Disc Type

To the point, Criminal Minds is very compelling television. Ever since The Silence of the Lambs and perhaps long before, we have been fascinated by serial killers and the profilers who try to get inside their heads. To see evidence of the continuing trend, one needs only look toward the success of films like Zodiac and shows like Dexter. Of course, serial killers are not the only prey this FBI team pursues, but they are certainly the marquee item on the agenda. To be sure, there are equally disturbing subjects such as arsonists, bombers, kidnappers, and rapists to give the show a touch of variety, but let’s face it, it’s the killers that keep us tuned so attentively to Criminal Minds.

Let’s not take anything away from the show’s true force here. This is an excellent cast being fed brilliant scripts playing to an awesome crew. Everything just clicks on this series, and it only got better in the second year. I am truly impressed with how much these characters are fleshed out and how much we learn about them without the need of office romance. No precious show time is squandered on excessive personal life stories. We’re given just enough to bring the characters alive beyond their team dynamic, which is quite strong. Each character is constructed through the subtle nuances the actors infuse their performance with. From the moment you watch your first episode, you will find this team believable enough to care about them and their work. Surprisingly, the show often gets muddled in a ton of exposition, but somehow it’s carried off by the cast so that you never find yourself going numb with clinical information overload. Granted, the material itself is attention-worthy, but these guys pull it off no matter how interesting the information might be. Add to the stellar portrayals a writing team second to none in the industry. The support teams do everything they need to make sure these talents are never wasted.

Special Agent Gibbs (Harmon) heads up this group of criminal investigators. Harmon has always been good, but I dare you to find a character he’s played better. He just eats up the part. You won’t have any trouble believing that Gibbs is the seasoned veteran investigator leading this team. Special Agent DiNozzo (Weatherly) is a former Baltimore homicide detective who often lets his determination run his investigation into trouble. He’ll bend a rule or throw a punch, whatever it takes to bring down the bad guy. Pauley Perrette plays the goth chick/forensic specialist Abby Sciuto. She reminds me a ton of the Penelope Garcia character from Criminal Minds. She’s flirty, far too informal for Gibbs, but is a lot smarter and tougher than she appears. Making himself more visible in this series is David McCallum as pathologist Ducky Millard. Ducky is the Quincy of the group as he checks out the bodies. His dry wit makes him my favorite character on the show. Sean Murray plays Tim McGee, who we've seen go from a young man with little self-confidence to a strong agent in the field. That doesn't mean he still doesn't suffer the barbs of Tony's sarcasm.

NCIS combines elements from many types of genre shows which make it such a fresh series to watch even after 11 seasons. There’s a little bit of CSI along with a touch of Law & Order. You won’t have to look too hard to also see elements of JAG in there as well. While the soap opera aspects of the show run deeper than I like, I don’t find the relationship stuff here to be as intrusive as it was in JAG.

There's certainly an interesting movie to be made about cultural assimilation and the ensuing racial conflicts within the black community. Those topics have been explored in everything from a classic, brilliantly profane Chris Rock routine to the just-premiered ABC sitcom Black-ish. They're also ostensibly tackled in Rise Up Black Man, a total mess of a micro-budget drama that tries to do way too much and accomplishes little beyond leaving viewers scratching their heads.

Will (Prince Duren) is a black recent college graduate whose immediate circle of friends — including goofy best buddy Gary (Dustin Morby) and slightly cougar-iffic girlfriend Lisa (Cassie Self) — is predominantly white. Despite its title, the DVD case and logline for Rise Up Black Man sell the film as the story of Will and Gary taking divergent paths into adulthood. However, the actual film devotes just as much time to the charismatically nefarious Rev. Franklin J. King (Victor Muse), who uses his powerful organization and prominent standing within the black community to line his own pockets. Need further proof that DVD cases can't always be trusted? The film's running time is listed as 146 minutes; the actual duration is 1 hour and 45 minutes.