4k-UHD/Movie Review: John Wick Chapter 3: Parabellum

 

John Wick Chapter 3: Parabellum is the 2019 entry (and the third chapter) in the John Wick series of action/thrillers. It was directed by Chad Stahelski and again stars Keanu Reeves as the titular John Wick. It picks up immediately where the last movie leaves off. John has an hour until he is excommunicated from the Assassin's Guild, and every assassin/bounty hunter is looking to collect the seven-million-dollar bounty on his head. I will not give too much away, but the story again involves John fighting for his life, brings in Halle Berry, Mark Dacascos, Asia Kate Dillion, and Anjelica Huston as new characters, expands the roles of Lance Reddick and Ian McShane, and slowly expands Laurence Fishburne's role. And, of course, manages to make another nod to The Matrix.

4k  set is a two-disc set containing a UHD disc and a regular Blu-Ray disc. But, with this release, the UHD disc has both the movie and all the extras. Those include about an hour's worth of making-of and behind-the-scenes featurettes, which are akin to what was put out for Chapters 1 and 2, with some focusing a bit less on Keanu because of the ever-expanding cast, including Hallie Berry, who really lobbied to be in the movie. Then there are also featurettes on the video game that was put out, and two trailers for the movie. Again, a great amount of material, especially these days when movies and shows are being released on physical media is going the way of the dodo bird, and when they are put out on disc, are bare-bones with little to no extras.

Chances are, if you liked the prior two movies, especially if your main reason for doing so is the action scenes, then you will like this. They are expanding the story in this movie and making it far less simple and straightforward, which was one of the things I liked about the prior movies, especially the first one. That said, it is still a fun but very violent action movie. And, John is finally not indestructible in this movie. Even so, what he manages to survive would kill all ordinary people and most "superhumans, " so you need to continue suspending your disbelief big time.

Blu-Ray/TV Series Review: Shameless Season 4

 

+++Warning, This will contain spoilers from season three, but no major season four giveaways.+++

The 12-episode fourth season of Shameless aired during the winter and spring of 2014. Season four picks up some time after the events of season three, with Jimmy still missing, Frank in end-stage liver failure, Ian off with the military (although the characters on the show just know he is missing), Lip in college, and Fiona having a steady job and relationship with her boss (played by now series regular Jake McDormand, probably best known for the underrated series Limitless). I will not go into too much detail, but needless to say, the lives of nearly all the characters end up in chaos by the end of the season. The big storylines are Frank's need for a liver (and, of course, he immediately tries to figure out how to get someone to give him a liver, which results in another addition to the cast), and what can only be described as a major downfall for Fiona who does everything she can to sabotage a good thing. A couple of big reveals at the end of the season set up storylines going into season 5.

The Blu-Ray set is a two-disc set. It is much like the Blu-Ray releases for the other seasons, just with fewer extras. The episodes are spread over two discs. There are deleted scenes for select episodes on each disc and two fairly short behind-the-scenes featurettes (about 10 minutes each, give or take). There are definitely fewer extras than the prior season releases.

Overall, the show remains very good, with a lot of dark drama and comedy. The entire cast does a great job, with the standouts being William H. Macy, Emmy Rossum, Jeremy Allen White, and Ethan Cutkosky. Carl is hilarious this season in both his problems at school and his efforts to help Frank. Steve Howey and Shanola Hampton are also great in their desire to have a family. Joan Cusak's role was a bit more limited this year, and Cameron Monaghan was missing for part of the season as he was splitting time between Shameless and Gotham. The character of Debbie underwent a pretty significant transformation this year as she hit puberty and was going through the usual teenage awkwardness and angst along with the Gallagher dysfunction. There was still a lot of swearing, and sex, as well as drug use depicted on the show, which is definitely not going to appeal to everyone. With those provisos aside, I think if you liked the first few seasons, you will also probably like this one.

DVD/TV Series Review: The Good Wife: Season 1

 

The Good Wife is a series that ran from 2009-2016. The 23-episode first season aired during the 2009/2010 TV season. It saw the return to network TV as a series regular for Julianna Margulies, nine years after she left ER, playing a Chicago lawyer named Alicia Florrick. The premise is that her husband, Peter, the IL state's attorney (played by Chris Noth), resigns from office amid a combined sex and corruption scandal (back when that kind of thing mattered). After that opening scene, the show immediately does a time jump to almost a year later when Peter is in prison. Alicia decides to dust off her law degree and work as a junior associate at a large Chicago law firm, at which her best friend from law school, Will (played by Josh Charles), is one of the senior partners along with Christine Baranski's character, Diane. The main cast is rounded out by her fellow junior associate, Cary (played by Matt Czuchry), and the firm's investigator, Kalinda (played by Archie Panjabi).

With that as a background, the show essentially becomes a weekly procedural with a case-of-the-week format with larger themes (like Alicia trying to adjust to life as a kind of single working mother, her husband appealing his conviction, which junior associate will get the permanent position, and a will they, won't they sexual tension between Alicia and Will). It does an excellent job of being as realistic as the courtroom scenes of any show I have seen. Given how boring actual trials tend to be, no show can be 100% accurate, so there is always some "ask a question and give a closing argument in response to the witness' answer" that you get in any show or movie that portrays trials. Sometimes, the show has cases that clearly play off of real-life events, but most are made up. Sometimes, things play out pretty straightforward, and other times, there are twists. There is also some good old-fashioned Chicago political corruption thrown in. I think the show did a good job of not being too cookie-cutter with the storylines and kept things interesting throughout the season.

The DVD set is a six-disc set with many extras. There are commentary tracks with the showrunners and cast on select episodes, deleted scenes on many episodes (which also allows an option to play the deleted scenes with commentary by at least one of the writers), a 17-minute featurette on real-life events that the show fictionalized, and an hour and 15-minute making of feature (which is split up into several parts you can watch individually, or using play-all). So, if you like to get shows on physical media when there are a lot of bonus features, this is worth picking up.

Overall, the show is well-written and acted. It does not tie up everything and ends on kind of a cliffhanger going into season two. If you are a fan of procedural dramas, this one holds up well. As someone who discovered the show late, I think it would be enjoyable even if it premiered this year as opposed to a decade ago. Chances are, most people who are reading this by now will already be fans of the show, but if you are one who is just checking it out for the first time, it is worth the time to watch.

Blu-Ray/TV Series Review: Shameless Season 3

 

The 12-episode third season of Shameless aired in the winter and spring of 2013. It sees the first relatively significant shakeup in the cast, with Laura Slade Wiggins going from a series regular to a recurring character after being kicked out by Shelia at the end of season two. She returns in the second half of the season, and her storyline is pretty much wrapped up (at least for the foreseeable future) by the end of the season. Fiona and Jimmy continue their complicated relationship, with Jimmy pondering a return to medical school, which would require him to return to school in Michigan. Further complicating their relationship is Jimmy's "marriage" to Estefania. Toward the end of the season, karma comes back to bite Frank for his general horribleness (which takes a couple of very dark turns this season), and the season ends on somewhat of a cliffhanger concerning him.

The Blu-ray set is a two-disc set, with the episodes and the extras spread over the two discs. The extras include deleted scenes and several behind-the-scenes featurettes ranging from about 8 minutes to about 15 minutes. All in all, there are about an hour's worth of extras. Overall, the show continues to be well-written and acted. The writers do a good job of balancing the large ensemble cast and continuing to develop the characters. The acting is again top-notch, and even though there are very few truly good characters, none of them are all bad either, and both the writers and actors do a great job giving the audience something to care about, even in the worst characters. While the show is definitely not for everyone, if you liked or loved the first two seasons, you will very likely feel the same about season three.

DVD/TV Series Review: 2 Broke Girls: The Complete Series

 

2 Broke Girls was a six-season CBS series that ran from 2011 to 2017. It starred Beth Behrs as Caroline, a heiress who lost all her money when her father was arrested for running a Bernie Madoff-like Ponzi scheme. She ends up working at a diner in Brooklyn and befriending another waitress named Max, played by Kat Dennings. The show basically details their attempts to open their own cupcake shop and get out of working in the diner. The rest of the main cast includes Jonathan Kite, who plays a cook at the diner named Oleg; Matthew Moy as Han, the owner of the diner; Garrett Morris, who plays Earl, the cashier at the diner; and Jennifer Coolidge, as Sophie, Max and Caroline's upstairs neighbor. The supporting and guest cast members included Nick Zano, Eric Andre, Ryan Hansen, Jesse Metcalfe, Lindsay Lohan, Martha Stewart, George Hamilton, John Michael Higgins, and Caroline Rhea.

I will not go into too much detail so I do not spoil the show for those who have not seen it, but it is a fairly standard sitcom that mostly has story-of-the-week episodes, with some longer story arcs that play out throughout the show's run. The humor is very raunchy. I am still amazed that they got away with some of the jokes they did. They also show off Behrs in skimpy outfits and Denning's cleavage in pretty much every episode. So, if sex and drug jokes offend you, definitely stay away from this show. 

The complete series set is just the individual season sets packaged into one box. Similar to what was released for shows like The Office, Parks and Recreation, and the like. Hence, all the DVD extras are identical to those in the individual season releases. There are no extras that are exclusive to this set. Overall, the show was funny (if you like the kind of humor), well-written, and well-acted. The only thing I did not like about the series was the finale. I think it mostly felt like just another episode (with one exception) and did not give all the characters a great sendoff as series finales should. Overall, however, it is a very enjoyable show and worth checking out if you are a fine of sitcoms.

Blu-Ray/TV Series Review: Shameless Season 2

 

The 12-episode second season of Shameless aired in the winter and spring of 2012. It picks up months after the events ending season 1. The first part of the season focuses on Karen acting out as everyone discovers what happened with Frank and Lip trying to keep some kind of relationship with her. Fiona is working a series of summer jobs, primarily earning money as a server in a club, and is rebounding from Steve as he has gone off to South America. Frank continues to be the neighborhood menace, finding a new mark to scam as Shelia starts to venture out of the house more and more, as he is afraid that she will find out how he really is. I will not say more about the storylines because there are some twists and turns along the way this season, but as was the case in season one, it does the story of the week theme very well, along with having callbacks to prior storylines as well as wrapping up others.

The series continues to be well-written and acted. William H. Macy and Emmy Rossum still hold their own as the series leads and continue doing a great job as the characters of Frank and Fiona. This season, Jeremy Allen Wright as Lip and Laura Slade Wiggins as Karen steal many of the episodes. Even as a show with very few "good" characters, but mostly characters with varying degrees of horribleness, the writers and actors make you feel for, and even root for, the characters.

The Blu-ray set is a two-disc set with about 50 minutes of bonus material. The extras include several behind-the-scenes/making-of featurettes and deleted scenes for many, but not all, episodes. As was the case in season one, there is a lot of drinking, drug use, sex, and swearing that goes on. So, if that turns you off to a show, then this one is not for you. It does have a lot of dark humor, but it does not glorify or make fun of dysfunctional people and families. If you liked or loved season one, you will probably feel the same way about this season. On the other hand, if you hated the first season, this season will probably not make you a fan.

Blu-Ray/TV Series Review: Sherlock: Seasons 1-4 & Abominable Bride Gift Set

 

This set is just the packaging of all four seasons, plus the special episode that bridged seasons 3 and 4, The Abominable Bride. You get all the same blu-ray packaging and content that you would have gotten if you purchased the seasons individually. There are no special extras for getting this set.

Sherlock was a series that aired on BBC from 2010 to 2017. It starred Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman as Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson, respectively. It ran for a total of four seasons that consisted of essentially three hour-and-a-half-long movies per season and had one stand-alone episode that bridged seasons three and four. Each episode told modified stories from the books. Except for the stand-alone episode "The Abominable Bride," set the stores in modern-day England. The Abominable Bride was the only episode with the story (mostly) set in the late 1800s. The show sported a great cast, with Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman at the head as Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson, respectively. The two had great chemistry, bringing to life the relationship between Holmes and Watson set out in the stories written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and adapted by the series' writers. The series gets progressively darker over time, which not everyone that is a fan of the show likes. The writers do an interesting job with the character of Moriarty, who is, of course, Sherlock's main adversary. He is used relatively sparingly throughout the series, really only being the focus of one episode, but in the background of almost all of them. Andrew Scott does a great job with the character and definitely makes him a worthy adversary for Sherlock.

The Blu-ray extras are more extensive in seasons one and two than in seasons three and four. They generally include commentary tracks, as well as behind-the-scenes and making-of featurettes. There are no deleted or extended scenes. For season one, the show's original pilot is included, which was remade when the network decided it wanted longer episodes. Overall, the series is very good to great. It, of course, made Cumberbatch and Freeman breakout stars. Still, the entire cast, whether they were series regulars like Rupert Graves, Una Stubbs, or Louise Brealey, or recurring or one-off characters like Mark Gattis (who was also the co-creator of the show), Andrew Scott, or Lara Pulver, was always wonderful.

As others have noted, the first set I received was really beaten up, with all the cases broken or cracked. I did a return and replacement and the second set was fine. So, definitely check out your set immediately because it seems like a bad batch of them out there.

Blu-Ray/TV Series Review: Shameless Season 1

 

Shameless is a dramedy that aired on Showtime for eleven seasons from 2011 to 2021. The 12-episode first season aired during the winter and spring of 2011. The main cast members in the first season were William H. Macy, Emmy Rossum, Jeremy Allen White, Cameron Monaghan, Steve Howey, Emma Kennedy, Ethan Cutkosky, Shanola Hampton, Laura Slade Wiggins, and Joan Cusack. It also had a large recurring cast, some of whom would eventually become series regulars. Some of those included Noel Fisher, Marguerite Moreau, and Amy Smart. The guest stars in season 1 included Anthony Anderson and Alex Borstein. 

I am someone who was late to the game when it came to this show. I have, of course, heard of it for years but did not get around to running it until very late in its run. For those who have not seen it, it is an American version of a British show, and much like was the case with The Office, in the first few episodes, it mirrored the British version almost as a carbon copy, then started to find its own legs. It was created for US TV by the co-creator of ER, John Wells, and the creators of the original British show.

The series is centered around the Gallaghers, a poor, trashy, and borderline all-out criminal family. It is "headed" by Frank Gallagher, played by ER alum William H. Macy, in a role 180 degrees from his role on ER. Frank is a blackout drunk with 6 kids who manage to still be (somewhat) functional, running scam after scam to keep the drinking money flowing in. The family is led by the eldest of the children, Fiona, played wonderfully by Emmy Rossum, who had to drop out of high school during her junior year to take care of the family when their mother took off, and Frank became totally unable to care for any of them. She is torn between wanting to be a carefree young adult in her early 20s and being a parent to kids ranging from 2 to 17.

I will not go into too much of the storylines for the few who, like me, are coming into the series cold. I will say that it is a very raw show, with all of its themes, drinking, drug use, sex, etc. It will hit home with anyone who has a dysfunctional family or even someone who is a generation removed from a dysfunctional family and still has some tangential contact with the older family members. While the Gallaghers are portrayed as a very over-the-top case of a poor, almost "trailer trash" dysfunctional family (although there are families that certainly act the way the family members do, to greater or lesser degrees), it also shows that dysfunction can occur not only in poor families but rich ones as well.

The Blu-Ray set is a two-disc set. The show looks and sounds great, especially the high-definition exterior shots of Chicago. The extras include commentary tracks on a couple of episodes, deleted scenes, and about 45 minutes of behind-the-scenes and making-of material.

Overall, the series is well-written and very well-acted. The show is perfectly cast, with everyone knocking their roles out of the park, including the supporting cast. Joan Cusak steals nearly every scene she is in, as a clueless housewife with agoraphobia. It does not sugarcoat any of its themes, and has a lot of drinking, drug use, sex, nudity, etc., by both the adults and teens on the show (who are really in their 20s). The humor is very dark, and he manages to find humor in a lot of situations that would not normally be funny. It is definitely not a show that is for everyone, so if any of the above would turn you off to a show, then you definitely should skip this one. But, if you can accept those things and are looking for a good dramedy, then this is definitely worth checking out.

DVD/TV Series Review: 2 Broke Girls Season 6

 

The 22-episode sixth season of 2 Broke Girls aired during the 2016/2017 TV season. It would be the show's final season. Overall, it was on par with the prior seasons, at least seasons 4-5, which I do not think were as good as seasons 1-3. My main issue with the season is the series finale. It did not feel like a finale episode, giving all the characters a good sendoff. One of the characters gets an ending befitting of a series finale, but for the most part, it feels like another episode of the show. I will not say too much about the season so as not to spoil it for the few who may not have seen it by now. The big serial storylines were Max and Caroline opening the Dessert Bar, relationship drama (again) for both Max and Caroline (including a new love for Caroline in the form of Christopher Gorham, who is probably best known from the show Covert Affairs), and Sophie and Oleg's baby.

The DVD set is a two-disc set. The extras are bare bones, consisting of deleted scenes on each of the two discs and a gag reel on disc 2. There are no making-of or behind-the-scenes features, no retrospective on the series, or the like. Definitely not much, especially given that it was the final season. Overall, if you like the prior seasons, you will probably like this one. Even though I was not thrilled by the final episode, the season overall was still funny and enjoyable.

DVD/Movie Review: Bedazzled (2000)

 

Bedazzled is a 2000 comedy starring Brendan Fraser, Elizabeth Hurley, and Frances O'Connor. It is directed by Harold Ramis (probably best known for his role in Ghostbusters). The supporting cast includes Orlando Jones, Paul Adelstein, Toby Huss, Miriam Shor, and Gabriel Casseus. It is a remake of the 1967 film of the same name that starred Dudley Moore. When the movie was made, Hurley had come off making the original Austin Powers movie, and Fraser was arguably at the height of his fame, having made the first Mummy movie and the comedy Blast From the Past. In the film, Fraser plays a dweeby goober named Elliot Richards, who works for a computer company in San Francisco in a dead-end tech support job. He is the classic "tries too hard" kind of person nobody wants to be around and actively tries to avoid (when not mocking him). Elliot has a crush on a coworker named Alison (played by Frances O'Connor), and after a pathetic attempt to ask her out, he makes the statement that he would do anything to have her in his life. The Devil (played by Hurley) overhears him and tempts Eliot into selling his soul for seven wishes. Of course, the wishes are sabotaged, so Eliot gets what he asks for but never what he wants. 

The DVD extras include two commentary tracks on the movie, one by Harold Ramis and one by Hurley and the co-producer, Trevor Albert. It also includes the HBO First Look, a making-of featurette hosted by Hurley, the trailer, promotional spots, and a stills gallery. Ramis mainly describes the casting process and the various actors in his commentary. He does discuss details of some of the specific scenes as well. In the second commentary, Albert does most of the talking and, like Ramis, discusses the casting process, the locations, the performances of the actors, and the like. Hurley mostly only chimes in during her scenes and does not say much for long stretches. 

The movie is a good comedy, primarily good-natured and relatively wholesome. It is not entirely family-friendly, though. Hurley is in many skimpy outfits throughout the film. There is some sexual innuendo and a bit of swearing. So, it is not appropriate for very young kids, but it is okay for teenagers. Fraser shows off his comedic acting chops by playing many different characters, ranging from a Columbian drug lord to an overly emotional crybaby, in addition to Eliot's "normal" persona. Hurley seems to have a lot of fun playing the seductress and, of course, looks smoking hot throughout the movie. She and Fraser have great chemistry and comedic timing. Despite being a movie about selling one's soul to the Devil, it does not really get religious or preachy. The film's plot and message really boil down to the difference between being selfish and selfless. It is somewhat dated 24 years later (as of this writing), and some things in the movie probably would not be done the same way today. The special effects are okay but nowhere near the quality of today's CGI effects. So, if you watch it on a big screen, especially on a Blu-Ray player or a 4K Blu-Ray player, you can easily tell when something was shot against a green screen. Even though it is somewhat dated, the film generally holds up over time and is worth watching if you are in the mood for a good comedy.

Blu-Ray/TV Series Review: Sherlock Season 4

 

The fourth and (likely) final season of Sherlock aired in January 2017. The season includes a lot of twists, characters being killed off, new characters being introduced, and a fracture of the team. I will not say too much to avoid spoiling it for anyone who has not seen it, but the show definitely took a darker turn this season, even more so than some of the dark elements of the prior seasons. The show does definitively confirm Moriarty is dead, even though they have had Sherlock say he was in the prior season, it was always seen as fairly open-ended, especially with the ending of season three. That is especially since they kept finding ways to fit him into the storylines. But, we learned that he had essentially teamed up with someone even worse who has ties to Sherlock and wreaks havoc in the final episode.

The Blu-Ray set is a two-disc set. The show looks and sounds great in the HD format. For extras, there are three twenty-minute or so behind the scenes features on the three episodes, one for each episode. Then there is about another 30 minutes worth of behind the scenes material that span the course of the season. One interesting tidbit is that the showrunners do not totally foreclose the possibility of further seasons. Still, given that it is getting harder to schedule Freeman and Cumberbatch, they ended the season in a way that it can be a series finale without any cliffhanger.

Overall, I enjoyed the season. It definitely took a turn in tone from the first couple of seasons and went even darker than the ending of season three. I cannot say that anyone who had been a fan of the show up to the fourth season will like or love it, a perusal of the reviews show that is not the case. That said, I think the acting and writing were top-notch, and I personally liked the darker tone, especially the final episode.

DVD/TV Series Review: 3 Broke Girls Season 5

 

The 22-episode fifth season of 2 Broke Girls aired during the 2015/2016 TV season. It was much the same as the prior seasons in that it mainly used a story-of-the-week format that would put the girls into some situation that they had to get out of or resolve by the end of the show, mixed with a couple of larger story arcs that would play out throughout the season. An example of the latter is Sophie and Oleg's attempt to have a baby.

The show was definitely one of those sitcoms that found what worked for it and did not deviate much, if at all, from that format. The jokes this season were just as dirty (if not more so at times) than they were in prior seasons. I do not get offended by sex/drug comedy, but I have been amazed at what they were able to get past the censors for a show that aired in primetime on network television. If you do not like that kind of humor, though, this show is definitely not for you.

The DVD set is a three-disc set. The extras are similar to what was included in the previous couple of seasons' DVD releases. The extras include deleted scenes (about 10 minutes worth) and a short (five-minute) gag reel. All the extras are included on the final disc. Overall, I would say that if you are a fan of the prior seasons, then you will probably like this one. If, however, you did not like the earlier seasons, then nothing about this one will likely convert you.

Blu-Ray/TV Movie Review: Sherlock: The Abominable Bride

 

The Abominable Bride is a single episode of Sherlock that aired in January 2016. It is, in part, a "what if" episode set primarily in the late 1890s. It shows what the series would have looked like if it had been set in the late 1800s instead of the modern day. It also serves as a bridge between the third season and fourth seasons of the show. So, it sort of jumped back and forth between time periods as each part of the story played out. I will not go into too much detail to avoid giving things away, but the writers managed to tell a good, "one-off" story, advance the modern-day story, and use Moriarty despite his death.

The Blu-Ray's A/V quality is excellent, as the show looks and sounds great in the HD format. The extras include some making-of and behind-the-scenes material, but there is no commentary track on the episode. Good for what was included, but not a ton of bonus material. Overall, if you are a fan of the show this is a must-see special event. Whether you consider it the end of season three, the beginning of season four, or just a special event, it is enjoyable, pays homage to the books while still putting its own spin on the story.

DVD/TV Series Review: 2 Broke Girls Season 4

 

The 22-episode fourth season of 2 Broke Girls aired during the 2014/2015 TV season. It does a good job balancing the overall storyline of Max and Caroline trying to "make it" with their cupcake business with the procedural stories of the week to keep the series from getting too stale. The main, non-cupcake business" theme of the season is Oleg and Sophie's relationship. That, and yet another "side business" for the girls, this time working at an upscale dessert shop in Manhattan (which sees the return of Big John from the pastry school) and includes Sandra Bernhardt as a multi-episode guest star. There is also a hilarious "relationship" for Max toward the end of the season and an episode in which several Victoria's Secret supermodels rent out Max and Caroline's apartment through Airbnb.

The series' humor is very much like the first three seasons, very adult (it is still amazing that they got away with some of the jokes they did) with a mix of physical comedy from almost every cast member at one point or another. Unlike past seasons, there are no Han or Earl-centric episodes, but they each have good moments throughout the season.

The DVD set is a three-disc set. For those who get the DVD set, the only extras are seven minutes of deleted scenes, and a five-minute gag reel, both included on the final disc. There are no behind-the-scenes material, cast interviews, or commentary tracks. Overall, if you are a fan of adult humor (there are tons of sex and drug references) or at least not bothered by that type of humor, and have liked the prior seasons, chances are you will like this one. Even though it is a raunchier comedy than many sitcoms on network TV, the characters are still likable and care about each other. The actors seemingly have great chemistry and enjoy being around each other (or fake it well). If you liked the prior seasons, you will probably like this one. On the other hand, if you are not a fan of the prior seasons, nothing about this one will likely convert you.

Book Review: Capture or Kill (Mitch Rapp Series #13 Chronological Order; #23 Publication Order)

 

Capture or Kill, published in 2024, is the newest entry in the Mitch Rapp series of novels created by the late author Vince Flynn. It was written by Don Bentley, who took over the series from Kyle Mills, who, of course, took it over after Vince Flynn's death. The book is set back in 2011, between the events of the last two novels that Vince Flynn finished, Pursuit of Honor and The Last Man. Therefore, the book is now the 13th book in the series if you read the books in chronological order. The plot initially involves Rapp going after more of the terrorists who had captured and tortured Irene Kennedy. That mission is interrupted when he discovers that a bunch of shoulder-fired missiles have been stolen and are to be used against American targets. As Flynn and Mills often did in their novels, Bentley also weaves the fictional storyline with real-world events. Here, while in the process of trying to track down the missiles, Rapp learns of and assists in the lead-up to the mission that would kill Osama Bin Laden.

The hardcover version of the book is just under 470 pages. Ultimately, the book is an excellent action thriller. Bentley, a long-time fan of the Mitch Rapp series, was able to emulate the style and tone of the prior novels yet make it his own. And because the events are set in the past, Bentley could incorporate characters (some directly and some by name) who had not been in the more recent novels. If you enjoy the series, this is an excellent addition. Bentley does an outstanding job with the characters and honors and preserves the work done by Flynn and (to a lesser extent) Mills. It is a great first outing for Bentley. It will be interesting to see if he does more stories set between prior novels or returns the storyline to the present. It is definitely worth the time to read.

Blu-Ray/TV Series Review: Sherlock Season 3

 

++++WARNING, this review contains spoilers about the end of Season 2, but no major Season 3 spoilers.++++

The third season of Sherlock aired in January 2014. It picks up after a time jump of approximately two years. Most everyone in England (including Watson) believes Sherlock to be dead after jumping off the building. Of course, the audience knows he survived from the season two closing shot of the third episode. We do not, however, know exactly how he survived. That question is answered in a fairly humorous form in the first episode, with the writers working in different guesses that the fans came up with in the intervening couple of years between seasons 2 and 3. We find that Watson has moved on (mostly) with his life, having entered a relationship with Mary. Lestrade is still on the force but is not as effective when not benefiting from Sherlock's help. Mycroft is keeping tabs on Sherlock until he needs his help. I will not say too much about the season to keep from spoiling it. Still, as you can imagine, John finds out Sherlock is alive, which does not go over too well, and the show still manages to make use of Moriarty, even after he shot himself on the roof at the end of season two.

The Blu-Ray set is a two-disc set. The show still looks and sounds great in the HD format, but this season's Blu-Ray release is much lighter on extras than what was provided in physical media releases for the first two seasons. There are no commentary tracks in this season's release. There is just one making-of featurette on the second disc. If you only get the physical discs if there are a ton of extras, this does not fit into that category. Overall, I would say that if you liked or loved the prior seasons, you will probably like this one. On the other hand, if you were not a big fan of the prior seasons (or lukewarm to them), there is probably not anything about this season that is likely to change your mind. The acting is still top-notch, and the writing, while a bit more uneven this season, is still good on the whole.

DVD/Movie Review: 2 Broke Girls Season 3

 

The 24-episode third season of 2 Broke Girls aired during the 2013/2014 TV season. It continues to mix a story-of-the-week format with longer story arcs. This season, Max and Caroline open their new cupcake shop in the back of the diner (where they work before and after their diner shifts), and Max enrolls in pastry school. It also introduces new love interests for both Max and Caroline in the form of Eric Andre, who plays Deke, a student at the pastry school with Max, and Gilles Marini, who plays the Chef and instructor at the pastry school. This season also included guest stars such as Mary Lynn Rajskub, Lindsay Lohan, and Federico Dordei, who plays the hilarious day waiter at the diner who lusts after Oleg.

The season is a little lighter on character development this season, although we do get to meet Han's mother in a hilarious episode. The season focuses mainly on the relationship between Max and Caroline and their various trials and obstacles as they try to make the cupcake business successful. The other characters are mostly there for comic relief.

The DVD set is a three-disc set. The extras are all included on the final disc and are comprised of 18 minutes of deleted/extended/alternate scenes and a seven-minute gag reel. There are no making-of features, cast interviews, or the like as there were in the first two seasons. Overall, the show follows pretty much the same format as the first two seasons and definitely pushes boundaries with the sexual humor. It is not a show that will appeal to everyone, but if you are a fan of the first two seasons, you will likely enjoy this one as well.

Blu-Ray/TV Series Review: Sherlock Season 2

 

The second season of Sherlock aired in January 2012. It follows the first season's format, with the episodes being three movie-length shows instead of six 45-minute episodes. The first episode picks up where the first season cliffhanger left off, showing the resolution of the standoff with Moriarty (who is used sparingly from that point until the third episode) which leads into that episode's story. The three episodes again have fairly independent stories with the third being the big Moriarty tie back episode. The season again ends on a cliffhanger, but it is a bit different than the kind of cliffhanger that ended the first season.

For those who get the blu-ray set, the episodes are spread across two discs, with the first two episodes on disc one and the third on the second disc. For extras, there are commentary tracks on episodes one and two and a behind-the-scenes featurette that runs approximately 20 minutes on disc two. It's not a ton of material, but what was included is good.

Overall, if you liked or loved the first season, you will likely feel the same about this one. The acting and writing continue to be top-notch, with the episodes paying homage to the books, but putting a modern spin on the stories. Cumberbatch and Freeman continue to have great chemistry and play their roles to perfection. And, the various supporting actors (both regular and the ones brought in for a particular episode) are great as well. I definitely recommend the show.

DVD/TV Series Review: 2 Broke Girls Season 2

 

The 24-episode second season of 2 Broke Girls aired during the 2012/2-13 TV season. The show continues to develop not only the main characters of Max and Caroline (played by Kat Dennings and Beth Behrs) but also gives expanded storylines and character development for the supporting characters Earl, Oleg, Han, and Sophie (Garrett Morris, Jonathan Kite, Matthew Moy, and Jennifer Coolidge). It continues to be a story-of-the-week sitcom, with the girls navigating some kind of obstacle, a funny situation, a fortuitous event, or the like blended with the larger story of working toward their dream cupcake business, which encounters a lot of twists and turns.

The comedy in the show is much like it was in season one, with many sex jokes and a lot of sarcastic humor. They also amped up the physical comedy this season, mostly involving the character of Caroline, after discovering that Beth Behrs is not only a great physical comedian but is not afraid of looking silly to get a great laugh. The show also introduces a love interest for Caroline, in the form of a candy store owner named Andy (played by Ryan Hansen). There are a ton of great moments in the season including finally meeting Caroline's father (Steven Webber) whom Max totally has a crush on, Earl's estranged son, a horrible stand-up comic (played by Cedric The Entertainer), Oleg's apartment, and two Amish boys on Rumspringa.

The DVD set is a three-disc set. The extras include a panel discussion with the cast and showrunner from one of the film fests, deleted scenes, a featurette on the character of Sophie, a gag reel, and a making-of feature on the second season. All in all, probably around an hour's worth of extras, give-or-take.

Overall, if you liked season one, you will probably like or love season two. On the other hand, if you did not like the first season, there is probably nothing about this season that will appeal to you. If you are looking for a good sitcom, assuming you enjoy the kind of humor in it, it is definitely worth watching.

Blu-Ray/TV Series Review: Sherlock Season 1

 

Sherlock is a series that aired on BBC for four seasons from 2010 to 2017.  It starred Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman as Sherlock Holmes and John Watson. Mark Gatiss (also one of the series creators) played Mycroft Holmes, Rupert Graves played Inspector Lestrade, Una Stubbs played Mrs Hudson, and Andrew Scott played Moriarty. The twist on this version is that it is set in the modern-day as opposed to the 1800s. So, Watson is a veteran of the Afghan war, and they are using cell phones, computers, etc. Sherlock is an eccentric and borderline-crazy detective who is a master of deduction and observation. The deductions are shown through words flashed on the screen as Sherlock looks at things. If you have read all the Holmes stories, you will recognize the main plot points for each episode, but the stories are heavily adapted to add elements that work in the updated setting and remove elements that do not.

The season is set up as three TV movie-length episodes (1.5 hrs each). They are mostly independent stories selected from the writings of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, mixed with a larger thread throughout the episodes regarding Moriarty, who is revealed in a wonderful scene. 

The Blu-Ray set is a two-disc set. The A/V quality was mixed. The visuals were great, but the audio was just okay. The audio is quiet when the episodes are playing, which requires turning the volume on the TV way up and then way back down when the menu screen is on. One thing that would make the set better is a proper play-all mode that lets you pick up where you leave off if you stop the player. Those issues aside, the show is worth getting on blu-ray if you like getting physical discs. The extras include commentary tracks on the first and third episodes, a half-hour-long making-of feature, and the original, shorter pilot episode made before the studio wanted the extra half-hour. Overall, the season was well-written and acted. 

DVD/TV Series Review: 2 Broke Girls Season 1

 

2 Broke Girls is a very funny sitcom starring Kat Dennings and Beth Behrs that aired for six seasons from 2012 to 2017. The 24-episode first season aired during the 2012/2013 TV season. The premise of the series is that a former New York City socialite named Caroline Channing (played by Beth Behrs) ends up without any money after her father is busted running a Bernie Madoff-like Ponzi scheme, and the family's money is frozen by the government. She ends up working as a waitress at a diner in Brooklyn, where a waitress named Max Black (played by Kat Dennings) also sells her homemade cupcakes on the side.. Max takes pity on Caroline and lets Caroline move into her apartment, and Caroline hatches a plan to make enough money to start a cupcake business. 

While the show is very funny, it is definitely an adult comedy that can get quite raunchy. They really pushed the envelope with sexual innuendo and jokes about drug use, and it is, quite frankly, amazing what they were able to get away with on network TV. Honestly, had the show started a few years later as the "me too" movement got started, some of the jokes, especially those involving Oleg, the cook in the diner (played hilariously by Jonathan Kite), probably never would have been cleared. The other series regulars in season one included original SNL cast member Garrett Morris as Earl, the cashier at the diner, Matthew Moy as Han, the vertically challenged owner of the diner, and later in the season, Jennifer Coolidge (best known for playing Stifler's mom in American Pie, and her role in Legally Blonde) as Sophie, the upstairs neighbor of Max and Caroline.

The first season's main theme is the various ways that Max and Caroline attempt to earn money for the cupcake business. At the end of each episode, there is a running balance that goes up or down as they earn or spend the cupcake money throughout the episode. The acting in the show is excellent. Both Dennings and Behrs, as co-leads, play their roles as sarcastic, jaded, trust very few and see where life takes you kind of person, and stuck-up but recently humbled ex-socialite very well. The show is no-holds-barred on the jokes and will make fun of anything.

The DVD set is a three-disc set. The extras include a short making-of/behind-the-scenes featurette and an alternate jokes reel. What was included is good but not extensive. Overall, it is a comedy that will not appeal to everyone, so know that going in, if you get offended by raunchier jokes, you definitely will want to skip this. Also, it is recorded in front of an audience and buffered by a laugh track for the on-location scenes. If you hate those kinds of sitcoms, then you will definitely want to skip this, too. But, if those things do not bother you, it is definitely worth checking out.

Blu-Ray/TV Series Review: Smallville Season 9

 

The 21-episode ninth season of Smallville aired during the 2009/2010 TV season. It ended up being the second-to-last season of the series. It picks up a few weeks down the line after the events of the Season 8 finale, with both Clark and Oliver beating themselves up over Jimmy's death at the hands of Davis even after Doomsday had been separated from him. Chloe has thrown herself into the Watchtower persona, Lois is torn between her relationship with Clark and her infatuation with "The Blur," of course not knowing they are the same person, and Tess is playing a game of tug of war with Zod and the Kandorians who were released from the orb. But, there is a twist: the Zod from the orb is a younger version of the character, played by Callum Blue. I will not spoil how that came to be, but throughout the season, we find out what turned him into the traitor he would become. In the season premiere, it sets up that Lois had been missing for three weeks after she put on the Legion ring during her fight with Tess. And where exactly she was became a central plot point throughout the season.

This season saw its share of notable guest stars, including Julian Sands, Brian Austin Green, Pam Grier, Annette O'Toole (reprising her role as Martha), and Michael McKean, reprising his role as Perry White. The season ends on a few cliffhangers and definitely sets up some storylines for the final season.

The Blu-Ray set is a four-disc set. The show looks and sounds great in HD for those who get the Blu-Ray discs. The extras include deleted scenes for many episodes, commentary tracks on a couple of episodes, a feature on Zod, and a feature on the two-part Justice Society of America episode. A decent amount for those who enjoy going through the bonus material. Even though the show definitely felt near the end of its run, the fact that all the old storylines were finally wrapped up and the show is set more in Metropolis than in Smallville, it felt like some new life was injected into the series this season. Having Zod as the big bad throughout the season made Lex's absence less noticeable. Although, the show was still not the same after Michael Rosenbaum's departure. It is definitely worth picking up the set, though.

Book Review: Holly

 

Holly is a 2023 thriller by Stephen King. It is centered around the character of Holly Gibney, introduced in the novel Mr. Mercedes. The bulk of the story is set in 2021, during the COVID pandemic. Holly, who is running the Finders Keepers detective agency, is contacted by a woman named Penny Dahl, whose daughter Bonnie has mysteriously disappeared. The investigation reveals multiple disappearances that seem to point to a serial killer and the involvement of a pair of retired professors. While you do not need to have read the earlier books in which Holly Gibney appeared to follow what is going on in this book, you will get more of the character's evolution as King lets those earlier works serve as the character development for Holly.

The hardcover version of the book is just under 450 pages. King writes it so that the readers know more than the characters in the book. He uses flashbacks to tell part of the story so the readers know who is responsible for the disappearances but do not know the motive until the last act. Even though the readers know more than the character of Holly does early in the book, King still manages to make the story very suspenseful. King does, as he has in his more recent books, include some social commentary (this time, the reaction to COVID and the vaccines) into the story and takes some shots at the orange genital wart (which will, of course, freak out the lickspittle MAGATs). Still, neither of those things dominates the story. Ultimately, it is a very well-written thriller. If you are a fan of King's novels, especially his recent ones, this one is worth reading. 

Blu-Ray/TV Series Review: Smallville Season 8

 

The 22-episode 8th season of Smallville aired during the 3008/2009 TV season. It saw a lot of upheaval and change for the show, the largest being in the cast turnover, with original series regulars Michael Rosenbaum and Kristen Kreuk leaving the show (although Kreuk returns about halfway through the season in a recurring role to tie up her storyline). John Glover also left the show after Lionel was killed off at the end of Season 7, and Laura Vandervoort was bumped down to a guest-starring role after Kara was trapped in the Phantom Zone. The big addition to the cast this year was Cassidy Freeman and Sam Witwer. Witwer plays Davis Bloom, an EMT at the medical center who figures into the serial story arc of the season more and more throughout the 22 episodes. Freeman plays the acting CEO of Luthorcorp, Tess Mercer, who is looking for Lex who disappeared, along with Clark at the end of Season 7. 

The season picks up 4 weeks after the events of the season 7 finale with Lex having confronted Clark in the fortress. We find out that Lex and Clark are missing, with the members of the Justice League (with Justin Hartley now upped to series regular) searching for Clark and the new acting CEO of Luthorcorp, Tess Mercer (played by Cassidy Freeman), looking for Lex. We find out that Jor-el took away Clark's powers and destroyed the fortress so Lex could not control him. Needless to say, Clark is found and Lex remains a shadowy figure in the background for most of the season. I will not go into too much detail to avoid spoiling the season for the handful of people reading this who may not have seen it yet, but there is definitely a big bad that threatens everyone, and we get to see Smallville's take on the Legion of Superheros and the Suicide Squad (although the show calls them the injustice league). There are fewer notable guest stars this season than in prior seasons, although fans of the current Flash series will recognize Jessica Parker Kennedy, who played Barry and Iris' daughter Nora West Allen, and Tori Spelling reprised her role as Linda Lake in one of the episodes toward the middle of the season.

The Blu-Ray set is a four-disc set, and the show looks and sounds great in the HD format. The extras are much like the prior seasons. Deleted scenes for most episodes, commentary tracks on a couple of episodes, a feature on the season's big bad, a feature on Alison Mack's directorial debut, and a feature on the episode Legion. As was the case with the season 6 and 7 Blu-Ray sets, there is not an episode menu screen that will allow you to choose which episodes you want to watch. All the episodes play in a play-all mode when the disc loads, and then the extras menu loads once all the episodes play (or you hit the disc menu button). But, you can pick up where you left off even if you stop in the middle of an episode and turn your player off.

Overall, the season is very good. It ties up all the storylines from the Smallville setting and moves the story primarily to Metropolis. There are a handful of scenes at the Kent Farm and the Luthor Mansion, but most of the action occurs in the city. The acting and writing are both very good this season, with Cassidy Freeman doing an outstanding job in the role of Tess Mercer. The character was definitely a "replacement" for Lex, but the writers did a good job not making the character a carbon copy of Lex, and she did not try to emulate Rosenbaum's performance. While I still think the show was getting a bit long in the tooth, and any of the seasons from 7-10 could have ended the show, I think its direction in this season gave it a bit of new life. Erica Durance really expanded her role as Lois, including an episode where she had to play Chole in Lois's body and nailed it. Allison Mack was also great (again) in her role as Chole. She has been a standout really in every season, and everyone in the commentary tracks and bonus featurettes went out of their way to praise her acting and her work directing the episode she directed this season it makes her post-Smallville life choices all the more baffling.

Overall, if you liked the prior seasons, you will probably like this one unless Lex or Lionel Luthor were your favorite characters. The show suffered a bit without Michael Rosenbaum as Lex, but it pulled off his absence about as well as possible. The show continued to develop even the original characters and did a good job working the new characters into the story. Overall, I think season 8 was a much stronger season than seasons 6 and 7 and is definitely worth checking out.

DVD/TV Series Review: Bones: Season 12

 

++++Warning, this will contain spoilers from prior seasons, but no major giveaways from season 12+++++

The 12-episode 12th season of Bones aired during the winter and spring of 2017. As most know, this was the final season of Bones. It was brought back for a partial season to resolve the cliffhanger at the end of season 11 and to give the various characters a final send-off. The cliffhanger involving Zach kidnapping Brennan is resolved in the season premier, and a larger arc throughout the season revisits the original Gormagon story line, which was (in my opinion) the weakest ending to a story line that the show had. The other major story arc played out through the final 12 episodes was Booth being targeted because of a sniper mission he was involved in back in the 1990s. And of course, there are various cases of the week crimes to solve.

The show did a good job of bringing back as many characters from the past (and referencing as many prior stories) as possible. The only major characters that did not appear in person were the deceased ones (Sweets and Vincent Nigel Murray and Booth's brother) although there were references to them, Parker, Brennan's brother, and the original director of the Jeffersonian, Dr. Goodman. It would have been nice to see Sweets in person in a dream or hallucination sequence (had John Francis Daily been willing and able to do so), but the show did an excellent job paying homage to its past. It would have also been nice to get an appearance by Angela's dad to hassle Jack one last time.

The DVD set is a three-disc set. For those who get the DVDs, the set is, like it has been in prior years fairly bare-bones (pun intended). Just the episodes, and then on the final disc an approximately 20 min retrospective looking at the show over the years featuring interviews with the cast, writers, and creators of the show, and a 3 min gag reel. Okay for what is there, but not as much as was included in the prior season releases (especially the seasons that were put out on blu-ray). Of course, after season 8 the studio stopped releasing it on blu-ray, so the DVD releases end up being all there are for people who do not just want to stream the show.

Ultimately Bones was a show that ended up going much longer than almost anyone expected, which was especially surprising given Fox's notoriously quick trigger on yanking shows. Given that Bones did take a while to find its footing as a show, it is amazing it lasted as long as it did. The season ends with a very much "life will go on" feel for the various characters, and I think fans of the show will be pleased with how it is wrapped up. If you only get DVDs for the extras, no amazing content makes them a must-get vs streaming. But if you have the prior seasons already it is worth getting to complete a collection.