Disc Reviews

by Dustin P. Anderson

In this collection we view the Peanuts television specials that have nothing to do with any major holidays. Instead this collection focuses on lesser known episodes that center around other values that should be important in a person’s life. These episodes cover the Olympics, a trip to France, a first crush, and much more. Charlie Brown and the gang are presented here to make the audience laugh and learn, with valuable lessons for kids and classic moments for adults.

Two strangers lost at sea. What to do? What to do? Well, in the case of The Surface, the thing to do is be suspicious of one another and stay on opposite ends of the boat. Or at least that is how we begin. As expected when there is nothing to do at sea and you are trapped, the only recourse is communication and to question the choices that brought you to this particular situation. Trust me, there is plenty of reflection in this tale of two strangers thrown together by circumstance and forced to work together to overcome physical obstacles as well as a few emotional ones.

It took a minute to get my bearings with the story, as the beginning is not big on dialog. The story is almost ten minutes in before the first word is uttered. Instead it focuses on Mitch (Sean Astin) as he goes through basic tasks such as getting up, preparing a pack, and readying his boat before leaving his home. His first stop is to his mother at a treatment facility. Due to his mother’s Alzheimer’s, Mitch engages in a one-sided conversation which gives the first indication into his life, revealing an undercurrent of sadness. I at first surmised the reason for the sadness was his mother’s situation; however, as the film progresses, it is abundantly clear that the reasons go much deeper.

When Calls the Heart is a typical romantic drama series from the Hallmark channel, with forty-five minute episodes. This particular disc, When Calls the Heart: Heart and Home is a combination of episodes six and seven from season two. While combining the two episodes places this particular disc at feature length, it does not give context to what has happened to the characters in previous episodes. In other words: being introduced to this disc as a standalone movie, without prior knowledge of the television series, may not be the best way to watch it.

At this point in the story, Elizabeth Thatcher (Erin Krakow) must take a leave of absence from teaching in order to return home and tend to a family emergency. Thatcher’s sister, Julie (Charlotte Hegele) is involved in a car accident with her boyfriend, and her father is looking to press charges. In addition to this storyline there is an “intense” high-stakes poker game involving ownership of land, multiple rifts in relationships (including Elizabeth and her betrothed, Jack, played by Daniel Lissing), and multiple threats involving money/land disputes.

Ralph Dale Earnhardt (Dale Earnhardt Sr.) died at age 49 on February 18, 2001. The accident took place in the final lap of a thrilling race in which Dale Sr. was helping his teammates Dale Jr. and Michael Waltrip (the brother of one of his biggest rivals and the announcer of the race, Darrell Waltrip). What was remarkable about the accident is that it was unspectacular. Dale Sr. had been in many horrible crashes in which the car flew and flipped many times and he walked away. Not this time. He got tapped and glided quietly on the bumper of another race car. He was taken away by ambulance and was pronounced dead on arrival of a basilar skull fracture. His teammates, Michael Waltrip (who had never won a race) and Dale Earnhardt Jr., finished in first and second place respectively. Dale Earnhardt Sr. was “The Intimidator” and “Darth Vader” throughout the 1980's and 90's because of his relentless focus and desire to win when he was behind the wheel. He was frequently hated but would win back love and respect from his fellow competitors with his gruff good nature off the track. It was remarkable to see a notorious tough guy and black hat seem so laid back 99% of the time. He was beloved by NASCAR fans not just because of his winning ways but because of his believable country ways. When he wasn't driving he was farming, fishing and hunting. Dale Sr. won 76 Winston Cup races and seven NASCAR Winston Cup Championships. Dale Jr. is in the middle of a great career himself, but I won't be talking about him in this article. I will mention his father, Ralph, because Dale Sr. spent a lifetime living in the shadow of man he modeled his life after. Ralph was a born mechanic and natural racer, himself. Ralph died of a heart attack at 45. Dale said, “Everything I ever did was to make my daddy proud”.

I Am Dale Earnhardt is part of a series of documentaries from Spike television. I will admit I always heard the name, but I wasn't a racing fan. I just recently learned the difference between Formula 1 and NASCAR. (They are two different worlds, and I'll leave it at that.)

"It's New Orleans; there's always something bad coming."

When you have the highest-rated drama on television, there is a temptation to milk it for all that you can. We've seen it happen with both the Law & Order and CSI franchises. The results tend to be mixed, with some capturing and even exceeding the popularity of the original. Others never quite seem to connect and are gone while their mother ship is still on the air. It's too early to tell if NCIS: New Orleans will fall in the former or latter category. There's certainly plenty of the tight writing and production value that the NCIS label is known for. The cast is better than average, and we have the addition of an iconic city with plenty of personality to help drive the atmosphere of the show. But how does that translate on a week-to-week basis? The jury's still out on that one.