Blu-ray Review “Helix: Season One”

Starring: Billy Campbell, Hiroyuki Sanada, Jordan Hayes, Neil Napier, Luciana Carro, Patrick Baby
Number of discs: 3
Rated: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Release Date: July 1, 2014
Run Time: 550 minutes

Season: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Extras: 4 out of 5 stars

A few years ago, I would be all over anything that Syfy has delivered up but recently that has changed, especially after “Defiance”. “Helix” though is a great new show that is simple and yet not showy but still quite a wild ride. After the disaster of “Defiance”, I appreciated how they turned down the visual “wow” and focused on a good story with a strong character driven cast. With “Helix”, I literally loved each episode and couldn’t wait to see the next! It takes a little while to get started but once it does …watch out! Can’t wait for Season 2 coming in 2015!

Official Premise: Helix is an intense thriller about a team of scientists from the Centers for Disease Control who travel to a high-tech research facility in the Arctic to investigate a possible disease outbreak, only to find themselves pulled into a terrifying life-and-death struggle that holds the key to mankind’s salvation or total annihilation.

Sony is releasing this show as a combo pack including a Blu-ray + UltraViolet Digital Copy. The first season’s 13 episodes are spread out over the 3-disc Blu-ray set. The 1080p transfers work great for the show. The show doesn’t have a ton of visual effects but it still looks great and quite sharp. Same goes for the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround, which works for the shows action and gives out clear dialogue.

The special features are also very impressive for this release. There are two Blu-ray exclusives including “Fabricating the Plague”, which gives a look into the virus in various stages. “Writing the Tension” takes us into the process of writing this series. There are two commentary tracks included. The first is on the Pilot with Billy Campbell and Cameron Porsandeh. The second is on “Dans L’Ombre” with Billy Campbell and Steven Maeda.

There are four production featurettes included. “Ronald D. Moore: The Outlier of Science Fiction” is a feature on developing this series. “The Future of Disease” is a look into the mysterious disease of Helix. “The Art of Isolation” takes on a tour of the set with the Production Designer. The last one is “Dissecting the Characters” which is a study of the show’s characters and relationships. Lastly there are Deleted Scenes and Outtakes included.

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DVD Review “The Boondocks: The Complete Fourth Season (Uncut & Uncensored)”

Starring: Regina King, John Witherspoon, Jill Talley, Gary Anthony Williams, Gabby Soleil, Cedric Yarbrough
Studio Name: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Release Date: June 24, 2014
Rating: Not Rated
Run Time: 225 minutes

Season: 2 out of 5 stars
Extras: 2 out of 5 stars

A few years ago, I used to watch every single thing that Adult Swim put out…except “The Boondocks”. The show was based on Aaron McGruder’s comic strip, which I always skipped over and never connected with the show either.  I do have to give the show credit since it is quite smart and definitely politically incorrect and filled with satirical in-your-face humor. This fourth season is also the last season and also the first that was produced without the involvement of series creator Aaron McGruder.

Official Premise: At long last, “The Boondocks” is back in the uncut, uncensored, unpredictable final season of the controversial, award-winning animated series. Granddad, Huey, and Riley find themselves neck deep in all new kinds of trouble as money woes lead to desperate measures. From breaking bad in an RV chem-lab to senior citizen streetfights, times have never been wilder in the sleepy suburbs of Woodcrest.

The show did have a great voice cast including Regina King (TV’s “Southland”), John Witherspoon (“Friday”), Cedric Yarbrough (TV’s “Reno 911!”), Gary Anthony Williams (TV’s “Raising Hope”), Jill Talley (TV’s “Adventure Time”) and Gabby Soleil (TV’s “Cold Case”). This season also includes guest stars like Michael B. Jordan (“Chronicle”), Dennis Haysbert (TV’s “24”) and Edward Asner (TV’s “Lou Grant”).

When it comes to special features, this season does not deliver much either. If anything, I would have loved to seen some commentary tracks for sure. There are two featurettes includes, the first is “Boondocks Beats”, which look into music for the series. the only other extras is “A Writer’s Perspective”, which features Rodney Barnes talking about his inspiration when writing for the series. If you love this show and don’t have the previous three seasons, I would pick up “The Complete Series” which was also released today.

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Win a Blu-ray for A&E’s “Duck Dynasty: Season 5”

To celebrate the Blu-ray release of season 5 of “Duck Dynasty”, Media Mikes is excited to giveaway one (1) copy of the Blu-ray to our readers. If you would like to enter for your chance to win one of this prize, please leave us a comment below or send us an email with your favorite member of the “Duck Dynasty”. This giveaway will remain open until July 4th at Noon, Eastern Time. This is open to our readers in US and Canada only. One entry per person, per household. All other entries will be considered invalid. Media Mikes will randomly select winners. Winners will be alerted via email.

A new face joins the flock this season, as Willie and Korie’s adopted daughter, Rebecca, comes home to visit after finishing a two-year fashion internship in Los Angeles. Much to Jase’s dismay, Willie shares the joyous news with the family via a group text, Jase’s version of a terrible, technological snowball that you just cannot stop. Si, sick with the flu for the first time in his life, invades Phil and Kay’s house for some much needed rehabilitation, watching his favorite movie series, Air Bud. Willie, worried about Rebecca’s lack of a plan for her future, as well as the pair of skinny jeans she gifted him, are eventually put to rest when Rebecca reveals that she wants to start a business of her own.

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Blu-ray Review “Black Dynamite: Season One”

Starring: Michael Jai White, Tommy Davidson, Byron Minns, Kym Whitley, J.B. Smoove, Clifton Powell
Distributed by: Warner Bros
Rated TV-MA
Running Time: 264 minutes
Release: Jul 15, 2014

Season: 2 out of 5 stars
Extras: 3 out of 5 stars

“Black Dynamite” is an animated series based on the 2009’s cult classic feature film. Made with the direction of Carl Jones (“The Boondocks”), the series features the voice talent of Michael Jai White (“The Dark Knight”), Tommy Davidson (“In Living Color”), Kym Whitley (“The Cleveland Show”) and Byron Minns (“Mongo Wrestling Alliance”), all who were all in the film. I was excited about this show being a fan of the movie but it gets old very fast. By episode three, the fad of this being funny is long gone. This show hasn’t aired since September 2012 and yet Adult Swim supposedly has renewed it for a second season it air sometime in 2014, but it is already nearly July so not sure what is going on, nor do I really care to be honest. Put it this way if you like “The Boondocks”, which I do not, then you will love this show.

Official Premise: The series’ titular character Black Dynamite (Michael Jai White) is a 1970s renaissance man with a kung-fu grip. He is a lover and a fighter who is not afraid to leap before he looks. His sidekick extraordinaire is Bullhorn, the brains and cunning that complements Black Dynamite’s hard-hittin’, bone-crushin’ style. Providing comic relief on the mean streets is Cream Corn (Tommy Davidson) and classing up the place is the gorgeous Honey Bee (Kym Whitley).

What I do have to give to this show is a star for a it’s great episode titles: 1. “Just Beat It or Jackson Five Across Yo’ Eyes”; 2. “Bullhorn Nights or Murder She Throats (a.k.a Mandingo’s Got a Pink Toe)”; 3. “Taxes and Death or Get Him to the Sunset Strip!”; 4. “A Crisis at Christmas or The Dark Side of the Dark Side of the Moon”; 5. “Panic on the Player’s Ball Express or That’s Influenza Sucka!”; 6. “The $#*! That Killed The King or Weekend At Presley’s”; 7. “Apocalypse, This! or For the Pity of Fools (AKA Flashbacks Are Forever)”; 8. “Honky Kong or White Apes Can’t Hump”; 9. “The Race War or Big Black Cannon, Balls Run!”; “10. Seed of Kurtis AKA Father Is Just Another Word For Motherf#@ker”

Warner Bros is delivered this release as a combo pack with a Blu-ray + UltraViolet digital copy. The 1080p transfer works with the animation and looks good. But The Cartoon Network/Adult Swim Blu-ray’s always fall short in the audio department. This season only comes with a Dolby Digtal 5.1 track, which is a DVD track not a Blu-ray track. So that is a bit of a let down. In terms of special features, there is some decent content. There is a behind-the-scenes look into this show with “The Making of Black Dynamite”. There are also video commentaries with the cast and crew on selected episodes, which made watching them a little easier but not much. Lastly also included is the pilot episode for “Black Dynamite”.

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Blu-ray Review “Star Trek: The Next Generation, Season 6”

Starring: Patrick Stewart, Jonathan Frakes, Brent Spiner, Michael Dorn, Gates McFadden, Marina Sirtis
Number of discs: 6
Rated: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: Paramount
DVD Release Date: June 24, 2014
Run Time: 1175 minutes

Season: 5 out of 5 stars
Extras: 43.5 out of 5 stars

The sixth season of “Star Trek: The Next Generation” is easily one of my favorites. Each of the show’s characters have been developed so well by this point. This show was also airing the same time as “Deep Space Nine” but this season was still one of the most strongest of the series. Patrick Stewart really delivered some of his best performances with the following episodes “Chain of Command, Parts 1 and 2”. Also season six includes several well-known recurring characters, most importantly being Montgomery Scott, the Enterprise engineer from the Original Series, who is found alive and adjusting to the twenty-fourth century. This is also the second to last of the seasons, which means that most likely later this year this “Star Trek: The Next Generation” will be available complete on Blu-ray.

Here is the episode list for this season: Time’s Arrow, Part II; Realm of Fear; Man of the People; Relics; Schisms; True-Q; Rascals; A Fistful of Datas; The Quality of Life; Chain of Command, Part I; Chain of Command, Part II; Ship in a Bottle; Aquiel; Face of the Enemy; Tapestry; Birthright, Part I; Birthright, Part II; Starship Mine; Lessons; The Chase; Frame of Mind; Suspicions; Rightful Heir; Second Chances; Timescape and Descent, Part I. Brent Spiner’s dual performance as Data and his father Dr. Noonien Soong in “Birthright” are fantastic. Of course like I said above, the two part episode “Chain of Command” is literally one of the best arcs. Also Riker (Jonathan Frakes) copes with a bizarre identity crisis that pits him against himself in “Second Chances”.

Like the five seasons before this one, Paramount has consistently delivered this series with amazing releases. These episodes are newly remastered within their 1080p transfers.  The visual effects look better and overall the show just feels much sharper.  Since this show was shot on video and the special effects were set in their masters. They really went to town and delivered an impressive release yet again. Same goes for the DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 surround track, which is a such a treat for this series. I literally just got a new 7.1 surround sound system and I couldn’t help but turn it up to 11.

The special features are a step up again and deliver some great extras. There is are three audio commentary track included. The first is with Ronald D. Moore and Mike & Denise Okuda on “Relics”. Next is an audio commentary with Ronald D. Moore and Mike & Denise Okuda on “Tapestry”. Lastly there is an audio commentary with James L. Conway and Jonathan West on “Frame of Mind” . There are a few “Archival Mission Log” over first five discs focusing on “Mission Overview Year Six”, ” Bold New Directions”, “Departmental Briefing Year Six: Production and Dan Curry”, “Special Crew Profile: Lt. Cmdr. Data”, “Select Historical Data” and “Inside Starfleet Archives: Sets and Props”.

There are brand new deleted scenes on the following episodes Time’s Arrow, Part II, Relics, True Q, Ship in a Bottle, Face of the Enemy, Tapestry, Birthright, Part II, The Chase and Rightful Heir. The real star of this release is easily the brand new, three-part documentary “Beyond the Five Year Mission – The Evolution of Star Trek: The Next Generation” featuring fascinating interviews with cast and crew. Lastly there are episodic promos on each on the six discs and a new gag reel included.

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DVD Review “Masters of Sex: Season One”

Starring: Michael Sheen, Lizzy Caplan, Bobby Campo, Caitlin FitzGerald, Beau Bridges, Nicholas D’Agosto
Directors: John Madden, Michael Apted
Number of discs: 4
Rated: TV-MA
Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
DVD Release Date: June 24, 2014
Run Time: 677 minutes

Series: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Extras: 3 out of 5 stars

“Masters of Sex” is based on Thomas Maier’s biography “Masters of Sex: The Life and Times of William Masters and Virginia Johnson, the Couple Who Taught America How to Love”. The Showtime Original Series aired its first season last year, which consisted of 12 episodes. This is a smart, clever, sexy and very fun show. Showtime has renewed “Masters of Sex” for a second season, which will premiere on July 13th, so keep an eye out for more of this great show.

Official Premise: Based on the book by Thomas Maier, Masters of Sex stars Golden Globe and BAFTA Award nominee Michael Sheen and acclaimed actress Lizzy Caplan, who portray the real-life pioneers of the science of human sexuality, William Masters and Virginia Johnson. The series chronicles the unusual lives, romance and pop culture trajectory of Masters and Johnson and the effect their research had on the family and colleagues around them. Their study ignited a sexual revolution and took them from a Midwestern teaching hospital in St. Louis to the cover of Time magazine.

The show perfectly cast the amazing Michael Sheen (“TRON Legacy”) as Dr. William H. Masters and Lizzy Caplan (“True Blood”) as Dr. Virginia E. Johnson. These two have great chemistry together and really deliver some amazing performances. Co-starring alongside them are Nicholas D’Agosto (“Final Destination 5”) as Dr. Ethan Haas, Beau Bridges (“The Descendants”) as Provost Barton Scully and Allison Janney (“Finding Nemo”) as Margaret Scully.

The DVD includes the following special features, an audio commentary with Michael Sheen, Lizzy Caplan, Caitlin FitzGerald, Teddy Sears, Michelle Ashford & Sarah Timberman on the show’s pilot episode. “Making Masters of Sex” is a behind-the-scenes look of the series. “A Masterful Portrayal: Michael Sheen as Dr. Masters” is a feature on the beloved actor and his taking on the role. “Ahead of Her Time: Lizzy Caplan as Virginia Johnson” is a the same thing for the lead actress. Lastly there are deleted scenes included.

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Blu-ray Review “House of Cards: The Complete Second Season”

Starring: Kevin Spacey, Robin Wright, Reuel Pendleton, Sakina Jaffrey, Michael Kelly, Kristen Connolly
Directors: David Fincher, James Foley, Allen Coulter, Carl Franklin, Charles McDougall, Joel Schumacher
Number of discs: 4
Rated: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: Sony Pictures Home Ent
Release Date: June 17, 2014
Run Time: 663 minutes

Series: 5 out of 5 stars
Extras: 3.5 out of 5 stars

When I watched the first season of “House of Cards“, I thought what could be better than this season? Well that answer is easy because it is the second season. It is rare that a show not only stayed in line with the previous season but also surpasses it. The acting in this series just keeps blowing me away as well. Kevin Spacey really gets comfortable in the shoes of Frank Underwood and Robin Wright just stunning, not to mention the rest of this stellar cast. I dare you to watch one episode of this series and see if you don’t end up binging on it for the rest of the night. If you dig shows about the seedy world of politics, look no further because it doesn’t get any better than this…(I hope I can negate that statement when season three hits).

Official Premise: Masterful, beguiling and charismatic, Francis Underwood (Kevin Spacey) and his equally ambitious wife Claire (Robin Wright) continue their ruthless rise to power in Season 2 of ‘. Behind the curtain of power, sex, ambition, love, greed and corruption in modern Washington D.C. the Underwoods must battle threats past and present to avoid losing everything. As new alliances form and old ones succumb to deception and betrayal, they will stop at nothing to ensure their ascendancy.

Sony released The Complete Second Season of “House of Cards” on Blu-ray accompanied by a Ultraviolet Digital Copy. The 1080p  presentation of the episodes is near flawless. The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track worked perfectly so I can lean on every word spoken. The special features are another win for this release. “Two Houses” looks into at the original show and how this series came together. “Table Read” is a behind-the-scenes look cut with with the scenes from the show. “Direct Address” features how Francis Underwood speaks directly to viewers in both the original BBC series and this new adaptation. “Politics for Politics Sake” takes at looks into the politics themes in the show.  Lastly, “Line of Succession” looks into what goes into making an episode.

 

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DVD Review “Kung Fu: The Legend Continues – The Complete First Season”

Starring: David Carradine, Chris Potter
Created by: Ed Spielman
MPAA Rating: Not Rated
Distributed: Warner Archive
Release Date: May 27, 2014

Our Score: 2 out of 5 stars

“Kung Fu: The Legend Continues” is a spin-off of the 1972–1975 TV series “Kung Fu”. It ran from 1993-1997. I remember watching “Kung Fu as a kid and loving every single minute of it. Then I started watching the spin-off and I honestly just never got into it. It picks up after “Kung Fu: The Movie” with Kwai Chang Caine (David Carradine), grandson of the legendary hero of the Wild West, who teams up with his policeman son, Peter (Chris Potter), to tame the new Wild West – 90’s urban America. I guess it plays better if you are watching this in the 90’s, even though I wasn’t even thrilled then, but this show does not hold up today. If you are a hardcore fan, you may dig it otherwise it would have been better off getting lost in the wild west.

Official Premise: When we last saw Kwai Chang Caine, in “Kung Fu: the Movie”, he was united with the son he never knew he had in turn-of-the-century Wild West. Now, the son of that son, also named Kwai Chang Caine (David Carradine), must emerge from seclusion to save the son he thought lost. Like his legendary namesake, this Caine is also a warrior monk, operating a Shaolin temple in Northern California. After an evil priest, Tan (Ernest Abuba), destroys the temple, Caine and his young son, Peter (Nathaniel Moreau) each believe the other has perished. The two embark on very different paths ­ Caine wanders the Earth, while Peter (Chris Potter) becomes a cop. When fate brings the two together, they work to overcome their differing philosophies to battle Tan, and then help the innocent and bring justice to the new Wild West ­90’s urban America.

The best part of watching this show today is no question picking out all the guest stars from back in the day including Neve Campbell, Colm Feore, Katie Griffin, James Hong, Martin Kove, George Lazenby, Mako, Barry Morse, Sandra Oh, Regis Philbin, Mickey Rooney, John Schneider, Scott Speedman, Tara Strong, George Takei and of course Richard Carradine (Note these listed are throughout the whole series not just the first season). There are no special features included on this release, like most TV DVD series releases from Warner Archive. I assume that they are going to burn through the rest of this series mostly likely before the end of the year. So if you are a fan of this show, the next three seasons should be available soon so you can get all your 90’s cheesy goodness out.

 

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Peta Murgatroyd talks about this season of “Dancing with the Stars”

Peta Murgatroyd is a New Zealand born dancer who has been performing since the early age of 4. Peta has danced and competed all over the world and in 2004 she joined the cast of “Burn the Floor” on Broadway.  Peta is probably best known as part of the cast of the popular television show “Dancing with the Stars” where she has been partnered up with everyone from Metta World Peace to Donald Driver. She currently is dancing with Big Time Rush singer James Maslow on season 18 of the series. Media Mikes had the chance recently to speak with Peta about the show and her dancing career.

Adam Lawton: Can you tell us what first sparked you interest in dancing?
Peta Murgatroyd: I started ballet when I was 4 years old. I think that is something every mother starts out wanting their daughter to do. They want them to learn to be pretty and beautiful. I ended up absolutely falling in love with it and by 10 I knew that’s what I wanted to do as a career. I auditioned for the top ballet company in Perth, Australia and was accepted. During this time I changed schools and started attending a performing arts school. I had to make a lot of changes at this stage in my life. By the time I was 17 I was competing around the world and from there I started learning ball room dancing. I landed a spot in a show on Broadway which ended in 2009. After doing that for 6 years I felt I was at my peak and that it would be a good time/place to stop. I ended up turning to television and here I am.

AL: Was there ever a time early on in your career where you felt that maybe dancing wasn’t the right path for you?
PM: Absolutely! There were many times where I questioned not only myself but also my family as well. All of these things cost a lot of money. We were not poor but classes and everything were very expensive. I often had a job waitressing to help pay for some of my dresses and such. I often thought about if what I was doing was the right thing and if dancing was something I could make a career of. I always made sure that I did well with my schooling because I was just unsure as what was going to happen. I actually tried to give up my schooling at one point but my parents wouldn’t let me. I was traveling all over the world dancing while also studying for all of my classes and exams. In the end I put everything into dancing as I realized how much I did love it.

AL: How did you first get involved with “Dancing with the Stars”?
PM: The show was actually on in Australia and they had asked me to be on it however I wasn’t sure If I wanted to give up what I was doing at that time to be on a reality television show. That was just a lot to take on at a young age. When I was on Broadway the producers of “Dancing with the Stars” came to one of the performances and afterwards immediately handed me a contract to be on the show. That was pretty awesome! I didn’t have to audition or anything which was really cool. I let the first season go by as I wanted to watch how the show worked here in the U.S. My boyfriend at the time was actually on the show so I was able to watch him and really get a good idea of how things worked before I started on the next season.

AL:  What do you feel is the biggest challenge when getting paired up with your partner for the first time?
PM: There are lots of little challenges along the way but probably the biggest thing is just getting to know your partner and how they work with a woman in a room for six hours a day. (Laughs) Sometimes I might not know a lot about my partner beforehand so I look them up on Google. It’s really great to see how far you can push your partner and help them become a better dancer and progress through the contest week after week.

AL: Can you give us a little bit of an idea as to what goes on behind the scenes during the show?
PM: I wish they showed more of the rehearsal time. A lot of what they show is just a minute or two from a week’s worth of rehearsal. The producers choose those scenes and a lot of times they are trying to follow a story line. There is just so much more that goes on and there are a lot of funny moments that happen. They often tend to follow just one emotion. With me they tend to follow more of my serious side. That’s just one piece of my personality. I am always goofing and like to have a lot of fun. I wish the viewers could see all the different emotions and fun we have leading up to each performance.

AL: Are you working on any other projects after this season of the show wraps up?
PM: I am going to be performing for a week in Canada as part of a theater show there. I have a number of appearances and little shows booked here and there but my main focus after this season ends is to continue on with my acting. When I’m not working on the show that’s my time to go through scripts and go on auditions. When I am working on “Dancing with the Stars” I really have no time for anything else.

AL: Were you always interested in perusing acting alongside dancing?
PM: Acting was something that I always wanted to do and explore. I have found that I really enjoy character dances. I found I really know how to get into a character and I love the acting side of things.  Acting is certainly still new to me and I have been taking classes and working with a private coach to help me get stronger. Acting is something I would love to be able to crossover in to.

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Blu-ray Review “Dragon Ball Z: Season Four”

Starring: Sean Schemmel, Stephanie Nadolny, Christopher Sabat, Daisuke Gōri, Mayumi Tanaka, Kenji Utsumi
Director: Daisuke Nishio, Mike McFarland
Number of discs: 4
Rated: Unrated
Studio: Funimation
Release Date: May 13, 2014
Run Time: 755 minutes

Season: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Blu-ray: 4 out of 5 stars
Extras: 3 out of 5 stars

FUNimation Entertainment is power housing through this series starting with the first at the beginning of the year and averaging about a season a month. Season Five is already set for release on June 24th as well. “Dragon Ball Z: Season Four” was personally never my all-time favorite. It follows the Garlic Jr., Trunks and Androids Sagas. This uncut collection features episodes 108-139 of the classic anime series, which are presented in remastered high definition for the first time ever.  These episodes have never looked better. If you are a fan of “Dragon Ball Z”, this is yet another impressive release! Keep them coming Funimation!

Official Synopsis: Having returned victorious from their battle with Frieza, the Z-fighters can at last breathe a collective sigh of relief. But they won’t have long to rest. A new host of villains has appeared, ready to wreak havoc on the Earth – and Goku, the Z-Fighters’ greatest hero, is still missing!

These episodes have undergone a frame-by-frame restoration to remove any blemishes, tape marks and foreign bodies from the film. Funimation has been consistently delivering for the fans on this series and this season is no different. There are three audio tracks included, the Japanese audio and two English tracks: the U.S. English-language broadcast dub and a mix with English dialogue and Japanese music. These have also been re-mastered in the interest of noise reduction and superior sound quality. This series has also received a precise shot-by-shot reframing to create “a modern HD widescreen presentation.” So quality is the key word here for sure.

Like the seasons two and three, Funimation has stepped up from the first season and delivered some decent special features with this season. There is a two part interview series with “Inside Dragon Ball Z” featuring chats with Matthew O’Hara and Daniel Mancilla. There is also a feeaturette called “From the Vault” with a look into Goku vs. Vegeta and “The World of Dragon Ball Z”. Lastly there is also Textless opening and closing songs and trailers included.  I am holding that that we will be getting some commentary tracks on this series before we get to season 9, fingers crossed!

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DVD Review “True Blood: The Complete Sixth Season”

Actors: Anna Paquin, Stephen Moyer, Sam Trammell, Ryan Kwanten, Alexander Skarsgård
Creator: Alan Ball
Number of discs: 4
Rated: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: HBO Home Video
DVD Release Date: June 3, 2014
Run Time: 600 minutes

Series: 4 out of 5 stars
Extras: 3.5 out of 5 stars

“True Blood” even though the series has an end in sight, the sixth season shows no signs of slowing down. I personally think it is just as sexy, scary, entertaining as it was in the first season. With Vampire Bill being rebirthed as a powerful ancient deity to Louisiana Governor Truman Burrell declaring open season on all vampires to Sookie Stackhouse finding herself sidelined by a mysterious stranger with a hidden agenda, this season is the most exciting yet. Like I said, the end is near and fans can catch up on this season before the final season makes its HBO debut this summer. This is also the series first season with out creator Alan Ball, who left to work on HBO’s “Banshee”. So fans were worried but I feel that this show has grow so much since the first and I can’t wait to see what they have planned for season seven!

Official Premise: Season six introduces several exciting new story lines that threaten what little sense of normalcy remains in Bon Temps, The Authority is in flames, and True Blood is in short supply. As Bill comes to terms with his newfound powers after emerging reincarnated from a pool of blood, Louisiana’s governor has declared war, replete with novel anti-vamp weapons and a high-tech internment camp established to wipe out the vampire race forever. Meanwhile, Sookie and Jason must steel themselves for an encounter with their parents’ killer: the mysterious and ancient Warlow.

The cast continues to shines as well. Regulars like Anna Paquin, Stephen Moyer, Alexander Skarsgård, Ryan Kwanten, Rutina Wesley, Sam Trammell, Nelsan Ellis, Deborah Ann Woll, Kristin Bauer van Straten and Joe Manganiello all really step up there game this season. Also joining them are new cast for season six includeing: Arliss Howard as Louisiana Governor Truman Burrell; Rob Kazinsky as Ben, a stranger with faerie ties; Rutger Hauer as Niall, a faerie grandfather; Jurnee Smollett-Bell as Nicole, a pro-vampire activist; and Amelia Rose Blaire as Truman Burrell’s daughter, Willa. Did I mention I can’t wait till season seven?

This DVD set comes with the full 10-episode season and I am very upset to find out that there is no Ultraviolet digital copy included with this…only Blu-ray. Honestly, that is a real bummer…what does it seriously cost HBO to include this?  There are also less special features on the DVD set than the Blu-ray set. Here only get ten clips of “Inside the Episodes” going behind the scenes on each with the show’s writers. There are five audio commentaries with cast/crew including executive producer Brian Buckner, Stephen Moyer, Carrie Preston, Amelia Rose Blaire and more! Lastly there are previews & recaps included.

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DVD Review “Maverick: The Complete Fifth Season”

Starring: Jack Kelly, Marie Windsor, Sig Ruman, Reginald Owen, Kathleen Crowley, Jim Backus
Distributed by: Warner Archive
MPAA Rating: Not Rated
Running Time: 650 minutes

Our Score: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Every good thing comes to an end. The legend of the West, Jack Kelly returns in the role of Bart Maverick, sans James Gardner in the role of Bret for the fifth and final season of “Maverick”. This was a great show and a strong ending season as well. I wasn’t sure how it was going to hold up without Gardner but I really enjoyed Bart riding solo. Notable guest stars this season include Marie Windsor, Sig Ruman, Reginald Owen, Kathleen Crowley and Jim Backus. Like past seasons, there are no additional special features includes besides this short 13-episode season.

Official Premise: This 3-Disc, 13-Episode Collection closes out the original series run with Jack Kelly riding solo as Bart Maverick. When the series originally aired, these new episodes were ran alternating weeks with re-runs featuring Garner’s Bret Maverick from series 1-3. Kelly’s Bart gets plenty of time to shine as this season pits the wily card sharp up against crooked senators, four-flushing bankers, glamorous grifters, wish-granting leprechauns, and Bonanza-spoofing ranchers.

Even though “Maverick: The Complete Fifth Season” marks the end of the series, the Maverick brothers would end up returning again, with Garner playing Bret in “The New Maverick” TV movie (1978) and the “Bret Maverick” series (1981-82), both guest-starring Kelly as Bart. In the word of old Pappy “You can’t keep a good cardsharp and con artist down.” That’s not even counting the 1994 remake with Mel Gibson and Jodie Foster either. It’s been 20 years and James Gardner is still kicking, I think it about time for another revival…am I right or what?

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Filed Under: DVD/Blu-Ray Reviews Tagged With: complete, dvd, maverick, review, season

DVD Review “Without a Trace: The Complete Seventh Season”

Starring: Anthony La Paglia, Poppy Montgomery, Marianne Jean-Baptiste, Roselyn Sanchez, Eric Close, Enrique Murciano
Distributed by: Warner Archive
Rating: Not Rated
Running Time: 1024 minutes

Our Score: 3.5 out of 5 stars

“Without a Trace” is a police procedural television drama series that originally aired on CBS from September 26, 2002 to May 19, 2009. It followed a group called the Missing Persons Unit (MPU) of the FBI in New York City. The seventh season was also the last for this show. In fact, it was announced on the finale night for this one that their will not be an eight season. This show really had some wit to it and really packed a solid cast. It was also one of the rare shows like “Castle” that in fact got better with each season. Thanks to Warner Archive for keeping this show alive as it has been releasing each season on DVD. I would have loved to seen this get the Blu-ray treatment like the recently released “The Mentalist” DVD is better than nothing. Like the past seasons as well, no additional special features included aside from the 24 episodes. A must purchase if you are a fan of the show to complete your series collection.

Official Premise: Senior agent Jack Malone (Anthony LaPaglia) is a tough, compassionate professional who, until recently, was the head of the special New York based FBI task force known as the Missing Persons Squad. Demoted after his renegade style got him into trouble one too many times, Jack still knows all too well that every second counts when someone vanishes, and begrudgingly adjusts to life with his new boss and the new head of the squad, Clark Medina (recurring guest star Steven Weber). Despite their best efforts, the team members are only human. As the agents work on varied and complicated cases, details about their personal lives continue to unfold. This season, Samantha Spade (Poppy Montgomery) deals with being a single mom and resourceful agent Elena Delgado (Roselyn Sanchez) recovers from a recent and unpleasant custody battle with her ex.

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Filed Under: Film Headlines Tagged With: complete, dvd, review, season, seventh, trace, ...

Blu-ray Review “I Love Lucy: Ultimate Season 1”

Starring: Lucille Ball, Desi Arnaz, William Frawley, Vivian Vance
Number of discs: 6
Rated: Unrated
Studio: Paramount
DVD Release Date: May 6, 2014
Run Time: 907 minutes

Season: 4 out of 5 stars
Extras: 4 out of 5 stars

“I Love Lucy”, who doesn’t? This 1950’s classic television show is coming to Blu-ray thanks to CBS and Paramount Home Entertainment in this 6-disc Blu-ray release of “Ultimate Season 1”. This season includes the first 35 episodes of the show, which starred the legendary Lucille Ball, Desi Arnaz, William Frawley and Vivian Vance. This season includes some of the most beloved episodes includes “The Ballet”, “Pioneer Women” and “The Freezer”. These episodes are still hysterical today and that just proves how amazing this show was going strong still over 60 years later. I am looking forward to the rest of the seasons hopefully season two will come later this year, hint hint!

Official Synopsis: You’ve loved and laughed at Lucy, Ricky, Fred, and Ethel for years, but you’ve never seen I Love Lucy like this on glorious high-definition. Coming to Blu-ray in a highly collectible set with special gloss packaging that includes every episode from the first season, each one beautifully restored in high definition, in original night-of-broadcast form with original sponsor openings and closings. The set also includes a number of as yet undetailed special features, many never before released on home video.

These episodes are presented in their original aspect ratio: 1.33:1 and have never looked better. The pilot episode has also been remastered from a newly discovered original 35mm negative. The episodes look extremely crisp and have very sharp black color (since the show is black and white only). The audio comes with a PCM 2.0 mono track that has been cleaned up a bunch and really delivers the comedy aspects very well for this show. Paramount really has been great with restoring older shows to Blu-ray ala “Star Trek: The Next Generation”.

Here are a full listing of the episodes includes for season 1. “Pilot”; “The Girls Want to Go to a Nightclub”; “Be a Pal”; “The Diet”; “Lucy Thinks Ricky Is Trying to Murder Her”; “The Quiz Show”; “The Audition”; “The Séance”; “Men Are Messy”; “The Fur Coat”; “Lucy Is Jealous of a Girl Singer”; “Drafted”; “The Adagio”; “The Benefit”; “The Amateur Hour”; “Lucy Plays Cupid”; “Lucy Fakes Illness”; “Lucy Writes a Play”; “Breaking the Lease”; “The Ballet”; “The Young Fans”; “New Neighbors”, “Fred and Ethel Fight”; “The Moustache; “The Gossip”; “Pioneer Women”; “The Marriage License”; “The Kleptomaniac”; “Cuban Pals”; “The Freezer”; “Lucy Does a TV Commercial”; “The Publicity Agent”; “Lucy Gets Ricky on the Radio”; “Lucy’s Schedule”, “Ricky Thinks He’s Getting Bald” and “Ricky Asks for a Raise”

The special features are equally impressive as the season itself. First we have “I Love Lucy: The Very First Show CBS special”, which is a great. There are audio commentary on select episodes by Lucille Ball, Desi Arnes, Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Davis, Bob Carroll, Jr. and others. There are 13 episodes includes with alternate elements, which is a real nice bonus. There are on-set color “home movies” from the season. There are also selected episodes of Lucille Ball’s “My Favorite Husband” radio series. Lastly there are bloopers, guest cast bios, production notes and photo galleries included.

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Filed Under: DVD/Blu-Ray Reviews Tagged With: 1, bluray, love, lucy, review, season, ...

DVD Review “Broadchurch: The Complete First Season”

Actors: David Tennant, Olivia Colman, Jodie Whittaker, David Bradley, Arthur Darvill
Created by: Chris Chibnall
Number of discs: 3
Rated: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: Entertainment One
DVD Release Date: April 1, 2014
Run Time: 394 minutes

Season: 4 out of 5 stars
Extras: 2.5 out of 5 stars

David Tennant can honestly do no wrong. He won us all over in his portrayal of the the 10th Doctor in the BBC hit revival series of “Doctor Who”. His latest series “Broadchurch” introduces us to Detective Inspector Alec Hardy, another role in which he nails. The show is a serial drama/thriller which centres on the death of an eleven-year-old boy, and the search for his killer. Just in the first season this show netted very high ratings and much critical acclaim. I really enjoyed this show and I am glad to see it finally get a US release. I wish Entertainment One could have given it a Blu-ray like in the UK personally. If you love David Tennant (who doesn’t), then I highly recommend this series.

Official Premise: Two detectives – the strong yet compassionate Detective Sergeant, Ellie Miller, and the by-the-book Detective Inspector, Alec Hardy – are brought together to solve the murder of an eleven year-old boy on a picturesque beach in a small coastal town. Under the glare of the media spotlight, the two race to find the killer, while the clock ticks and the mystery deepens.

Fun fact, Tennant’s co-star in this show Olivia Colman plays Detective Sergeant Ellie Miller. She also appeared in episode 5.1 of “Doctor Who” called “The Eleventh Hour” but missed Tennant’s reign by one episode. “Broadchurch: The Complete First Season” comes as a three-disc set contain all eight episodes. In terms of special features there is a making of featurette “Broadchurch: Behind the Scenes” and a few Deleted Scenes included. I would have loved to see some commentary tracks on these episodes which were originally included in the UK Blu-ray release.

Well “Broadchurch” fans, reassured since series 2 of this show is in currently development. If you don’t believe me watch the last episdoe of this season and you will see that “Broadchurch Will Return”. But wait there is more. Fox is also producing a US remake of “Broadchurch” to air in the 2014–15 season, called “Gracepoint”…and wait for it…David Tennant is playing the lead (again) detective named Emmett Carver. So it is going to be a broad future for this show. Keep it coming!

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Filed Under: DVD/Blu-Ray Reviews Tagged With: broadchurch, complete, dvd, review, season
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