Saturday, August 11, 2012
Digital Digest: New MOD Offerings from CBS, Sony, and Warner Archive; Perry Mason - Season 7, Volume 1 DVD Review
The seventh season begins with "The Case of the Nebulous Nephew," where a con man tries to swindle two aging aunts out of a fortune... but things get worse once he changes his plan. Perry is defeated in "The Case of the Deadly Verdict," and the client is sentenced to death... so can he get her off the hook before it is too late? In "The Case of the Shifty Shoebox," a man may have gotten away with the perfect robbery... or so it seems. Perry finds himself embroiled in a case involving fraud, gold, and murder in "The Case of the Drowsy Mosquito." Perry is involved in a murder case involving a dean of students in "The Case of the Decadent Dean." In "The Case of the Reluctant Model," an art student entangled in a case of art robbery is about to find things getting a lot worse. Infidelity leads to murder in "The Case of the Bigamous Spouse." In "The Case of the Floating Stones," a girl's search for her grandfather's missing stash of diamonds turns her into a murder suspect.
In "The Case of the Festive Felon," a matriarch leaves her riches to a private nurse... and the family attorney suddenly winds up dead. A liquor store robbery takes a fatal turn in "The Case of the Devious Delinquent." A real estate swindle turns to murder in "The Case of the Bouncing Boomerang." In "The Case of the Badgered Brother," a family fight between brothers ends with one being stabbed in the back... literally. A woman tries to help her husband who she believes was wrongly convicted of murder after he is out on parole in "The Case of the Wednesday Woman," but things aren't going so well for him when he is accused of a new crime. A man suspects his boss and father-in-law of embezzlement in "The Case of the Accosted Accountant," but when the boss turns up dead, you know who the main suspect will be. In "The Case of the Capering Camera," a fashion model is accused of shooting a photographer who has been blackmailing her sister.
The runtimes for each episode are as follows:
Disc 1:
1. "The Case of the Nebulous Nephew" (50:38)
2. "The Case of the Deadly Verdict" (50:44)
3. "The Case of the Shifty Shoebox" (50:38)
4. "The Case of the Drowsy Mosquito" (50:37)
Disc 2:
5. "The Case of the Decadent Dean" (50:39)
6. "The Case of the Reluctant Model" (50:39)
7. "The Case of the Bigamous Spouse" (50:36)
8. "The Case of the Floating Stones" (50:36)
Disc 3:
9. "The Case of the Festive Felon" (50:38)
10. "The Case of the Devious Delinquent" (50:38)
11. "The Case of the Bouncing Boomerang" (50:35)
12. "The Case of the Badgered Brother" (50:35)
Disc 4:
13. "The Case of the Wednesday Woman" (50:37)
14. "The Case of the Accosted Accountant" (50:38)
15. "The Case of the Capering Camera" (50:25)
The DVD comes packaged just like all of the previous seasons, in a standard Viva case. The cover has a color photo of Perry, along with smaller photos of other cast members above him. On the back, there are a few black and white snapshots, along with a brief description of the series and the episodes on the set. Inside, there are four discs. Discs 1-3 contain four episodes each, while Disc 4 contains three episodes. The disc artwork just has the logo from the cover art on a gray background, with all of the episodes listed on the disc. There are also episode descriptions and original airdates printed inside the case.
The menus on the set are basic and plain, as they typically have been for this series. The main menu just has a still photo of Perry, along with a listing of the episodes, and a Play All and Subtitles option. They're all pretty self-explanatory. Chapters are placed throughout each episode.
There is really nothing to complain about at all with the video and audio quality of the episodes. There IS a bit of grain and debris, but CBS has been cleaning up this series pretty well for DVD. There is occasional crackle in the audio, but it is pretty loud and clear as well. Each episode contains English subtitles.
There are no special features on this set at all. Considering that this is the thirteenth half-season release of the series with no special features, and there are only five more left to bring the series to completion, I think it is safe to say that we probably won't see any on any of the remaining season sets.
I don't really know what else to say about this series at this point. Beginning with the first DVD set released over five years ago, we've consistently had decent quality (but barebones) releases of this series, with no bumps in the road along the way. Ironically, the series was kind of the same way... it always followed a consistent formula and didn't really have any low points at any point in the series, and consistently remained a well-written and produced legal drama. Of course, I guess it may have gotten a bit old knowing that the accused is going to be innocent (and they'll be proven innocent one way or another as long as Perry Mason is on their side), but that is kind of the fun thing about this series. You know how each episode will end, you just have to follow the details to find out why it ends that way. If you've been collecting the series on DVD up to this point, there is no point in stopping here. In fact, it is likely that the remaining five half-seasons will be just as enjoyable as this (even if there are no special features), giving CBS a not guilty verdict on most charges of this being anything but another stellar release of the series... but the jury is deliberating on that whole "lack of special features" charge.
(4/5 stars)
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Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows
Wednesday, April 24
The Conners - "Manifesting, Marriage Testing and Cheeseballs" (ABC, 8:00PM ET/PT)
The Conners relish national cheeseball day as a family. Meanwhile, Harris falls behind in her work duties at the Lunch Box, and Darlene and Ben must figure out how to spend time together despite their two separate schedules.
Not Dead Yet - "Not the End Yet" / "Not a Ghost Yet" (ABC, 8:30PM ET/PT)
Nell finds out that Duncan is selling the SoCal Independent, so she takes matters into her own hands to save her job when Lexi seems unwilling to help. Then, Nell navigates an unexpected incident that leaves the sale of the newspaper on hold.
Animal Control - "Skunks and Swans" (Fox, 9:00PM ET/PT)
Frank and Shred take on an aggressive swan; Shred has a meet-cute with a mysterious woman; Emily makes a mistake that results in Victoria having very little time to prepare for her big exam; Patel gets his father to help Victoria cram for the test.
Family Guy - "A Stache From the Past" (Fox, 9:30PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
When Peter loses the Griffins' home in a reverse mortgage, he and Mayor West travel to confront the man advertising the scheme, Tom Selleck; Stewie and Brian open a booth at the flea market, leading to a rivalry with Bruce.
Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of April 22)
Wednesday, April 24
- Carol Burnett (Palm Royale/Mad About You/Mama's Family) - Watch Carol on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
- Nicole Richie (Great News) - Nicole is a guest on a repeat of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
- Fred Armisen (Los Espookys/Forever/Final Space) - Fred sits in with The 8G Band on a repeat of Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
- Lisa Ann Walter (Abbott Elementary/Emeril) and Michaela Watkins (Dinner with the Parents/Search Party/The Unicorn/Casual/Trophy Wife) - Lisa and Michaela are guests on After Midnight at 12:37am on CBS.
- John Early (Search Party) - John appears on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen at 10:15pm on Bravo.
- Jesse Tyler Ferguson (Modern Family/The Class) - Jesse is a guest on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen at 10:15pm on Bravo.
- Tiffany Haddish (The Last O.G./The Carmichael Show) - E! News has an interview with Tiffany at 11pm on E!.
- Ronny Chieng (Young Rock/Ronny Chieng: International Student) - Ronny guest co-hosts Comedy Central's The Daily Show at 11pm.
- Drew Barrymore (Santa Clarita Diet) - Drew will be on CBS Mornings some time between 7-9am.
- Jerry Seinfeld (Seinfeld) - Jerry talks about Unfrosted on ABC's Good Morning America some time between 7-9am and on NBC's Today in the 10am hour.
- Mayan Lopez (Lopez vs Lopez) - Mayan talks about NBC's Lopez vs Lopez on Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings.
- Carrie Preston (Crowded/Happyish/Emeril) - Carrie, a fan-favorite on The Good Wife, tells Sherri about her new show Elsbeth on Sheri, so check your local listings.
- Harry Hamlin (Movie Stars) - Harry has a cooking demo on The Talk on CBS at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT.
New on DVD/Blu-ray
12/05 - Father Knows Best - The Complete Series
12/05 - The Odd Couple - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
12/12 - The Dick Van Dyke Show - The Complete Series
12/12 - Looney Tunes Collector's Choice - Volume 2 (Blu-ray)
12/12 - That Girl - The Complete Series
12/15 - Letterkenny - Season 11
12/19 - The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet - The Official Restored Complete Series
12/22 - Three's Company - The Official 40th Anniversary Collection (includes The Ropers and Three's a Crowd)
01/09 - South Park - Seasons 11-15 (Blu-ray)
01/16 - Ghosts (UK) - Season Five
02/13 - Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
02/27 - The Really Loud House - Season One
03/12 - Ghosts (UK) - The Complete Series
03/12 - Looney Tunes Collector's Choice - Volume 3 (Blu-ray)
03/12 - Rick and Morty - Season 7 (Blu-ray Steelbook) (Blu-ray) (DVD)
04/03 - Too Close for Comfort - The Complete Series (VEI)
04/08 - Check It Out! - The Complete Series (VEI)
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