Showing posts with label Digital Bargains. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Digital Bargains. Show all posts
Saturday, March 02, 2013
Digital Digest: DVD Updates for The Cleveland Show and The Middle; The Client List - The Complete First Season DVD Review
Welcome to Digital Digest! This week, in addition to our news and regular features, we have a review of The Client List - The Complete First Season. Let's get going!
DIGITAL NEWS
The Cleveland Show didn't see a DVD release of the 2011-2012 season in the late summer as most series do, but it appears that fans can see such a release... perhaps right now! The Cleveland Show - The Complete Third Season is currently available to order from amazon.com, as a CreateSpace MOD item, but the information provided seems to indicate that it is actually already shipping. So we'd suggest that fans head on over today and order it. Even if it isn't shipping yet (and we believe that it is), you can still lock in a pre-order.
Another series that didn't see a DVD release of the previous season is The Middle... but according to TVShowsOnDVD.com, we'll be seeing that at some point in time. As for when, we don't know. Another article was posted today on the website indicating an October 1 release date, which may or may not be correct (it could be earlier than that).
Another series that didn't see a DVD release of the previous season is The Middle... but according to TVShowsOnDVD.com, we'll be seeing that at some point in time. As for when, we don't know. Another article was posted today on the website indicating an October 1 release date, which may or may not be correct (it could be earlier than that).
UPCOMING WEEK PREVIEW
Tuesday (March 5) brings more "Payne" to DVD with Lionsgate's release of House of Payne - Volume 10. We hope to have a review of this set soon.
Blog DVD Review: The Client List - The Complete First Season (Sony, $45.99)
by Pavan
The Client List, Sony Pictures Television's break-out dramatic series based on the highly popular 20120 Lifetime original movie, is now on DVD with the complete first season! All 10 episodes on a 3-disc DVD set, as well as outtakes and deleted scenes. Jennifer Love Hewitt stars in her sexiest role ever as Samantha Horton, a former Texas Homecoming Queen who always relied on her beauty and charm to navigate life, something her beautician mother Cassie (Golden Globe award winner Cybill Shepherd) taught her. But when the Horton family finds itself facing financial ruin, Samantha must take a job at a local massage parlor, only to discover it's a front for a high-end call girl operation - one so lucrative, she can't afford to turn it down. But when the parlor is raided, Samantha must either cooperate with police and give up her clients' identities, or lose everything she tried so hard to save. The Client List is an unforgettable descent into sex, seduction and a scandal that would change the lives of one small Texas town forever. In addition to Hewitt and Shepherd, the series also stars Loretta Devine, Colin Egglesfield, and Rebecca Field.
This is a great show with twists and turns. It's really not the same as the 2010 TV movie, but it is loosely based on it. The season has only 10 episodes and since it is serialized,you'll have to watch them all in order. Among the best episodes of the ten, is the series premiere "The Rub of Sugarland," where Riley Parks, a single mom from Texas, is left alone with her children after her husband Kyle abruptly leaves, so in financial trouble and desperate for a job, Riley gets hired at a massage parlor called The Rub and it's not long before she discovers that The Rub has a client list concerning men who expect "extras". In the very next episode, "Turn the Page," Riley finds the phone number of a woman from Kyle's past and begins to investigate her with the help of Lacey, meanwhile at the massage parlor, Riley meets an interesting client nicknamed The Camel, while Georgia takes all the girls out for drinks, where Riley discovers the fun side of her new job. In "The Cold Hard Truth," Georgia is worried that the police will raid the parlor, while Lacey finds out about what Riley really has been doing at the parlor and does not take the news well. In "Acting Up," Riley goes on her first date with Mark, while Dee Ann's relationship with a councilman gets her in hot water with Georgia, so she is then fired and Katie runs away while Riley is on her date and the episode ends with a shocker. In the season finale, "Past Is Prologue," Kyle returns home, but his homecoming is anything but warm, while Georgia goes on vacation and leaves Riley in charge of the parlor, which doesn't sit well with Selena, as Riley re-hires Dee Ann.
Guest stars include Brian Hallisay, Elisabeth Röhm, Sam Page, Greg Grunberg, Eric Mabius, Paul Dooley and Betty White. The episodes are all unedited as they were last season on Lifetime. Runtimes are as follows:
Disc 1:
1. "The Rub of Sugarland" (42:28)
2. "Turn the Page" (40:37)
3. "Tough Love" (41:59)
4. "Ring True" (41:37)
Disc 2:
5. "Try, Try Again" (42:11)
6. "The Cold Hard Truth" (41:50)
7. "Life of Riley" (41:05)
Disc 3:
8. "Games People Play" (40:59)
9. "Acting Up" (42:43)
10. "Past Is Prologue" (41:05)
The packaging for this set has a thin outer box holding a case. The cover art features Jennifer Love Hewitt in the famous shot of her in black lingerie in a black background. The Complete First Season mention is all thew way on the top, while Jennifer Love Hewitt The Client List logo is next to her image. The back has five episodic photos, including a big one of Jennifer giving a massage. There is also a synopsis of the series and DVD, along with a list of special features. The case has the same cover art and back as the box. Inside the case there is no artwork, just plain black. We have an insert on the right panel, with the same image of Jennifer in the black lingerie, saying for more information go to MyLifetime.com. The back of the insert has info on other Sony Pictures DVDs like Pan Am and Happy Endings. Anyway, back to the case, we have the discs all stacked up on the right panel. I'm not sure why Sony is stacking all the discs like this. They have done it lately on all of their DVDs it seems, like Happy Endings season two. It's easy to scratch or even break the disc when it is stacked. In fact, my Happy Endings disc three is messed up because of this. Each disc has the artwork of Hewitt in very sexy outfits, disc one has Hewitt in the black lingerie like the cover art, but I don't think anyone minds seeing this over and over again! Disc two has her even in a more seductive lingerie as she is lying down. And disc three has her in a nice grey outfit. Each disc has the series logo, the complete first season mention, disc number and what episode numbers on the disc.
The menus for this set are also seductive. The main menu has the same shot of Hewitt in that black lingerie in black background. No music is playing in the background, unfortunately. The options are: Play All Episodes, Episode Selections, Languages, and Special Features. For Languages, we have audio in English and Spanish, while you can also have subtitles in English, English SDH, French, Portuguese and Spanish. Special Features lists the extras available for each disc. And Episode Selections lists the episode titles available for each disc. For every episode except the premiere, you are sent to an episode menu where you can play the episode or play the episode with a recap. So essentially you can skip the 30-90 second or so recap before each episode. Each submenu has nice promotional photos and/or episodic photos. There are no scene selection menus, but we have chapter stops and there are about 7 (8 if you include the recap chapter) for each episode.
The video and audio quality on the set is obviously outstanding. We are presented the video in 1.78:1 Anamorphic Widescreen and the audio on 5.1 Dolby Digital. It's not Blu-ray quality of course, but this is a DVD set not Blu-ray. There is nothing to complain about at all here and fans will love watching 'Love' in all of the stunning outfits on DVD. We even have the closing credits on this set with the closing theme, as on Lifetime we didn't get that since they had promos during the credits. As mentioned, we have chapter stops for each episode.
The set includes all deleted scenes and outtakes. On disc one, we have seven Deleted Scenes (total of 5:58). You can play them all at once or select each individually. Unfortunately, there is no mention of what episodes the deleted scenes are from. The video quality obviously is not as good as the actual episode. They are fun to watch, of course, but I wish we knew exactly what episode they are form. For some of them, you can tell, though. On disc two, we have "Outtakes" (3:40). This is fun to watch! Also on disc two, we have four more Deleted Scenes (total of 2:47). And finally, on disc three, we have eight more Deleted Scenes (total of 9:53) and Previews of other Sony Pictures DVDs (all movies).
This is a great series and set. The set is not perfect, but the episodes and audio/video are. I wish we had more special features, like promos, interviews and audio commentary. Deleted scenes and outtakes are great, but I felt like we needed more than that. Even the 2010 TV movie would have been a nice special feature. Or just images of Jennifer Love Hewitt from this show would have been amazing. The packaging is good, I just wish the discs were not stacked up on each other (and has artwork inside the case). The menus were easy too navigate and the design was great. If you haven't watched this show, now is your chance. It's only 10 episodes and the series returns next Sunday (March 10) for a second season on Lifetime. This time, we will have 15 episodes! I have watched the season premiere screener already and it is great! We are filled with lots of twists and turns that you won't see coming regarding Riley and Kyle, Riley and Evan and Riley and the The Rub. You'll also have more sultry scenes with Jennifer Love Hewitt at The Rub. You don't need to be from Sugar Land or Texas to enjoy this series, so click below and order this DVD for a virtual rub!
(4/5 stars)To purchase this DVD, click below and help support SitcomsOnline.com:
Amazon.com
Related links:
SitcomsOnline.com DVD Reviews Page
The Client List on TV.com
FOLLOW ME
Claim to Fame: While he started out as a standup comedian, Carey has had an interesting "golden road" (if you'll pardon the pun) to fame. In the '90s, he was the star of the ABC sitcom The Drew Carey Show, while also hosting the US version of Whose Line is it Anyway? Today, he continues his journey of success as the host of the long running CBS game show The Price is Right.
Why You Should Follow Him: Despite being the host of a game show... people who are often a bit corny... make no mistake: Drew is a comedian. Many sitcom fans grew to love him on his sitcom, and while that series has become somewhat a faded memory in light of his more recent successes, it was still a big part of who he is. Reading his Twitter feed brings out the comedian inside of him, which he has somewhat downplayed on The Price is Right. Simply put, comedians are the most fun to follow on Twitter, and Drew is no exception.
Pick of the Tweets: "I really have to question whether following sports is healthy for ones spirituality. Because lately it just makes me hate people." (November 18, 2012)
That's all for this week. Until next time, keep it digital!
Saturday, June 09, 2012
Digital Digest: Release Dates for Two and a Half Men, The Big Bang Theory, and More; Pretty Little Liars - The Complete Second Season DVD Review; Ghost Story (a.k.a. Circle of Fear) - The Complete Series DVD Review
Welcome to Digital Digest, your weekly place for all things digital about your favorite sitcoms! This week, in addition to our regular features, we have double reviews, with our reviews of Pretty Little Liars - The Complete Second Season, and we take a look back at a classic Screen Gems suspense series with Ghost Story (a.k.a. Circle of Fear) - The Complete Series. Let's get going!
DIGITAL NEWS
The 2011-2012 broadcast television season has somewhat come and gone (although the summer season consisting mostly of reality series is here), and of course, we are getting prepared for the onslaught of releases of the series which aired during the season on DVD, most of which will come in August or September. This week, we got a few dates for some of those releases. Sony hasn't had a whole lot to offer recently in regards to TV-on-DVD, but they are indeed keeping a steady pace with Community. And they'll be releasing Community - The Complete Third Season on August 14. The set has a nice collection of special features (making it, ironically, the sitcom which gets the best special feature treatment on DVD these days), which you can read more about here, including (once again) commentaries for each and every episode!
We continue with releases from Warner. Their releases begin on August 21 with Mike & Molly - The Complete Second Season. Unfortunately, it appears that this release will only be available on DVD, unlike season 1, which also had a Blu-ray release. On August 28, Warner will have Two and a Half Men - The Complete Ninth Season, which is the first season without Charlie (although you will get to see Kathy Bates playing his ghost in one episode!). This, too, will only be released on DVD, but that is expected, as this series has not been on Blu-ray at all so far. Next, on September 4, Warner will be releasing the premiere season of one of the breakout hits of the past season, with 2 Broke Girls - The Complete First Season (DVD/Blu-ray), which will be available on both DVD and Blu-ray. Finally, everything comes to an end with a "big bang," both figuratively and literally, on September 11, with The Big Bang Theory - The Complete Fifth Season (DVD, Blu-ray/DVD Combo). The Blu-ray/DVD Combo is new for the series; previously, it has been available on DVD and Blu-ray, but this new Blu-ray/DVD Combo follows in the tradition of much more prominent releases which include the DVD and Blu-ray in the same set. Oh, and as a bonus, there is even an UltraViolet Digital Download in the Combo pack, which will allow you to download the episodes to your favorite devices! Everything is covered all around with this "big bang."
In 2005, Universal released Kojak - Season One, and we heard absolutely nothing about it for another six years, when Shout! took over the rights to release it late last year... and they've been on a steady pace since then! In fact, their pace has been so steady that the series will be complete on DVD on September 11, with the release of Kojak - Season Five! It is really nice to see the series come to completion as fast as it has, particularly considering that Shout! has not only been steadily releasing the seasons, but even managed to release the pilot and every post-series film on DVD in their collection of Kojak - The Complete Movie Collection. Sadly, there is no news on any of the other crime dramas which Shout! has licensed (such as Policewoman or Police Story, which were licensed from Sony), but hopefully we will hear something on those in due time.
A release date has also been set for Shout! Factory's release of the series Get a Life. On September 18, Get a Life - The Complete Series finally makes it to DVD. The set will come at a $59.97 MSRP.
Sony released the ABC series which only lasted one episode (on air) Emily's Reasons Why Not - The Complete Series last month as a MOD title, but there is a bit of question as to whether or not it really is the complete series. The set contains six episodes of the series, with the one that actually aired on ABC, and five additional unaired episodes... but it seems that there were actually six unaired episodes. It has been reported that a seventh episode, "Why Not to Look in Bridal Magazines," did, in fact, air in some countries... but this episode is not included in the set. So, is this set actually missing an episode? Assuming that the episode was in fact produced and did in fact air in other countries (we have no way of verifying that from the US, obviously, where only one episode aired), it is... but hopefully we'll find out something more definitive about this in the near future.
Finally, Hulu has made a new addition to their Hulu+ service this week, which means that you won't be able to access it unless you subscribe to the premium service, but you can now watch the first season of Here's Lucy on the service now if you are a subscriber. It is too bad Hulu no longer offers all programs for free, but at the very least, this is an opportunity to view the first season of the series (and hopefully more are on the way) if you pay the monthly fee.
We continue with releases from Warner. Their releases begin on August 21 with Mike & Molly - The Complete Second Season. Unfortunately, it appears that this release will only be available on DVD, unlike season 1, which also had a Blu-ray release. On August 28, Warner will have Two and a Half Men - The Complete Ninth Season, which is the first season without Charlie (although you will get to see Kathy Bates playing his ghost in one episode!). This, too, will only be released on DVD, but that is expected, as this series has not been on Blu-ray at all so far. Next, on September 4, Warner will be releasing the premiere season of one of the breakout hits of the past season, with 2 Broke Girls - The Complete First Season (DVD/Blu-ray), which will be available on both DVD and Blu-ray. Finally, everything comes to an end with a "big bang," both figuratively and literally, on September 11, with The Big Bang Theory - The Complete Fifth Season (DVD, Blu-ray/DVD Combo). The Blu-ray/DVD Combo is new for the series; previously, it has been available on DVD and Blu-ray, but this new Blu-ray/DVD Combo follows in the tradition of much more prominent releases which include the DVD and Blu-ray in the same set. Oh, and as a bonus, there is even an UltraViolet Digital Download in the Combo pack, which will allow you to download the episodes to your favorite devices! Everything is covered all around with this "big bang."
In 2005, Universal released Kojak - Season One, and we heard absolutely nothing about it for another six years, when Shout! took over the rights to release it late last year... and they've been on a steady pace since then! In fact, their pace has been so steady that the series will be complete on DVD on September 11, with the release of Kojak - Season Five! It is really nice to see the series come to completion as fast as it has, particularly considering that Shout! has not only been steadily releasing the seasons, but even managed to release the pilot and every post-series film on DVD in their collection of Kojak - The Complete Movie Collection. Sadly, there is no news on any of the other crime dramas which Shout! has licensed (such as Policewoman or Police Story, which were licensed from Sony), but hopefully we will hear something on those in due time.
A release date has also been set for Shout! Factory's release of the series Get a Life. On September 18, Get a Life - The Complete Series finally makes it to DVD. The set will come at a $59.97 MSRP.
Sony released the ABC series which only lasted one episode (on air) Emily's Reasons Why Not - The Complete Series last month as a MOD title, but there is a bit of question as to whether or not it really is the complete series. The set contains six episodes of the series, with the one that actually aired on ABC, and five additional unaired episodes... but it seems that there were actually six unaired episodes. It has been reported that a seventh episode, "Why Not to Look in Bridal Magazines," did, in fact, air in some countries... but this episode is not included in the set. So, is this set actually missing an episode? Assuming that the episode was in fact produced and did in fact air in other countries (we have no way of verifying that from the US, obviously, where only one episode aired), it is... but hopefully we'll find out something more definitive about this in the near future.
Finally, Hulu has made a new addition to their Hulu+ service this week, which means that you won't be able to access it unless you subscribe to the premium service, but you can now watch the first season of Here's Lucy on the service now if you are a subscriber. It is too bad Hulu no longer offers all programs for free, but at the very least, this is an opportunity to view the first season of the series (and hopefully more are on the way) if you pay the monthly fee.
UPCOMING WEEK PREVIEW
Tuesday (June 12) brings a trio of new series (although two of them have already been cancelled) from ABC's midseason schedule to DVD, with GCB - The Complete First Season, Missing - The Complete First Season, and Scandal - The Complete First Season. We'll have reviews of all of these over the next few weeks in Digital Digest. Additionally, HBO lowers the curtain one last time on the series Entourage, with Entourage - The Complete Eighth and Final Season (DVD/Blu-ray). We'll have a review of this set soon as well.
BLOG FEATURE REVIEW
Blog DVD Review: Pretty Little Liars - The Complete Second Season (Warner, $59.98)
by Pavan
The PLL's are back on DVD and it's no secret! The popular ABC Family original drama series starring Ashley Benson, Lucy Hale, Shay Mitchell, and Troian Bellisario all return for 25 episodes in the addictive second season on this six-disc DVD set from Warner Horizon. All of Rosewood wants to know who killed Allison and the names Hanna, Aria, Emily and Spencer are on everyone's lips. Forced to move their friendship underground and to meet with a therapist, the girls feel utterly alone. Is no safe place from the watchful eye of "A?" With parental and romantic relationships on the rocks, the four friends consider revealing their secret, further straining their bond. But as the mystery deepens, the body count increases and the texts from "A" even more menacing, the girls need each other more than ever. The series is based on the Sara Shepards's best-selling books.
The second season stars Troian Bellisario as Spencer Hastings, Ashley Benson as Hanna Marin, Lucy Hale as Aria Montgomery, Shay Mitchell as Emily Fields, Sasha Pieterse as Alison DiLaurentis, Holly Marie Combs as Ella Montgomery, Ian Harding as Ezra Fitz, Bianca Lawson as Maya St. Germain, Laura Leighton as Ashley Marin, and Chad Lowe as Byron Montgomery. However, there are many recurring stars such as Keegan Allen as Toby Cavanaugh, Tyler Blackburn as Caleb Rivers, Janel Parrish as Mona Vanderwall, Drew Van Acker as Jason DiLaurentis, Cody Allen Christian as Mike Montgomery, Brant Daugherty as Noel Kahn, Torrey DeVitto as Melissa Hastings, Yani Gellman as Garrett Reynolds, Julian Morris as Wren Kingston, Nia Peeples as Pam Fields, Brendan Robinson as Lucas Gottesman, and Tammin Sursok as Jenna Marshall. Keegan Allen, Tyler Blackburn, Janel Parrish have been promoted to series regulars in season three. The first half of the second season aired in summer 2011, while the second half aired in the winter of 2012, similar to the first season. For this season we got two halves of 12 episodes each, but also a flashback episode for Halloween. The series returned this past Tuesday for its third season and it leaves off where the intense and shocking second season finale left off. Tune in Tuesdays at 8/7c for the third season all-summer long on ABC Family!
Anyway, as for this set, there are many memorable episodes in this shocking and surprising season. In the season premiere, "It's Alive," with all eyes in Rosewood looking at Aria, Emily, Hanna and Spencer, the girls are forced to seek help. In "Blind Dates," Hanna helps Lucas score a date, while Emily deals with the aftermath of her mother spilling to everyone that she has a scholarship offer. In "The Devil You Know," Hanna learns more about Caleb's foster family, while the other Liars deal with the resolution and closure of the news about Ian. In "Picture This," Spencer zeroes in on Jason and is determined to find out what exactly has he been hiding, yet Aria can't help but see the good in him, while Hanna aids Caleb when it comes to making a decision about his family. In "Touched by an 'A'-ngel," Aria is finding it hard to believe Spencer and Emily's revelation about Jason all the while dealing with her feelings for him, as Hanna tries to play nice with her future stepsister, while "A" continues to torment Emily trying to push her to a breakdown. In the mid-season finale, "Over My Dead Body," the liars told someone about "A" and they must now pay the price, as Hannah, Aria and Spencer are sent out to do a hard task in order to keep Dr. Sullivan alive: Aria must get rid of Jackie, Hannah must stop her dad and Isabelle's wedding and Spencer must keep Toby safe and in doing so must break up with him, as Emily is the only one without a heartbreaking task and is a little worried. On the mid-season premiere, "Through Many Dangers, Toils and Snares," while all the Liars seem to be at odds with each other, Toby fights to win Spencer back and becomes suspicious of the antics of the supposed best friends, while the Montgomerys receive some worrisome news. In "A Hot Piece of A," the girls have never been closer to discovering "A"'s identity and ask Caleb to use his hacker abilities to help them, but the plan goes awry when Hanna doesn't see eye to eye with the girls' request and instead plans a surprise party for Caleb at the Hastings' lake house. In "CTRL: A," as Aria discovers what Holden's secret is, Caleb becomes the target of a Rosewood Police Department witch hunt after his laptop is confiscated. In "Breaking the Code," the liars may have a fifth member, as it's revealed that "A" is torturing someone outside of Ali's BFFs, while Wren becomes a much-needed support for Spencer. In "If These Dolls Could Talk," the girls suspect that Melissa might be "A", and they set up an investigation, while Aria finds a boarding school application on her Mom's desk, and Jenna takes the bandages off her eyes. And in the most shocking finale yet (season or midseason), in "unmAsked," Aria, Emily, Spencer, and Hanna get closer to finding out who "A" is and the girls attends Rosewood's Junior League Masquerade Gala, but by the end of the episode, they discover who "A" really is and more shockers.
Episodes are usually around 43-44 minutes and unedited, as they should be. Runtimes are below:
Disc 1:
1. "It's Alive" (43:05)
2. "The Goodbye Look" (43:10)
3. "My Name Is Trouble" (44:12)
4. "Blind Dates" (42:42)
5. "The Devil You Know" (42:46)
Disc 2:
6. "Never Letting Go" (44:03)
7. "Surface Tensions" (43:36)
8. "Save The Date" (43:51)
9. "Picture This" (43:36)
10. "Touched by an 'A'-ngel" (44:12)
Disc 3:
11. "I Must Confess" (44:05)
12. "Over My Dead Body" (44:07)
13. "The First Secret" - Halloween Flashback episode (44:12)
14. "Through Many Dangers, Toils and Snares" (43:58)
Disc 4:
15. "A Hot Piece of 'A'" (43:53)
16. "Let The Water Hold Me Down" (44:01)
17. "Blond Leading the Blind" (43:02)
18. "A Kiss Before Lying" (44:12)
Disc 5:
19. "The Naked Truth" (44:12)
20. "CTRL: A" (44:12)
21. "Breaking the Code" (43:49)
22. "Father Knows Best" (43:13)
Disc 6:
23. "Eye of the Beholder" (44:05)
24. "If These Dolls Could Talk" (44:17)
25. "unmAsked" (44:13)
The set comes in an outer box holding a keep case inside. The artwork is the same on the front side for both with artwork of the four girls in white outfits covered in mud sitting at a table with grapes. Don't get ugly, get even, as the tagline says at the bottom of the cover! The back of both the box and case have info on the series and set and another shot of the girls in outfits they would normally wear. We also have four episodic images and a list of special features. Ashley Benson is quite a catch, isn't she? When we open the case, we have some inserts again on the left side. We have an ad insert promoting all-new episodes on ABC Family this summer and an Ultra Violet code for you to watch episodes by streaming and downloading. The other insert is a nice episode booklet! It is nicely designed again and filled with great episodic photos and a great shot of the girls in '60s type outfits on the front. Wow again at Ashley Benson! We have a disc-by-disc breakdown with episode number, title, writer, director, original airdate and of course a synopsis. There is a little scissor image also if there are any deleted scenes available for that episode. The last page has a nice credit list of all the series regulars.
Anyway back to the case, we have three plastic holders that we can flip like a book in the middle and they each hold two discs, with the first disc on the front and the second disc on the back. So that covers all six discs. The disc artwork is simple. We have a purple/pink style background with some cool designs, the show logo and disc number. Simple, but effective. However, this time there is no artwork at all on the panels itself. Disappointing, as we wanted to see more cool artwork like on the first season packaging. More Ashley Benson, the better!
The menu design is good and uses the same artwork as the cover art but it is more of a wide shot and we see more, similar to the last set. It's a nice blue color scheme. Before the main menu on disc one we have a trailer for the third season on ABC Family. Unfortunately once again there is no music playing in the background on the main menu, which is disappointing as this show has a good theme. The menu options are Play All, Episodes, Deleted Scenes and Languages for discs one-five. Disc six doesn't have deleted scenes but it does have a Special Features option. The artwork for all the submenus is good. Languages features audio in English but you can have subtitles in English, French, Chinese, Espanol, or Thai. Deleted Scenes option doesn't have a submenu, so it just plays them automatically. Episodes option lists the episode numbers, episode titles, and if there is a deleted scene for that episode you can watch it by highlighting the scissor image. I think you're better off watching the deleted scenes through the episodes menu than the deleted scenes option itself so you know which episode the deleted scene was intended for. And Special Features on disc six lists all the non-deleted scenes extras that we have.
Video and audio quality are both outstanding once again. That is no surprise, but we should still be glad that everything is so crisp and clear. HD like quality, even if this isn't a Blu-ray set. So there is nothing much to say here except it is like how you watch it on ABC Family HD, especially if your DVD player upconverts. Each episode has 9 or 10 chapter stops, depending on the episode. We get to see the full closing credits, too, something that we don't see on ABC Family but if you watch the series on their website, you see these closing credits. I love how we get 43 or 44 minutes per episode, as broadcast shows are usually 42 minutes these days. We get more content on ABC Family!
There are special features and nearly all of them are on disc six. The previous five discs have deleted scenes, similar to the first set. These are always nice to see. Disc one has a deleted scene from the episode "It's Alive" (1:30). Disc two has two deleted scenes from the episode "Never Letting Go" ((0:38, 1:00) and a deleted scene from the episode "Touched by an 'A'-ngel" (0:23). On to disc three, we have two deleted scenes from the episode "I Must Confess" (0:52, 0:14) and five deleted scenes from the mid-season finale "Over My Dead Body" (0:38, 0:50, 0:30, 0:32, 0:30). For disc four we have a deleted scene for "A Hot Piece of 'A'" (0:59) and "A Kiss Before Lying" (2:02). As for disc five, we have two deleted scenes for the episode "Breaking the Code" (0:34, 0:22). And finally on disc six, we have three deleted scenes for "If These Dolls Could Talk" (1:05, 1:05, 1:35). It's 9 episodes with deleted scenes and a total of 18 deleted scenes! So, up from the 15 deleted scenes from the first season! The main special features are all on disc six. The first featurette is a fun one titled "Pretty Little Liars: Fashion's Guilty Pleasure" (12:28). We are given details on each of the main four characters' fashion: Aria's edgy Bohemian looks, Hanna's rock 'n' roll glamour, Emily's laid-back sporty style, and Spencer's prepster perfection. Commenting are Mandi Line (costume designer), Oliver Godstick (executive producer), Lucy Hale, I. Marlene King (executive producer), Ashley Benson, Shay Mitchell, and Troian Bellisario. This is cool and informative for a DVD feature. And it's always nice to look at these young stars! Ashley Benson seemed to have a little cold in this interview, as her voice was a little raspy, but it STILL came out sexy! The next featurette is another good one titled "Pretty Little Liars: Men of Mystery" (10:18). On this we get the details on some of the men from the show (Ian Harding, Drew Van Acker, Tyler Blackburn and Keegan Allen) from brooding brows, soulful smiles, and mysterious minds, get ready for the heart-melting guys of Rosewood. Many are interviewed and they are Ian Harding, Lucy Hale, Lucy Hale, Shay Mitchell, I. Marlene King, Oliver Godsick, Sasha Pieterse, Drew Van Acker, Tyler Blackburn, Ashley Benson, Keegan Allen, and Troian Bellisario.
I think Warner Bros. did an excellent job on this set once again. We get an extra disc, more episodes, more deleted scenes, and more informative and longer featurettes! It's just about perfect, but with just some little nitpicks here and there, such as no artwork on the panels this time inside the case and still no music on the menus. The important part is we have the episodes in great quality and we can relive these great episodes at any time and go back and find out clues from previous episodes! By the time you finish these 25 episodes, you'll know who A is...or will there be more than just an A? You'll have to watch and see! Season three has begun on ABC Family, Tuesdays at 8, so hurry and get this DVD so you can watch the third season every week all-summer! Don't let "A" stop you by buying this DVD!
The second season stars Troian Bellisario as Spencer Hastings, Ashley Benson as Hanna Marin, Lucy Hale as Aria Montgomery, Shay Mitchell as Emily Fields, Sasha Pieterse as Alison DiLaurentis, Holly Marie Combs as Ella Montgomery, Ian Harding as Ezra Fitz, Bianca Lawson as Maya St. Germain, Laura Leighton as Ashley Marin, and Chad Lowe as Byron Montgomery. However, there are many recurring stars such as Keegan Allen as Toby Cavanaugh, Tyler Blackburn as Caleb Rivers, Janel Parrish as Mona Vanderwall, Drew Van Acker as Jason DiLaurentis, Cody Allen Christian as Mike Montgomery, Brant Daugherty as Noel Kahn, Torrey DeVitto as Melissa Hastings, Yani Gellman as Garrett Reynolds, Julian Morris as Wren Kingston, Nia Peeples as Pam Fields, Brendan Robinson as Lucas Gottesman, and Tammin Sursok as Jenna Marshall. Keegan Allen, Tyler Blackburn, Janel Parrish have been promoted to series regulars in season three. The first half of the second season aired in summer 2011, while the second half aired in the winter of 2012, similar to the first season. For this season we got two halves of 12 episodes each, but also a flashback episode for Halloween. The series returned this past Tuesday for its third season and it leaves off where the intense and shocking second season finale left off. Tune in Tuesdays at 8/7c for the third season all-summer long on ABC Family!
Anyway, as for this set, there are many memorable episodes in this shocking and surprising season. In the season premiere, "It's Alive," with all eyes in Rosewood looking at Aria, Emily, Hanna and Spencer, the girls are forced to seek help. In "Blind Dates," Hanna helps Lucas score a date, while Emily deals with the aftermath of her mother spilling to everyone that she has a scholarship offer. In "The Devil You Know," Hanna learns more about Caleb's foster family, while the other Liars deal with the resolution and closure of the news about Ian. In "Picture This," Spencer zeroes in on Jason and is determined to find out what exactly has he been hiding, yet Aria can't help but see the good in him, while Hanna aids Caleb when it comes to making a decision about his family. In "Touched by an 'A'-ngel," Aria is finding it hard to believe Spencer and Emily's revelation about Jason all the while dealing with her feelings for him, as Hanna tries to play nice with her future stepsister, while "A" continues to torment Emily trying to push her to a breakdown. In the mid-season finale, "Over My Dead Body," the liars told someone about "A" and they must now pay the price, as Hannah, Aria and Spencer are sent out to do a hard task in order to keep Dr. Sullivan alive: Aria must get rid of Jackie, Hannah must stop her dad and Isabelle's wedding and Spencer must keep Toby safe and in doing so must break up with him, as Emily is the only one without a heartbreaking task and is a little worried. On the mid-season premiere, "Through Many Dangers, Toils and Snares," while all the Liars seem to be at odds with each other, Toby fights to win Spencer back and becomes suspicious of the antics of the supposed best friends, while the Montgomerys receive some worrisome news. In "A Hot Piece of A," the girls have never been closer to discovering "A"'s identity and ask Caleb to use his hacker abilities to help them, but the plan goes awry when Hanna doesn't see eye to eye with the girls' request and instead plans a surprise party for Caleb at the Hastings' lake house. In "CTRL: A," as Aria discovers what Holden's secret is, Caleb becomes the target of a Rosewood Police Department witch hunt after his laptop is confiscated. In "Breaking the Code," the liars may have a fifth member, as it's revealed that "A" is torturing someone outside of Ali's BFFs, while Wren becomes a much-needed support for Spencer. In "If These Dolls Could Talk," the girls suspect that Melissa might be "A", and they set up an investigation, while Aria finds a boarding school application on her Mom's desk, and Jenna takes the bandages off her eyes. And in the most shocking finale yet (season or midseason), in "unmAsked," Aria, Emily, Spencer, and Hanna get closer to finding out who "A" is and the girls attends Rosewood's Junior League Masquerade Gala, but by the end of the episode, they discover who "A" really is and more shockers.
Episodes are usually around 43-44 minutes and unedited, as they should be. Runtimes are below:
Disc 1:
1. "It's Alive" (43:05)
2. "The Goodbye Look" (43:10)
3. "My Name Is Trouble" (44:12)
4. "Blind Dates" (42:42)
5. "The Devil You Know" (42:46)
Disc 2:
6. "Never Letting Go" (44:03)
7. "Surface Tensions" (43:36)
8. "Save The Date" (43:51)
9. "Picture This" (43:36)
10. "Touched by an 'A'-ngel" (44:12)
Disc 3:
11. "I Must Confess" (44:05)
12. "Over My Dead Body" (44:07)
13. "The First Secret" - Halloween Flashback episode (44:12)
14. "Through Many Dangers, Toils and Snares" (43:58)
Disc 4:
15. "A Hot Piece of 'A'" (43:53)
16. "Let The Water Hold Me Down" (44:01)
17. "Blond Leading the Blind" (43:02)
18. "A Kiss Before Lying" (44:12)
Disc 5:
19. "The Naked Truth" (44:12)
20. "CTRL: A" (44:12)
21. "Breaking the Code" (43:49)
22. "Father Knows Best" (43:13)
Disc 6:
23. "Eye of the Beholder" (44:05)
24. "If These Dolls Could Talk" (44:17)
25. "unmAsked" (44:13)
The set comes in an outer box holding a keep case inside. The artwork is the same on the front side for both with artwork of the four girls in white outfits covered in mud sitting at a table with grapes. Don't get ugly, get even, as the tagline says at the bottom of the cover! The back of both the box and case have info on the series and set and another shot of the girls in outfits they would normally wear. We also have four episodic images and a list of special features. Ashley Benson is quite a catch, isn't she? When we open the case, we have some inserts again on the left side. We have an ad insert promoting all-new episodes on ABC Family this summer and an Ultra Violet code for you to watch episodes by streaming and downloading. The other insert is a nice episode booklet! It is nicely designed again and filled with great episodic photos and a great shot of the girls in '60s type outfits on the front. Wow again at Ashley Benson! We have a disc-by-disc breakdown with episode number, title, writer, director, original airdate and of course a synopsis. There is a little scissor image also if there are any deleted scenes available for that episode. The last page has a nice credit list of all the series regulars.
Anyway back to the case, we have three plastic holders that we can flip like a book in the middle and they each hold two discs, with the first disc on the front and the second disc on the back. So that covers all six discs. The disc artwork is simple. We have a purple/pink style background with some cool designs, the show logo and disc number. Simple, but effective. However, this time there is no artwork at all on the panels itself. Disappointing, as we wanted to see more cool artwork like on the first season packaging. More Ashley Benson, the better!
The menu design is good and uses the same artwork as the cover art but it is more of a wide shot and we see more, similar to the last set. It's a nice blue color scheme. Before the main menu on disc one we have a trailer for the third season on ABC Family. Unfortunately once again there is no music playing in the background on the main menu, which is disappointing as this show has a good theme. The menu options are Play All, Episodes, Deleted Scenes and Languages for discs one-five. Disc six doesn't have deleted scenes but it does have a Special Features option. The artwork for all the submenus is good. Languages features audio in English but you can have subtitles in English, French, Chinese, Espanol, or Thai. Deleted Scenes option doesn't have a submenu, so it just plays them automatically. Episodes option lists the episode numbers, episode titles, and if there is a deleted scene for that episode you can watch it by highlighting the scissor image. I think you're better off watching the deleted scenes through the episodes menu than the deleted scenes option itself so you know which episode the deleted scene was intended for. And Special Features on disc six lists all the non-deleted scenes extras that we have.
Video and audio quality are both outstanding once again. That is no surprise, but we should still be glad that everything is so crisp and clear. HD like quality, even if this isn't a Blu-ray set. So there is nothing much to say here except it is like how you watch it on ABC Family HD, especially if your DVD player upconverts. Each episode has 9 or 10 chapter stops, depending on the episode. We get to see the full closing credits, too, something that we don't see on ABC Family but if you watch the series on their website, you see these closing credits. I love how we get 43 or 44 minutes per episode, as broadcast shows are usually 42 minutes these days. We get more content on ABC Family!
There are special features and nearly all of them are on disc six. The previous five discs have deleted scenes, similar to the first set. These are always nice to see. Disc one has a deleted scene from the episode "It's Alive" (1:30). Disc two has two deleted scenes from the episode "Never Letting Go" ((0:38, 1:00) and a deleted scene from the episode "Touched by an 'A'-ngel" (0:23). On to disc three, we have two deleted scenes from the episode "I Must Confess" (0:52, 0:14) and five deleted scenes from the mid-season finale "Over My Dead Body" (0:38, 0:50, 0:30, 0:32, 0:30). For disc four we have a deleted scene for "A Hot Piece of 'A'" (0:59) and "A Kiss Before Lying" (2:02). As for disc five, we have two deleted scenes for the episode "Breaking the Code" (0:34, 0:22). And finally on disc six, we have three deleted scenes for "If These Dolls Could Talk" (1:05, 1:05, 1:35). It's 9 episodes with deleted scenes and a total of 18 deleted scenes! So, up from the 15 deleted scenes from the first season! The main special features are all on disc six. The first featurette is a fun one titled "Pretty Little Liars: Fashion's Guilty Pleasure" (12:28). We are given details on each of the main four characters' fashion: Aria's edgy Bohemian looks, Hanna's rock 'n' roll glamour, Emily's laid-back sporty style, and Spencer's prepster perfection. Commenting are Mandi Line (costume designer), Oliver Godstick (executive producer), Lucy Hale, I. Marlene King (executive producer), Ashley Benson, Shay Mitchell, and Troian Bellisario. This is cool and informative for a DVD feature. And it's always nice to look at these young stars! Ashley Benson seemed to have a little cold in this interview, as her voice was a little raspy, but it STILL came out sexy! The next featurette is another good one titled "Pretty Little Liars: Men of Mystery" (10:18). On this we get the details on some of the men from the show (Ian Harding, Drew Van Acker, Tyler Blackburn and Keegan Allen) from brooding brows, soulful smiles, and mysterious minds, get ready for the heart-melting guys of Rosewood. Many are interviewed and they are Ian Harding, Lucy Hale, Lucy Hale, Shay Mitchell, I. Marlene King, Oliver Godsick, Sasha Pieterse, Drew Van Acker, Tyler Blackburn, Ashley Benson, Keegan Allen, and Troian Bellisario.
I think Warner Bros. did an excellent job on this set once again. We get an extra disc, more episodes, more deleted scenes, and more informative and longer featurettes! It's just about perfect, but with just some little nitpicks here and there, such as no artwork on the panels this time inside the case and still no music on the menus. The important part is we have the episodes in great quality and we can relive these great episodes at any time and go back and find out clues from previous episodes! By the time you finish these 25 episodes, you'll know who A is...or will there be more than just an A? You'll have to watch and see! Season three has begun on ABC Family, Tuesdays at 8, so hurry and get this DVD so you can watch the third season every week all-summer! Don't let "A" stop you by buying this DVD!
(4/5 stars)
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BLOG FEATURE REVIEW
Blog DVD Review: Ghost Story (a.k.a. Circle of Fear) - The Complete Series (Sony MOD, $55.99)
by skees53
The DVD comes packaged in a black Viva case, with an artist rendering of Sebastian Cabot as a ghost flying through the air on the cover. It is actually very nice artwork, which I'm sure was probably done during the original run of the series. There is a brief series description on the back, along with a listing of guest stars and a few episode snapshots. Inside the case, you'll find the six discs, which have only a black series logo on a white background. Each disc contains four episodes (except for Disc 6, which contains three).
(4/5 stars)
Alfred Hitchcock was a master of horror in many classic films throughout the 20th century, and in the '50s, he brought his mastery to television with his series, Alfred Hitchcock Presents. But he was far from the only master of horror. William Castle, while not nearly as well-known as Hitchcock (and producing very few movies which would have been called successful at the time) followed in the footsteps of Hitchcock in 1972 with his own series, Ghost Story. Produced by Screen Gems (and one of the final series to ever be produced by the iconic television studio before they officially became Columbia Pictures Television), Ghost Story was an hour long anthology series full of suspense and shudders, hosted by Winston Essex (played by Sebastian Cabot, who had previously played Mr. French on TV's Family Affair).
It was a great series, full of great stories and great guest stars, but the ratings simply weren't that good for NBC. In an effort to save the series, Castle made some changes to the series after the fourteenth episode, by retitling the series to Circle of Fear and dropping the hosting segments by Winston Essex. These changes were said to be what the studio wanted, but it wasn't enough, and nine episodes later, Ghost Story (or technically, Circle of Fear as it was known by now) was cancelled.
Since the series was cancelled in 1973, it has lived a little bit in syndication, primarily in the '80s when Columbia Pictures distributed just about every single Screen Gems program which ever existed through LBS Communications, but other than that, the series has largely sat in the vaults of Sony, until now, as Sony brings us this MOD offering of every episode of the series, beautifully remastered.
The series begins with the pilot episode, where a young family purchases a house located on the site where a young woman was unjustly hanged decades earlier. Jason Robards plays a forest ranger who can see into the future through his television in "The Dead We Leave Behind," but the program about his wife's accidental death may not be the program he wished to see. In "Bad Connection," a young woman (Karen Black) is getting warnings from her husband over the telephone... but did we mention he is dead? Carolyn Jones plays a woman who is trapped in a vacation home with its own personality in "The Summer House." In "Alter-Ego," a bored boy stuck in a wheelchair creates a double to keep him occupied, but that double creates much more trouble than expected.
Jodie Foster plays a deaf-mute girl who is used as a pawn by her grandfather to gain revenge against his family in "House of Evil." A college professor (Hal Linden) has a deep dark secret in "Elegy for a Vampire," and his students may just be the victims. In "Touch of Madness," a daughter learns that an inherited house from her mother who died in a mental institution may not be the best gift. Angie Dickinson plays a woman who is troubled by a dog who turns vicious after its master dies in "Creatures of the Canyon." The first version of the series ends with "Time of Terror," where a woman wakes up in a hotel room alone with no sign of her husband.
The second version of the series, Circle of Fear, begins with "Death's Head," where Janet Leigh plays the wife of a lawyer who is more interested in her husband's partner... but this is a horror series, so there is definitely a lot more to it than one may suspect. Martin Sheen plays a construction worker who finds a toy wooden horse which becomes something a little different in "Dark Vengeance." Susan Dey and Leif Garrett both guest star in "Doorway to Death," where a family moves in to a new apartment in San Francisco where there is, oddly enough, a cabin in the woods upstairs with an ax murderer. John Astin and Patty Duke play a couple in "The Graveyard Shift," where their unborn child appears to be threatened by ghosts (oddly enough, this episode aired three months before their child Mackenzie Astin was born... hmm...). It is great to be in organ donor, but in "Spare Parts," a man who believes his wife murdered him keeps those thoughts in his donated organs... and the recipients want revenge! The series ends with "The Phantom of Herald Square," where a woman is charmed by a man (David Soul), but also finds herself terrorized by an older man... and they may be more connected than she thinks.
The episodes on the set are reportedly unedited, and as can be seen from the runtimes, that is likely the case for most of them. There is, however, one notable issue on the pilot episode, "Ghost Story." The episode is just completely missing the closing credits. The reasoning behind this is unknown (UPDATE: A reader, Lee, has informed me that this episode originally aired on NBC as half of a "movie" with a completely unrelated second half, and that the closing credits were most likely not included because they included references to both parts), but it is worth noting that the pilot episode was not exactly the first episode of the only season of the series, but in fact, it aired separately in March 1972. The series did not begin airing regularly until September 1972. So, this may have something to do with why there aren't any closing credits. Also, every episode has the original Screen Gems logo at the end... except for the pilot, which, for some odd reason, as the Screen Gems logo at the BEGINNING of the episode. Runtimes for all episodes are as follows:
Disc 1:
1. "Ghost Story" (47:46)
2. "The Dead We Leave Behind" (51:14)
3. "The Concrete Captain" (51:25)
4. "At the Cradle Foot" (51:15)
Disc 2:
5. "Bad Connection" (51:11)
6. "The Summer House" (51:11)
7. "Alter Ego" (50:54)
8. "Half a Death" (51:13)
Disc 3:
9. "House of Evil" (51:11)
10. "Cry of the Cat" (51:13)
11. "Elegy for a Vampire" (50:15)
12. "Touch of Madness" (51:11)
Disc 4:
13. "Creatures of the Canyon" (51:19)
14. "Time of Terror" (50:39)
15. "Death's Head" (50:12)
16. "Dark Vengeance" (50:12)
Disc 5:
17. "Earth, Air, Fire, and Water" (50:13)
18. "Doorway to Death" (49:11)
19. "Legion of Demons" (50:13)
20. "Graveyard Shift" (50:11)
Disc 6:
21. "Spare Parts" (49:44)
22. "The Ghost of Potter's Field" (50:12)
23. "The Phantom of Herald Square" (50:11)
It was a great series, full of great stories and great guest stars, but the ratings simply weren't that good for NBC. In an effort to save the series, Castle made some changes to the series after the fourteenth episode, by retitling the series to Circle of Fear and dropping the hosting segments by Winston Essex. These changes were said to be what the studio wanted, but it wasn't enough, and nine episodes later, Ghost Story (or technically, Circle of Fear as it was known by now) was cancelled.
Since the series was cancelled in 1973, it has lived a little bit in syndication, primarily in the '80s when Columbia Pictures distributed just about every single Screen Gems program which ever existed through LBS Communications, but other than that, the series has largely sat in the vaults of Sony, until now, as Sony brings us this MOD offering of every episode of the series, beautifully remastered.
The series begins with the pilot episode, where a young family purchases a house located on the site where a young woman was unjustly hanged decades earlier. Jason Robards plays a forest ranger who can see into the future through his television in "The Dead We Leave Behind," but the program about his wife's accidental death may not be the program he wished to see. In "Bad Connection," a young woman (Karen Black) is getting warnings from her husband over the telephone... but did we mention he is dead? Carolyn Jones plays a woman who is trapped in a vacation home with its own personality in "The Summer House." In "Alter-Ego," a bored boy stuck in a wheelchair creates a double to keep him occupied, but that double creates much more trouble than expected.
Jodie Foster plays a deaf-mute girl who is used as a pawn by her grandfather to gain revenge against his family in "House of Evil." A college professor (Hal Linden) has a deep dark secret in "Elegy for a Vampire," and his students may just be the victims. In "Touch of Madness," a daughter learns that an inherited house from her mother who died in a mental institution may not be the best gift. Angie Dickinson plays a woman who is troubled by a dog who turns vicious after its master dies in "Creatures of the Canyon." The first version of the series ends with "Time of Terror," where a woman wakes up in a hotel room alone with no sign of her husband.
The second version of the series, Circle of Fear, begins with "Death's Head," where Janet Leigh plays the wife of a lawyer who is more interested in her husband's partner... but this is a horror series, so there is definitely a lot more to it than one may suspect. Martin Sheen plays a construction worker who finds a toy wooden horse which becomes something a little different in "Dark Vengeance." Susan Dey and Leif Garrett both guest star in "Doorway to Death," where a family moves in to a new apartment in San Francisco where there is, oddly enough, a cabin in the woods upstairs with an ax murderer. John Astin and Patty Duke play a couple in "The Graveyard Shift," where their unborn child appears to be threatened by ghosts (oddly enough, this episode aired three months before their child Mackenzie Astin was born... hmm...). It is great to be in organ donor, but in "Spare Parts," a man who believes his wife murdered him keeps those thoughts in his donated organs... and the recipients want revenge! The series ends with "The Phantom of Herald Square," where a woman is charmed by a man (David Soul), but also finds herself terrorized by an older man... and they may be more connected than she thinks.
The episodes on the set are reportedly unedited, and as can be seen from the runtimes, that is likely the case for most of them. There is, however, one notable issue on the pilot episode, "Ghost Story." The episode is just completely missing the closing credits. The reasoning behind this is unknown (UPDATE: A reader, Lee, has informed me that this episode originally aired on NBC as half of a "movie" with a completely unrelated second half, and that the closing credits were most likely not included because they included references to both parts), but it is worth noting that the pilot episode was not exactly the first episode of the only season of the series, but in fact, it aired separately in March 1972. The series did not begin airing regularly until September 1972. So, this may have something to do with why there aren't any closing credits. Also, every episode has the original Screen Gems logo at the end... except for the pilot, which, for some odd reason, as the Screen Gems logo at the BEGINNING of the episode. Runtimes for all episodes are as follows:
Disc 1:
1. "Ghost Story" (47:46)
2. "The Dead We Leave Behind" (51:14)
3. "The Concrete Captain" (51:25)
4. "At the Cradle Foot" (51:15)
Disc 2:
5. "Bad Connection" (51:11)
6. "The Summer House" (51:11)
7. "Alter Ego" (50:54)
8. "Half a Death" (51:13)
Disc 3:
9. "House of Evil" (51:11)
10. "Cry of the Cat" (51:13)
11. "Elegy for a Vampire" (50:15)
12. "Touch of Madness" (51:11)
Disc 4:
13. "Creatures of the Canyon" (51:19)
14. "Time of Terror" (50:39)
15. "Death's Head" (50:12)
16. "Dark Vengeance" (50:12)
Disc 5:
17. "Earth, Air, Fire, and Water" (50:13)
18. "Doorway to Death" (49:11)
19. "Legion of Demons" (50:13)
20. "Graveyard Shift" (50:11)
Disc 6:
21. "Spare Parts" (49:44)
22. "The Ghost of Potter's Field" (50:12)
23. "The Phantom of Herald Square" (50:11)
The DVD comes packaged in a black Viva case, with an artist rendering of Sebastian Cabot as a ghost flying through the air on the cover. It is actually very nice artwork, which I'm sure was probably done during the original run of the series. There is a brief series description on the back, along with a listing of guest stars and a few episode snapshots. Inside the case, you'll find the six discs, which have only a black series logo on a white background. Each disc contains four episodes (except for Disc 6, which contains three).
The menus on the set are the typical bland Sony MOD menus, which just list the episode titles on the main menu and a Play All option with a bunch of old TVs in the background. They really should at least create something which doesn't intentionally look generic. There are no chapters within the episodes.
Honestly, considering how little airplay this series has gotten over the years, I expected the absolute worst quality for the video and audio... but that is not the case, at all! These episodes look fantastic, as if Sony has not only put forth some effort, but in fact substantial effort into cleaning up these episodes. Every episode (aside from perhaps the pilot) looks very crisp and clear. In fact, I could find very little of the typical grain and debris which I thought would be everywhere. The audio is a very loud and clear mono track, which is sufficient for the set. Unfortunately, the episodes are neither closed-captioned nor subtitled.
The set contains no special features, which is what we have come to expect for these MOD titles... particularly ones from Sony.
The set contains no special features, which is what we have come to expect for these MOD titles... particularly ones from Sony.
I am very pleased with the episodes on this set, and the quality of the episodes. It is just a shame, though, that Sony had to relegate this to a MOD title. This is a series that seems to have quite a following, and under different circumstances, it could have included some very nice special features and probably even had decent sales. Still, it is great that we even got this series at all, and I doubt that anybody would find anything to complain about with the episodes on the set. It certainly is no Alfred Hitchcock Presents or The Twilight Zone, but it is still a great show in its own right, and fans of series like this will want to have it in their collection alongside those. But remember, none of it is real, because there is no such thing as ghosts, and "I don't believe in ghosts... do you?"
(4/5 stars)
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CLICK OF THE WEEK
TV Tropes (www.tvtropes.com) - Remember that show that had the cool car? How about that show with the excessive bromance? And who could forget that time when that character on the show was facing a serious problem which would manifest itself over years, yet we only knew of it for one (and only one) episode? All of that probably sounds a bit confusing, as you are probably thinking to yourself "what show?" Well, in fact, all of these characteristics, and untold hundreds of others, are common to many series, and can be referred to (among many other things) as tropes. TV Tropes is one of the most amazingly complete websites which I've ever seen on this, providing a plethora of complete, insightful, and interesting to read tropes for as many TV series as humanly possible.
The website is not the easiest website to navigate. In fact, when I first discovered it, I only found it while searching for information on a TV series on Google and finding one of their pages in the process. But the easiest way to find your way on this site is to use the search box provided on the top of the main page to type in which series you want to look up. As our example, we use a classic sitcom favorite which has been in the news for more than one reason this week (and neither reason has been positive news), Happy Days. You can find several tropes on this page, such as The Danza, where a character uses the same name as their real name (named after Tony Danza, who always played Tony). For Happy Days, we have Marion playing Marion and Al playing Al. There are other familiar tropes, such as Locked in a Freezer, Dawson Casting, and of course, one of the most famous one which is actually named after the series, Chuck Cunningham Syndrome. You can find plenty of tropes like these for many series on this wonderful, insightful, and often even funny website, our Click of the Week.
The website is not the easiest website to navigate. In fact, when I first discovered it, I only found it while searching for information on a TV series on Google and finding one of their pages in the process. But the easiest way to find your way on this site is to use the search box provided on the top of the main page to type in which series you want to look up. As our example, we use a classic sitcom favorite which has been in the news for more than one reason this week (and neither reason has been positive news), Happy Days. You can find several tropes on this page, such as The Danza, where a character uses the same name as their real name (named after Tony Danza, who always played Tony). For Happy Days, we have Marion playing Marion and Al playing Al. There are other familiar tropes, such as Locked in a Freezer, Dawson Casting, and of course, one of the most famous one which is actually named after the series, Chuck Cunningham Syndrome. You can find plenty of tropes like these for many series on this wonderful, insightful, and often even funny website, our Click of the Week.
That's it for this week. Until next time, keep it digital!
Saturday, November 26, 2011
Digital Digest: Post-Black Friday Deals; Mission: Impossible - The '88 TV Season DVD Review
Thanksgiving is done, Black Friday is done, and now all we have to wait for is the beginning of winter and Christmas. But wait! Before that, we've got several more weeks of Digital Digest to go, including today's edition! Today, we've got more news, a look at Tuesday's releases, and a review of Mission: Impossible - The '88 TV Season. Plus, we've got a few more Digital Bargains to tell you about this weekend. Let's get started!
DIGITAL NEWS
It seems like we have new online streaming news every week, and this week, Hulu is in the spotlight! They've recently added some series including The Cosby Show, 3rd Rock from the Sun, Normal, Ohio, Grounded for Life, Davis Rules, Damon, Whoopi, and others to their streaming lineup. Unfortunately, in looking at The Cosby Show, it is clear that episodes of at least that show are syndicated versions of the episodes. It is unclear which, if any, other series are in their syndicated form.
MPI appears to be moving ahead on Here's Lucy, with Here's Lucy - Season Five coming February 28 (although there is some indication that this date may be incorrect). Additionally, the third season of My Favorite Martian, which was abandoned by Rhino and picked up by MPI, is reported to be coming in spring 2012, but full details are not known yet.
DIGITAL BARGAINS
Finally, we would like to mention a deal that we missed last week, and it is one worth looking in to. Shout! Factory is offering all of their DVDs direct-to-consumer Shout! Select DVDs at 20% off. It is almost unprecedented for them to offer any discounts on these, so if there are some titles that you wanted from that collection, now is the time to get them! The prices are good through November 28, 2011.
We're bringing you another edition of Digital Bargains this week, because the Black Friday deals aren't over yet! We'd definitely refer you to last week's Digital Bargains for details of the ongoing (but not for much longer, most will end TODAY) deals, but we have a few updates and additions for you today.
We begin with Best Buy. As it turns out, there are many great deals there that weren't even reported last week, including some $3.99 season sets! There isn't a whole lot among these, but the highlights are 8 Simple Rules - The Complete Second Season, According to Jim - The Complete Second Season, and According to Jim - The Complete Third Season. At $3.99 per season, there is no reason to pass these up! And the recent Sony complete series sets are dirt cheap too at Best Buy, with Married... With Children - The Complete Series and King of Queens - The Complete Series coming in at $26.99 each! These are all extraordinary deals, with tons more to be found in stores.
Of course, we also mentioned last week that Big Lots advertised some $6 DVDs for Thanksgiving Day, but those are still in stock at many stores. For the most part, it is all a repeat of last year's deals. In fact, I found nothing new at my local store, just new stock of last year's items. But if you missed out last year, you have another opportunity now to pick up some of these series.
Don't forget, Cyber Monday is coming up, where online retailers will pull out their big deals! Unfortunately, we aren't privy to what these deals will be, and we won't be able to report on them for you here (since Digital Digest won't be back until after they are done), but check out all of the online retailers on Monday, because you may find some great surprises!
UPCOMING WEEK PREVIEW
Tuesday (November 29) has two sitcom releases, with 30 Rock - Season 5 and Hot in Cleveland - Season Two. You can read our reviews here and here. Additionally, we have the DVD debut of Mission: Impossible - The '88 TV Season. We have a review of this set today in Digital Digest.
Blog DVD Review - Mission: Impossible - The '88 TV Season (CBS DVD, $39.98)
by skees53
In the 1960s, Peter Graves starred as Jim Phelps in the series Mission: Impossible, a classic series that continues to have a legacy to this day. And to complete that legacy, the series, like many other series from the 60s, was brought back for a reprisal in 1988 (thanks to a writer's strike where ABC wanted to create a program that recycled old scripts), with Peter Graves once again playing the role of Jim Phelps. With his protégé being murdered in the line of duty, Phelps is determined to do whatever it takes to find the murderer, even if it means coming out of his retirement. And so he does, along with a new team of IMF agents, to take on a series of new missions that seem impossible. It doesn't take long to find the murderer, but with Phelps now comfortable in his new job, he decides to continue with the IMF.
The series beings with "The Killer," where Jim Phelps is prompted out of retirement after his protégé is murdered. The team tries to turn a high-profile mobster against his boss in "The System." In "Holograms," the team tries to extradite an international drug lord. The team works to free a former IMF agent who was wrongly imprisoned for murder (and scheduled for execution) in "The Condemned." The grandsons of four Nazi officers attempt to create the Fourth Reich in "The Legacy." An international chess tournament is a perfect ruse for IMF agents to get three people in "The Pawn." In "The Haunting," Jim has a hunch as to who is responsible for a string of murders in the US. The IMF has to stop a battle to the death between a prince and his uncle (this almost sounds like The Lion King) in "The Lions."
The IMF is out to stop a Greek tycoon running a black market drug ring in "The Greek." In "The Fortune," the team has to locate stolen money from a dictator who sought asylum in the United States. There are rumors of a former spy starting his own chemical weapon manufacturing process in "Spy." In "The Devils," the IMF investigates a series of murders surrounding the estate of a member of the English House of Lords. An ex-IMF agent is murdering retired colleagues in "Reprisal," and Jim has to race the clock to prove that it isn't him. The team hunts for the creator of a computer virus capable of sinking naval vessels in "Submarine." The season ends with "Bayou," where a New Orleans jazz club owner is accused of owning a white slavery ring.
The episodes appear to be unedited, with runtimes as follows:
Disc 1:
1. "The Killer" (48:40)
2. "The System" (47:47)
3. "Holograms" (47:37)
4. "The Condemned" (48:10)
Disc 2:
5. "The Legacy" (47:44)
6. "The Wall" (48:07)
7. "The Cattle King" (47:53)
8. "The Pawn" (48:38)
Disc 3:
9. "The Haunting" (48:39)
10. "The Lions" (49:12)
11. "The Greek" (49:09)
12. "The Fortune" (49:28)
Disc 4:
13. "The Fixer" (48:46)
14. "Spy" (48:18)
15. "The Devils" (49:18)
16. "Plague" (49:17)
Disc 5:
17. "Reprisal" (49:00)
18. "Submarine" (48:07)
19. "Bayou" (49:25)
The packaging for this set is the pretty standard CBS DVD style packaging, with the standard Viva case. On the cover, we have a large photo of Peter Graves, along with several smaller pictures of the IMF agents. There are more of these photos on the back, along with a brief description of the series. Inside the case, there is a listing of all of the episodes, along with a brief description. There are four discs in the set, with the first four discs containing four episodes each, and the fifth disc containing three episodes. The disc artwork is just a plain gray background with the series logo imprinted on it.
The menus aren't very exciting, but they are perfectly functional. The main menu on each disc has a large photo of a different character for each disc, and a list of the episodes on the disc, along with a Subtitles option. That is all there is on the menu; not even a Play All option. Once you select an episode, it plays immediately. There are chapters placed within each episode.
The video and audio quality of this set looks fine, for the most part, but it definitely suffers from the low-production quality of the series. For those who are unaware, even though this series aired on ABC, it was done with a very low budget, and on top of that, all of the episodes were filmed in Australia. The episodes look a bit aged and unrestored, but they haven't really suffered too much. As for the audio quality, it is a very loud and clear stereo track. In fact, many of the episodes actually even have the original ABC stereo logo on them! Each episode contains English subtitles.
There are no special features to be found on this set. It would have been nice to have heard from some of the production crew, particularly given how this series came about on the heels of a writer's strike and was produced so inexpensively.
I had no idea what to expect prior to seeing this series (this was my first time ever seeing this version of the series), but it is surprisingly a great series. Many similar series that were reprised in the 80s almost seemed a bit contrived and try to recopy the past a bit too much, but this one is surprisingly fresh for a reprisal, and it amazes me that it didn't do a better job of catching on with fans. The series has a very modern (as in 80s modern) feeling to it and virtually all of the episodes in it have great story lines. The series only ended up lasting two seasons, so hopefully we'll get to see the rest of the series in a follow-up release sometime in 2012. All in all, this is a mission that fans should accept!
(4/5 stars)To purchase this DVD, click below and help support SitcomsOnline.com:
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CLICK OF THE WEEK
Museum of Broadcast Communications - We've mentioned this site often throughout our website, but the website for the Museum of Broadcast Communications in Chicago is more than just a promotional website for a museum. While you will find valuable information about the museum (which is currently in the process of moving to a new site after being without a home for a while) on this site, it provides a tremendous amount of content that will keep TV fans occupied for quite some time.
Among this content, you'll find their Encyclopedia of Television, which contains over 1000 scholarly (yes, scholarly) essays about TV series past and present. You'll find plenty of unique content here, complete with citations. But one of the best parts is the Museum Archives, where you will find 1000s of hours of classic TV, radio, commercials, and more. There is a lot to explore on the website, and we would encourage you to start on the main page... and you may be there for a while!
That's all for this week. Until next time, keep it digital!
Saturday, November 19, 2011
Digital Digest: Arrested Development to Netflix; Black Friday Digital Bargains; It Takes a Thief - The Complete Series DVD Review
Happy Thanksgiving (since we won't be back until Saturday, which is AFTER Thanksgiving!) and welcome to Digital Digest! Since Thanksgiving is coming up, we of course have a special Digital Bargains to give you a heads up on all of the Black Friday deals coming up this year. And of course, we have our regular news and a review of It Takes a Thief - The Complete Series, a great set containing every episode of the series starring the iconic Robert Wagner. Let's get going!
DIGITAL NEWS
Are you a fan of the cult-classic series Arrested Development? Many people are, and the series has been in the news lately with talks of a movie and new episodes. But given the success that the series showed on TV, where would those episodes air? Well, they have found a very fitting home where they will find success with their fanbase: on Netflix! There is no word on exactly when these episodes will debut (it'll be some time in 2013), but you can read more about it here.
DVD news has been slow this week, but hopefully we can bring you somewhat of a smile with some new upcoming releases from Warner Archive. No, it isn't new season sets of the series Growing Pains, but it is close: they are releasing both of the post-series reunion movies on DVD on December 6! You can pre-order The Growing Pains Movie and Growing Pains - Return of the Seavers now. We hope to have reviews of these sets soon.
The Donna Reed Show - Season Four is coming to DVD soon, as we all know, but as it turns out, it'll be a little sooner than we anticipated. Now scheduled for December 13, the five disc set will contain a ton of special features, a complete list of which can be seen here.
DIGITAL BARGAINS
It's the week before Thanksgiving, and of course, we couldn't let this week go without bringing you our infrequent (but hopefully very useful when we do bring it to you!) segment of Digital Digest, Digital Bargains! With Black Friday coming up, you will have a prime opportunity to own some of the DVD and Blu-ray Disc sets of all of your favorite series at a deeply discounted price. And the best part is, unlike the $200 laptops that people will be in line at midnight (yes, many stores are opening at midnight this year!) to buy, these will often (though not always) be available throughout the weekend and often be available to purchase online if you want to avoid the crowds. So let's get in to the deals!
Hastings has a few DVD offerings, but the prices aren't quite as competitive as the ones at other retailers this year. You can, however, get titles such as American Dad!, The Boondocks, Firefly, and Burn Notice for $9.99. They are also offering the first seasons of series including The Office, Weeds, Friends, How I Met Your Mother, Modern Family, and more at various prices between $9.99 and $14.99, but all of these titles can be purchased cheaper at the other retailers mentioned, even without Black Friday sales.
Finally, there is our old standby Big Lots. They've been very quiet lately with TV-on-DVD deals, but their Thanksgiving Day ad includes a Thanksgiving Day ONLY sale on more season sets, priced at $6 per season! The advertisement shows many different CBS DVD series, and it is unclear as to whether these will be the same as last year's deals, but it is great to know that more are going to be in stock for this holiday season!
Last year, the big giant Best Buy didn't really mention many of their deals in their ad, but this year, they've got plenty listed! At Best Buy, you'll find DVDs of every season (or volume in the case of Family Guy) that has been released to date of Boy Meets World, Family Guy, Friends, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, and Weeds for the low price of $8.99 each. But wait! That is hardly all that you can find for $8.99. The more impressive $8.99 deals are for DVDs of The Big Bang Theory - The Complete Fourth Season, Modern Family - Season Two, and perhaps the sweetest deal, you can even get the Blu-ray Disc OR Blu-ray sets of each of the first four seasons of Mad Men for $8.99 each! There are plenty of $12.99 titles as well, with each of the first seven seasons of Entourage, seasons five and six of The Office, and seasons six, seven, and eight of Two and a Half Men. And if you go up to $18.99, you can find another great steal with The Big Bang Theory - The Complete Fourth Season... on Blu-ray! And this is hardly an exhaustive list. The advertisement suggests that there will be more titles available in store. We can't wait to find out what those will be!
Meanwhile, over at Target, there will be some great deals as well, and some of the same items being offered at Best Buy are being offered at Target for a dollar less at $7.99! These titles include season sets of Mad Men, Weeds, Psych, and Gossip Girl. Coming in at $12.99, you can pick up any of the four seasons of The Big Bang Theory, as well each of the first two seasons of Modern Family on DVD. Of course, it is always possible (and likely) that more titles will be available in store.
Walmart isn't being too specific on what their Black Friday TV-on-DVD deals are, but an ad-scan does show some $10 titles, and it indicates that more titles will be available in stores. Among the titles seen in the advertisement are The Big Bang Theory, Two and a Half Men, Glee, Bones, True Blood, and more. Of course, you'll have to wait until Friday and check online to see the complete availability of titles.
Regional retailer Shopko (northwestern United States) has some $9.99 DVD deals that are worth looking in to. They are offering titles such as Reba, M*A*S*H, Friends, Breaking Bad, and Monk at this price. But which seasons? As is the case with Walmart, we aren't really sure, but we assume it will be multiple seasons at that price.
Finally, there is our old standby Big Lots. They've been very quiet lately with TV-on-DVD deals, but their Thanksgiving Day ad includes a Thanksgiving Day ONLY sale on more season sets, priced at $6 per season! The advertisement shows many different CBS DVD series, and it is unclear as to whether these will be the same as last year's deals, but it is great to know that more are going to be in stock for this holiday season!
But if you really just don't want to get out to do shopping on the most insane shopping day of the year, alas, there are options for you as well! You can check out Amazon.com for deals all throughout the week! You have to check the link for the exact times for the deals as well as prices (not all are given, yet), but here, you'll find deals on series such as Boy Meets World, Friends, Weeds, Mad Men, and Family Guy (are you noticing a trend on some of the titles at each store by now?). But there will be more deals on the online retailing giant, for sure, and even though they aren't saying it, they have in the past price-matched just about every Black Friday deal, so check out Amazon.com this weekend if your favorite retailer runs out of stock on the item you want or if you just don't feel like getting out... because chances are, the lowest retailer price will be matched by them!
All in all, I think this is going to be a good Black Friday for DVD deals, and unlike last year where there were decent deals that I simply wasn't interested in, there actually are many that I'll be heading out to get, particularly at Best Buy and Target! Happy hunting, and don't get run over by any shopping carts. (FYI: I'm serious, this happens several times every year on Black Friday at many stores!)
UPCOMING WEEK PREVIEW
Tuesday (November 22) brings one traditional sitcom to DVD with Meet the Browns - Season Three. But if you want something a little bit different, with a British accent, BBC Video has the US release of The Office (UK) - 10th Anniversary Special Edition, which every episode (all fourteen of them!) of the British series. This, of course, is the series that the American "modern classic" is based upon, and we will actually have a review of this set next week as one of our regular reviews (it will not be in the blog). And if you want legal drama, CBS DVD has Perry Mason - Season 6, Volume 2. You can check out our review of this set from last week's Digital Digest.
Blog DVD Review - It Takes a Thief - The Complete Series (E1 Entertainment, $199.98)
by skees53
Espionage was huge on television screens in the late 1960s, and one of the last ones to debut was a series that aired on ABC starring veteran actor Robert Wagner, It Takes a Thief. This one was unlike many other series before it, though. In the series, Wagner stars as Alexander Mundy, a master thief who begins the series in prison. He is one of the slyest thieves around, and his antics even carry over into prison, where he is still too hard to handle. But in the meantime, a federal government agency, the Secret Intelligence Agency, devises a program where they need a master thief to steal for the government, in order to intervene in matters of national security. So Noah Bain (Malachi Throne) offers to give Mundy a chance to be released from prison, in exchange for providing his mater thievery services to the government. The series only lasted for three seasons, but it left behind many loyal fans, and now, for the first time ever, the entire series can be found on DVD in a very nice set.
The series begins with the pilot, "Magnificent Thief," where Alex Mundy is paroled by Noah Bain to steal for the government. Al has to smuggle a British scientist out of the Iron Curtain in "When Boy Meets Girl." In "Totally By Design," Al has to steal a Swiss bank account passbook to prevent a dictator from financing a hostile takeover of a neighboring country. Al has to steal NATO defense plans before they fall in the wrong hands in "To Steal a Battleship." In "Turnabout," Al breaks his ankle and has to teach Noah how to be a thief. Al has to return a stolen jeweled globe in "A Matter of Royal Larceny," but there is a surprise inside that is explosive. The first season ends with "The Lay of the Land," where Al has to secretly microfilm the unpublished memoirs of a famous duchess to ensure they do not contain incriminating secrets.
Magic may just save the day in "The Bill is in Committee." In "Get Me to the Revolution On Time," it is going to take six acts of thievery to stop a Communist revolution. Noah arranges for Al to be imprisoned in East Germany so that he can be exchanged for a Communist spy who is working for the US in the two-part episode "Hans Across the Border." In "Glass Riddle," Al has to break into a bank vault in plain view of a busy street to stop an international cartel. Al finds himself in trouble when his fingerprints match the wrong ones in "The Artist is for Framing." In the two-part episode "A Matter of Grey Matter," Al gets a big surprise while he is out to steal a solid missile fuel formula from the richest man in the world. Al could be in big trouble when he is the target of a hitman in "The Funeral is on Mundy." In "The Family," Al is quarantined in the home of an American industrialist who has some awful family secrets. The second season ends with "Mad in Japan," where Al contends with a rogue SIA agent while trying to bring a laser gun prototype back from Tokyo.
Al faces poisoning in "Saturday Night in Venice." In "Who'll Bid Two Million Dollars?," a case of mistaken identity could (once again) prove fatal to Al. Al goes behind the Iron Curtain once again in "The Blue, Blue Danube," but he may be forced to divulge state secrets. Fred Astaire appears as Al's father in "The Three Virgins of Rome," where the son has to protect three priceless painting from being stolen by his own father. Al's life is in danger (isn't this a common theme?) in "A Friend in Deed," where his past brings back more woes. In "The Second Time Around," Al and his father are targeted for execution (yes, again!) for having broken up a Soviet counterfeiting operation. In "Touch of Magic," Al organizes a caper to help an aging jewel thief recover her own mojo. Did Al commit treason? He is accused of it in "Beyond a Treasonable Doubt." The series ends with "Project X," where prominent scientists start dying aboard a plane en route to a conference, and Al must find out why.
Normally, I would mention guest stars with the episodes that they appeared in. But this series is LOADED with guest stars. Among them are Susan Saint James, Raymond Burr, Fernando Lamas, Tina Louise, Bill Bixby, Suzanne Pleshette, Yvonne Craig, Ricardo Montalban, George Takai, Julie Newmar, Barry Williams, Gavin MacLeod, Teri Garr, Bette Davis, and many others
The episodes are unedited... or so it seems. There are some runtime issues (64 minutes) with the pilot episode (which will be discussed a bit later in this review), BUT keen and cautious observers who are also huge fans of the series seem to indicate that this is not edited, but rather time compressed, likely because of using a foreign source for the episode. Honestly, I don't think it matters one bit anyway, because there is a 99 minute alternate feature-length version of this episode included as a bonus feature. Episode runtimes are as follows:
Season 1:
Disc 1:
1. "Magnificent Thief" (1:04:31)
2. "It Takes One To Know One" (50:49)
3. "When Boy Meets Girl" (50:58)
4. "A Very Warm Reception" (50:55)
Disc 2:
5. "One Illegal Angel" (50:52)
6. "Totally By Design" (50:55)
7. "When Thieves Fall In" (50:56)
8. "A Spot of Trouble" (50:47)
Disc 3:
9. "When Good Friends Get Together" (50:50)
10. "Birds of a Feather" (50:50)
11. "To Steal a Battleship" (50:55)
12. "Turnabout" (50:58)
Disc 4:
13. "The Radomir Miniature" (50:50)
14. "Locked in the Cradle of the Keep" (50:53)
15. "A Matter of Royal Larceny" (50:52)
16. "The Lay of the Land" (50:56)
Season 2:
Disc 1:
1. "One Night in Soledade" (51:23)
2. "A Sour Note" (50:55)
3. "The Bill is in Committee" (51:22)
4. "The Thingamabob Heist" (51:21)
Disc 2:
5. "Get Me to the Revolution on Time" (51:19)
6. "The Packager" (51:19)
7. "Hans Across the Border (Part 1)" (51:20)
8. "Hans Across the Border (Part 2)" (50:49)
Disc 3:
9. "A Case of Red Turnips" (51:19)
10. "The Galloping Skin Game" (51:20)
11. "Glass Riddle" (51:18)
12. "To Catch a Roaring Lion" (51:21)
Disc 4:
13. "Guess Who's Coming to Rio" (51:20)
14. "The Artist is for Framing" (51:22)
15. "The Naked Billionaire" (51:12)
16. "A Matter of Grey Matter (Part 1)" (51:04)
Disc 5:
17. "A Matter of Grey Matter (Part 2)" (51:03)
18. "Catspaw" (50:02)
19. "Boom at the Top" (50:58)
20. "The Funeral is on Mundy" (51:03)
Disc 6:
21. "The Baranoff Timetable" (51:01)
22. "Rock-Bye, Bye Baby" (51:02)
23. "The Family" (50:23)
24. "38-23-36" (51:01)
Disc 7:
25. "The Great Chess Gambit" (50:02)
26. "Mad in Japan" (50:59)
Season 3:
Disc 1:
1. "Saturday Night in Venice" (51:22)
2. "Who'll Bid Two Million Dollars?" (51:21)
3. "The Beautiful People" (50:36)
4. "The Great Casino Caper" (51:02)
Disc 2:
5. "Flowers From Alexander" (51:08)
6. "The Blue, Blue Danube" (51:40)
7. "The Three Virgins of Rome" (51:35)
8. "Payoff in the Piazza" (51:35)
Disc 3:
9. "The King of Thieves" (51:31)
10. "A Friend in Deed" (51:45)
11. "The Second Time Around" (51:45)
12. "The Old Who Came In From the Spy" (51:14)
Disc 4:
13. "To Lure a Man" (51:32)
14. "The Scorpio Drop" (50:35)
15. "Nice Girls Marry Stockbrokers" (51:40)
16. "The Steal-Driving Man" (51:23)
Disc 5:
17. "Touch of Magic" (51:22)
18. "Fortune City" (51:20)
19. "Situation Red" (51:19)
20. "To Sing a Song of Murder" (51:24)
Disc 6:
21. "The Suzie Simone Caper" (50:15)
22. "An Evening With Alister Mundy" (50:24)
23. "Beyond a Treasonable Doubt" (51:25)
24. "Project X" (51:28)
The packaging for this set seems to be very divisive among those who have already picked it up. Some people (like me) absolutely love the packaging, but there have also been some people who just don't like the packaging. It is not a standard style of packaging at all. Basically, the set comes in an almost cubical shaped red box with black and white portraits of Wagner on the front and back, and silhouettes of characters on both sides. On the top, there is a yellow lid with the series title in red. When you remove the lid, you'll find the cases for the DVDs, and some extras. I suppose the real complaint is the cases. Much like recent DVD sets of The Simpsons, these cases are folding cardboard cases where you can slide the discs out from the case. These are small CD-sized cases, and there is a case for each individual season--a yellow one for the first season, a red one for the second season, and a black one for the third season. When the case is folded, there is a listing of all of the episodes on the back of the case, but when you unfold the case, there is a description of all of the episodes along with the original airdates for the episodes. You'll also find several photos on the case. The disc artwork has a silhouette of Wagner on each disc (same one as seen on the cover art), with background colors corresponding to the color of the cases for each season. The episode titles are also printed on each disc. Each disc contains four episodes (except for Disc 7 in Season 2, which only has two episodes), and the only bonus disc in the set is included with the season one episodes.
But there is much more to the packaging with the extras that are included in the set. Inside the box, you'll find a nice booklet that gives a history of the series, along with several rare photos. You'll also find a limited edition senitype, which is a single film frame excised from the series that was digitally scanned and reproduced to look exactly like a film frame from the series. These even come with a unique identification number for each set; mine was #3050. But we still aren't done with the extras! They even included a set of four It Takes a Thief coasters in the set! I won't be using them (it would destroy the harmony of the set for my collection, naturally), but these are high quality coasters that contain images of the series logo and (again) silhouettes of Wagner on them. This is certainly one impressive set for these bonuses!
The menus are very nicely designed, with some animated transitional effects at the beginning. The theme song plays in the background, with artwork (same as what is seen on the box for the set) and options of Play All and Episodes. Selecting Episodes will take you to a menu that lists the episodes on the disc, along with a small snapshot from the episode. Once you select an episode, it plays immediately. Chapters are placed throughout each episode.
For the most part, the video and audio quality of the episodes looks rather decent. The episodes have a nice clean and crisp picture, although more restoration work COULD have been done. Still, I don't believe fans have a valid reason to gripe about the quality. There are some minor black level issues and a TINY bit of grain and debris, but I've seen much worse on shows that were filmed using newer and better technology. One complaint that I have been reading about online is claims that the first episode (as presented on Season 1, Disc 1) has some PAL/NTSC conversion issues, which supposedly accounts for the runtime that is shorter than one would expect for it. At 64 minutes for an episode that aired in a 90 minute timeslot, it certainly sounds as if there may very well be some issues there, particularly as nobody has complained about anything being missing in this episode. But honestly, it isn't that big of a deal, because that same episode is presented as a 99 minute version on the bonus features disc. The audio is mostly nice and clear, though it isn't completely perfect. Naturally, it is presented in mono. Unfortunately, the episodes are not closed-captioned or subtitled, which is surprising given how nice of a set this is.
I expected this set to be full of special features, but I ended up actually being a tad bit disappointed here... although what we do have is good. All of the special features can be found on the Bonus Disc included in the case for the first season. First, we have the extended feature-length version of the pilot episode (1:39:23). Why is this a big deal? Well, the pilot episode of the series ran in a ninety minute timeslot when it originally aired, and the lack of considerations for syndication made it difficult to air the episode in syndication. The result was that the pilot was not included in domestic syndication packages, but upon exporting it to Europe, the extended length pilot, with added footage, was put together. Eventually, this was distributed in the United States and even released on VHS by MCA Universal Home Video (that logo is actually still at the beginning, by the way!). So now, you can see that full-length episode here. Perhaps the nicest special feature, though, is "The King of Thieves" (29:45), which is a brand new in-depth interview with Robert Wagner, produced especially for this DVD set. Finally, there is "A Matter of Larceny" (28:27), which is an interview with producer Glen A. Larson, who of course also went on to bigger projects of his own in the 1980s with Knight Rider and Magnum, P.I. This feature, though, was not created exclusively for this set, but was in fact created for the 2010 release of the series in Australia by another studio.
I only recently began to watch this series on Antenna TV, and I was intrigued by the press that the DVD set was getting leading in to the release date. This set is by no means a disappointment, although it certainly would have been nice to have had a FEW more special features on it. Fans have been waiting for years for this set, and I think that what we have here will not disappoint the fans. The only drawback of the set is the nearly $200 MSRP, but then again, I'm not seeing it being offered that expensively from retailers, as most seem to be marking it at about half that price (which is much more reasonable). E1 has truly taken a great series and given it the proper treatment that it deserves on DVD. This set is a great addition to any DVD collection, particularly for fans of the spy genre of television of the 1960s.
(4/5 stars)To purchase this DVD, click below and help support SitcomsOnline.com:
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CLICK OF THE WEEK
Surf the Channel (www.surfthechannel.com) - Normally, for our Click of the Week, we bring you sites that give you unique content that can't be found anywhere else. But this week, we have something a little bit different. More and more people (including many people who read this blog) frequently visit the various websites online to watch our favorite TV shows, but there are clearly so many of these websites out there. So why not have a one-stop location for all of this? Well, Surf the Channel is a website that gives you that one-stop location.
You probably won't find anything on here that you can't find by going to a lot of different websites, but what makes this site so good is that it aggregates the content from all of the major (and legal) providers of online TV series viewing. You can put in a series title in the search box (or go to the list of series), then get a list of episodes and find links to watch the episodes on the major sites such as Hulu or the respective networks. This makes it a lot easier for those times when you ask yourself where you could possibly watch the shows, but have no clue where to start. Of course, you'll find that very often links do go to Hulu, but you'll also find other links that you may not have been aware of, as well as links to watch programs that are on other TV viewing websites on the internet.
That's all for this week. Until next time, keep it digital!
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Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows
Monday, August 17
The Neighorhood - "Welcome to Babies and Bathwater" (CBS, 8:00PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Dave’s ambitious home improvement plans take a turn, prompting Calvin to step in, while Malcolm seeks Gemma’s help to overcome writer’s block. Meanwhile, Tina’s suggestion for Daphne sparks a parenting dilemma for Courtney.
The Neighorhood - "Welcome to the Hoodwink" (CBS, 8:30PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Tina grows concerned about Malcolm’s romantic choices. Meanwhile, Calvin and Dave’s street smarts are put to the test.
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia - "Frank Marries a Corpse" (FX and FXX, 9:00PM ET/PT)
The guys help Frank with his cold feet ahead of his wedding to Sam; Dee tries to scare Sam off the nuptials with testimonies from The Waitress, Artemis and Snail.
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia - "Dennis and Dee Don't Get Rich" (FX and FXX, 9:32PM ET/PT)
The Reynolds twins push themselves to the limit to secure Sam's transfer of wealth; Charlie and Frank plan a proper memorial for Bonnie during the annual Mummers Parade.
Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of August 17)
Monday, August 17
- Rosie O'Donnell (SMILF/Stand by Your Man/Gimme a Break!) - Rosie guest hosts Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
- Hannah Waddingham (Ted Lasso) - Watch Hannah on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
- Ana Gasteyer (American Auto/People of Earth/Lady Dynamite/Suburgatory) - Ana appears on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
- Will Forte (The Four Seasons/HouseBroken/MacGruber/The Last Man on Earth/The Cleveland Show) - Will stops by The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
- Adam Ferrara (The Job) and Harland Williams (The Geena Davis Show/Simon) - Adam is a guest on a repeat of Comics Unleashed with Byron Allen at 12:37am on CBS.
- Maya Rudolph (Loot/Bless the Harts/Forever/Up All Night) - Maya appears on a repeat of Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
- Isla Fisher (Wolf Like Me), Michelle Buteau (Survival of the Thickest/Bless the Harts/Enlisted) and Anna Faris (Mom) - Isla, Michelle, Anna and Leslie Mann talk about Spa Weekend on NBC's Today in the 9am hour.
- Jeff Hiller (Somebody Somewhere/Nightcap) - Jeff talks about Apple TV's Widow's Bay on Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings.
- Emeril Lagasse (Emeril) - Sunny Anderson gets a big surprise from Drew – cooking with the legendary Emeril Lagasse on a repeat of The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
- Jennifer Aniston (Friends/Muddling Through/Ferris Bueller/Molloy) - Drew is chatting with Jennifer about the new season of The Morning Show, her kids cookbook, Cook with Clydeo, and her haircare line on a repeat of The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
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