about what Austrailia is most famous for which is it's beaches and the activity surrounded those areas even if they are considered tourist spots. Nor did it go into much detail about the city itself like the different districts and intersting places to go and things to do. Instead this DVD mostly deals with things like public parks, the zoo, and stuff that I have zero interst in. Also, I hope the people in Brisbane look better than the ones in this DVD who look God awful. After watching this DVD I decided not to travel to Brisbane. I almost send this back for a refund but I knew I wouldn't get it.

No comments about A Doug Jones Travelog The Great Alaska Cruise.

2 comments about Mozart Piano Concertos Nos. 13 & 20 - A Naxos Musical Journey.

1. A Quick review of a disc that I thought was very enjoyable. You can't go wrong with a Mozart piano concerto and with 2 here, winners! The performances were very credible and delightful! What took me away was Salzburg! If I were to want to visit anywhere in Europe, this disc makes me want Salzburg! Summer looks quite delightful, but winter looks like a wonderland! The scenery chosen is quite breathtaking in it's scope. I am glad to have this disc in my library!Great performance and great scenery, what more can one ask???



2. I purchased this DVD because I'm a big fan of Mozart's piano concerti and I have fond memories of past trips to Salzburg.
   I was not disappointed. This tour of what I believe to be the most picturesque city in Europe is breathtaking. The first concerto - which is in a major key - is the backround music for scenes of Salzburg in Spring. The city is alive with flowers, sunshine and joy. The second concerto - which is in a minor key - frames the city in the middle of winter and at night. Snow is everywhere. The Salz River is frozen and the natives skate, play and ski on the river's surface.
   If you love great music and you love the incomparable scenery of Austria get this DVD!!!!!

4 comments about Travel With Kids - Hawaii: Maui & Molokai.

1. "Travel With Kids Hawai'i: The Island Of Maui & Moloka'i" is a full color, 50 minute, beautifully produced travel guide specifically designed for families with young children and staring the Roberts family as they explore the Hawaiian islands of Maui and Molok'i. Young viewers (and older viewers too, for that matter!) will learn about ancient Polynesia and how the islands were formed in the Pacific Ocean; Maui's history of whaling; the natural surrounds on the road to 'Hana and on Ka'anapali Beach. Viewers will be introduced to Hawaiian foods and sunsets, trains rides through old sugar cane plantations, the undersea life at Maui Ocean Center, a snorkel tour of Lanai, and so much more. The DVD format allows for the addition of expanded videos of family-friendly accommodations and transportation; tips and resources when traveling with kids; a trip planner with itineraries; language, crafts and recipes; even a blooper reel! Also very highly recommended are two other Pro Active Entertainment DVDs for vacationing parents: "Travel With Kids: Caribbean" and "Travel With Kids Hawaii: The Island Of Oahu".



2. As a former resident of the Island of Molokai, I thoroughly enjoyed this visual tour. The filmmakers effectively showed the tourist (and non-tourist) attractions of the island and went into helpful detail as to what to expect in each location. From the East end to the West end, the covered everything. The coverage of Maui was equally in-depth, but obviously there's much more on that island, so there's more to cover and more to leave out.
   
   Overall, this is a great DVD to help get a visual idea of the trip you might take with a family to Molokai. I don't think that this video takes the place of a travel book or online research, though, and the price is a little steep for an hour long video. But if you want a preview of what you're going to see on these two islands, this is the DVD for you.



3. It gave the whole family a good visual look at what Maui had to offer before traveling there, so we could each choose something that we wanted to do.



4. Excellent family oriented travel video; we're heading to Maui at Christmas and will likely use this video as our guide for what to do with families

No comments about Great Hotels Season 1 - Episode 2: Hotel Maison de Ville - New Orleans.

4 comments about On the Waterways.

1. This is a excellent history documentary tool of the former view of the coastal waterways before several global warming and other man-made changes. The college students talk with coastal natives of the area that give the history of how life was before so many climatic and economic changes. A must have dvd for a historian.



2. "On the Waterways" is a beautifully photographed series. It is also a journey into the realm of small, human stories. The filmmakers were young and took the time to talk to the people who lived along the shores of the places they visited. The stories they tell and the way they are told are not flashy. All of the episodes move along at a brisk pace, but at the same time it feels as though time has slowed down long enough for the viewer to enjoy the ride. This series is almost twenty years old, so there are probably a lot of things that have changed. However, this does not change the charm and the beauty of the scenes. It's a bit like looking at old photographs of a favorite vacation.



3. This is a wonderful set to own and watch. When it originally aired on PBS, we enjoyed watching it so much. I had taped it back then but the video quality wasn't very good. When I found it on Amazon, I was thrilled. You'll learn a lot as well as be entertained. It's something that can be watched over & over again.



4. I watched this series when it first aired on PBS (in the late 1980's I believe) and loved it. It was a truly interesting documentary, telling the story of Americans (and a few Canadians!) who live and work on the rivers and the Atlantic coast.
   
   It is an unhurried, relaxing tour of the eastern seaboard, gulf coast and Missipssipi waterways. Watching it again in 2008 shows just how much documentaries have improved over the years. "Waterways" now is pretty slow in comparison. I think the major difference between watching the stories then and now is that many of the people they interview have quite predictable lives now...whereas in the 80's their lives were completely new to me. Now I have seen several seasons of documentaries on fishermen, and the people on "Waterways" don't have the hair-raising adventures we are used to in such a documentary.
   
   I still enjoy watching it, but I can only watch the 13 hour series 1 hour a week(I get a little anxious for the hour to end, as the story seems to move a little slowly).

2 comments about On The Ballykissangel Trail.

1. A look at the "backside" of Ballykissangel was a real treat! Wonderful knowing where the series took place and some of the players in their "street look." Can't wait for the next release!



2. This 45-minute behind-the-scenes dvd features brief anecdotes from Kieran Prendiville, the creator and main writer of Ballykissangel, and from the actors who portrayed Niamh, Siobhan, Kathleen, Liam, Donal, Father MacAnally, and Oonagh and Paul Dooley. The actors talk briefly about what it was like doing the series, its success, why they thought it was cancelled, and so on.
   
   The focus, however, is very much on the impact the series has had on Avoca (ie. Ballykissangel), what with busloads of tourists and bumper-to-bumper traffic flowing through the town on a daily basis. There is the odd brief comment by a few of the local residents--like the local priest, for example--about the filming of the series and its impact. Equally, the dvd focuses to a large extent on the success of the series internationally, with the actors expressing both pleasure and amazement, as well as the odd attempt to reason why. Interspersed were a good many brief responses from visitors in the streets (mostly foreigners) expressing their love for the show.
   
   Usually in a programme such as this, 45 minutes would fly by. I did not find that to be the case here. Unfortunately, there was substantively actually very little. Oh, there were a few interesting anecdotes--like the real Hendley's store carrying on business even while filming was going on (the real customers just used a back entrance), or Dierdre Donnelly (Siobhan) jabbing herself with a needle whilst learning how to handle the animals. There was also a very brief tribute to the late Tony Doyle (Brian Quigley), who died of a heart attack. However, with the actors each expressing similar views regarding the success of the series or its impact on Avoca, and with the many interspersions of visitors praising the series, there was quite a bit of repetition content-wise.
   
   Most disappointing of all, however, was the "tour" (if one can call it that) Joe Savino (Liam) takes us on of Avoca. This had the potential to be quite interesting, but it was extremely poorly filmed. As Savino walked through the town and told us what was what, the camera was focused almost entirely on his face, with the occasional arm thrown in as he pointed out a particular landmark. If lucky, the viewer would get a brief glimpse at the landmark to which he pointed, but it was usually filmed too closely to get any real sense of the object's perspective with respect to its location within the town.
   
   The final thing worth mentioning are the "15 minutes of bonus interviews" touted on the back cover. With five minutes per actor (and that includes a brief opening and closing segment for each), what one actually gets is a repetition of all the little anecdotes that were interspersed throughout the 45-minute programme by Aine Ni Mhuiri (Kathleen), Deirdre Donnelly (Siobhan), and Joe Savino (Liam). Unbelievably, Savino's segment included that same painful "tour" of Avoca!
   
   Though I started off rather enjoying this little dvd, my level of enjoyment tapered off quite rapidly for the reasons mentioned. While it was nice to see a few of the actors chatting about the show, the dvd itself was not well produced and quite amateurishly filmed. The really disappointing thing is that it didn't have to be like this. Ballykissangel was such a sweet series, and with all the participation from Prendiville and so many of the actors, this dvd had the potential to be really good.