Disc Reviews

Never before have I seen a series that managed to captivate my daughter the way that Elena of Avalor: Realm of the Jaquins did. I mean, it was amazing. To give you some context, my daughter is six years old and has enough energy to exhaust a brand new puppy. Her attention span is usually no more than five minutes, but when I put this show on; she never looked away from the television. In fact, I’m not even sure that she blinked. I will admit that I enjoyed the series myself, especially the two-part titular episode that focused on the fictional Jaquin creatures that serve as the guardians of Avalor. Charming, and full of catchy original music, Elena of Avalor: Realm of the Jaquins is an excellent bonding experience for both child and parent.

Fair warning to parents: you are dropped right into the action, so I would recommend some research before attempting to watch; that way you can better follow the story. For me, my research was asking my daughter, who apparently knew everything about the show. To summarize, Elena Castillo Flores is the Crown Princess of Avalor, a magical kingdom that she must protect from an evil sorceress. Despite only being a teenager, Elena must shoulder the same responsibilities as any ruler, such as meeting with her Grand Council and making decisions that affect all the people under her charge. In this four-episode feature disc, Elena breaks tradition and travels to the world of the Jaquins in order to convince their leader to give Jacquin Nico, another chance to take the guardian test. As humans are not allowed in the world of the Jaquin, her enemies take advantage of her desires to help a friend and a free a dangerous forest sprite named Marimonda who was imprisoned centuries earlier. With the sprite determined to destroy Avalor, Elena must call upon her magical scepter, a weapon she is still learning to use, to save her people and defeat the sprite. The following two episodes set up a showdown between Elena and her archenemy, Shuriki.

"We don't have time for square one."

If you are at all familiar with the NCIS franchise, you know that the show tends to follow a bit of a formula. Each spinoff has some unique style aspects, but the episodes tend to be relatively self-contained. That means you can start with Season 4 of NCIS: New Orleans and still be able to appreciate most of what's going on. You'll get to know and understand the characters pretty quickly. The franchise has leaned more toward continuous story arcs of late, and NCIS: New Orleans does that more than the others. So while you could certainly enjoy this release on its own, I still recommend you go back and catch up on the first three seasons just to get caught up and maximize your enjoyment. The good news is that we can help you with that. You don't have to wade through 10 years of Jag, 15 years of NCIS and 8 years of NCIS: L.A., although that might be one heck of a fun binge. Just catch up on the first three seasons of this show and you'll be ready to go. You can check out those reviews here.

"It is a remarkable saga. It's the story of how the American hunter made this country great. Hunting has been a part of the American experience right from the very beginning. Hunting has defined a large part of the American character. American hunting has forged a unique relationship between the nation's people and the land on which they live and share with its wilderness. Indeed, American hunters were the first conservationists."

I get it. Hunting isn't for everyone. Recently Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz drew an unexpected backlash when he posted pictures to his Twitter account of his dog celebrating her birthday among a pile of shot birds. He called the dog his best hunting buddy ever. And he was greatly criticized over the post. I guess he should have known better. I guess he should have known that there are people out there who would be offended. And we live in a day and age where people appear to believe they have a right to not be offended. If that sounds preachy, I guess it is. You see, I grew up in Reading, Pennsylvania where hunting was and still is a huge tradition. My father taught me gun and hunting safety before I was 10 years old. In Reading the first day of deer season is a school holiday. Yes, there are even locals there who abhor the practice and will tell you all about it while they munch on their Big Mac. But the truth is that there are more deer in Eastern Pennsylvania now than there were thousands of years ago. Turns out that hunting is actually good for the populations and makes the animals that remain healthier and stronger. And by the way, the company that cleared the land where your house was built killed more natural wildlife than any hunter could in a lifetime. If you're not into it, this isn't the show for you. Get yourselves some fries with that burger and watch something else. The rest of you just might enjoy this 6-part documentary on American hunting.

"It's what I do."

What David Boreanaz does is create iconic television characters. He has had no trouble getting work over the years. He has had the ability to jump from one successful series to another and enjoy longevity in those roles. Unlike many actors who have had big television roles, he doesn't get at all pigeonholed or typecast. In Buffy The Vampire Slayer he originated the role of the vampire Angel, who spun off to his own series for several years. Immediately after that he took on the role of an FBI agent and partner to the title character on Bones. That job lasted a decade. Before the remains of Bones could be laid to rest, he was already working on his next new series. Now he's the field leader of a Navy Seal team, and if the first season of Navy Seals is any indication, he's going to be dodging bullets and RPG's for the foreseeable future. CBS has a big tradition of long-running shows, and I wouldn't be surprised if a decade from now I'm talking to you about the 10th season of Seal Team.

The Boxcar Children: Surprise Island is the second film adaptation of the popular literary series of 1920s. Going into the series I knew very little about it. I wasn’t even aware that there it was a book series until the making of featurette, but we will get to that later. The series focuses on the Alden children, who live with their grandfather following the tragic death of their parent. What these children are most known for his going on adventures and solving mysteries. However, the director said it best, “When the boxcar children solve a mystery, it doesn’t end with someone going to jail, but with someone being emotionally healed."

In this latest film, the group learns that they will be spending their summer on a private island that their father and their grandfather before him used to spend their summers on. Excited for this new adventure, the group meets a kind stranger who lives on the island. He is very pleasant and always eager to help the children out, but it is very clear that he has a secret, one that affects him very much. It is up to these junior investigators to discover what is and help their new friend.