What's on TV... on DVD? (Summer, 2008 Edition)
By Chris Chiarella
It's late summer. All of your favorite television shows have long since gone on hiatus, and they won't return for a while. The Olympics are over, none of the Summer reality shows hold your interest and there's only so much you can take of the posturing and promises known as the 2008 presidential primaries. So what's a poor TV addict to do?
Relief is here in a the form of a wide variety of recently released DVDs and boxed sets of TV greats and near-greats; series, miniseries and collections.
So crank up the air conditioning, load up the tray with some of these goodies, and plop yourself on the couch for some good old-fashioned small screen entertainment.
The Best of TV on DVD (Summer, 2008)
Masters of Horror Season Two
Studio: Anchor Bay
MSRP: $86.97
More a series of exceptionally well-produced mini-movies (each about an hour) than a traditional weekly TV show, Masters celebrates new works from directors like John Carpenter, Dario Argento, John Landis, Tobe Hooper and other giants of the genre. And because they originally aired on Showtime, there's gore, skin and profanity aplenty. Each installment is presented in anamorphic widescreen and Dolby Digital 5.1, with extensive bonuses including filmmaker audio commentaries, behind-the-scenes featurettes, still galleries of photos and storyboards, and DVD-ROM files of the scripts. It's all here inside a convenient, kinda creepy, and strictly limited edition human skull. (I guess he can't help but think about Masters of Horror all the time, right?)
Witchblade The Complete Series & Birds of Prey The Complete Series
Studio: Warner
MSRP: $69.98 / $39.98
Proving that women crime-fighters can kick butt, too, Warner proffers two recent fan-favorite superhero series. The thing about Witchblade, if you've never seen the comic, is that its popularity owes much to that original costume, which was not carried over to the TV show. (Could it be, on any channel other than Skinemax?) Even so, the lovely Yancy Butler battled evil for an impressive two seasons, all 23 episodes here on seven discs, including the two-part Season Two premiere, plus the usual behind-the-scenes reflections and the original casting sessions of the stars.
Shifting to the DC Comics universe,
Birds of Prey unites Barbara Gordon (formerly Batgirl, now the wheelchair-bound Oracle, thanks to The Joker), The Huntress, and… Black Canary's
daughter as the titular avians.
Babe-a-licious if not always compellingly scripted, the series on DVD supplies an unaired version of the original pilot plus the complete 31-part animated web companion, Gotham Girls.
Centennial
Studio: Universal Studios
MSRP: $59.98
In the wake of Roots two years earlier, this adaptation of James Michener's epic historical novel was a true "television event," a twelve-part miniseries which ran for several weeks on NBC back in 1978. An engrossing saga of Colorado history from 1756 up to the then-present day, Centennial was remarkably accessible, in that latecomers could jump in at almost any chapter. It also boasted an exceptional cast of TV greats, too many to list here, although three of the stars (Robert Conrad, Barbara Carrera and William Atherton) reminisce for a bit in the lean bonus features.
The Wire The Complete Fifth Season
Studio: HBO
MSRP: $59.99
After four explosive years revealing the inner workings of the drug trade in Baltimore, this fifth and final season shifts its focus to the media for an entirely fresh point of view on crime, politics, and life in the big city. Brilliantly structured with a large cast of engaging characters, it has rightly been hailed as one of HBO's best, and that's saying a lot. The DVD package includes a documentary on the media with series creator (and veteran reporter) David Simon, a series retrospective plus six commentaries from assorted cast and crew.
Star Trek The Original Series: Season Two - Remastered DVD Edition
Studio: Paramount
MSRP: $99.99
As Star Wars goes, so goes Star Trek? Remixed, restored, re-recorded and refreshed with modern computer-generated special effects, Kirk, Spock, Bones et. al. set sail again, this time on a precise virtual replica of the U.S.S. Enterprise. Some call it blasphemy, but it is a whole new way to see the greatest science fiction show of all time. Disc Five is a marvel in and of itself, as Season Two brought us the legendary "The Trouble with Tribbles," and here we find the newly enhanced episode plus the "sequel" installments from both Star Trek: The Animated Series and Deep Space Nine. Copious featurettes and never-before-seen on-set home movies are also onboard.
South Park The Complete Eleventh Season
Studio: Paramount
MSRP: $49.99
Creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker continue to skewer modern life as only they can, this past year targeting homosexuality, religion, the N-word, and of course, Guitar Hero. There are 14 uncensored romps in all, which includes the feature-length three-part Imaginationland, with its bevy of copyright-busting cameos from other properties, plus past denizens of fictional South Park, CO. Stone and Parker have stopped providing their "mini-commentaries," but their show pretty much speaks for itself.
Doctor Who: The Five Doctors 25th Anniversary Edition
Studio: BBC
MSRP: $34.95
"Story No. 130" was an unprecedented gathering of five of the actors to portray the multi-persona'd leading man over the years, as past incarnations are being kidnapped across time and space, part of an elaborate scheme to claim ultimate power. Both the 1983 and digitally spiffed 1995 versions are presented here in the original full-frame, remastered and remixed for 5.1. A wealth of vintage bonus materials put this monumental event in perspective, beginning with an hour-long look at The Doctor's long-since-past 20th TV anniversary. Two commentaries by supporting players, writer Terrance Dicks and then-star Peter Davison are provided, plus outtakes, isolated music, and a tongue-in-cheek look at the low-tech special effects.
Spaced The Complete Series
Studio: BBC
MSRP: $59.98
Relatively short-lived, at a mere 14 episodes from 1999 to 2001, Spaced nonetheless developed many loyal fans. Among them are Quentin Tarantino, Kevin Smith, Matt Stone, Patton Oswalt, Oscar winner Diablo Cody and SNL's Bill Hader, all of whom provide audio commentary from their unique perspectives. The show's early teaming of Simon Pegg and Nick Frost (Hot Fuzz, Shaun of the Dead) yielded a subtle, sometimes bizarre, almost dreamlike spin on often-mundane events, and adding a decidedly British comic flavor.
The Office Season Four
Studio: Universal Studios
MSRP: $49.98
Jim & Pam! Michael & Jan! Dwight & Angela… and Andy! All this plus Ryan's promotion takes him to New York to launch the Dunder Mifflin website and he reveals himself as the complete ass that everyone always suspected him to be. All in all, quite a fun season, including the five double-length chapters. A remarkable assemblage of talent--multiple actors and even episode director Jason Reitman--spews the four commentaries. And an incredible two hours of deleted scenes are provided for our further viewing enjoyment, along with bloopers and a panel discussion with the show's writers. If you haven't bought the previous seasons yet, you can also get them all (1-4) in a specially priced collection.
Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles The Complete First Season
Studio: Warner
MSRP: $29.98 (also on Blu-ray, $39.99)
Turns out that that the extinction of mankind at the shiny hands of self-aware machines is a pretty tough fate to prevent. Picking up after the events of Terminator 2: Judgment Day, Sarah Connor does muck with the carefully laid continuity a bit (it's almost impossible not to) but an infusion of new characters (never-before-seen Terminator models!), new objectives, and a new look at the old/future technology gives these small-screen adventures a welcome jolt. Spread across the three discs are an extended cut of one episode, commentaries, bloopers, screen tests, rehearsal footage and an in-depth look at the creation of the show, plus a selection of "terminated" scenes.
