TV on DVD: “Gossip Girl: The Complete Second Season”

OMFG, you guys, Scott Malchus has a copy of Gossip Girl: The Complete Second Season on DVD, and he’s giving it away! Find out how you can win!

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Wednesday, November 4th, 2009

TV on DVD: “Blood Ties: Season Two”

by Scott Malchus

BloodTies_S2If vampires, mysteries and romance are your thing, you can do much worse than Blood Ties, the supernatural drama that aired on Lifetime in 2007. The second season collection contains the final nine episodes on three DVDs.

Blood Ties stars Christina Cox as Vicki Nelson, a former cop turned private investigator. Her partner is a hunky, ageless vampire named Henry Fitzroy (Kyle Schmid). The two of them are hired to solve crimes that are out of the ordinary (demons, cat people, etc) and sometimes get brought in by Vicki’s old police partner and lover, Mike Celluci (Dylan Neal). Although all three are “friends,” there are lingering feelings between Mike and Vicki, feelings that make Henry a bit jealous. Likewise, Mike isn’t too sure how he feels about his ex hanging out with a bloodsucking bo-hunk. This strange romantic triangle makes for some light moments in between the X-Files-esque cases that form the basis for the plots of Blood Ties.

Nelson is a no-nonsense, hard nosed detective; she’s not afraid of anything. It’s this quality in her that makes her attractive to both men. Of the two, she seems more drawn to Henry and seems open to the idea of living forever. However, Henry knows that should he give her the gift of eternal life, their love will evaporate; he will have cursed Vicki into watching her friends and family die. This makes Henry one of the most sensitive vampires I’ve seen since Brat Pitt bared his fangs in Interview with a Vampire (this show did come out long before Twilight and The Vampire Diaries). Henry is no pushover and is quite protective of Vicki, as is Mike. The tough guy detective draws many stares and places his career in jeopardy by constantly going to Vicki for help. Some begin to question his sanity as he lets slip his belief in the supernatural. (more…)

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Tuesday, October 27th, 2009

TV on DVD: “The Life & Times of Vivienne Vyle” and “People Like Us: The Complete Series”

by Scott Malchus

Reality television is always open to satire and there have been many fine examples of the genre getting sent up (The Office and Arrested Development are two shows that come to mind). The BBC recently released two of their reality television satires on DVD — one worth checking out, and one a disappointment.

51ftxdvc9pL._SS500_The Life and Times of Vivienne Vyle comes from the mind of the talented Jennifer Saunders, one half of the hilarious Absolutely Fabulous. Saunders plays a talk show host whose show would fit perfectly between airings of Jerry Springer and Ricki Lake. In the first of the three episodes on the DVD, Vivienne is crushed under an overweight crew member when a segment on her show goes wrong. Vivienne experiences an epiphany and decides that she wants to veer into Oprah territory and move away from the kind of trash television she helps perpetuate. Problem is, none of her people, who include her longtime/gay companion, Jared (Conleth Hill) and her drug-addicted producer, Helena (Miranda Richardson), want her to change. They all know her show is a cash cow and don’t see any reason to disrupt the status quo. But Vivienne persists and changes are made.

Saunders is dedicated as the diva Vyle and her supporting cast is top notch (the cast also includes Jason Watkins as Dr. Fowler, a psychologist roped into working on the show). Direction of the show is fine and all technical aspects are held to a high standard. The problem with The Live and Times of Vivienne Vyle is that the writing tries to be biting and dark, but I found the show tedious. (more…)

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Monday, October 19th, 2009

TV on DVD: “New Tricks: Season One”

by Scott Malchus

NewTricks_S1New Tricks: Season One (2009, BBC)
purchase from Amazon: DVD

Call it Cold Case for the retired crowd. The BBC’s mystery series New Tricks doesn’t break any new ground as far as procedural dramas go and the whodunit aspect may not have you on the end of your seat, but the series has an interesting premise and a charming cast of eccentrics that really clicks.

Amanda Redman (so great in Sexy Beast) plays Superintendent Sandra Pullman, an excessively competitive Scotland Yard detective whose career was on the upswing until an unfortunate dog-shooting incident during a hostage rescue. It wasn’t the dog that derailed her career, it was that the hostage leaped from a window and wound up in a body cast. The embarrassment to the police leads to a demotion, of sorts. Pullman is assigned to lead the Unsolved Crime and Open Case Squad, a new division made up of retired detectives.

The first person she approaches for her new team is Jack Halford (James Bolam) her old boss and mentor. A well respected member of the force before stepping down off, Jack is a widower still grieving over the death his beloved wife, Mary. He lives a lonely life in a big house where Mary is buried in the back yard. After long days Jack can be seen conversing with his dead wife, seeking her advice, needing her comfort. These scenes are touching, but Bolam doesn’t milk them for tears. In fact, some scenes are often humorous as he details the shenanigans of his new crime-fighting endeavor. (more…)

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Wednesday, October 7th, 2009

TV on DVD: “It’s Always Sunny in Phladelphia Season 4″

by Scott Malchus

ItsAlwaysSunnyInPhil_S4

It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia is the twisted spawn of Seinfeld. Much like NBC’s beloved sitcom, the show centers around four friends (three males and a female). In this case, they run a bar in Philly while carrying on their egocentric lives. Although the set up is similar to Jerry and company, the tone is more like Larry David’s Curb Your Enthusiasm: The people are primarily out for themselves. The characters, Dennis (Glenn Howerton), Dee (Kaitlin Olson), Charlie (Charlie Day) and Mac (Rob McElhenney) are all close friends, but that doesn’t mean they’re above abusing each other and double crossing one another to get what they want. I used to watch the show regularly in its first two seasons but my viewing habits changed and I got tired of the conniving and abuse that the four characters threw at each other. Moreover, when Danny DeVito joined the cast as Frank, I didn’t feel like it clicked.

Watching the few episodes provided for me from the It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia Season 4 DVD box set, I wish I had stuck with it. The show had me doubled over in laughter and I couldn’t get the damn songs from “The Nightman Cometh” episode out of my head. In that particular episode, Charlie writes a musical and casts the gang in his play. “The Nightman Cometh” was so popular among the It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia fanbase that when a live production of the play within the show was performed live at the Troubadour in Los Angeles, the two performances sold out in 10 minutes. Not bad for a cult show that airs on FX. (more…)

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Wednesday, October 7th, 2009

TV on DVD: “Life on Mars: The Complete Series”

by Scott Malchus

lomuscoverLife on Mars: The Complete Series (2009, ABC Studios/Buena Vista)
purchase from Amazon: DVD

Being a fan of the original BBC version of Life on Mars, I was leery of the ABC version when it premiered last fall. I loved the original show, an intriguing amalgam of science fiction and ’70s era cop shows. With great stories and a fantastic cast, I was worried — very, very worried — that once ABC got their hands on it they would fuck it up.

However, show producers Josh Appelbaum, Andre Nemec and Scott Rosenberg were big fans of the BBC show, as well, and set out to maintain the mystery, tragedy and fun of the original. Looking back on the entire series contained in this box set, I’m happy to say that they met the challenge.

Jason O’Mara stars as Sam Tyler, a New York detective in 2008 who gets hit by a car and knocked unconscious. When he comes to, Tyler is blown away to discover that he’s awoken in the year 1973. Has he been shot back in time? Is he in a coma? The only way he can get to the bottom of his predicament is to explore his surroundings and look for clues on how he can get back to 2008, where he belongs. Tyler finds his way to the 125 precinct and is immediately met by Lt. Gene Hunt (Harvey Keitel), a ball-busting, whiskey-drinking commander who plays by his own rules. Tyler is amazed that he’s been expected as the new detective arriving to work in the 125. His presence causes a stir in the squad room. Detective Ray Carling (a long-haired, mustached Michael Imperioli) hates him; junior detective Chris Skelton (Jonathan Murphy) looks up to him, and uniformed policewoman Annie Norris (Gretchen Moll) is attracted to him. Tyler could give a shit about any of their feelings because he just wants to get home. Yet as the series progresses and he gets to know these people, figments of his mind or not, he begins to care for them. (more…)

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Wednesday, September 30th, 2009

TV on DVD: “Castle: The Complete First Season”

by Scott Malchus

CastleCastle: The Complete First Season (2009, ABC Studios/Buena Vista)
purchase from Amazon: DVD

Castle, the ABC mystery series, proves one thing: Nathan Fillion is a star. He has charm, comic timing, and enough charisma to make him a wonderful leading man. The first season on the show is out on DVD (13 episodes in all) and the second season has just begun airing on the network. I hope Castle manages to hold its own against CSI: Miami and Jay Leno, because it’s a slick, fun show that deserves to be a big hit.

Fillion stars as Rick Castle, a best selling novelist in the vein of James Patterson (who makes an appearance as himself in the pilot episode). Castle’s latest novel kills off his long-running character, Derek Storm, leading his fans to ask “what next?’ Fate drops that answer in his lap when a killer begins mimicking the murders from Castle’s books. The confident author is brought in by the NYPD as a consultant on the case. Immediately he butts heads with the stunning Detective Bennett (Stana Katic) and bonds with the other homicide detectives in the squad room, Esposito and Ryan (Jon Huertas and Seamus Dever, respectively). As soon as the case is solved, Bennett believes she’s seen the last of him. Not so, say the TV gods. Castle is so well connected that he convinces the police commissioner to let him tag along with Beckett on all of her cases as research for a new novel he’s writing featuring a female detective (in truth he loves the thrill of it all). How long she’s assigned to have him shadow her depends on how soon he completes his book. In other words, indefinitely, which is fine as it allows Castle and Beckett to build enough sexual tension to remind you of the glory days of Moonlighting. (more…)

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Wednesday, September 23rd, 2009

TV on DVD: “Grey’s Anatomy: The Complete Fifth Season”

by Scott Malchus

GreysAnatomyGrey’s Anatomy: The Complete Fifth Season (2009, ABC Studios/Buena Vista)
purchase from Amazon: DVD

Instead of lamenting on the things that were wrong with the fifth season of Grey’s Anatomy, such as the sudden dismissal of Brooke Smith and her character Erica Hahn, the complete misuse of the talented Melissa George and the brilliant Mary McConnell, the ongoing storyline with Denny (Jeffrey Dean Morgan), the dead fiancé of Katherine Heigl’s Izzie, who showed up as a ghost/hallucination, and the complete lack of any storyline involving T.R. Knight, one of the original cast members and at one time the heart of the series, I’d like to point out three high points of season five.

The first is the addition of Kevin McKidd playing Dr. Owen Hunt, a former Army trauma surgeon who joined the staff at the fictional Seattle Grace Hospital and quickly became one of the most compelling characters on Grey’s Anatomy. To be blunt: Owen is fucked up. He suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder and has recurring nightmares from his service in the war in Iraq. Owen is a wreck of a man whose only means of survival is immersing himself in the job. When he finally begins to connect with someone, Dr. Christina Yang (Sandra Oh), he screws that up by choking her in the middle of the night while suffering from a particularly horrible night terror. McKidd is so remarkable in his role that it’s a crime that he was not nominated for an Emmy this year. Sandra Oh deservedly received a nomination this year, yet a majority of the quality work she gave us in this season was with McKidd. I sometimes question why I stick with Grey’s Anatomy and McKidd is one reason I’ll keep it on my DVR. Owen is, flat out, the most authentic character on this show and it is solely because of McKidd’s work. (more…)

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Tuesday, September 22nd, 2009

TV on DVD: “30 Rock: Season 3″

by Jeff Giles

51i+6ax8hjL._SCLZZZZZZZ_All but dead at the other major networks, scripted comedy is alive and well at NBC; even as the Peacock tries to flush high-quality television down a lantern-jawed toilet with The Jay Goddamn Horseshit Leno Show, it has, possibly inadvertently, assembled the funniest roster of sitcoms any network has been able to boast for at least a decade — and I’d put that number at closer to 20 years. The Office gets most of the attention, but 30 Rock doesn’t do too badly for itself — it cleaned up at the Emmys over the weekend, taking home five awards and crowning Alec Baldwin’s career transformation from Star of Frequently Lame and Occasionally Direct-to-Video Movies to Award-Winning Television Badass. Not bad for a show that some critics predicted would be overshadowed by Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, right? 30 Rock’s eagerly awaited fourth season won’t begin until mid-October, but in the meantime, NBC/Universal has trotted out this three-disc set, offering all 22 episodes from Season Three, plus enough bonus content to keep you lizzing for hours. (Sorry — each review of this season set is required to include at least one instance of “lizzing” or “I want to go to there,” and I wanted to get it out of the way early.)

If you’ve been avoiding the show for some reason, here’s the setup: Comedy writer Liz Lemon (the excellent Tina Fey) presides over the quirk-ridden, borderline insane staff of The Girlie Show, a sketch comedy show on the schedule of a fictionalized version of NBC (owned by a horrible-sounding conglomerate called the Sheinhardt Wig Company). At the outset of the series, Lemon is forced to add a deranged fading movie star named Tracy Jordan (Tracy Morgan) to the cast, rechristening the show TGS with Tracy Jordan and upsetting its former star, Jenna Maroney (Jane Krakowski). (more…)

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Tuesday, September 22nd, 2009

TV on DVD: “Supernatural: The Complete Fourth Season”

by Scott Malchus

119441Supernatural: The Complete Fourth Season (2009, Warner Brothers)
purchase from Amazon: DVD

The fourth season of Supernatural kicks ass. Great mythology, plenty of action, some good doses of humor, it makes you think, and yes, it will creep you out. I had never seen an episode of this series before the fourth season DVD box set arrived for me to review but, man, what a good place to jump into the world of Supernatural.

The first episode of the 22 on this box set opens with a man buried in a coffin. He’s Dean Winchester (Jensen Ackles), who, we find out, was sent to hell. As he slowly digs his way out of the grave to the surface, he wonders who pulled him from Hell and what it all means. Bursting through the ground, Dean finds that his grave is in the middle of nowhere and trees fallen around the headstone. If this were a horror movie, it would be the perfect opening. No ridiculous voiceover, no exposition in the dialogue, just mysterious visuals and plenty of eeriness. Dean comes upon a deserted town, breaks into a gas station and steals a car. Oh and there’s an ear piercing scream that occurs midway through the break-in. More intrigue. I was hooked. Dean finds his way back to his brother, Sam (Jared Padalecki) and their mentor, Bobby Singer (Jim Beaver). The three of them are hunters, responsible for tracking down supernatural creatures and killing them.

Sam has psychic powers given to him by a demon called Azazel. As we learn throughout the season, Sam has been hanging out with a demon named Ruby, using his special gift to send evil beings back where they belong. The two of them hooked up during the four months Dean was in Hell. Like a good novel, we don’t learn what happened to Sam during those long months until later — specifically episode nine, “I Know What You Did Last Summer.” Likewise, we don’t fully understand what Dean went through while banished to Hell until the following episode, “Heaven and Hell.” In the meantime, the fourth season sets in motion a huge arc in the Supernatural mythology. (more…)

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Monday, September 14th, 2009

TV on DVD: “Brothers and Sisters: The Complete Third Season”

by Scott Malchus

Bros and SissesBrothers and Sisters: The Complete Third Season (2009, ABC/Buena Vista)
purchase from Amazon: DVD

ABC’s durable drama Brothers and Sisters hit some road bumps in its third season. After a standout second year in which the characters shaped into interesting people I wanted to follow each week, season three saw most of them become narcissistic navel gazers that were no fun to be around. Adding to the series’ woes were the supposed behind the scenes issues with star Balthazar Getty, leading to his character’s departure from the show. Still, the ship seemed to right itself by the season finale, leaving hope for the fourth season, premiering this fall.

Brothers and Sisters follows the many exploits of the Walker family, a large, wealthy California unit whose patriarch, William (played in flashbacks by Tom Skerritt) not only ran his food distribution company nearly into bankruptcy, but cheated on his wife with more than one woman. Williams’ wife is Nora, played with great energy and emotion by Sally Field. Her ability to make you cry and laugh with one look is one of the reasons Field is a Hollywood legend. Unfortunately, she can also become histrionic at times, which happens a little too much in season three. Nora’s character arc here includes opening a center for families dealing with cancer (which leads to romance with the center’s architect) and trying to draw William’s illegitimate son, Ryan (Luke Grimes), into her large brood. Ryan’s story is integral to the entire third season, as his character weaves into the lives of everyone. Despite Ryan’s unfortunate circumstances, including discovering that his mother has lied to him for 21 years and that the man raising him was not his biological father, the guy is a difficult character to like. It doesn’t help that Grimes portrays him as kind of creepy and sinister. Perhaps that was the intent, so that you don’t really trust him. And perhaps there was some subtext on the part of the writers that Ryan, despite his protests that he’ll never be anything like William Walker, is actually very much like the man he never knew. (more…)

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