DVD Picks & Pans: A Big Screen Sequel and Two Small Screen Classics
Tom Miller
Nov 13, 2007
"Oceans 13" 2007-DVD (Warner Home Video, $28.98 - Also available in HD and Blu-ray and in an Ocean's collection appropriately titled "Ocean's Trilogy" "Trilogy" also comes in HD and Blu-ray editions.)
They're back. That's right, the photogenic gang that's every Vegas casino owner's worst nightmare is back with another installment. This time mastermind Danny Ocean (George Clooney) and his minions - Rusty Ryan (Brad Pitt) and Linus Caldwell (Matt Damon) just to mention a couple - are out to shut down hotelier Willie Bank's (Al Pacino) new venture in retaliation for double-crossing their ailing buddy and accomplice Reuben (Elliot Gould).
The plot (screenplay by Brian Koppelman and David Levien) is full of holes, but the actors are cool, the banter is light, and action fast-paced. And surprisingly, neither Pitt nor Clooney is the prettiest actor on hand. That would be Ellen Barkin, who plays Bank's assistant, Abigail Sponder.
While still lucrative, director Steven Soderbergh's franchise seems to be pushing against its limits. Military.com Rating: ** ½
(DVD extras include deleted scenes and two featurettes: "Vegas: An Opulent Illusion" and "Jerry Weintraub Walk and Talk" wherein the producer serves as escort for a casino tour.)
**********************************
"Northern Exposure: The Complete Series," 2007-DVD (Universal Studios Home Entertainment, $199.98)
For six seasons from 1990 through 1995, this quirky, often-surreal series set in the remote (fictional) Alaskan town of Cicely was among the most literate and beguiling on television.
The show revolves around the misplaced New York-bred and trained physician, Dr. Joel Fleischman (Rob Morrow) and the eccentric residents of Cicely. A neurotic babe-in-the-woods, Fleischman lands in outback Alaska to work off a student loan from the state. Among the laid-back locals (although few are natives) are Maggie O'Connell (Janine Turner), a former debutante and current bush pilot whose ambivalent relationship with Fleischman is a staple of the series.
Other notable characters include: an ex-astronaut and entrepreneur; an ex-con disc jockey and mail-order clergyman; and a May-December couple who own the local bar/restaurant.
Northern Exposure was a hit with viewers and the critics. It finished among the top 20 programs for three seasons and won an Emmy for Outstanding Drama Series and two Golden Globes for Best Drama Series.
The complete series - 110 episodes over six seasons - are included on twenty-six discs. Military.com Rating: *** ½
(DVD extras include deleted and extended scenes from all six seasons.)
**********************************
"Miami Vice: The Complete Series," 2007-DVD (Universal Studios Home Entertainment, $199.98)
One of the 1980s most innovative and influential dramas, "Miami Vice" signaled the arrival of film noir on network television, introduced Italian fashion to American men, and helped revitalize Miami's South Beach.
The show revolves around two vice cops - Sonny Crocket (Don Johnson) and Ricardo Tubbs (Philip Michael Thomas) - who drive fast cars and wear flashy clothes while chasing down drug runners and uncovering corruption. The show's tone in the first couple of seasons was light, but it became increasingly darker - and even nihilistic - in later seasons.
Even so, the hard-driving sound track and fast-paced action often gave the appearance of extended music videos. The show also featured original music from some of rock's biggest names: The Who, Aerosmith, Guns N' Roses, and U2 among them. (The back story is that the show was inspired by a memo from an NBC programming executive to series creator Anthony Yerkovich that read simply "MTV cops."
The show ran for five seasons (1984-89) and won four Emmys, two Golden Globes, and two Grammys. In 2006, the series' executive producer Michael Mann successfully updated the franchise for the big screen.
The composite set includes all five seasons: 111 episodes on 27 discs. Military.com Rating: ***
Military.com Picks & Pans Rating Scale
* Pan - Save your money & time
** Borderline Pick - Okay but only as a last resort
*** Pick - Worthwhile & enjoyable
**** Enthusiastic Pick - Excellent
Sound Off...What do you think? Join the discussion
Copyright 2012 by Tom Miller
