Jorge Garcia

Blu-Ray Review: First Two Seasons of ‘Lost’ Finally Available in HD

BrianTT — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 06:00:00 -0600

CHICAGO – A majority of people who watch television in HD would cite ABC’s “Lost” as having the highest quality broadcast on television from a technical level but the first two seasons were only available in standard definition. Until now. J.J. Abrams’ mysterious island and its residents look absolutely amazing in HD and now fans can catch up with the first two seasons of “Lost”.

Blu-Ray Rating: 5.0/5.0

There are a few franchises that simply do TV on DVD better than others - “The Simpsons,” “24,” and, of course, “Lost” stand among the best. With fantastic special features and gorgeous transfers, these shows aren’t just documents of a program’s original broadcast, they stand on their own and enhance the show instead of just giving viewers an opportunity to watch it again.

The first four season releases of “Lost” have been among the most acclaimed in the history of standard DVD and seasons three and four proved that Buena Vista Home Video was going to bring the same craftsmanship in designing a single set to Blu-Ray. Instead of making fans wait, before the final season airs early in 2010, viewers can watch all five seasons that came before in HD.

If you already own the first two seasons of “Lost,” should you upgrade? Well, HD really is the way to go for a show like this one but a few more interesting new special features would have been a nice addition for fans tempted to open their wallet for a majority of material they already own (although buyers ARE given a $20 mail-in certificate if they own the complete first or second season already, which is a nice incentive).

The first two seasons of “Lost” are already some of the most influential television of the ’00s. I can still remember the first time I saw the amazing pilot and, like a lot of fans, I’m sure that I will one day work my way through all six seasons of this great show.

The technical details and special features:

Lost: The Complete First Season was released on Blu-Ray on June 16th, 2009.
Photo credit: Buena Vista Home Video

“Lost: The Complete First Season”

The 25 episodes (1,068 minutes) of “Lost: The Complete First Season” are presented in 1080p High Definition with an aspect ratio of 1.78:1. The video is close to flawless and the audio mix, in English 5.1 Uncompressed (48kHz/16-bit) Audio (with a French 5.1 and Spanish 2.0 track also available), is significantly better than the original broadcast. Sound design has always been a significant part of Lost, and the Blu-Ray audio track places the appropriate emphasis on that element of the show.

Like all “Lost” seasons, the first comes with hours of special features:

“The Lost Flashbacks” - All-New, Unseen Flashbacks Reveal Additional Secrets
“Welcome to Oahu: The Making Of The Pilot’ - Behind-the-Scenes Featurette on Lost’s Premiere Episode
“The Genesis of Lost” - Series’ Creators Tell How the Show Was Conceived
“Designing a Disaster” - Exciting Insights Into the Look of Lost
“Commentaries” - Observations From The Cast and Creators
“Before They Were Lost” - Audition Tapes and Personal Stories From the Cast
“Deleted Scenes and Bloopers”
Exclusive to Blu-Ray - “SeasonPlay, Seamless Menus, And Much More”

Lost: The Complete Second Season was released on Blu-Ray on June 16th, 2009.
Photo credit: Buena Vista Home Video

“Lost: The Complete Second Season”

The 24 episodes (1,056 minutes) of “Lost: The Complete Second Season” are presented in 1080p High Definition with an aspect ratio of 1.78:1. The audio mix is an English 5.1 Uncompressed (48kHz/16-bit) Audio (with a French 5.1 and Spanish 2.0 track also available) track.

Over eight hours of original bonus material includes:

“Lost Flashbacks” - Secrets Revealed in All-New, Never-Before-Seen Flashbacks
“The Official Lost Connections’ - Shocking Character Connections Are Uncovered in This Exclusive Immersive Experience
“Secrets From the Hatch” - Go Inside To Discover “The Swan”
“Mysteries, Theories And Conspiracies” - The Virgin Mary Statues, Alvar Hanso And Snow Globes - The Truth Revealed
“Lost on Location” - An All-Access Pass To The Set
“Fire + Water” - An Episode From Concept to Completion
“Audio Commentaries”
“Deleted Scenes and Bloopers”
Exclusive to Blu-Ray - “SeasonPlay, Seamless Menus, And Much More”

‘Lost: The Complete First Season’ & ‘Lost: The Complete Second Season’ are released by Buena Vista Home Video and star Matthew Fox, Evangeline Lilly, Jorge Garcia, Josh Holloway, Yunjin Kim, Daniel Dae Kim, Naveen Andrews, Terry O’Quinn, Dominic Monaghan, Harold Perrineau, and Emilie de Ravin. The show was created by J.J. Abrams, Jeffrey Lieber, and Damon Lindelof. The first two seasons were released on Blu-Ray on June 16th, 2009.

By BRIAN TALLERICO
Content Director
HollywoodChicago.com
brian@hollywoodchicago.com

‘Lost’ Starts Fifth Season With Fantastic Pair of Episodes

BrianTT — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 20:56:51 -0700

Television Rating: 5.0/5.0

CHICAGO – ABC’s “Lost” returns next Wednesday, January 21st, with a pair of episodes that more than live up to the expectations and the high bar set by season four, one of the best of 2008.

Perfectly balancing a healthy mix of answers to questions set up by the end of last season and asking new ones for what promises to be an excellent fifth season, episode 5.1, “Because You Left,” and episode 5.2, “The Lie,” are very likely to satisfy everyone who tunes in.

Matthew Fox, Evangeline Lilly, Jorge Garcia, Naveen Andrews, and Josh Holloway are back and one of the best shows on television has returned from its time off without missing a single complicated step.

Matthew Fox, Michael Emerson.
Photo credit: Copyright © 2009 ABC Studios/Mario Perez

Before we go anywhere with this review, something needs to be clarified - there will be less plot details in this review than average, so spoiler hunters should look elsewhere. Part of the genius of “Lost” is in the way that its brilliant creators choose what to reveal, when, and how. There’s no way we would ruin the joy of learning the focus of season five of “Lost,” but trust me when I tell you that you will have a much better idea of what that will be by the end of the first two episodes of the penultimate season of this great show.

Naveen Andrews, Jorge Garcia.
Photo credit: Copyright © 2009 ABC Studios/Mario Perez

It’s not much of a spoiler to reveal that the first two episodes of the fifth season of “Lost” focus mostly on two groups, the “Oceanic Six” that left the island and those that were still on it when it “moved.” The flashback structure of the first two seasons may be gone, but the show still bounces seamlessly between different characters in different times, including opening in one that you’ll never expect. In the history of great pre-credit scenes for “Lost” season premieres, this is one of the best.

Speaking of time, the true “meta” genius of season five may be, at least in part, that a show where time was always such a factor has made it one for its characters as well. The questions viewers have constantly been asking, especially during season four - Who is that? What role do they play in the overall picture? Is this taking place on the island or off it? When is this taking place in context of the crash? - aren’t too different from the questions that the characters are forced to ask themselves in the new season.

Another element of the first few seasons of “Lost” was that most episodes revolved around a specific character. That structure has changed over the years but is certainly not completely lost. “Because You Left” could be called a “Daniel Farraday episode” and “The Lie” belongs to a “Lost” fan favorite, Hugo “Hurley” Reyes. Jeremy Davies does the best work he’s done on the show to date in the former and Jorge Garcia does his best in years in the latter.

As for other cast members with prominent roles in the first two episodes, Evangeline Lilly does excellent work with a few Kate scenes, Josh Holloway drives most of the action with the people left on the island as Sawyer, and, of course, Michael Emerson continues to rock as Ben, arguably the true center of everything that has happened on “Lost”. His final scene is a stunner.

Terry O’Quinn.
Photo credit: Copyright © 2009 ABC Studios/Mario Perez

Something that’s clear in the first two episodes of season five of “Lost” is that the surreal nature of the show is going to be even more so in 2009. The blend of themes, characters, and plotlines are starting to come together. Let me just say that there are several familiar faces in the new episodes that diehard fans never thought they would see again. The history of the show is folding in on itself like one of Hurley’s crazy visions and it’s mesmerizing even when you have no idea exactly what’s going on.

So, what questions can you expect to be answered or at least developed in the first two episodes of “Lost: Season Five”?

What does it mean to say the island “moved”? Who is trying to go back to the island and why? What happened to the “Six” immediately after they got off the island? There are even a few questions answered or raised again that you may have forgotten you once asked. More than any other season premiere, you might want to refresh yourself on the first four seasons. These episodes have references to them all.

In the end, the two big questions surrounding “Lost” haven’t changed.

One, where is it going?

I feel like I know more than I did before “Because You Left” and “The Lie,” but still have dozens of tantalizing questions. That’s the best compliment to pay these episodes - that they answer enough questions to satisfy but ask the ones to keep you counting the days until the new episode.

Two, will we be satisfied when we get there?

I’m becoming more and more convinced with every episode that we definitely will be.

‘Lost,’ which airs on ABC, stars Naveen Andrews, Matthew Fox, Jorge Garcia, Josh Holloway, Daniel Dae Kim, Yunjin Kim, Evangeline Lilly, Terry O’Quinn, Michael Emerson, Henry Ian Cusick, Elizabeth Mitchell, Jeremy Davies, Ken Leung, Rebecca Mader, Nestor Carbonell, and Jeff Fahey. The premiere of season five airs on January 21st, 2009 at 7PM CST.

By BRIAN TALLERICO
Content Director
HollywoodChicago.com
brian@hollywoodchicago.com

Blu-Ray Review: ‘Lost: Season Four’ With Matthew Fox, Evangeline Lilly Worth Finding on Blu-Ray

BrianTT — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 12:54:32 -0700

CHICAGO – Rivaling “24” and “The Simpsons” as the TV series with the most in-depth, remarkable season DVD sets, “Lost” continues to impress with the Blu-Ray release of season four, a technically flawless presentation with a series of unique special features that should impress casual fans and make the hardcore ones drool.

The end of the third season of “Lost” revealed that Jack and Kate made it off the island and that life was not too good on the mainland. The revelation opened the door for a reinvigoration of the series in season four, returning it to the ranks of the best programs on television. As audiences learned more and more about the fate of the inhabitants of the “Lost” island, the sometimes rambling quality of the show started to come into focus. Viewers who complained that the “Lost” writers were making it up as they went along felt more confident that the series was actually heading towards a concrete and exciting end-point. The fourth season of “Lost” was the best since the first and even fans who gave up on the show in season two and three would be wise to revisit the island in this excellent Blu-Ray release.

The 14 episodes (604 minutes) of “Lost: Season Four” are presented in 1080p High Definition with an aspect ratio of 1.78:1. Viewers lucky enough to see the show in its original HD broadcast on ABC know that it’s one of the best on the air. This is a visually sumptuous show and all the Blu-Ray release really has to do is recreate the HD broadcast to be considered a success. The video transfer is not flawless, but it’s pretty close to it and the audio mix, in English 5.1 Uncompressed (48kHz/16-bit) Audio (with a French 5.1 and Spanish 2.0 track also available), is significantly better than the original broadcast. Sound design has always been a significant part of Lost, and the Blu-Ray audio track places the appropriate emphasis on that element of the show.

What has been truly remarkable about the first three season releases of “Lost” has been the extensive and detailed special features. The fourth season may have been strike-shortened, but it is not missing anything in the arena of bonus features. Five episodes include commentaries (detailed below) and the fifth BD disc includes hours of special features. One at a time:

“4 Audio Commentaries” (Various) - Evangeline Lilly and Jorge Garcia on the season premiere, “The Beginning of the End”. Editor Mark Goldman, Co-Creator. Executive Producer Damon Lindelof, and Executive Producer Carlton Cuse on Episode 4.5, “The Constant”. Director Stephen Semel, Actor Daniel Dae Kim, and Actor Yunjin Kim on Episode 4.7, “Ji Yeon”. Executive Producers Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse on Episode 4.13, “No Place Like Home (Part 2)”.

“The Right to Bear Arms” (11:15) - A featurette on the history of weapons usage in “Lost”. Guns have played a bigger role in the show than you might imagine. Ammunition is power on an island. This is a surprisingly informative featurette, asking and answering interesting questions that have been a part of the series since season one like “Who has the Marshall’s gun?” It points out how important weapons have been to the trajectory of characters like Sayid, Kate, and Jack. There’s a chart that tracks the five guns from season one - who has them, where are they - and interviews a continuity expert that tracks that information and how it might play into future conflicts.

“The Freighter Folk” (12:40) - A featurette that examines the new characters who came to the “Lost” island from the freighter. Daniel Faraday (Jeremy Davies), Frank Lapidus (Jeff Fahey), Charlotte Lewis (Rebecca Mader), and Miles Straume (Ken Leung).

“The Island Backlot: Lost in Hawaii (17:53) - The entire show with the exception of four scenes has been shot on Oahu. All of Eko’s Africa scenes, the footage in the Middle East with Sayid, everything that happens in Australia, and the Korean scenes with Jin and Yun - all shot in Hawaii. This excellent featurette details how the crew uses the islands to recreate the world of “Lost” and how important it is for the cast to actually shoot in conditions similar to what their character is experiencing instead of on a back lot.

“The Oceanic Six: A Conspiracy of Lies” (21:16) - A very entertaining, humorous, and possibly enlightening “fake documentary” about the six characters who escaped the island at the end of season four and how the world already doubts their story of survival. Footage of the survivors leaving the plane, giving a press conference, and much more practically make this a bridge between season four and five. Considering it runs just around the same length as a half-hour TV show (with commercials) don’t be surprised to see ABC air it just before the premiere of the new season on January 21st to catch up and entertain fans of the series.

“Offshore Shoot” (7:50) - Arguably the “simplest” featurette about the freighter set and shooting offshore. No, it’s not easy to shoot on a boat.

“Soundtrack of Survival: Composing for Character, Conflict, & The Crash” (26:21) - The world symphonic premiere of Michael Giacchino’s score for Lost by the Honolulu Symphony Pops. The Blu-Ray disc includes extra footage including “The Others Theme”.

“Lost on Location” (41:54) - Fans of the series will be familiar with this amazing series, which feature interviews and on-location footage shot during actual episode production.

“Course of the Future: The Definitive Flash-Forwards” (Various) - All of the Flash-Forwards that were included in season four are available in clip-form, which the user then has to assemble chronologically like a puzzle. Some are easy. Some are harder than you might think. After the user has successfully organized the clips, each character can be followed through their post-island experience, complete with script excerpts and story direction from the Lost writers, a bonus only available on the Blu-Ray version. The Play All option of all the Flash-Forwards with comments by the writers, stars and crew runs about an hour.

“Lost: Missing Pieces Mobisodes” (31:22) - Brief episodes of “Lost” for mobile phones. Not quite episodes and not quite deleted scenes, they do add something to the fabric of the series but only for hardcore fans whom might get a thrill watching Jack and Ben play chess.

“Deleted Scenes” (9:11) - There’s nothing of significance here. Of course, they’re all dialogue-driven scenes that were cut for pacing. They didn’t delete anything that sheds any light on the complex plot.

“Lost Bloopers” (3:22) - Self-explanatory on-set hijinks.

‘Lost: Season Four’ is released by ABC Studios/Walt Disney Home Entertainment and stars Matthew Fox, Evangeline Lilly, Jorge Garcia, Naveen Andrews, Josh Holloway, Daniel Dae Kim, Yunjin Kim, Terry O’Quinn, Emilie de Ravin, Henry Ian Cusick, Elizabeth Mitchell, and Michael Emerson. It was created by J.J. Abrams, Carlton Cuse, and Damon Lindelof. It will be released on December 9th, 2008.

By BRIAN TALLERICO
Staff Writer
HollywoodChicago.com
brian@hollywoodchicago.com