| DVD Roundup July 2007
Rad in TV Land, Part 3
 If you don’t like reruns or
the new summer shows -- and/or especially if you don’t like commercials -- try some
of these entertaining series on DVD.
Blue Murder (Acorn Media) ***
Popular British actress Caroline Quentin plays Detective
Inspector Janine Lewis in this series. Lewis doesn’t face the scorn from male
compatriots that plagued Helen Mirren’s Jane Tennison in Prime Suspect, but
she has other problems. In the pilot, she’s eight months pregnant with her fourth
child. Her husband has run off with another woman, though he comes back to babysit the
kids when Lewis has to go out on a case. And Lewis has the task of being single mother to
children ranging from the new baby to a rebellious teenage son. She manages these domestic
duties while also being an astute, sharp-witted investigator of homicides. A lot of your
enjoyment of this show will depend on how you take to Quentin. I felt that the show got a
lot better as it progressed to later episodes. Blue Murder has run for three
seasons; a fourth will begin in the fall. Set 1, the only DVD edition yet released,
contains the first season.
Entourage (HBO) ****1/2
This is the brightest, hippest, funniest half-hour show of
the past five years. When Vince Chase (Adrian Grenier), an aspiring young actor living in
Queens, is asked out to Hollywood by his brother, Johnny (Kevin Dillon), he brings along
two of his friends from the old home streets: Eric (Kevin Connolly), who becomes his
manager, and Turtle (Jerry Ferrara), who serves as driver. Johnny takes up the slack as
cook for the household, and the four form the eponymous entourage. They hook up with a
manager, Ari Gold, played by Jeremy Piven, who won an Emmy for his efforts. Gold raves and
rants and does all the stereotypical agent things, but also respects and loves Vince and
his friends, though he seldom admits it. Set in Hollywood, Entourage adroitly
blends fictitious characters and real-life personalities into a seamless sitcom. The
picture is as sharp as any out there -- even better, I think, than The Sopranos --
and the surround sound is often quite effective. Seasons 1 through 3 have so far been
released on DVD; Season 4 is airing now.
The 4400 (CBS/Paramount) ***1/2
Over a period of many years, 4400 people disappeared,
whisked away by a bright light. Then, all at once, every one of them is returned to earth,
looking exactly as he or she did when snatched. As the episodes unfold, we find that each
of the 4400 has a special ability -- to see into the future, to heal, to shift shape, etc.
The government is at first against letting the 4400 live and herds them into compounds,
but eventually they are released -- and there the intriguing story begins, with lots of
questions to answer: Who are the 4400? Why have they been returned? And what, now, are
they supposed to do? Should they be feared, or embraced as humanity’s hope for the
future? The episodes revolve around certain recurring characters, some of whom number
among the 4400, some not. The ensemble acting is quite good, the scripts are literate, the
good guys extremely likable, the bad ones very hissable. The show is widescreen and the
images are sharp and clean, the sound has good frequency range, and the surrounds are used
mostly for effects, not for atmosphere. Three seasons are out on DVD; Season 4 airs this
summer.
Kyle XY (Touchstone Home Video) ***1/2
Combining science fiction with teenage coming-of-age
issues, Kyle XY will appeal to those who embraced Roswell. The titular
character, teenage Kyle (Matt Dallas), wakes up naked in the forest, wanders into the
city, and is locked up. Kyle, who has what seems to be terminal amnesia -- he remembers
nothing before the forest -- is then adopted by a family in which the mother is a
therapist. The show concurrently shows how Kyle deals with a teenager’s challenges
both usual and unusual, while unraveling his past bit by bit. The cast is exceptionally
appealing and the scripts are tight. The widescreen video is colorful and clear (I bet
this one would look great on Blu-ray or HD) and the sound is robust and full, with
occasional use of the surrounds. There are several extras, including an alternate pilot
episode and an extended finale. Only Season 1 has been released on DVD; Season 2 airs this
summer.
MacGyver (Paramount) ***1/2
This was one of the most popular action-adventure shows on
TV from 1985 to 1992. Its hero, secret agent Angus MacGyver (Richard Dean Anderson),
didn’t carry an arsenal of weapons, just household items he’d pick up along the
way to solving a case. Using these and his quick wit, he was able to construct bombs, tear
gas, and other useful items. If you’re a bad guy, MacGyver is one unarmed man you
don’t want to turn your back on. It can be exciting, though I think most viewers will
occasionally find the technology a bit dated. The shows are all 4:3, and the sound is mono
until Season 3, when stereo kicks in. The transfers are very good, but there are no extras
-- not even a commentary track. All seven seasons are now available on DVD.
Nightmares and Dreamscapes: From the Stories of
Stephen King (Warner) ***1/2
These tales were presented as a series of eight hour-long
programs in 2006, and are well worth your time if you like scary stories. The scripts
themselves, based on short stories by Stephen King, are variable, but five are not bad,
and three are masterpieces. In the best of these, "Battleground," William Hurt
stars as a hit man who, once at home alone, is attacked by an army of miniature G.I. Joe
soldiers, complete with helicopter and howitzers. It’s a tour de force for Hurt, as
he moves from surprise to anger to fear to terror. In "Autopsy Room Four," most
of Richard Thomas’s lines are heard in voiceover -- bitten by a snake, he’s
entered a state in which everyone thinks he’s dead, and is about to be cut open while
still alive. In "The Road Virus Heads North," Tom Berenger stars as an author
very much like King himself, who buys an evil-looking painting only to discover that it
predicts the future: his future. The production values are high: The widescreen
images are rich and sharp, and the 5.1 surround channels are used effectively. Some
throwaway interviews and production extras don’t amount to much. There has been no
mention of a second series.
...Rad Bennett
radb@hometheatersound.com |
