The Guild Seasons 1 2 DVD with Felicia Day, Jeff Lewis, Sandeep Parikh (NR) +Movie Reviews

Best Loot Ever

B. Brusell | ID USA | 09/12/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"How to describe The Guild...The Guild primarily follows the lives (in and out of game) of 6 mmo players. Although the premise of the story is set around the mmo and the guild known as "The Knights of Good" who stand for all things...good, what it really comes down to is the relationships and the inner workings of the group dynamic. What makes it great is you don't have to be that familiar with mmos in order to understand what is going on, although some things are a little easier if you are.

The Guild stars Felicia Day(Dr. Horrible's Sing Along Blog, Epitaph One - Dollhouse, ect.)who plays Codex, the core/heart of the guild , Sandeep Parikh (Legend of Neil)aka Zaboo, the most lovable stalker (cyber and literal) anyone could ever interact with/meet , Jeff Lewis (who has had numerous guest roles over the past decade)aka Vork the old guy of the group and rigid rule bound guild leader.

Also included in the cast are Robin Thorsen who plays Clara (real name Clara)the ditsy negligent mother, Amy Okuda aka Tinkerballa who is the princess/ice queen that Disney would never write a story around, and Vincent Caso, the renegade guildie who just can't stay out of trouble who goes by the name of Bladezz.

The cast and crew of The Guild makes the most of an extremely limited budget and yet it never feels like they are cutting corners where it matters most. Superb dialogue, and in season two great stunt work. This show is a testament to what can be done on the internet and has helped to pave the way for web content for years to come.

Based solely on the bonus content on the original season one and two dvd releases I can assure you that this is a bargain that you can't pass up. Buy the dvd and help to support the show, which has just begun on its 3rd season and shows many good things yet to come. If you're unsure, just go find the "Do You Wanna Date My Avatar" video. If you still don't want to buy it after watching that then apparently you have no pulse and the zombies ate your brains (Shout out to Jonathan Coulton, Re: Your Brains)."

Fantastic Webseries

SciFiChick | Fishers, IN USA | 10/26/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Cyd Serman (Felicia Day) is an online gamer, who goes by the name Codex. Her own therapist has dumped her, telling her she spends way too much time online. But when an online friend shows up at her door, mistaking cyber flirting for the real thing, Codex decides to enlist the help of the Guild. And gets them to all meet in the real world.

Felicia Day created and stars in this comedy series created for the internet. Each short webisode begins with Codex talking to the camera, as her video blog, then transitioning to her experiences with her Guild friends and the real world. Hilarity ensues. Codex and her geeky Guild spend so much time in their online game, that interactions in the real world are often skewed. Besides the clever dialog, the casting was perfect for each character. Felicia's Codex is sweet and completely loveable. Sandeep Parikh plays Zaboo, the young man who shows up at Codex's house and mistakenly believes that he has a real relationship with her. Vincent Caso is Bladezz, a young teen who hits on all of the female Guildmembers. Jeff Lewis plays Vork, the Guild leader who takes his job way too seriously. Robin Thorsen is Clara, an extremely irresponsible stay-at-home mom. And Amy Okuda plays Tink, a spoiled girl who would rather not interact with the rest of the Guild, unless she happens to find it amusing.

"The Guild" is a fast and funny web series that is enjoyable for more than just gamers. Anyone who spends a little too much time online will be able to relate in some ways, and enjoy the wacky and sometimes self-deprecating humor throughout. The DVD set offers up great special features as well, such as several gag reels for both seasons. Fans have the option of watching the seasons online still, but the DVD offers exclusive bonus materials. I had never been a fan of web series, besides "Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog." But I'm now hooked on "The Guild."

DVD Bonus Materials Include:

- Special Insert: Gaming Glossary and Note from Felicia Day

- Cast and Crew Interviews

- Audition Footage

- Gag Reels

- Audio Commentaries

- Table Read

- Script PDF Files

- Play All Feature

"

A great deal made even better

Terry Mesnard | Bellevue, NE | 09/22/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Originally released as two separate DVDs, Amazon is now selling both seasons in one package for a delicious price that's hard to pass up. Like I originally wrote in my review of Season One, it's amazing that we're even able to write reviews here at Amazon for this awesome web series. Consider the first season which was funded by creator and actress Felicia Day with donations/help from the audience and consider how unlikely such a collaboration is. It's amazing that the show has become such a hit, spawning additional seasons and a more mainstream acceptance. In an ideal world, it shouldn't be surprising, since it's probably one of the funniest and heartfelt shows I've seen on either the web or TV.

Stepping back a bit, The Guild is a show about...well, an online guild of friends who live in the local area but only know each other through their online alter-egos. Cyd/Codex (Felicia Day) is struggling with what appears to be an addiction to their current MMO, dealing with a psychiatrist who "breaks up with her" and a gnome warlock who shows up at her front door, thinking they are romantically involved. As the first season continues, we're brought into this zany world of Codex's and all of the great characters who rely on stereotypes, but also represent some people gamers might know.

What works for The Guild is the fact that the characters are so vivid and played pitch perfectly by the entire cast. Yes, they verge on walking stereotypes, but the hilartiy and the love for these people (some of the kinds of people I know personally) gives the show a much needed heart. What's great is that, while a gaming geek will get the most enjoyment out of the show, I have shown this to friends who think gaming is limited to Rock Band and they, too, kept coming back, week after week, to watch it.

Season 2 begins pretty much right where Season 1 ends. Codex talks to her webcam, summarizing the events that happened after the first Season. The story that follows deals mostly with a server outage for their game, forcing the members of the Knights of Good to deal with the real world. What makes the second season so much better than the already excellent first is that, now that we've been introduced to the characters, they can be given room to grow. Much more character development is given in this season and the show allows each character to have their individual storylines and key moments, splitting screen time a bit more evenly. The witty writing and the hilarious situations that arise are still here, except I found this season even more humorous than the first.

The story climaxes with a bittersweet cliffhanger of an ending. So it's a good thing that Season Three has already started (you can view it on Xbox Live and MSN). If you haven't given The Guild a chance, this set is the best way of doing it. While I wish it were in HD, like on Xbox Live, this is a terrific package. It's hilarious, witty and a perfect celebration of MMO geek lifestyle, but it can also be appreciated by people who have no knowledge of the lifestyle. It's the rare beast that can cater to both the culture and those not in it and The Guild nails it perfectly."

"It is so much easier to measure life in experience points."

H. Bala | Carson - hey, we have an IKEA store! - CA USA | 10/17/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Slackers and fellow nerds, stand up. Or, like, whatever. Technology keeps on marchin', and now we even got web serial shows hitting it up big. Cutie-pie actress and self-avowed avid World of Warcraft gamer Felicia Day created, writes, produces, and stars in THE GUILD, a series focusing on a pretty pathetic bunch of online gamers. It's par for the course that these cats spend an unholy amount of awake time logged on to their game, "The Knights of Good," to the exclusion of pretty much everything else. But then real life barges in.

Felicia Day is "Codex" - which is the guild code name of our heroine Cyd Sherman - and Codex is a bit of a sad sack. She's just lost her job and her boyfriend. Her therapist just now broke up with her. And, responding to a knock on her door, Cyd has a face to face with her creepy but genial stalker Zaboo, who just happens to be a fellow gamer in her guild. Zaboo mistakes online flirting with Codex for honest romance, and he quickly becomes a house guest who won't leave. Thing is, Codex prefers her fellow questers where they are, online and not in the same room. However, in trying to cope with Zaboo's intrusion, she hits on the notion of having the guild members meet in person. Uh-oh.

Coming from a non-gamer's perspective, I find THE GUILD to be hugely entertaining stuff. Let's face it, most of us are at least a little bit like these hapless folks, and it's this commonality which keeps me tuning in and it's what made me snatch up this DVD. Felicia Day has mad skills. She's outstanding as the sweet, very insecure Codex, and she can't really be given enough props for juggling all the hats she has to wear to keep this show going. An accomplished violinist, Felicia even rocks the bow and strings in Season 2. The cast is comprised of no-name actors and Felicia's buds from her improv days - Jeff Lewis (the always deadpanned "Vork") and Sandeep Parikh ("Zaboo," a Hinjew) are friggin' hilarious. That the cast comes together like this and consistently produces these bits of awesome... well, it's a triumph for the underdog and the underbudgeted. Fact is, THE GUILD wouldn't have survived if the fans hadn't dropped in their donations; that's how strapped the show was. Felicia Day launches each episode with an entry from Codex's video log, which not only gives us even more of a window into her character but also cements her even further as the show's core character. Personally, I dig these v-logs because this is when Felicia comes up with her best facial expressions. She's so cute, man.

THE GUILD is a web sitcom, its recipe touching on themes of alienation, loneliness, obsessiveness, and sheer social discomfort. And, it turns out, when done right, these themes make you laugh. I'm not a gamer and so some of the gaming jargon zipped by over my head, but I still found plenty of relatable things (although, okay, I'm pretty horrified at how badly Clara neglects her kids - it's one of those "laugh as you cringe" deals). It's cute how the Guild members become each other's unlikely support system, on- and offline. Even Clara, who spends most of Season 2 crazy hammered, tries to fit in.

All 22 webisodes from Seasons 1 & 2 are here. Disc 1 has the first season webisodes and the following bonus stuff: 2 optional audio commentaries for each Season 1 webisode (one with the cast, the other with director/producer Jane Selle Morgan for episodes 1-5, producer Kim Evey, and director Greg Benson popping up from episode 6 on); cast interviews; audition footage with Vincent Caso ("Bladezz"), Robin Thorsen ("Clara"), and Amy Okuda ("Tinkerballa"); Season 1 gag reels; a Christmas Carol video; and the Season 1 script (PC downloadable as a PDF file). Word to the wise, the best bonus segments are the outtakes.

Disc 2 has Season 2, in which we get to know the Guild even better (especially Vork) as they interact with each other even more, and Codex sort of gets an outside life. There are also server shutdown woes and a betrayal from within and a cautionary tale about why you shouldn't ever leave your valuable stuff on a sofa. Also, the very hot, very tall Riley enters the picture, as well as that annoying movie stunt double. Bonus stuff on Disc 2: two commentaries, one with the cast, the other with Felicia Day, producer Kim Evey, and director Sean Becker; Meet the Cast & the Crew & the Extras; more cool gag reels; Season 2's Episode One table read as the cast munches pizza; "Twas the Night Before Xmas" (the Guild version); audition footage of Fernando Chien trying out for the role of "Wade Wei" & Michele Boyd going for the role of "Riley" (with some great ad-lib stuff with Sandeep Parikh); some fan art (meh); and the Season 2 script (PC downloadable as a .PDF file). Lastly, the DVD case comes with a warm thank you note from Felicia to the fans, a graceful finishing touch to this highly watchable labor of love."

"He's mining my ore!"

S. K. Harrell | NC | 01/17/2010

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Anyone who's played an MMORPG will appreciate the humor of The Guild, particularly anyone who's played or had to deal with an addict to WoW. The characters are extremely well done and the RL plot is funny. I doubt that anyone whose life hasn't been touched by such gaming communities will get the humor, though. While The Guild nails its target audience, people outside it will just be n00bs."

Search - The Guild: Seasons 1 & 2 on DVD

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	The Guild Seasons 1 2 Actors: Felicia Day, Jeff Lewis, Sandeep Parikh Genres: Indie & Art House, Comedy, Television, Documentary NR 2009 2hr 10min Studio: New Video Group Release Date: 09/29/2009
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