FILM
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October TV on Dvd Roundup |
“Seven” is the lucky number for fans of two oldie-but-goodie series, as both “Magnum P.I.” and “Murder She Wrote” have their seventh—and for many aficionados, best—seasons finally available on DVD. Otherwise, it’s a typically eclectic mix, from series that were cancelled too soon and others that should have already been cancelled to those (somewhat belatedly) hitting their stride and plain old vintage TV classics.
Entourage, Season 3, Part 2 HBO
created by Doug Ellin
starring Adrian Grenier, Bruno Kirby, Kevin Connolly, Kevin Dillon, Paul Ben-Victor and Emmanuelle Chiriqui
I’ve always had an aversion to the kind of smart-alecky, pseudo-witty banter that a show like “Entourage” partakes in, so take this review with a grain of salt if such things don’t bother you. Watching a group of nobodies act like they’re somebodies is not my idea of a good time, so even though “Entourage” is done about as well as a show like this can be—with good acting from Jeremy Piven, Adrien Grenier and Kevin Dillon, among others—it still reeks of the second-rate, a kind of “Ocean’s 11 or 12 or 13” wannabe without real movie stars like Clooney, Pitt and Damon to have glamorous fun.
Extras: making-of featurette, conversations with cast, audio commentaries.
Everyone Hates Chris, Season 2 Paramount
created by Chris Rock
starring Tyler James Williams, Chris Rock, Vincent Martella and Travis T. Flory
The first season of this sitcom based on comedian Chris Rock’s formative years ended with a whimper: what was initially a clever show seemed spent by season’s end. That’s why it’s a welcome surprise to see that the series regained the momentum of its first few episodes in its sophomore year: the writing, the acting, the directing are much tighter, funnier, more realistic and the result is enjoyable—if still a tad undercooked—television comedy.
Extras: gag reel; several behind-the-scenes featurettes.
The L Word, Season 4 Showtime
created by Ilene Chaiken
starring Jennifer Beals, Leisha Hailey, Laurel Holloman, Mia Kirshner, Katherine Moennig, Dallas Roberts, Daniela Sea, Rachel Shelley, Marlee Matlin and Pam Grier
After its third season, “The L Word” seemed to be spinning its wheels: it had pushed the envelope with its lesbian and bi-sexual characters, then made itself comfortable, so to speak. That the fourth season actually caught dramatic fire was something of a happy surprise. The relationships were far more realistic and less dependent on shock value, and the cleverness of the writing and the dialogue never overshadowed the game actresses, particularly the always-alluring Mia Kirshner, and old reliables Pam Grier, Jennifer Beals and, in her “L” debut, Marlee Matlin.
Extras: “Sundance Diaries”; bonus episodes of Showtime series “The Tudors” and “Californication.”
Magnum, P.I., Season 7Universal
created by Donald P. Bellisario and Glen A. Larson
starring Tom Selleck, John Hillerman, Roger E. Mosley and Larry Manetti
Tom Selleck never got respect for his mid-80s hit series about a laidback Detroit Tigers fan/Vietnam vet who’s also a private investigator in Hawaii. His easygoing manner helped facilitate opinions that, a la Burt Reynolds before him, Selleck wasn’t a “serious” actor. Maybe so, but that wasn’t the point of “Magnum,” and there’s a lot to like in this show–most notably John Hillerman as Magnum’s ever-droll sidekick Higgins. The seventhth season also contains what is considered the holy grail of “Magnum” episodes, “Paper War,” wherein Magnum and Higgins’ battle of wits and practical jokes escalates into unbridled mayhem.
Extras: episode of “Murder She Wrote” guest-starring Selleck as Magnum; featurette.
Murder She Wrote, Season 7Paramount
created by Peter S. Fischer, Richard Levinson and William Link
starring Angela Lansbury, Tom Bosley, Ron Masak and William Windom
As she proved in her return to Broadway this past spring in “Deuce,” Angela Lansbury has been pleasing audiences for decades onstage, in movies and on TV. Of course, a large part of that is thanks to her role as Jessica Fletcher, the sharp-tongued widow who solved murders with regularity on “Murder She Wrote.” The seventh season was also the seventh consecutive Emmy nomination for Lansbury, who lost every year of the show’s 12-year run. Although the show itself is desperately old-fashioned–I always preferred “Ellery Queen” myself, created by Richard Levinson and William Link, who also created this show–that’s always been beside the point, as long as Lansbury was charmingly solving cases that baffled the local authorities.
Extras: none.
Roots, the Next GenerationsWarners
created by Alex Haley
starring Georg Stanford Brown, Olivia de Havilland, Henry Fonda, Lynne Moody and James Earl Jones
Remarkably, the ABC follow-up to the smash hit 1977 mini-series “Roots” appeared two years later to equal acclaim, with some even suggesting that is was actually superior to the original. I don’t know if I would go that far—the immediacy of the drama of the first “Roots” was something that could only strike fire once—but the sequel is in many ways more professional, polished, and better paced. However one feels, no one should be without either of these essential American history lessons: Warners has also released both series in one 10-disc boxed set, “Roots: The Complete Saga,” if you haven’t yet picked up the earlier set.
Extras: “Roots: The Gift,” a holiday movie; “The Struggle to Make ‘Roots’” and “Connecting with the Past” featurette; vintage interview with Alex Haley by David Frost
The Sarah Silverman Program, Season 1Paramount
created by Sarah Silverman, Rob Schrab and Dan Harmon
starring Sarah Silverman, Laura Silverman, Brian Posehn, Steve Agee and Jay Johnston
This is one of those reviews that’s really unnecessary: if you hate Sarah Silverman (or don’t know who she is), then don’t even bother with this disc. If, however, you love Sarah and her insane brand of deliberately offensive comedy—as I do—then you know what you’re in for with these six episodes from the abbreviated first season of her Comedy Central series. Silverman plays a naïve version of herself, as her racist, sexist, classist and plain vulgar comments hit home even while she’s unaware of their sting. At times silly, at other times abrasive, “The Sarah Silverman Program” is still must-viewing for the converted.
Extras: commentaries; karaoke sing-alongs; extra songs; alternate introductions.
Scrubs, Season 6Buena Vista
created by Bill Lawrence
starring Zach Braff, Sarah Chalke, Donald Faison, Neil Flynn, Ken Jenkins, John C. McGinley and Judy Reyes
Before Zach Braff achieved cult movie stardom with his overrated “Garden State,” he was—and still is—the star of this comedy about hospital residents, currently in its seventh and final season. (So blame “Scrubs” for “Garden State.”) As in that movie, Braff is surrounded by capable actors who make his one-note, schmucky persona somehow more endearing: John C. McGinley and Judy Reyes are among a talented ensemble that keep the jokes flying and the plots moving.
Extras: alternate scenes; outtakes; commentaries; making-of featurettes.
Sesame Street: Old School, Volume 1 (1974-1979) Genius
created by Joan Ganz Cooney and Jim Henson
starring Carroll Spinney, Kevin Clash, Alison Bartlett-O'Reilly, Desiree Casado and Emilio Delgado
The original “Sesame Street” remains a beloved American institution, helping teach millions of kids across the country (and around the world) since its debut in 1970. Its Muppet creatures–Big Bird, Bert & Ernie, the Cookie Monster, Oscar the Grouch, et al–are unforgettable characters, and this set is the second in a series highlighting the show’s brilliance, creativity and originality. Included are the initial episodes of seasons 6 through 10, which display the immense educational and entertainment ground that the show covered, along with voluminous bonus features that are as much fun as the programs themselves.
Extras: unaired pilot episode; dozens of additional segments; animation cel.
Shark, Season 1Fox
created by Ian Biederman
starring James Woods, Danielle Panabaker, Sophina Brown, Sarah Carter and Kevin Alejandro
James Woods as a sleazy, unscrupulous lawyer isn’t exactly what anyone would call “stretch” casting, but so what? When an actor as lively and unpredictable as Woods gets his teeth into any juicy role, the results are always highly watchable, and that includes the first season of this CBS drama about a defense lawyer so turned off that one of his guilty clients committed a murder after being sprung that he became a prosecuting attorney instead. The premise might not be enough to prolong the series’ life beyond a couple of seasons, but again, who cares when you have Woods doing what he does best?
Extras: commentaries, on-set featurettes; gag reel; deleted scenes.
Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, The Complete Series Warners
created by Aaron Sorkin
starring Matthew Perry, Bradley Whitford, Amanda Peet and Sarah Paulson
Aaron Sorkin has had a remarkable TV career, creating the acclaimed if short-lived “Sports Night,” the award-winning hit “The West Wing,” and now this witty look at the cast and crew of a late-night TV talk show. Too bad that the “diminishing returns” law kicked in when this was on NBC: it was cancelled after a single season. Still, with an attractive cast (Amanda Peet, D L Hughley, etc.) and Sorkin’s brash, fast-paced writing, this should have caught on.
Extras: commentaries; behind-the-scenes documentary.
Young Indiana Jones, Volume 1 Paramount
created by George Lucas
starring Sean Patrick Flanery, Corey Carrier, George Hall and Ronny Coutteure
In a bit of shrewd marketing, Paramount and LucasFilm are releasing three volumes of the adventures of Indiana Jones before he became Harrison Ford, spacing them out so that the final volume will be released somewhere around the time that the new Spielberg-Ford-Lucas-Jones opus comes to theaters next spring. For now, we have the first volume, with seven two-hour “episodes”—actually, they’re more like feature films—of the young adventurer’s exploits spread out over 12 discs, along with some of the most extensive bonus features ever grouped together on DVD. Without the unfair burdens placed on it following three successful franchise films, the series “Young Indiana Jones” is galloping fun in its own right. (Volume 2, “The War Years,” comes out in December.)
Extras: 38 companion historical documentaries; interactive historical DVD timeline.
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