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The Movie: A spin-off of "Extreme Makeover", "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" profiles one family in need, and brings in a team of carpenters and designers in order to completely redo - whether it's demolish and rebuild or completely renovate - their home. Designers Ty Pennington, Constance Ramos, Michael Moloney, , Tracy Hutson, Paul DiMeo, and Preston Sharp all take a look at what they're starting off with, visit with the family, plan out their efforts and then get to work while the family is sent off. Throughout the construction, we see the main designers and carpenters (along with other workers called in for the task) trying to get things done within a small fraction of the time a project like this would usually take. Tensions often boil over, and we watch as conflict often comes up within the group when split-second decisions have to be made. The amount of work that has to be done is often astonishing, and the results when it's all said and done are pretty incredible. The show does have a few infrequent moments when it gets a little corny, but even the most cynical of folks have to admit the great majority of the series is touching, emotional (I definitely admit to getting emotional at times throughout) and good-hearted. The series is also a lot of fun, and moves along at a faster clip than most similar shows do. The pacing does suffer a bit with commericals on broadcast TV, which makes being able to watch the show on DVD pleasant. I haven't watched "Home Edition" too many times since it first aired, but really found it to be very enjoyable and entertaining while watching it here on DVD. This "best of" set includes nine episodes: Powers Family, Woslum Family, Cox Family, Mendoza Family, Harris Family, Zitek Family, Walswick Family, Powell Family and Cadigan-Scott Family. The DVD VIDEO: Buena Vista presents "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" in the show's original 1.33:1 full-frame aspect ratio. Picture quality is equal or slightly better than the broadcast quality. Sharpness and detail are very good, as the picture appears consistently crisp and nicely defined. Flaws were present, but minimal: some minor shimmering and a couple of slight artifacts are occasionally spotted, but certainly are not much of a distraction. No edge enhancement or other concerns were visible, and, for the most part, the presentation looked smooth and clean. Colors were bright and nicely saturated, with no smearing or other issues. SOUND: The show is presented in Dolby 2.0, with crisp dialogue and music. EXTRAS: The main supplement is a "making of" that has the producers and workers discussing their feelings about working on the show, tidbits about the quick development of the series, stories from the set and more. We also get bloopers, a "Preston and Paul" montage and other behind-the-scenes clips. Final Thoughts: "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" is a sweet, touching and entertaining reality series that I really enjoyed watching on this "best of" set. Buena Vista's DVD edition provides fine audio/video quality and a nice helping of supplements. Recommended. |