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.
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Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows
Wednesday, July 9
Shifting Gears - "Gummies" (ABC, 8:00PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Riley is horrified when she finds weed gummies in Carter’s pocket, prompting surprising advice from Matt. Meanwhile, Eve inadvertently lands Gabriel and Stitch in hot water after asking them to donate to a charity auction.
Shifting Gears - "Kiss" (ABC, 8:30PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
When Jimmy returns with a new job and a proposition for Riley and the kids to move into his house, Riley is torn between her past and her future. Meanwhile, Matt's feud with Eve flares up once again after she damages his car.
Abbott Elementary - "Volunteers" (ABC, 9:00PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Ava announces the school district is sending a group of volunteers to help out at Abbott; however, when they arrive, things don’t go as planned.
Abbott Elementary - "100th Day of School" (ABC, 9:30PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
During Abbott’s 100th day of school celebrations, Barbara receives a surprise from her daughter. Melissa, Jacob and Mr. Johnson join forces to conduct a search party.
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia - "The Gang F***s Up Abbott Elementary" (FXX and FX, 9:00PM ET/PT)
Months after the Gang visited, Abbott's Principal Ava walks viewers through some of the unseen footage of the Gang's volunteerism and reveals their true intentions.
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia - "Frank Is in a Coma" (FXX and FX, 9:33PM ET/PT)
The five stages of grief set in for Dee as Frank lies on his deathbed; the Guys plot their new path forward by pitching their business ventures to Philadelphia's elite.
Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of July 7)
Wednesday, July 9
- Anthony Anderson (black-ish/Guys with Kids/All About the Andersons) - Anthony guest hosts Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
- Salma Hayek Pinault (The Sinbad Show) - Watch Salma on a repeat of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
- Jean Smart (Hacks/Samantha Who?/Center of the Universe/In-Laws/Style & Substance/Designing Women) - Jean is a guest on a repeat of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert at 11:35pm on CBS.
- Cole Escola (Human Resources/Search Party/Mozart in the Jungle/Difficult People) - Cole appears on a repeat of Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
- Richie Moriarty (Ghosts), Betsy Sodaro (Ghosts/Duncanville/Disjointed/Animal Practice) and Punam Patel (Ghosts/Return of the Mac/Kevin from Work) - Richie, Betsy and Punam are guests on a repeat of After Midnight at 12:37am on CBS.
- Ronny Chieng (Young Rock/Ronny Chieng: International Student) - Ronny hosts Comedy Central's The Daily Show at 11pm.
- Tika Sumpter (mixed-ish/Final Space/The Game) - Tika sits down with the Tam Fam to talk about her new children's book I Got It From My Mama a repeat of Tamron Hall, so check your local listings.
- Isabela Merced (100 Things to Do Before High School/Growing Up Fisher) - Isabela chats about her film Superman on Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings.
- Anna Camp (Perfect Harmony/Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt/The Mindy Project) and Justin Bartha (The New Normal/Teachers) - Anna and Justin discuss their film Nuked on Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings.
- Simon Helberg (The Big Bang Theory) - Simon talks about Peacock's Poker Face on Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings.
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