Disc Type

"I mean the guy's abducted, like what, twice a year? I think that's a tad above the national average." 

After eight long seasons, the book on Richard Castle has finally come to a close. It started when Stana Katic decided that she was leaving the show after the eighth season. That did not spell doom for the show immediately, and honestly it shouldn't have. It was obvious in the first couple of episodes that the powers that be were experimenting with a new look to the show, and I thought it was actually a pretty good idea. More on the new look later. The Beckett character is not essential to the success of the show, and it never was. With all due respect to all of the trendy "ship" fans out there, this series was much more than the romantic relationship. And I believe the early season proves the point, if only someone in power was paying attention.

NCIS: LA differs in several ways from NCIS or JAG. While LA is still a military show, that angle is downplayed here. The atmosphere for the team is more civilian-looking all the way around. There are seldom folks walking around in uniforms. The operations utilize more of the standard surveillance and undercover work. There's a lot more street work to be found here. That means car chases and lots of shootouts. The cases often deal with terrorists, so these guys break a lot of the rules. They don't let any silly Constitution stand in their way. The show is about to enter its eighth year. In this seven-season release, the show reaches its 150^th episode landmark. The franchise has passed 500.

The role of head honcho is Linda Hunt as Hetty. You might remember her as one of the prominent judges from The Practice. She plays a character with a rich back story. She appears to have once been a Hollywood costume designer and has plenty of stories about the big celebrities she knew, and hints at having slept with. She's a strong mother hen for the group, both nurturing and demanding. The lead undercover officer is Callen, played by former Batman sidekick Robin, Chris O'Donnell. He doesn't know his first name, only that it starts with a G. He's a little bit Jason Bourne. He knows little of his own past but has those mad instincts and ability to think on his feet. He was orphaned and has some security issues. He's a natural undercover with great instincts that allow him to blend into any situation. His partner is Sam Hanna, played by rapper LL Cool J. He's a former Navy Seal with the brains to go with all of that bulk. The team also includes Kensi Bly, played by Daniela Ruah, who was born in the US but spent most of her acting career on Portuguese television shows. She's the prerequisite supermodel that it seems every cop show has to have. Fortunately, she also has solid acting chops. The character is the CSI-styled forensic expert on the team. She's the one who combs the crime scenes for those hidden clues. Her partner and now love interest is Marty Deeks, played by Eric Christian Olsen. The two have better chemistry than Kensi had with Nate. There's the expected sexual tension and a lot of banter that keeps the partnership interesting. Eric Beal, played by Barrett Foa, is the tech guy of the group. He does all of that computer hacking that every show does these days. He also has a partner of sorts. Nell Jones is played by Renee Felice Smith. She's a bright young rising star who has a lot of the same tech knowledge that Eric has. Hetty appears to be grooming her for bigger things. Another leader arrived a couple of seasons ago in Owen Granger, played by Miguel Ferrer, who has somewhat of a complicated history with Hetty. We're never sure if they were friends or enemies... likely both.

Things are really going to change over at Criminal Minds. Season 11 is going to be your last chance to see the team as it’s been for several years. I'd say it's in for the biggest change since Mandy left early in the show's run. Now two more of the show's original actors will be leaving. One of the changes was totally planned. After 11 years on the series, Shemar Moore decided it was time to try something else. Derek's exit is part of the show's finale, and there's room for him to return if he wishes. The second exit was not quite so planned. Thomas Gibson has had a history of violent outbursts on the series in the past. He's been known to push people around...literally. While filming an early episode for season 12, he kicked a writer during a disagreement. Apparently that was the last straw, and he has now been fired. Hotchner will be seen in the first couple of episodes, and then he'll be gone. I suspect this exit will not allow a possible return, and I expect to see Hotchner killed off. Whatever happens going forward, Season 11 will be a final look at this particular cast combination, so enjoy it.

Agent Rossi (Mantegna) is actually one of the unit’s founding fathers. Agent Hotchner (Gibson) is the often stoic agent in charge who defers to Rossi’s judgment most of the time. The team also includes still-young Dr. Reid (Gubler), who is a genius but lacks the necessary skills to have much of a social life. Agent Morgan (Moore) is the dynamic soul of the team, possessing an unending supply of energy to drive their investigations. JJ (Cook) is the public face of the team, handling liaison duties with local law enforcement and also the team’s press relations. In a command center that rivals the bridge of the Enterprise is Agent Garcia (Vangsness) who handles the computer research while the rest of the team is in the field.

I have seen an incredible number of independent horror films that are either shot in or around the woods. The setting makes sense for budget purposes: you are able to create a mysterious, brooding atmosphere for absolutely no cost. These films were produced even before The Blair Witch Project made the aesthetic popular in 1999. Even I hear the call of the woods as an amateur filmmaker, but I’m careful not to give into temptation and create a guaranteed flop just so that I can have a film set “in the woods.” I may seem pessimistic, but I have been disappointed by too many of these films to understand that it is not just being “in the woods” that makes the film. For these films to succeed, you need excellent writing and an unsettling/uncanny presence of which to be afraid. As is the case with The Interior.

The film tells the story of James, a young man who recently learns he has an undisclosed, and assumed fatal, illness. In an effort to cope with this news, James shifts careers from office to manual labor, but to no avail. He finally decides to journey into the interior of British Columbia, where he begins living off of minimal supplies in a true outdoorsman fashion. However, it is not long before James begins to feel the anxieties of being alone trickle into terror, as he is soon tormented by a sickly-looking man wearing a red jacket.

Modernizing Sherlock Holmes has been a popular trend in film and television lately. We have seen two slick action film adaptations courtesy of Guy Ritchie, a contemporary BBC adaptation (Sherlock), and now there is Elementary, which transplants Sherlock Holmes and his loyal companion Watson from Victorian Era England to modern New York. We might be a long way from Doyle here, but the possibilities are very intriguing. This is the season that Elementary really finds its legs.

Jonny Lee Miller’s portrayal of Holmes makes me want to start drawing comparisons to the title character in the medical drama House. Both shows surround an eccentric, drug-addicted savant who blazes beyond socially acceptable behavior to a series of “aha!” moments. Granted, said “aha!” moments are much less contrived and formulaic than they are in House. It takes a little while for the show to get its legs, but it does. The creators are clearly hoping the eccentric charm of Holmes can shoulder the burden of maintaining audience interest. Said eccentricity can come off a bit aimless at first. Sherlock has the ability examine people almost perfectly, yet the writers do not seem to have the character fully figured out, and there are too many moments where Holmes’ odd behavior seems a bit tacked on, such as when he hypnotizes himself to get through an addiction support group meeting.

It seems there is no end in sight for comic book properties being bought and turned into movies or television series. Lucifer is one of the newest additions getting the television treatment, and personally this was a title I was looking forward to.  With Tom Kapinos (Californication and Dawson’s Creek) at the helm, this seemed like it would be a good fit, though one thing did nag at me.  When you have a show called Lucifer, and it is about the devil taking a vacation on Earth, is standard television really the proper outlet for broadcast?  As a fan of Californication, I was excited to see what Kapinos would do with the material, and for the most part the show doesn’t disappoint.

When we first meet Lucifer Morningstar (Tom Ellis), he’s already been vacationing on Earth for a few years with no real desire to go back home.  He’s a ladies’ man who runs one of the hottest nightclubs in Los Angeles; who can blame him for not wanting to return home? Amenadiel (D.B. Woodside) is an angel that has been tasked by God to not only look after Lucifer but to bring him back to his rightful place in Hell.  This is a struggle that stretches throughout the first season but sadly doesn’t seem to carry any weight till later on in the season as we see the two get their hands dirty as they squabble.