Saturday, December 15, 2012
Digital Digest: China Beach Headed to DVD; Mannix - The Final (Eighth) Season DVD Review; Quincy, M.E. - Season 4 DVD Review
This has been a rather slow and disappointing week for news, but we do have a few items of note. First, TVShowsOnDVD.com announced a big complete series release that many people have been waiting for over the past ten years that'll be coming soon from Time Life and Warner Home Video. The drama series China Beach will be released early next year from Time Life, with a wide retail release coming later. Music rights have held this series up for many years, but it is interesting to note that the press release indicates that "most" of the original music will be intact. This suggests that there will be a few things missing, but hopefully it won't be anything too noticeable.
CBS will be finishing up the crime drama Father Dowling Mysteries in early 2013 with Father Dowling Mysteries - The Third Season. The five disc set will be released on March 12 at a $59.98 MSRP.
BLOG FEATURE REVIEW
Mannix attempts to solve the murder of a photographer in "Picture of a Shadow." In "Desert Sun," a trip to Albuquerque to prove an Indian's accidental death was actually murder turns very ugly for Mannix. Mannix is on the case of solving a mystery involving a plane crash victim who undergoes plastic surgery in "The Survivor Who Wasn't." A bomb kills a starlet's husband in "A Choice of Victims," but was he the intended victim? A war vet is out to prove that anybody can give up military secrets under torture in "A Ward Called Courage." In "Man in a Trap," Joe discovers a fellow detective who was shot took a job for a syndicate boss. Peggy's cousin may be a target for murder in "Chance Meeting." In "Edge of the Web," the son of Mannix's friend is jailed for killing his PhD professor after being denied his degree (and being accused of sleeping with the professor's wife). Look for Gerald McRaney in the unusual role of a college professor in this episode... and as is common for any role played by McRaney, the professor is also a Vietnam vet.
A mother receives a ransom note for her son who has been missing for six years in "A Ransom for Yesterday." Thieves attempt to rob every office in a high-rise in "The Empty Tower." Mannix believes in the innocence of a hitchhiker accused of murder, and takes his case, in "Quartet for Blunt Instrument." In the two-part episode "Birds of Prey," a search for a hero who saved a client's son in South America results in another man's death. Tom Selleck guest stars in "Design for Dying," where a publisher with political ambitions hires Mannix to find out if his wife has committed adultery. A hitman kills a mob boss in "Search for a Dead Man," but the dead body vanishes and he has to hire Mannix to find the corpse to prove he did the job. The series ends with "Hardball," where a ruthless drug dealer takes hostages at a courthouse. John Ritter guest stars.
2. "Game Plan" (49:47)
3. "A Fine Day for Dying" (50:13)
4. "Walk on the Blind Side" (50:45)
6. "Death Has No Face" (50:44)
7. "A Small Favor for an Old Friend" (50:43)
8. "Enter Tami Okada" (50:44)
12. "A Choice of Victims" (50:43)
Disc 4:
13. "A Word Called Courage" (50:47)
14. "Man in a Trap" (50:45)
15. "Chance Meeting" (50:38)
16. "Edge of the Web" (50:44)
18. "The Empty Tower" (50:45)
19. "Quartet for Blunt Instrument" (50:43)
20. "Bird of Prey (Part 1)" (50:49)
22. "Design for Dying" (50:46)
23. "Search for a Dead Man" (50:46)
24. "Hardball" (50:45)
CBS has kept the packaging for this set consistent with previous releases. Once again, the set uses a Viva case. On the cover, there is a large head shot of Mannix, the series logo, and of course, there are eight bullets to indicate that this is the eighth season. You'll find a few episode snapshosts and a brief series description on the back. Inside, you'll find the six discs, each containing the standard CBS gray artwork with the series logo. Each disc contains four episodes. Episode titles, descriptions, and original airdates are printed inside the case.
It is always a time to celebrate when a long running series is completed on DVD, especially when we've gotten (mostly) flawless releases. What is even nicer about this series, though, is that we have about two and a half seasons worth of episodes (including this seasons) that have been withheld from syndication over the years, so owning these DVDs is really the only way to even see a lot of these episodes... and for the younger fans who are too young to remember when the series originally aired, that is like getting brand new episodes of the series. I'm still disappointed in the lack of special features that we got throughout the releases, but the important thing, I suppose, is that every episode is now available on DVD for everybody to enjoy. Fans of crime dramas are sure to enjoy this, and if you just want to see something that you'll probably never see on TV, this set in particular is definitely worth picking up.
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DVD Review: Quincy, M.E. - Season 4 (Shout!, $39.97)
by skees53
NBC was well-known for their Mystery Movie franchise that they had in the '70s. From this franchise, we got a lot of "series" (which were actually just a bunch of movies) including Columbo, McMillan and Wife, McCloud, and more. However, one of the movie series in this franchise ended up being turned into a regular weekly series... that was Jack Klugman's series, Quincy, M.E., the series about the "original crime scene investigator." Klugman played the role of Dr. Quincy (first name was never fully given), a Los Angeles Medical Examiner who would always get to the bottom of each and every crime. Now, Shout! Factory is releasing the fourth season (some would call it the third season, which is technically more correct, but we'll use the title that the studio uses to avoid confusion) on DVD for the very first time.
Quincy heads off for some rest and relaxation in "The Last Six Hours," but it seems that crime will follow him wherever he goes. A race-car driver is killed in "Speed Trap," so was it a homicide? Quincy tries to get a seven-year-old re-evaluated as autistic in "Test for Living." An Affirmative Action doctor is blamed when a patient dies after a surgical operation in "Death by Good Intention." In "Images," Quincy announces that well-known anchor woman (played by Jessica Walter) died in a fire... except she ends up mysteriously appearing at the press conference. Quincy becomes part of an investigation in his own office in "Even Odds." In "Dead and Alive," anonymous messages begin turning up informing a model that someone close to her is in danger of being murdered. Quincy's latest flame moves into a new apartment... and finds two mummified bodies already living there... in "No Way to Treat a Body."
In "A Night to Raise the Dead," Quincy's latest investigation has him trying to dig up an entire cemetery. A malpractice lawyer is after Quincy in "A Question of Death." In "House of No Return," Quincy poses as a murdered PI to find out why the man was killed. A star athlete dies from a drug-resistant strain of gonorrhea in "A Small Circle of Friends," leading Quincy to demand a round-up of prostitutes. In "Depth of Beauty," Quincy gets involved in the world of cosmetic surgery. Quincy investigates a doctor who will give any prescription for the right price in the two-part episode "Walk Softly Through the Night." Quincy has to perform autopsies on all of the bodies of the deceased in a plane crash in "Aftermath."
In "Dark Angel," two cops are accused of beating a suspect to death, and Quincy has to prove (or disprove) that. Quincy has to find out why a 17-year-old girl died after undergoing an abortion in "Physician, Heal Thyself." Quincy thinks a lot about life after a spat with his girlfriend in "Promises to Keep." In "Semper-Fidelis," Quincy autopsies the body of a Marine who died in an accident during training... or did he? An autopsy of a construction worker finds much more in "An Ounce of Prevention." In "The Death Challenge," a magician dies during a stunt, so was it an accident or murder? The season ends with "The Eye of the Needle," where Quincy clashes with a holistic medicine doctor after the death of one of her patients.
Disc 1:
1. "The Last Six Hours" (49:15)
Disc 2:
5. "Images" (49:48)
6. "Even Odds" (49:16)
7. "Dead and Alive" (49:14)
8. "No Way to Treat a Body" (49:15)
Disc 3:
9. "A Night to Raise the Dead" (49:45)
10. "A Question of Death" (49:02)
11. "House of No Return" (49:22)
12. "A Small Circle of Friends" (49:44)
Disc 4:
13. "The Depth of Beauty" (49:13)
14. "Walk Softly Through the Night (Part 1)" (49:54)
15. "Walk Softly Through the Night (Part 2)" (48:43)
16. "Aftermath" (49:47)
Disc 5:
17. "Dark Angel" (49:16)
18. "Physician, Heal Thyself" (49:53)
19. "Promises to Keep" (49:11)
20. "Semper-Fidelis" (49:13)
Disc 6:
21. "An Ounce of Prevention" (49:15)
22. "The Death Challenge" (49:18)
23. "The Eye of the Needle" (49:14)
As usual, Shout! kept the packaging style for this set in line with the packaging that Universal used for their releases (although Shout! did switch to Viva cases for their release). The cover art has two photos of Quincy with a blue background, and offers the tagline "The Original Crime Scene Investigator." On the back, there is a brief description of the season, along with a few episode snapshots. Inside, you'll find the six discs, each containing the series logo on a blue background. Episodes titles, descriptions, and airdates are printed inside of the case.
The menus for this set are very simple, but elegant. There is just one menu, the main menu, which has a photo of Quincy, and gives options of Play All and lists all of the episodes. Once you select an episode, it plays immediately. There are chapters throughout each episode.
The set looks fine in regards to video and audio quality. A lot of these older Universal series tend to look pretty good, even without a lot of restoration. There are still minor issues here and there, but nothing too big. The audio is presented in mono. And the episodes are all closed-captioned.
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FOLLOW ME
What It Is: Modern Seinfeld is one of the most unusual things we've seen pop up on Twitter. It first appeared on December 9... just a few days ago... and has gone viral in just the past few days, gaining attention from prominent national press and already gaining nearly 200,000 followers (perhaps it'll go past that by the time you read this) in that short period of time. Created by comedian Jack Moore, editor of BuzzFeed Sports, and also a self-professed Seinfeld addict, the Twitter feed brings back to the sitcom about "nothing" back to life, in the form of Tweets about episodes of the series that "could" happen in this modern era. Even if you aren't a fan of the series, it is still a fun Twitter feed to read, and the viral effect of it has shown how fast things can spread over the internet.
Pick of the Tweets: "Jerry breaks up with his gf (Jenna Fischer) because she over-identifies with Liz Lemon. George tries to pick up women on the subway." (December 11, 2012)
Sitcoms Airing Tonight
Tuesday, May 24
Young Rock - "You Gotta Get Down to Get Up" (NBC, 8:00PM ET/PT)
Memphis, 1996: The WWF sends Dwayne to Memphis to develop his wrestling skills; when a booker bullies Downtown Bruno, Dwayne decides to fight back; in 2032, candidate Johnson's conflict with Dr. Julien comes to a head.
Young Rock - "Let the People Decide" (NBC, 8:30PM ET/PT)
In 2032, candidate Johnson rides the ups and downs of election day; in 1984, Rocky and Ata are at a crossroads with their futures in wrestling; in 1987, teenage Dwayne learns that the family is leaving Nashville.
Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of May 23)
Tuesday, May 24
- Annie Murphy (Kevin Can F**k Himself/Schitt's Creek) - Catch Annie on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
- Drew Barrymore (Santa Clarita Diet) - Drew is a guest on Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
- Chris Parnell (Happy Together/Suburgatory/Big Lake/Miss Guided) - Chris appears on Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
- Ben Schwartz (The Afterparty/Space Force/House of Lies/Parks and Recreation) - Ben will be on The Late Late Show with James Corden at 12:37am on CBS.
- Mila Kunis (Family Guy/That '70s Show) - Mila is a guest on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, so check your local listings.
- Sherri Shepherd (Mr. Iglesias/Trial & Error/Sherri/Less Than Perfect/Suddenly Susan) - Sherri guest hosts The Wendy Williams Show, so check your local listings.
- Jenna Fischer (The Office/Splitting Up Together) and Angela Kinsey (The Office/The Hotwives of Orlando) - Jenna and Angela are guests on The Kelly Clarkson Show, so check your local listings.
- Molly Shannon (The Other Two/Divorce/Kath & Kim/Cracking Up) and David Arquette (In Case of Emergency/Double Rush/Parenthood) - Molly, David and Michael Vartan are part of a Never Been Kissed reunion on a repeat of The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
- Jon Hamm (Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt) - Jon talks about Top Gun: Maverick on NBC's Today sometime between 7-9am.
- Michelle Buteau (Bless the Harts/Enlisted) - The Good Dish has Michelle's plum upside-down cake, so check your local listings.
- Kristin Chenoweth (Trial & Error/Kristin) - Kristin puts a creative spin on a classic recipe that will have you singing for your supper on The Good Dish, so check your local listings.
New on DVD/Blu-ray (February-May)
02/08 - Last Man Standing - The Complete Ninth Season
02/22 - Everybody Hates Chris - The Complete Series (2022 Release)
02/22 - Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. - The Complete Series (2022 Release)
03/08 - Brooklyn Nine-Nine - Season Eight
03/08 - Brooklyn Nine-Nine - The Complete Series (Blu-ray) (DVD)
03/15 - Head of the Class - The Complete Fourth Season
03/15 - The Proud Family - The Complete Original Series - Anniversary Collection
03/22 - The Honeymooners Specials - The Complete Collection
03/29 - Rick and Morty - The Complete Seasons 1-5 (Blu-ray) (DVD)
03/29 - Young Rock - Season One
04/05 - Up All Night - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
04/26 - The Danny Thomas Show (aka Make Room for Daddy) - The Complete Fourth Season
04/26 - Jackie Gleason TV Treasures - 70th Anniversary Collection (including Honeymooners Rarities)
05/03 - No Activity - Season Three
05/31 - Becker - The Complete Series (2022 Release)
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