Disc Reviews

"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 Navy Seals.

The Good Fight just keeps getting better with every new season. It has become one of my guilty pleasure shows. Though it does tend to take quite a few jabs at our president and likes to emphasize alleged depravity, beyond that is a show that is very relevant to today’s society, and this season is no different as the show hits the ground running in the first episode with a storyline that has long reaching effects on the firm, as well as a member of the main cast. This storyline is obviously a reality-based storyline used for the purposes of highlighting the MeToo movement, as well as addressing implications this movement has had on certain celebrities’ images, particularly Bill Cosby’s fall from grace. I believe the proper term for this is “ripped from the headlines.”

After appearing to have found their footing, the firm of Reddick, Bosemon, & Lockhart find themselves facing an image problem when during a documentary honoring founding member and civil rights legend, Carl Reddick sexually assaulted multiple women within the firm and several women not affiliated with the firm. Obviously, this comes as a shock to the firm, but no one is more shocked than his daughter, who is also a partner at the firm. With this storyline, Season 3 had me hooked from the very first episode, mainly for the affects that this revelation has on Audra McDonald’s character. Best I can tell, this was the first emotional story arc the character has undertaken in the series, and she handled it beautifully in my opinion. It also provided another side to how this crime of incident affects all parties involved. We are used to seeing how it affects the victims, but this season showed that the children of the perpetrator are also victims, as Liz’s perception of her father is forever changed, and she is forced to make an impossible decision about how to address her father’s actions.

When it comes to shows that simply sneak up on you and manage to suck you in, This Is Us would be a show I never saw coming nor expected to simply fall in love with.  As a show that is on network television it stands toe to toe with the best that cable has to offer. But what is most surprising is that what sets this show apart from the rest of the pack isn’t a complex antihero or dragons; instead, it is as simple as being a show that feels as real as anything I’ve seen on television in some time.  As the title would suggest This Is Us is simply about a family and the struggles and successes that come day to day, though as many of you can understand and relate, there is nothing simple about life and the constant hurdles that are thrown at us on a day-to-day basis.  I was hesitant when I first began the series, but I was quickly moved by its characters and their stories.  I was impressed by the first two seasons, and I’ve wondered if it can maintain its level of quality moving into a third season level.  After another 18 episodes and plenty of tears, I was a little let down by the first part of the season, but it came together in the end, delivering some of the best moments in the shows run to date.

Dan Fogelman (Crazy, Stupid, Love) has created a show about the Pearsons, Jack (Milo Ventimiglia) and Rebecca (Mandy Moore) as they go about their journey raising their three kids who all happen to share the same birthday with their father. This season we start off with the siblings turning 38. There is Kate (Chrissy Metz) who is continuing to follow her interest in singing as well as enjoying the newly married life with Toby (Chris Sullivan), Kevin (Justin Hartley) who is on his way to becoming a respected actor after the success of his new film, and then we have Randall (Sterling K. Brown) who seems to finally have a handle on his life and family.  Everything seems to be going well for the Pearsons, but of course, that is all going to change.

"Oh no. Has it been a year already?"

The 10th season of Modern Family has arrived on home video. The series entered its 10th season with a bit of a tease. It was revealed that during this season one of the cast members would die. Of course the expectation being built was that it would be one of the regulars, and speculation had it that Jay was going to be the one to go. I never bought any of that. Jay's the patriarch of this family and the one piece of the enormous puzzle that might be the most essential. What I and many fans of the show didn't expect was that it would actually be a recurring character, and that the core family was safe for one more season. After the 11th season, it all comes to an end. Modern Family will be riding off into the sunset come spring of 2020, and it will be a sad day indeed. But that's a ways off, and we still have Season 10 on home video to watch.

In 1887, readers of the popular periodical Beeton's Christmas Annual were to receive quite a special treat. There wasn't much fanfare or hype to the event. Inside the pages of the magazine was a story called A Study In Scarlet. It was a detective story, perhaps like many published before, except for the detective himself, a certain Mr. Sherlock Holmes. Together with his faithful companion and chronicler Dr. Watson, Holmes would win the hearts of those holiday readers. It might have been an ordinary day, but the world was about to change. Sherlock Holmes would become the most famous detective in the world. His stories would remain in print nearly 130 years later. Over 100 films would be made featuring the character. There would be television shows and cartoon spoofs. No other character has appeared in more productions. When his creator dared to kill the beloved detective in order to move on to newer stories, his very life was threatened. It would seem that Doyle was on the verge of becoming a victim much like those in his stories. There was only one man who could save him from such a grim fate, and he did just that. It was Sherlock Holmes himself.

Modernizing Sherlock Holmes has been a popular trend in film and television lately. We have seen two slick action film adaptations courtesy of Guy Ritchie, a contemporary BBC adaptation (Sherlock), and now there is Elementary, which transplants Sherlock Holmes and his loyal companion Watson from Victorian era England to modern New York.

"Look. There ain't gonna be any cryin'."

Just a couple of years ago the reincarnation of Hawaii Five-O looked to be in a bit of a controversy with some of the cast members who have been with the show from its start. Daniel Dae Kim played Chin Ho Kelly, a character from the original series. Grace Park played Kono Kalakua. They were important characters on the show, but the actors didn't think they were getting paid enough. They believed they should have gotten the same pay as the two actors at the top of the call sheet. CBS declined their requests, and suddenly it became about race, because both actors are Asian. The only trouble with that theory is there are many Asian actors on the series, and this was the wrong show to play the race card against. Both are gone now. New cast members have moved in, and now the show appears to be at its best. The current cast is a strong blend of actors and characters. By the time I was halfway through this ninth season, I was asking myself Chin and Kono who?