| DVD Roundup April 2007
Rad in TV Land, Part 2
 Here are some more TV shows on
DVD that I’ve thoroughly enjoyed, especially as they lack the commercials that
accompany their broadcasts.
Bones: Season One (20th Century Fox) ***1/2
This crime-investigation series stars Emily Deschanel as
Dr. Temperance Brennan, a beautiful if socially inept forensic anthropologist, and David
Boreanaz as stoic FBI Special Agent Seeley Booth. The two form an uneasy alliance to
investigate and solve murders in which the only evidence is usually a recently discovered
skeleton. At times, the bantering among Brennan, Booth, and the other members of the
forensic anthropology team is juvenile and silly, but the cases themselves are unusual and
their solutions ingenious. There’s nothing else like it on TV. Shot in widescreen
high-definition, Bones has one of the sharpest, cleanest pictures of any show on
the air. The 5.1-channel sound is used to heighten the action. Extras include a few
commentaries, and an onscreen glossary defining the forensic terms used by Brennan’s
team. Season One is available on DVD; Season Two is still being aired.
Criminal Minds: The First Season
(CBS-Paramount) ***1/2
The cast of this grim yet riveting drama play the members
of a team of the FBI’s Behavioral Analysis Unit (BAU), who are experts in profiling
criminals, especially serial killers. Jason Gideon (Mandy Patinkin) and Aaron Hotchner
(Thomas Gibson) head the unit. The shows either find the team trying to track and capture
a killer, or rushing to save a victim imprisoned by a killer. It’s all very well
written and acted, but after a while, one case seems much like the next. That might be
because I watched all six DVDs of The First Season over four days. That’s one
thing the DVD sets of TV shows don’t include: the week-long hiatus between episodes.
In this case, the memory would no doubt blur the last one so the current one seems
fresher. The show is broadcast in HD; predictably, the SD DVDs display a sharply focused
picture. The 5.1 sound is full-bodied and the surrounds are used a lot for ambience,
making the viewer feel more involved in each scene. The extras include commentaries,
featurettes, and deleted scenes.
Medium: Seasons One and Two
(CBS-Paramount) ***1/2
Patricia Arquette plays Allison Dubois, a woman who is a
research medium for the Phoenix district attorney’s office. She can communicate with
the dead, who often show her murders that have yet to take place. Sometimes these can be
stopped, and other times not. Medium is remotely similar to the inferior, often
maudlin Ghost Whisperer, which shows off Jennifer Love Hewitt’s body in every
imaginable way. Medium instead generates suspense while exerting no effort at
making Arquette seem glamorous. She’s just a pretty, working mom with an unusual
ability. The scripts are good, the supporting cast is great, the widescreen picture is
sharp and clear, the 5.1 sound is atmospheric, and an abundance of extras contributes to
the viewer’s enjoyment. Two seasons are available on DVD, and the third is being
aired.
Navy NCIS: Naval Criminal Investigative Service (CBS-Paramount)
****
If the breezy style of NCIS reminds you of JAG,
it’s no coincidence: Both are produced by Donald Bellisario. NCIS stars Mark
Harmon as Supervisory Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs, head of a Naval Criminal
Investigative Service (NCIS) team investigating and solving murders committed by or
against men and women in the US armed forces. The NCIS is an actual organization, but its
actions are glamorized to make this series more appealing -- and appealing it is. NCIS
revolves around the charismatic Harmon, but the rest of the cast provides a tight ensemble
of likable characters. It’s not a deep-thinking show like House or Criminal
Minds, but each episode is entertaining from first minute to last. The show is shot in
many different locations, with an equal number of interior and exterior shots. Though they
vary, the overall sharpness of the DVDs is quite good. The sound is not 5.1 but good Dolby
2.0 Surround, with matrixed center and rear channels. There are a few extras and
commentaries. The first three seasons have been released on DVD; Season Four is in
progress.
Numb3rs (CBS-Paramount) ***1/2
This unique show stars Rob Morrow and David Krumholtz as
Don and Charlie Epps, brothers fighting crime together. Don is an FBI agent who’s
good at taking care of things once the action goes down. Charlie is a math genius who can
use probabilities and equations to profile criminals and predict what their next move
might be. Judd Hirsch plays their father, and Peter MacNicol is Charlie’s mentor, Dr.
Larry Fleinhardt. The show’s unique style includes graphics that zoom in and out to
illustrate Charlie’s theories and mathematical solutions. It’s shot in
widescreen HD and for the most part looks good, though the indoor scenes, as well as some
outside shots, are very orange, even more heavily filtered than CSI Miami. The 5.1
sound mix is imaginative and makes use of the surrounds for ambience and effects. Many
interesting extras enhance the viewing experience. Like Criminal Minds, the show
becomes a little formula-driven after a while; it’s best to space the episodes over a
period of time. Two seasons are available on DVD, and the third is being aired.
The Unit (20th Century Fox) ****
Playwright and stage and film director David Mamet came up
with the idea for this excellent show, and wrote some of the scripts for and directed two
episodes of the first season. The spotlight is on a covert Special Forces team that works
outside the usual chain of command, living by their own rules and loyalties. They’re
led in the field by Jason Blane (Dennis Haysbert), a tough, no-holds-barred soldier
who’s always one step ahead of the enemy. At home, the men’s wives have a
close-knit community of their own. The show’s interest lies in revealing problems in
the field as well as at home, and how they influence each other, by presenting these men
and women as very human. The hi-def, widescreen images look very clean and rich in color
on SD DVD. The sound mix makes more use of the surrounds than in some other shows,
especially when the men are deployed in battle. There is only one extra, a production
featurette, and so far only Season One has been released on DVD. It whets the appetite for
more.
...Rad Bennett
radb@hometheatersound.com |
