 "Monkees 'a La Mode - 32 classic episodes and great songs" | 2007-01-08 |
| - Reviewed By keith_joseph |
This is a very cute box - exactly as the Amazon photo. Downside is that it is a big cute box, 7cm x 15cm x 15cm, and mine got damaged a little in the post and required re-gluing. The actual DVD's are all in their own little cardboard miniature `Record' sleeves, great little facsimiles of the Monkees LP covers, fitted into a removable little `record deck' outer cardboard case that slots into the portable `record player' box. So a lot of the DVD box is air and the odd spring. All the episodes 1 to 32 from the first series are here, first aired from Sept 1996 to April 1967, and they are spread over 6 DVDs. The final DVD also has a few extras, like the Kellogs commercials, discography, play songs only, Monkees commentaries, interview with songwriter Bobby Hart, and a Monkees memorabilia gallery. The set also has little booklet of the chapter indexes and a short `behind the scenes' written piece that's quite interesting (I didn't realise Mickey and Davy were only 20 when picked or that the Monkees concept wasn't nicked from the Beatles film `Hard Days Night' - one of the creators, Bob Rafelson, had toured with a struggling young band in 1962 and got the idea then). See tvtome for the actual episode list. We find the picture/sound fine, particularly on our small bedroom TVs. There is also a similar `record player' DVD set for season two.
This first season DVD set is great fun, if a little repetitive naturally being nearly 16h of episodes. My daughter (12) likes the Monkees and has watched most of the episodes - but not as much as her original 4 episode DVD `The Monkees our favourite episodes' - NTSC as well - so perhaps she has suffered from Monkees overload fatigue (and she has since fallen under the spell of the Charmed ones). She also has the CD set `The definitive Monkees - limited edition' which she really likes. She became a fan after singing 'I'm a believer' in the school Choir. She really likes the Monkees humour (and also the similarly zany British series 'The Goodies at last' and '2nd helping' DVD sets - if you can find them in the US). My son (10) also loves this Monkees set, although he tends to watch The Goodies a bit more. So a pretty good value DVD set in a fun package - we got it particularly cheaply via Amazon resellers. |
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| "Five for material, three for DVDs" | 2006-07-24 |
| - Reviewed By lp45cdwoman |
Yep, this is exactly what you thought it would be: All the first season Monkees episodes on six DVDs (in a very cool package), with commentary on several episodes by various group members (but only Davy seems to give a tiny hoot), as well as by director James Frawley, producer Robert Rafelson and singer/songwriter Bobby Hart. It's got more material than the VHS box released in a limited edition several years ago, but since that release this material is in dire need of restoration. Most of the episode masters are still fairly sharp and colorful (although scratchy in spots) but the title sequence and other materials are getting down to the reds (case in point: the vintage Kellogg's commercials on Disc Six).
Other reviewers are right on the money on the sound: mushy and bassy, and the 2.0 is sometimes actually better than the 5.1! Since the Monkees renaissance of the late Eighties is now long past, proper restoration is not likely to happen, so my advice is to grab this set while it's available. Kudos to Rhino for putting it all together (and to Harold Bronson and Richard Foos for keeping the lights burning) but since they now own all the Monkees material outright, please take a lot better care of the Monkees' legacy. |
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 "Great Flashback !!" | 2006-07-21 |
| - Reviewed By User: A1WUIL9M56LY89 |
I used to watch these shows after school at 5 o'clock in the afternoon, back in...yes, 1979. So they were . duh, in syndication reruns, but for my generation, my first chance to see "The Monkees."
I looked forward to it everyday.
This box set, as well as season 2 are great. Sure, the audio is sub par, but it's the way it aired, then. Cleaned up some, and in it's original form. No edits and all the BS 60's promo's. How cool is that??
Stop the bitchin' and be thankful we can accually get these shows on a full DVD set.
Original packaging, very cool idea, not easy to fit into my DVD set up, but, that's what makes in unique.
Thanks Rhino !! |
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| "Monkees" | 2006-03-27 |
| - Reviewed By tanyabwmlmt |
| The set is wonderful it is good for the whole familey. We love it |
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| "Brings back great memories" | 2005-09-30 |
| - Reviewed By oreodumbojet |
| I love my Monkees Season 1 DVDs. Its true that the picture and sound quality aren't up to todays standards, but it gives the feel that you are watching the show when it was meant to be watched. They are just as fun as ever and the tunes are still just as catchy. |
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| "Daydream Believers" | 2005-07-09 |
| - Reviewed By melissa_marie_w |
I have been a fan of The Monkees since I originally saw them on Nick @ Nite. I prayed and wished until they finally came out on DVD. This is an amazing for any Monkee fan.
First Season Episodes: Royal Flush, Monkee See, Monkee Die, Your Friendly Neighborhood Kidnappers, The Spy Who Came In From The Cool, Success Story, Monkees In A Ghost Town, Don't Look A Gift Horse In The Mouth, The Chaperone, Here Come The Monkees, Monkees A La Carte, I've Got A Little Song Here, One Man Shy, Dance, Monkee, Dance, Too Many Girls, Son Of A Gypsy, The Case Of The Missing Monkey, I Was A Teenage Monster, The Audition, Monkees In The Ring, The Prince And The Pauper, Monkees At The Circus, Captain Crocodile, Monkees A La Mode, Alias Micky Dolenz, Monkee Chow Mein, Monkee Mother, Monkees On The Line, Monkees Get Out More Dirt, Monkees In Manhattan, Monkees At The Movies, & Monkees On Tour.
All episodes come on 6 disks. Each has a special extra's section with a trivia game, behind the scene's information, and sometimes commentary. Also on certain episodes they have interviews by The Monkees and old commercial ad's. You also have easy to navigate menu's and you can play all of the episodes if you wish on one click.
All episodes are uncut. The package is really clever. It comes as you can see in the picture a little square record box and is neatly packaged and easy to use and store.
Again for any Monkee fan new or old this is a must for your collection! |
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| "Perspective from the UK" | 2005-04-26 |
| - Reviewed By barrie_mills |
I'm in the UK and had two potential problems with this release: it's Region 1 and it's also NTSC format (we have PAL in the UK).
However, not only did my DVD player deal with the Region 1 disc with no problem, but my cheap Samsung TV dealt with the NTSC issue as well.
So far, so good.
After reading some of the reviews here, I was expecting to be a bit disappointed by the sound and picture quality but, apart from over-saturation of colour in some episodes, (which could be an product of the NTSC translation) so far I haven't found this release to be anywhere near as 'bad' as others have done.
I have, for comparison, some episodes saved on my Sky Plus hard drive recorder (like TiVo only better) when Disney Channel screened them in the UK about 12-18 months ago. These are definitely cleaner versions than in the Rhino box set BUT the Rhino ones are perfectly acceptable, in my view.
Let's face it, there is no alternative at the moment - and definitely not at this price. Even after I got stung for some customs duty (about £9 in total) I still thought I'd got a bargain.
So if you're in the UK, and can play Region 1 and NTSC, I'd say buy with confidence.
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| "Monkees Seasons 1 and 2 dvd" | 2004-12-02 |
| - Reviewed By User: A1SS9XHUWEN3F2 |
| I loved davy jones since I was 5 years old. thank you for making the dvd seasons 1 and 2.I can't stop watching the DVDS. It brings back happy memories for me. So far I have met and talked to davy six times. |
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| "Great job, cool packaging, now please give us the 90s stuff?" | 2004-09-01 |
| - Reviewed By ap75021 |
| Rhino has always done a stellar job with just about everything they've gotten their hands on, and the two seasons of The Monkees are no exception. I agree with the one reviewer who asked why the "updated" soundtracks couldn't have been included (as in, summer repeats with newer songs, for those of us who also remember "Midnight Train" in the "Chaperone" episode and so on)...other than that MINOR complaint...the shows are there, in order, and they look about as good as can be expected...nice work, Rhino...and GREAT touch adding "33 1/3rd Revolutions" to season two as well as the Kellogg's and Yardley ads...excellent touches! If you're a Monkees fan, don't miss this! |
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| "The Monkees are back in DVD form! (yay!)" | 2004-07-21 |
| - Reviewed By liannai |
Its great to finally see the Monkees on DVD! I loved this show as a child, I watched it in reruns on Nickelodeon and MTV in the 80s. Sure, I was around 5 or 6, but I loved the show, I thought Micky, Peter, Mike and Davy were adorable, and the music was really good. Of course I've caught the show on TV since then, and I remember they had a special in 1996 or 1997 where they attempted to re-do the Monkees (apparently they tried this in the 1980's as "The New Monkees" which didn't last.. and neither did this remake)
I think what made the Monkees work, was that there were 4 cute, young guys, each of whom appealed to a vareity of people in their own way. Micky was the zany sort of Jerry Lewis like character with his slapstick. Peter was the "dummy", Mike was the strong silent type, or the mature one, and Davy was the short, cute "teen idol" of the group. I think I liked every one of the boys at some point. But I think Mike is my favorite. :)
Also the entire idea of the show worked (all the silly comedic hijinks) because of the innocence of Micky, Mike, Peter and Davy, and of course the music was solid as well. I think one thing about the Monkees that I love also- are the outfits. This is a time when people actually dressed up on TV, even if their clothes were "funny" for the time. I think they all look handsome all dressed up. I wish people would do that today on TV!
Onto the DVD- again its great to see this show in DVD finally, its a classic. As silly and unreal as it is, it works. Now, there are a few things that annoy me about this DVD. You cannot "PLAY ALL EPISODES"(if there is a way someone PLEASE post it!) - you can "Play all Romps" which is great, but this is a show I'd like to watch and then have on in the background, and you can't do that because once an episode ends it returns to the title screen where you have to pick another episode.
Another semi-annoying thing is that there isn't commentary on each episode. Only a handful have cometary from Peter, Mike, Davy, James Frawley and Rafelson. Which is fine, but some episodes have multiple tracks, so that 2 people are commenting on the same episode but on different tracks, so you have to watch an entire episode twice to hear each persons comentary.
On a high note, I do like the packaging of little 45 records and a record holder. Very unique. Also I know some have complained about the quality of the DVD. I think its fine, I don't really notice a lot of "noise" or "dust" unless I'm watching it on a computer DVD player. Other than that, it doesn't look bad at all on TV. Remember, these films are almost 40 YEARS OLD! So you can't expect it to be perfect, even if coming from the masters. The sound is good, it isn't perfect, but again its almost 40 years old as well, that includes the songs. They are a little noisy, but again if that really bothers you, check out a Monkees CD for the music.
I think overall this DVD set is worth owning. The show is still entertaining after all these years, even though its a bit silly with its slapstick humour. But I enjoy the show, and the songs- I believe the Monkees were pioneers for the whole music video age, and this was WAY before your MTV and your VH1! I hope this helps in your decision to purchase this DVD! |
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