FX

DVD Review: Spectacular ‘The Shield: The Complete Series Collection’

BrianTT — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 12:32:19 -0700

CHICAGO – All seven season of the Emmy-winning, groundbreaking “The Shield,” easily one of the best programs of the ’00s, have been collected into one absolutely gorgeous set for “The Shield: The Complete Series Collection”. This time of year usually produces several complete series sets to essentially re-sell already available programs to holiday shoppers. This is one of the best.

DVD Rating: 5.0/5.0

The 88 episodes of “The Shield” have been collection on 28 DVDS, beautifully housed in a 34-page bound anthology book filled with photos, quotes, and a special letter from Shawn Ryan. Purely from a packaging perspective, “The Shield” is one of the most beautiful sets that a TV fan could include on their shelf. Sometimes complete series sets are literally nothing more than the previous releases crammed into one box. That’s not the case here as the entire show has been lovingly bound like a book you want to read again.

The Shield: The Complete Series Collection was released on DVD on November 3rd, 2009.
Photo credit: Sony

It’s interesting to me that “The Shield” has been bound like a novel because the arc of the show played like one. What happened at the end of episode one - corrupt cop Vic Mackey (Michael Chiklis) killing a fellow police officer - resonated all the way through to the final scene of episode eighty-eight. The writers of “The Shield” masterfully intertwined plotlines through every season of the show. Unlike so many TV programs, actions had consequences in the world of “The Shield,” and the entire series plays more like an extended film than a episode series.

From season to season, “The Shield” had its ups and downs. Even the greatest shows of all time had some low moments. But now that we can look back at the entirety of Shawn Ryan’s program, it’s the highs - including arguably the best series finale in the history of television - that stand out. If you didn’t watch “The Shield” or if you were a huge fan and want to revisit it, this set should top your holiday wish list.

“The Shield: The Complete Series Collection” also includes over 63 hours of amazing special features from all seven seasons, along with two exclusive never-before-seen featurettes - “Rampart” (a documentary on the police scandal that inspired “The Shield”) and “A Place We Called Home” (a look back at the set of “The Shield”).

The only drawback of this release is that it’s probably the final word on one of the best shows of the ’00s. The show was an underrated, crucial part of the TV landscape of the decade and now it’s gotten the collection that it truly deserves.

‘The Shield: The Complete Series Collection’ was released by Sony Home Video and stars Michael Chiklis, Walton Goggins, David Rees Snell, Jay Karnes, CCH Pounder, Cathy Cahlin Ryan, Laurie Holden, Paula Garces, Glenn Close, Forest Whitaker, and Benito Martinez. It was created by Shawn Ryan. The show was released on November 3rd, 2009. It is not rated.

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

TV Review: ‘The League’ on FX Has Potential to Be a Winner

BrianTT — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 11:01:28 -0600

CHICAGO – FX may have finally found a partner for the great “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia,” in the just-as-raunchy “The League,” a show that’s basically about how guys like to give each other sh*t. On message boards, over a few drinks, at a family picnic - there are groups of guys everywhere who live to bust each other’s balls. If you can’t handle it, don’t suit up for “The League”.

Television Rating: 3.5/5.0

The title of the sitcom is taken from a common obsession this time of year - fantasy football. A group of friends have an annual, highly competitive league that serves as the background for what is basically a relationship comedy between men and women. With raunchy humor that you’d expect to see on HBO or Showtime, “The League” sometimes feels like it’s trying too hard to be edgy, but by the end of the second episode, it has begun to show signs of developing a nice, funny rhythm every week that may not top it’s Thursday night schedule-mate but will make it a good one-two comedy punch.

Mark Duplass. THE LEAGUE premieres on FX.
Photo credit: F. Scott Schafer / FX

The ensemble of “The League” helps elevate some of the more mediocre writing with a very talented collection of recognizable faces.

Nick Kroll, Mark Duplass, Stephen Rannazzisi, Katie Aselto, Jon Lajoie and Paul Scheer.
Photo credit: F. Scott Schafer/ FX.

Pete (Mark Duplass of “Humpday”) consistently wins the fantasy league trophy and is absolutely unafraid to rub it in his friend’s faces but his marriage is falling apart, threatening another run at the crown in the premiere episode.

Stephen Rannazzisi and Katie Aselton play Kevin and Jenny, the funniest couple on the show, as she pretty much runs his team from the sidelines and the fantasy dynamic seems to play into their marriage too. The second episode allows both Rannazzisi and Aselton to shine, indicating that this will be a true ensemble effort, as all great sitcoms are.

Ruxin (Nick Kroll) is the sexually frustrated husband to the very funny Nadine Velazquez (“My Name is Earl”), Andre (Paul Scheer) is the most-abused member of this Midwestern “Entourage,” and Taco (Jon Lajoie) is the player of the group, a dim bulb who is handsome enough that his complete lack of social skills has done nothing to stop him from getting laid.

The theme of “The League” is simple. Men are more competitive with their friends than with anyone else. The writers cleverly work fantasy football into the fabric of the show with player trades actually being bartered for part of a criminal suspect’s plea bargain in the first episode and to basically keep a marriage together in the second.

The first episode of “The League” is just okay. I thought to myself that it was good enough to give it another try but not great enough to be truly memorable. In a very, very good sign, the second episode is actually much funnier. A cast member has been cut and the gang seems more confident in their characters. A hysterical double date, “special sex,” the concept of “Eskimo Brothers,” and a song about “vaginal hubris” make the second ep of “The League” something that will likely get viewers very interested in a third.

Guys never really grow up. They just move from hitting each other with dodgeballs to razzing each other on fantasy football message boards. “The League” sometimes pushes the “need to shock” a bit too far but the cast has more then enough talent to keep viewers once that hook has brought them in. FX continues to impress.

‘The League,’ which airs on FX, premieres on October 29th, 2009 at 9:30PM CST. It stars Mark Duplass, Stephen Rannazzisi, Katie Aselton, Nadine Velazquez, Nick Kroll, Paul Scheer, and Jon Lajoie.

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

TV on Blu-Ray Round Up: ‘Lie to Me,’ ‘Sons of Anarchy,’ ‘Life After People’

BrianTT — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 08:44:58 -0600

CHICAGO – There have been some very cool TV on Blu-Ray releases lately that we wanted to make sure you, our loyal readers, knew about, including “Life After People,” “Lie to Me,” and “Sons of Anarchy”.

One of the best home entertainment developments of 2009 has been the emergence of more television on Blu-Ray. Take for example this edition of the Blu-Ray Round-Up, which features a History Channel program, a FOX drama, and an action-driven FX series about to start its second season.

All three releases are part of a new wave of TV on Blu-Ray and whatever may be said about the quality of the actual programs, it’s encouraging to see more studios taking chances on HD releases. Let’s hope they all do soon.

Synopsis, cast information, technical details, and special features information follows. Pick up one. Support the movement.

“Sons of Anarchy: Season One” was released on August 18th, 2009.

“Lie to Me: Season One” was released on August 25th, 2009.

“Life After People” will be released on September 1st, 2009.

“Sons of Anarchy: Season One”

Photo credit: Fox

Synopsis: “From an executive producer of “The Shield” comes a gripping drama that takes you into the ruthless underworld of outlaw bikers. The Sons of Anarchy live, ride and die for brotherhood. But as the club’s leader (Ron Perlman) and his wife (Katey Sagal) steer them in an increasingly lawless direction, her son Jax (Charlie Hunnam) is torn between loyalty and the legacy in this adrenaline-charged first season.”

“Sons of Anarchy: Season One” stars Charlie Hunnam, Ron Perlman, Katey Sagal, Theo Rossi, Maggie Siff, Johnny Lewis, Tommy Flanagan, and Kim Coates. It was created by Kurt Sutter. It is presented in High Definition 1080p with a 1.78:1 aspect ratio and includes an English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio track. The 13-episode season runs 594 minutes.

Special features include audio commentary on selected episodes, “The Making of Sons of Anarchy: Season 1,” “Casting Sons of Anarchy,” “The Ink,” “The Bikes,” deleted scenes, and “Anarchy on the Set”.

“Lie to Me: Season One”

Photo credit: Fox

Synopsis: “In this powerful and engaging new drama from Imagine Television, the producers of 24, Tim Roth stars as Dr. Cal Lightman, a deception expert whose uncanny ability to read facial expressions and body language makes him a virtual human polygraph. Joined by psychologist Dr. Gillian Foster, Lightman tackles compelling cases of sabotage, scandal and murder, always uncovering the one thing that matters most - the truth.”

“Lie to Me: Season One” stars Tim Roth, Kelli Williams, Brendan Hines, and Monica Raymund. It was created by Samuel Baum. It is presented in High Definition 1080p with a 1.78:1 aspect ratio and includes an English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio track. The 13-episode season runs 572 minutes.

Special features include deleted scenes and an exclusive featurette called “The Truth About Lies”.

“Life After People”

Photo credit: BBC/WB

Synopsis: “If humans were to suddenly disappear, what would happen to our planet - the structures we’ve built, the everyday items we take for granted, domesticated and wild animals, plants, trees? What would become of the things that define our species and leave our mark on this Earth?

Visit the ghostly villages surrounding Chernobyl (abandoned by humans after the 1986 nuclear disaster), travel to remote islands off the coast of Maine to search for abandoned towns that have vanished from view in only a few decades, then head beneath the streets of New York to see how subway tunnels may become watery canals.

HISTORY takes you on an amazing visual journey in Life After People, a thought-provoking adventure that combines movie-quality visual effects with insights from experts in the fields of engineering, botany, ecology, biology, geology, climatology, and archaeology to demonstrate how the very landscape of our plant will change in our absence.”

“Life After People” is presented in High Definition with its original 1.33:1 aspect ratio and includes only an English 2.0 Stereo track. It runs 94 minutes

Special features include additional scenes.

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

DVD Review: Perfect Final Season of ‘The Shield’ Gets Fantastic Release

BrianTT — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 09:27:02 -0600

CHICAGO – There was no better show on television in 2008 than FX’s “The Shield” and the seventh and final season is now available on DVD. The dark and often brilliant series about life lived in the gray area between right and wrong had its ups and downs over the course of six seasons but the seventh and final chapter in the life of Vic Mackey was stunningly perfect and I find it hard to disagree with Maureen Ryan of The Chicago Tribune, who is quoted on the cover of the recently released DVD set - “…the most brilliant series finale I’ve ever seen.”

DVD Rating: 5.0/5.0

One of the things I always loved about “The Shield,” a show that I think I have written about more than any other in the decade I’ve been writing about entertainment, was how brilliantly the team behind the show wove together themes and subplots not just from episode to episode but through the entire fabric of the series. At its very core, the entire show was about the end of the first episode, when Vic Mackey (Michael Chiklis) killed a fellow police officer. The rest was just the seven-season unraveling of Vic and his crew.

The Shield: Season Seven was released on DVD on June 9th, 2009.
Photo credit: Sony

The final season of “The Shield” focused on the battle between Vic and his former ally and new nemesis Shane (Walton Goggins). Shane resorted to kidnapping in his dangerous dance with the Armenian mob, Dutch (the great and underrated Jay Karnes) became closely involved in the life of a woman who he thought had a killer for a son, and the Strike Team moved to take down a deadly drug lord. Corrupt politics continued to play a role and the entire squad threatened to come apart.

The questions leading up to the finale of “The Shield” were as suspenseful as any since “The Sopranos”. Would Shawn Ryan kill of Vic Mackey? Was there a chance he could let this character “get away with” the crimes he had committed over the years? The end of one of the most interesting characters of the ’00s was absolutely perfect.

Last week, “The Shield” was nominated for Program of the Year by the Television Critics Association and received four total nods, more than any other show. See why with the seventh season now on DVD.

The competition for the TCA’s award for Program of the Year include “Lost” and “Mad Men,” two great shows released in perfect Blu-Ray editions. Why is the most nominated program only available on standard DVD? “The Shield” has never had the technical emphasis of a show like “Lost,” but we’ve reached a point where all programming should be available in 1080P, especially the best program of the year.

Once you get over the fact that it’s standard-only, the season set for “The Shield” is one of the best of the year. Every single episode includes a commentary track by a variety of cast and crew members including Chiklis, Ryan, Paula Garces, Karnes, Frances Fisher, Laurie Holden, Goggins, Cathy Cahlin Ryan, David Rees Snell, Benito Martinez, David Marciano, and Michelle Hicks.

Nearly every episode includes deleted scenes with optional commentaries and the last disc includes two great featurettes about the show called “Last Call: The Final Episode” and “Nobody Expects to Lose, Nobody Expected to Die: The Shield’s Final Season”.

The final season of “The Shield” lived up to fan expectations as much as any beloved series in recent years and Sony has wisely given the show the season set that it deserves. We’ll miss you Vic Mackey.

‘The Shield: Season Seven’ was released by Sony Home Video and stars Michael Chiklis, Walton Goggins, David Rees Snell, Jay Karnes, CCH Pounder, Cathy Cahlin Ryan, Laurie Holden, Paula Garces, and Benito Martinez. It was created by Shawn Ryan. The show was released on June 9th, 2009. It is not rated.

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

TV Review: Denis Leary Continues to Shine on Consistent ‘Rescue Me’

BrianTT — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 09:51:30 -0600

Television Rating: 3.5/5.0

CHICAGO – Denis Leary, Peter Tolan, and Evan Reilly were forced to take a lot of time between “Rescue Me” seasons due to the writer’s strike but they’re back with an amazing 22-episode season planned for FX starting tonight, April 7th, 2009 at 9pm CST. Seamlessly picking up where we left off, “Rescue Me” continues to entertain and maintain its tricky balance between goofy comedy and deadly serious subjects.

Not much has changed for Tommy Gavin (Leary). He’s still dealing with the ghosts of 9/11, still trying to keep his job on the 62 Truck, still battling alcoholism, still barely keeping his fragile relationships with his family together, and still dealing with crazy ex-girlfriends.

Rescue Me
Photo credit: FX

The fifth season of “Rescue Me” opens just after the death of Tommy’s father (Charles Durning) at the end of season four. With most of ex-wife issues resolved, his ex-girlfriend more safely out of the picture, his daddy issues at least repressed, and the fact that he hasn’t had a drink in months, it feels like season five gives viewers a more relaxed and relatable Tommy than some previous seasons of this hit show.

Rescue Me
Photo credit: FX

As for the regular characters on the show, when season five opens Tommy is dealing with the very real possibility of being kicked off his squad. Meanwhile, Black Shawn (Larenz Tate) is dating Tommy’s daughter, Mike (Michael Lombardi), Sean (Steven Pasquale), and Franco (Daniel Sunjata) end up opening a bar, and Lou (John Scurti) finds his world turned upside down by a French journalist (Karina Lombard) writing a book on 9/11. Of course, Sheila (Callie Thorne) is still flitting around and being generally insane.

At its core, “Rescue Me” is about a group of men drastically affected by what happened on 9/11 - NYC firefighters. In keeping with the idea that these gentlemen woke up on that morning with no idea of what to come, “Rescue Me” has always been one of the most wildly unpredictable shows on television. Moments of devastating tragedy will be followed by goofy, frat-boy humor. You never know what to expect from scene to scene, much less episode to episode.

The history of “Rescue Me” has some of the funniest material on TV over the last several years, followed almost immediately by shocking, heartbreaking twists. Life often doesn’t have foreshadowing. Why should all TV drama? Every day that a firefighter wakes up could be his last and the strength of “Rescue Me” is how expertly the show has taken that unpredictability and made it dramatically rich television.

Rescue Me
Photo credit: FX

In keeping with that idea, Leary, Tolan, and Reilly have made the very unexpected casting choice of including Michael J. Fox in a quintet of episodes in the new season. Fox plays the new, handicapped boyfriend of Tommy’s ex-wife Janet (Andrea Roth), someone who immediately butts heads with Gavin. A scene in episode five in which Fox pounds beers and speeds through Manhattan must be seen to be believed. Fox is excellent in his limited arc and its great to see this classic TV star still kicking ass.

Ultimately I feel that “Rescue Me” has been consistently “good” but never quite crossed that threshold to “great”. And I don’t mean that as a slight on the show. There are actually very few programs that have been consistently good for five seasons.

I think Leary has become a better actor with each passing season and undeniably gives one of the most interesting performances on TV but it’s too often at the expense of the rest of the cast. This was a particular problem in season four when the talented ensemble too often took a back seat to Tommy. Tony Soprano isn’t nearly as interesting without Carmela, Paulie, Chris, and even Meadow. “Rescue Me” often sacrificed the ensemble that truly great drama needs.

The good news is that this dynamic seems to be changing a bit in season five. Leary is still the centerpiece but the arrival of the journalist brings out interesting arcs for the rest of the squad and Sean finally gets an interesting plotline of his own a few episodes into the season. Perhaps the length of this season will allow “Rescue Me” to become the deeper show that I always thought it could be. We all know Leary rocks this role by now. Let some of the other band members get a solo or two and this series will move to the next level that it’s always threatened to do.

Check out this great preview for season five of “Rescue Me”:

‘Rescue Me,’ which airs on FX, stars Denis Leary, Michael Lombardi, Steven Pasquale, Andrea Roth, John Scurti, Daniel Sunjata, Callie Thorne, Adam Ferrara, Larenz Tate, Robert John Burke, Lenny Clarke, Tatum O’Neal, Michael J. Fox, and Karina Lombard. The show was created by Leary and Peter Tolan. The fifth season premieres on Tuesday, April 7th, 2009 at 9PM CST.

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

‘Damages’ Returns With Intense, Riveting Start to Season Two

BrianTT — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 10:39:51 -0700

CHICAGO – The complex, twisted world of FX’s excellent “Damages” returns this week with a spectacular set-up for what promises to be another riveting season of twists and turns down the alleys of legal ethics and questionable moral behavior with an even more impressive ensemble than the one that won Emmys for its highly lauded first season.

The character played by Zeljko Ivanek, Emmy winner for Supporting Actor, may be dead and gone, but the rest of the cast, including Glenn Close, Rose Byrne, Tate Donovan, and even Ted Danson, are back, joined by three of the better actors that you will find on TV this season - Oscar winner William Hurt, Oscar winner Marcia Gay Harden, and Timothy Olyphant (“Deadwood,” “Go”). Hurt should clear his mantle now for an Emmy this summer and Close probably needs to make room for number two but they’re far from alone. “Damages” is a clear frontrunner for the best ensemble on television. Most films over the next few months won’t feature acting this impressive.

Rose Byrne (L) and Glenn Close (R) in Damages premiering Wednesday, Jan. 7 (10 PM ET/PT) on FX.
Photo credit: Craig Blankenhorne/FX

It may have been a year and a half since “Damages” was on the air, but in the world of Hewes & Associates, it’s only been a month since the disastrous end of the Arthur Frobisher case. In case you don’t remember the flurry of activity that ended season one, cutthroat attorney Patty Hewes (Glenn Close) watched her opponent in the courtroom Ray Fiske (Zeljko Ivanek) take his own life in front of her eyes. The problem for Patty (besides the emotional trauma) was that she was blackmailing the closeted defenseman, so she needed Ellen (Rose Byrne) to help clean up the evidence before the police arrived. Fearing that Ellen knew enough to ruin her life forever, Patty sent someone to kill the woman that she had grown close to professionally and personally.

Rose Byrne as Ellen Parsons on the season premiere of Damages airing on Wednesday, Jan. 7 (10 pm e/p) on FX.
Photo credit: Mark Seliger/FX

Ellen survived the attack on her life, but her fiance wasn’t so lucky, getting killed on the same night by nefarious businessman Arthur Frobisher’s (Ted Danson) people. With a dead husband-to-be and the knowledge that her boss tried to kill her, Ellen was approached by the FBI and tasked with taking down Patty Hewes from the inside. And that’s the very brief version of a labyrynthine season that became one of the first basic cable shows nominated for a Best Drama Series Emmy (“Mad Men” was also nominated giving them the joint honor of being the “first”).

The structure of the first season was essentially a flashback. The show opened with a bloodied Ellen running from a building and being arrested for the death of her fiance. The series then worked back to that moment, detailing how the new attorney went from wide-eyed rookie to bitter veteran over the course of one case.

One of many questions answered by the premiere of season two is would the show followed a similar structure? Yes. The new episode opens with a monologue by Ellen in close-up to someone unseen. Only at the end of the scene, do we realize that sweet Ellen is holding a gun. It’s going to be a different Ellen in year two.

Flash back six months to just one month after the end of the Frobisher case. Arthur survived getting shot in the gut and is recovering in a hospital. Ellen is undercover and being handed a fake case by the FBI to try and entrap Patty into doing something illegal. And Patty is being approached by someone from her past, Daniel Purcell (William Hurt), a potential whistle blower about to destroy a major company. Meanwhile, Ellen meets someone intriguing (Timothy Olyphant) in her anger management class. Marcia Gay Harden joins the supporting cast in the second episode as an attorney caught up between Daniel and Patty.

What is the link between Patty and Purcell? Will Tom (Tate Donovan) get caught up in Ellen’s web with the FBI? Is the new guy in Ellen’s life a genuine love interest or a vengeful nut job? Will the fact that Patty is guilty of conspiracy to commit murder be a part of the fabric of the show until its end? How can they ever drop it?

Glenn Close as stars as Patty Hewes on Damages airing on Wednesday, Jan. 14 (10 pm e/p) on FX.
Photo credit: Craig Blankenhorne/FX

The first episode of the second season of “Damages” - “I Lied, Too” - is a little cluttered, answering some questions from the last season and setting up new ones, but the show quickly settles into an interesting groove in the second episode and especially the excellent third episode. It’s great to see the focus of the show switch and easily survive the transition from the Frobisher case to the Purcell one. How many series could survive the loss of its Best Supporting Actor winner (Ivanek) and the switch of focus away from his fellow nominee (Danson) and not only feel as good but arguably better? It’s a testament to the writing team at “Damages,” one of the best on television and one that clearly drew in actors as talented as Hurt, Harden, and Olyphant.

Like a lot of shows that succeed in their first season, the second chapter of “Damages” feels even more consistent and confident than the first. The team has figured out the shows strengths, the cast has grown accustomed to the unusual impromptu writing process (even the writers don’t know how a season will end when they start a new one), and the pace and energy of the show has been set in stone. Close was nearly perfect from episode one of “Damages,” but even she seems like a more interesting, well-rounded character in season two and Byrne is clearly having a blast playing “tough and bitter Ellen” as opposed to “naive and worried Ellen” from season one.

FX has forged a niche in original programming based on morally challenged, complex characters like Vic Mackey on “The Shield,” Tommy Gavin on “Rescue Me”, Sean McNamara & Christian Troy on “Nip/Tuck,” and, the Queen of them all, Patty Hewes on “Damages”. You won’t find a more interesting character on television and she’s surrounded by an even better supporting team than in the award-winning first season. Don’t miss “Damages”.

‘Damages,’ which airs on FX, stars Glenn Close, Rose Byrne, Tate Donovan, William Hurt, Marcia Gay Harden, Timothy Olyphant, and Ted Danson. The premiere of season two airs on January 7th, 2009 at 9PM CST.

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