Disc Reviews

You have to go back to the early 40’s for when Archie, Jughead, Betty and Veronica first appeared in comic book form.  Over the years, though, their characters have changed with the times, though the town of Riverdale always seemed to maintain an innocent charm where nothing bad ever seemed to happen. Well, that is until recently where the comics took a shift and thrust our characters into various scenarios, one even including Riverdale being overrun by zombies. These changes occurred when Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa took over the brand, and now he has brought the town of Riverdale and its inhabitants to the small screen for the CW network.  Though this iteration differs from the early days of the Archie comic universe, all the familiar characters are here, and they are showing us the shady underbelly of Riverdale that I’m so glad we are getting a glimpse of, one episode at a time.

When Season 1 left us, we were with Archie (K.J. Apa), and his dad, Fred Andrews (Luke Perry) lay bleeding in Pop’s Chocklit Shoppe after a “botched robbery”. Season 2 picks up right where the previous season left us and wastes no time ramping up the danger in town as a mysterious killer dubbed “The Black Hood” begins killing off the residents of Riverdale.  Wanting to protect his town and his friends, Archie forms a group called The Red Circle. As you can expect, this glorified neighborhood watch group is simply a recipe for disaster, but also entertaining television. While Archie is on the hunt for “The Black Hood”, Betty (Lili Reinhart) finds herself caught up in the mess as well as the killer plays a sort of cat-and-mouse game with her by leaving her clues to their identity. Jughead (Cole Sprouse) is keeping busy this season, as he’s relocated to Southside High and he is adjusting to his life while becoming a member of The Serpents. Personally seeing how Jughead evolves as a member of the Serpents, from his gang initiation to the power struggles we see develop over the course of the season, is one of the best things going for this season. Finally we have Veronica (Camila Mendes) who is adjusting to her father’s early release from prison and coming home to continue with “The Family Business”.  As you can imagine, Season 2 is loaded heavily with material for our characters, and there is so much that continues to work its way into the story that it almost never hits a lull.

The First World War long existed in the shadow of the second. When it was fought, the term World War was not yet in existence. Until after the Second World War, it was referred to mostly as The Great War. The footage from this war is far more rare. Most of us have seen little of it. Clips from the Second World War have been used over and over for countless documentaries. There are no longer any survivors left alive from that Great War. You won't find them interviewed on television, and you won't hear their stories told to the extent you've heard accounts of other conflicts. The results of that war do still live with us today, but how many of us truly understand any of it? Mill Creek brings us the 10-part documentary series from 2008 WWI: The War To End All Wars.

The start of the war is more complicated than just the assassination of an Archduke. Unprecedented feelings of nationalism, an intricate web of alliances, and an arms race fed by new technologies in weapon technologies: all of this created a powder keg that was merely ignited by that fateful assassination. It's a story worth hearing in the detail provided here.

"What would you do if the person you loved walked out the front door and never returned? What would you do if the next day you were pulled into a police station and interrogated quite aggressively, under suspicion of murder? And what would you do if your kids were taken away and put into foster care and you were accused of being a bad mother? What would you do?"

That's pretty much the premise for the Acorn release of the first season of Keeping Faith, or first series as the Brits like to say. It's an 8-episode slow-burner drama that deals with the aftermath of the disappearance of a guy who appeared to be your average Joe with a loving family. On the surface you have the makings of an interesting series. But the real devil is in the presentation.

Sports movies have been something of a cliché for years now. And it's not really a recent phenomenon. Everybody remembers Ronald Reagan appearing in Knute Rockne All American as the famous George Gipp. That was 1940, and Hollywood is still selling films that ask teams to "win one for The Gipper". That's exactly what you get in director Sean McNamara's The Miracle Season. Substitute high school volleyball for college football, and you likely already know the story before you even order your popcorn and soda. Of course, even with established Hollywood formula and a well-trodden story, things are never quite that simple. Somehow the better films still tend to touch an emotional nerve, and when it's all based on a true and inspiring story, well then, break out the Kleenex and try to keep the tears from diluting your already watered-down drink. Still, some of these films manage to stand out from a very crowded field. So what exactly does it take to do that, and does The Miracle Season have what it takes? That's a little bit complicated.

The film begins with the story of two best friends. Caroline and Kelly have that special kind of bond, as the opening narration explains. We are treated to a montage of the close friends from young girls to adolescents who eventually find themselves teammates on Iowa City West's volleyball team. In 2010 they took home the state championship, and hopes are high as the girls begin practices for the 2011 season. All of the hope and enthusiasm is delivered by Caroline "Line" (Yarosh). Her energy and drive are contagious, and it's quickly evident why she's the natural leader of the team and a favorite of Coach "Bres" Bresnahan (Hunt). Her cheerfulness is even more amazing when we learn that her mother is dying of cancer and unlikely to survive to see her daughter win a second championship. She still manages to stay positive and keep her mother and father smiling. She decorates her shoes to dedicate the new season to her mother and encourages her friend Kelly (Moriarty) into believing she can also be a team leader. With someone like Caroline pushing the team, that second championship appears in the bag.