Disc Reviews

After six seasons I don't really think of Major Crimes as a spinoff from The Closer. It has gone on to establish itself as a much better show than its former version ever was. We have become very comfortable with most of these characters, and the series isn't really looking over its shoulder anymore, if it ever did. This is one of those shows that's just easy to watch. There might not be anything groundbreaking going on here, but it feels like that old worn shirt that you love to wear because it just feels good having it on. That's the kind of thing that can go on for many years, and it did. But Major Crimes is shutting its doors with this sixth and final season now available on DVD from Warner Brothers.

Pretty much the rest of The Closer’s cast remained intact for its six years. The senior officer on the team is Lt. Provenza (Bailey), and he's become the field commander of the team over the years. There's Lt. Andy Flynn (Denison) finally getting married to Commander Sharon Raydor, who originally came from Internal Affairs and was not instantly beloved. But Mary McDonnell gave the role some life, and she became a bit of the show's emotional center. Lt. Tao (Chan) is still one of the tech experts, along with Buzz (Keene), who also serves as the videographer of the unit. Buzz gets a promotion to reserve officer, but he’s still pretty much the guy with the camera. Detective Sanchez (Cruz) is back after suffering a death in the family. He still loses his cool a little, but I found him an awkward character this season. The delivery has changed to an almost deliberate tight, calm cadence. He's obviously struggling to keep his temper under control. Dr. Morales (Del Arco) has a bit of a testy relationship with the police unit this season. It's nice to see some strain here. The unit also includes Kearran Giovanni as Detective Amy Sykes. Last season the show added the rather dry Detective Wes Nolan, played by Daniel di Tomasso. He fits in rather quickly as far as chemistry goes with the unit. Of course, as an undercover cop he was used to being pretty much on his own, so he's still learning the whole teamwork thing. This season we see the arrival of a new and interesting character. Detective Camille Page is brought over from Missing Persons because of her expertise in dealing with missing children cases. (More on that later.) She's played by Jessica Meraz and is a fiery detective not used to being a part of a team. She likes to finish other people's sentences and was mentored years ago by Provenza. The standout character has to be Lt. Provenza, played by M*A*S*H’s G.W.Bailey. The character is actually a lot like that show’s Rizzo. Just pretend that he finally got out of the Army and got into law enforcement. He’s always complaining and getting into trouble, but he’s smart, and his instincts are often dead-on.

When Calls the Heart is already five seasons in and has been a fan favorite of the Hallmark Channel.  It’s no surprise that the channel would take a chance with the show and develop a movie from the material that author Janette Oke has created. As a show that plays on the Hallmark Channel, it should come as no surprise that it is wholesome and filled with values that you don’t often find on the cable networks.  In this day and age a little bit of wholesome television can be a nice change of pace; after all, for many all they see is the sex and violence that flood the airwaves. It’s hard to find entertainment that is safe for the whole family to watch. But just because it’s something for the whole family to watch, is it any good?

I’ll admit I never heard of the show when I picked up the film to review it.  I’m all for mixing things up and giving all genres a fair shake, though I have to admit I was a bit leery of this title. On the bright side, despite the series already being five seasons in, there is no need to have any prior knowledge of the show to appreciate the film.  The small town of Hope Valley and its residents is well drawn out for first time viewers and understanding the town dynamic is easy to follow as we are introduced to  each of the members of the town.

I can’t think of a real life cop who is more famous than Frank Serpico. Ever since the film Serpico was released in 1973, people around the world knew the name of the cop who singlehandedly attempted to end corruption in the NYPD. Al Pacino made the character famous, and the name continues to live on in pop culture, but now we have the documentary Frank Serpico to tell the story from the man himself.  The film that follows is not just about the man and his crusade against the NYPD, but it also serves as a reflection with the man 45 years following his time in the department. Back then he took a bullet for speaking out about the corruption. Have the man or ideals changed over the years?  That is what the documentary sets out to find out.

The film opens up with Frank discussing how his daily ritual before work was to act as though he were about to put on a performance.  Well, it’s been 45 years, and the man continues to perform; that is the first thing that stands out to me about this production. He has no problem admitting that he is a bit eccentric, but what you can’t miss is that he seems to be playing the role of Frank Serpico rather than simply being himself. In interviews with friends and fellow officers, this is brought up as they discuss how Frank seems to feel obligated to live up to certain expectations that the film and his celebrity has created.  Personally this was something I wish was explored more so we could truly have a chance to understand the man, because everything else that follows in the film just seems like an act. I don’t fault Frank for this, but rather the director Antonino D’ Ambrosio for not wrangling his subject in.  Is Frank’s story any less interesting because of this? Not a chance, because Frank carries this documentary along from start to finish.