Blu-Ray/Movie Collection Review: The Oceans Trilogy

 

The Ocean's trilogy is a collection of three movies, starting with the 2001 remake of Ocean's 11 (which originally starred The Rat Pack), followed by the 2004 and 2007 sequels, Ocean's 12 and Ocean's 13. The core cast members of the updated version and the sequels included George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Julia Roberts, Matt Damon, and Andy Garcia. The supporting cast included Don Cheadle, Bernie Mac, Carl Reiner, Elliot Gould, Casey Affleck, Scott Caan, and Shaobo Qin. The rest of the cast changed from film to film, but included Vincent Cassel, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Robbie Coltrane, Eddie Izzard, Albert Finney, Cherry Jones, Ellen Barkin, Al Pacino, and David Paymer. 

The basic storyline of the first movie is that a group of thieves led by George Clooney and Brad Pitt put together and execute a plan to steal 160 million dollars from a Vegas casino owner (played by Andy Garcia). The sequels stood mostly on their own, essentially as revenge stories. Ocean's 12 and 13 were very different, with Ocean's 12 essentially being an extension of the storyline from the first film, and Ocean's 13 having a more stand-alone story. They are all directed by Steven Soderbergh and maintained the same production team, which I think allowed the films to be cohesive, keeping a similar tone and feel, without being carbon copies of each other. 

The blu-ray set is a four-disc set. The A/V quality of the blu-rays is good, but is probably not what A/V enthusiasts would consider reference quality. Ocean's 13 definitely looks the best of the three. Each movie is on its own disc and includes at least one commentary track, deleted/extended scenes, and some behind-the-scenes material (such as the HBO first looks), specific to the particular movie. The Ocean's 13 disc also includes a feature on real-life heists (such as the MIT card-counting group). Then there is a separate blu-ray with more bonus material around two hours worth of extras that spanned all three movies. 

The movies were well-written and acted. Each film had a mix of comedy and drama, with some action included here and there. Ultimately, if you are a fan of the movies and like watching the bonus material, this is definitely a good pickup.

Blu-Ray/Movie Collection Review: Police Academy 1-7: The Complete Collection

 

Police Academy was a rather prolific series of comedy movies (at least at first) during the 1980s. They were put out in rapid succession every year from 1984-1989, and the final movie (yes, there are actually seven in all) was released in 1994, at which point the series was (thankfully) put out of its misery after the final two horrible entries.

The first movie, starring Steve Guttenberg, Kim Cattrall, G. W. Bailey, Bubba Smith, David Graf, Michael Winslow, Leslie Easterbrook, George Gaynes, and G.W. Bailey, is by far the best movie of the bunch. The subsequent movies varied in quality, with two and three being the best of the sequels (in my opinion), and the last two movies being the worst. The seventh movie was just plain stupid, with a bad plot, stupid sound effects inserted, and a feeling that what was left of the original cast was really just going through the motions. Steve Guttenberg stopped returning to the movies after Police Academy 4, which is the point where they should have really stopped.

This set is a seven-disc set, packaged in three keep cases (three discs in the first case and two in each of the other two) that can be kept in a decorative outer box. While it is a UK release, it seems like the set is region-free. I did not try playing them on a Region 1 player, but I have a region-free player, which, aside from one exception I have come across so far, can play DVDs and Blu-ray discs from anywhere, and it plays this set just fine. The extras vary from movie to movie. Each disc has a behind-the-scenes feature, which includes interviews with the cast and filmmakers. The length of them varies, with the longest being the one for the first movie (at about 25 minutes, give or take), and the others being around 7- 8 minutes. Then some of the discs may or may not include commentary tracks on the films, deleted scenes, trailers, specific character profiles, etc. It seems most of the interviews were conducted around 2004, before Bubba Smith and David Graf passed away, as they were both included in the interviews.

Overall, this set is a good, inexpensive way to get all of the movies in one collection. Even the best of them never tried to be more than they were, used very tongue-in-cheek comedy, and never took themselves too seriously. Over time, they became more and more slapstick and almost a caricature of themselves. The movies do have a lot of swearing, some violence, sexual jokes, and some include brief nudity, so the films definitely earned their R ratings. But, for those of us who grew up with the original movie, it is a fun blast from the past. Ultimately, if you are a fan of 80s comedies and/or a fan of the series, this is worth adding to a physical media collection.

Blu-Ray/TV Series Review: Bewitched: Season 1

 

Bewitched is the classic 1960s sitcom about a witch who marries a mortal while trying to keep up appearances as a traditional 60s suburban family. It starred Elizabeth Montgomery, Dick York, and Agnes Moorehead in the leading roles and David White, Alice Pearce, and George Tobias in the primary supporting roles. The 36-episode first season aired during the 1964/1965 TV season. In it, Montgomery plays a witch named Samantha who falls in love with and marries a mortal named Darren (played by York), much to the dismay of her mother, Endora (played by Moorehead). He is an ad executive and she is a housewife. They live a fairly typical suburban life, aside from the fact that she uses magic (sometimes unwittingly in front of her nosy neighbor, Gladys Kravitz, (played by Pearce)), and his mother-in-law uses magic to try to make his life miserable. The show also featured several guest stars (some of whom would become recurring characters in the series, like Maurice Evans, Marian Lorne, and Paul Lynde) and others who had early roles (or even got their start) on the series and would become big stars themselves, like Adam West, Raquel Welch (in a blink-and-you-will-miss-it background appearance), and Peggy Lipton. 

The individual seasons have been released on DVD, both in the colorized version and the black-and-white version (which the first couple of seasons of the series aired in). The series has been released on blu-ray in a complete series release and in two-season sets (with seasons 1 and 2 packaged together, seasons 3 and 4 packaged together, etc.). On the complete series set, the first two seasons are in black and white, as they were originally aired. The A/V quality of the blu-rays is good, but not outstanding (especially the audio). The HD video restoration does look very good, most of the time, but can be uneven. One big drawback to watching the episodes in HD, however, is that when they are using prosthetics (such as fake noses) it is extremely obvious in HD, as you can very clearly see the makeup lines. On the complete series release, the first season episodes are spread across three discs. There are commentary tracks on a few episodes featuring Dick York's son, Chris, Herbie Pilato, who authored several books about the series and a biography of Elizabeth Montgomery, and historian Rob Ray. The episodes can also be played with English captions. The commentary tracks are somewhat informative and provide some information about the series (like the fact that rehearsals for the pilot started on the day JFK was assassinated) and the cast (like the fact that Alice Pearce took the role of Gladys despite having a terminal cancer diagnosis). Chris York also tells stories about his dad.

The series is primarily a story-of-the-week procedural, but sometimes events in prior episodes are referred back to. The acting is good and the cast all play their roles well. Of course, the series is the product of the 1960s, so some things about it are very dated and would not be used if the series were made today. Some of the storylines were very chauvinistic about the roles of men and women. But the show also included themes of inclusion and acceptance of differences, and included black and asian actors, and had actors that would later be known to be homosexual. It is a very nice blast from the past for people who are old enough to have watched it when it aired initially or those who watched the reruns in syndication. Ultimately, it is a good, but dated, sitcom that is worth watching, especially if you watched it when you were younger.

Blu-Ray/TV Series Review: Cheers: Season 10

 

The 26-episode penultimate 10th season of Cheers aired during the 1991/1992 TV season. All of the series regulars returned for the 10th season, and Bebe Neuwirth was finally promoted to a series regular. The recurring cast this season included Jackie Swanson, who played Woody's girlfriend, Kelly, Paul Wilson, who is another regular patron of the bar, Frances Stenhagen, who played Cliff's mother, and newcomer to the show, Keene Curtis, who played John Allen Hill, the new owner of the restaurant Melville's above Cheers, who delighted in making Sam's life miserable and having a love-hate relationship with Carla. The guest cast this season included Leah Remi, Emma Thompson, Milo O'Shea, and Harvey Fierstein. The show also included several guest appearances and cameos by celebrities and politicians, including Harry Connick Jr., Kevin McHale, John Kerry, Johnny Carson, and Doc Severinsen.

The blu-ray set is a three-disc set. As has been the case with the previous seasons, the A/V quality is good overall, but varies from episode to episode or even within episodes. There are no bonus features, but the episodes can be played with English captions. As of this writing, the seasons are not available individually on Blu-ray, only in a complete series release. 

The series continues to be a blend of procedural stories-of-the-week and serial arcs. The biggest arc this season involved the continuation of the Season 9 ending storyline, in which Sam and Rebecca agreed to have a child. There were a handful of funny moments around that storyline throughout the season. As in prior seasons, the writers do a good job of balancing the storylines of the various characters and providing each cast member with good material throughout the season. Bebe Neuwirth continued to shine as Lillith, but did not have as many standout moments as she did when she was a recurring character. This season, Keene Curtis was the one who stole most of the scenes he appeared in. The season finale is a hilarious two-part wedding episode that is one of the best episodes of the series. Ultimately, the series continued to be good. Although the writing was still somewhat dated, it did not feel as dated as it did in the earlier seasons. So, if you liked the prior seasons, this one is worth watching.

4k-UHD/Movie Review: Barbarella

 

Barbarella is the 1968 Sci-Fi cult-classic starring Jane Fonda, John Phillip Law, Milo O'Shea, Anita Pallenberg, Ugo Tognazzi, David Hemmings, Marcel Marceau, and Claude Dauphin. It was directed by Fonda's husband at the time, Roger Vadim, and produced by the famous Italian producer, Dino De Laurentiis. It was based on and adapted from a French comic book. The movie itself is bad. The writing and acting are god-awful, and the plot is silly. It was mostly a comedy (or what passed for comedy in the late 1960s) and was very tongue-in-cheek and campy (similar to the 1960s Batman TV series). It did have some (very bad) action, a slight political message, and a heavy anti-war message (based on the free-love hippie culture of the time). Of course, Fonda would become a highly controversial figure in the 1970s due to her protests against the Vietnam War, including visiting Hanoi, the capital of North Vietnam. 

Despite having a very high budget (for the time), everything about the movie looks cheap and fake. Obviously, special effects in the late 1960s were nothing like what they are today; however, if you compare this film to the other major Sci-Fi classic that came out the same year, 2001, the difference is night and day. However, the movie does feature Fonda (who was an absolute smoke-show back then) in skimpy revealing outfits, and nude during the opening credits. Sadly, Fonda actually had an eating disorder at the time the movie was being made, so the outfits they put her in probably did not help that. The plot involves Barbarella (played by Fonda), who is a space traveler and representative of Earth (which, at some time in the future around the year 40,000, has become a peaceful utopia), being sent to the Tau Ceti planetary system to track down a rogue scientist named Durand Durand (played by O'Shea), who has created a weapon with the power to destroy humanity. There, she has sex with pretty much everyone she meets in exchange for help tracking Durand down. 

The 4K set is a two-disc set, containing a UHD disc and a standard Blu-ray disc. The A/V quality is very good, but it definitely exposes the limitations of the late 1960s special and practical effects. The UHD disc contains the movie and a handful of extras (alternate opening and closing credit sequences). The movie can be played with an audio commentary track by film critic Tim Lucas. The standard Blu-Ray contains hours of bonus content, most of which was produced in 2003 specifically for the 4K release by Arrow Films. The longest feature is a zoom discussion between Tim Lucas and comic book artist Steve Bissette, in which they discuss the movie, the comic it was adapted from, and the influence it had on similar films and comics, and pop culture in general (such as inspiring the name of the 1980s British pop group, Duran Duran, which was probably the best thing that resulted from the film's popularity). Additionally, the release includes behind-the-scenes footage, photo stills (which feature both promotional and behind-the-scenes images), interviews with some of the surviving cast and crew members, the theatrical trailer, and radio spots. Notably, Fonda does not appear in any of the updated bonus features. 

Ultimately, the movie is a product of the late 1960s that does not hold up particularly well, aside from being a cult classic. It is not necessarily a movie that you will watch because you want to see award-winning entertainment (unless you count the Razzies), but it is entertaining in its own way. And, if you like physical media releases with a lot of bonus content, this has you covered. I cannot say that the film will appeal to everyone, but if you like campy sci-fi that is "so bad it's good", this is worth watching. 

Blu-Ray/TV Series Review: Cheers: Season 9

 

The 26-episode 9th season of Cheers aired during the 1990/1991 TV season. All of the main cast returned for the ninth season, as did some of the major recurring cast, led by Bebe Neuwirth, who reprised her role as Lilith, and included Jackie Swanson as Woody's girlfriend, Kelly, and Roger Rees as Robin Colcord. The celebrity guest stars/cameos this season included former Boston Celtic Kevin McHale, Arsenio Hall, Bobby Hatfield, former Presidential candidate Michael Dukakis, and John McLaughlin. McLaughlin hosted the 200th episode anniversary special, which included a cold open, but then was essentially a panel discussion with the cast and showrunners. The panel did include Shelly Long, but at least as it was presented on the DVD, she did not say anything; they just had a couple of reaction shots of her. Otherwise, the show continued to mainly be a story-of-the-week procedural with some serial arcs included. The most prominent serial arcs were the tease of whether Sam and Rebecca would get together, and Frasier and Lilith becoming parents. 

The Blu-ray set is a three-disc set, and as of this writing, it remains available only on Blu-ray in the complete series release. The individual season is only available on DVD (which is a five-disc set). The A/V quality of the episodes is good, but not outstanding. There are times when the video looks closer to DVD quality than what you would expect from Blu-Rays. There are no bonus features, although the 200th episode is more akin to a bonus feature than a regular episode. The episodes can be played with English captions. 

The series continues to be good, but the storylines absolutely became repetitive by the 9th season. The writers did a good job of balancing the storylines to give all the cast members good material to work with, and Bebe Neuwirth continued to steal nearly every scene she was in. Some of the jokes are still outdated and cringeworthy, but not as much as those in the early seasons. Ultimately, if you liked the prior seasons, you will probably enjoy this one (unless you really only liked Long's character, Diane).

Blu-Ray/TV Series Review: Cheers: Season 8

 

The 26-episode 8th season of Cheers aired during the 1989-1990 TV season. It can be argued that this was the season in which the series peaked, earning multiple awards. All of the main cast members returned for Season 8. Unfortunately, Bebe Neuwirth was still just a member of the recurring cast, despite stealing every scene she was in as Lilith. She won the Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series Emmy that year. The other significant recurring cast member this season was Roger Rees, who played an English mogul named Robin Colcord, who was brought in as a love interest for Rebecca and a partial foil for Sam. The guest cast this season included Lisa Kudrow, Kevin Conroy, Alex Trebek, and Bill Medley. The show continues to blend a story-of-the-week procedural format with serial arcs. This season, the big serial arcs are Sam's quest to buy back Cheers from the corporation that owns it and Rebecca's relationship with Robin (and sexual tension with Sam). 

The blu-ray set is a three-disc set. It does not include any bonus content, but the episodes can be played with English captions. The A/V quality is overall very good, but there are times when the picture looks more like standard definition than an upgraded HD transfer. 

The series continues to be good. As the show transitioned from the 1980s to the 1990s, some of the more outdated comedic elements were less prominent. The writers did a very good job balancing storylines for the large ensemble cast, with each cast member getting at least one episode centered around him or her. There are a couple of hilarious Lilith and Frasier episodes, including ones involving Lilith's pregnancy and giving birth. Cliff also has a very good episode in which he is a contestant on Jeopardy. Ultimately, if you have liked the series up to this point, season 8 is worth watching.

Blu-Ray/TV Series Review: Cheers: Season 7

 

The 22-episode seventh season of Cheers aired during the 1988/1989 TV season. The beginning of the season was delayed by the 1988 writers' strike, which also resulted in a lower overall number of episodes. All of the main cast members returned as series regulars. Bebe Neuwirth was still a recurring cast member, but she had a larger role and more appearances this season, and continued to steal most of the scenes she appeared in. Jay Thomas also recurred this season as Carla's husband, Eddie, but only made a couple of appearances during the season. There are not as many notable guest stars this season, but the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, William Crowe, appeared in episode 17, and Marcia Cross (probably best known for her role on Desperate Housewives in the early 2000s) appeared in episode 21 playing Rebecca's sister, Susan.

The blu-ray set is a three-disc set. As of this writing, the individual seasons have only been released on DVD. The blu-ray set is only available as a complete series set. As with the previous few seasons, this one does not have any bonus content; however, the episodes can be played with English captions. The show continues to be funny, but some of the comedy is very dated. If it were made today, the character of Sam would probably be written much differently than he was back then, since he is basically a "lovable" pervert who sexually harasses every hot woman he meets. The writers do a good job of balancing the storylines for the large ensemble cast, giving each character at least one episode devoted to them. This season, both Cliff and Woody get love interests, Frasier and Lilith have a significant storyline, and Norm finally finds his calling career-wise. Ultimately, if you liked the prior seasons, you will probably like this one, as long as you are not easily offended by non-politically correct humor. 

Blu-Ray/TV Series Review: The Big Bang Theory: Season 12

 

The 24-episode 12th and final season of The Big Bang Theory aired during the 2018/2019 TV season.  It does a good job tying up storylines for most of the characters in a way that gives a "life will go on" feel to it. The major storyline of the season revolves around Sheldon and Amy's research on Super-Asymmetry and the possibility of winning the Nobel Prize in physics. That leads to a few great appearances by Kal Penn and Sean Austin as rivals to Sheldon and Amy. Raj also gets a major love interest story, while the other characters receive mostly one-off story arcs.

The show continues to get a great slate of guest stars. There are some old favorites (Will Wheaton, Christine Baranski, Bob Newhart, etc.) and some new faces, like Kevin Smith and a great cameo by Sarah Michelle Gellar in the series finale. They also figured out a clever way to do a crossover with Young Sheldon via the magic of VHS.

The Blu-ray set is a two-disc set that is almost identical to the prior releases. The 24 episodes are spread out across the two discs, as are the extras.  This season, the bonus content includes a feature on the scholarship fund the show set up for STEM students in the UC system of colleges, a portion of the Comic-Con panel, and several behind-the-scenes features and retrospectives on the show's impact. Much more extras than you get from most shows DVDs or blu-ray releases these days.

By now, pretty much everyone knows what the show is and is not. If you are a fan of the show, then you will likely enjoy this season. If you hated it, then there is nothing about this season that is going to change your mind. The writers do a good job of continuing to develop the characters, even after 12 years, and manage to balance the large ensemble cast well. Yes, the show uses a laugh track as well as genuine reactions from a studio audience, which will turn some people off, but it is pretty standard sitcom fare. It was, after 12 years, definitely getting "long in the tooth" as a show, and I think it was a good time to end it, even though it could have likely gone on for as long as the main actors wanted to return. However, when Jim Parsons indicated, going into the 12th season, that this one would be his last on the show, it was right to end it instead of trying to keep it going without the most popular character, especially with the spinoff series going strong. Ultimately, it is worth the pick-up, especially if you have the prior season releases on the physical discs and worth watching to see how the series wraps up.

Blu-Ray/TV Series Review: The Big Bang Theory: Season 11

 

+++Warning, this will spoil the cliffhanger from the end of season 10, but no major giveaways from season 11++++

The 24-episode 11th season of The Big Bang Theory aired during the 2017/2018 TV season. It would be the second-to-last season of the show. It was announced over the summer, after the 11th season aired, that season 12 would be the final season when Jim Parsons decided he would not return to the show.  Ultimately, I think it was a good decision, as the show was getting long in the tooth.

The main theme of this season is the build-up to Sheldon and Amy's wedding. As most know, the 10th season ended on the cliffhanger of Sheldon proposing. To the shock of no one, she says yes. The rest of the season is much the same as it has been for the first 11 seasons, where a story-of-the-week is meshed with ongoing story arcs. The other main storyline involves Howard and Bernadette having another child, incorporating Melissa Rauch's real-life pregnancy into the show and allowing her to be on bed rest. For much of the season, she was filmed in bed, and then, eventually, you just heard her voice, much like Howard's mother was. Of the main cast, I would say Raj took more of a back seat this year, only really having one episode centered around him (which guest-starred Beth Behrs and Walton Goggins. Other notable guest stars this year (aside from Wil Wheaton) were Bob Newhart, Kathy Bates, Teller (of Penn and Teller fame), Laurie Metcalf, Jerry O'Connell, and Mark Hamill. The writers also found a way to honor Stephen Hawking after his death.

The Blu-Ray set is a two-disc set. The A/V quality is excellent, and the episodes look and sound very good, much like the prior seasons. The set includes about an hour of bonus features, including part of the Comic-Con panel discussion, a couple of behind-the-scenes features, and a gag reel. Ultimately, the season was good, but the show was getting stale at this point. While there were some funny moments during the season, it wasn't as funny overall as it was in the beginning. That said, the season was still enjoyable, was worth watching, and provided a good setup for what will now be the final season.

4k-UHD/Movie Review: American Pie 2 (Deluxe Collector's Edition) [UK Import]

 

American Pie 2 is the 2001 follow-up to 1999's unexpected hit comedy, American Pie. All the primary cast members (Jason Biggs, Seann William Scott, Chris Klein, Eddie Kaye Thomas, Tara Reid, Alyson Hannigan, Shannon Elizabeth, Eugene Levy, Mena Suvari, Natasha Lyonne, and Thomas Ian Nicholas) return for the sequel, as do many of the supporting cast, including Chris Owen, John Cho, Casey Affleck, Molly Cheeks, Jennifer Coolidge, and Eli Marienthal. The new cast members in this film include Denise Faye, Lisa Arturo, JoAnna Garcia, and Joelle Carter. 

The story is set a year after the events of the first movie, as the characters' first year of college is ending, and they go back home for the summer. In an attempt to rekindle the post-high school weirdness, the friends decide to rent a house on Lake Michigan for the summer, with the plan to throw a massive blowout party at the end of the summer. Of course, hijinks ensue, and the group ultimately learn something by the end of the film. 

The 4K set is a two-disc set containing a UHD disc and a regular Blu-ray disc. This is an import set from the UK, so while the UHD disc is region-free and can be played on a Region 1 4K player, the Blu-Ray disc is region-locked, so you will need a Region 2 player to watch it (which is really only an issue if you want to watch the bonus content, aside from the commentary tracks). The UHD disc includes both the theatrical and unrated versions of the movie and all four commentary tracks (one by the director J.B. Rogers, one by the writer Adam Herz, one by cast members Jason Biggs, Thomas Ian Nicholas, and Mena Suvari, and one by cast member Eddie Kaye Thomas) on the theatrical version. Both Rodgers and Herz's commentary tracks provide a lot of insight into the film and the process of getting it made, changes that were made, etc. The commentary with Biggs, Suvari, and Ian Nicholas is the most entertaining as they spend most of the time joking with each other. Thomas provides some insight into the movie, but he is a bit dry, and there are long stretches when he does not say anything (probably because he is by himself when it was recorded). The unrated version of the film adds about five minutes to the runtime and essentially extends a few scenes, but does not add anything significant to the storyline.

The rest of the bonus features are on the regular Blu-Ray. Some (like the deleted scenes, music video, trailer, etc.) were carried over from the original DVD release, but not everything from the original release is included on this release, so if you have the original DVD, you may want to keep it. Other bonus content includes featurettes on the changed Oz and Heather storyline, and the storyline with Stifler's dad that was ultimately cut from the movie.

The movie is a good follow-up to the original. While the tone (and many of the jokes) echo those of the first movie (especially in the beginning), it is not a carbon copy of the original film. There are some very funny moments and some dramatic moments in the film. The roles of the various characters underwent significant changes as the movie shifted its focus to Jim and Michelle's relationship. As a result, characters like Vicky and Kevin received much less screen time, while Hannigan's role expanded considerably in this movie compared to the first. Oz and Heather's story was supposed to be quite different, but it got changed during reshoots, as did Stifler's storyline, which changed the amount of screen time those characters received. Eugene Levy received similar screen time and served a similar function to his role in the first film. Shannon Elizabeth had a bit more screen time than she did in the first film (unfortunately, she does not get naked in this one), but she is mostly seen talking on the phone until the movie's third act. 

The movie does earn its R-rating, as it does have a lot of raunchy comedy, swearing, sexual dialogue, and nudity. Ultimately, it is a good movie about how life and relationships change after high school, whether you want them to or not. If you liked or loved the first movie, this one (while probably not quite as good as the first film) is worth watching.

Blu-Ray/TV Series Review: Cheers: Season 6

 

The 25-episode 6th season of Cheers aired during the 1987/1988 TV season. It saw the most significant shift in the show up to that point. Shelly Long was written out of the series at the end of the fifth season (although the writers did leave the possibility of her return open). To replace her, the show cast Kirstie Alley. Aside from Long, all of the series regulars returned. This season, George Wendt and John Ratzenberger each direct an episode.

Along with Alley, Tom Skerritt was brought in for a significant recurring role. Jay Tomas returned as Carla's husband, Bebe Neuwirth's role as Lilith was expanded (although she was still a recurring character), and Harry Anderson made a cameo appearance, reprising his role as Harry the Hat in one of the cold opens (despite starring in Night Court by that time). Robert Urich and Wade Boggs made special guest appearances. 

The season picks up months down the line from the events that ended the fifth season. We discover that Sam has gone sailing around the world, selling the bar to a large corporation run by Skerritt's character, Evan Drake. Alley plays Rebecca Howe, who runs the day-to-day operations at the bar, and is totally in love with Drake, who barely notices her. When Sam's boat sinks, he returns to Cheers looking to be the boss again, but is only able to be hired on as a bartender, with Rebecca as his boss. The show continues the format that it used in prior seasons, blending procedural one-off storylines with serial arcs. The writers attempted to replicate the Sam and Diane "will-they-won't-they" storyline with Sam and Rebecca, but it mostly involved Sam hitting on Rebecca and her turning him down (or messing with him). The writers did a good job balancing the storylines for the large ensemble cast, giving all the characters good material to work with. There were more good Lilith and Frasier moments, with Bebe Neuwirth stealing pretty much every scene she was in. 

The blu-ray set is a three-disc set. Like those for seasons four and five, this one does not have any bonus features, but the episodes can be played with English captions. As of this writing, the only way to get the blu-ray versions is to purchase the complete series set. The individual single-season sets are only available on DVD. The A/V quality of the episodes on blu-ray is very good, and the episodes look and sound great in the HD format, especially given the age of the show.

The season is good, and the introduction of the new characters gave the show a fresh boost. Whatever you think of Alley in real life, especially her politics toward the end of her life, she was hilarious in the show, and even though the writers tried to give her character a similar dynamic with Sam that Shelly Long's character had, she did not copy what Long did with the character of Diane. The comedy is still a lot different than today's sitcoms. In some ways, it is tamer (even though there is sexual banter and innuendo, nothing beyond kissing is shown). On the other hand, some of the jokes would definitely not fly in today's PC climate, especially the character of Sam sexually harassing the character of Rebecca every episode. Ultimately, if you liked the style and tone of the prior seasons (unless you only liked the character of Diane), you will probably like this season as well.

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

 

The 26-episode fifth season of Cheers aired during the 1986/1987 TV season. All the series regulars returned for the fifth season, including Ted Danson and Shelly Long, who played the two leads, Sam and Diane. Many of the "regular" recurring cast members, including Dan Hedaya and Jean Kasem, appeared this season, and Bebe Newerth returned in her role as Lilith. Lilith and Frasier were heavily featured in a couple of great episodes, including one of the funniest of the series so far. Other notable guest stars this season included Brenda Strong, Jay Thomas, Brent Spiner (who would go on to play Mr. Data on Star Trek: The Next Generation), and John Cleese. 

The blu-ray set is a three-disc set. As of this writing, the blu-rays are only available in the complete series release, with individual seasons only being available on DVD. Like the fourth season release, this one does not include any bonus material, but the episodes can be played with English captions.

The series continued the same format that it had from the beginning of the show, blending weekly procedural storylines with longer serial arcs. Of course, the longest arc throughout the season was the continued question of whether Sam and Diane would get together. All of the main characters get at least one episode focused primarily on them, including Woody, and every character gets good material to work with throughout the season. This season would also be the last for Shelly Long, as she made plans to leave the show after the season. Diane was written off in the season finale, but the writers did leave her departure open-ended, presumably so she could return if Long changed her mind. 

The show remained good, but its writing differed significantly from what would be done on a similar show today. The Sam and Diane "will they or won't they" storyline was getting a bit stale and played out by this season, and the character of Diane was getting a bit irritating and not really evolving. So, writing Diane out of the show was not a horrible thing, but I do think it could have been done better (especially given the fact that Long did not end up returning to the series, save for a guest appearance in the series finale). One good thing the show did was continue to expand the world beyond just the bar, and saw the characters interacting with each other outside the bar from time to time. Ultimately, if you liked the previous seasons, this one is worth watching.

Blu-Ray/TV Series Review: The Big Bang Theory Season 10

 

The 24-episode 10th season of The Big Bang Theory aired during the 2016/2017 TV season. All the series regulars returned for the 10th season, and many of the significant recurring cast members, such as Christine Baranski, Laurie Metcalf, Keith Carradine, and John Ross Bowie, returned. Dean Norris joined as a recurring cast member, and Katey Segal and Jack McBrayer were cast as Penny's mother and brother, respectively, and Judd Hirsch was cast as Leonard's father. Other guest cast members included Christopher Lloyd, Kate Micucci, and Alessandra Torresani. 

I will not review the series itself, as anyone purchasing the DVDs or Blu-Rays, or considering doing so, is already familiar with the show. The writers continue to develop the characters, but the series has fewer cameo appearances by guest stars than in prior seasons (the most are in the season premiere, with a few others scattered throughout the season). The show continues to blend story-of-the-week procedural storylines with serial arcs. The big serial arc that runs throughout the season involves a guidance system that the group invented for the military. The other significant arc involves the relationships between Leonard and Penny and Sheldon and Amy. The season ends on a major cliffhanger that will reverberate into the next season.  

The blu-ray set is a two-disc set, and the show looks and sounds great in the HD format. The extras include the Comic-Con writer's panel, a featurette in which the cast responding to Twitter questions, a short feature on the new family members introduced this season (Leonard's father, and Penny's mother and brother), a feature on Howard's and Bernadette's baby, highlights from the cast Comic-Con panel, and a gag reel. The episodes can be played with English captions, but they cannot be played in a "play all" mode that allows you to pick up where you left off. If you stop watching before completing every episode on the disc, you'll need to find where you left off. 

The series remains good, but it is not as strong as it was in its early seasons. There are certainly those who think it is time for the series to end, and I think an argument can be made that it is becoming stale. But given that it is now going into its 11th season, I think it continues to develop the characters pretty well and come up with interesting stories, even if some of the jokes are getting recycled. Ultimately, if you liked or loved the prior seasons, this one is worth watching. 

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

 

The 26-episode fourth season of Cheers aired during the 1985-1986 TV season. This season marked the start of the cast turnover, with the series finally acknowledging the death of Nicholas Colasanto, who passed away during the filming of Season Three. To replace his character, Coach, Woody Harrelson was brought on as a series regular to play Coach's pen pal from Indiana (who exchanged pens with Coach), Woody Boyd. Woody is hired as a new bartender and brings a bit of new life to the show. All the other series regulars, including Ted Danson, Shelly Long, Rhea Perlman, John Ratzenberger, and George Wendt, returned for the fourth season. Frasier remained a recurring character this season, but appeared in most of the episodes. The guest and recurring cast members this season included Kate Mulgrew (who would of course go on to star in Star Trek Voyager), Max Wright (who would go on to star in the series Alf), politician Gary Hart, Dan Hedeya and Jean Kasem (reprising their roles as Nick and Loretta), Jennifer Tilly, and Sherylin Fenn. Bebe Neuwirth also made her first appearance as Lilith about halfway through the season.

The season picks up shortly after the events that ended season three, revealing whether Sam was successful in stopping Diane's marriage to Frasier. From there, the show continues to be a blend of a story-of-the-week procedural and serial story arcs. The show remains primarily a comedy, but occasionally mixes in some dramatic moments. Some of the comedy is very much dated, and some of it absolutely would not be done the same way if the series were made today. Some of the jokes are very funny, but others are a bit cringeworthy. 

The blu-ray set is a three-disc set. As with the first three seasons, the A/V quality of the episodes is very good. As of this writing, the individual seasons have only been released on DVD, and the blu-rays are only available as a complete series set. There is no bonus material for the fourth season, just the episodes, which can be played in a "play all" mode that allows you to pick up where you leave off, and can be played with or without English captions. 

The series continues to be funny, but the "will they or won't they" storyline between Sam and Diane does get a bit old this season. The writers provide all the characters with good material to work with, and each of them receives at least a storyline for an episode or two. They continue to expand Frasier's role, and he is much funnier this season than he was in Season Two. Woody Harrelson does a very good job being the new cast member and playing a character with similar qualities to Coach, without being a carbon copy. Ultimately, if you liked the series up to this point, you will probably like the fourth season. While I cannot say that everyone will like the series, especially younger people who may not like some of the humor, if you liked Seasons 1-3, this one is worth watching.

Blu-Ray/TV Series Review: Cheers: Season 3

 

The 25-episode third season of Cheers aired during the 1984/1985 TV season. All of the main cast members returned for season three, although there would be some upheaval in the cast as Nicholas Colasanto became ill and passed away during production. Because of Shelly Long's and Rhea Perlman's real-life pregnancies, episodes were shot out of order (since Long's pregnancy was not written into the show). Because of the shooting schedule, Colasanto's character, Coach, would appear more sporadically as the season went along and make a couple of appearances posthumously. The writers would usually insert a line or two explaining his absence in the episodes in which he did not appear. The main addition to the series this season is the character of Frasier Crane, who is brought on as a recurring character as a love interest for Diane and rival to Sam. Dan Hedaya made a couple of appearances as Carla's ex-husband, Nick, as did Jean Kasem, who played Nick's new wife Loretta. The other recognizable season three guest stars included Carole Kane and Michael Richards.

The blu-ray set is a three-disc set and reproduces the content of the original DVD releases. Again, the individual seasons are not available on blu-ray; you can (at least as of this writing) only get the blu-rays in a complete series set. The A/V quality of the blu-ray release is very good. The extras are all included on the final disc. Those include clips of Norm talking about his wife Vera (who never appear on screen), clips of Carla making fun of Cliff, clips of Fraiser's key moments in the season, a virtual tour of the bar, and a tribute to Nicholas Colasanto (which features interviews with Ted Danson, George Wendt, and Rhea Perlman talking about Colasanto and what he brought to the show and the character of Coach.

The series really found its footing by the third season. The show continued to be a mix of procedural weekly storylines and longer serial arcs. While the show's focus remained on Sam and Diane's relationship, the writers continued to expand the storylines for the supporting characters, particularly Cliff and Norm. Each of the supporting characters received at least one show devoted to him or her. As was the case in the first two seasons, there are definitely jokes that would probably not be used if the show were made today, and there are quite a few adult jokes, so while the series is mostly good-natured and wholesome, it is not entirely family-friendly. Ultimately, if you liked the first couple of seasons, this one is worth watching.

Blu-Ray/TV Series Review: The Big Bang Theory: Season 9

 

The 24-episode ninth season of The Big Bang Theory aired during the 2015/2016 TV season. This season saw another milestone episode for the show, specifically the 200th episode. All the main cast members returned, as well as many of the "regular" recurring cast members such as Laurie Metcalf, John Ross Bowie, Wil Wheaton, Christine Baranski, Sara Gilbert, Bob Newhart, and Stephen Hawking. Keith Carradine also returned to reprise his role as Penny's father, and we get to meet two more family members of the main characters: Leonard's father, played by Judd Hirsch, and Sheldon's grandmother, played by June Squibb. BBT is indeed a rather formulaic show. It found what works, and it definitely sticks to it. That said, even in season 9, the main characters are still developing and evolving, as are the relationships between the various characters. Yes, the requisite science and nerdy pop culture references are there. There is another Star Wars-centric episode, which got to see the return of Bob Newhart decked out in Jedi robes, and Wil Wheaton attending The Force Awakens premiere dressed as a Vulcan, but the show continues to be very humorous and entertaining, even though it may not be as much for some people as it was in the first couple seasons.

The relationships of the characters continue to be the centerpiece of the show. All the couples on the show go through a period of transition in their relationship, and even Raj does a complete 180 from his days of not being able to talk to women unless drunk, with pretty humorous results. Overall, I think if you have found the show enjoyable in the past few seasons and have not felt it getting stale, then you will also enjoy this season. If it has been getting stale for you, then you may not.

The blu-ray set is a two-disc set. The extras include the comic con panel, a few short behind-the-scenes features, including one devoted to the 200th episode, and a gag reel. Definitely good for what is there. Unlike one of the other reviewers, I had no problems with episode 12 not playing or missing in my set, so it is not a problem that affects the entire lot of blu-ray sets out there.

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

 

The 22-episode second season of Cheers aired during the 1983/1984 TV season. All the main cast members returned for the second season, with John Ratzenberger being promoted to a series regular and included in the main credits. The show started gaining popularity in the second season, and as a result, it was able to bring in Dick Cavett for a cameo and recognizable guest stars such as Markie Post, Christopher Lloyd, and Dan Hedaya.

The show continued to primarily use a story-of-the-week procedural format, but also called back to storylines from previous episodes. The prominent serial arc was Sam's (played by Ted Danson) relationship with Diane (played by Shelly Long). The second season picks up immediately after the events that ended season one, with Sam and Diane kissing and agreeing to try to have a relationship. To say their relationship did not go smoothly was an understatement, with the two constantly bickering throughout the season. Even though their relationship was the primary storyline throughout the season, the writers gave all the cast members great material to work with, and all the characters received at least one episode centered on them.  

The blu-ray set is a four-disc set. Again, at least in the US, the blu-rays are only available as a complete series set, with each season packaged individually inside a decorative outer box. The A/V transfer is very good, and the play all mode allows you to pick up where you leave off if you stop before watching all the episodes.  The individual seasons are only available on DVD, which is a four-disc set. The extras are all on the third disc and are transferred over from the DVD release. Those include interviews with some of the cast members, some of which included archival footage from an Entertainment Tonight segment, and some of which were from interviews with Danson, George Wendt, and Rhea Perlman made after the series ended. Then there are three different featurettes showing clips of Cliff's, Norm's, and Carla's best moments of the season and a gag reel. 

The show really starts to hit its stride in the second season. It is a good comedy, but some of the jokes are absolutely dated and would not work today. For example, there are jokes about being gay that would probably not get past today's censors, and a segment where Sam and Diane repeatedly slap each other that would not fly today. That said, the series is mostly good-natured and enjoyable. While there is no overt sexual content, there are jokes that are definitely suggestive, so it is not entirely family-friendly. Ultimately, if you liked the first season, the second season is worth watching. 

Blu-Ray/TV Series Review: The Big Bang Theory: Season 8

 

+++Warning: The review contains spoilers from prior seasons and hints, but no major giveaways, from season 8. If you have not seen the previous season, proceed with caution. +++

The 24-episode 8th season of The Big Bang Theory aired during the 2014/2015 TV season. All of the main cast members return for the 8th season, as do many of the primary recurring cast members such as Carol Ann Susi, Regina King, John Ross Bowie, Wil Wheaton, Laurie Metcalf, Christine Baranski, and Stephen Hawking (in another voice appearance). This season's notable guest stars include Stephen Root, Billy Bob Thornton, LeVar Burton, Nathan Fillion, and Kevin Smith (in a voice appearance). 

The show seems to be one that people either really love or really hate. It has been around long enough that most people know where they fall. It continues to focus on the relationships between the main characters, then tells various ancillary stories of the week while working in some larger ongoing themes. This season the big stories are Leonard and Penny's ongoing engagement and not setting a date for the wedding, Leonard and Sheldon co-authoring a physics paper that gets them some notoriety, and Sheldon and Amy's relationship. There are other stories about Stuart mooching off Howard's mom following the destruction of the comic book store last season, Raj's parents, and Raj's new relationship that develops now that he can actually talk to girls without being drunk. A couple of the stand-out episodes of the season are the Billy Bob Thornton guest appearance, Sheldon and Leonard's mothers meeting each other, and the season finale, which ends on a pretty big Sheldon/Amy cliffhanger. There is also a storyline about 2/3 of the way into the season that leads to some great Howard and Bernadette scenes and shows off the acting chops of Simon Helberg.

The blu-ray set is a two-disc set. The A/V transfer is very good, and the show looks and sounds great. For extras, on disc one, there is a relatively short writer's panel (and Wil Wheaton's appearance) from Comic-Con and a behind-the-scenes feature on Billy Bob Thornton's guest appearance. The second disc has a feature on a group of contest winners who were taken to the set and sat in the studio audience, a short feature on Kaley Cuoco, Jim Parsons, and Chuck Lorre getting stars on the Walk of Fame, a tribute to Carol Ann Susi, and a gag reel. Definitely good for what is there.

If you have loved the show and do not think it has gone stale then you will love this season. If you have hated the show either because of the laugh track or any other reason, this season is not really going to do anything to change your mind. Thankfully the show is popular enough that the studio is still released on blu ray, for those of us who get the discs and prefer that format. The show definitely lays the groundwork for where it is going next season. As other reviewers have said it would be good if the show took some of the focus off the relationship of the main characters and incorporated more of their families into some episodes. That said, however, if you love the show this is definitely worth adding to your collection.

Blu-Ray/Movie Review: Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle

 

Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle is a 2003 action/comedy film that is the direct sequel to the 2000 film Charlie's Angels. McG returned to direct the film, which brought back Drew Barrymore, Cameron Diaz, and Lucy Liu to reprise their roles as the Angels Dylan, Natalie, and Alex. Crispin Glover, Luke Wilson, and Matt LeBlanc also reprised their roles from the first movie. The additions to the cast included Demi Moore, Robert Patrick, John Cleese, Shia LeBeouf, Justin Theroux, Bernie Mac, and Ja'Net Dubois. The film also features several cameo appearances, including Carrie Fisher, Pink, Robert Forester, Bruce Willis, Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, and Jaclyn Smith, reprising her role as Kelly Garrett from the TV series. 

The plot involves a pair of rings that contain and unlock a list of people in the witness protection program. The list is stolen and set to be sold to various criminal organizations. A couple of revenge plots are intertwined within the story, and we get a bit more backstory about Crispin Glover's character. 

This is a single-disc release containing both the theatrical version of the film and an unrated version that adds a few more minutes to the runtime, mostly by adding more violence to a couple of the big fight scenes. The extras include several commentary tracks on the film. There is an audio and a telestrator commentary by McG. The audio tracks are exactly the same, but the telestrator commentary is annotated with things being circled in the background of some of the scenes while McG talks. Then, there is a commentary track by a couple of the writers. The theatrical version can also be played with a trivia track similar to the old show, Pop-Up Video, where information about the movie is displayed in pop-up boxes while it plays. Then there are several different making-of and behind-the-scenes featurettes, a preview for the 2019 reboot, and the music video for Pink's song Feel Good Time. 

Ultimately, the movie is a fun action-comedy. It is similar in style and tone to the first movie. It does have a lot of adult humor that skirts the bounds of what can be included in a PG-13 film. There is also a scene where the Angels are nude in shadow so you cannot really see anything except for a brief flash of sideboob from Drew Barrymore. Of course, the big draw when the movie came out was that this was Demi Moore's return to movies after a hiatus of about six years. She was phenomenal in the role and looked fantastic. It seems all the actors had fun in their respective roles and did not take themselves too seriously. The big change from the first film is that Bill Murray did not return. The writer's commentary track touched on Murray's absence, stating that they knew they would have to go in a different direction with the Bosley character when it was clear that Murray would not be back. There was no mention in any of the bonus content of the conflict between him and Lucy Liu in the first movie. They came up with a good way to have Bernie Mac be the new Bosley and did include a picture of Murray in one of the scenes. If you liked the first movie, you will probably like this one. Like the first film, this one takes a lot of suspension of disbelief and has some plot holes, but if you do not overthink it and just enjoy it for what it is, it is worth watching.