Posts by Gino Sassani

Simon Baker is riding high these days. His hit series The Mentalist was the highest ranked new drama of the year when it first debuted. That accomplishment got the show paired with CSI in that enviable Thursday night time slot. I’m amazed when I hear folks tell me how the actor appeared to come out of nowhere. A few film roles and he’s Mr. Television. Well, count me in with the small group that isn’t so surprised and saw him coming as far away as 2001 with a sleeper CBS series called The Guardian.

Duckman began life as an underground comic created by Everett Peck. It gathered to itself quite a cult following, and like all such things caught the attention of Hollywood. The USA Network took a chance on the quirky property and cast Seinfeld’s Jason Alexander to voice the crude character. And so Duckman’s wife was killed, and he was forced to rent his own house from his sister-in-law, who was left the estate by Duckman’s wife. His life pretty much sucked. Not only was he renting in his own house, but he was also living with his overbearing sister-in-law and his grandma, who basically just sat around and farted all day long. Duckman considered himself an ace private detective and ran an agency with his partner, Cornfed. Cornfed was voiced by Gregg Berger and was a Jack Webb Sgt. Friday clone.

Ray Donovan (Schreiber) is a Boston native who moved his entire family including his two brothers out to L.A. There he built an empire by being very good at what he does. What he does is fix problems, particularly for big-name celebrities and the lawyers who coddle represent them. His father has spent 20 years in jail for a crime he might not have actually committed. But Ray hates his father enough to have set him up and sent him to jail. A pattern Ray has continued over four years of the show. Ray has a wife, Abby (Malcomson), whom he keeps at arm’s length of his dubious business dealings. He also has a son and daughter who are somewhat conflicted in their feelings for their father. You don't want to start here if you are just experiencing Ray Donovan for the first time. In fact, this year is one of the best in the show's 5-year run to date. You really want to get caught up so you can appreciate some emotional drama as Ray Donovan The Complete Fifth Season comes to DVD. You get all 12 episodes on four discs.

Lynda La Plante is quite a fixture in the British television landscape. She has been a television writer since the 1970's and has been producing her own creations since the 1990's. Her shows often feature a woman in some kind of authority position fighting the good fight in a law enforcement tradition that leans heavily in the male department. Likely American audiences know her best from her more recent Prime Suspect series which has enjoyed some success here in the States. It wasn't long before that show that she was writing and producing a series of television movies with the overall title of The Commander. The films ran from 2003 until about 2008 when the final film was released as a three-part show. Acorn has put together a 7 disc DVD collection of the show's entire run.

"Lion’s Guard, let's go!"

For many years The Lion King was the highest-grossing animated film of all time. It remains one of the most beloved films in history. It marked the last of the Disney classic animation triumphs. Combined with the Elton John and Tim Rice songs, it is one of those generational films. While there has never been a feature film follow-up at the box office, there have been a few attempts to keep the franchise alive, and why not? A direct- to-video film told the same story from the unique point of view of the popular characters Timon and Pumbaa.