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12/12/2015DVDs: "12 Years A Slave," "Gravity," "Nebraska," "Hunger Games" & More Arrive On BluRay, DVD | Evernote Web
https://www.evernote.com/Home.action#n=9c9e1f9f-3ee9-4293-a85e-58d2a8acbe40&ses=4&sh=2&sds=5&1/4DVDs: "12 Years A Slave," "Gravity," "Nebraska,""Hunger Games" & More Arrive On BluRay, DVDDVDs: "12 Years A Slave," "Gravity," "Nebraska," "Hunger Games" &More Arrive On BluRay, DVDA flood of Oscar winners and hopefuls come flooding into BluRay, DVD, VOD and other venues. Let's getstarted!12 YEARS A SLAVE ($39.99 BluRay combo; Fox) GRAVITY ($35.99 BluRay combo; Warner Bros.) NEBRASKA ($39.99 BluRay combo; Paramount) BLUE IS THE WARMEST COLOR ($24.95 BluRay; Criterion) -- I cannot join the praise for 12 Years A Slave,though at the very least I'm glad the film's release prompted me to read the classic slave narrative by SolomonNorthrup. Despite flaws of its own (mainly, the need to stick to the classic tropes of such works, including akindly master to contrast to the slave master and the rescue by a Canadian), it's a compelling work with suchaccuracy in its broad outlines that historians were able to track down some of the locations described in thebook and confirm its essential truth. The film was directed by Steve McQueen and like David O. Russell, hiscareer seems to becoming more successful and less interesting. Hunger was a bold, bracing debut. Shame wasa less successful but still idiosyncratic follow-up while 12 Years A Slave seems devoid of any directorialpersonality. It signally fails to convey the passage of time: it feels more like 12 Weeks A Slave. That's no smallpoint since the oppressiveness and bleakness of Northrup's situation is obviously compounded by its length. Butthe actors are committed and two scenes struck home with me. One is the slave auction overseen in a home byPaul Giamatti, an experience chilling in its indifference to the humans being sold. The other is the scene wherethe reserved, keeps-to-himself Northrup finds himself drawn into the singing of a spiritual. Intellectually, we knowthat spirituals were important as a form of release, a chance for these captive people to express their anguishand sorrow and determination to survive in a way that would not bring down punishment. But rarely has thatcome across so movingly as it does here. Needless to say, it's a landmark work on many levels (bothcommercially and in terms of winning Best Picture) that will long outlast my indifference to it as a work of art.Gravity is inevitably paired with two other movies about lone survivors (though not, oddly enough, LoneSurvivor) -- those are Captain Phillips and All Is Lost. Gravity is my least favorite but it's still a fun popcorn ridefor one viewing. Sandra Bullock is an astronaut who finds herself facing incredible odds when disaster strikesand she must use every ounce of will-power and smarts to survive and try to get back down to Earth again. It's atechnical achievement, to be sure, but to everyone wowed by the feeling that they were really in space, I say gowatch 2001: A Space Odyssey. That film is just as convincing and stunning to behold and you don't need to don3-D glasses. (I did not preview the 3-D version for the home.) That leaves the story -- as it should. The bestspecial effects in the world won't save a crappy story and crappy special effects can't hold back a good one.Audiences clearly gobbled up this one, though the twists were modest and, to me, the final shot so overdone Icouldn't help giggling. It's fun, but I doubt you'd want to watch it more than once or twice at most. Once the rideis over, a second go-round just emphasizes the flatness of what's been accomplished.I don't care how many times he says differently, director Alexander Payne has a real disdain for the heartlandand the people who live in it. That comes across most strongly in Nebraska, his latest film. A road trip movie inwhich son Will Forte takes his father Bruce Dern on a journey to secure his winning prize money. In truth, Dern
12/12/2015DVDs: "12 Years A Slave," "Gravity," "Nebraska," "Hunger Games" & More Arrive On BluRay, DVD | Evernote Web
https://www.evernote.com/Home.action#n=9c9e1f9f-3ee9-4293-a85e-58d2a8acbe40&ses=4&sh=2&sds=5&2/4is suffering from dementia and can't distinguish between reality and fantasy; Forte is indulging him and maybetaking an opportunity to spend time with his dad before that opportunity is gone for good. It's the mockery ofrelatives and neighbors that makes the film unpleasant. Awkward and ugly women squawking out off-key atkaraoke, lumpen relatives who seem almost mentally challenged and stare numbly at the television -- it's all soobvious and so mean-spirited. Dern is very good as the wavering father and June Squibb is fun as his wife,though she relishes too much some of her character's outrageous behavior to let us be shocked as well. Fortehowever is hopeless as the son, deeply challenged as an actor and unable to hold up his end of what isessentially a two-hander for much of the film. His fundamental inability to act or emote with any conviction (hespends the film frozen, desperately hoping that underplaying everything will somehow register as real)torpedoes what might have been a modest success.It used to be a spectacle like Gravity had to be seen in a theater to be appreciated. And certainly most peoplefelt the same way, given its tremendous success. But thanks to large screen TVs and great sound systems, infact spectacles like Gravity also play really well in the home. In fact, it may be quiet demanding fare like Blue IsThe Warmest Color that need to be seen in a theater for the first time. This three hour French film about firstlove blooming between two teenage girls was a major success in Europe, but here in the US it came and wentwithout much fanfare, despite some great reviews. Surely cineastes will want to check it out. But being trappedin a movie theater with an audience focused and committed to a drama like this is a powerful thing. At homeyou're tempted to pause and chat and go to the bathroom and answer the phone and a million other things. Ajoyride like Gravity can handle the noise. A quiet drama like this with two very talented actresses holding thescreen might actually be better at the movies. So when you put it on, try not to let the world distract you. By theway, this edition is no-frills and Criterion plays to release a special edition later in the year.LES PETITS MEURTRES D'AGATHA CHRISTIE SET 1 ($59.99 DVD; Acorn) L.A. LAW SEASON ONE ($29.93 DVD; Shout Factory) DOCTOR WHO: THE TIME OF THE DOCTOR ($19.98 BluRay; BBC Home Entertainment) THE MIDDLE FOURTH SEASON ($44.98 DVD; Warner Bros.) RAWHIDE SEASON SEVEN VOLUMES ONE & TWO ($46.99 each on DVD; CBS/Paramount) THE VENTURE BROS. SEASON FIVE ($31.97 BluRay; Turner Home Entertainment) ABOVE SUSPICION SET 3 ($29.99 DVD; Acorn) -- What a delightful surprise! French television has takensome classic Agatha Christie mysteries and created a new duo (Superintendent Larosiere, a lady's man and hissidekick Inspector Lampion, who prefers the men) to investigate. Set in the 1930s, you get the allure of France,a duo rather than Christie's usual solo acts (Poirot and Marple) and somehow it freshens up the tales very nicelyindeed. I didn't even know I wanted French adaptations of Christie solved by a made-up dup but now I wantmore. Les Petits Meurtres A definite must for fans of Christie. (The last of seven mysteries features a new teamin the 1950s; it's fine, but I hope the main dup returns with more adventures.)Nothing could help but suffer compared to the landmark series Hill Street Blues. But L.A. Law took over theThursday at 10 pm slot on NBC and ran with it: huge ratings (better than Hill Street usually got), tons of criticalacclaim and an excellent cast that shot to stardom (or reclaimed it). Nonetheless, even at the time, I felt theglossy jumps from high drama to low comedy and the general hijinks of this high-powered firm were a bit muchand time has not been kind to it. What once seemed bold now just seems silly. What once pretended to drama isnow clearly soap. By the time of the Venus Butterfly and people falling down elevator shafts, I was lookingelsewhere. Still, it's a good cast led by many who would never have better roles, including Michael Tucker, JillEikenberry, Harry Hamlin, Jimmy Smits, Susan Dey and Corbin Bernsen. Dated, very dated, but still fun forthose wanting nostalgia. The rest will see this as not close to today's standards. Finally, it's great to have itcoming out, but eight seasons dribbling out one by one feels wrong. Anyone wanting to own the first seasonwould probably want the entire season. The season by season release of TV shows from 28 years ago feelsexpensive and pointless.
12/12/2015DVDs: "12 Years A Slave," "Gravity," "Nebraska," "Hunger Games" & More Arrive On BluRay, DVD | Evernote Web
https://www.evernote.com/Home.action#n=9c9e1f9f-3ee9-4293-a85e-58d2a8acbe40&ses=4&sh=2&sds=5&3/4Okay, let's just all agree that the real finale for the Eleventh Doctor Matt Smith was the terrific special The DayOf The Doctor that aired all over the world (and presumably in other dimensions and verses) at the same time inNovember. The holiday special The Time Of The Doctor is a tepid denouement. Christmas often brings out thebest in the Doctor (and the writers) but they clearly shot their creative ammo with the gripping Day Of TheDoctor. Here's there's a planet in danger, a Christmas dinner issue that's never really tied in or resolved nicelyand Smith running around trying to gin up enthusiasm for a very sub-par storyline. Ah well. Fans will appreciatethe many extras, including a "Farewell To Matt Smith" narrated by Alex Kingston, who made a great River Songand would have been an even greater Doctor.The Middle keeps trucking along, delivering solid family entertainment with a strong cast, much like star PatriciaHeaton's Everybody Loves Raymond did for many years. This show isn't quite in that league, but it's good andthat's certainly better than most. You get the usual travails of a family, with kids facing college, driving examsand the perils of the lunch room with the well-intended advice of parents who are loving, but have problems oftheir own. Heaton and Neil Flynn are very good as the folks. Charlie McDermott and Eden Sher are excellent asthe teenage kids, with only Atticus Shaffer descending into sitcom-y territory with his unrealistic and weirdoyoungest kid Brick. Dial back his nuttiness, writers and let this show's realism remain its strong suit.Rawhide is of course the western that launched the career of Clint Eastwood. In the eighth and final season, hewould become the boss of the cattle drive. But here he's still learning from trail boss Gil (Eric Fleming). It's agood show with some very strong episodes that would be ideal for highlighting in a greatest hits set that wouldsurely reach a lot more people than the entire series season by season. Certainly the price here for half aseason of a TV show that aired 50 years ago is just plain nutty. It's great to have entire series available for thosethat want it. But especially for shows without season long arcs, many dramas (and virtually all comedies) woulddo better to promote a well-chosen highlights set, say the 12 best episodes with lots of extras. Why not reallyexploit these libraries rather than just dutifully put out seasons for the faithful?Everyone probably made jokes about the homoerotic and just plain silly nature of Jonny Quest back in the day.But to turn that one-joke idea into a TV series -- and a clever one at that -- is surely unexpected. But that'sexactly what The Venture Bros. has done. Season five had the fewest number of episodes yet (eight, plus twospecials, all included here) but at least season six is on the way this summer. It's a goofy show, with SergeantHatred as the bodyguard who's awfully fond of his charges and super villain The Monarch inspiring all sorts ofbutterfly jokes. Don't be fooled by the first season; they were just getting their legs. And dig the cover art! Thatdeserves to be a wall poster all on its own.Helen Mirren has so many accomplishments that she's not over-shadowed by her triumphant work on PrimeSuspect. But that show's creator Lynda La Plante surely is. There are worse problems than creating a classic TVseries. But sometimes it does get in the way of people seeing your other work. That's certainly the case in theUS with her series Above Suspicion. It's not a patch on Prime Suspect, but is solid and entertaining and wellacted, with Kelly Reilly and Ciarin Hinds especially welcome in this final mystery where they're delving into thedeath of an actress. Good stuff.THE HUNGER GAMES: CATCHING FIRE ($39.99 BluRay combo; Lionsgate) THOR: THE DARK WORLD ($39.99 3-D BluRay combo; Disney) FREE FALL ($24.95 DVD; Wolfe) PEOPLE OF A FEATHER ($27.95 DVD; First Run Features) MUSCLE SHOALS ($29.98 DVD; Magnolia) -- The second film in the Hunger Games tetralogy received someweird complaints from fans. It was so slow, they said; it took forever to get to the action. They were right but itjust seemed weird to me that anyone would complain. The Hunger Games seemed like the Twilight movies tome, though with better reviews. To me, the first film was very faithful to the fun books by Suzanne Collins, muchto its detriment. It had some very silly costumes, nutty hairdos to indicate the decadent future and cheap special
12/12/2015DVDs: "12 Years A Slave," "Gravity," "Nebraska," "Hunger Games" & More Arrive On BluRay, DVD | Evernote Web
https://www.evernote.com/Home.action#n=9c9e1f9f-3ee9-4293-a85e-58d2a8acbe40&ses=4&sh=2&sds=5&4/4effects (especially the embarrassing "Girl On Fire" effect). But everyone ate it up. The second film seemed, tome, exactly like the first with all the attendant strengths and weaknesses. But somehow this time fans weren't asthrilled. Blame Collins: the second book has a lot of politics and infighting before the slaughter begins.Personally, I wish the final two parts were six months apart rather than a year, but what do I know? It's makingmoney hand over fist. And enough with the Peeta haters. He's a hero and a fighter, sacrificing everything for hislove and his country. Gale just wants to run away! (Take that, Liam Hemsworth.) Unlike the Twilight films (whichgot so bad I stopped going), I'll keep watching these.I'll also keep watching Thor, though I assume Liam's brother Chris won't be back on screen as the Marvel herountil The Avengers. Thor really is an impossible role that works best in small doses (which is why he was somuch more fun as part of a team than on his own). It also didn't help having Thor wandering around Earth theway he did, with all sorts of jokey humor. Thor: The Dark World works better because it's set more on Asgardwhere he's not a walking, talking punchline to every scene. It's by no means a good movie, but it's certainlymore watchable than the first. Fans will be pleased.Free Fall is Germany's Brokeback Mountain. Well, that tells you pretty much everything you need to know aboutthis drama about a cop who finds a running partner for his morning workout and then eventually realizes thereare other, better ways to burn calories. Hanno Koffler of Summer Storm proves he's not a one-hot wonder. Thiswell-reviewed drama is not, I think, the cultural landmark that Brokeback was but it is a solid showcase forKoffler and Max Reimelt of Before The Fall.People of a Feather shows the Inuits fighting to adapt and survive amidst a changing Arctic, as embodied by theeider duck and their warm feathers. Like so many films made in the harsh north, it's sobering to see globalwarming's effect, inspiring to see how beautiful this untrammeled parts of the world can be and a lot more fun tosee it on DVD than go there yourself. Fiji, yes, but the Arctic? I prefer to explore it on film.20 Feet From Stardom got all the love this Oscar season. But fans of music will also want to check out MuscleShoals, a look at one of the legendary studios of pop music, located in Alabama and the well-spring for moreclassic music than you can imagine. Mick Jagger, Etta James, Gregg Allman, Alicia Keys, Percy Sledge andmany others weigh in on one of the keystones of rock and soul.Thanks for reading. Michael Giltz is the founder and CEO of BookFilter, a book lover's best friend. It's a websitethat lets you browse for books online the way you do in a physical bookstore, provides comprehensive info onnew releases every week in every category and offers passionate personal recommendations every step of theway. It's like a fall book preview or holiday gift guide -- but every week in every category. He's also the cohost ofShowbiz Sandbox, a weekly pop culture podcast that reveals the industry take on entertainment news of the dayand features top journalists and opinion makers as guests. It's available for free on iTunes. Visit Michael Giltz athis website and his daily blog.Note: Michael Giltz is provided with free copies of DVDs and Blu-rays with the understanding that he would beconsidering them for review. Generally, he does not guarantee to review and he receives far more titles than hecan cover.
https://www.evernote.com/Home.action#n=9c9e1f9f-3ee9-4293-a85e-58d2a8acbe40&ses=4&sh=2&sds=5&1/4DVDs: "12 Years A Slave," "Gravity," "Nebraska,""Hunger Games" & More Arrive On BluRay, DVDDVDs: "12 Years A Slave," "Gravity," "Nebraska," "Hunger Games" &More Arrive On BluRay, DVDA flood of Oscar winners and hopefuls come flooding into BluRay, DVD, VOD and other venues. Let's getstarted!12 YEARS A SLAVE ($39.99 BluRay combo; Fox) GRAVITY ($35.99 BluRay combo; Warner Bros.) NEBRASKA ($39.99 BluRay combo; Paramount) BLUE IS THE WARMEST COLOR ($24.95 BluRay; Criterion) -- I cannot join the praise for 12 Years A Slave,though at the very least I'm glad the film's release prompted me to read the classic slave narrative by SolomonNorthrup. Despite flaws of its own (mainly, the need to stick to the classic tropes of such works, including akindly master to contrast to the slave master and the rescue by a Canadian), it's a compelling work with suchaccuracy in its broad outlines that historians were able to track down some of the locations described in thebook and confirm its essential truth. The film was directed by Steve McQueen and like David O. Russell, hiscareer seems to becoming more successful and less interesting. Hunger was a bold, bracing debut. Shame wasa less successful but still idiosyncratic follow-up while 12 Years A Slave seems devoid of any directorialpersonality. It signally fails to convey the passage of time: it feels more like 12 Weeks A Slave. That's no smallpoint since the oppressiveness and bleakness of Northrup's situation is obviously compounded by its length. Butthe actors are committed and two scenes struck home with me. One is the slave auction overseen in a home byPaul Giamatti, an experience chilling in its indifference to the humans being sold. The other is the scene wherethe reserved, keeps-to-himself Northrup finds himself drawn into the singing of a spiritual. Intellectually, we knowthat spirituals were important as a form of release, a chance for these captive people to express their anguishand sorrow and determination to survive in a way that would not bring down punishment. But rarely has thatcome across so movingly as it does here. Needless to say, it's a landmark work on many levels (bothcommercially and in terms of winning Best Picture) that will long outlast my indifference to it as a work of art.Gravity is inevitably paired with two other movies about lone survivors (though not, oddly enough, LoneSurvivor) -- those are Captain Phillips and All Is Lost. Gravity is my least favorite but it's still a fun popcorn ridefor one viewing. Sandra Bullock is an astronaut who finds herself facing incredible odds when disaster strikesand she must use every ounce of will-power and smarts to survive and try to get back down to Earth again. It's atechnical achievement, to be sure, but to everyone wowed by the feeling that they were really in space, I say gowatch 2001: A Space Odyssey. That film is just as convincing and stunning to behold and you don't need to don3-D glasses. (I did not preview the 3-D version for the home.) That leaves the story -- as it should. The bestspecial effects in the world won't save a crappy story and crappy special effects can't hold back a good one.Audiences clearly gobbled up this one, though the twists were modest and, to me, the final shot so overdone Icouldn't help giggling. It's fun, but I doubt you'd want to watch it more than once or twice at most. Once the rideis over, a second go-round just emphasizes the flatness of what's been accomplished.I don't care how many times he says differently, director Alexander Payne has a real disdain for the heartlandand the people who live in it. That comes across most strongly in Nebraska, his latest film. A road trip movie inwhich son Will Forte takes his father Bruce Dern on a journey to secure his winning prize money. In truth, Dern
12/12/2015DVDs: "12 Years A Slave," "Gravity," "Nebraska," "Hunger Games" & More Arrive On BluRay, DVD | Evernote Web
https://www.evernote.com/Home.action#n=9c9e1f9f-3ee9-4293-a85e-58d2a8acbe40&ses=4&sh=2&sds=5&2/4is suffering from dementia and can't distinguish between reality and fantasy; Forte is indulging him and maybetaking an opportunity to spend time with his dad before that opportunity is gone for good. It's the mockery ofrelatives and neighbors that makes the film unpleasant. Awkward and ugly women squawking out off-key atkaraoke, lumpen relatives who seem almost mentally challenged and stare numbly at the television -- it's all soobvious and so mean-spirited. Dern is very good as the wavering father and June Squibb is fun as his wife,though she relishes too much some of her character's outrageous behavior to let us be shocked as well. Fortehowever is hopeless as the son, deeply challenged as an actor and unable to hold up his end of what isessentially a two-hander for much of the film. His fundamental inability to act or emote with any conviction (hespends the film frozen, desperately hoping that underplaying everything will somehow register as real)torpedoes what might have been a modest success.It used to be a spectacle like Gravity had to be seen in a theater to be appreciated. And certainly most peoplefelt the same way, given its tremendous success. But thanks to large screen TVs and great sound systems, infact spectacles like Gravity also play really well in the home. In fact, it may be quiet demanding fare like Blue IsThe Warmest Color that need to be seen in a theater for the first time. This three hour French film about firstlove blooming between two teenage girls was a major success in Europe, but here in the US it came and wentwithout much fanfare, despite some great reviews. Surely cineastes will want to check it out. But being trappedin a movie theater with an audience focused and committed to a drama like this is a powerful thing. At homeyou're tempted to pause and chat and go to the bathroom and answer the phone and a million other things. Ajoyride like Gravity can handle the noise. A quiet drama like this with two very talented actresses holding thescreen might actually be better at the movies. So when you put it on, try not to let the world distract you. By theway, this edition is no-frills and Criterion plays to release a special edition later in the year.LES PETITS MEURTRES D'AGATHA CHRISTIE SET 1 ($59.99 DVD; Acorn) L.A. LAW SEASON ONE ($29.93 DVD; Shout Factory) DOCTOR WHO: THE TIME OF THE DOCTOR ($19.98 BluRay; BBC Home Entertainment) THE MIDDLE FOURTH SEASON ($44.98 DVD; Warner Bros.) RAWHIDE SEASON SEVEN VOLUMES ONE & TWO ($46.99 each on DVD; CBS/Paramount) THE VENTURE BROS. SEASON FIVE ($31.97 BluRay; Turner Home Entertainment) ABOVE SUSPICION SET 3 ($29.99 DVD; Acorn) -- What a delightful surprise! French television has takensome classic Agatha Christie mysteries and created a new duo (Superintendent Larosiere, a lady's man and hissidekick Inspector Lampion, who prefers the men) to investigate. Set in the 1930s, you get the allure of France,a duo rather than Christie's usual solo acts (Poirot and Marple) and somehow it freshens up the tales very nicelyindeed. I didn't even know I wanted French adaptations of Christie solved by a made-up dup but now I wantmore. Les Petits Meurtres A definite must for fans of Christie. (The last of seven mysteries features a new teamin the 1950s; it's fine, but I hope the main dup returns with more adventures.)Nothing could help but suffer compared to the landmark series Hill Street Blues. But L.A. Law took over theThursday at 10 pm slot on NBC and ran with it: huge ratings (better than Hill Street usually got), tons of criticalacclaim and an excellent cast that shot to stardom (or reclaimed it). Nonetheless, even at the time, I felt theglossy jumps from high drama to low comedy and the general hijinks of this high-powered firm were a bit muchand time has not been kind to it. What once seemed bold now just seems silly. What once pretended to drama isnow clearly soap. By the time of the Venus Butterfly and people falling down elevator shafts, I was lookingelsewhere. Still, it's a good cast led by many who would never have better roles, including Michael Tucker, JillEikenberry, Harry Hamlin, Jimmy Smits, Susan Dey and Corbin Bernsen. Dated, very dated, but still fun forthose wanting nostalgia. The rest will see this as not close to today's standards. Finally, it's great to have itcoming out, but eight seasons dribbling out one by one feels wrong. Anyone wanting to own the first seasonwould probably want the entire season. The season by season release of TV shows from 28 years ago feelsexpensive and pointless.
12/12/2015DVDs: "12 Years A Slave," "Gravity," "Nebraska," "Hunger Games" & More Arrive On BluRay, DVD | Evernote Web
https://www.evernote.com/Home.action#n=9c9e1f9f-3ee9-4293-a85e-58d2a8acbe40&ses=4&sh=2&sds=5&3/4Okay, let's just all agree that the real finale for the Eleventh Doctor Matt Smith was the terrific special The DayOf The Doctor that aired all over the world (and presumably in other dimensions and verses) at the same time inNovember. The holiday special The Time Of The Doctor is a tepid denouement. Christmas often brings out thebest in the Doctor (and the writers) but they clearly shot their creative ammo with the gripping Day Of TheDoctor. Here's there's a planet in danger, a Christmas dinner issue that's never really tied in or resolved nicelyand Smith running around trying to gin up enthusiasm for a very sub-par storyline. Ah well. Fans will appreciatethe many extras, including a "Farewell To Matt Smith" narrated by Alex Kingston, who made a great River Songand would have been an even greater Doctor.The Middle keeps trucking along, delivering solid family entertainment with a strong cast, much like star PatriciaHeaton's Everybody Loves Raymond did for many years. This show isn't quite in that league, but it's good andthat's certainly better than most. You get the usual travails of a family, with kids facing college, driving examsand the perils of the lunch room with the well-intended advice of parents who are loving, but have problems oftheir own. Heaton and Neil Flynn are very good as the folks. Charlie McDermott and Eden Sher are excellent asthe teenage kids, with only Atticus Shaffer descending into sitcom-y territory with his unrealistic and weirdoyoungest kid Brick. Dial back his nuttiness, writers and let this show's realism remain its strong suit.Rawhide is of course the western that launched the career of Clint Eastwood. In the eighth and final season, hewould become the boss of the cattle drive. But here he's still learning from trail boss Gil (Eric Fleming). It's agood show with some very strong episodes that would be ideal for highlighting in a greatest hits set that wouldsurely reach a lot more people than the entire series season by season. Certainly the price here for half aseason of a TV show that aired 50 years ago is just plain nutty. It's great to have entire series available for thosethat want it. But especially for shows without season long arcs, many dramas (and virtually all comedies) woulddo better to promote a well-chosen highlights set, say the 12 best episodes with lots of extras. Why not reallyexploit these libraries rather than just dutifully put out seasons for the faithful?Everyone probably made jokes about the homoerotic and just plain silly nature of Jonny Quest back in the day.But to turn that one-joke idea into a TV series -- and a clever one at that -- is surely unexpected. But that'sexactly what The Venture Bros. has done. Season five had the fewest number of episodes yet (eight, plus twospecials, all included here) but at least season six is on the way this summer. It's a goofy show, with SergeantHatred as the bodyguard who's awfully fond of his charges and super villain The Monarch inspiring all sorts ofbutterfly jokes. Don't be fooled by the first season; they were just getting their legs. And dig the cover art! Thatdeserves to be a wall poster all on its own.Helen Mirren has so many accomplishments that she's not over-shadowed by her triumphant work on PrimeSuspect. But that show's creator Lynda La Plante surely is. There are worse problems than creating a classic TVseries. But sometimes it does get in the way of people seeing your other work. That's certainly the case in theUS with her series Above Suspicion. It's not a patch on Prime Suspect, but is solid and entertaining and wellacted, with Kelly Reilly and Ciarin Hinds especially welcome in this final mystery where they're delving into thedeath of an actress. Good stuff.THE HUNGER GAMES: CATCHING FIRE ($39.99 BluRay combo; Lionsgate) THOR: THE DARK WORLD ($39.99 3-D BluRay combo; Disney) FREE FALL ($24.95 DVD; Wolfe) PEOPLE OF A FEATHER ($27.95 DVD; First Run Features) MUSCLE SHOALS ($29.98 DVD; Magnolia) -- The second film in the Hunger Games tetralogy received someweird complaints from fans. It was so slow, they said; it took forever to get to the action. They were right but itjust seemed weird to me that anyone would complain. The Hunger Games seemed like the Twilight movies tome, though with better reviews. To me, the first film was very faithful to the fun books by Suzanne Collins, muchto its detriment. It had some very silly costumes, nutty hairdos to indicate the decadent future and cheap special
12/12/2015DVDs: "12 Years A Slave," "Gravity," "Nebraska," "Hunger Games" & More Arrive On BluRay, DVD | Evernote Web
https://www.evernote.com/Home.action#n=9c9e1f9f-3ee9-4293-a85e-58d2a8acbe40&ses=4&sh=2&sds=5&4/4effects (especially the embarrassing "Girl On Fire" effect). But everyone ate it up. The second film seemed, tome, exactly like the first with all the attendant strengths and weaknesses. But somehow this time fans weren't asthrilled. Blame Collins: the second book has a lot of politics and infighting before the slaughter begins.Personally, I wish the final two parts were six months apart rather than a year, but what do I know? It's makingmoney hand over fist. And enough with the Peeta haters. He's a hero and a fighter, sacrificing everything for hislove and his country. Gale just wants to run away! (Take that, Liam Hemsworth.) Unlike the Twilight films (whichgot so bad I stopped going), I'll keep watching these.I'll also keep watching Thor, though I assume Liam's brother Chris won't be back on screen as the Marvel herountil The Avengers. Thor really is an impossible role that works best in small doses (which is why he was somuch more fun as part of a team than on his own). It also didn't help having Thor wandering around Earth theway he did, with all sorts of jokey humor. Thor: The Dark World works better because it's set more on Asgardwhere he's not a walking, talking punchline to every scene. It's by no means a good movie, but it's certainlymore watchable than the first. Fans will be pleased.Free Fall is Germany's Brokeback Mountain. Well, that tells you pretty much everything you need to know aboutthis drama about a cop who finds a running partner for his morning workout and then eventually realizes thereare other, better ways to burn calories. Hanno Koffler of Summer Storm proves he's not a one-hot wonder. Thiswell-reviewed drama is not, I think, the cultural landmark that Brokeback was but it is a solid showcase forKoffler and Max Reimelt of Before The Fall.People of a Feather shows the Inuits fighting to adapt and survive amidst a changing Arctic, as embodied by theeider duck and their warm feathers. Like so many films made in the harsh north, it's sobering to see globalwarming's effect, inspiring to see how beautiful this untrammeled parts of the world can be and a lot more fun tosee it on DVD than go there yourself. Fiji, yes, but the Arctic? I prefer to explore it on film.20 Feet From Stardom got all the love this Oscar season. But fans of music will also want to check out MuscleShoals, a look at one of the legendary studios of pop music, located in Alabama and the well-spring for moreclassic music than you can imagine. Mick Jagger, Etta James, Gregg Allman, Alicia Keys, Percy Sledge andmany others weigh in on one of the keystones of rock and soul.Thanks for reading. Michael Giltz is the founder and CEO of BookFilter, a book lover's best friend. It's a websitethat lets you browse for books online the way you do in a physical bookstore, provides comprehensive info onnew releases every week in every category and offers passionate personal recommendations every step of theway. It's like a fall book preview or holiday gift guide -- but every week in every category. He's also the cohost ofShowbiz Sandbox, a weekly pop culture podcast that reveals the industry take on entertainment news of the dayand features top journalists and opinion makers as guests. It's available for free on iTunes. Visit Michael Giltz athis website and his daily blog.Note: Michael Giltz is provided with free copies of DVDs and Blu-rays with the understanding that he would beconsidering them for review. Generally, he does not guarantee to review and he receives far more titles than hecan cover.