DVD/Movie Review: Out of Sight

 

Out of Sight was a 1998 crime-drama/dark comedy directed by Steven Soderbergh and starring George Clooney, Jennifer Lopez, Ving Rhames, Don Cheadle, Steve Zahn, and Albert Brooks. The movie is, at its core, a love story (albeit a twisted one) about a bank robber/prison escapee (Clooney) and a federal marshal (Lopez) who is in the wrong place at the wrong time. It is also very much a drama with some very funny moments. In that way, it really does not fit any label perfectly. It is part love story, part chase movie, part criminal looking for one last score. The story is told part in the present and part through flashbacks (in an almost pulp fiction-like manner). That part of it really works well, and I think it ultimately makes the movie better than it would have been had it run in chronological order.

As far as extras on the DVD version go, there is a 25-minute making-of documentary, a commentary track by Steven Soderbergh, 22 minutes worth of deleted scenes, and select scenes that highlight certain songs from the movie. All in all, enough to keep those who like going through the bonus material happy.

The strength of the movie is the stellar ensemble cast. Clooney (who was probably at the height of his ER fame when the movie was made) and Lopez were the stars and the focus of the movie, but everyone from Ving Rhames, Don Cheadle, Albert Brooks to Steve Zahn (who steals nearly every scene he is in) works perfectly. There are also cameos by Michael Keaton and Samuel L Jackson, which, although brief, are very good. Clooney and Lopez either had very good chemistry or faked it well because you can buy the sexual tension between the two that the movie was going for. It is a very good movie that is absolutely worth the time to watch.

Blu-Ray/Movie Review: Alpha Dog

 

Alpha Dog is a 2006 movie starring Emile Hirsch, Justin Timberlake, Ben Foster, Bruce Willis, Sharon Stone, Anton Yelchin, Amanda Seyfried, Shawn Hatsoy, Amber Heard, and Olivia Wilde (in one of her first movie roles), and several other recognizable actors. The movie is a fictionalized version of a true story about the kidnapping that goes sideways and ultimately turns into the murder of a teenager (played in the movie by Anton Yelchin) resulting from a feud over drug money which his brother (played by Ben Foster) was involved in. 

What I think this movie really does is establish the fact that Justin Timberlake has some acting chops. While there are other good actors in the movie, it is not overall what I would consider a standout for the acting performances aside from Timberlake, Anton Yelchin, and Ben Foster. I don't really think that Emile Hirsch worked as a badass leader. He did kind of play him as the guy who hides behind everyone else who did his dirty work, and that part you can buy, but he just did not strike me as a guy that would lead any kind of crew, even the group of morons that followed his character in the movie. The thing you really do get is that none of the parents of the kids (and they were all basically kids) gave a damn about what any of them were doing, and the consequences that followed from it.

The A/V quality of the blu-ray is good, but it did not get the same kind of transfer that the big blockbuster movies get. The extras on the disc include a making-of featurette covering the true story the film was based on and interviews with some of the actors. It is not extensive but does add a little to the story. The movie is well-written and acted. It is definitely not family-friendly as there is a lot of violence, drug use, and some nudity, including a full-frontal shot of Olivia Wilde toward the end. While I do not think it is a must-watch movie, it is worth the time to watch if you like crime dramas. 

Blu-Ray/Movie Review: 2 Days in the Valley (Special Edition)

 

2 Days in the Valley is a 1996 crime drama/dark comedy written and directed by John Herzfeld. The movie stars Danny Aiello, James Spader, Eric Stoltz, Jeff Daniels, Glenne Headly, Teri Hatcher, Paul Mazursky, Greg Crutwell, and Marsha Mason in the larger roles. It also stars a very young Charlize Theron (who was only 19 at the time the movie was filmed) in her first movie role. The movie also includes several recognizable actors in smaller roles including Keith Carradine, Louise Fletcher (the nurse from One Flew Over the Cuko's Nest), Austin Pendleton, and a very young Cress Williams (from Hart of Dixie and Black Lightning).

The special edition blu-ray which was released in 2023, includes a remastered version of the movie, which looks and sounds great. The extras include a commentary track on the film by the director and a conversation between Herzfeld and Sylvester Stallone who were both students in the drama program at the University of Miami and have known each other for years. That conversation lasts about 35 minutes and they talk about their time in school and the movie. The most interesting thing from that conversation is how Herzfeld had to fight to cast and then keep Charlize Theron in the movie. The other extras include a 30-minute Q&A panel that includes Herzfeld, Theron, Headly, and Danny Aiello (by phone), a short (about 7 minutes long) archival making-of featurette made when the movie was filmed, about 7 minutes of B-roll footage which kind of doubles as a gag reel, and about 17 minutes worth of cast interview clips, also made as the movie was being filmed. Then there are several trailers, including the trailer for the movie (which actually gives away a lot), and trailers for movies like Out of Sight and The Usual Suspects. So, you get quite a bit of bonus content which is getting rarer and rarer these days.

Overall, the movie is excellent. It is well-written and very well-acted. Aiello and Spader are great in their roles as hitmen (very different hitmen), and Theron shines in every scene she is in. Teri Hatcher (who was coming off her role as Lois Lane in Lois and Clark) plays a very different kind of character than what people are likely used to seeing her play and Jeff Daniels is great as a vice cop with anger management issues. While it definitely has the feel of a 90s movie, it holds up well almost 30 years later. It is absolutely worth the time to watch.

Book Review: The January 6 Report

 

This is the official Congressional report of the January 6th domestic terror attack on the US Capitol during the certification of electors for the 2020 Presidential election. If you watched the televised hearings, the report basically follows the same format as the hearings. There is an executive summary at the beginning, spanning a little over 100 pages, that summarizes the information in the rest of the report and lays out the overall findings. Then, each chapter is devoted to different aspects or topics, from planning the gathering to the execution of the attack, and a final chapter with the Committee's recommendation. The second to the last chapter involves what the orange genital wart was and was not doing from the time it spoke at its rally, firing up the already angry crowd until it begrudgingly put out a video telling people to go home hours later. 

Each chapter of the report is anywhere from 50 to 100 pages in length (the entire thing is about 750 pages) and devoted to a specific topic. After each chapter, there are several pages of endnotes (hundreds per chapter). Some of the notes just point to a specific source, and some of them flesh out the sentence or paragraph it is noting. 

At the beginning of the book, there are three forwards. The first will vary, depending on what version of the report you get. The one I have includes a forward by Ari Melber, one of the MSNBC evening anchors. In it, he basically gives a high-level overview of what happened on January 6th, and what crimes could potentially be charged. Then, there is a short forward by Nancy Pelosi, one by Committee Chair Bennie Thompson, and one by Vice Chair, Liz Cheney.

The text of the report does include a lot of detail, specifically about the planning leading up to January 6th that was not in the televised hearings. The one area that I think the report is lacking is more detail about how much advanced warning various law enforcement and intelligence agencies had leading up to the attack and what they did or did not do with that information. Some of that information is spread throughout the various chapters, but I think a chapter devoted to that topic was warranted, as well as specific recommendations based on the findings. Overall, however, I think it is something that everyone concerned about preserving our Republic should read.

DVD/TV Series Review: Animal Kingdom: Season 6

 

+++Warning, this contains spoilers from the prior seasons, but no major giveaways from season six+++

The sixth season of Animal Kingdom aired during the summer of 2022, and consisted of 13 episodes. This season is all about reveals. It picks up sometime down the line from the discovery of Catherine's body by the police at the end of Season 5. The cops in Oceanside officially consider it a cold case, assuming either Baz or Smurf killed her, and with both of them being dead, were not looking too heavily into the case. That is until a new cop takes up the case and starts looking at Pope. 

The show jumps back and forth between the 1990s, where young Smurf, played by Lelia George, is completely fucking up the teenaged versions of Pope (played by Kevin Csolak, who mirrors Shawn Hatsoy's performance perfectly), Baz (played by Darren Mann), and Julia (played by Jasper Polish), and the present in which J is acting as the de-facto leader of the family. 

In the past, we see the events that led J to hate Smurf and the entire family, and in the present, it is revealed exactly how much he hates them. We also see the events that led to Pope being arrested for bank robbery, which was the crime he had just been released for in the show's first season. I won't say too much about how things play out, but the show does provide some closure, but some things are not tied up in nice bows. For example, we never get a concrete answer as to whether Smurf actually had an incestual relationship with any of the kids, but it is strongly hinted that she did at least with Pope. Of course, that is not something that they ever could have filmed in the flashbacks since the kids were supposed to be in their teens, but Lelia George played Smurf just as creepy and skeevy as Ellen Barkin did.

For those who get the DVD, it is mostly a MOD set with the 13 episodes spread across three discs. It does have one bonus feature, which is an 8-minute-long series retrospective that includes interviews with members of the cast and crew and has some behind-the-scenes footage from the final season. 

Overall, the season is good. I think the material in the flashbacks is a bit better than the material in the present day, but Shawn Hatsoy (who also directs another episode this season) carries every scene he is in. Lelia George really nails young Smurf and does a great job portraying an absolutely horrible character that ruined all of her kids' lives.  I cannot say that everyone will love how the series ends, but if you have been a fan of the show up to this point, it is definitely worth seeing how it plays out. 

Blu-Ray/TV Series Review: Bones: Season 5

 

+++Warning, this contains spoilers from prior seasons but does not contain any spoilers from season 5+++

The fifth season of Bones aired during the 2009-2010 TV season and followed the same format that has made the show successful. That is, mostly being a case-of-the-week procedural crime-drama but also including some larger storylines that play out over the course of the season or get carried over from the prior season. In this season, one of the later examples is a continuation of the "gravedigger" storyline with the trial of Heather Taffet (played by Deiredra Lovejoy) and the team having to find concrete evidence to convict her. The season picks up with Booth returning to the FBI trying to figure out if his feelings for Brennan are real, or an after-effect of the brain injury that he suffered at the end of season four. The show does continue the tease of will Booth and Brennan get together, with the writers doing everything they can to keep them apart, which includes a season finale in which a more significant time jump going into season six is teased. This season also has the milestone 100th episode (which David Boreanez directed) that looks back on the history of the team members and allows for a way to incorporate Eric Millegan into the season. 

For those who get the Blu-Ray set, the show looks and sounds very good in HD, getting a nice (but not spectacular) blu-ray transfer. The 22 episodes are spread across four discs, as are the various special features. Those include commentary tracks on two episodes, a featurette on the 100th episode, two behind-the-scenes featurettes, a gag reel, deleted scenes, and extended versions of two episodes.

Overall, the series continues to be strong. By this season it found the formula that works and does not deviate much from that, while still managing to make the shows interesting and fresh. This season includes many good guest and recurring stars including Cyndi Lauper, Ryan O'Neal, Emily's sister Zooey Deschanel, who plays Brennan's cousin in an episode, and Billy Gibbons, who again plays Angela's father. The roles of the various interns are also expanded this season, with the show continuing to rotate the characters of Clark, Daisy, Wendell, Arastoo, Colin, and Vincent throughout the season. So, if you have liked the show (especially from season two forward) then you will probably like this season as well.

Blu-Ray/TV Series Review: Bones: Season 4

 

+++Warning, this contains the major spoiler from the prior season, but no major reveals from the fourth season+++

By the fourth season (which aired during the 2008-2009 season), Bones had really hit its stride as a show that is a mix of a case-of-the-week procedural, in which Booth (David Boreanez), Brennan (Emily Deschanel), and the team of "squints" solve a murder, while also mixing in serial arcs or at least callbacks to earlier episodes. This season also sees more cast turnover as Eric Millegan had mostly left the show, being written out as Zack being put in a psych ward after being revealed as the serial killer "Gormagon's" apprentice. There is also a callback to the Gravedigger storyline, this time putting Booth in jeopardy. We also get the rotating stable of interns (because Brennan cannot settle on just one), so Eugene Bird (who plays Clark), Ryan Cartwright (who plays Vincent Nigel Murry), Michael Grant Terry (who plays Wendell Bray), Carla Gallo (who plays Daisy Wick), Joel David Moore (who plays Colin Fisher), Pej Vadaht (who plays Arastoo Vaziri), and Michael Badaluuco (who plays Scott Starret) have recurring roles throughout the season. The season starts with a two-part episode set in London, which includes an appearance by Stephen Fry, reprising his role as Gordon Wyatt. And, Seth McFarlane makes a voice cameo appearance as Stewie from Family Guy in a funny scene with David Boreanez. The season continues with the will-they-won't-they-get-together tension between Booth and Brennan, and the season ends on a major cliffhanger that puts Booth and Brennan's personal and professional relationships up in the air going into season five.

For those who get the Blu-Ray, the show looks and sounds very good in HD. This is actually the first season that the show was released on Blu-Ray and the A/V quality is definitely an upgrade over the standard-definition DVDs. The extras include extended versions of some episodes, a gag reel, a featurette on the new interns, and an interview with Ally Maki about the character she played in one of the episodes. If you get the DVD set, the first four episodes that were broadcast as season four episodes (including the episodes in London) are not included. They were actually shot during season three and were included in the Season 3 DVD release. However, they are included on the Blu-Ray, so you get all 26 episodes that aired during season 4 if you get the Blu-Ray set. 

Liking a show, or not, is always very subjective. Bones is definitely not a show that will appeal to everyone, but I would say that if you liked the prior three seasons, you will probably like this one (unless Zack was your favorite character). The cast seems to get along very well and has great on-screen chemistry. This season sees the first appearance of Booth and Brennan's undercover characters, Wanda and Buck, who are hilarious, mostly because of Emily Deschanel. The writers do a good job balancing the large ensemble cast, even giving the interns some valuable screen time. While you can mostly just jump into the show and follow along without watching the prior seasons, I do think watching it from the beginning to see the character development is best. 

Blu-Ray/TV Series Review: The Fall: Complete Collection

 

The Fall was a series that ran for three seasons, from 2013 to 2016, starring Gillian Anderson (best known for her role in The X-Files) and Jamie Dornan (probably best known for the Fifty Shades movies). Dornan plays Paul Spector, a bereavement counselor who is married with two young kids, and who is also a serial killer known as the "Belfast Strangler" (which is not a fact that the show tries to hide). Anderson plays police superintendent Stella Gibson who is brought to Belfast to take over the investigation of a murder that has been unsolved for over a month. She figures out that the murder is the work of a serial killer and leads the investigation to take him down. Each of the seasons is short. The first season has just five episodes, and the second and third seasons have six episodes. Season one focuses on establishing the characters and the investigation into the killings. Season two focuses on finding proof of Spector's guilt and taking him down, and season three focuses on the fallout. 

This collection is just a repackaging of the individual season releases. As far as I can tell, the discs are exactly the same as what you would get if you purchased the seasons individually (each season has two discs), and all of the extras carry over. The show looks and sounds great in HD. Of course, there is no CGI or a lot of special effects, but the location shots look great, especially if you have a large screen tv. The extras are fairly sparse, but for each season you get some trailers, and a making-of featurette focused on that season, and the second and third seasons have some deleted scenes. Not a ton of bonus features, but what is included is good.

The series is very good. It is not overly gory like, for example, Dexter. It focuses more on the psychological aspect, especially the cat-and-mouse game between Spector and Gibson. The writing and acting are both great, and the series gets in and out of the story for each season well. So, if you are a fan of crime dramas, this is a very good one to check out.

DVD/TV Series Review: American Gothic: Season 1

 

American Gothic is a TV series that aired on CBS during the summer of 2016. The series starred Virginia Madsen, Antony Starr (from the series Banshee), Justin Chatwin (from Shameless), Juliet Rylance, Megan Ketch, and Elliot Knight. The basic plot is that a body is found in a tunnel collapse in Boston, and the victim shows signs of being killed by a serial killer called "The Silver Bells Killer" (SBK) whose killing streak mysteriously ended fifteen years prior. The concrete for the tunnel was poured by Hawthorne Concrete, run by the affluent Hawthorne family, led by Madeline Hawthorne (Madsen) and Mitch Hawthorne (played by Jamey Sheridan). After the discovery, suspicion surrounds the family whose eldest daughter Allison (played by Rylance) is running for the mayor of Boston, and whose youngest member Tessa (played by Ketch) is married to a police officer who ends up in the middle of the investigation. Starr plays the family's estranged son Garrett, and Chatwin plays Cam, a cartoonist and recovering drug addict who has traded his dysfunctional family for a dysfunctional marriage. The series is a murder mystery that plays out over the course of 13 episodes, with a bunch of misdirection and twists thrown in. Some of the twists are fairly predictable, and others are more of a surprise.

For those who get the DVD set, the extras include deleted and extended scenes, a first look featurette, a portion of the Comic-Com panel, and a gag reel. Not an extensive amount of extras, but more than you get with a lot of DVD sets these days.

The show is kind of hit-and-miss. Some of the twists that get thrown into the story definitely work better than others. The big reveal at the end is a bit dumb, but overall, the acting is very good throughout, especially from Madsen and Starr. It does have some violence and a little bit of sexual content, but nothing over-the-top given that it aired on CBS. Even though it is called season one, the show was canceled after the first season. And honestly, it should have always been pitched as a mini-series/limited event series because I do not think that a second season would have worked for the show. So, if you like crime dramas, I think this is a good one to check out and does not require a lot of time investment. 

DVD/TV Series Review: Bones: Season 3

 

+++Warning, this contains spoilers from the prior season, but no major season three spoilers+++

The third season of Bones aired in the 2007-2008 television season and was shortened (to just 15 episodes) as a result of the writer's strike and a bit rearranged due to the Virginia Tech mass shooting because one of the episodes dealt with a murder on a college campus and was set to air in season two just after the VT incident was repackaged and aired in season three. The season also included what was, for me anyway, the show's most controversial storyline, that of a cannibalistic serial killer called Gormagon. It is really the only longer story arc the show had that I was underwhelmed about how it was resolved. All of the main cast members from season two returned for season three, and there was also a new addition to the cast, a new FBI psychologist named Lance Sweets, played by John Francis Daley (from Freaks & Geeks). 

Again the show was a blend of procedural case-of-the-week stories and the longer Gormagon serial killer arc, that had a few twists and turns as it played out. The show also continues the story of Brennan's father, Max (played again by Ryan O'Neal) who allowed himself to be arrested by Booth at the end of the prior season. The season also continues Hodgens' and Angela's unlikely relationship. This season also sees Brennan looking for new interns (since Zack graduated last season) and introduces the character of Clark Edison (played by Eugene Bryd) and expands the recurring role of prosecutor Caroline Julian (played by Patricia Belcher). 

The DVD includes the 15 that were broadcast during season three and the first four episodes that were produced at the same time as the season three episodes but broadcast during season four, as bonus episodes. The other extras include extended versions of select episodes, a gag reel, and a handful of behind-the-scenes featurettes. 

This is the season in which I think the writers figured out the characters, and as a result, the actors had really great chemistry. Both Emily Deschanel and David Boreanaz got to show off their comedic chops more this season, which was aided by the addition of the character of Sweets who actually fit into their dynamic very well. Really the only bad thing for me about this season was the way that the Gormagon story played out. Aside from that, the show continued to be great and it is definitely worth watching. 

DVD/TV Series Review: House of Cards: Season 5

 

+++Warning, this contains spoilers from the prior seasons, but no major season five giveaways+++

The fifth season of House of Cards starts out during the campaign with Frank running for re-election with Claire running to be his Vice President. Their opponent is Will Conway, the republican governor of New York, played by Joel Kinnaman (best known for the series The Killing and the Suicide Squad movies). The season has a mix of storylines that mimic some real-world events and things that would ultimately become prophetic given t***p's attempt to steal the 2020 election a few years later. Thankfully, the dipshits who tried to steal the real election were not as competent as the characters in the show. The plot lines include a war against the show's fictional terrorist group ICO, as well as a storyline that involved Russia and their Putin-Like President, Victor Petrov, played by Lars Mikkelsen. Boris McGiver, who plays Tom Hammerschmidt, the editor of the Washington Herald starts looking into Zoe Barnes' death, which starts bringing heat back on Frank. The season ends setting up what was clearly supposed to be the original season six storyline of Frank versus Claire, but when Kevin Spacey was fired from the show, that ended up being totally abandoned, so the cliffhanger-ish ending to the season never really gets played out.

For those who get the blu-ray set, the 13 episodes are spread across four discs. The A/V quality is very good, with some really nice scenic shots from DC and the surrounding area. The big con for the physical disc set is that there are no extras, and the discs are again in those very tight pockets that make them extremely hard to remove without risking scratching the discs and/or ripping the pocket. 

Overall, the series is still very good. While some of the backbiting, political maneuvering, and crimes that are portrayed in the show are dramatized for the show, I think that, unfortunately, what is depicted in the show is not always that far off from reality. The show continues to be very well-written and acted, with a strong supporting cast including Michael Kelly, Neve Campbell, Campbell Scott, Paul Sparks, and Jayne Atkinson, to name a few. 

For some, what has been revealed about Spacey's alleged behavior over the years, including while he was working on the show, may taint their perceptions of and enjoyment of the show. While Spacey is clearly the series lead, it is not just his portrayal of Frank that makes the show great, and I look at it as supporting the entire cast and crew and not just him. So, if you can separate that, and have liked the prior seasons of the show, then you will probably like this one.

DVD/TV Series Review: Hawaii Five-0: Season 7

 

+++Warning, this contains minor season 6 spoilers, but no major season 7 giveaways+++

The seventh season of Hawaii Five-0 ended up being a very transitional season for the show, probably moreso than anyone expected it to be.  The season picks up shortly after the events that ended season 6, with Steve and Danny both still in the hospital recovering from the transplant operation. While they are recovering, a vigilante killer starts terrorizing the island, which means that they end up rushing back to work to deal with the situation. The season premiere episode also finds a clever way to incorporate Jack Lord, who played McGarrett in the original series, using CGI technology, to have the two Steves talk to each other. From there, the show follows a similar format to the prior seasons, blending procedural case-of-the-week episodes with longer story arcs here and there. One of the longer serial arcs included guest stars, Claire Forlani as an ex-FBI profiler and Elisabeth Rohm (from Law and Order and Angel) as a police psychologist, in a storyline that involves a serial killer. This season also sees the return of Michelle Borth as Catherine and Christine Lahti as Steve's mother, Doris in episode 150. Other notable episodes include one that is clearly inspired by the movie Die Hard in which Grace's school dance is attacked by terrorists and Danny and Lou have to save the day, a Jerry-centric episode involving a new JFK assassination conspiracy, and a Max-centric episode that would be Masi Oka's last appearance as a series regular. The season ends with a storyline involving a sex-trafficking ring that Kono vows to take down.

For those who get the DVD set, the 25 episodes are spread across 6 discs. The extras are similar to those of the past couple of seasons. They mostly include deleted scenes on select episodes, but there is a short behind-the-scenes featurette on the show's 150th episode. And, of course, the show is now only available on DVD as it was no longer released on blu-ray after the fourth season.

The show continues to be good but is definitely getting a bit old. Alex O'Loughlin had made no secret of the fact by this point that was not sure how much longer his body could hold up playing the role of Steve, and of course, this is the season in which Grace Park's and Daniel Dae Kim's frustrations over their salary came to a head. Even with all of that, the writers did a good job coming up with compelling stories to tell, and the show continued to have a great guest and recurring cast including Rosaland Chao, Melanie Griffith, Sarah Carter, Lilli Simmons, Chris Vance, Missy Peregrym, and Jimmy Buffett. If you have liked the show up to this point you will probably like this season. If it has not done much for you before this, this season is not likely to change your mind.

Blu-Ray/ TV Series Review: Prison Break: Seasons 1-4 and Event Series Collection

 

The marketing of this set calls it a complete series, and it is almost the complete series. The made-for-TV movie called "The Final Break" which is set between a time jump that occurs in the original series finale is missing from the set. So, this set is really just a repackaging of seasons 1-4 of the show and the limited event series, which is essentially the fifth season. The Final Break movie is a bit out of place given that the show did get revived for the fifth season, but that is available separately on Blu-Ray for those who want it.

Prison Break was a show that aired from 2005-2009 on FOX (for its original run) and then was revived in 2017 for a nine-episode run. It was insanely popular during the first season, and its popularity started to wane as the seasons went on. The series opens with a man named Michael Schofield, played by Wentworth Miller, committing armed robbery and waiting for the police to arrive and arrest him. The show then fast forwards through the trial to his conviction and he is then sentenced to Fox River State Penitentiary, where we learn that his brother Lincoln Burrows, Played by Dominic Purcell, is on death row for the murder of the Vice President of the United States' brother. Michael is convinced Lincoln is innocent, and also happens to be a structural engineer who has tattooed the plans for the prison all over his body. He then hatches an elaborate plan, that takes place over the course of the season, to escape with his brother. It is only a slight spoiler to say that the escape happens, and the subsequent seasons involve the escapees (there are more than two) trying to evade capture, and Michael trying to uncover the conspiracy that led to his brother being framed for murder. 

As I noted, this just has the individual seasons packaged in one set. So if you already bought the blu-rays, you are not getting anything more from this set aside from the collectible outer box. Thus, the A/V quality of the seasons is the same (and very good) and all of the extras (which are extensive, especially in the early seasons) carry over. There are commentary tracks on several episodes throughout the series, making of featurettes, deleted scenes, and the like. 

The series is very good overall but does have its ups and downs. Season 3 was probably the worst season of the bunch, and I personally thought that the limited event series was unnecessary. Miller and Purcell did a great job as the series leads, and the show had a strong supporting cast throughout its run that included Amaury Nolasco, Robert Knepper, Robin Tunney, Peter Stormare, Wade Williams, Sarah Wayne Callies, Paul Adelstein, William Fichtner, Jodi Lyn O'Keefe, and Michael Rappaport. While the show did take some logical leaps, it was mostly well-written and always well-acted. So, if you like crime dramas that have longer and more involved serial arcs as opposed to procedurals that wrap up a case at the end of each episode, this is a good one. It is a good show to binge because there are a lot of twists and turns and callbacks to things that occurred in prior episodes. It is definitely worth watching. 

DVD/TV Series Review: Bones: Season 2

 

+++Warning, this contains minor spoilers from season 1, but no major season two giveaways +++

The second season of Bones mostly follows the story/case-of-the-week procedural format that season one did with Booth (David Boreanaz) and Brennan (Emily Deschanel) solving some murder but also introduces a new storyline that would span multiple seasons and expanded on a couple of season one storylines. The show would also introduce a new character, Dr. Camille Saroyan, played by Tamara Taylor, who takes over as the new head of the forensic division with the departure of Jonathan Adams and his character, Dr. Goodman.

From the first season, the character of serial killer Howard Epps returns for two more episodes in season two to terrorize the team and the storyline of Brennan's parents is furthered with Ryan O'Neal joining as the recurring Max Brennan, Temperance's fugitive father. This season also establishes a new serial killer known as Gravedigger in an episode in which the team has to find two kids who have been buried alive. The season also explores the various character relationships and still develops the main characters. Thankfully, they dropped Brennan's habit from the first season of saying she does not understand some cultural reference (seemingly) every ten seconds. She still does it (or remarks that she understands a particular reference) but not nearly as much. We also get a bit more of the backgrounds of the ancillary characters, which includes a great cameo by Billy Gibbon of the band ZZ Top playing Angela's father, and the great British actor Stephen Fry playing Booth's psychiatrist.

For those who get the DVD set, there are a decent amount of extras spread across the six discs. Those include deleted scenes, a gag reel, a couple of making-of featurettes, and commentary tracks on two episodes. So, if you are one who likes watching the bonus content, what is included is good. And, thankfully, they did away with the double-sided DVDs of season 1.

To me, the show really finds its footing in the second season. While most of the characters continue as they were presented in season one, I think the tweaks to the character of Brennan, making her a little less robotic than she was in the first season worked out well. She is still quirky, but she is given more range as a character than just the ultra-logical character she was in the first season, and Emily Deschanel does a great job playing her. Boreanaz also does a great job showing the acting range he was rarely able to show playing Angel. The supporting cast members are all great, with T.J. Thyne and Michaela Conlin stealing nearly every scene they are in, as does Stephen Fry when he makes his appearances as Gordon Wyatt. Tamara Taylor also brings a bit more balance to the team of "squints" with Camille being a more normal, nonquirky character. Thyne and Eric Millegan also have really good chemistry and even though their characters are total opposites, you can buy that they are actually buddies and would totally pull some of the stunts that the characters do in the show. So, if you liked season one you will probably like season two. If you were on the fence about the show after the first season, I would advise giving season two a chance as the rough edges from season one have been smoothed out this season.

 

DVD/TV Series Review: The Americans: Season 5

 

+++Warning, this contains spoilers from prior seasons, but no major season 5 spoilers+++

The fifth season of The Americans, which is the second to last season, served to both tie up or advance older storylines, and set up the storylines going into the final season. Phillip and Elizabeth (Matthew Rhys and Kerri Russell) are dealing with the fallout of Paige telling Pastor Tim their true identities, and are trying to keep him from ratting them out while debating how to deal with him without hurting Paige. Oleg (Costa Ronin) is back in Moscow, still grieving Nina's death, but trying to move on in his new job investigating food chain corruption. Paige (Holly Taylor) is getting more and more entrenched in her parent's spy life and having a hard time adjusting, while Henry (Keidrich Sellati) is still in the dark hoping to go to a prestigious boarding school. 

As in past seasons, there are a couple of big themes that run throughout the season. The main one involves an agriculture program that threatens the Soviet Union's food supply, and the second is a continuation of the prior season's biological warfare story arc, and the threat of weaponizing Lassa fever. Toward the end of the season, Phillip's mission involving Kimmy (Julia Garner) picks up again, and he is again put in a very uncomfortable position trying to keep Kimmy on the hook. 

The DVD set is what I would describe as a MOD plus set. The A/V transfer is mediocre, at best, and it only has a few extras. Those are a handful of deleted scenes, a gag reel, and the TNT First Look for the new season. The extras are not nearly as extensive as the season one blu-ray release got, and the DVD video transfer is nowhere near the season one blu-ray transfer quality. So, the only big reason to get the DVD set versus just streaming the show is to keep a collection complete.

The show continues to be well-written and very well-acted. There is still a lot of violence and sexual content, so it is definitely not a family-friendly show. The series definitely seems to be setting up Stan to figure things out, but the big question is going to be how will he do so. There are some good new additions to the cast, including Peter Jacobson (who was a series regular in the middle seasons of the series House) as a new member of the FBI team and Laurie Holden as a new love interest for Stan, brought back Allison Wright for a small side story, and included the great recurring characters of Gabriel and Claudia, played by Frank Langella and Margo Martindale. If you liked the prior seasons, then this one is definitely worth watching.

Blu-Ray/TV Series Review: Blindspot: Season 2

 

+++Warning, this contains spoilers from season 1, but no major season 2 spoilers+++

The second season of Blindspot picks up three months after the events of the season 1 finale in which Weller discovered that his father did indeed kill the real Taylor Shaw and that Jane had been faking Taylor's memory (unbeknownst to her), and the death of Mayfair. Jane has been in CIA custody since being arrested and ends up breaking out and she convinces Weller and the team to use her as a triple agent against the terrorist organization, Sandstorm, to which she is somehow tied. From there, the show mostly follows the format of season one, with some case or mission of the week, that is usually tied into the larger story arc of Jane's identity and Sandstorm's plans (which are revealed throughout the season). In addition to the returning main cast, this season sees the inclusion of Archie Panjabi (from The Good Wife), the great character actress Michelle Hurd, and Luke Mitchell. Ennis Esmer also returns for a few episodes as Rich Dotcom to "help" and/or make life miserable for the team and steals every scene he is in. The season ends on a partial cliffhanger that includes a two-year time jump. 

For those who get the Blu-Ray set, the A/V quality is very good, and the extras include deleted scenes, a gag reel, a portion of the 2016 Comic-Con panel, and a handful of making-of and behind-the-scenes featurettes. All totaled, the bonus features end up at a little under an hour, give or take. They are not extensive, but what is included is good if you like watching the bonus content.

The season is very good. While most of the character development is centered on the new characters, there is some for the established characters. Patterson (Ashley Johnson) is a bit more involved in the action this season and is not always stuck in the lab, and the characters of Rede and Zapata are fleshed out a bit more. Jamie Alexander and Sullivan Stapleton are great as the leads, and the show does a good job of throwing wrenches in the way of their relationship. This is definitely not a show that you can just jump into in season two without seeing season one because even though it is partly a procedural show, the episodes are not totally self-contained and often contribute to the larger serial arcs. But, if you liked season one, then this is definitely worth watching.

DVD/Movie Review: The Hot Spot

 

The Hot Spot is a 1990 crime-drama combined with an erotic thriller directed by Dennis Hopper and starring Don Johnson, a young Virginia Madsen, and a very young Jennifer Connelly. Johnson plays Harry Maddox, a drifter who takes a job as a car salesman in a small town in Texas. When he learns that everyone who works at the town bank is a volunteer firefighter, he sets a fire to get everyone out of the bank so he can rob it. He is then blackmailed by the wife of the car dealership's owner (Madsen) with whom he is having an affair, despite falling for the secretary at the dealership, Gloria (Connelly) who is herself being blackmailed by a character played by William Sadler.

There are several editions of the movie out there, both on DVD and blu-ray. I have the DVD that is a French import, and the only extra on that version is a trailer for the movie. Some versions have cast interviews and a commentary track, so it will vary. One thing that you get from the import version versus the versions widely available in the US is that the sex scenes are less edited in the import version. They are not explicit, of course, but they tend to be longer and have less edited out. 

Overall, I would say that the movie is good, but not great. It is definitely a bit outdated now, and probably would not be made the same way today as it was then. There is a lot of sex and nudity, and pretty much everyone in the movie chain smokes throughout. So, it is not exactly family-friendly. It also happens to be the first (and only) movie in which Connelly has done a topless scene (and they are spectacular), but Madsen was topless much more in the movie than Connelly. 

DVD/TV Series Review: Bones: Season 1

 

Bones was a procedural crime drama that aired on FOX starting in 2005. It starred David Boreanaz  (best known for his role as Angel on Buffy the Vampire Slayer and its spinoff series Angel) as FBI Special Agent Seely Booth, and Emily Deschanel, as Dr. Temperance Brennan, a forensic anthropologist at the Jeffersonian Institute in Washington D.C. who works with Booth to solve murders. The rest of the main cast is made up of the staff members of the Jeffersonian, whom Booth refers to as "the squints". They include Michaela Conlin, as forensic artist Angela Montenegro, Eric Millegan as Zack Addy, Dr. Brennan's grad student lab assistant, T.J. Thyne, the lab's entomologist, and Jonathan Adams, the director of the Jeffersonian.

The show is, for the most part, a case-of-the-week procedural that involves a death either occurring or being discovered in the cold open, and then Booth and Brennan investigate the case (usually with the capture of the murderer) by the end of the hour. There are some serial arcs included as well. In season one, the main serial arc was the disappearance of Brennan's parents when she was young, and clues appear throughout the season that leads to a bit of a cliffhanger in the season finale. The show is very character-based and the first season does a lot to develop the various characters. They do go a bit overboard on the character of Brennan, making too much of the fact that she does not follow pop culture and does not understand any (almost) pop culture references. The writers do a great job with Booth and Brennan's opposite personalities and give the large ensemble cast a lot to work with. Boreanaz actually gets to show off more of his comedic acting chops, which he only got to do a couple of times playing Angel. So, he is far less serious and brooding than he had to be playing Angel.

For those who get the DVD set, the original release of season one was on the dreaded dual-sided discs, so the episodes were spread over four discs instead of the usual six. There is a commentary track by the series creator Hart Hanson on the pilot episode, and a commentary track by Boreanaz and Deschanel on the episode "Two Bodies in the Lab". Then there are a series of featurettes including one on forensic anthropologist and author Kathy Reichs, on whom the character of Brennan is loosely based, a featurette on the team of squints, a featurette on the medical jargon used in the show, and character profiles.

Overall, the first season is a good start to the series, although it did take a while for the series to find its footing. Thankfully, FOX did give the show some slack and let it evolve, and by the end of the season, it had developed a tone and style that would pretty much carry throughout the rest of its run. It could get a bit gory at times with very real-looking corpses in various stages of decay which could creep and/or gross some people out. Given that it aired on Fox, however, they could not go overboard with violence, sex, or nudity, although there is some sexual banter and implied nudity that never reveals anything. So, if you like crime procedurals and have not yet seen it, this is a good series to check out. 

Blu-Ray/TV Series Review: Animal Kingdom: Season 1

 

Animal Kingdom is a show that was adapted from an Australian movie of the same name about a crime family led by Janine "Smurf" Cody, played by Ellen Barkin. She has been running scams and thriving since the 1970s and enlists her adoptive son Baz, played by Scott Speedman, and her biological sons Deran, played by Jake Weary, Craig, played by Ben Robson, and Andrew, who is called "Pope", played by Shawn Hatsoy, to commit elaborate break-ins, steal whatever loot is available, and then divides up the bounty. Life for the Codys gets complicated when Smurf's estranged daughter dies of a drug overdose and the family has to take in Smurf's grandson Joshua, who is called "J", played by Finn Cole.

While the series does have a lot of action in it, at its core, and when it is at its best, it is really about a deeply dysfunctional family, apart from all the crime. It deals with issues like repressed homosexuality, transactional love, and manipulation. It even gives off some very creepy incest vibes between Smurf and her kids. The show definitely pushes the bounds of what can be shown on basic cable, with as much sex, nudity, and swearing as they can get away with. And, there is a student-teacher sexual relationship storyline that plays a big role especially later in the season. 

For those who get the Blu-Ray set, the ten episodes are spread across three discs. The A/V transfer is good, but not great, with a better audio transfer than video transfer. But, unless you are a big-time A/V wonk, it will probably not bother you. The extras include deleted scenes for most episodes, that range in length from about a minute to over thirteen minutes, then there are five short featurettes (all about two minutes long or less), and then a fourteen-minute making-of documentary. You definitely want to watch all the extras after watching the episodes, especially if you care about spoilers because the making-of-documentary does spoil some of the plotlines. 

Overall, the series is very good. It is well-written and very well-acted, with the standouts being Barkin and Hatsoy. Pope is not only very violent, as are all of the Codys but also mentally ill, and Hatsoy plays the character perfectly. It is most definitely not a family-friendly show, and there are some people who will be offended by some of the storylines. But, if you like crime dramas with a lot of action and are not bothered by violence, sex, and the like, it is definitely worth checking out.

Blu-Ray/TV Series Review: Gotham: The Complete Third Season

 

+++Warning, this contains minor spoilers from the prior season, but no major season three spoilers+++

The third season of Gotham is essentially split into two parts. The first part, which picks up six months after the end of season two, under the subtitle Mad City, in which Hugo Strange's (B. D. Wong) various beasts and freaks (including the Bruce doppelganger) released after the bus crash are roaming Gotham. Gordon (Ben Mckenzie) has become a private investigator after being fired from the GCPD Jervis Tetch/Mad Hatter, to find his sister Alice. Gordon discovers Alice's blood contains a virus which becomes a plot line that affects the rest of the season. Lee (Morena Baccarin) has moved on from Jim and resumes her job at the GCPD, and Penguin (Robin Lord Taylor) decides to run for Mayor of Gotham. The major storyline involving Bruce (David Mazouz) this season involves the Court of Owls, a powerful group that basically controls Gotham, and then later in the season, during the Heroes Rise subtitle, The League of Shadows. This season does not end on a major cliffhanger but does set up potential season four story arcs.

For those who get the blu-ray set, the extras include deleted scenes, a portion of the 2016 Comic-Con panel, featurettes on The Court of Owls and the new villains, and a featurette on the episode directed by Ben McKenzie. And, the A/V quality continues to be top-notch, which is great given the heavy use of CGI effects.

Overall, the season is very good. Many of the characters continue to be some shade of gray morally. Some of the bad guys have a twinge of good, and some of the good guys take a dark turn this season. The show continues to have a strong supporting cast including Michael Chiklis, Jamie Chung, Ivana Miličević, Cameron Monaghan, James Remar, Paul Reubens (playing a similar role to his cameo in Batman Returns), and Alexander Siddig. In the third season, the show pretty much transitions from the procedural-serial combination that it has been in the first couple of seasons to a straight serial with a bunch of longer story arcs that run throughout the season and intertwine here and there. The show makes good use of the large ensemble cast and makes a good decision to make Bruce just one of the characters as opposed to the main character, especially since David Mazouz is still relatively young and not exactly physically imposing. So, if you can accept the fact that it is not really a Batman series, but want to see origin stories for the various characters, this is definitely worth your time to watch.