Blu-Ray/Movie Review: Batman: The Killing Joke

 

Batman: The Killing Joke is a 2016 adaptation of the graphic novel of the same name by the creative team behind the vast majority of the DC Animated Universe, which included Batman: The Animated Series, Superman: The Animated Series, Batman Beyond, and Justice League. It is set as an ancillary story to Batman: The Animated Series and brings back Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill to reprise their roles as Batman and The Joker. It largely serves as an origin story for Joker. Parts of it were included in the original Tim Burton Batman movie, although some of the details changed. Aside from that, it is really to display the sadistic side of Joker and highlight the dance between Joker and Batman, which has played out in many forms.

For those who get the blu-ray, the extras include trailers and behind-the-scenes looks at other movies, both animated and live-action, two Joker-centric episodes from Batman TAS, and a couple making-of featurettes specific to The Killing Joke. Probably an hour's worth of material altogether, which is good considering the movie is only an hour and 16 minutes long. It definitely caters to an adult crowd, and while I think it could have warranted a PG-13 rating, the R rating that it got is not out of bounds. It is much more violent than TAS and has some sexual content. I have never read the graphic novel, so I am not sure exactly how true the movie keeps to the graphic novel, and I cannot say that fans of the graphic novel will automatically like this. However, I do think that anyone who was a fan of Batman TAS will likely enjoy this. It is definitely worth checking out.

4k-UHD/Movie Review: Constantine: City of Demons

 

Constantine: City of Demons is an animated movie starring Matt Ryan, Damien O'Hare, Laura Bailey, Emily O'Brien, and Rachel Kimsey. The movie is part backstory and part stand-alone story separate from the live-action series that aired on NBC in 2014. It gives a backstory for Constantine and Chas, in which Constantine must save Chas' daughter from a demon. Matt Ryan reprises the role of Constantine again, but in this version, Chas is British instead of American, and none of the other characters from the series (that I can remember at any rate) make an appearance.

The 4k set is a two-disc set with a UHD disc and a regular Blu-Ray disc. The A/V quality is very good, especially for an animated show. There are no extras on the UHD disc, but on the regular blu-ray, there is a making-of feature and then a 20 min Wonder Con panel discussing the movie, the animated CW Seed series, and the future of the character in general.

Overall, I think it is a good story. It is a lot more violent than the series was (and it was pretty violent), and they definitely amp up the sex and swearing. Given that the character was brought into the Arrowverse, with appearances on Arrow and Legends of Tomorrow (the latter of which Ryan was added as a series regular), it is pretty easy to accept the character that what was in the series is different than what you get now. Had this come out shortly after the live-action series ended, I think it would feel more off. I would not call this a must-see, but if you are a fan of the character, it is worth checking out.

DVD/TV Series Review: American Dad!: Volume 11

 

Volume 11 of American Dad! continues the crazy episode selection for the DVD releases. As most are likely aware, as has been the case with the Family Guy DVD releases, early on, instead of just releasing Season 1, Season 2,...etc., they released volumes that had episodes from different seasons. It does not help that after the show started airing on Hulu, they tweaked what episodes were a part of particular seasons. What is clear is that this set has the last three episodes that aired on FOX (some places list those as the final three episodes of Season 9, others call them Season 11) and then the first 15 episodes that aired on TBS after the show was moved from FOX to TBS (which in some places are listed as Season 10 episodes and in other places listed as Season 12 episodes). At any rate, this set has 18 total episodes.

As for the episodes themselves, they are pretty much as they have been the past few seasons, self-contained plots within the episodes with occasional callbacks to things that occurred in prior episodes. Different episodes tend to focus on different characters, although pretty much every episode at this point involves Roger and one of his personas. There is less of a focus on Stan's job at the CIA, which is what I liked about the first few seasons, and focuses on the more silly, crazy things that happen in the show (like Jeff being abducted by aliens and the evil Kris Kringle episodes).

The DVD set just has the episodes themselves. There are no extras like commentary tracks, interviews with the cast or writers, or things like that which were included in earlier season releases. You do, however, get uncensored episodes which include uncensored jokes and swearing that gets bleeped out on the broadcast and streaming versions of the show. If you do not care about the uncensored episodes, however, you will not get anything more by getting the discs versus just streaming the show.

Ultimately, you probably know by now if you like the show or not. It has been on the air long enough that some people might be getting tired of it or may fall in the category of they just don't like it as much as they did in the beginning. While I definitely liked the first couple of seasons more than I do the later seasons, I still find the show, on the whole, to be funny and entertaining. It is definitely not a cartoon that is suitable for young kids as it has a lot of raunchy jokes that definitely push the bounds of what the writers could get away with. 

DVD/Movie Review: Beavis and Butthead Do America

 

This is the movie adaptation of the once wildly popular MTV show, Beavis and Butthead. The show was about a couple of slackers (the titular Beavis and Butthead) who were voiced by series creator Mike Judge, who basically watched TV most of the time and were a pain in the ass to everyone in their town when they ventured outside. The movie starts out like a regular episode of the show, with some of the show's other characters (mostly voiced by Judge) appearing. When Beavis and Butthead discover their TV has been stolen, they try to find it, wind up being (somehow) mistaken for hitmen (by characters voiced by Demi Moore and Bruce Willis), and mistaken for criminal mastermind domestic terrorists by the government. They end up traveling across the country, tailed by an FBI agent voiced by Robert Stack with the climax of the movie occurring in Washington D.C.

The DVD has quite a few extras, including a commentary track on the movie by Judge and the animation director, a making-of documentary that runs just over 22 minutes that has cast interviews and clips from the movie, a 10-minute feature on the movie's score, a 2-minute montage of Beavis and Butthead hitting each other, a short collection of celebrity interviews talking about the characters, and then the trailers and a bunch of promotional TV spots.

The movie was made at the height of, or just past the height of, the show's popularity. The humor in the movie is pretty much the same as that of the show, and probably a bit more on the adult side. Judge manages to use stupid, juvenile humor while also making subtle (and sometimes not so subtle) social commentary. The movie does not have the music video breaks that the TV show had, but the story flows well enough that you don't really miss them. So, ultimately, if you were a fan of the TV show, you will probably be a fan of the movie. If you did not like the show, chances are the movie is not going to do anything for you either.

DVD/TV Series Review: Beavis and Butthead - The Complete Collection

 

One thing to be noted at the outset, this is not the complete series with the episodes as they aired. This is a repackaging of volumes 1-3 of the Mike Judge Collections, adding the fourth volume which was the limited run season that aired in 2011, and then the movie that was made during the original run of the series. In volumes 1-3 each volume is split between two discs. The first disc has the episodes and the second disc has the music videos that they could get the rights to. Anyone who watched the series in the 1990s, when it was originally on MTV probably remembers that in each episode, in breaks in the story, Beavis and Butthead would watch, and make fun of, music videos. Because of licensing issues, they could not get the rights to all of the videos that originally aired, so the solution was to remove the music videos and show just air the storylines (so each episode ends up being about 20 minutes long, give or take), and then showing the music videos on disc 2.  It should also be noted that not every episode that aired is included in the set. Most of the episodes that aired are included, but there are some missing. For the fourth volume, which is the 2011 season, all of those episodes are included as they aired. In that season, instead of watching primarily music videos, during the breaks in the story, they would watch, and rip on the MTV reality shows. 

The DVDs carry over all of the extras from the original individual collection releases. Those include deleted scenes, promo spots, and special appearances that Beavis and Butthead made (such as at the MTV music awards), and a multi-part behind-the-scenes/making-of retrospective where the creators of the show discuss how it was made, the influence on pop culture, and the like. The movie has a commentary track by Mike Judge which is really good, and the extras for the fourth volume include a good discussion from the Comic-Con panel between Johnny Knoxville and Mike Judge.

For most people, the show will probably be a blast from the past. You definitely have to enjoy juvenile and sometimes stupid humor, but masked in the humor was a commentary on topics like political correctness and the topical events that were happening in the 1990s. It is disappointing that not all of the episodes are included, and we cannot get the complete shows, as they aired, but this is probably the best set that is going to be released. So, if you were a fan of the show, it is definitely worth the pickup.

DVD/TV Series Review: American Dad Volume 10

 

Volume 10 of American Dad! is a MOD Amazon Exclusive DVD set that contains all the episodes of season nine of the show spread across three discs. By now, most people are likely aware of what the show is like. But for those who are not, it is a story-of-the-week adult animated show created by Seth McFarlane (who also created Family Guy) who also voices several characters on the show. The main characters are the Smith family, led by Stan Smith who is a CIA agent who also harbors an Alien named Roger, who disguises himself as various "characters" he comes up with. The weekly story usually involves one of those two, but also can involve Stan's wife, Francine, one of their kids, Steve or Hailey, and/or one of the side characters.

The show is definitely not family-friendly, especially the DVD versions which have uncensored episodes which often include the actual swear words (including f-bombs) which are not beeped out. There are no DVD extras, just the episodes themselves, but so the only reason to get the DVDs is to have the uncensored episodes (which are not included when streaming the show). The episodes this season include a spoof on the movie Poltergeist, a parody of the show Breaking Bad, and the first evil Christmas-themed episodes, which would become a running gag throughout the run of the series. The episodes are mostly self-contained, but occasionally there are two-part episodes, and the episodes sometimes refer back to prior episodes.

Overall, the show is still good. It found a formula that works and has stuck with it. It can certainly be argued that it is getting a bit long in the tooth, but I do think they still tell entertaining stories. I would say that there are not as many laugh-out-loud moments as the earlier seasons had, but it is still funny. So, if you are a fan if the show it is still worth watching. If you have never liked the show, however, this season is not likely to change your mind.

DVD/TV Series Review: American Dad: Volume 9

 

American Dad is, of course, the other long-running animated show created by Seth McFarlane. It tells the story of a CIA agent and his quirky family living in Langly Falls Virginia. Like with the Family Guy DVD releases, the American Dad DVD sets are released as "volumes" so it can be confusing which season of the show corresponds to which volume(s). In this case, Volume 9 contains all of the season 8 episodes of the show. The series continues to utilize a story (or stories) of the week format. Usually, the story involves some character or Roger (the alien living with the family) and one or two of the other family members. For example, in the season premiere, Roger hires Haley to sing in his bar after hearing her sing in the shower. Although sometimes, an episode will be more Stan-centric, either involving his CIA co-workers or meddling in the lives of one of the other members of the family (such as trying to break up Steve and Snot's friendship because Snot is not cool).

The DVD release is an Amazon-exclusive MOD release. So, it just has the episodes and no extras. However, the episodes are uncensored, so the jokes are sometimes dirtier, and swear words are not bleeped out as they are in the broadcast and streaming versions. But, if you only get DVD sets when there is a lot of bonus material, then you may just want to stick with streaming the show.

Overall, the series continues to be funny even though, like Family Guy, it is getting a bit long in the tooth. As the years have gone on, the series has changed the focus being Stan's job, which in some ways has been good and in other ways (e.g., with some of the crazy apocalyptic episodes) has not been so good. By this time into the show's run, however, you pretty much know what you are getting. If you like it, you will probably enjoy this season. If you don't then this season is probably not going to make you a fan.

DVD/TV Series Review: Family Guy: Season Twelve

 

This is the season in which the DVD sets finally stop being titled volumes and correspond to the actual season that corresponds to the set. It is still a bit confusing because there is also a Volume 12 that contained the season 11 episodes, but for this season and beyond (for the handful of additional seasons that got a physical DVD release), the DVD sets finally make sense.

By now, people who have watched Family Guy, especially after it was revived by Fox after having been canceled, know what the show is. It has followed the same formula for years and continues to do so in this season. The season has the typical story of the week shows, a couple of the larger adventure-type episodes, and "the" storyline that caused fans to lose their shit. It played out over multiple episodes and was definitely a topic of conversation. Chances are most people reading this know what it is, but for the few who may not, I will not spoil it. This season also sees the return of Cleveland after the cancellation of the spin-off show.

There are quite a bit of extras included on the DVD set. These include commentary tracks for select episodes, deleted scenes for every episode, animatics, and a couple of character-specific featurettes. So, if you like watching the bonus material there is a lot there. Plus, you do get some uncensored jokes that were not a part of the broadcast episodes.

Overall, the show continues to be good. An argument can certainly be made that it is getting long in the tooth, but at this point, it appears that the show will be on the air for as long as Seth McFarlane wants to keep doing it. I think the show does a good job coming up with new storylines, although the is not really any more character development going on. If you have been a fan of the show the season is still worth watching. If you have not been a fan of the prior seasons, this season is not likely to turn you into one.

DVD/TV Series Review: Family Guy: Volume 12

 

Volume 12 of Family Guy contains all of the season 11 episodes. Thankfully, this is the last DVD set that uses the "Volume" label. As some may be aware, when the DVD sets were initially released they contained episodes from multiple seasons and were labeled Volume 1, Volume 2, etc. Even though Volume 11 contained all of the season ten episodes, Fox called it Volume 11 instead of just calling it Season 10. So, it is still confusing as this is Volume 12 when it should really be labeled Season 11.

By now, most people reading this are aware of what Family Guy is like. It is basically a story-of-the-week show that usually focuses on one or two characters at a time. This season has a couple of obligatory Brian and Stewie adventure-centric shows. In one of them, Brian reverses the course of time and risks Stewie being "unborn", and in another, the two decide to teleport to Vegas and end up making duplicates of themselves. There is an episode in which Lois begins working at a phone sex line, and one in which Mayor West is put on trial for murder. The episodes are very adult, and the DVD episodes do have uncensored jokes that include some f-bombs that get bleeped out (or omitted entirely) on TV.

For those who get the DVD set, there are commentary tracks on seven of the episodes. None of the cast members appear in the commentary, it is just the writers, producers, directors, etc., of the various episodes. Then there are deleted scenes, a featurette on the 200th episode, a table read of the 200th episode, scene animatics of scenes from a couple of different episodes, and a full episode animatic for the ninth episode of the season, "Space Cadet". Then there is a portion of the 2012 Comic-Con panel. So, there is a lot there if you like the bonus material.

Overall, the show continues to be strong. Certainly, an argument can be made that after 200 episodes some of the jokes are recycled and a bit stale, but I think the show does a good job keeping the storylines fresh. The brand of humor is definitely not for everyone, and the show has not been as edgy in the later seasons as it was in the first couple of seasons (before it was canceled and then subsequently revived by FOX). That said, if you have been a fan of the show, you will probably like this season. If you have never liked the show, then this season is not going to change your mind.

DVD/TV Series Review: American Dad! Volume Eight

 

American Dad! volume 8 actually contains the season seven episodes. This is because, like with the releases of the early seasons of Family Guy, Fox released partial seasons in the volumes, and then after a ton of harsh feedback from fans and the showrunners, started releasing full seasons. So, just be aware of that if you are looking to purchase the DVD sets. Anyone who is looking at getting this likely knows what the show is by now, a story (or stories) of the week show, usually involving some shenanigans of Roger (playing a character) or one of the other characters. Roger tends to get the heavy focus throughout any particular season, but the show does kind of rotate storylines in which the other characters get featured. By this time the show had started to move away from the CIA story arcs that focused mostly on Stan and started intertwining more off-the-wall episodes, like one involving a killer Hot Tub.

The DVD extras include audio commentaries on a few episodes, deleted scenes, and Stan's dance from one of the episodes. So, it is not quite a MOD disc when it comes to little or no extras, but this is really the season where the DVD releases started trending that way. Of course, the show (as of this writing in 2022) is still on the air but no longer being released on DVD in either a "regular" release or a MOD release. So, it is kind of a take-what-you-can-get scenario if you want the physical discs. The DVD releases do contain uncensored jokes that do get bleeped out in the streaming version, which is part of the appeal for some fans. While I generally do not think that the show is as good in this season as it was in the first couple of seasons, I do think it is still entertaining and the stories are not stale (as they have become in later seasons). So, if you are a fan of the show, this is a good pickup.

DVD/TV Series Review: Family Guy: Volume Eleven/Season 10

 

Volume 11 of family guy was the first one that actually released a complete, self-contained season, that being season 10 (so it is still a bit confusing). All of the volumes up to this point contained some episodes from one season and some episodes from another season or contained a partial season. For example, volume 9 had episodes from seasons 8 and 9, and volume 10 contained the rest of the episodes from season 9. Needless to say, it left the fans confused, and resulted in a pretty good joke during one of the episodes.

This set contains the 23 season ten episodes across three discs. As has been the case for pretty much the entire run of the series, most of the episodes are self-contained storylines but do refer back to things that have happened in prior episodes. This was especially true for the episode Back to the Pilot in which Brian and Stewie travel back in time to find one of Brian's tennis balls. The show basically plays the pilot episode with Brian and Stewie watching the events. This episode was also the subject of some controversy in that Brian prevented 9/11 (which was the first vague reference on the show to the fact that Seth McFarlane was supposed to be on Flight 11 and missed the flight because he got to the airport 10-15 minutes late and the gate had already closed), only to discover the world was worse off when it did not happen. Other standout episodes from the season include Mr. and Ms. Stewie, Tom Tucker: The Man and His Dream, and Internal Affairs.

The extras include an animatic version of "Seahorse Seashell Party" with Side-by-Side Commentary from director Brian Iles and artist Joe Vaux, a feature looking back at the pilot, an animatic version of the Back to the Pilot episode, an animatic version of "Seahorse Seashell Party" with Side-by-Side Commentary from director Brian Iles and artist Joe Vaux, and on "Family Guy Viewer Mail No. 2" with Side-by-Side Commentary from director Greg Colton and storyboard artist Francis Dinglasan. Then there are some deleted scenes, audio outtakes, and regular commentary tracks on select episodes. So, if you like watching the extras, there is a lot there for you.

Obviously, by now, most people know what Family Guy is and what the style of humor is. It is definitely not going to appeal to everyone, and is not exactly family friendly. This was the point where some started thinking the show was getting a bit long in the tooth, but I thought the storylines were still clever and did not feel stale. So, if you are a fan of the show it is still worth checking out.

DVD Review: Family Guy, Volume Ten

 

Volume 10 of Family Guy has the last half of the season 9 episodes (excluding the final Star Wars spoof episode "It's a Trap" which was released separately on DVD. I will not spend much time reviewing the episodes except to say that I do not think that they were, on the whole, as strong as they had been in prior seasons. The show still used the story of the week format, but there were a lot more of the offbeat episodes in this season (like the Brian and Stewie time travel episode, "The Big Bang Theory", and the episode that starts the whole Evil Santa story arc, "The Road to the North Pole").

The DVD extras include deleted scenes, scene animatics for scenes in different episodes, commentary tracks on selected episodes, and the Adam West Star Ceremony (getting his walk-of-fame star). So, if you like watching the extras, there is a lot there. Plus, you get the episodes uncensored. Overall, I would say that the show still has funny moments, but it as not as consistently funny as it has been in the past. Fox is definitely not putting a ton of effort into the DVD releases, but this is the last DVD set to contain just a partial season.

DVD/TV Series Update: Family Guy Volume 9

 

Volume nine of Family Guy contains 11 episodes from Season 8 and 3 episodes from season 9. It does not include the episodes "Something, Something, Dark Side" (The Empire Strikes Back parody) or the season eight finale "Partial Terms of Endearment" which was released separately on DVD (for some reason). The show continues to follow the story (or stories) of the week format, so you really don't need to have seen prior episodes to get what is going on in a particular episode. Although, the show does make callbacks to old jokes every so often, which make more sense if you are a regular viewer.

The DVD extras include commentary tracks on some, but not all, episodes. It has a bunch of deleted scenes, several making-of featurettes, an excerpt from the 2010 Comic-Con panel, and an episode of The Cleveland Show that was a spin-off of Family Guy that ran for a handful of seasons. A good amount of material for people who like watching the bonus content.

Overall, the show follows the same format that it has for many seasons. By now people know if they like it or hate it. If you hate it, this will not change your mind. The DVD releases continue to be a pain with not releasing full seasons of the show in a single set and omitting episodes. But, if you prefer the physical discs over streaming if nothing else to get the uncensored episodes and the bonus content, it is your only option unless a complete series set is ever released once the show ends its run.

DVD/TV Series Review: Family Guy Volume 8

 

Volume Eight has episodes from season seven and season eight of Family Guy. As many may know, the first "season" of Family Guy was just seven episodes and season six was only twelve episodes. So, as the DVD released came out, they released volumes that had episodes from multiple seasons. For some reason instead of just releasing seasons one and two on a single set and then releasing the show season by season, they kept, up until season 13, releasing the DVDs in volumes that would have the final episodes of one season and the early and middle episodes of the next. It does not really detract from the show itself as it has always mostly been a story of the week kind of show that you do not need to remember much from prior shows to get what is going on in a particular episode.

The DVD extras are pretty similar to what has been released for the prior volumes. There are commentary tracks on most of the episodes, mainly with the writers and producers, but they occasionally include members of the cast. There are a bunch of deleted scenes, a featurette on the road to the multiverse episode in which Brian and Stewie enter different universes, including the Robot Chicken universe. There are also a bunch of Family Guy Karaoke musical numbers.

By now, anyone reading this likely knows what the show is and knows if they like the humor. It can definitely be offensive and makes jokes about nearly everything. I do not think that the show was as good by this time as it was in the first couple of seasons, but that said it still has some very funny moments, so if you are a fan, the set is definitely worth picking up.

DVD/TV Series Review: Family Guy Volume 7

 

Volume seven of Family guy again includes episodes from two different seasons, the final handful of season six episodes, and nine of the season seven episodes. The episodes play with uncensored audio tracks, which basically means f-bombs are not bleeped out, but you can also watch the censored broadcast versions from the disc menu. By now the show has been around long enough that if you are reading this you know if you like it or not. I will not spend a ton of time on reviewing the episodes, just to say that they pretty much just follow the story (or stories) of the week format that the show is known for. There are not really any episodes in this set that I would consider all that noteworthy, but the final episode of the disc did a riff on OJ Simpson (this was around the time of his Las Vegas arrest) in which Peter cashes in a raffle ticket in which he won a golf outing with Simpson.

As far as DVD extras go, each episode has a commentary track and there are deleted scenes for most of the episodes. There are animatic versions of three episodes that also have commentary tracks, and then four featurettes, including a portion of the 2008 comic-con panel.

Ultimately, Family Guy is a show that people tend to love or hate. If you love the show you will probably like this set, even if you do not like (or love) it as much as you did earlier seasons. On the other hand, if you have never liked the show, you are probably not going to change your mind because of anything on this DVD.

DVD/TV Series Review: Family Guy Volume 6

 

Volume Six of Family Guy is still at the point where the DVDs had episodes from two different seasons. In this case, Volume Six has the last five episodes of season five, then starts with the second episode of season six (the first episode of the season was the Star Wars spoof/homage, Blue Harvest, which was released separately on DVD), with episodes 2-8 of season six. Needless to say, it is hard to keep straight and something that they even joked about in the show. This volume contains the 100th episode of the series, Stewie Kills Lois, in which Stewie is actually successful (seemingly at least) at taking out Lois which was a huge theme for the show in the first couple of seasons.

The DVD does have a ton of extras. There is a commentary track on every episode, and this was released at a time when Seth McFarlane still participated in the commentary tracks and he is on almost every one of them. Then there are deleted scenes, a couple of featurettes on the 100th episode, a favorite scenes featurette, and a Family Guy Live segment that is basically a live table read.

At this point in the show, it had found its formula and stuck to it. It is mainly a story of the week but it does do callbacks from time to time. The humor does not change much, but it was around the 5th season that the series was clearly far less edgy than it was when it first aired. Realistically, it had been watered down from the time it came back after the initial cancelation. So, I cannot say that everyone who loved the show in seasons 1-3 are necessarily going to love the show at this point, but I still think it has enough funny moments to be worth watching.

DVD/TV Series Review: Family Guy: Season 17

 

This is the DVD set for the seventeenth season of Family Guy, and is, as of this writing, the last season that is available on DVD. That is a bummer for those of us who prefer physical media to streaming, but not all that surprising given that DVD and Blu-Ray sets for TV series have very low sales numbers and are pretty much going extinct, especially Fox series as Fox is notorious for wanting their stuff exclusively on their various streaming platforms. In fact, this season includes an episode, "You Can't Handle the Booth" in which the characters from the show do a DVD commentary on an episode, and joke about how a lot of people (especially young people) have no idea what DVDs are.

The episodes are split over three discs, and they are uncensored. They definitely use jokes that cannot be used on the broadcast versions and drop multiple f-bombs. The extras include deleted scenes for most of the episodes, a commentary free track of the You Can't Handle the Booth episode, and a traditional commentary track on You Can't Handle the Booth that includes the writer, producers, and editor in which they discuss the process of making the episode and the layers of doing a regular episode, having the characters do a fake commentary track, and then including dialog by the actors talking to their characters (and including Sarah Paulson as a guest commentator). The episode seems to be either loved or hated by the fans, but it was very complicated to pull off, so the "regular" commentary track is actually pretty insightful.

Realistically, the show has been on long enough now that you will know if you like it or not. The show has definitely evolved over the years, but for those of us who have been watching from season one up to now, it is actually nice that the show does some callbacks to the early episodes (including a return of Lacy Chabert, who voiced Meg for the first thirteen episodes before Mila Kunis took over the role), and making fun of how characters (especially Stewie) has changed over the years. If you are a fan of the show and have the other DVD sets, this is worth picking up to keep your collection complete. But otherwise, you may just want to stick with streaming it.

DVD/TV Series Review: American Dad!: Volume Seven

 

By now, anyone reading this very likely knows what American Dad! is a show and has already formed an opinion of it, good or bad. The show continues to have the same format, basically, individual storylines each week (sometimes there are two-part episodes, and the show does refer back to previous episodes from time to time) that get resolved in that episode and the show moves on. By this season the focus of the show has shifted away from Stan's CIA job (although it is still an element in the show) and to the more character-themed story of the week (usually involving Roger and/or Stan, but not exclusively). And, the episodes that involve things like time travel, battling Santa, etc., which become the norm for the show in later seasons start popping up this season.

The show continues to include a lot of good guest stars, some of whom are easy to recognize and others, no so much. This season, the guest lineup included Jason Alexander, Sarah Chalke, Anthony Michael Hall, Hector Elizondo, Lucy Lawless, Hayden Panettiere, Lou Diamond Phillips, Burt Reynolds, Edward Asner, and Carl Reiner.

For those who get the DVD set, the extras include commentary tracks on selected episodes, deleted scenes, a feature on Patrick Stewart, who voices Stan's boss at the CIA, and a portion of the 2010 comic-con panel. So, a good amount of material if you like watching the extras.

Overall, the show is good. While not every show is great, most of them are clever and there are a lot of funny moments. It is much different from Family Guy, which in the long run is good, but it definitely has a similar brand of humor. So, if you like the prior seasons, this is definitely worth picking up.

DVD/TV Series Review: American Dad Volume 6

 

Because of the way the early DVD releases were set, Volume Six of American Dad actually contains the episodes from Season Five. The DVD has all 18 of the season five episodes, which continue the story (or stories) of the week format, while occasionally referring back to events from prior episodes. This is really the season where the focus of the show shifted from mainly being about Stan's CIA job to putting more of a focus on the other characters and having some of the apocalyptic episodes (like one involving the Rapture) that the show has featured in later seasons. The standout episodes from this season for me were "My Morning Straightjacket" in which Stan decides to follow a band across the country and Francine has to channel her inner groupie to get him back, "May the Best Stan Win" in which Stan has to battle a cyborg version of himself for Francine's affection, and "Great Space Roaster" in which the family roats Roger for his birthday, and he decides to kill them all for making fun of him.

For those who get the DVD set, there are commentary tracks on selected episodes that include the writers of the particular episode and usually the director. There are deleted scenes for most of the episodes, a making-of feature for the episode Rapture's Delight, and uncensored audio (although some audio does get bleeped out).

The show continues to be clever and funny. I do think the shift away from Stan's job being the focus of the show did hurt it a bit, but not so much that it was unwatchable. As most people are aware, even though it is animated, it is still very much an adult show and not suitable for young kids. The show makes fun of pretty much anything and everything, and there are a lot of off-color jokes. But, if you like the brand of humor, it is still worth watching.

Blu-Ray/TV Series Review: Harley Quinn The Complete First and Second Seasons

 

This is a new, very adult, animated series centered around the character of Harley Quinn, voiced by Kaley Cuoco in her first post-Big Bang Theory role. The basic storyline of season one is that Harley is sick of being used by Joker (voiced wonderfully by Alan Tudyk), breaks up with him, and then tries to get into the Legion of Doom. She has to put together her own crew which includes Poison Ivy (voiced by Lake Bell) who insists she is not a member of the crew, Dr. Psycho (voiced by Tony Hale from Arrested Development), Clayface (voiced by Tudyk), and King Shark (voiced by Ron Funches). The end of the first season is basically a showdown with Joker that sets up a version of the no-man's land storyline where the various villains take over portions of Gotham, and by the end of the second season includes Darkseid and the parademons.

As I said above, the show is very adult. While the original DC animated series showrunners are involved in this show, it is not family-friendly. They drop f-bombs left and right, and there is a ton of animated violence (which is pretty over the top) and sexually suggestive material. There is really only one word that is bleeped, said by Dr. Psycho, but done for comedic effect, not because they had to bleep it. The show has a strong supporting cast including Diedrich Bader as Batman, Giancarlo Esposito as Lex Luthor, Michael Ironside as Darkseid, Wayne Knight as Penguin, Christopher Meloni as Commissioner Gordon, Alfred Molina as Mr. Freeze, Jim Rash as The Riddler, Jason Alexander as Sy Borgman, and J. B. Smoove as Frank the Plant.

For those who get the Blu-Ray set, there are, unfortunately, no extras. Just the twenty-six episodes spread across three discs. There are English captions that you can play if needed, but there are no deleted scenes, commentary tracks, or making-of features. So, it is a pretty basic MOD set.

While I cannot say that this will appeal to everyone, if you are a fan of the character, a fan of the other animated series (like the Animated Batman and Superman series from the 1990s, or the animated Justice League series), and are not easily offended, then this is definitely worth checking out. Cuoco's take on Harley is not a carbon copy of how Arleen Sorkin voiced the character but Tudyk channels Mark Hamill's Joker so much it is hard to tell sometimes that it is not Mark Hamill doing the character. It is a very well-done series, the actors seem to have a great time playing their characters, and it is definitely worth checking out.