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Clarkson - Thriller (DVD)
by xxfoxyredxx If you not a Jeremy Clarkson fan this may not be a good dvd for you. If you like the Top Gear format, again this may not be for you. Basically this dvd is all about trying to find the ultimate thrill seeking car and a middle aged, dry sense of humoured man talking about them in his usual droll style. Personally though I am a ... fan of Jeremy's and I collect anything of his or top gear be it dvds such as this or books. Ok I can't drive and have no intentions of learning to do so but I do like the roar of a mighty engine and appreciate the beauty of all that is a car....especially the expensive ones that I couldn't ever afford in 6 lifetimes even if I was in the market for buying a car ever lol. The Dvd: We start off with Jeremy explaining about ways people get their thrills and then we come back down to planet earth (well cars anyway) and him testing out a few of them looking for the ultimate drive from a range of top class and very expensive cars of course. He goes through makes and models, looks at the cars in detail and even shows clips of their history and of course test drives it and slates and praises them in his own blunt way. However not finding the perfect thrill seeking car to drive he then decides to get a rocket attached to Porsche which he buys for £5000 and a camera and to see if theres any way of beating a speed camera (of course this is all in the interest of experiment not his distaste for speed cameras in the uk at all lol). I had a bit of a giggle watching him try beat a road camera with a rocket fuelled car and did at a point totally fear for his safety..is this the ultimate thrill though? Its funny though I must admit. He then tries to launch a rocket at a highway patrol car with people actually in it....did this thrill him? Again this was funny as he tried to wreck a car he actually shows a distain for and then tries to blow up a double decker red bus! Is he giggling or thrilled yet? In Germany he gets to grips with another Porche this time its the latest model 911 turbo and he goes again into the history of the car and hes taken this car to Germany cos of no speed restrictions. Hes trying to get to the top speed of about 193 miles an hour and some and can he make it to the target in his head of 200 miles an hour? We then take a look in a car hes driven that faster than that, a Mclaren Mercedes to which he shows us completely around this lightweight car and he races around the track and in a car such as this around the track hes on the best time is 1 minute and 12 seconds and he tries to beat that though he a bit wary of dying in this challenge but as entertaining and as big as a kid as ever! We then look at militry Range Rover 'Wolf' that can go to a 100 miles an hour and of course is equipped and then at an Lexus 400 to which we are again thoroughly shown around it and told a bit of history about it and the obligatory test run and his boredom is so funny as he blasts Lexus drivers. As he doesn't like it at all he decides to park it on a militry ground with people from the navy with tanks and of course he was allowed to drive one and talk us through it. However don't forget the car that Jeremy really doesn't like is there and him and others have guns and amunition! Ah oh? We then move back to modern supercars including the Zonda F Roadster with Jeremy is rather a fan of and he's lucky enough to get his hands on one of only 25 made! Again he is able to thrash this car in Germany and reach the maximum of 214 miles an hour with no air bag! He even tests out if this is a pulling car with surprising results lol! He then gets his hands on an engine, a slow one that is diesel (which he hates) and decides to drop it from a great height. This is a funny incident actually! He just wanted to see if it went faster with gravity than in a car lol. He then gets his hands on a Mercedes which is diesel once again and he decides to fill the engine with dynamite, course Jeremy is not going to drive this himself don't be silly....enter the stig lol. We go back then to looking at supercars which are a Lamborghini's and Ferrari with him at the helm once again racing them around tracks and talking all about them. So is one of these cars the biggest thrill and which one is best. We then go looking at the Mini (The One) and take it to a disused power station with another mini and Jodie Kidd (supermodel) to do a British car chase! this is a long segment, like most are. We then look at Nissan GTR, expensive and of course powerful. We're still in pursuit of the ultimate thrill will he get that from this through test driving it around a track? We then move back Germany and the Mercedes CLK Black which he compares to all of the other cars and tanks and things we have seen. Does he love it the same as The Stig does? Coould he finally have found the perfect car and if so why? Well of course once again Jeremy talks us through the car spec, show us around it and generally gives it a good going over in his usual unique manner! My Opinion: Well considering Jeremy doesn't mince his words neither will I. I didn't like this dvd one bit. Ok I love him, he's politically incorrect and says what he means and doesn't hold back one bit but the few cars he tried out I found boring. I did find him blowing things up and the appearance of the stig and Jodie Kidd interesting and like I say he was entirely amusing but with a name of a dvd called 'Thriller' you have high expectaions to meet and this, well it didn't really! This was released in 2008 and in 78 minutes long and available from Amazon.co.uk and for a used but good copy it will cost you from £1.26. Read the complete review |
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Ice Road Truckers - Deadliest Roads /DVD)
by Praskipark Having watched four series of Ice Road Truckers three times my son thought it was about time to buy me Ice Road Truckers - Deadliest Roads Season One. It was one of my many presents for my birthday in September related to this gang of intriguing vagabonds. I was thrilled and as soon as my birthday celebrations were out of the way I ... popped it into the DVD player. Most people probablywatch one episode per night or a week - I had to watch all three discs in about 3 days. For those of you who aren't familiar with Ice Road Truckers (IRT) I will explain. The programme was released on the History Channel around June 2007 - a documentary style series introducing viewers to the men/women who drove the Ice Road in the North West Territories of Canada and the support staff who helped them safely on their way. I don't want to go into too much detail because this review is about their stint in the Himalayas. Let's just say IRT in Canada became very popular. They made 5 series and the Deadliest Road Series became a spin off from the original series and was shown on TV after series 4 had finished. The box set consists of 3 DVDs including 10 episodes. Total viewing time: 439 minutes of hair-raising and pulse pounding material. Disc 1 This is the introduction of the characters - for those who have watched previous IRT episodes you will recognise the famous three: Alex Debogorski, the big strong Polish Canadian veteran trucker who has a laugh like a bear, loves to tell stories and has the patience of a saint - well until he gets to India. Rick Yemm - a 'Maverick' of the road or so they say, still a loud mouth and know it all but here showing signs of humanity and gentleness towards animals and children. Still reckless on the road and hard on his vehicles? - you'll have to tune in and see. Pretty Lisa Kelly, the tiny lady with a smile, determination, loves animals, can handle a truck and is just as tough as any bloke or is she? These are the gang but who are the Indians we are introduced to? Spotters of course and what is their job? To direct the drivers on the treacherous roads of India's Himalayan highway because these three Indians know the roads like the back of their hands. They also know how to mediate when tempers flare and to even drive the truck if a driver gets cold feet. No pun intended. Once the introductions are over all three truckers and spotters are on the road. Some of these roads are not only historic but pretty lethal. Throughout the four episodes on DVD 1 we see how all three drivers cope with roads that are steep, no room for manoeuvres and so congested it's unbelievable. First they have to travel from Delhi to Shimla which is a hard task in itself as the roads here are pretty dangerous but we see how they are physically and mentally pushed to the edge when they go to the hydroelectric dam in the Himalayas. Here, they have to be brave and face up to their fears. They can't just get out of the cab and walk away stuck halfway up a mountain. Imagine driving a loaded truck on a free way packed with honking cars, buses and other trucks. There are blind corners and parts of the road that fall away - death is always on the horizon, every 4.5 minutes to be exact. Disc 2 Only three episodes on this disc lasting 132 minutes. A new driver is on the pay roll and part of the gang - Alabama born and bred, Dave Redmon. I spot a bit of a southern swagger here and a drawn out curly, whirly accent. Not sure about his Hawaiian shirts. He may have travelled all through the States but I bet your bottom dollar he hasn't seen anything like these roads. Seems very laid back - will he be this way all the time? We will see. When the guys think they have just conquered one set of fears there are other challenges on the highway. The Rhotang pass leads to the town of Keylong; a nightmare of a road, tight, winding, sometimes cut off due to the stormy weather and occurring avalanches. The air is thin. Supplies are desperately needed in this neck of the woods and it is the drivers mission to get everything delivered on time and in one piece to these people. Special care and attention on the rocky road to Kalpa. Himachal Pradesh is needed when Rick and Lisa deliver the image of the goddess Kali treading on Shiva, her husband. No storage crates for these art pieces - a bucket full of straw only haphazardly placed at the foot of the image and a makeshift strap around the image and fastened to the sides of the truck. Does the image get to the temple without any breakages? Finally, Disc 3 Again 3 episodes lasting 131 minutes in total. Now, we see the drivers have gained some confidence on the roads - they are starting to lay down the law and ain't going to take anything on the back of the truck that is too high or weighs too much or are they just pretending? Jet fuel is needed by the helicopter drivers so they can take food and supplies up to the people high in the mountains who are stranded. Are they up for it? These TaTa trucks have a wooden frame and when hit with any force will just splinter and fall apart like a box of matches. My husband drove a TaTa jeep many years ago and he says they are very odd as the gear box is back to front so they take some getting used to. That might well be the case but are the TaTa trucks strong enough/safe enough to transport a shipment of volatile fuel up one of the world's deadliest roads and are all drivers willing to risk their lives and take this challenge......................?? My Summary As you can imagine I was ecstatic to receive this series and couldn't wait to tune in. I hadn't read up about it or seen any trailers. A couple of DY writers had told me about it and they said they had really enjoyed it. What is my verdict? A long one.... Likes - truckers I loved the first DVD and was really pleased to see Alex who is my favourite trucker of all. There is just something about the size of the man and his cheerful disposition I love. I can't say much more about Alex or I'll let the cat out of the bag. Also, nice to see Rick who I blow hot and cold about. He annoyed me towards the end in IRT in Canada because he was wrecking the trucks and being such a mardy bum, like a spoilt kid. I liked his personality in this series a lot more. Although the narrator used the word 'Maverick' a little too much I would agree that the Himalayan road was made for him due to the fact that he is a risk taker. Although, at times he did do some stupid, idiotic passes whether that is being a Maverick or not, I'm not sure. I was pleased to see the emotional side to him when it came to his family, children and animals. As for Lisa, I like her toughness and her determination to prove that she can do the job as good as any bloke. It was tough for her up that mountain but she did well. Alabama Dave, I started off liking him and his laid backness but then he got on my nerves towards the end of the series for various reasons which weren't anything to do with his whacky dress sense. More to do with his southern American behaviour. Filming The filming was very good, - nearly as good as the IRT in Canada and the graphics were very colourful and amazingly sharp. Overall, I did feel that the filming lacked a bit of mystery. This could be to do with the scenery or to do with the congestion of the roads but I was more enchanted with the wilderness of the Canadian roads and the exceptional lighting quality. The Himalayas - what did I think? A year or so ago I really fancied visiting India and the Himalayas. A good friend of ours went on his 50th birthday and said apart from a Bruce Springsteen gig it was the highlight of his life. I am sorry to say that IRT in the Himalayas has quelled any desire I ever had. I can see how people can think the scenery is fascinating and be drawn to this area of India but I wasn't bowled over by it. Why anyone should want to travel so far to be on the top of a congested road with hordes of people arguing amongst themselves is beyond me. The mountains were pretty at certain times when the light was on them but most of the time they were grey and miserable. I can understand the challenge of the road and if I was a trucker I wouldn't mind the challenge but there's no way I would want to spend time on a vacation - it is just too mental an environment! The Series Overall By the time I had got into the middle of Disc two my feathers started ruffling. I realised that the whole programme had been set up by the TV company to make money. Everything was set up for the cameras and the audience from Lisa taking a small stray puppy aboard to Rick giving out sweets to the groups of kids in an isolated village and to the finale which I can't say. What happened to the puppy? Was it given a good home, did she take it back to Canada or was it dumped again? I have very strong morals about picking up stray dogs - if you do it you do it like you mean it not for fun or for a TV hit. Nothing wrong with Rick giving out sweets - a very humane thing to do - I would have done the same - it was just the way it was presented - in a sickly, American sort of way. The part that really annoyed me and upset me in a way was when Rick and Alabama Dave started getting 'mouthy' and wanting to kick ass. There had been a situation where they got involved in a mob scene and it got out of hand. You could see they both wanted to get stuck in and kick some 'Indian ass,' and this is when I could see signs of racism creeping into the show. This really disturbed me and I didn't like it all. I watched all three DVD's but during the third DVD I knew that I hadn't enjoyed this series as much as the IRT in Canada and I was sad. I really wanted to love this series but I didn't. It didn't have the same landscape beauty, I didn't like the congestion of the roads whereas in Canada I loved the stillness and the emptiness of the ice roads. I felt that the Himalayan episodes needed more truckers and a different variety of characters. I also felt that the continuity of the series was a bit jumbled and became more of a celebrity show rather than a fly on the wall showing us how the truckers really did their jobs which was a disappointment as that is one part I found very interesting. Sadly, I am awarding the series 3*. If somebody asked me if IRT in the Himalayas worked - I would say, 'Not really'. Some episodes were good but it didn't have the earthiness and magic of IRT in the Western Territories. There are no extras on this DVD set. As it was a gift I am not sure of the price but I guess my son bought it from Amazon so we'll go with the price at the top of the page. Read the complete review |
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Ice Road Truckers Season 3 (DVD)
by dangaroo Having bought the 1st series of Ice Road Truckers a couple of months ago, my mother and I have become big fans of the reality documentary Ice Road Truckers, unlike my mum who might as well move to Canada and Alaska at the rate she's been watching them, I'm a little slower and I've just finished the 3rd series. If you don't ... know what the show is, then I'll explain it quickly. When the winter hits Northern North America, ice roads are cut out of the wilderness - they can cross lakes, rivers and the Arctic Sea and there is a multi million business involving them with trucks bringing all the industrial supplies to the mining, oil and power-searching industries. Unlike the 1st and 2nd series, Series 3 is in Alaska rather than Canada, it follows the Dalton Highway which is not an ice road in typical style because it's an all-year round road and doesn't cross lakes and the like. It makes up for not having water underneath and the typical ice cracking crunchy sounds with huge hills, sharp bends, avalanches and unpredictable wildlife like moose. For the ardent typical ice road fan, you'll be glad to hear that not only are the roads very icy but there are also trucks driving over the Arctic Sea to Prudhoe Bay once the Dalton comes to an end. The Dalton seems much more dangerous than any of the Canadian roads and well-respected stalwarts of the Canadian Ice roads Alex and Hugh have to undergo rigorous training and supervising as it's their rookie year on American roads. The man to beat on the Dalton is Jack Jessee, whose laid back attitude at the hands of danger is mind-boggling. Another star of the show is Lisa Kelly who undoubtedly classifies as totty when you picture the typical trucker, she is a little odd to say the least! The 3rd season of Ice Road Truckers is interesting, the road is treacherous and the driving requires a lot of skill, if you are interested in driving in extreme conditions then it's definitely something you'll want to have a look at. One downside of this series though is that it's not as fun as the 1st series which had quite a lot of comedic elements. Read the complete review |
Transport Documentary |
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Genre: Documentary - Transport / DVD released 01 January, 2007 at 2 Entertain Video / Features of the DVD: PAL |
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1 review Genre: Documentaries - Transport / Documentary / DVD Release Date: 2008 |
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1 review Genre: Documentary - Transport / Exempt / DVD released 2010-05-10 at History Channel / Features of the DVD: Box set, PAL |
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1 review Genre: Documentary - Transport / Exempt / DVD released 2011-09-19 at History Channel |
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1 review Genre: Documentary / Theatrical Release: 2008 / Actors: Thom Beers, Hugh Rowland, Rick Yemm, Drew Sherwood, Alex Debogorski ... / DVD released 2008-12-16 at A&E Home Video / Features of the DVD: Box set, Closed-captioned, Colour, DVD-Video, NTSC |
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4 reviews Genre: Documentary - Transport / Exempt / DVD released 2008-05-05 at History Channel / Features of the DVD: Box set, PAL |
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2 reviews Genre: Documentary - Transport / Actors: Jeremy Clarkson ... / DVD released 07 November, 2005 at 2 Entertain Video / Features of the DVD: Anamorphic, PAL - And so, this is the big one. I trawl the whole of cardom to bring you seven great cars and truffle the undergrowth looking for seven a... |
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Genre: Documentary - Transport / Actors: Clyde Cardy, Mike Barton ... / DVD released 14 March, 2005 at Green Umbrella Productions / Features of the DVD: PAL |
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Genre: Documentary - Transport / Actors: Martin Brundle ... / DVD released 17 November, 2003 at Universal Pictures UK / Features of the DVD: PAL |
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Genre: Documentary - Transport / Theatrical Release: 1997 / Actors: Chris Denning ... / DVD released 27 November, 2000 at Avid Entertainment / Features of the DVD: PAL |
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