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"THE CLOSER: THE COMPLETE FIFTH SEASON" DVD Review by Kevin Carr MOVIE: **** (out of 5 stars) BLU-RAY EXPERIENCE: **1/2 (out of 5 stars) Not Rated Available on DVD June 29 TheCloserDVD.com Studio: Warner Bros. DOWNLOAD ALL SEASONS IN HD: 
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WHAT IT’S ABOUT
The award-winning TNT drama “The Closer” continues with its fifth season. Now that Brenda Lee Johnson (Kyra Sedgwick) is entirely in control of and has the trust of her crew, she is facing some new challengers. In addition to more horrible cases coming through Major Crimes, she struggles with helping out her wayward sixteen-year-old niece, some relationship woes with Fritz and her Internal Affairs nemesis who keeps butting into her cases.
WHAT I LIKED
There are so many police procedurals on television nowadays that it sometimes becomes hard to wade through everything and differentiate a show. “The Closer” manages to do that exceptionally well, even though the cast of characters is very similar in tone (and sometimes even storyline) as shows like “The Mentalist.”
The anchor to the show is Sedgwick as Deputy Chief Johnson, and she really brings a fantastic level of empathy and emotion to the series. Even though it’s a basic cable show not known for its edginess, “The Closer” heads down some very dark paths, in particular opening the season with an awful random act of violence.
The show also manages to balance the professional side (Johnson’s case load) with her personal life (her drama with Fritz and her niece, played by Sedgwick’s real-life daughter), and it also manages to blend them enough that both storylines can work in concert to deliver a solid episode.
The writing continues to be crisp and clever, and even though there are some recycled plots from other police procedurals, it manages to keep bringing new things to the table... even if that’s just creative ways for bodies to find their way to Major Crimes.
WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE
The big complaints I have about “The Closer” comes from what you’ll see in many cop shows. Why don’t any of these suspects lawyer up the moment they’re arrested? Why do people always deliver such a damning confession? Why does Johnson continue to solve cases based on some random comment that sparks an idea.
Ah, but such is the case with most police procedurals. Not being an avid watcher of the genre, I’m happy with the low key nature of these basic cable series and their ability to just tell an entertaining story each week rather than trying to reinvent the show.
DVD FEATURES
By the time a fifth season hits DVD, there usually aren’t very many decent special features. However, there is an effort made with “The Closer.” This four-disc set includes fifteen episodes, several of which having unaired scenes. There’s also a gag reel and a “Seen at the Crime Location Map” which for the most part talks about the challenges to handle location scouting and shooting, but it also provides some decent behind-the-scene information.
WHO’S GOING TO LIKE THIS MOVIE
Fans of basic cable police procedurals.
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"A STAR IS BORN: DELUXE EDITION" DVD Review by Kevin Carr MOVIE: **1/2 (out of 5 stars) DVD EXPERIENCE: **** (out of 5 stars) Not Rated Available on DVD June 22 WarnerBros.com Studio: Warner Bros. DOWNLOAD NOW IN HD: Download the film On Demand via Amazon! Back to DVD Review Home |  |
WHAT IT’S ABOUT
Judy Garland and James Mason star in this remake of the 1937 film about a beloved actor falling from grace and the rise to stardom of his protege and lover. Garland plays a lounge singer who is tapped by an alcoholic actor on his way out of favor, and she soon becomes the next big thing in Hollywood. This new video release includes the 1983 reconstruction, which runs 176 minutes.
WHAT I LIKED
While I like some of the classic musicals, I’ve never been a die-hard fan of the genre. Add to this fact the concept of “A Star Is Born” existing outside of the normal wheelhouse for Hollywood musicals, and it’s no surprise that this isn’t my favorite film. Still, I can respect the movie for what it was – a massive comeback for star Judy Garland.
Garland fans will enjoy seeing her bring to life the production numbers, of which there are many. After her own stumbling in Hollywood, this movie shows that Garland still had what it takes to be a star. Likewise, James Mason is quite charming as her problematic lover.
What I found most intriguing about this movie was its departure from the normally glamorous nature of the Hollywood musical. Like “Sunset Boulevard,” “A Star Is Born” shows the seedier side of Hollywood that has always existed (and is overexposed today) but was swept under the rug in the 50s. It deals with some dark material and unpleasant subjects, and it does so with surprisingly stark presentations.
WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE
Not being a fan of the movie musical, I got bored with the production numbers. The reconstructed version has additional number, and there’s a middle section of storytelling by singing that seems a bit out of place, like what we saw in “Singing in the Rain.” Still, this is something for the fans, and Garland acolytes will adore this.
Finally, as much as I respect the reconstructed version of the film, it’s a bit distracting and jarring to watch the story unfold about 30 minutes in with production stills and restored audio. It’s the best we’ve got, but this version seems more for the fan and collector than for the casual viewer.
DVD FEATURES
“A Star Is Born” has been re-released on Blu-ray, DVD and On Demand, and the discs include nearly four hours of special features. The first disc of the DVD includes the two parts of the film on a double-sided disc, which is not very logical considering the less-than-three-hour film should fit on a single side.
The second disc features tons of bonus material, including deleted scenes, alternate takes of production numbers, a vintage newsreel and telecast of the movie’s Hollywood premiere at the Pantages Theater, the 1954 WB Exhibitor Reel, additional footage from the post-premiere party at Coconut Grove, trailers for all three version of “A Star Is Born” and more than an hour of audio sessions, music and a vintage radio show.
WHO’S GOING TO LIKE THIS MOVIE
Judy Garland fans and people who love the film enough to appreciate the reconstructed format.
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"CREATION" DVD Review by Kevin Carr MOVIE: ** (out of 5 stars) DVD EXPERIENCE: ***1/2 (out of 5 stars) Rated PG-13 Studio: Lionsgate Back to DVD Review Home |  |
WHAT IT’S ABOUT
Everyone knows who Charles Darwin was, but few know the family and professional struggles of his personal life. “Creation” tells the story of the man behind “The Origin of the Species.” Paul Bettany plays Darwin as he balances his family’s religious beliefs with his work and deals with the tragic illness of his beloved daughter.
WHAT I LIKED
The best part of “Creation” is the acting. Bettany brings something special to the character, and he plays well off his real-life wife, Jennifer Connelly, who plays Darwin’s wife. Like many period pieces, this film looks fantastic from both a costume and location angle.
WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE
Films like “Creation” often serve as a spotlight on an actor, and as much as I did enjoy Bettany’s performance, the film seemed to brood too much around his character. When dealing with a polarizing figure like Charles Darwin, it’s hard to come at the film without an agenda. And while director John Amiel clearly is trying to focus on Darwin the man, he stumbles into religious debates. This is to be expected with a film about Darwin’s work, but the problem falls in the fact that the focus is outside of Darwin’s actual beliefs and becomes more about his emotions.
I can respect a film like “Creation” because of how it tries to fill in the blanks that most people have about Darwin. It just became tedious when focusing on his brittle emotions, often in a non-linear and random sort of way.
DVD FEATURES
The DVD comes with a nice array of special features, including a commentary by director John Amiel and a making-of documentary called “The Battle for Charles Darwin” (which points out how hard it was for the film to secure an American distributor, which is ludicrous to me, considering it released with a whimper). There’s also a seven-part featurette “Digging Deeper Into Darwin” which does a better job coherently examining the man’s personal life than the film itself does.
However, for a science nerd like myself, I found the three part “Debating Darwin” featurette the most interesting. These short videos have several sides of the evolution debate – from a young-earth creationist to an atheist scientist – discuss their stances.
WHO’S GOING TO LIKE THIS MOVIE
People who love watching a good actor act in movie that’s not as good as the performance itself.
