DVD Picks & Pans: TV Dinners
Military.com - Tom Miller
Jun 16, 2008
DVD Picks & Pans: Summer Smorgasbord—TV Dinners
Our summer viewing feast continues with a third course of spicy fare from the small screen. There's a sci-fi drama from the 1990's that showcases the Windy City; a hot spy drama set in America's playground, Miami Beach; and a graphic drama that revolves around sex and California. Don't be a pig.
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Burn Notice—Season One
DVD-2008 ($49.98, Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment)
Cable network USA's newest hit is set in America's subtropical paradise—Miami Beach—and features a resourceful, wise-cracking, ruggedly-handsome spy—Michael Westen (Jeffrey Donovan)—who is cut loose by his superiors without explanation (in spy vernacular, given his "burn notice") and left out in the cold.
If you're going to get burned, Miami's a good choice. Determined to learn why he's been cut loose, Westen moves into a no-frills loft and takes odd jobs as a fixer and private detective to make ends meet. He's assisted by former squeeze and ex-Irish Republican Army operative Fiona (Gabrielle Anwar). The most improbable premise among many in this highly improbable show is that Westen can resist Fiona's considerable charms.
Westen also recruits former spy Sam Axe (Bruce Campbell), who likes his booze and has a mysterious attraction to women, to help out. If his life isn't hard enough, Westen also has to contend with his nagging mother, Madeline (Sharon Gless).
"Burn Notice" might be implausible, but it's action-packed, witty, and looks great. With all 11 Season One episodes on four discs, you get beaucoup beaches, palm trees, pink stucco, and bikinis. Not to mention HOT actors in Donovan and Anwar. It's the perfect appetizer for summer viewing.
Military.com Rating: ** ½
(DVD extras include audio commentary with creator matt nix and stars Jeffrey Donovan, Gabrielle Anwar, Bruce Campbell, and Sharon Gless; a gag reel; Girls Gone Burn Notice montage; and audition footage for Jeffrey Donovan and Gabrielle Anwar.)
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Early Edition: The First Season
DVD-2008 ($49.99, CBS DVD/Paramount Home Entertainment)
After losing his job, home, and wife, Chicago stockbroker Gary Hobson (Kyle Chandler) wonders if he's also losing his mind when his daily newspaper begins coming a day early. Hobson soon figures out that he can use the early news to prevent the tragedies that he reads about and save lives.
Such is the intriguing premise for this entertaining sci-fi series that ran on CBS for four years (and 90 episodes) from 1996 to 2000.
Assisted by his friends Chuck Fishman (Fisher Stevens), a former stockbroker, and Marissa Clark (Shanesia Davis-Williams), a blind receptionist, Hobson becomes a man with a mission—obsessively trying to save as many lives as he can.
A unique blend of poignant story-telling, quirky humor, and compelling moral dilemmas, the series earned two Emmy nominations and a Saturn nomination from the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror Films for Best Genre Network TV Series. Chandler won a Saturn Award for Best Genre TV Actor.
The series also enjoyed a loyal audience that petitioned (unsuccessfully) to prevent its cancellation. That same fan support has finally succeeded in bringing the series to DVD.
"The First Season" includes all 23 episodes in a collectible six-disc set and features guest appearances by Felicity Huffman, Cynthia Nixon, and Marion Ross.
Military.com Rating: ***
(DVD extras include episodic promos.)
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Californication: The First Season
DVD-2008 ($39.99, Paramount Home Entertainment)
I just don't understand Hank Moody (David Duchovny), the main character in Showtime's latest dour drama.
Hank's latest novel, "God Hates Us All," is a huge success—and the basis for a hit movie starring TomKat—he lives in sunny California, and he shares his bed with lots of sexy women. All that and he's morose as hell. Who knew?
Just for the sake of comparison: My latest novel, published by a small, regional press, has attracted no attention from Hollywood (although it'd make a great Disney film), I live smack in the middle of Hog Heaven, and I've slept with the same woman for the past thirty years. Yet—and here's the kicker—I'm basically content. Go figure.
To be honest, there are a few complications in Hank's life. There's the problem of his beautiful ex-girlfriend Karen (Natascha McElhone) who's left him and taken their 12-year-old daughter Becca (Madeleine Martin) with her. To make matters worse, he doesn't like the movie version of his book, and he has a serious case of writer's block.
So, there you have the main premise of "Californication." Moody (get it?) writer rejected by his girlfriend takes his revenge by sleeping with lots of beautiful women. If you like liberal nudity and sex, you've come to the right place. (Of course, it's my job to watch these things so it wasn't a matter of personal choice. And, if I watched some parts—okay, lots of parts—more than once, it wasn't the result of some prurient weakness. No, I merely hoped to explore in greater detail the existential angst of the characters. Yeah, it's a sacrifice, but I believe my readers deserve it.)
Lots of people like what they've seen. The show was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Television Series, and Duchovny won a Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series. Moreover, Showtime has announced that it's bringing the show back for a second revealing season.
Not everybody is happy though. Conservative media-watchdog groups have complained about the graphic content.
Military.com Rating: ** ½
(DVD extras include free streaming of new episodes of Showtime hits "Dexter" and "The Tudors.")
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Military.com DVD Picks & Pans Smorgasbord Ratings Guide
* Have the Rolaids handy
** Two words: fast food
*** Tasty
**** Succulent
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Copyright 2008 by Tom Miller
A former history professor, Tom Miller is a novelist and essayist. His most recent novel, Freshman Sensation (2007), is available from the publisher at http://www.ccjournal.com/. His reviews and essays have appeared in numerous books, journals, and newspapers, including The Encyclopedia of Southern History, American History Illustrated, the Chicago Tribune, and the Des Moines Register. He also is a former Army Officer and Vietnam Veteran.
